Winter 2005
Table of Contents
Sierra Pipe Dreams
When Hetch Hetchy was flooded to provide water to San Francisco, John Muir’s heart was broken. Nearly a century later, the debate resumes.
The Plastic Sea
Swirling in the Central and North Pacific Ocean is a mass of debris the size of Africa
Governor Lights a Fuse
The Governator’s plan to streamline government by privatizing it
Shaving the Point
Casinos vs. open space on the bay
Oh, Christmas Creek
Calendars get wet
Ravaged Roost
Toxic dumps, toxic dust, development and marsh “restoration” in Richmond: Neighbors picket but money talks.
Delta Blues
The hundred-year flood, the next big quake—which will trash California’s water system, and when?
Not a Drop to Drink
“Don’t drink the water!” Third World? No, California Central Valley towns.
Blue Oil
Water privatization and its discontents.
Paradise Lost
One little wild creek canyon, interred.
Trophy Homes Flatten Natural Habitats, Courtesy of Shapell Industries
Shapell homeowners may enjoy their wild neighbors, but are they good neighbors in turn?
Downy Diplomats Show, Don’t Tell
Native Bird Connections’ avian ambassadors and their second careers.
“It’s Not My Cat!”
Cats vs. native wildlife, again.
Will Sonoma keep the grass greener?
The county’s growth restrictions work. Now it’s time for the third iteration.
Armies of Ants
Native ants are no match for Argentine invaders.
Real-life Ents
Today’s activists restore nature despite the odds.
Headwaters Watchdog
Headwaters group takes on new roles.
Seeding the Earth
The Ecology Center’s lively gene bank for gardeners.
Essential Reads
State surveillance; corporate chow; pest-control primer.
Thinking Upstream, with Melissa Nelson
An interview with the executive director of the Cultural Conservancy.
