Sea Otters not arriving in Stinson Beach... yet

The territory for southern sea otters (also know as California sea otters) is expanding.

That's good and potentially bad news, according to this Scientific American article.

More about sea turtles

This site has remarkable resources, from adopting sea turtles to groups and organizations dedicated to sea turtle preservation.

Only one place to go for breakfast in Stinson Beach, but that's all you need

Whether you are out there fishing:


or running:


if you need a good breakfast there's just one place to go - The Parkside:

Running on endurance

There is distance running, and then there is Dipsea running, up and over the slippery slope that separates Mill Valley from Stinson Beach. Steve Jaber, 58, of Mill Valley just completed his 10th Quad Dipsea - two round trips on the Dipsea Trail, totaling 28.4 miles.



Why: I am not a very fast runner, but I have really good endurance. In a race of this type, people tend to really slow down toward the end. I am able to maintain a steady pace throughout the entire run. This allows me to enjoy my time on the trails without suffering too much.

Greatest accomplishment: Finishing my 10th Quad Dipsea in late November. There is 9,276 feet of elevation gain and almost no flat sections. It took me eight hours to finish, placing me near the end.

Read more

Rare Turtle Rescued Off California Coast

"A rare sea turtle, found washed ashore at Stinson Beach last week, is now recuperating at SeaWorld San Diego.

On Nov. 25, the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, Calif., rescued a female olive ridley turtle, rarely seen in northern California, covered with barnacles, ghost shrimp and even crabs.

Rescue staff nicknamed her Donatello and soon found the turtle, weighing just 54 pounds, was in very poor condition, suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, and low body temperature.

Veterinarians at the center immediately gave her fluids, antibiotics, and vitamins but arranged for care at SeaWorld San Diego, where she’s being tube fed twice a day.

If the turtle regains her strength, she could be released as early as Summer 2010, according to the staff at the Marine Mammal Center.

This is only the third report of an olive ridley turtle in Marin waters in the past decade. They're more commonly found in southern California, according to NOAA's Office of Protected Fisheries."



Click here for the full article.

Debate Flares on Limits of Nature and Commerce in Parks

It seems a perfect marriage of nature and commerce. As boats ferry oysters to the shore, pelicans swoop by and seals pop their heads out of the water.

But this spot on the Point Reyes National Seashore has become a flashpoint for a bitter debate over the limits of wilderness and commercial interest within America’s national parks.

The National Park Service has said it cannot renew the permit to farm oysters in a tidal estuary here, which lapses in 2012, because federal law requires it to return the area to wilderness by eliminating intrusive commercial activity.

Kevin Lunny, the owner of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company, says he feels persecuted by the National Park Service and has sought legislation that could allow him to continue operating.

He argues that the 70-year-old oyster farm, which predates the park, is part of the historical working landscape of the area — and every bit as in need of protection as the harbor seals and eelgrass that share the bay.



Read the entire New York Times article here.

Leatherback Turtles Along the California Coast

The California Academy of Sciences presents a one hour video by marine ecologist Scott Benson on the leatherback turtle population along the California coast.

Learn about leatherback turtles in coastal central California and their origins in the remote beaches of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Click here for the video.

San Francisco: On the hippy trail

"The three-mile strip of sandy beach -- where Janis Joplin's ashes were scattered -- is a favourite for surfers and city-dwellers looking for a weekend getaway. With the 6,200-acre Mount Tamalpais State Park encircling Stinson, it has the appeal of being somewhere you can disappear into the countryside in a matter of minutes, as well as enjoy a chilled glass of Californian white wine with a bowl of local Tomales Bay mussels while looking out to sea."



Read the entire article here.