Multimedia
Multimedia code from sfnps
Bay Area National Parks and their partners offer a variety of auido, slideshow and video products. Topics include:
General NPS multimedia
Mammals
Birds
Reptiles & Amphibians
Fish
Bivalves
Squid
Gastropods
Insects & Spiders
Invasive Species
Vegetation
Fungi
Ecosystems
Physical Processes
Humans & the Environment
Museums and Collections
Science and Management
About Us
Original San Francisco Bay Area National Parks multimedia content can also be viewed on our 
channel.
General NPS multimedia
The NPS Multimedia Website has photo galleries, multimedia presentations, virtual tours, and webcams organized by park. The NPS Nature Multimedia Website includes interactive tours, podcasts and video productions on a wide range of topics. It also has sound clips of key wildlife species.
Mammals
Porpoises Return to San Francisco Bay (KQED QUEST audio podcast)
Harbor porpoises haven't been seen in San Francisco Bay for more than 60 years. But now, they're coming back through the Golden Gate in growing numbers and researchers are trying to understand why they’re returning.
Duration: 05:47
Original Air Date: Friday, Dec 2, 2011
Harbor Porpoises Return to San Francisco Bay – Brown Bag Lunch Presentation
January 25, 2012
Duration
Dr. Bill Keener presents his research on the return of harbor porpoises to San Francisco Bay at a brown bag lunch presentation given at Ft. Mason on January 25, 2012.
Duration: 63:26 minutes
Oasis: Bats and Small Mammals
This short film prepared by the Presidio Trust highlights bat and small mammal inventories in the Presidio. The Presidio's diverse landscape protects the most complete remaining mosaic of natural systems in San Francisco, with a high density of rare and endangered plants, and an unusually high diversity of invertebrate and wildlife species for a park in an urban location. The Presidio is also a very human place where people and nature thrive in harmony. This film is by Melissa Peabody. Copyright 2010, Presidio Trust
Duration 2:14 minutes
Oasis: Meso Carnivores
This short film prepared by the Presidio Trust highlights the meso carnivore presence in the Presidio. The Presidio's diverse landscape protects the most complete remaining mosaic of natural systems in San Francisco, with a high density of rare and endangered plants, and an unusually high diversity of invertebrate and wildlife species for a park in an urban location. The Presidio is also a very human place where people and nature thrive in harmony. This film is by Melissa Peabody. Copyright 2010, Presidio Trust
Duration 1:30 minutes
Bats
Bats In Our Midst
QUEST ventures under a Central Valley bridge to count the bats that make it their home. The bridge is one of the most important roosting places for Mexican free-tailed bats in the Central Valley, where this voracious insect-eating species protects the local crops from pests. Then meet two volunteers who take injured bats into their homes and nurse them to health.
Duration: 10:57
Original Air Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2011
A California Bat Success Story (audio)
White-nose syndrome has devastated bat populations back east, and is steadily making its way west. Researchers are keeping close tabs on the Bay Area's 16 bat species, including one thriving colony south of Sacramento.
Duration: 5:40
Original Air Date: Monday, Apr 4, 2011
Science in the City: Bat Speak
Every night at Fort Funston, after all the people and dogs have left for the day, the bats come out to play. Dr. Gary Fellers of the U.S. Geological Survey tells us about bat vocalizations, the audio recordings he uses to monitor their travels, and the various species of bats that frequent this Golden Gate National Park.
Duration: 5:21
Bats at Pinnacles National Monument (video, no sound)
1:00 minutes (1.57 MB mp3)
This short video reveals a bit of what life is like for Townsend's big-eared bats in the Bear Gulch Cave at Pinnacles National Monument
Harbor and Elephant Seals
Into the Deep with Elephant Seals
Thousands of northern elephant seals – some weighing up to 4,500 pounds – make an annual migration to breed each winter at Año Nuevo State Reserve, on the San Mateo County coast. Marine biologists are using high-tech tools to explore the secrets of these amazing creatures, which can hold their breath for an hour and dive a mile below the surface.
Duration: 11:30
Original Air Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2011
What’s in a Seal? (audio)
July 17, 2009 - 6:28 minutes (3,044 KB mp3)
Harbor seals eat many of the same kids of seafood we do. Research looking at how pollution found in these food items affects the seals may reveal how they could also affect us.
Northern Elephant Seals (video)
5:46 minutes (28.2 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
The elephant seal population at Point Reyes National Seashore has grown exponentially since it was established in 1981. NPS biologist Sarah Allen describes the park's elephant seal monitoring program and discusses some of the other interesting things we know about these creatures, as well as some things that remain a mystery.
Elephant Seals: Our Window To The Ocean (video)
9:34 minutes (24.3 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
This documentary describes how the recent resurgence of the elephant seal population at Point Reyes National Seashore and in the greater Pacific Ocean demonstrates the success of marine conservation laws and threatened species protections.
Click here for higher quality video, or to get a version for Windows Media
Tule Elk
Tule Elk: California’s Legacy of Wildness (video)
10 minutes (19.3 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
This documentary examines how the dramatic rebound of the tule elk population at Point Reyes National Seashore and in California at large demonstrates the success of threatened species protections and conservation laws.
Click here for higher quality video, or to get a version for Windows Media
Tule Elk (video)
6:29 minutes (31.7 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
Tule elk were reintroduced to Point Reyes National Seashore in 1978 with 10 individuals. The population has since grown, and park biologists use radio telemetry to track the elk and learn about where they go and what they do.
Elk Return to the Bay Area
KQED feature story about how land managers and ranchers have brought back tule elk to California, including Point Reyes National Seashore.
Duration: 8:26
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Mar 20, 2007
Birds
Birds on the Go (audio and pictures)
Climate change is sending bird species across California packing. Ecologist Diana Stralberg tries to predict where they’ll land.
5:23 minutes
or
Read the script (77 KB PDF)
Oasis: Songbirds
This short film prepared by the Presidio Trust highlights the ecology of songbirds in the Presidio. The Presidio's diverse landscape protects the most complete remaining mosaic of natural systems in San Francisco, with a high density of rare and endangered plants, and an unusually high diversity of invertebrate and wildlife species for a park in an urban location. The Presidio is also a very human place where people and nature thrive in harmony. This film is by Melissa Peabody. Copyright 2010, Presidio Trust
Duration 2:20 minutes
Raptors
Oasis: Raptors
This short film prepared by the Presidio Trust highlights the raptors in the Presidio. The Presidio's diverse landscape protects the most complete remaining mosaic of natural systems in San Francisco, with a high density of rare and endangered plants, and an unusually high diversity of invertebrate and wildlife species for a park in an urban location. The Presidio is also a very human place where people and nature thrive in harmony. This film is by Melissa Peabody. Copyright 2010, Presidio Trust
Duration 1:47 minutes
Condors
The Pinnacles Condor Flight Pen
This video of the juvenile condors in and around the flight pen was taken just before the third condor release. Narrated by Court Van Tassel, Pinnacles Condor Biologist.
Duration: 1:15 minutes
or download here (2.67 MB Windows Media file)
Lead vs Copper Bullets
In this video, Pinnacles Wildlife Biologist, Jim Petterson, and a group of other hunters compare the performance of lead and non-lead bullets. He also discusses the potential impacts of lead bullet fragmentation on wildlife and humans.
Duration: 14:45 minutes
or download here (33.4 MB MOV for Quicktime)
Save the California Condor
Now flying over San Benito County and Pinnacles National Monument, the California Condor.
Duration: 1:05 minutes
The California Condor
There are simple ways in saving the California Condor such as picking up litter especially micro trash, and using ammunition that is not lead.
Duration: 1:02 minutes
Lead Bullet Cooper Bullet
Choose alternatives to lead ammunition. Lead is toxic to humans as well as wildlife.
Duration: 1:06 minutes
Seabirds
Brandt's Cormorant Establishing Breeding Territory
A Brandt's Cormorant on Alcatraz Island is likely attempting to establish a breeding territory with a piece of seaweed. Look for a flash of the bird's bright blue throat patch characteristic of breeding Brandt's Cormorants at 8s. Seaweed is also used by these seabirds as nest material.
Duration: 00:37s
Wading Birds
Black-crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets at Alcatraz, Part 1 of 4
In a brown bag presentation for employees and friends of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Roger Hothem of the USGS introduces the breeding Black-crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets of Alcatraz Island. Hear about the history of the birds on Alcatraz, their significance as ecological indicators, how they are monitored, and basic results after more than 20 years of monitoring.
Duration: 19:03
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011
Black-crowned Night-Herons at Alcatraz, Part 2 of 4
In part two of a brown bag presentation for employees and friends of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Peter Coates of the USGS examines the data from more than 20 years of monitoring Black-crowned Night-Herons on Alcatraz Island.
Duration: 18:36
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011
Black-crowned Night-Herons at Alcatraz, Part 3 of 4
In part three of a brown bag presentation for employees and friends of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Brianne Brusse of the USGS discusses video monitoring of Black-crowned Night-Heron nests on Alcatraz Island. Video footage of various Raven and Black-crowned Night-Heron predation events and other Black-crowned Night-Heron nesting behaviors is included.
Duration: 18:06
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011
Black-crowned Night-Herons at Alcatraz, Part 4 of 4
In the final part of a brown bag presentation for employees and friends of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Peter Coates of the USGS discusses the rise of ravens in California, implications for bird management on Alcatraz, and avenues of upcoming research on the relationships between the island's Black-crowned Night-Herons, gulls and ravens.
Duration: 13:51
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, July 14, 2011
Spotted Owls
Spotted Owls Face New Threat
Spotted owls are one of the most iconic threatened species in the West. But despite two decades of work to bring them back, their numbers are still declining. That may be due in part to a new threat - not from humans, but from other owls. Lauren Sommer has the story.
Duration: 5:46
Original Air Date: Monday, May 2, 2011
Northern Spotted Owl Mother Feeding Her Chicks (video, no sound)
0:18 minutes (1.28 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
Western Snowy Plovers
Western Snowy Plovers: Learning to share the beach
Western Snowy Plovers are endangered birds that have nested right on Bay Area beaches for thousands of years. Learn about these beautiful birds, the challenges they face in today's changing world and what you can do to help.
7:08 minutes
Reptiles & Amphibians
Oasis: Reptiles and Amphibians
This short film prepared by the Presidio Trust highlights the reptiles and amphibians of the Presidio. The Presidio's diverse landscape protects the most complete remaining mosaic of natural systems in San Francisco, with a high density of rare and endangered plants, and an unusually high diversity of invertebrate and wildlife species for a park in an urban location. The Presidio is also a very human place where people and nature thrive in harmony. This film is by Melissa Peabody. Copyright 2010, Presidio Trust
Duration 2:34 minutes
Turtles
Sea Turtles of the San Francisco Bay Area
Recording of the brown bag lunch presentation given by Chris Pincetich, Ph.D., at Fort Mason on March 15, 2012.
Duration: 49:37 minutes
Frogs & Toads
Red-Legged Frog Monitoring at Mori Point
This winter biologists are hard at work monitoring the health of California red-legged frog populations by taking inventory of their egg masses. Staff of the Parks Conservancy and National Park Service teamed up to restore the frog's critical habitat at Mori Point, and now they've returned to document the success of these restoration efforts. Find out what they discovered!
4:54 minutes
Disappearing Frogs
Around the world, frogs are declining at an alarming rate due to threats like pollution, disease and climate change. Frogs bridge the gap between water and land habitats, making them the first indicators of ecosystem changes. Meet the Bay Area researchers working to protect frogs across the state and across the world.
Duration: 11:50
Original Air Date: May 5, 2008
Fish
Sharks
The Great White Shark: Meet the Man in the Gray Suit
The Farallon Islands off the coast of California are prime habitat for the great white shark. QUEST ventures to these shark-infested waters and discovers that the creature of our imaginations may not be the monster we think it is. Worldwide sharks are now threatened due to extreme overfishing to satisfy the shark fin trade. See why scientists are now tracking the movements of these magnificent animals in hopes of protecting them.
Duration: 11:27
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Apr 6, 2010
New Findings about Great White Sharks of the North Pacific (audio and pictures)
January 12, 2010 - 5:04 minutes (~8.5 MB)
Shark researcher Scot Anderson has studied Great White Sharks off of Point Reyes Seashore and at the Farallons for more than two decades. Anderson talks about his shark tagging research and what he's learned about where the sharks travel, how they spend their time, and the genetic uniqueness of California's shark population.
or
Listen to just the audio podcast (6,720 KB mp3)
or
Read the script (69 KB PDF)
White Sharks of the Northern Pacific (audio)
December 9, 2008 - 7:10 minutes (6,880 KB mp3)
Researchers explain how they study great white sharks and what they're learning about these amazing creatures in Tomales Bay.
Sharks of the San Francisco Bay (audio)
Learn about a tagging program that tracks sharks in the San Francisco Bay.
Duration: 05:45
Original Air Date: Thursday, Aug 30, 2007
Tidewater Goby
Tidewater Goby PSA
Watch a short public service announcement illustrating a fun fact about the endangered tidewater goby.
Duration: 00:19
The Return of the Tidewater Goby (captioned audio and pictures)
November 9, 2009 - 2:26 minutes (~4.1 MB)
A project to restore endangered tidewater gobies relocated some of these small fish to Tomales Bay State Park from the recently restored Giacomini Wetlands in Point Reyes National Seashore.
or
Download a version of The Return of the Tidewater Goby (17,970 KB mp4) for viewing with QuickTime.
Coho
Monitoring Our Endangered Coho Salmon (video)
Duration: 4:54 minutes
While spawning coho in Central California once numbered in the tens of thousands, estimates now put their numbers at fewer than 500. Learning about the coho population through monitoring helps researchers target efforts aimed at helping the coho recover. Fishery Biologist Mike Reichmuth and Intern Ben Atencio discuss our endangered coho salmon and how they are monitored in the Bay Area National Parks.
Coho Salmon PSA
Watch a short public service announcement illustrating a fun fact about the endangered coho salmon.
Duration: 00:19
Tracking the Coho Salmon (audio)
August 17, 2007 - 4:12 minutes (3,941 KB mp3)
National Park Service biologists monitor endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout in park streams year-round in an attempt to understand and help these troubled species.
Coho Salmon and Steelhead Trout (video)
6:39 minutes (33.5 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
Park hydrologist, Brannon Ketcham talks about the lifecycle of endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout, and how they use the different habitats found in park streams. He also describes how Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area are monitoring these species and working to restore their habitats.
KQED has a number of audio and video presentations on the plight of coho salmon and restoration efforts:
Muir Woods National Monument Exploration
Including photos of salmon and their habitat, maps, tips for planning a visit and a video slideshow where you can meet the volunteers working to restore Redwood Creek and bring back salmon habitat.
Duration: 5:11
Original Air Date: Monday, May 11, 2009
Saving Coho
An audio broadcast describing the effects of development, stream habitat alteration, changing ocean conditions, and California’s drought on coho salmon, and what scientists and managers are doing to try to prevent the local extinction of this species.
Duration: 05:43
Original Air Date: Monday, Feb 1, 2010
California's Lost Salmon
Scenic video and interviews with experts illustrate the role of salmon in the ecology of redwood forests, the impact of their population crash on the local fishery, and what is being done to protect this species in Northern California.
Duration: 10:58
Original Air Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Bivalves
Understanding the Ecology of Native Olympia Oysters in Tomales Bay (audio and pictures)
January 29, 2010 - 5:43 minutes (~12.2 MB)
Pollution and harvest caused populations of native Olympia oysters to plummet by the early 1900s. Despite a lack of harvesting for almost a century, they still haven’t recovered in Tomales Bay. UC Davis professor Ted Grosholz and his students discuss what limits the oyster’s recovery and provide information about potential restoration efforts.
or
Listen to just the audio podcast (6,706 KB mp3)
or
Read the script (69 KB PDF)
Squid
Fishing for the Humboldt Squid (audio and pictures)
November 24, 2009 - 5:16 minutes (~9.2 MB)
The Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) is a voracious deep-water predator that can grow to up to ten feet long. A species not normally found north of Baja California, it has recently moved up along the Pacific coast. Researchers are trying to understand why thier range has changed and and what aff ect they might have on the local ecosystem.
or
Listen to just the audio podcast (6,189 KB mp3)
or
Read the script (71 KB PDF)
The Fierce Humboldt Squid
A mysterious sea creature up to 7 feet long, with 10 arms, a sharp beak and a ravenous appetite, has invaded ocean waters off Northern California. Packs of fierce Humboldt Squid attack nearly everything they see, from fish to scuba divers. Marine biologists are working to discover why they have headed north from their traditional homes off South America.
Duration: 10:02
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008
Gastropods
Black Abalone
Searching for the Endangered Black Abalone
San Francisco Bay Area National Park staff talk about the parks' newest endangered species, black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii), and some of the lengths they have been going to to find and protect this species on park lands.
Duration: 4:35 minutes
Insects & Spiders
Oasis: Insects and Spiders
This short film prepared by the Presidio Trust highlights the insects and spiders of the Presidio. The Presidio's diverse landscape protects the most complete remaining mosaic of natural systems in San Francisco, with a high density of rare and endangered plants, and an unusually high diversity of invertebrate and wildlife species for a park in an urban location. The Presidio is also a very human place where people and nature thrive in harmony. This film is by Melissa Peabody. Copyright 2010, Presidio Trust
Duration 2:43 minutes
Butterflies and Moths
Myrtle's Silverspot Butterfly (video)
5:32 minutes (27.9 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
Endangered Myrtle's silverspot butterflies are a good indicator of ecosystem health at Point Reyes National Seashore. Park scientists conducted a two-year study of these butterflies to see how many there are and to learn more about the species of plants they use. The park will use this information to create a management plan for the Myrtle's silverspot.
Mission Blue Butterfly: An Endangered Species Fighting for Survival (captioned audio and pictures)
Butterfly experts discuss the plight of the mission blue butterfly, the challenges to its survival, and some ways that you can help.
5:17 minutes
Mission Blue Butterfly Caterpillars
Video clip by Kevin Dick showing a mission blue caterpillar being tended by native ants on San Bruno Mountain.
Duration: 01:29
The Bees of Pinnacles National Monument (audio and pictures)
Pinnacles National Monument hosts more bee species than any other surveyed area its size on Earth. Biologists Paul Johnson and Olivia Messinger discuss what all the buzz is about.
5:20 minutes
or
Read the script (80 KB PDF)
Invasive Species
Feral Pigs
Hog Wild
In 1924 a hunter purposely released a handful of wild boar in Monterey County. Now the pigs number in the hundreds of thousands and reside in all but two of California's 58 counties. Big, fast, smart and hungry, these animals often out-compete native species and damage fragile native ecosystems. Now hunters are stepping up to be part of the solution.
Duration: 11:09
Original Air Date: July 14, 2009
Vegetation
Plant Diseases
Plant Plague: Sudden Oak Death
Devastating over 1 million oak trees across Northern California in the past 10 years, Sudden Oak Death is a killer with no cure. But biologists now are looking to the trees' genetics for a solution.
Duration: 08:00
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007
Sudden Oak Death: Battling an Invasive Disease (video)
10 minutes (26.4 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
This documentary explores the story of Phytophthora ramorum, which causes the disease known as Sudden Oak Death, documenting its history, describing its pathology, and explaining what measures may prevent its spread in the future.
Click here for higher quality video, or to get a version for Windows Media
Park fire ecologist Alison Forrestal talks with Australian National Parks employees who about sudden oak death at Point Reyes National Seashore
Duration: 2:50 minutes
Plant Life
Changing Climate and the Coast Redwood Ecosystem
41:45 minutes
Coast Redwood trees and their close relatives have existed so far for hundreds of millions of years. Emily Limm, Director of Science and Planning at Save the Redwoods League, discusses what the future looks like for these giants given what we know so far about Coast Redwood ecology and our rapidly changing climate.
Back from the Brink: for the last wild franciscan manzanita
It has long been known that the Presidio is home to the last Raven's manzanita on earth. Surprisingly, a chance discovery made in 2010 during the Doyle Drive reconstruction project revealed the existence of the Franciscan manzanita, thought to have been extinct in the wild for more than 70 years. This 23-minute film by San Francisco filmmaker Melissa Peabody tells the compelling story of these two icons of California's natural heritage. Produced 2011. Presidio Trust.
Duration: 23:29
Oasis: Vegetation Monitoring
This short film prepared by the Presidio Trust highlights vegetation monitoring in the Presidio. The Presidio's diverse landscape protects the most complete remaining mosaic of natural systems in San Francisco, with a high density of rare and endangered plants, and an unusually high diversity of invertebrate and wildlife species for a park in an urban location. The Presidio is also a very human place where people and nature thrive in harmony. This film is by Melissa Peabody. Copyright 2010, Presidio Trust
Duration 4:15 minutes
Redwoods and Climate Change
QUEST follows a group of UC Berkeley scientists to the top of a 320-foot redwood in Mendocino County. Only 5 percent of these ancient redwoods survived our voracious desire for their hardy and plentiful wood. Now scientists are trying to predict how the remaining ones and their descendants might fare in the face of climate change in the decades to come.
Duration: 11:37
Original Air Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Restoring San Francisco's Lost Manzanita
With their reddish bark and bell-shaped flowers, manzanitas are among California's iconic plants, adapted to the state’s many ecosystems. One of the two manzanitas that grew exclusively in San Francisco's foggy climate, the Franciscana, was thought to have gone extinct in the wild until it was rediscovered in 2009. QUEST explores how the San Francisco Botanical Garden is toiling to give one of the city's rarest native plants a second chance.
Duration: 8:46
Original Air Date: Wednesday, Jan 19, 2011
Albino Redwoods, Ghosts of the Forest
Pale ghosts that hide amid their gigantic siblings, only a few dozen albino redwood trees are known to exist. They are genetic mutants that lack the chlorophyll needed for photosynthesis. But how and why they survive is a scientific mystery. QUEST ventures into the deep canopy of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park near Felton, California to track down these elusive phantoms of the forest.
Duration: 6:46
Original Air Date: Thursday, Aug 26, 2010
Vegetation Mapping
Vegetation Mapping (video)
4:23 minutes (18 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most biodiverse places in the world, including an amazing array of plant species. Understanding what plant species we have in the parks and where they live is a daunting task, but important to help us manage invasive species, predict how animals will interact with the environment, plan restoration projects, and understand how wildfire may affect, and be affected by the kinds of vegetation present in an area.
Fungi
Fungus Fair
One day each December, Bay Area mushroom lovers fan out and collect fungi of all shapes and colors. They then display their finds at the Mycological Society of San Francisco’s annual Fungus Fair. QUEST tags along with fair organizer J.R. Blair and his San Francisco State University students as they collect mushrooms in San Francisco’s McLaren Park. Then we tour the fair in Berkeley to explore the Bay Area’s tasty, dangerous and weirdly wonderful fungi.
Duration: 5:47
Original Air Date: Wednesday, Mar 9, 2011
Understanding Death Cap Mushrooms at Point Reyes National Seashore (audio and pictures)
January 26, 2010 - 5:06 minutes (~10 MB)
Deathcap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides), the most poisonous mushrooms in the world, invaded the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1930s. By the late 1960s, deathcaps were found in Tomales Bay State Park and have since spread throughout the Point Reyes Peninsula. Benjamin Wolfe, a graduate student at Harvard, is using genetics to study the mushroom's abundance and distribution to try to understand what controls their invasion.
or
Listen to just the audio podcast (5,987 KB mp3)
or
Read the script (68 KB PDF)
Ecosystems
Wetlands and Estuaries
The Tomales Bay Watershed: Lagunitas Creek (audio and pictures)
The Tomales Bay Watershed provides drinking water to much of Marin County and is important habitat for endangered species like coho salmon and steelhead trout, but it's health is in question. Environmental Scientist Matthew Cover of California State University and Water Quality Program Manager Rob Carson of the Tomales Bay Watershed Council discuss the status of upstream portions of the watershed like Lagunitas Creek.
5:26 minutes
or
Read the script (80 KB PDF)
The Tomales Bay Watershed: Giacomini Wetlands (audio and pictures)
In part II of the Tomales Bay Watershed series, learn about wetland restoration efforts in the Giacomini Wetlands and across California.
5:04 minutes
Muir Beach and Redwood Creek Restoration (captioned audio)
A series of podcasts describing how the project is restoring the natural function to this highly degraded wetland and stream system and the benefits to wildlife.
Giacomini Wetlands Restoration
Point Reyes National Seashore offers both video and audio presentations describing this major restoration project and the amazing transformation of the landscape seen since its completion in 2008.
Tomales Bay Biodiversity Inventory (video)
6:24 minutes (30 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
Biological diversity helps make ecosystems and populations of organisms healthier and more resilient. As part of a major collaborative effort, Point Reyes National Seashore, along with other agencies, academic institutions, and community members conducted a biodiversity inventory of Tomales Bay to help understand what kinds of plants and animals live there, where they live, and how many there are. This information provides a baseline that managers can use to determine if things change in the future as a result of threats such as pollution, invasives, or harvest, and so that they can then better manage those threats.
Marine Ecosystems
Ocean acidification: Where will all the seashells go?
Discover how fossil fuel use is causing oceans to become more acidic, how acidic oceans are affecting marine organisms from corals to oysters, and what the future of our oceans might look like under the best and worst of circumstances. After all, the fate of our oceans is not yet sealed.
Duration: 8:47
or
Read the script (89 KB PDF)
Deep-water corals of Cordell Bank (audio and pictures)
Deep beneath the ocean's surface just 20 miles off the Point Reyes Seashore, Cordell Bank is a world bursting with creatures beyond our wildest imaginations. Learn more with Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Dan Howard and Research Coordinator Lisa Etherington.
4:43 minutes
or
Download (45.2 MB MOV for Quicktime)
or
Read the script (81 KB PDF)
Science on the SPOT: Marine Sanctuary Patrol Flight
The Channel Islands, Monterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine sanctuaries cover more than 9,500 square miles of ocean habitat. Patrolling such an immense area by boat would take days, but now sanctuary managers are taking to the air in a rugged de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter bush plane to get a bird's eye view.
Duration: 5:53
Original Air Date: Thursday, Jun 17 2010
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (video)
7:27 minutes (36.8 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
Cordell Bank, off shore from Point Reyes National Seashore, is incredibly rich in marine life. Using manned submersible equipped with a video camera, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted a study to characterize the habitat at the bank, and also to learn more about fish and invertebrate abundance and distribution there. They also annually measure other things like temperature and salinity light penetration and chlorophyll to track changes over time.
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Radio Program – Ocean Currents
Tune in on the first Monday of every month at 1:00 PM (Pacific) to learn more about current research, management issues, natural history, and stewardship of the marine environment from experts in the field. Available on 90.5 FM in Point Reyes Station, 89.9 FM in Bolinas, and on the web at www.kwmr.org. You can also listen to archived shows on the Cordell Banks National Marine Sanctuaries website.
The Farallon Islands - "California's Galapagos"
Video of what life is like on these remarkable islands just off San Francisco’s coastline and meet the scientists who work there.
Duration: 10:57
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Oct 13, 2009
Also…
Web Extra: Visit to the Farallon Islands
An audio slideshow of this trip to the Farallones
NPS National Office Ocean Series Video Podcasts
In this series of three videos, retired National Park Service scientist Gary Davis talks about ocean ecology, ocean conservation, and the role of science in protecting parks.
Physical Processes
Air Quality
On the Air (video podcast with transcripts)
5:34 minutes
Learn about how air pollution is affecting the plants, wildlife, and visitors in national parks across the country.
Climate Change
Climate Change in Golden Gate - Google Earth Tour
This multimedia tour shows how climate change may impact Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Each of eleven sites, indicated by map icons, focuses on specific threats through a combination of written summaries, photos, videos, GIS map layers you can turn on and off, and links to further information.
You may download the tour and play it on your computer by clicking here. Please note: To play the tour this way you must first have Google Earth (free) installed.
Click on the map icons or the tour items listed in the "Temporary Places" folder in the column to the left of the map. From there, you can explore the tour components by clicking on and off different sites and GIS layers. You may also click on the "GUIDED AUDIO TOUR" for a narrated fly through version. Start your tour by selecting the Introduction icon (Park Service Arrowhead).
An Underground Answer to Greenhouse Gasses (audio and pictures)
Ecosystem scientist Whendee Silver has a unique and natural solution to the glut of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—store carbon dioxide underneath California’s grasslands.
5:23 minutes
or
Read the script (80 KB PDF)
Sustainability at Point Reyes (audio and pictures)
Point Reyes National Seashore is one of dozens of national parks trying to cut down on carbon emissions. Many of their solutions can help at home, too.
5:22 minutes
or
Read the script (80 KB PDF)
Exploring How Climate Change is Impacting the California Coast (audio)
December 15, 2009
Dr. Frank Schwing, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has been studying the California current, trying to discern how climate change is impacting the current and the ecosystem which depends on it.
Part 1
4:56 minutes (5,789 KB mp3)
Part 2
4:22 minutes (5,122 KB mp3)
or
Read the scripts
Part 1 (68 KB PDF)
Part 2 (65 KB PDF)
Climate Watch: California at the Tipping Point
The world's climate is changing and California is now being affected in both dramatic and subtle ways. Get an in-depth look at the science behind climate change as we explore the environmental changes taking place throughout the state.
Duration: 22:20
Original Air Date: Friday, Apr 17, 2009
Golden Gate Climate Update (audio and transcripts)
A series of podcast interviews with leading scientific authorities, park staff and partners involved with climate change science, response and sustainability as it relates to National Parks; particularly those in the West.
Tracking Raindrops
We all rely on the water cycle, but how does it actually work? Scientists at UC Berkeley are embarking on a new project to understand how global warming is affecting our fresh water supply. And they're doing it by tracking individual raindrops in Mendocino and north of Lake Tahoe.
Duration: 9:36
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Jul 22, 2008
Water Quality
Oasis: Water Quality
The Presidio Trust has prepared a series of short films highlighting ecology in the Presidio of San Francisco and efforts to identify, monitor, and conserve flora, fauna, and natural systems. The Presidio's diverse landscape protects the most complete remaining mosaic of natural systems in San Francisco, with a high density of rare and endangered plants, and an unusually high diversity of invertebrate and wildlife species for a park in an urban location. The Presidio is also a very human place where people and nature thrive in harmony. This film is by Melissa Peabody. Copyright 2010, Presidio Trust
Duration: 2:24
Fire
Fire, Butterflies and Climate Change (audio and pictures)
Ecologists have begun to think about fire in a whole new way. But just as they’re changing their outlook on blazes, climate change threatens to alter fire patterns across California.
5:52 minutes
or
Read the script (80 KB PDF)
Fire and Butterflies
A video about the Golden Gate National Recreation Area studying how fire may promote the growth of Silver Leaf Lupine, a native flower that serves as host to the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly.
Duration: 05:00
Original Air Date: Wednesday, Oct 27, 2010
Fire Management (video)
6:17 minutes (28.7 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
Fire is a natural part of Bay Area ecosystems and some plants actually require the heat of fire to germinate. Fire suppression on park lands over the last 50-100 years has reduced the abundance of these plants and has affected plant communities as a whole. As a result, park policy has shifted from total fire suppression to what is called "fire management". In this video, managers describe how they use a variety of methods to try to understand the history of fire in the park, and how fire is used to control invasive weeds and reduce hazardous fuel loads.
Into the Inferno: The Science of Fire
In dry years, fires in California cost billions of dollars and often result in lost lives. As fire crews rest from a rough year and prepare for this one, QUEST looks at how the history of forest management could be feeding today's flames.
Duration: 10:54
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007
Geology
Burning Ancient Ocean Life: The Geology of an Oil Reserve (audio and pictures)
Phytoplankton form the base of the ocean's food chains transferring energy from the sun to sustain the global ocean. These tiny floating plants account for half of the photosynthetic activity on Earth. They also generate the majority of our fossil fuels. Join Casandra Brooks as she talks with Ivano Aiello, Geological Oceanographer at Moss Landing Marine Labs, about how oil reserves take hundreds of millions of years to form.
4:40 minutes
or
Read the script (71 KB PDF)
Paleontology
Paleotsunami at Point Reyes National Seashore (audio)
August 17, 2007 - 5:00 minutes (4,699 KB mp3)
Scientists look for evidence of an earthquake-triggered tsunami that likely hit the shore at Abbots Lagoon in 1700.
Sound
How does sound affect what we experience in national parks and how does the wildlife living there cope? Learn more in these two audio podcasts:
Protecting Soundscapes in National Parks
7:44 minutes (7.3 MB MP3)
KQED- Soundscapes of National Parks
Duration: 05:42
Original Air Date: Monday, May 31, 2010
Weather
Science of Fog
San Francisco's fickle summer weather has earned it the nickname "Fog City." Science on the SPOT asks UC Berkeley's Todd Dawson to clear up the mysterious origins of this weather phenomenon, and share his research on how fog is integral to our state's ecology.
Duration: 4:59
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Jul 20, 2010
Humans & the Environment
National Parks Special: Bringing the Parks to the People
QUEST examines how the Golden Gate National Recreation Area was saved from development, the rise of not-for-profit land trusts in protecting and restoring Northern California's open spaces, and how these vital places are used and maintained by the communities served by them.
Duration: 23:17
Original Air Date: Tuesday, Sep 29, 2009
Nature Deficit Disorder
A growing number of children's advocates and political leaders are worried that our culture's disconnection from nature is harming kids. Concerns about the long-term consequences on children’s physical and emotional well-being have spawned a national movement to "leave no child inside." QUEST explores why we need nature, and efforts to encourage children to play outdoors.
Duration: 12:05
Original Air Date: Monday, May 12, 2008
Where We've Been, Where We're Headed
Journey back in time to the birth of the Bay Area's environmental movement. Meet the everyday people who rescued the Bay Area from environmental disaster and continue to inspire a new generation.
Duration: 26:45
Original Air Date: Monday, Apr 21, 2008
Museums and Collections
Digging up the San Agustín (audio podcast)
More than 400 years ago the San Agustín—a 16th Century Spanish trade ship-disappeared in Drakes Bay during a storm. Archaeologist Matthew Russell has spent years searching for the wreck and studying its impacts on the culture of local indigenous groups called the Coast Miwok.
5:20 minutes
or
Read the script (81 KB PDF)
Digging up the San Agustín (pictures with captions)
More than 400 years ago the San Agustín—a 16th Century Spanish trade ship-disappeared in Drakes Bay during a storm. Archaeologist Matthew Russell has spent years searching for the wreck and studying its impacts on the culture of local indigenous groups called the Coast Miwok.
Science and Management
Introduction: Science at Point Reyes National Seashore (captioned video)
2:41 minutes (12.9 MB mp4)
This Quicktime video about the use of science for park management at Point Reyes National Seashore is from the Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center's 2004 "Science Behind the Scenery" DVD.
NPS National Office Science in the Parks (video podcast with transcripts)
2:41 minutes
Find out how science is being used to better understand and protect national parks.
About Us
National Parks Special: Bringing the Parks to the People
Original air date: Sep 29, 2009
QUEST examines how the Golden Gate National Recreation Area was saved from development, the rise of not-for-profit land trusts in protecting and restoring Northern California's open spaces, and how these vital places are used and maintained by the communities served by them.
PCSLC
The video below features learning centers across the country and some of the research projects they've supported.
National Park Service Science and Learning Centers (video)
2:10 minutes (10.3 MB mp4 for Quicktime)
Science Symposium
Park Science Day (audio)
January 30, 2009 - 6:46 minutes (3,171 KB mp3)
Learn about why these symposia are so important to park staff members and partners.
