About the Author

I have lived in Marin County my entire life.  For the first few years I lived in an apartment in Mill Valley, and since the age of three I have lived on the same exact street all my life.  The furthest I’ve ever moved in the last 15 years was across the street to a different house.  I live in Kentfield, right next to Bacich Elementary School.  I am sorry to admit that I don’t add much to the ecology in my town.  All I do is detract from it.  Aside from the small compost and garden that I help my family maintain, all I do is harm the environment I live in.  I drive a car instead of biking, and I produce quite a bit of trash.  Putting that aside, I love my community.  Kentfield is a beautiful place that has amazing views.  Until I came to Marin Academy, every single thing I did was in Kentfield.  My middle school, elementary school, preschool, sports teams and friends were all located in Kentfield.  My favorite thing about Kentfield is its great views and its abundance of nature.  There are so many trees and plants in Kentfield that I feel like I’m living as a part of the environment, not just on top of it.  I love going on hikes and looking out over my entire life all at once.  From one hill, I can see where I spend 99.9 percent of my time, which is pretty amazing for me.  I can map out most experiences I’ve ever had, from the age of five to eighteen.  I also like how small Kentfield is.  Since I hate insects altogether, I don’t have a favorite one.  My favorite animal in Marin is the deer.  I enjoy driving by them at the side of the road, and always feel awful when one is lying in the middle of the road.  My favorite plant is the Oak tree.  If you’re coming to visit Kentfield and Marin, make sure to go on a hike.  The mountains in Marin are unbelievable, and the views they give are also beautiful.  

This is a picture of me and my twin brother, Sommer, in Evolution Valley, CA.  It's up near Yosemite.  My dad and us went backpacking there last summer, and it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  It was also THE most untouched ecosystem I've ever been in.  

Maps of Where I Live

My Strawberry Journey!

Strawberry Challenge

I am proud to say that I have cared my straubs and kept them alive!  I used to really like gardening with my mom, so it was nice to return to it.  I liked the anticipation of seeing how my plant fared through the storm, or how much it had grown.  I documented the entire process by taking pictures every so often.  The strawberries have grown the most in the last few weeks due to all the sunshine. 

During spring break, and the weekends, I constantly was moving my pot of strawberries all day to allow for them to soak up the most sunlight.  I was pretty responsible about watering the plants with the exception of a few slips.  For a while, the rainy season helped me out.  The plant was slow to grow for the first month or so.  I didn’t see any strawberries sprout until April.  Once one started to bud, a few more followed, and finally my plant looked like a healthy strawberry plant.  I considered using plant fertilizer to speed up their growth but decided to keep them all natural.  I likened myself to a mother giving birth: I was choosing not to use pain killers, and instead was enduring the long, painful process of strawberry birth. 

Once they started to grow, the berries themselves remained green.  They were not perfectly shaped strawberries like the ones at the store.  This made them more authentic.  The biggest change the plant went through was that the leaves turned a different shade of green.  They gradually turned a lighter shade over the last few months, which was interesting.  I was also pleased to see that flowers grow on strawberry plants.  There were bright white and yellow flowers to accompany the berries. My biggest challenge was dealing with my cats.  I was always finding new places to hide my plant from my cats.  They continued to find them and knock the container over, which was frustrating.  What I learned from the process is how hard it is to produce food.  Even just a few strawberries took a lot of attention and discipline to keep healthy.  I will probably eat these strawberries in ten seconds: only a fraction of the time they took to grow.  It makes me realize how much we take food for granted.  I never think at all how much work went into producing my food, and how much water and gasoline went into each bite I’m taking.  Growing my strawberry plant has made me realize how beautiful food is.  The process, the science behind it, and the end result is all purely beautiful.  I will never look at food the same way again.

The Finished Result: Triplets!

My Kentfield Ecology Story

http://www.marinij.com/rosskentfieldgreenbrae/ci_17668387?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com

This article was published March 21st, 2011, in the Marin Independent Journal.  Last December there were sewage spills in Ross Valley along the Corte Madera Creek in which 2.6 million gallons of raw sewage were spilled into the surrounding neighborhoods.  Much of the spillage found its way to the creek.  People were advised to not use the creek for a few weeks.  Personally, I felt the effects of the spill, as my rowing team was unable to practice on the water for over a week.  Beyond that, the spill increased eutrophication on the creek, which is detrimental to fish and plant life under the water.  The visible increase in this effect was obvious in the months following the pollution.  Human feces contains nitrogen (amongst other nutrients), and too much nitrogen causes an excess growth of fungus-like plants on the surface of the water.  These plants suck up all the oxygen in the water, creating a dead zone below them where nothing else can live.  The article says that the spill was a result of 'human negligence', which makes me wonder how someone in charge of such a serious thing can be so careless.  Vandalism is also being investigated as a cause for the spill.  I also am curious as to why anyone would vandalize a sewage line.  This spill, along with the PG&E natural gas blast were both a result of poor piping.  I think that companies that posses serious pipe lines like sewage and natural gas should be forced to do more routine checkups and maintenence by the government, as the results of a bad pipe are huge.  They effect the environment very negatively, and they can even take human lives.

Works Cited

Richard, Halstead. "Ross Valley Sanitary District Renews Call for Criminal Investigation of Sewage    Spills." Marin Independent Journal. 3 Mar. 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. <http://www.marinij.com/rosskentfieldgreenbrae/ci_17668387?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-

Interview With Longtime Marin Resident, Grandpa Stein

Interview with Grandpa Stein

My grandpa, Jim Stein, has lived in Mill Valley for 22 years.  He has also spent a lot of time in Kentfield and knows both areas well.  (some off topic rambling from the interview was cut out)

Greig: What kinds of changes have you seen in the environment of both Mill Valley and Kentfield?

Jim: Oh, well I don’t really see any.  There haven’t been any big changes to what you see.  Things definitely look different now but most of the big changes happened a long time ago. 

G: Have you seen a decrease in plant and animal life?

J: I’ve never seen a lot of animals.  You know, a lot of trees on my street have been cut [down].  Same with yours, that big tree was cut last year.  That’s the biggest change I’ve seen over the years.

G: Has there been a lot of urban development since you came to Marin?

J: Most of it happened before I came, I would guess.  There has been a few new housing areas built on top of unused land.  A lot of places have expanded to take up the land around them.  Your old school built a new building. 

G:  Have you seen an increase in street traffic?

J:  I want to say there has been, but it’s really hard to tell because it was so long ago… I think there are more cars out there these days.

G:  Do you wish that there were less?

J:  I don’t really mind.  Of course I don’t like traffic.  But I don’t care.

G:  Do you support more development of buildings and houses and things like that?

J:  I think that its fine to build more buildings.  I don’t think it would be good to ruin the good looks of the town [Mill Valley], but more businesses means good things sometimes.  Since I’ve come it’s [Mill Valley] really gotten to be a busy place, which I like. 

G:  What is your favorite thing about Mill Valley?

J:  Oh, I like downtown.  It’s fun. 

G: Why do you like it?

J:  I like that it is busy and I enjoy the restaurants.  It’s a beautiful place as well. 

G:  If you were to have the choice of building three new restaurants on top of Old Mill Park, would you do it?

J:  No.  I think the park is important to the town and there are already enough restaurants. 

Community Info: Come to Marin, Squirrels!

Community Information

There is no better home a squirrel than Marin County, California.  There is already a large squirrel population due to favorable conditions for squirrel life.  There are many trees to provide both protection from predators and nuts for food.  Squirrel predators such as large predatory birds and wildcats have been reduced in numbers because of human development, so there is much less of a threat these days.  Marin is a very relaxed environment for squirrels.  There are very few squirrel deaths due to cars.  Humans also leave waste for squirrels to munch on when they cannot find enough food.  Sometimes, they even try to feed squirrels for fun, offering a healthy bonding experience for the two species and a win-win situation.  Humans have brought many types of trees to Marin County.  Now squirrels can enjoy all the nuts of the world in just one location.  Come to Marin, squirrels!

Air Quality in Marin

The air quality in Marin County is as good as it gets.  There isn’t a threat to anyone, even babies are people with allergies, and it is healthy to go outside and excersize in the air.  The main types of pollutants in the county are very small.  They are called ‘PM 2.5’s’, which means particulate matter that is 2.5  micrometers or less in diameter.  Because these particles are so small they cannot be accumulated in the lungs. 

            PM 2.5’s are generally emmited from cars and industrial sites.  The main way these particles are emitted in Marin is from gasoline combustion in cars.  There are not many factories, if any, in Marin, which means that there are much fewer harmful particles in the air.  In marin the PM 2.5 level is usually from 0-50, which is very healthy.  Although as many as 800,000 people can die per year due to outdoor pollutants, and many organisms have difficulty surviving with low oxygen levels or high particulate levels, Marin County’s air does not pose a serious threat to anything. 

http://www.wunderground.com/health/airpollution.asp