Brickyard cove

For the first time on our walk our view of the Bay is unobscured by freeways and industrial construction. What you see before you is a tidal estuary, the largest such ecosystem in the western United States. Twice a day, as the ocean swells with the rising tide, saltwater pours in. The cold, salty-green water of the ocean marbles with nutrient- rich freshwater from the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, in addition to all the other rivers and creeks that spill into the bay. When the tide lowers,, the saltwater recedes back into the ocean as the freshwater continues to flow apace. The San Francisco bay drains 40% of the California landscape. The creeks and rivers that trace their path to this bay come from the snowmelt of the Sierra Nevada, from the rinse-board of the eastern slope of the coast ranges, from fir-forest, high desert, oak savannah, wide prairie, and the farmlands of the Central Valley. The water before you comes from every corner and ecosystem of California. This rich system, constantly mixed and circulated, making the bay a flashpoint for ecological and cultural diversity. The bay is a breeding ground for many marine organisms, including dungeness crab, halibut, sturgeon, and salmon, as well as copious sharks and rays. Exposed mudflats provide feeding ground for millions of waterfowl, making the bay vital for many species of local and migratory birds. Gone are the days when the spouts of water blown by whales was a distinct odor along the shoreline, but the system remains rich and magical for those ready to receive it.

Today, the bay remains an artery between the anthropogenic and natural worlds. Rivers and bays connect land and sea the way roads connect farms, towns, and cities. The Bay Area is a nexus of California, North and South, and it has been so since before humans arrived. To the southwest, you can see tall shipping cranes along the shore at the Port of Oakland. On most days, a flotilla of colorful crates and cargo containers can be seen on the big international vessels that slowly ply the harbor. On the western horizon, check out San Francisco. The tallest, rounded skyscraper is Salesforce Tower, a symbol of the recent Tech Boom. North of that, the Transamerica Pyramid rises like a gothic spire from the Financial District. Continuing north, find the rounded green shape of Telegraph Hill with a slender white column at its summit. At one time, Telegraph Hill was the site of a lightstation that called in ships during the gold rush. Now, Coit Tower stands in its place, commemorating the fires that ravaged the city after the devastating earthquakes of 1906, events that forever changed the political and cultural landscape of the Bay Area. To the north of the Golden Gate, find the Marin Headlands and the looming form of Mount Tamalpais, the highest peak. On the other side of that mountain are some of the (arguably) most beautiful ecosystems in the world at Tomales Bay and Point Reyes, but let’s stay in the Bay Area for now. Look to the south of downtown San Francisco and find the hill lined with spindly radio towers. That is San Bruno Mountain, and it was from a saddle along that ridgeline that Gaspar de Portolá first set eyes on these waters in 1769. Five years later, Juan Buatista de Anza established a military post (the Presidio) and, ultimately, rent the fabric of the communities that had occupied these shorelines for thousands of years.