On the Modini Preserve in the northern Mayacamas Mountains, new post-fire populations of the non-native, woolly mullein (Verbascum thapsus) have exploded in several areas of burned knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) understory—areas that were dominated by native species last spring.

Native to Eurasia, woolly mullein was intentionally introduced to the U.S. many times due to the plant's medicinal qualities. It relies on periodic disturbance for seedling establishment, which is greatly enhanced when there is bare ground—taking full advantage of conditions in play on the Preserve after the 2019 Kincade fire.

In our region, you may notice woolly mullein's typical biennial growth—in the first year, the seedlings will mature into large, dusty-green rosettes up to two feet in...

Where are we going? ...What is a preserve? ...Can trees talk to each other? ...Are there always newts in the ponds? ...Who picks the colors?

Since 1970, students, docents, parents and teachers have been asking questions like these while participating in field trips and training classes on ACR preserves. Over the course of this half-century, 1,300 enthusiastic docents have led nature education and appreciation activities for more than 260,000 Bay Area third–fifth graders.

In celebration of this milestone, we’re collecting stories from you—teachers, docents, parents, and former student participants. Please take a moment to share your experiences, memories, photos, and take-aways in our brief 10-minute survey.

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ACR's Last House Program Coordinator Susie Allen is excited to announce the “Last House Writing Contest,” in celebration of the style and spirit of M.F.K. Fisher, who wrote Art of Eating, How to Cook a Wolf, With Bold Knife and Fork, and approximately 30 other books and who resided in her 'Last House' on ACR's Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen until her death in 1992.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Emerging writers of all ages are invited to submit original, unpublished essays, stories or articles exploring or conveying the connection between environmental conservation, science and nature, food and drink, and the cultures surrounding them.

Entries accepted beginning August 21, 2020 through [EXTENDED] October...

Not long before M. F. K. Fisher died, a friend called to say she thought Mary Frances’s diet was lacking in interest and diversity.  The nurses who cared for her also prepared her food, my friend explained, and Mary Frances was growing weary of their bland purées. If I had the time, she suggested, I might want to do a little cooking for my friend.

I spent the next afternoon reading cookbooks and gathering ingredients. Not being one who makes refined French fare very often, I  used Madeleine Kamman’s books for inspiration and the results pleased me.  Soon my kitchen was filled timbales, flans, and delicate souflés. A mousse of chicken and morels was delightful; an aspargus timbale had great charm; something smooth and creamy and full of leeks was wonderful even...