Think Before You Spray! Alternatives to Toxic Pesticides Join us on Thursday, August 24 at 7 p.m. when members of the Think Before You Spray coalition discuss the overuse of weedkillers in Marin gardens. The event is free, but you must RSVP. The presentation will address: • Why pesticides are...
Last week a colossal iceberg broke away from a section of Antarctica. Although we didn’t hear it cracking from our berths, the repercussions of that Delaware-sized iceberg will likely impact us and everyone on the planet. As scientists monitor the situation carefully, many are predicting an escalating pace at which...
A history of the San Francisco Bay could be told through the story of oysters. Native oysters were once in abundance, and their shells—found in the middens of Native Americans—date back to about 7,000 years ago. In the 1850’s people began bringing Olympia oysters to the Bay, from Puget Sound...
Weeds are super adaptors. In urban settings weeds thrive under the most meager of growing conditions—moving into bare patches and vacant lots, filling cracks in the pavement and even pushing up through blacktop. In more natural habitats, biodiversity can take a hit as thuggish weeds crowd out native species. While getting rid of weeds isn’t rocket science, it’s all...
There’s a reason chefs say they’re “in the weeds” when the fast-paced, delicately-balanced dance of the restaurant kitchen becomes hopelessly unmanageable. I used to be weed-ignorant, and happily so. I now know more about weeds, and the tools and means to deal with them, than I usually care to admit. Along with learning...
For the first time in a very long time the MMWD (Marin Municipal Water District) is giving a big green thumbs up to watering our plants. As you turn on your irrigation, check that your system hasn’t sprung a leak. Hoses and nozzles degrade with lack of use as well as exposure to the elements. Think...
Earlier this week, over at Waldo Point Harbor, we saw the notice that Aquamaster, a toxic herbicide produced by Monsanto, was about to be sprayed around our beautiful bay. Issaquah dock reps Ali Johnston and myself (Sandy Harford) quickly put the word out to our dock mates that they just might want to weigh in on this issue. It’s well...
Five Ways to Celebrate Dark Sky Week! The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a great resource and orientation for the week that starts with Earth Day (April 22) and ends with the spring new moon (April 28). However you choose to spend the week—whether only using the lights you really need,...
UPDATE: Due to rain this weekend, the Spring City Wide Yard Sale at the MLK parking lot has been postponed from Saturday, April 8 to Saturday, April 22. Yard sale hours on April 22 will be 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Questions about the event may be directed to Julie...
Just before Thanksgiving, work got underway over at the Gateway Shopping Center. Whole sections of existing planting were cleared to make way for new landscaping, with a few select trees left in place. The former Best Buy was given a quick coat of spray paint (the developers’ equivalent of...