Gowen, Gowen, Gone and Twain’s Frog & the Beautiful Serpent This Weekend

We’ve got two great Golden Gate National Parks Endangered Species Big Year trips this weekend to see some of the rarest species on the San Francisco Peninsula. Join us for some time outside, good conversation, and opportunities to build a healthy and sustainable community for people and the plants and animals that accompany us on Earth!

• Gowen, Gowen, Gone? Climate Change, Adaptation, & the Presidio’s Gowen Cypress. Saturday, August 28, 2010, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.— Join Brent Plater of the Wild Equity Institute and Dr. Daniel Gluesenkamp of the Bay Area Early Detection Network on a short walk and discovery of the Presidio’s misplaced Gowen Cypress. The Gowen Cypress is a federally listed species, but it isn’t native to the Presidio, and its presence in the Golden Gate National Parks raises questions we all need to grapple with. When is it appropriate to move imperiled wildlife and plants, and when we do it, how do we do it properly? In an era of climate change, these questions will become more important—and more difficult—to answer. Join us to search for this tree in the Presidio and begin answering these questions, all while earning points towards the 2010 GGNP Endangered Species Big Year grand prize. RSVP Required: please use this links on this web page to RSVP. Rain or shine. Meet at the parking area near the intersection of Pacific Ave. and Walnut St., San Francisco, CA 94118. Easily accessible by bike and transit: check www.511.org for details.

Gowen Cypress in the Presidio

• Twain’s Frog & the Beautiful Serpent. Sunday, August 29, 2010, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Join Brent Plater of the Wild Equity Institute to search for two of the most imperiled vertebrate species on the San Francisco peninsula: the California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake. This will be a leisurely walk to enjoy the restoration work being conducted at Mori Point and to learn about the bold steps being taken to save both species from the brink of extinction. RSVP Required: please use this website to RSVP. Rain or Shine. Meet at the Mori Point Trailhead, Pacifica, CA, 94044. Take the Sharp Park exit off Hwy. 1 and continue south on Bradford Way about 0.5 mile to the gate/trailhead at Mori Point Rd. Roadside parking is limited; carpooling is encouraged. Samtrans buses #110 and #112 stop nearby.

Can you find four California red-legged frogs in this photo?