Pier 94 Marshland: sea lions, pickleweed, and a tenuous environment

With some trepidation and a whole lot of doubt, my friends, my daughter, and I drove down the most industrial street in San Francisco, called Amador Street, in the Hunter's Point / Bayview neighborhood....

looking for Pier 94. 

There couldn't be marshland down here! We rolled past a massive abandoned silo-looking building, a rendering plant (or something nasty) that stank to high heaven, and enormous piles of aggregate for making concrete.

Big Industrial Momma, what were you in times past?

Now, I'm a lady fascinated with industrial plants, and abandoned ones are even more cool, but when I'm on a search for marshland, the industrial sector leaves me doubtful.

Cranes to inspire (or scare) the children

Flowering Pickleweed

Yet Pier 94 was at the end of Amador, its entrance marked by a lone port-o-potty and a printed placard posted at the far end of the most unlikely looking parking lot.

Greenery spread for acres beyond the chain-link fence, and beyond that was the shoreline with cormorants, pelicans, gulls, and even one beautiful sea lion.

WHAT IS PIER 94 MARSHLAND?
It is a tidal marsh that has become protected in large part by the Port of San Francisco (see their link here).

The Pier 94 Marshland is a gorgeous five or so acres surrounded by the heart of industry in San Francisco.

One day it will be part of a connected series of green spaces along the perimeter of the city, the Blue Greenway.

Right now, Pier 94 could use some visitors and attention. 

According to the fellow from Audubon Society who my husband and I met last Saturday morning, during the Audubon Society's monthly cleanup and caretaking of this site, this was a dump of flotsam and jetsam a some years ago.  Even last Saturday, he hauled a soggy mattress away.

I wandered around with my garbage bag and my kid, but there was barely any trash. Instead I saw pickleweed galore, flowers, and birds. I saw mud and slime, and lots of rocks.

Then my daughter and I sat at the water's edge and a sea lion poked its head out of the water and watched us for a minute. We were very impressed! 


HOW TO HELP PIER 94

Pelican and gulls

Just going out to Pier 94 and acquainting yourself with the marshland restoration situation in San Francisco is great. Nobody has to "do" anything, as sometimes the best action is to just appreciate something.

I'm starting to realize I should always carry a plastic bag to pick up trash when I hike with my kid. It's good practice, so I recommend it to you too, whether you come here or elsewhere.

The first Saturday of the month is a volunteer workday. To get involved with restoration, see this page on the Audubon website. You could always just show up at 9 in the morning.

My husband and I came with our toddler. While Marshall worked on digging up invasive weeds,  the kid and I did what we could, which wasn't much! I picked up trash but mostly ogled at the wildlife juxtaposed with the incredible man-made structures.

Cormorant

Homo sapiens, mom and daughter

Look for this sign!

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Sharks and Squirrels at Candlestick Point

Photos by Nico Zernik Traxler

RECAPPING THE HILL BABIES HIKE

Last Sunday a great group of people met up to walk Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, maybe thirty or forty people, including children. Some folks brought bicycles for their kids, others brought kites, and everyone had something for the picnic.

It was interesting and inspiring for me to hear so many people say, "I never knew this park was here," which goes to show that there are so many great places to explore in San Francisco.

One highlight of the morning was walking down the long pier and meeting a fisherman who had just caught a shark! For most of the kids, they'd never touched a shark before, or posed with one. The shark was released back into the water.

Consider coming down to Candlestick Point State Recreation Area for your next urban hike. Google a tide schedule and shoot for high tide. Bring a lunch and a hat; it's just about always sunny and beautiful.  The trails are flat and snake all over the place, and being by the water is refreshing.

WATER QUALITY ISSUES

In this Sunday's Chronicle, the water quality was pretty poor around here, getting a "grade" ranging as far low as a "D". I'm not clear on what this means, but I presume one should wash hands after handling fish or sand at the shoreline, don't eat any fish you might catch, and don't go swimming.

PARK CLOSURE AND VOLUNTEERING NEWS 

Ann Menneguzi, Supervising Ranger for Candlestick Point, told me in a recent email conversation, "This park was on the closure list," but because of groups like the California State Parks Foundation, it is open. "But this park is still understaffed," she wrote, "and no new funds have been identified for operations here." She recommends visiting www.calparks.org if someone wants to volunteer at Candlestick Point. "Look for the Park Champions link to see when our next Park Champions day is scheduled."

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Reminder--walk at Candlestick Point this Sunday!

WHERE TO MEET IN THE MORNING
We will meet in the southern end of the main parking lot, by "Windsurf Circle" at 9:30 am this Sunday, August 26th. There is a restroom right there, and water spigots. You'll see me, my husband, and our three year old, plus Anne Menneguzzi, a park ranger, and other folks undoubtedly. I'll distribute maps and all can go at whatever pace they like.

LUNCH RENDEZVOUS
We'll meet around 11 o'clock at the Jackrabbit picnic area, more or less, for lunch. If someone is having their birthday party there we can picnic down by the "mudflats" beach. Whatever works! :-)

See you tomorrow, and don't forget to bring a blanket and some snacks! :-)

Circle of Moms Top 25

Hill Babies has joined the fray! There's a little contest going on right now from Circle of Moms for blogs written by moms in Northern California.  I see it as a fun word-of-mouth kind of information dissemination.

To see all the blogs or to nominate a new blog before August 30th, the deadline, check out the link for  Circle of Moms Top 25.

10 Great Hikes Throughout San Francisco

I just wrote an article about ten places to hike in the City, covering one hike in each of the ten main districts. The compilation was a challenge, as there are so many places I like to explore, and there wasn't enough room to include even half of them. (Perhaps there should be a part two?) For ideas about where to wander with little ones in San Francisco, from Land's End to Telegraph Hill, from Alamo Square to the Visitacion Valley Greenway, please check out the link below to OnlyInBayArea.com.

Cheers,
Jess

http://www.onlyinbayarea.com/Article/Details/Best-places-to-hike-in-san-francisco-with-kids 

Grandview Park, aka Turtle Hill, of SF

Upcoming Hike for Kids and Caregivers!

You are invited to come for a walk at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area with friends, kids, and people newly met. I'm doing these monthly hikes just as a way to move my body, meet interesting adults, and let my kid play with a big old gang of kids the old fashioned way, outside. All ages welcome. Free and unsponsored.

Hanging on the beach at Candlestick SRA

WHEN

Sunday August 26th, meeting at 9:30 AM. Why so early? Because 9:30 am on that day is the peak of HIGH TIDE, and down by the water that means it's pretty special--extra lovely and smells wonderful. :-) 

WHERE TO MEET

Meet near the bathrooms at the main parking lot off of Hunters Point Expressway (it's actually a south of the indicator on the map below, FYI). You'll see the group. I'm going to make and Xerox maps for everyone, pointing out some local sights and where our picnic spot will be.

THE HIKE
The terrain is flat, and the trails are wide and smooth. If your kid rides a bike or a trike, that would be great way to explore. I'll be on foot, going at the speed of my three-year-old.

The hike is meant as a group thing, but with map in hand you are totally able to go at your own pace. One can always rendezvous for the picnic.

WHAT TO BRING
Food and water
Sun protection
Layers of clothing
Fun and optional: kites, bikes, trikes, rollerblades, skateboards

GETTING THERE

Parking is free (exit at Candlestick Park off of 101 and head towards the water, following signs towards Hunters Point Expressway). For public transport, see: http://tripplanner.transit.511.org 

Cheers,

Jessica

jericahahn@hotmail.com

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P.S.

OPTIONAL GUNG-HO HIKE

Anyone who wants a five-star hike could explore nearby Yosemite Slough, a tidal channel that has been polluted, but is now receiving a $14 million dollar restoration. The Slough is a fantastic place for bird watching come fall, and home to the endangered clapper rail.

One of the beaches at Candlestick SRA

Group Hikes in 2012

1        May—McLaren Park’s southern slope

   June—Bayview Hill

   July—Visitacion Valley Greenway

   August—Candlestick Point State Recreation Area

   September—?

Possible Future Hikes

Glen Canyon, Mt. Davidson, Lands End, Heron’s Head, Grandview Park (on the Green Hairstreak Butterfly corridor), Sign Hill in SSF, Russian Ridge, Rock City on Mt. Diablo! Basically SF and close by. Everyone is welcome.

The Spiral of Potrero Hill

“What is art /
 But life upon the larger scale, the higher,
 / When, graduating up in a spiral line
 / Of still expanding and ascending gyres,
 / It pushed toward the intense significance
 / Of all things, hungry for the Infinite? / 
Art's life—and where we live, we suffer and toil.”

---Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh (1856), Book IV, line 1150

Child walking the spiral of Potrero Hill

Fifty thousand years ago humans began drawing spirals, beautiful and simple, a curve drawn from a central point, looping around and around a center point. They have an archetypal resonance, something deep and ancient, although they are found in commonplace things--the cross-section of shells, flowers petals, seed clusters, birds soaring on thermals, or water going down a drain.

One day my child and I found a magical spiral made of stones in a hidden spot in San Francisco.

The Spiral of San Francisco

We had been visiting my mom on Potrero Hill, and went to my favorite childhood open space, where I used to ride down grassy slopes on cardboard. My friends and I called this place “The Field,” but now it's known as the Starr King Open Space, a protected environmental area thanks to the organization of contemporary neighbors. It's three and a half acres around Carolina and 23^rd Streets, De Haro and 24^th Streets, and where Carolina intersects with Wisconsin Street.

 It was late summer and the grass was dry, the poppies golden, and the views from the serpentine outcroppings incredible and clear, sweeping across the valley that the City appears to be. We wandered up the hill, past the grove of eucalyptus trees rattling in the wind, and towards the back part.

In the far southern end of The Field, almost at the fence that borders neighboring yards, a large circular pattern of serpentine-looking stones appeared in the grass. It was a spiral, maybe fifteen feet in diameter, much like the labyrinth of rocks in McLaren Park, both having great artistic value and a spiritual nature. I followed its path curving in, then followed it out. 

Meditative Aspect

Walk the spiral any way you like, but if you do it in a meditative way the experience is only better, in my opinion. Humans impart meaning, and many believe the spiral symbolizes life, death, and rebirth through its motion. One might focus inwardly when walking towards the center, and focus on expansion when walking outwards.

Final Note

As with any spiritual place, care and respect ought to be given to this spiral—perhaps by adding a stone to its walls, or finding something out of sync that has blown in, like a candy wrapper or a broken branch. Enjoy it while it lasts in this ever-changing city of hundreds of thousands of people. It is one artistic and spiritual destination, a contemplative space in the midst of frenetic energy. And blessed be. 

Relevant Links

Starr King Open Space

Spiral Zoom: an interactive site coveringspirals in nature, myth, and culture

At a serpentine outcropping, facing southeast