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The 2007 Meeting of The AAG, April 17-21 2007, San Francisco, CA
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Excursions Friday, April 20 San Francisco Giants Vs Arizona Diamondbacks Are you going to the AAG Annual Meeting in San Francisco? Are you a baseball fan? Good news: the AAG has reserved a block of tickets for the San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game on Friday evening, April 20, at beautiful AT&T Park. The reserved seats overlook home plate in Section 314, which affords magnificent views of the surrounding city and bay. The ballpark is conveniently accessible from the conference hotel on several MUNI bus and train routes. Tickets are only $17 each. Tickets will be held for you and can be picked up at the conference registration desk anytime during the annual meeting until two hours before the starting time. Field Trip Descriptions - Sign Up Now!! Saturday, April 14 Natural and Cultural Heritage
from San Francisco Bay to Monterey Bay Sunday, April 15 Tracking Hydraulic Mining
Sediment in the Sierra Foothills and Sacramento Valley This trip will visit hydraulic gold-mine pits, locations along mountain rivers below the mines where deep gravel deposits continue to be reworked, sites in the Sacramento Valley where fine-grained deposits are exposed, and depositional areas in Sutter and Yolo Bypasses. We will visit mining areas in the Sierra foothills and concentrate on mine tailings there and in the Sacramento Valley. We will highlight linkages between episodic production of mine tailings, their reworking and deposition downstream, including in flood bypasses. Methods and some preliminary results of an on-going study that involves inventories and geochemical fingerprinting of historical sediment will be discussed. Some vigorous hiking will be undertaken up Greenhorn Creek on the first day; river shoes are recommended (sandals or canvas sneakers work well), and into upper Shady Creek on the second day where sturdy walking shoes or boots will be favorable. Participants should bring money for breakfasts and one dinner. Monday, April 16 Sonoma County Wine Geography Sonoma County possesses a diverse array of growing conditions represented by a dozen AVAs. The viticultural/oenological part of our journey will begin in the cooler southern Sonoma Valley/western Carneros AVAs, including a visit to Gloria Ferrer, principally a sparkling wine producer with extensive relatively flat valley floor plantings. From there we proceed northward to the warmer central Sonoma Valley through the village of Glen Ellen to Benziger Winery in the Sonoma Mountain AVA and a site of biodynamic farming practices with rolling to mountainous topography. After lunch we shall continue northwestward through the Sonoma Valley and the city of Santa Rosa to emerge in the Russian River AVA, a relatively cool region where Sonoma-Cutrer fashions Chardonnay wines from hillside vines. After our visit there we return to San Francisco on Highway 101. In addition to wine tastings the trip will include discussions of climate, soils, viticultural practices and AVA integrity. Sierra Nevada Gold Country
and Yosemite Valley: Evidence Constraining Sierran Uplift and Glaciation It is nearly universally believed that the Sierra Nevada experienced major uplift in the last few million years, causing rivers and then glaciers to create deep canyons. But no uplift has occurred in over 60 million years. Yosemite Valley is considered the prime example of a glacier-transformed canyon, but glaciers eroded very little and have deposited sediments in the valley, not deepened it. On this trip to the gold mining towns of Jamestown and Columbia and to Yosemite Valley, we will examine a small amount of the total evidence contradicting the Sierran paradigm of major uplift and glacial erosion. Participants will receive the 388-page treatise by Mr. Jeffrey P. Schaffer, “The Geomorphic Evolution of the Yosemite Valley and Sierra Nevada Landscapes” and its sequel will be available gratis via e-mail. Participants should being money for lunch and drinks. Channel, Lake and Tidal
Restoration Challenges in the San Francisco Bay Area This one-day field trip will provide an overview of channel, lake, wetland and tidal restoration sites south of San Francisco. Issues and mitigation strategies that will be discussed include changes in reservoir levels, sediment storage in reservoirs, hydromodification of channels and restoration of channels, wetlands and salt ponds, as well as impacts from episodic events triggered by fires, floods and landslides. We plan to visit Crystal Springs Reservoir, Stanford’s Searsville Lake, Stevens Creek, Coyote Creek and Thompson Creek, and a tidal wetland restoration. These sites may be in their vernal splendor, verdant and wildflower-filled. Tuesday, April 17 Consuming San Francisco:
The Retail-Tourist-Entertainment Complex Union Square is the heart of the San Francisco shopping district, as well as the hotel-convention nexus stretching down to Yerba Buena Center south of Market Street. Dotted around are the restaurants, museums and cultural institutions of the bourgeois high life. The city not only sells things to a national and international clientele, it sells itself -- as a destination of urban charm, cosmopolitan delights, and trendy eating. It is one of the flagship cities of globalism, which means exploiting your own place in the world as much as importing from abroad. Of course, the indiscretions of the poor are never far away in dense cities, even as they are swept out of sight by a new Union Square Plaza, the Yerba Buena project, housing gentrification, and the photogenic Mayor's Care-Not-Cash program. Napa Valley Sea Kayaking
and Wine Tasting Join the Bay Area Sea Kayakers and local geographers for a fun and informative paddle on the tidal sloughs of the Napa River. Equipment and instruction provided. You need not be an experienced kayaker, but bring a change of clothes and towel (just in case), a retaining strap for glasses or sunglasses, water, sunscreen, and a hat. After finishing the paddle, enjoy a brief driving tour of the Carneros winegrowing region of the Napa Valley, followed by a visit and tour of the Domaine Carneros winery and vineyards (some wine included). If time allows, we will stop at additional wineries enroute to San Francisco. Heavy rain cancels. Participants should bring money for lunch at a paddle-up restaurant. Port of Oakland Tour The Port of Oakland is the fourth busiest in the US. It is a technological marvel and an engine of economic development. Yet the increase in transpacific trade has strained the port and the land transport systems to which it is linked. Expansion is complicated, moreover, by pressing environmental concerns. Meanwhile, Oakland faces fierce competition from other ports, especially the Los Angeles/Long Beach complex. During the field trip, participants will be briefed by a port representative and then tour the seaport facilities by bus and on foot. Participants must carry a government-issued ID. Non-American participants must carry their passports. Wine Regions of Lodi: California’s
Rising Star Move over Napa and Sonoma, here comes Lodi. Eighteen percent of California wine comes from Lodi, more than Napa and Sonoma combined. Known for power-packed “old-vines” Zinfandels, Lodi is expanding production, increasing quality and gaining prestige from its award wining wines. Lodi is a required side trip for wine aficionados visiting San Francisco. Nestled between San Francisco and the Sierra foothills, Lodi was recently divided into seven appellations based on elevation, climate, soils, and topography. The trip illustrates how Lodi differs from other wine producing districts and investigates inter-regional influences on the grape produced and the characteristics of the wine. Participants should bring money for lunch. Cemeteries of San Francisco
and Urban Morphogenesis This field trip highlights cemeteries of San Francisco, historic and current locations. We will visit Mission Dolores, the vicinity of the University of San Francisco, and four cemeteries in Colma, a town of 500 live and nearly two million dead residents. We will examine the process of urban morphogenesis and its influence on cemetery development focusing on exclusion and segregation. Wednesday, April 18 Genealogy and Geography:
An Insider's Tour of San Francisco's Financial District Cities — and especially their financial districts — are built by and for a close-knit set of elite families who profit from the exploitation of the urban hinterland. San Francisco's leaders once envisioned the City-By-The-Golden-Gate as the coming Queen of the Pacific Basin, and they built accordingly. Geographer and architectural historian Gray Brechin has been walking the streets of San Francisco for the past forty years and will share his knowledge of the city's layout, buildings, monuments, and artwork with fellow geographers. He will also discuss why a British documentary seldom, if ever, seen in the Bay Area is titled "The City That Waits to Die." Bring your hardhats for a tour through the hi-rise jungle built on jell-o. A Walk Along San Francisco’s
Urban Waterfront Over the last 50 years, much of San Francisco’s waterfront has been transformed from an exotic and often dangerous place of work into a recreation and entertainment center that attracts visitors from around the world. Yet, its revitalization has been different from that of many older ports. Our walk will start in Fisherman’s Wharf and take us past finger piers, Telegraph Hill, the newly rehabilitated Ferry Building, and will end at the San Francisco Giant’s new ball park. Along the way we will delve into the history of the port, and the role of planning and local resistance in the evolution of this waterfront landscape. Participants should bring money for public transportation. USGS Western Region Campus
and San Andrea Fault Tour Enjoy an afternoon touring the U.S. Geological Survey campus in Menlo Park, south of San Francisco! The tour begins driving down Hwy 101 with discussions on invasive species and our understanding of processes that occur in complex estuaries. At the USGS campus, there will be a presentation on current geographic research conducted in the west. A tour of the campus will include discussions of USGS' role in earthquake and volcano monitoring and research, visits to the Rock Magnetics Laboratory, Library, and Book/Map sales. The return trip will feature stops to view the San Andreas Fault and other geologic features. Post-industrial “Renaissance”
– Walking Tour of San Francisco’s Northeast Mission The Mission district, celebrated for its rich immigrant history and in recent decades as the Latino cultural core of the city, is a complex and continually evolving neighborhood. In particular, the old manufacturing area in the northeast corner of the Mission has been rapidly morphing into a post-industrial mixed enclave of new and traditional activities. The landscape was influenced by the dot-com boom and the 1990s influx of loft-dwellers. Yet, a variety of light industrial businesses still thrive in this area. With its recent dramatic change, some see a “renaissance” of urban revitalization, while others see the loss of working class jobs and “gentrification.” It has become representative of clashes of class and culture in San Francisco. Participants should bring money for public transportation. Thursday, April 19 The Great Sand Waste:
An Historical Look at Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park is the earliest (1870) and best-known municipal park in the western US. Like similar parks created elsewhere, its “nature” was supposed to transform a flawed urban society into the good one. Ironically, public pressure forced the park’s managers to transform 700 of its 1000 acres from their original sand dunes into lawns, lakes and forests so that the landscape would appear like northeastern US woodlands. During subsequent decades, San Franciscans modified the place to be a restorative recreational spot, an ecological preserve, and a heritage site. We will visit a variety of the park’s most significant features including the recently renovated Conservatory of Flowers (America’s oldest), the Japanese Tea Garden (built for 1894’s Midwinter Fair), Stow Lake (artificial), the remaining coastal dunes and the Beach Chalet’s murals. We will eat lunch at the Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant along the Pacific Ocean. Guest leaders include historical geographer Gray Brechin, who will introduce us to WPA-era features, and art historian Ken Brown, who will lead us through the Tea Garden. Outdoor shoes and water are recommended. South Bay Salt Pond Restoration The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is the most ambitious tidal restoration project on the West Coast of North America. Scientifically sound efforts that began in 2003 are well underway to restore a mosaic of functioning wetland habitats. Overseen cooperatively by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the restoration will be managed for wildlife, flood management, and wildlife-oriented recreation. The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration is a model for future restoration efforts across the nation, especially in densely populated urban areas. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and bring jackets, sunscreen, sunglasses (or a hat/visor) and bring money for lunch/drinks. Stairways of San Francisco Many cities have public stairways, but San Francisco has over 400 of them and they provide an invigorating means of addressing the city. We will climb several hundred (a few thousand?) steps on over a half-dozen of these stairways in different parts of “The City.” (In the Bay Area, the general reference for San Francisco is “The City.”) For some residents a public stairway is their only means of ingress and egress to their homes. Garbage, groceries, furniture, and all else moves up and down the stairs. Many stairways function as urban green space and the grounds available are often tended by adjacent residents who sometimes form local associations for this purpose. Elegant ornamental constructions mark the entries to a few stairways, while the ascent of the majority of them provides urban landscape views that make all the huffing and puffing well worth the effort. Participants to bring money for lunch at a restaurant. “City Living Reinvented”
– Walking Tour of San Francisco’s SoMa District First as Yerba Buena Cove, then Happy Valley, Tar Flat, South of the Slot, Skid Row, Transbay, Multimedia Gulch, and now simply “SoMa,” the city’s south of market district has had a colorful and checkered history. It isn’t embellished with the same romantic mythology that distinguishes San Francisco’s more famous districts north of Market Street. But history may some day be turned on its head, as SOMA is currently the most rapidly changing part of the city, and its new reincarnation will surely have a profound influence on San Francisco’s future history. From the Yerba Buena Redevelopment Area, to condo towers on Rincon Hill, to the South Park apex of the dot-com boom, to the SF Giants Ballpark on the city’s postindustrial waterfront, we’ll navigate through this transforming landscape. Participants should bring $1.50 (exact change) for a MUNI Metro ride. Mocha Java Geography: Chocolate
& Coffee Production in the Bay Area Coffee and chocolate are central to the cultural, economic, and historical landscapes of the Bay Area. On this field trip, we will visit some of the sites of production (and consumption!) of these two edibles. We begin with the Javawalk tour, exploring the role of coffeehouses in constructing San Francisco's culture in neighborhoods such as Chinatown and North Beach. We then travel across the bay to Scharffen Berger, the only chocolate manufacturer in the Bay Area who allows public tours of its manufacturing facilities. We will also hear about Ghirardelli Square, one of the first successful adaptive urban reuse projects in the U.S. Downtown Walking Tour –
The Continuing Evolution of Downtown San Francisco This walking tour will focus on the transformation of downtown San Francisco's southern side and adjacent neighborhoods south of Market Street. This area was identified in the 1985 Downtown Plan as the future expansion area of the renowned Financial District, and is beginning to mature and shift the Downtown’s center of gravity south of Market Street. Major public infrastructure projects, such as the tearing down of the Embarcadero Freeway and building of a new multi-modal Transit Center are central to its transformation and growth. Highlights of the walk include Market Street, Yerba Buena area, Transbay Terminal, Ferry Building, the Embarcadero, and Rincon Hill/Transbay redevelopment area. Ritual Movement and Sacred
Space: The Labyrinths of Grace Cathedral Labyrinths are ancient patterns inscribed in the landscape for ritual use. The resurgence of interest in the ancient form and practice of the labyrinth provides an opportunity to explore the intersections of landscape and ritual, of movement and sacred space. The outdoor and indoor labyrinths of Grace Cathedral will be the focus of this trip, during which participants will have the opportunity to observe public use of these structures, participate in their own meditation walk, and discuss research approaches to sacred space. Friday, April 20 San Francisco Coastal Biogeography:
Golden Gate to Point Reyes Explore the ecological richness of the San Francisco Bay Coastal Landscape. Witness the spectacular display of wildflowers that a mild El Niño can bring, and share in our amazement and appreciation for this unique and special place. This all day field trip will explore the Biogeography of the coast. From restored tidal wetlands of the San Francisco Presidio's Crissy Field to the world’s tallest trees in Muir Woods, through the nesting grounds of egrets and herons at Audubon Canyon Ranch, Bolinas Lagoon and the wonders of Point Reyes National Seashore, this trip is sure to amaze and exhaust you. We will explore a variety of unique flora, fauna, geology and cultural history. Bring your binoculars for views of nesting birds, harbor seal pups and a possible glimpse of gray whales on their northward migration. Trip stops are subject to change due to inclement weather or accessibility difficulties. The Politics of Mobility
and the Contestation of Urban Space in San Francisco: A Walking Tour of the
Freeway Revolt This walking tour will take place one mile from the conference, in an area called “Market-Octavia.” The tour begins with a presentation from activists and planners involved in San Francisco’s transportation debates, focusing on the recent debate about replacing freeways with urban spaces emphasizing pedestrians, bicycles and higher density, mixed use development. We will walk the length of the Central Freeway and Octavia Boulevard replacement project, ending in a new public park situated where a freeway once stood. The tour will include observations about ongoing planning debates in the neighborhood, with an emphasis on contentious debates about the spaces of auto mobility and parking. Participants should bring money for public transportation. On the Border with Nature:
Exploring San Bruno Mountain San Bruno Mountain, the largest urban open space in the country, is the last fragment of the Franciscan bioregion which once spanned the northern peninsula. The mountain shelters a number of rare and endangered species, including 3 butterflies and at least 15 plants, as well as other wild animals rarely found so close to cities. The mountain is also the site of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) which was the test case for the Endangered Species Act’s controversial 1982 “incidental take” amendment. On this trip, we will explore San Bruno Mountain’s remarkable biodiversity, as well as the legacy of the precedent-setting HCP. Bring water; wear sturdy shoes, long pants, layered clothing; and prepare for rain. Conservation Biogeography
of San Francisco Peninsula Natives and Endemics When resource conservation conflicts with societal needs, creative approaches are needed to achieve conservation. During our fieldtrip we will visit three coastal sites on the urban fringe (Milagra Ridge, Mori Point, and the Presidio of San Francisco), which support rare native and endemic species of the San Francisco Peninsula. At these sites we will observe and discuss ongoing conservation activities. Unique to these sites is the role of local communities in conserving the land and organisms that live there. Boots, layered clothing, and binoculars are encouraged. Participants should bring lunch. Saturday, April 21 Farallon Islands Natural
History Trip with Dr. Ellen Hines The Farallon Islands, just 27 miles off San Francisco, lie amid the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, a food-rich marine ecosystem which attracts whales, dolphins, seals and seabirds each spring, summer and fall, to feed and to breed. Twenty-three species of marine mammals, including 18 species of whales and dolphins, can be found here. The Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is the largest seabird rookery in the contiguous United States with nesting Tufted Puffins, Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets, Shearwaters, and other species. Island beaches are covered with sea lions, including massive Steller’s sea lions, now on the Endangered Species List. This 8-hour nature cruise aboard motorized offshore will circumnavigate the islands for wildlife viewing and approach the Continental Shelf for marine mammal observation. Wear warm, layered clothing with water-proof outerwear (because of sea spray). Participants should bring lunch and beverages (none will be available for purchase) and will need to transport themselves to the San Francisco Yacht Harbor/Marina Green just outside the Harbormaster's office - check in time is 7:30am, the boat departs at 8:00am and returns at 4:00pm. Trips go rain or shine! Coastal, Fluvial and Hillslope
Geomorphic Systems of San Mateo County: Human Impacts and Hazards Visits to coastal, fluvial and hillslope sites in northern San Mateo County, focusing on sites of significant human impacts, geomorphic hazards and biogeomorphic restoration. Coastal sites: Ocean Beach, San Francisco; Mussell Rock at San Andreas Fault, Daly City; various Pacifica beaches. Many homes have been lost due to cliff erosion along this stretch of coastline. Hillslope sites include a colluvial hollow in Pacifica that produced a fatal debris flow in 1982. Fluvial sites along San Pedro Creek, including three restoration sites designed to remove anadromous steelhead migration barriers in
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