2 minute read
Editor’s Note
by 270 Media
Learning to appreciate the county’s natural riches just might start with the phrase “April showers bring May flowers.”
AFTER A VERY rainy winter — with some projections putting the season’s total in Marin beyond 93 inches — California is officially out of extreme drought. And yes, thanks to the Marin Municipal Water District, we have learned some valuable lessons in conservation, which is important, as our reservoirs only hold two years’ worth of water. Beyond that, all this moisture could have one happy side effect: a banner spring for wildflowers. To help you understand the blooms you’re looking at, photographer Victor Volta has partnered up with plant expert Kier Holmes to showcase some of our county’s cellulose celebrities.
Learning how to identify these fleeting and stunning bursts of color is something I loved exploring nearly 20 years ago as a docent at Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. I always fell for the bright orange of the California poppy, the shocking magenta of the chaparral pea flower or the delicate white of the milkmaids, usually the first to bloom.
The program was run by a dynamic group of former teachers who knew how to simplify ecological concepts into digestible nuggets. The goal was to learn enough about the flora and fauna so we could educate schoolchildren around the Bay Area who visited the ranch on field trips. As we roamed the miles of trails surrounding the preserve, I also learned about conservationists who — in the ultimate clever chess move — were responsible for putting an end to plans for a massive development of the Bolinas Lagoon by purchasing Kent Island in the middle of the lagoon.
There has since been a documentary made on these folks called Rebels With a Cause. Sadly, my career as a docent was short-lived, as I’d joined this group during maternity leave, thinking I would have lots of downtime. I’m forever grateful to the patient docent trainers who helped me distinguish between a newt and a lizard and who taught me one of my favorite silly riddles: How do you tell the difference between a crow and a raven? It’s a matter of a pinion (ravens have wedge-shaped tails, while crows have flatter, fan-shaped tails due to feathers known as pinions).
The area is now called the Martin Griffin Preserve, after one of the aforementioned conservationists, and still offers outdoor education, including a wildflower hike on May 27.
Being drawn to Marin’s natural beauty was also one of the themes of Dawn Denberg’s Backstory column. When she turned in the story, we discussed how old we felt, considering the fact that we had met more than 20 years ago and both moved to Marin from San Francisco to be able to enjoy the spectacular open space and share it with our yet-to-be-born kids.
Yes, it’s expensive to live here, but access to miles of natural splendor covered with wildflowers and so close to a major city doesn’t come cheap. As an aside, I suggested she send the couple she interviewed a copy of Rebels With a Cause, a must-see for any new resident who wants to understand what we have here and why we have it. If you haven’t seen it, it can be purchased for $25 at rebelsdocumentary.org.
Mimi Towle, Executive Editor
