Countless San Mateo County residents (and many from outside the county) look to the Pacific coastline for recreation and relaxation, or for their jobs in agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. In all cases, the preservation of this critical resource is of paramount importance, and there are a number of organizations working towards that goal that you can get involved with.

The San Francisco Bay Area contains many public open spaces managed by a number of organizations including State Parks, County parks, the Mid Peninsula Open Space District, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (National Park Service), and parks run by city governments. These parks cover over 50,000 acres of open space and also contain an additional 65,000 restricted or closed protected acres in San Mateo County [1].

The San Francisco Bay area is one of the great natural areas of the world, with a huge range of ecosystems and micro climates. Spectacular coastline, redwood forests, rivers, grasslands, and of course the bay itself give residents and visitors ample opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. While the population of the Bay Area counties has continued to grow, the area has a strong tradition of preserving natural areas and making many of them available for recreational use as public open space.

Community Supported Agriculture (or CSA) provides organic food grown locally for the consumption of people near-by. This food is usually purchased by “shareholders” or at local markets. CSA’s provide consumers with herbicide- and pesticide-free food. They generally harvest 1-2 times a week. The food is available for pick-up most places while some CSA’s even deliver. CSA’s promote a close relationship between the farmer and the consumer. They strive to grow crops that preserver the agricultural viability of the land. And by eating locally, consumers reduce the carbon impact of their food consumption.

Have you ever wondered how your garden might look if you switched to native species -- less care and water needed – or what it would take to compost your own mulch for soil amendment? How do you start thinking about these things? Who can help?

Cooperative Extension is the county-based education and research branch of the University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Extension programs exist in almost every county in the United States and are funded jointly by Federal, State and County Governments. Cooperative Extension has been serving San Mateo County since 1945, and San Francisco County since 1970.

We are fortunate to live in California with so many fresh food options, grown right here in our backyard. So why should be purchase food grown out of state (or country) that has to be trucked or shipped thousands of miles? Purchasing locally grown foods benefits the local economy, saves energy, preserves the environment and reduces CO2 emissions. The "San Mateo County: As Fresh as it Gets" Awards program recognizes local restaurants, hotels and caterers that make it a point to buy and serve produce from local San Mateo County growers, seafood caught off of San Mateo County's coastline, local goat cheese and beer and wine made in the county. A corporate category was added this year to recognize companies making an effort to serve their employees or students the freshest local fare.

Harley Farms in Pescadero started 16 years ago with six goats and has since grown into a fully self-sustaining 267+ goat operation and the only dairy farm in San Mateo County. The nine-acre farm is a farmstead dairy, meaning the cheese produced comes directly from the farms animals. It has received six national cheese awards and was the recipient the 2008 Sustainable San Mateo County Award, and the 2008 San Mateo County Farmer of the Year award. It also was featured in a February 2007 New York Times article about agri-tourism (see Eco-Tourism Article), a concept in which small farms open up to curious visiting urbanites.

Many scientists are measuring and studying the reaction of plant and animal species to climate change. Unexpectedly, some researchers use data that backyard naturalists have gathered to study species' populations and migrations. For example,

Gopher-free garden? Well, OK, not really.

If you live in parts of the west where pocket gophers are common and you are a gardener, you no doubt have watched plants disappear as gophers pull them underground.

While it is impossible to keep all gophers out of your garden, there are things you can do to control their ravages. Of these suggestions that follow, I've found predators, raised beds and traps solutions that allow me to enjoy productive gardening.