What can we help find?

1

Wildlife

Hawk watch
Park E-Ventures Article

Wing-Wing Proposition: See Raptors, Advance Science as a GGRO Volunteer

Bay Area residents are mighty lucky to be surrounded by parklands and encounter wildlife in our own backyards. But, instead of spotting the occasional raptor, what if you could see all sorts of birds of prey? Here’s your rare chance to identify, count, and band raptors in the Marin Headlands.
Mission blue butterfly (Icaricia icariodes missionensis)
Park E-Ventures Article

Five Lessons I Learned from the Mission Blue Butterfly

This winter the Golden Gate National Parks will be planting over a thousand lupines, the host plant of the endangered mission blue butterfly. As we prepare for this restoration work, a Park Stewardship manager reflects on the big lessons he’s learned from this little butterfly.
salamander
Park E-Ventures Article

How the Enigmatic Ensatina Sheds Light on “Species”

Learn how populations of the Ensatina split in the Central Valley and discover how this little salamander—the textbook definition of a “ring species”—vividly illustrates how nature frustrates the human compulsion to classify and categorize species.
Downy Woodpecker
Park E-Ventures Article

Let’s Get Together: Mixed Species Flocks

We often think about members of a species gathered together, such as “a gaggle of geese,” or a “pack of wolves.” But there are also examples of different species coming together, often to hunt or avoid being hunted. Read on to learn about one animal alliance.
bats
Park E-Ventures Article

When Day Fades Away, Bats Come Out to Play

Have you ever looked up at the twilight sky to see an erratic flutter of wings? Maybe you tried to convince yourself that it was just a sparrow, but chances are what you actually saw was a little brown bat. Although bats carry a loathsome reputation, humans derive a great...
Tennessee Valley trail
Park E-Ventures Article

The Wildlife Wonders of Tennessee Valley

As one of the few staff working in Tennessee Valley, Liz Ponzini (manager of our Tennessee Valley Nursery) is well-acquainted with the natural wonders of the area—including the local wildlife. Read on to get the inside scoop for your next hike in this remarkable valley.
Park E-Ventures Article

Great Balls of Garter Snakes!

Early last month, dog walker Debra Wood came across an extremely rare sight at Calera Creek in Pacifica: coast garter snakes (Thamnophis elegans terrestris) massing near the creek! Read on to learn more about this amazing natural phenomenon.
Mission blue butterfly (Icaricia icariodes missionensis)
Park E-Ventures Article

The Mission Blues of Oakwood Valley

A bright flash passes by, triggering someone to yell “BLUE!” Team members nimbly make their way through a mosaic of summer lupines at Oakwood Valley. Quickly but carefully, one person follows the butterfly until it lands. “It’s a mission blue, male, resting on a lupine.” Read on to learn more.
Redwood Creek restoration.
Park E-Ventures Article

The Big Importance of Small Woody Debris

Volunteers with Marin’s Park Stewardship team have been gathering together branches and sticks, lashing them together, and dumping them in Redwood Creek. Some strange ritualistic behavior? Or evidence of restoration science at work? Find out by reading on.