Author: Gwendolyn Tornatore

Today and every day, the legacy of our Founders reminds us to honor all women and those who identify as a woman. Save The Bay was founded by three Courageous Women. In 1960, Sylvia McLaughlin, Kay Kerr and Esther Gulick met over tea to discuss their concerns about an Army Corps of Engineers’ map that had been printed in the Oakland Tribune. It showed that San Francisco Bay could end up being a narrow shipping channel by the year 2020 because of planned Bay fill. It’s 2020, and today, “the Bay’s shoreline is approximately half the length of the California …

Read More

Our  Giving Tuesday story continues as we as we travel to the high-marsh where a popular garden favorite grows alongside its low and mid marsh neighbors. Meet Common Yarrow, a versatile, widespread plant of the sunflower family, that grows in nearly every habitat across California and has a variety of uses, for both people and wildlife. Its nectar and pollen provide food for numerous insect pollinators, and birds will often use its leaves to line their nests to take advantage of its antimicrobial properties. Personality: Generous, beautiful, soothing Special Talents: Medicinal Friends: Insect pollinators and birds Foes: Fennel and Stinkwort …

Read More

Our wetlands journey continues as we move up the shoreline to the mid-marsh region. Here, Creeping Wild Rye holds the job of a wetland engineer. It grows rapidly and sends green shoots away from the mother plant to create a strong foundation of roots. Personality: Graceful, communal and tenacious Special Talents: Can live for long periods without water (drought tolerant) Friends: Butterflies, moths and nesting birds Foes: Wild Mustard and Radish Creeping wild rye provides vital habitat across the many ecosystems. It creates lush, dense patches of grass by reproducing through rhizomes, which are thick, modified stems that creep underground …

Read More

Today, our wetlands journey begins closest to the shoreline where low marsh plants meet the water’s edge. These are the first defenders of high tides, storm surges and rising sea levels and offer habitat for many species of wildlife, threatened and endangered. There are many low marsh species, but we want to introduce you to one of the tallest and shrubbiest plants around, Marsh Gumplant. Personality: Sweet, Nurturing and Protective Special Talents: Elicits the aroma of juicy fruit gum Friends: Ridgway’s Rail, Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse and Spittlebugs (aka Froghoppers) Foes: Pepperweed, Russian Thistle, Rising Sea Levels Gumplant is a …

Read More