August 28, 2007

The new moon rises September 11 bringing in the weeks before - very high afternoon tides of 6 feet plus. Check tides before heading out for afternoon walks to avoid being trapped against cliff sides.

Nuts are ripening on many native trees - the California bay or laurel tree nuts or 'peppernuts are looking like small lemons. The greenish yellow coating dries away leaving a hard coated brown nut that was roasted and eaten. Buckeye trees are also developing their green -tennis ball nuts! The fuzzy green outer covering dries and a rich chestnut brown 'buckeye' is ripe also by late fall. Hazel, live oak and tan oak are also in their green half grown state. The native seeds drop in the fall providing an important source of nutrients, a last feast before winter.

The tule elk rut begins! Bachelor herds have commonly been seen on the east side of the parking area at Pierce ranch; look for them on the southeast hillsides. Most of the males have shed their velvet, groomed their antlers and are looking for the ladies! The male call or bugle has been heard recently.

All park visitor centers are open Monday, Labor Day September 3rd. Bear Valley is on holiday hours opening one hour earlier at 8:00 am; Drakes beach and the Lighthouse on regular hours.

Permits have been issued for a traditional sailing regatta headquartered at Marshall Beach for Labor Day weekend; expect congestion at this beach with over 100 campers.

Permits have been issued for a bioluminescence class from College of Marin on Saturday, September 8 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Drakes Beach. Also, that Saturday a permit has been issued for a training hike at Bear Valley and Abbots Lagoon parking area, expect congestion in those areas.

Coastal watershed closures continue for Mt. Vision Road and the Estero road/trail; also Muddy Hollow Road is closed for culvert removal also.

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August 14, 2007

A full lunar eclipse is coming up on August 28 if you'd like to stay up late. The moon will be on total eclipse between 2:51 am PST and 4:22 am early Tuesday, August 28. Kashaya Pomo welcome this full moon called Luchich-da 'acorns appear' as tiny green acorns appear on the coast live oak and tanbark oak trees, hopefully to ripen by October.

Huckleberries are here! Old Pine Trail, Bay View/Inverness Ridge, Tomales Bay State park all have plentiful bushes and berries! This tiny native blueberry has small evergreen leaves and is a small shrub in shaded areas.

Fire danger increases as we go into September-October. Last Friday, a four acre brush fire near Dogtown was quickly suppressed. The cause of the fire is under investigation but a reminder, if you are using chain saws and weed clippers be sure spark arresters are maintained. If parking your car in dry grass, watch for sparks from the tailpipes.

Large scale construction projects begin in the next few weeks as part of the coastal watershed restoration efforts and bring road and trail closures. This project has a narrow window of time to be completed before the rainy season and after fish activity. Vision Road will be closed August 20-October 15 and the Estero Road and Trail will be closed August 27-October 15. The closures include all foot, car and bike traffic.

Cross-Marin Trail is closed this Wednesday and Thursday, August 15-16 as slurry sealing is completed to restore the surface of this old road now trail.

Mark your calendars for the annual Sand Sculpture contest on Sunday, September 2nd at Drakes Beach. Celebrity judges include Gregory DeMascio and Lyons Filmmer from community radio station KWMR and Nancy Bertelsen and the Latino Photo Project of Gallery Route One in Point Reyes Station. Registration begins at 9:00 am and judging begins around noon.

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