Sail the Moon . . .

Latest Lunar Eclipse w/ "Ghost Ship" sculpture (site - MISHP)
NPy by Tim Baskerville

Now, related to the Open Space stories below, this past weekend the nascent Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve held an "Access Day" in the normally "off-limits" southern tip (site of the proposed regional park) of Mare Island at the Carquinez Strait. These monthly "Second Saturday Access Days" are hosted by Arc Ecology. Contact: Myrna Hayes, Volunteer North Bay Projects Manager for Arc Ecology, myrnahay[at]pacbell[dot]net, or call 707-557-9816.

The public may walk, hike or bicycle on the paved roads enjoying scenic vistas of 7 Bay Area counties, as well as the cultural, military and natural features of the area.

The next scheduled Access Day is set for Saturday, June 14, 2008 - so, mark your calendars. Groups meet at The Preserve entrance gate at the deadend of Railroad Ave on Mare Island. For directions: enter the park name into Google Maps .

For more info re: The Preserve, visit the SF Bay Flyway festival Web site here.

And, look for The Nocturnes to hold a nighttime event at The Preserve real soon!

("How you gonna keep off the preserve, once they've seen the sights?" )

News of Ranchos and Open Space

Leading off, there was a great article ("Conservation on a staggering scale at Tejon") in yesterday's SF Chronicle about Tejon Ranch, near Grapevine (Southern California), and the inking of a deal to save more than 240,000 acres (that's eight times the size of San Francisco!) and preserve it as open space in perpetuity. This is largest single acquisition of public land in California history, and a great environmental, ecological, and conservation achievement. Read all about it here.

Lynch Canyon image by Tim Baskerville

On a somewhat less "staggering scale" - this weekend marks the anniversary of Lynch Canyon's usage as a public Open Space. Owned by the Solano Land Trust and operated with partner, the Solano County Parks Department, this 1,000 acre site is home to an amazing variety of wildlife, including grazing cattle (the site's historical usage). Read more about the weekend's festivities here.

Photo of Rush Ranch Nature Center by Tim Baskerville

And, next weekend (Saturday, May 17) The Nocturnes offer a special one-night Night Photography Workshop at another Solano Land Trust property - the 2,070 acre Rush Ranch Open Space, out by Grizzly Island on the Suisun Marsh. This is a benefit for the Rush Ranch Educational Council - read more about Rush Ranch and the Solano Land Trust here - and The Nocturnes Full Moon NPy Workshop here. There are still a few spots open for the 'shop!

Now, back away from the computer - and, just get out there . . .

"Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in."