Eco-tourism may draw some visitors to the North Bay, but some forward-looking groups are betting that even more travelers can be enticed through the broader approach called Geo-tourism.

 

 Anyone wanting a broader understanding of Geotourism in general or the North Coast initiative specifically can find a wealth of background information here.

 

You can click here to access the online nomination form for places and other resources to be included in the region's geotourism map. Multiple nominations are encouraged.

 

Coastwalk is among the local and regional groups who are submitting their activities  to be included in the interactive geotourism map.  Click here to see what they've got planned  in the coming months, including the annual trek along the Mendocino County "lost coast" seen below.

Forty years after the fact, the music of San Francisco's first all-female rock and roll band can now be heard.

 

 

 

The Ace of Cups were the first and only all-female band in the San Franciso music scene of the late 1960s. They played frequently at all of the popular venues of the era, including the Fillmore, Avanlon Ballroom, and, as shown on the reproduced poster below, the Winterland auditorium. Drummer Diane Vitalich (wearing the yellow shirt and top hat in the group photo at right) recounts how the five band members found each other, beginning when she was found drumming at a jam session.

 

 

Although they did not record or release an album during the group's active years (1967-1972), several Ace of Cups shows and even a few rehearsals were informally recorded. Those tapes, carefully saved by the band members, finally saw the light of day almost 35 years later, when an Ace of Cups CD was finally released in 2003. Included on it is this energetic version of "I Wanna Testify," a 1967 hit for the Detroit soul band, The Parliments.

 

 

 

The title of the eventual Ace of Cups CD release,  It's Bad For You But Buy It, is taken from their song, "Glue,"  a wry but rocking send-up of rampant consumerism which was also included in the 2007 anthology of San Francisco bands, Love Is The Song We Sing.  A more representative example of their original material is "Catch You Later."

 

 

Just about everyone agrees that preserving California's productive agricultural lands is a good idea, even if there have been some highly charged disagreements over the best means to accomplish that objective. Sidestepping these policy debates, California FarmLink is working directly with farming and ranching families to help them decide what they want to do with their lands from one generation to the next, as reported on today's North Bay Report:

Shrinking real estate values in California are prompting some ag families to re-evaluate their plans for their land. But Steve Schwartz, Executive Director of California FarmLink, says the shifting economic climate also holds some unexpected opportunities for new farmers to get established.

California Farmlink is hosting a series of regional conferences in Sonoma, Humboldt and San Luis Obispo counties titled Sowing the Seeds of Farm Succession:  Planning the Transition to the Next Generation of Family Farmers. the next session in Sonoma county will be held on Saturday, Feb. 21 at SRJC's Shone Farm, 6225 Eastside Road, Forestville. Click here for registration information.

 Newly preserved and restored, a rare piece of bay area history reopens for visitors on Sunday.  (See below for details of the reopening day ceremonies)

The federal immigration station on Angel Island, as seen above in 1915,  was reached by a long wooden dock which no longer exists. Most of the other structures remain, with the exception of the main administration building (seen in the left foreground in the photo below), which was partially destroyed by fire in 19xx.  The restored barracks building is on the hill to the right, with the station hospital on the far hill to the left. You can read a much more extensive history of the facility here. 

One of the interpretive park rangers at Angel Island, Casey Lee, describes and then translates a poem that was carved into the wooden wall in one of the smaller rooms at the Immigration Station barracks. It has been preserved and will now be on public display.

Poetic Waves  is a elegant and detailed website devoted to the poetry of Angel Island.

You can also read a more scholarly article about the carved poetry here.

The Grand Re-Opening of the U.S. Immigration Station at Angel Island will be celebrated on  Sunday, February 15, 2009 with a public Dedication Ceremony at 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This will be followed by public tours from Noon to 3 p.m. with presentations by storyteller Charlie Chin; performance artist/dancer Melody Takata, ; historical re-enactor Silvia Lange; and museum designer Daniel Quan.

 

Free admission, free tram service on Angel Island, and reduced rates on ferries from San Francisco and Tiburon are available. See schedule below. You must take the 8:45 a.m. ferry from San Francisco or the 8:50 a.m. ferry from Tiburon to attend the Dedication Ceremony. For complete schedule, visit www.aiisf.org.

Tram to U.S. Immigration Station, Angel Island Schedule

Departs Ayala Cove at 10:00 a.m., 11:20 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.

Trams will depart from the Immigration Station for Ayala Cove every half hour starting at noon. Visitors are encouraged to walk one mile to the U.S. Immigration Station from Ayala Cove as space on the trams is limited. Walk and enjoy the beautiful view of the Sonoma Valley and the Bay.

Visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park in advance at 415-435-5390.

Tiburon Ferry Schedule

Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry, 21 Main St., Tiburon, CA

Depart Tiburon-Arrive at Angel Island, Ayala Cove

Depart - 8:50 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Depart Angel Island-arrive at Tiburon

Depart 1:20 p.m., 3:20 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.

 

San Francisco Ferry Schedule

San Francisco Blue and Gold Fleet

Depart San Francisco Pier 41-Arrive at Angel Island, Ayala Cove

Depart - 8:45 a.m.- 10:35 a.m., and 1:00 p.m.

Depart Angel Island-arrive at San Francisco Pier 41

Depart 1:30 pm, 3:50 p.m., 4:35 p.m.

 You can check the weather conditions at the Island by looking at the Ayala Cove webcam here.