Hello !

Happy Spring!

In This Issue

Footsteps of Spring
Miraculous March Makes for Much Maintenance
Poems to Inspire
Photo of the Month

Footsteps of Spring!

As Spring comes through, so do the plants! Sanicula arctopoides, also known as footsteps of spring, or yellow mats is a species of sanicle. Sanicle is in the same plant family as carrots and parsnips. Usually found on the coast of California and the south coast of Vancouver, footsteps of spring grows by the beautiful coastal bluffs and sand dunes. They can grow from 1-12 inches and usually decide to show up in the early spring.

This plant is rare and threatened in most areas due to the rise and growth of invasive species which has caused the decline of this sanicle. In Canada it is also at risk because of the expansion of the grazing Canada goose. Trampling by humans in heavy populated areas is said to be another reason of the decline. If you see any of these footsteps, please be sure not to trample them with your footsteps

Blooming Footsteps of Spring  Photo Credit: Nina Wala

Miraculous March Makes for Much Maintenance

Things are looking bright for the month of April, contrary to the rainy month of March we recently experienced. Thanks to the numerous trail crews and the help of enthusiastic stewards like you, “the trails are looking better than ever”, exclaimed a bypasser at a volunteer event in Rancho Corral de Tierra. Rancho is the most recently acquired park by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the trail crew has been busy maintaining drains there, in addition to many of our other great park sites.

Many Californians have been calling it a “miraculous March” when referencing the amount of precipitation. The Bay Area received over 10 inches of rainfall this March, which greatly affects the trails we use so often. If water stays on trails, the dirt softens, puddles develop, and deep ruts form. These changes in trail conditions will lead to many unwanted problems if not maintained, including soil erosion, habitat loss, and uneven surfaces.

On March 17, 19 women showed up to dig drains on Dipsea Trail for Women’s Trail Day. Through the rain, these dedicated volunteers persisted to clear mud, vegetation, and rock out of the drains in order for them to work properly once more. Their hard work will be appreciated by many trail users but also by those participating in the 108th Annual Dipsea Race on June 10th. Thank you awesome volunteers, for helping us maintain trails through the (much needed) rains. We hope you can help us again soon in the sun, hopefully! Save the date for our Next Women’s Trail Day: Saturday, June 23^rd.

Women’s Trail Day Group Picture  Photo Credit: Katie Teschler

Snack Break! Photo Credit: Katie Teschler

Poems to Inspire!

The Trail is not a Trail

I drove down the Freeway

And turned off at an exit

And went along a highway

Til it came to a sideroad

Drove up the sideroad

Til it turned to a dirt road

Full of bumps, and stopped.

Walked up a trail

But the trail got rough

And it faded away—

Out in the open,

Everywhere to go.

By: Gary Snyder

Winston touching up and clearing out drains Photo Credit: Nina Wala

Photo of the Month
written by Winston Ernst

This photograph is of one of the many rainbows to have appeared over the last month. Coming from the Washington DC area, I have seen more rainbows this past month in the bay area than I have in my first 18 years of life. There are three necessities for a rainbow to occur: it must be sunny, it must be raining, and you must be between the sun and the rain. If you look closely at the picture below, you may notice the shadows of buildings, signifying that the sun is located directly behind the photographer, Maryrose Kulick.

            The rainbow is an iconic symbol around the world but has an especially significant meaning for Bay Area residents. San Francisco has one of the most prominent LGBT communities in the world. When Gilbert Baker invented the symbol in 1978, he said “it really fits our diversity in terms of race, gender, ages, all of those things” (Baker). Created right here in San Francisco, the rainbow flag has become one of the most recognized symbols around the world.

Double Rainbow over Fort Cronkhite Photo Credit: Maryrose Kulick

Volunteer events are blooming this month and we couldn’t do it without volunteers like you. 

Thank you for reading our April newsletter and we hope to see out on the trails!

All the very best and happy trails,
Katie, Jaclyn, Nina, and Winston

kteschler@parksconservancy.org

ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Month

Give Back Kick Back
POSTPONED to Saturday, June 2nd (National Trails Day)
Lands End

Trail Drop-In
Saturday, April 21
10 am-1 pm
Alta Trail, Oakwood Valley

Teens on Trails
Saturday, April 28th
10 am-1 pm
Coastal Trail, Marin Headlands