Are big suburban lawns becoming un-PC in California? Is that such a bad thing?

My main memory of a Palm Springs weekend was driving through a ritzy neighborhood, and seeing through homes' gates big stretches of green lawns—and thinking how unreal that green glowed—like a mold from outer space—against the desert landscape.

We don’t live in a desert. Our climate is described as Mediterranean, but do big green lawns around houses belong here, any more than they do in Palm Springs? They have become fixtures of our suburbs, but should they be? Is it time to rethink this popular landscaping strategy, especially for bigger homes on large lots, given our climate and California’s ongoing concerns about water supplies?

That’s the question asked by the KQED radio show Quest the other morning, which you can listen to here. The show begins by pointing out that the series of storms this past winter have alleviated our immediate concerns about drought. However, those storms haven’t relieved Californians of still worrying about how and where our growing population will get water to keep our yards green, our pools filled, our farms irrigated.

Our yards consume more than half of all household water use in the state, and lawns, especially those planted with the popular Kentucky Blue Grass, are especially water intensive, according to Peter Gleick, president and co-founder of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland.

To cut down on household water use, the state in January instituted new water restrictions on landscaping. Municipalities around the state are deciding whether to use these base state guidelines to impose water conversation measures on property owners—or to adopt their own, more stricter guidelines on water use.

These restrictions raise the question: “Wither the lawn?”

Gleick said changing social norms and heightened environmental concerns will likely make Californians more interested in asking why we started to plant lawns around our homes in the first place. He said East Coast immigrants to California in the 19th and 20th centuries were enamored of the big green lands surrounding country manors in Great Britain. They transplanted that idea of the big green lawn as status symbol to California, regardless of whether big green lawns were suitable to our drier climate.

Gleick wonders if that symbol is losing some of its status as the practice of "green" and eco-friendly life-style practices is becoming the new fashion, the new status symbol.

He compares the desire for big green lawns to smoking on airplanes, and suggests that one day “we’ll look back on lawns as anachronisms"-- as one of those things we'd be amazed that we ever did.

For more information about the state's new water restrictions, read Quest reporter Katharine Mieszkowski's blog on "Putting Landscaping on a (Water) Budget." She basically explains that a developer in California, who plans a new commercial or residential property that has at least 2500 square feet of yard and garden, must tailor the plantings to conform to the amount of water the state deems sufficient for that site.

Existing landscapes, she adds, won't be impacted by these new rules. "But homeowners might wonder how their own landscaping would stack up if their properties were being built today," she says. "In other words, is your yard a dated relic of California's water guzzling past, or, an exemplar of the drought-tolerant future that the state's trying to nudge us all towards?"

What was that circling the peak of Mt. Diablo Saturday?

Was it a case of an attack of the artist Christo?

No, it was a “necklace” of about 350 local high school students and others, holding up colored pieces of fabric in a chain to create a visual demonstration of concern about global warming.

The participants circled the peak of Mt. Diablo along the Mary Bowerman Trail. The event Saturday was just one of hundreds of such demonstrations taking place around the world, according to the folks at Save Mt. Diablo, who co-sponsored our local demonstration.

Cool photos, huh? They are by Scott Hein.

Three hundred fifty is the key number, and is the name given to this international day of action. According to Seth Adams of Save Mt. Diablo, the focus is on the number 350--as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number--it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet. 
To tackle climate change we need to move quickly, and we need to act in unison--and 2009 will be an absolutely crucial year. This December, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to draft a new global treaty on cutting emissions.

Thanks, Seth and Scott, for sharing these wonderful photos.

Cattle attacks in some Walnut Creek open spaces may mean no more grazing

If you're heading out to hike, jog or walk your dog in the the Acalanes or Sugarloaf open spaces this weekend, watch out for those animals that go "moo." Okay, I'm sensationalizing things a tad, but the city is concerned about interactions between cattle allowed to graze in these open spaces and the increasing number of humans visiting them.

"The city may be in an awkward position of inviting the public into recreation areas to enjoy the natural environment while introducing cattle into those same areas which can present a threat to personal safety."

City Staff are asking the Parks and Recreation Commission, at its meeting 7 p.m. Monday, to eliminate grazing in these open spaces after the 2010 grazing season.

Just some background, which you can read about on the agenda for the commission's meeting:

Cattle grazed the lands of all four city open spaces before the city acquired them. Besides Acalanes and Sugarloaf, the city also operates Lime Ridge and Shell Ridge open spaces. The city decided that, as part of its management strategy to protect these natural resources, it would allow cattle grazing to continue. Two ranchers pay the city around $5,000 to allow their cattle to graze each season in Acalanes and Sugarloaf.

"While this has helped to retain an active reminder of our local history and is a strategy for weed abatement, this activity may no longer be appropriate in the face of increasing public use of the
Open Space."

The city, however, has received an increasing number of public service calls regarding the cattle from users in the last several years; this includes users with dogs. Investigations by ranger found that off-leash dogs have played a role in the aggressive behavior exhibited by some cattle.

Until recently, confrontations between hikers, dogs, and cattle had not resulted in visitor injuries. But that changed in 2006:

--A visitor jogging along a trail in Lime Ridge North was attacked from behind by a steer. His injuries required surgery and physical therapy. In this instance, the steer was ill and died the following day.

--In late 2007, two reports of attacks by cattle were received from the Acalanes Open Space. One of these attacks resulted in injuries which required extensive hospitalization. It is not clear why such attacks have increased in recent years.

Despite the fact that one of these attacks occurred in Lime Ridge, the city is not considering eliminating grazing there--just in the Acalanes and Sugarloaf Open Spaces, because each are less than 180 acres. "Areas where cattle can move away from visitors are limited at these two smaller preserves. Shell Ridge and Lime Ridge Open Space areas are much larger and under most circumstances, humans and cattle have the ability to avoid contact on the trails."

The city is also concerned that the grazing inteferes with other efforts at natural resource protection, notably a project to restore oak trees in these areas.