Update from Pinnacles: Baby condor removed to urgent care

Those of you who eagerly read about the baby condor born at Pinnacles  will be sad to hear the latest news. The 50+ day old chick had excessive levels of lead in its body, and after attempting to treat it in the nest, biologists decided that the chick had to be removed to urgent care if it was going to live. The parents were also tested, and it was discovered that the father condor also had high lead levels and was removed to the Los Angeles Zoo for emergency care.

This just shows how delicate this program is. While the condors are slowly coming back, it seems that we haven't cleaned up our environment enough to provide safe food in the wild for them.

Let's be clear. This is more than a question of the future of this unique bird that has flown the earth since prehistoric times. Yes, once a species is lost, it's lost forever. And as Prince says, forever is a mighty long time. But it's also a question of what humans are doing to the earth to make it uninhabitable for other species.  

Which leads to a profoundly important question: if our world is poisoned for other animals, is it also poisoned for us? Lead poisoning is well documented as effecting humans, especially children, causing learning disabilities, mental retardation, and even death in extreme cases.

Why can't we recognize that taking care of the environment is also taking care of ourselves?  Sorry, I know I'm on a soapbox here, but I can't help it.

Please - if you hunt - choose bullets that don't have lead in them. It's such an easy choice for a big environmental payoff.

Here's the press release from Pinnacles, in its entirety:

  Pinnacles National Monument                  News Release

Release:          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date:     05/13/2010
Contact:
      Daniel George, Condor Program Manager, Pinnacles National Monument
      daniel_george@nps.gov
   Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director, Ventana Wildlife Society:
      kellysorenson@ventanaws.org


Wild Condor Chick Evacuated from Pinnacles National Monument due to Lead

Exposure




Pinnacles National Monument – Condor biologists at Pinnacles National


Monument and Ventana Wildlife Society tracking the health of a wild condor


nestling (chick) in the park discovered last week that the bird had


extremely high levels of lead in its blood. Park Service biologists then


trapped the parent male, condor 318, and discovered he also has toxic


levels of lead in his blood.





    The adult condor was immediately taken to the Los Angeles Zoo for


chelation (a treatment to remove lead from the body) while the 50-day old


chick was treated by veterinarians and condor biologists in the nest during


early morning climbs into the rocky cliff cavern.





    Although the adult female continued to care for its young and the


nestling received several emergency chelation and hydrating fluid


injections, the young condor’s health degraded further.  As a result,


biologists decided yesterday that, for the survival of the nestling, it


needed to be evacuated for intensive care.





    National Park Service and Ventana Wildlife Society biologists are


trying to trap the adult female of this pair to determine if she too has


been exposed to lead.





    Hundreds of park visitors over the past two months have enjoyed the


rare opportunity to witness an active condor nest in the wild. For those


interested in expressing thoughts on this story, please visit the Pinnacles


National Monument website, www.nps.gov/pinn, and use the “Contact Us” link.







    This condor nest was the first inside Pinnacles National Monument


since re-establishment efforts began there in 2003 and the first documented


nest in the park in over one hundred years.





    Pinnacles National Monument will keep the temporary closure area


around the nest in place until biologists determine whether the nestling


can be returned to the wild.








Additional Facts


  Parent Condor 318 was originally released along the Big Sur coast by


     Ventana Wildlife Society, while parent condor 317 was released at


     Pinnacles National Monument.


  The National Park Service and Ventana Wildlife Society collaborate to


     manage the central California flock of 52 condors.


  More information on the National Park Service program can be found at:


     www.nps.gov/pinn/naturescience/condors


  More information on Ventana Wildlife Society’s program can be found at:


     www.ventanaws.org/species_condors


  Chelation is a process used in condors in which calcium EDTA, a chemical


     that binds with heavy metals, is injected into the animals to prevent


     retention of lead in the tissues.


  Condors are exclusively scavengers, feeding on a wide range of dead


     mammals.


  Hunting plays a key role in the condor ecology by generating food


     resources for these critically endangered scavengers.


  Prior research has established that the principle source of lead


     exposures among condors is lead ammunition. For more information,


     see: www.ucsc.edu/news_events/press_releases/text.asp?pid=927


  Shooters who have made the switch to non-lead ammunition have made an


     invaluable contribution to the health of scavenging wildlife.


  Lead Ammunition has been banned in a wide region of central and southern


     California. For more information, please see:


     www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor


  There are four captive rearing facilities involved in Condor Recovery –


     The Los Angeles Zoo, The San Diego Wild Animal Park, The Oregon Zoo,


     and the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise,


     Idaho


  There are five condor release sites in western North America – Pinnacles


     National Monument operated by the National Park Service, Big Sur


     Coast operated by the Ventana Wildlife Society, Bitter Creek National


     Wildlife Refuge operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service,


     Vermillion Cliffs operated by the Peregrine Fund, and El Parque


     Nacional San Pedro Mártir in Baja California – a joint venture of the


     Zoological Society of San Diego and several Mexican agencies and


     organizations.


  Video information related to condor recovery efforts at Pinnacles


     national Monument can be found at:


     www.nps.gov/pinn/naturescience/condor_video

Silent Disco on Ocean Beach

Lots of people wandered by the stretch of Ocean Beach known as Kelly's Cove today wondering what was going on. There were people dancing everywhere. But no music playing. Just the sound of the waves hitting the beach.

But then, what was that big truck with the words "Janky Barge" printed on it? And were all of those people really listening to wireless headsets and dancing away their Sunday at some kind of silent disco party? The next question was inevitable: where can I get tickets to this?  Today they were out of luck because the show was sold out. 400 headsets. That was it.

My friend Rob Kowal, a.k.a. DJ Motion Potion, brought Silent Sunset to San Francisco as an experiment in finding a way to have people enjoy music outdoors in SF.

Rob has been a staunch proponent (as well as director) of outdoor music festivals in SF, including the North Beach Jazz Fest. He's seen them shut down due to increasingly difficult and painful permitting processes, to the point that it sometimes seems impossible to organize outdoor music festivals these days. But he's not giving up. Having been part of the Silent Disco party at Bonnaroo, he thought why not bring the technology out West?

He sees this as a point of civil rights. We have the right to enjoy music in groups outdoors. And today, people were definitely standing up and dancing for their rights.

There was something surreal about the dance party on the beach, especially when I took off the headset and just watched everyone.

It was gorgeous. It was quiet. It was ridiculously fun. You can be sure that there will be more of these events, probably this summer, so get on Sunset Promotions email list.  Then you can be the one listening to the music and explaining to passersby what is going on.

What's new in the Western Addition

I recently visited my old hood in SF, the Western Addition (a subdivision of which is now called NOPA, or North of the Panhandle).  And more than the name has changed, but mostly for the better.

Yes, yes, we could debate the value of gentrification and effects of social displacement here, but I'm the BAT girl and just looking for a good time. And there are good times to be had on the stretch of Divisadero Street from Haight to Golden Gate.

The area is still gritty. Divis is a huge, 4-lane artery through the city. It's not the prettiest street in town. But among the rundown apartment buildings, a surprising scene of funky boutique shops, restaurants and bars has popped up like mushrooms after a rain. Fortunately, most of these shops are true to the unique character of the neighborhood, a diverse blend of people.

Newcomers to the Divis Corridor cluster of stores include Swankety Swank, which took over the spot where a Wiccan magic store used to be when I lived there. With a name like Swankety Swank, well, it had better be swank. And it is. The store offers items made (or often re-made) by local artists, including furniture, clothing, and accessories. I love the clothing in particular - a contemporary take on Victorian/Edwardian clothes that you could wear out to a modern club or to the Dickens Faire. It is San Francisco style at its unusual, artsy, historically geeky best.

There's also The Other Shop - which I don't believe was there 10 years ago - but offers vintage furniture and clothing, as well as serving up vinyl a-la Open Mind Music. There are too many shops to mention here, some old, some new, from comics to games to cooking supplies to clothes. Shopaholics with a slightly off-beat taste will love Divis.


But enough shopping. Let's eat.

I looked in on Nopa, which took over the laundry mat where I used to wash my clothes and now serves up posh food to resident hipsters. It wasn't open for lunch, so I hit its little sister down the street, Nopalito, for a delicious Mexican meal.
I ate the Caldo Tlapeno, a chicken broth soup with veggies and Mexican cheese.

Again, there are many restaurants I could mention here, from Little Star Pizza to Green Chile Kitchen. This is too short a blog to do the Western Addition's foodie scene justice.

But I had to check out the Mojo Bicycle Cafe, a bikeshop-cum-cafe with outdoor seating. It makes an awesome addition to Beanbag and Cafe Abir, the hood's reining coffee shops from back in the day.

That's the lowdown on the latest and greatest in the Western Addition a.k.a. NOPA. There are lots of good times to visit - including Sundays, when a farmer's market sets up at Divis and Grove. Also, keep an eye out for the Divisadero Art Walk (next one is June 4), when the neighborhood pulls out all the stops.

Happy Hollow beckons with eco-friendly renovations

Happy Hollow is open again after two years of renovations. Parents who know and love it are rejoicing, but if you have young children and don't already know about Happy Hollow, now is the time to get acquainted.

The children's park and zoo originally opened in 1961. It was the era of Disneyland, and San Jose followed Oakland's lead in creating their own small version of a paradise play place for children (Oakland's Fairyland is also still open today).

Okay, so it's not exactly Disneyland, but I think that's a good thing. It's plenty big enough to spend an entire day at the park and not get bored. But perhaps what is most exciting is that this renovation was not just an opportunity to modernize the rides, add four acres to the park, and provide ADA compliance, but it was also an opportunity to green Happy Hollow.

The facilities now have LEED silver certification, which means they meet certain environmental standards for conservation. You can also donate old cell phones at the entrance to Happy Hollow, and all proceeds from the recyling efforts benefit the Orangutan Conservation. Plus there are opportunities to incorporate environmental education into the children's day, as you discuss the animals on display, six of whom are part of the Species Survival Plan (jaguar, fishing cat, fennec fox, and three types of lemurs), and visit the new education center.

What were the kids most excited about when we went? The roller coaster was the most popular, followed by Redwood Lookout (a huge play structure, where the slides are camouflaged as redwood trees), the mini putt putt cars (firetrucks and police cars going around a circle - get the firetruck which has a bell to pull), the puppet theater (plays two shows every day, we saw The Three Little Pigs), and the petting zoo (where the children can feed, pet, and even brush the goats).  The carousel - which greets you at the entrance - was a pretty big hit, too.

Admission costs $12 (ages 2 - 69), and $8 (70+). A family membership will set you back $95. And unless you buy one of the more expensive memberships ($250 - $500), you'll also be paying for parking, either $6 or $10, depending on the lot. Unfortunately, while they did improve the restaurant space, the food wasn't that great. You might want to pack your own.

For hours and location, click here to visit Happy Hollow's website.

Japantown gets younger with age

I'll wind up my Japanese-themed articles today with one final story about how SF's Japantown is growing up and getting younger all at the same time.

I've always loved Japantown. There's the Kabuki spa, the movie theater, and then the Japantown shopping center in a wooden building meant to replicate traditional Japanese architecture. That's all fine and good, but Japan today hardly looks like that. Many of the gorgeous wood buildings have been destroyed, and Tokyo is the prototype of modern pop culture - bright lights, bold architecture, hip fashion.

For a long time, San Francisco's Japantown seemed, well, kind of left behind in the past. Enter New People.

New People is an attempt to bring modern Japanese popular culture into the mix, and I have to say, I think it's successful. It's a shopping center/theater/art gallery/cafe, and it stands directly opposite the old Japantown shopping center.

Street level is the cafe and the movie theater entrance. The billing is all Japanese with English subtitles, and coming from someone whose kids are more familiar with Studio Ghibli than Disney, that's fabulous. Up a small flight of stairs, you'll find a shop carrying Japanese gifty stuff. Origami, miniature dolls, cute mugs, headphones, etc.  I immediately made up my mind to shop there for the next White Elephant party I attend.



The next floor offers fashion straight from Tokyo. I'm talking sickeningly cute clothes - pink frilly frocks and bonnets that look like they were made for little girls but in grown girl sizes, right next to more gothic or punkrock inspired fashions. Add some traditional Japanese toe-shoes in modern prints and some cool jewelry, and well, you could do some damage here.

The art gallery occupies to the top floor. The exhibit changes roughly every two months, with some smaller exhibits interspersed here and there for special events like the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Gentleman - read this carefully - this place would make an awesome date.  Catch a foreign film, look at cute Japanese stuff, see art, then grab some ramen across the street. Your partner will be most pleased, guaranteed.

Cherry Blossom Festival makes Japantown the place to be this weekend

If you didn't know that the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival was taking place in San Francisco last weekend and this weekend, don't worry. You haven't missed the climax of the event. Yet. The Grand Parade happens tomorrow (Sunday), starting at the Civic Center at 1 p.m., and proceeding up Polk and Post Street, ending in Japantown.

It's a spectacle to see - larger than life, Hello Kitty looms on her float, accompanied by traditional Japanese dancers, the Cherry Blossom Queen and her court, and much more. Apparently, it's the second largest Cherry Blossom Festival in the US, after Washington D.C.

I was lucky enough to get a preview at the Hotel Kabuki on Friday night, where the annual Friendship Ceremony took place. It was an insider's look at the Cherry Blossom Festival, an event where I was not only one of the few white people there, I was also one of the only people not wearing a kimono or other traditional garb.


Teams of performers took over the stage, twirling around in vigorous dances, beating on drums, and in between the acts, thanks were given (in English and Japanese) to the people who had come all the way from Japan to participate in the festival. Sprinkled throughout the audience were the pretty young princesses who competed to be Cherry Blossom Queen.



There was a team of master soba noodle makers - I kid you not - with a constant audience watching in awe and taking pictures of the process, and waiting for the taste of noodle bliss that would follow.

It was a good night in San Francisco, and much cheaper than a trip to Japan.

A taste of Japan in San Mateo

Maybe I'm just getting excited about the Cherry Blossom Festival - the second half of which is taking place this weekend in San Francisco - but yesterday I found myself craving ramen. And when I crave ramen, there's only one place to go. Santa Ramen in San Mateo.

I remember when we first moved out of the city into the netherlands of the Peninsula, I was excited about the nature, but forlorn about the choice of restaurants. It seemed there was nothing but crappy chains. Then I started discovering the little mom and pop gems, and Santa Ramen is one of them.

You'll often find a line at SR. It opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m., with dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. There are three flavors: Soy, Pork, and Miso. My favorite, the miso, is limited in availability and almost always runs out by closing time, so I try to get there early. The soup is about $8, and you can add on a variety of toppings like kimchi or napa cabbage with shitakes. At dinner, the menu expands to include fried chicken and edamame.

The bowls of noodles are huge, and no sharing is allowed for adults, although they let our kids share a bowl. Be sure to slurp your noodles, as that's the best compliment you can give the chef! 

Santa Ramen is located in a little shopping center right off of Highway 92 on El Camino Road (exit El Camino SOUTH, and take your first right into the shopping center).  If you don't have time to stop and eat at SR, or if the line is out the door, you can always pop into the Nijiya Market in the same shopping center. They have some of the freshest fish in the area at the best prices, and they have pretty killer sushi to go. 

Tonight, I head to Japantown in SF to tour New People, drink sake and experience some sort of traditional Japanese friendship drum circle. Sounds fun, doesn't it? More about that later.