Butterflies in Bayview

Gulf fritillary at Bridgeview Garden.  Photo: Footprints

by Jeffrey Betcher

On a recent afternoon in the Bridgeview Garden, Mary McClure pointed out a butterfly I couldn't recall having seen before. Even at the Bridgeview Garden, which for me is one of Bayview's most beautiful places, this butterfly stood out as quite the charmer. I was compelled to take its picture.

Later that day, a bit of online research turned up information about the gulf fritillary which likes Passion Flower leaves. Voila! The creature I photographed was not more than 5 feet from the rambunctious Passion Flower plant vining up the garden fence.

Still, I'm no expert at identifying insects, and thought I should check with someone who is. Peter Brastow, Senior Biodiversity Coordinator for Department of the Environment, responded to my questions about Bayview butterflies immediately.

"You are correct about the passion flower vine and the gulf fritillary which is actually, interestingly, our only non-native butterfly," he wrote in an email.

"Regarding butterflies specifically in Bayview," he went on, "the Sandhill Skipper flies in the saltmarshes since its host plant is saltgrass, and the western pygmy blue flies there as well since its host plant is pickleweed."

Though my mystery was solved, I was happy to hear from another local luminary in the world of butterfly experts, Liam O'Brien.

Western Pygmy Blue at Yosemite Slough.  Photo: Liam O'Brien

"How fortuitous!" Liam began. "I walked Yosemite Slough TODAY diligently dedicated to learning my birds and, boom! A female Brephidium exile: the Western Pygmy Blue. Our only Lycaenid (blues, coppers & hairstreaks) that overwinters (if you can call what we are experiencing "winter"?...) as the adult before you. A real find and quite Germaine to this conversation."

Beauty, it seems, comes naturally to Bayview, and often in small sizes and unexpected places.

See more information in the archives of Nature in the City.

Wild Bayview - Then and Now

by Amy Clark

When I moved to the Bayview in 2008, I discovered that my dog Danny and I could walk two blocks down Van Dyke to the end, pick our way around the ever-present illicit garbage dump, slip past the fence and the junkyard with its cats, and find ourselves in a beautiful wild area on Yosemite Slough. It didn’t have a name for me then, it was just “the wild area at the end of the street where I take my dog.”

The path led through beautiful and abundant wildflowers which I picked for my kitchen table, by the abandoned boat perched on a small rise in the grass, past the concrete jetty where teenagers came to hang, the occasional homeless camper and an abandoned community garden, all the way to the “Under Environmental Investigation for Hazardous Substances—KEEP OUT” sign posted on the barbed-wire fence.

The path circled back again, through an open area where I discovered dog-owners came regularly to let their friends run free. Several abandoned warehouses hunkered there, in precarious condition, with bold graffiti art splashed across imposing walls. Twice, on a Sunday in the early dawn, I found happy and still partying ravers, their cars parked in the grass, holding their red plastic beer cups.

I met a chef who showed me pictures on his phone of his underground locovore restaurant. I met a young couple, clearly still in love, and their enormous, jolly black dog. I ran into one of the many artists from the studio across the street (Cataclysmic Megashear Ranch), and occasionally a friendly neighbor whose name I regretfully never learned. There was a frightening Rottweiler-Pit mix, off-leash, whose owner did not seem to have control or responsibility for his companion. But the area was wonderful for the sense of freedom, a convenient place two minutes away from my door. Danny ran free, chased rabbits, and smelled the flowers.

I looked out on the inlet and saw abandoned tires, a destroyed boat, random concrete pilings and enormous growths of rebar exposed at low tide. There were (and are) the several housing projects across the water which I know are oppressed by high cancer rates likely due to the Naval Shipyard Superfund site with its buried plutonium treasures and toxic construction waste. They are framed in the background by the luxury condos built on the hill behind, and the City Park Restoration Area at the top of Key Street where once I had been startled by a bobcat.

It was a striking place to be, particularly at sunrise and sunset, with the light and the silence and the green, the neighborhood using it peacefully and with pleasure.

The area has become the San Francisco Estuary Project in partnership with California State Parks. According to their website:

The two-phase restoration of Yosemite Slough will create the largest contiguous wetland area in the County of San Francisco. The project will help restore essential wildlife habitat, improve water quality, and prevent erosion along the shoreline of the City of San Francisco—an area of the bay where tidal wetlands have been most impacted and suffered the greatest loss due to urbanization.

So no more off-leash dog walks. But I wonder, could this be a milestone in the environmental cleanup of the neighborhood, and a gift to the entire Bay Delta?

Dog-owners still visit. The garbage at the cul-de-sac is mostly gone, for now; all buildings have been removed, and there are no more wildflowers or invasive pampas-grass. The ground has been ploughed under, leaving a hard corrugated effect that is a danger to my dog and his bad knees. But that is what comes with phase one of the project, and what creates the foundation for the landscape to come.

A gravel road runs through, and (thank goodness) they have spared one beautiful tree next to which is a dumpster with the tag “radiation tree.” The tree is still very beautiful, and intelligent. It anchors the place for me.

The coastline is carefully delineated and re-formed, so the tides will flow cleanly and create new homes for migratory birds and sea-life. The slough is part of the underground water system that runs from the Bayview to the Presidio, where the indigenous Ohlone once had summer camps. If all goes according to plan, soon there will be a visitor center and disability access, and the land will be actively protected and maintained.

I have taken my students to the other end of the system and to Heron’s Head Park many times. It is interesting to imagine the network of water that runs under the city, and the river that rushed down what is now 18th Street.

I’m glad that Yosemite Slough has been adopted. While I’m sad that Danny has lost an off-leash playground, I know that, with all the other parks in the area, he and I will do fine. I do wonder how the project fits in with other projects, projects that focus on people as well as the birds. I wonder how many other neighbors know about the project, and what their perspective might be.

What is certain is that, in the four years since I moved here, much has changed, and much has stayed the same.

Quesada Gardens Initiative wins environmental award

QGI looks to the future.

Quesada Gardens Initiative just got word it will receive a 2013 Environmental Achievement Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Region.

Quesada Gardens Initiative is the only San Francisco organization to be selected, and is one of eight awardees in the Pacific Southwest. The award recognizes exceptional work and commitment to protecting the environment and supporting communities.

"Award winners are leaders who are going above and beyond to make big moves to protect the environment and support local communities,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, in today's press release. “Work by these groups will leave a positive, lasting impact on us all for years to come."

Quesada Gardens Initiative and the organization's director Jeffrey Betcher were nominated for the award by Dr. Toye Moses, Executive Director of the Southeast Community Facility. 

The award is not a monetary award.  A presentation event is yet to be announced. 

More information:

Information about the award on the EPA website.

Award nomination text

A QGI presentation to the SF Department of the Environment Commission (December 3rd, 2013)

LEJ grows next generation of environmentalists

Anthony Khalil works with youth and volunteers
at the LEJ nursery at Candlestick Park.  Photo: Footprints

Volunteerism is driving grassroots change in Bayview Hunters Point.  Literacy for Environmental Justice has shared that "over 1900 loyal volunteers and students collectively invested 10,000 hours to restoring local ecology...."

 

That's important, not just because there's work needing done (they've grown over 10,000 plants at the new wetlands at Yosemite Slough), but because the volunteers themselves can have meaningful, even transformative experiences.  Here's what two LEJ youth have said:

 

"I liked how we had a chance to work with youth of the Bayview neighborhood and we all got the chance of working together to do something positive.”  - Renneka Jones LEJ Youth Intern

 

“I improved my communication skills, gardening skills, public speaking skills, and also my follow-through skills.” - Jose Jimenez LEJ Youth Intern

Illegal dumping hits Bayview hard! One resident takes action

In a SF chronicle story last week, Neal J Riley found Rodney Hampton and Ian Schneider on a nighttime stakeout of a Bayview warehouse waiting to spot someone dumping trash.

At the Latona Community Garden,

illegal dumping was one reason

community builders got

together in the first place.

Photo: Footprints

Is the littering problem in San Francisco's Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood really worth all the effort? In a place located just shy of the City's dump, where legal dumping costs money, the piles of garbage speak for themselves.

Rodney and Ian were really looking out for "hauling companies and contractors illegally dumping hazardous waste by the truckload," according to the article.

But as Diane Smith tells Footprints, neighborhood residents sometimes get in on the action, both as litterbugs and clean street advocates.

by Diane Smith "Action Neighbor"

Illegal dumping is happening with more frequency, and we must be watchful and report the crime.

These criminals, yes they are criminals because dumping or discarding items on the street is against the law, apparently think they can continue to use our streets as their personal dumping ground.

On a recent evening, I was going to make my usual right turn up Meade Avenue, and saw a man leaving his house on 3rd Street dragging his bundle of trash with the intention of walking up to Le Conte Avenue & Jennings to illegally dump his unwanted items.

You know I stand up for what I believe in, so I was compelled to follow him and tell him that dumping is illegal. Well, needless to say, I had the pleasure of escorting him and his trash back to his own home ... to let him know I'm his neighbor, AND that we homeowners are very serious about illegal dumping.

Some people are illegally dumping with more frequency.  Near my home on Le Conte Circle, it's three to four times a week.

If you see someone illegally dumping, report it to the City by dialing 311.  311 will connect you with DPW and Rodney Hampton, who responded quickly to me. He even promised to make routine inspections of our area for signs of dumped items and have them removed.

If you have the address of the illegal dumper, DPW would appreciate getting it to send the person a notice. (Note: The only reason I didn't report the man I followed is because I don't believe he'll be walking up here with his trash again.)

Together we can keep our community safe and clean! 

Diane is not only a good neighbor, she is also the host of "San Francisco News TV!" which airs on Channel 29 every month on the 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7:30, and on Channel 76 on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 6pm.

Eco-Stewards at Candlestick

Anthony Khalil welcomes visitors to the garden.

The Candlestick Point Eco-Stewards Project is a new project with some well-known leadership. It emerged from Literacy for Environmental Justice's Bay Youth for the Environment Program last year.

Building on work with nearly 1,000 volunteers who grew and planted 10,000 plants in the new wetlands at Yosemite Slough Candlestick Point SRA, the organizers hope to expand their youth and volunteer programs at Candlestick Point this year.

Key program partners include California State Parks, California State Parks Foundation, the SF Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, the SF Department of the Environment, National Environmental Education Fund, National Audubon Society, Golden Gate Audubon Society, Donna Plunkett, Tom Phillips, Margo Bors, Vic Photo, Sun Ray Harvest, LLC, Save the Bay, Design Action and Inkworks Press, the Presidio Native Plant Nursery, Pamela Calvert, Eric Wright and Channel Lumber, and John Anderson.

The Eco-Stewards program needs individual volunteers and volunteer groups. For more information, call 415.282.6840, email Community Programs Manager Anthony Khalil or Director of Stewardship Program Patrick Rump, or go online.

Anthony Khalil

Patrick Rump

Garden and mural at Candlestick Point

Greenhouse at Candlestick.

Ted Fang (right) talks with Anthony about a new Asian-themed open space project.

Transform the sidewalk into an urban garden

Thanks to DPW's Mindy Linetzky for suggesting this article by Carla Short.  Bayview's streets are broader than many others in the City, making streetscaping all the more possible.  That's good news for a neighborhood that has less green space than others! 

by Carla Short

Do you want to beautify the front of your home?

Are you looking for space to put in flowers, plants, and trees?

Do you want to help divert rainwater out of the sewers?

Do you want to attract more birds and butterflies to your neighborhood?

Does your front sidewalk need repair?

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, then the San Francisco Department of Public Works (DPW) sidewalk landscaping Grey2Green program is for you!

San Francisco is well-known for beautiful parks, such as Golden Gate Park, and open areas, such as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, yet much of the City was paved over the during residential development boom between the 1930s and the 1950s.

Paved streets and sidewalks now comprise more than 25 percent of San Francisco’s land area, more than all its parks combined.

Transforming portions of San Francisco’s hardscape into greenscape improves the City’s livability; creates opportunities for increasing both native and beneficial nonnative species and habitat; helps to decrease carbon monoxide levels, especially by adding trees; and increases the amount of permeable area, thereby decreasing runoff to an overloaded sewer system that, during heavy rains, causes the discharge of potentially polluted water into the bay and ocean.

San Francisco has become a leader in conservation ethics and enjoys the leadership and support of the Mayor’s Office, City government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and residents in redeeming and protecting “green” public space. Success in this regard, however, is often hampered by limited awareness by residents of the opportunities they have for civic participation, and lack of understanding of the permit process required for transforming sidewalk pavement and neglected city spaces into well-tended gardens.

DPW’s Grey2Green program invites San Franciscans to transform their sidewalk into a green oasis.  San Francisco now offers a low-cost permit that allows property owners to convert impervious sidewalk into green garden space.  The more property owners that participate, the cheaper the permit -- so get your neighbors involved!

Sidewalk landscaping not only increases property values, but also contributes to a more pedestrian friendly environment, provides habitat for birds and butterflies, connects ecological corridors, and creates better growing conditions for urban trees.   These are just some of the many positive benefits sidewalk landscapes can provide to the city and the homeowner. 

Stormwater management is a huge challenge in San Francisco because of our combined-sewer system that processes both waste water and storm water.  These gardens can play a role in helping to reduce stormwater runoff, which helps ensure that the sewer does not overload and spill into the ocean or bay.  In addition, these gardens help create a sense of community and encourage neighbors to get to know each other.   They can activate the space, and give an opportunity for people who might not have any other greenspace to garden in our highly built urban environment.

Some property owners receive notices from the City to fix their sidewalks.  This is a perfect opportunity to remove some of the concrete permanently and install a garden.  Permits are required to ensure that the public right-of-way remains accessible to all users and to help protect the City and the property owner.

DPW has many helpful tools on our website, including plant palettes, lists of drought tolerant recommended plants, a resident’s guide, permit information and application, and templates for designing a sidewalk garden.  We even have how-to videos posted on our YouTube channel!

Find more information online

Pictures of a changing Shipyard

Building 101 is where the tour starts, and where artists have made a home for decades.

Several dry docks served various sizes of ships during WWII.

 

The "durable cover," seen in the foreground, may look like a parking lot so some, but is a key element of the clean-up and turnover of parcels to the City.  Word is that the City has plans for raised bed greening at this site.

The Shipyard had its own internal rail system during the years of peak activity.  The building with the tower was the only facility on the west coast that could work on the periscopes of submarines.

Evidence of habitat restoration is "blossoming."

The largest of the Shipyard's dry docks could accommodate enormous battleships and aircraft carriers.