About Laura

Laura Baker is an environmental activist and former conservation chair of the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. She holds an MA in ecology and systematic biology. Growing up in Missouri, she learned early that the cure for most ills rests in spending time out in nature. She wishes for every child to have the experience of wholeness that nature provides. Laura's Knowlander blog is dedicated to building an online library of the natural history of Knowland Park so that the public may enjoy the park for the natural heritage treasure that it is. Knowing the land is a never ending process of inquiry open to all. We welcome your comments, contributions, and photos.
Author Archive | Laura

Setting the Record Straight on the Oakland Zoo Expansion Plan

By on June 9, 2014 in Featured on Homepage, Oakland Politics, Opinions & Editorials

Public Comment by Laura Baker
East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society
Originally published in the Berkeley Daily Planet

In last week’s Oakland Tribune (1/9/14) Joel Parrott called for unity to launch the Oakland Zoo’s disastrous expansion plan in Knowland Park, a plan reminiscent of many grandiose projects that appeal to a seductive illusion. Parrott lashed out at park proponents who aren’t buying that destroying park land to create an illusory experience is better than holding on to the real deal. The California Trails project would fence, grade, and destroy 56 acres of prime park land in an effort to transport visitors back in time to pre-1850 California and charge them for the experience. To sell the deal, zoo execs have resorted to using secrecy and truth-twisting to make some of the more problematic aspects of the project go away. Continue Reading →

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A Taste of the Wild

By on December 10, 2012 in Nature & Wildlife, Personal Journals

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Knowland Park. Photo by Christian Naventi.

Photographer and teacher, Christian Naventi, has a special talent for bringing animals in the wild closer to the children he teaches through his use of critter cameras.  With photos and videos, he’s able to capture brief moments of animals in their natural state as they pass his cameras.  Christian has developed a deep love for Knowland Park and has shared his talents with us to help us reveal the sometimes hidden beauty of Knowland Park.  Unlike animals in captivity, wild animals are shy and reluctant to expose themselves to the danger we humans pose.   Knowland Park is habitat for many species of wild animals that must share the park with us but often remain carefully hidden out of sight.

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ZOO FACES REGULATORY HURDLES AS IT BEGINS PERMIT PROCESS

By on July 19, 2012 in Uncategorized

Before the zoo’s expansion can be built, the zoo must apply for and receive a number of different permits from the state and federal regulatory agencies that are responsible for protecting sensitive natural resources in California.  Over the next few weeks we’ll be discussing more specific details about the individual permits that must be obtained. We thought it would be useful to describe in general the role of the regulatory agencies at this stage of the development. Continue Reading →

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Bad News for Knowland Park: Judge Grillo Decides Zoo Expansion Plan Is Not a New Project

By on June 20, 2012 in Campaign Updates, Nature & Wildlife, Oakland Politics, Personal Journals, Uncategorized

This heritage Coast Live Oak, Oakland's namesake, will be cut down to make room for the Interpretive Center.

Yesterday Judge Evelio Grillo issued his final ruling in our lawsuit, stating that the Zoo’s current expansion plan into Knowland Park is merely a modification of the 1998 Amended Master Plan project.   Sometimes in the court of law it’s possible  to find that up is down and black is white.  Such is the case here.  Our attorneys – Shute, Mihaly, & Weinberger – argued eloquently that the Zoo’s plan, which adds a veterinary hospital and an aerial gondola, quadruples the size of the Interpretive Center, and includes other major changes that were detailed in our briefs, results in a new project.  In the end, the court disagreed, and the accompanying photos show who loses as a result of the court’s decision.

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Welcome to the California Chaparral Institute, the Newest Member of the Knowland Park Coalition

By on April 23, 2012 in Campaign Updates, Uncategorized

The California Chaparral Institute has joined the Knowland Park Coalition. Located in Escondido, California, CCI is a non-profit organization of naturalists, scientists, wildland firefighters, and educators who value the chaparral as both a valuable resource and a place to enjoy the wilderness. Providing “a voice for the chaparral,” CCI joins the Knowland Park Coalition to help educate the public on the value of the maritime chaparral found in Knowland Park and to speak up for its protection.

CCI recognizes the threat that the Oakland Zoo expansion project poses to our rare maritime chaparral stand. It has fought similar poorly planned development that results in the accompanying fuels management that decimates this resource.

Rick Halsey, Director and Founder of CCI, acknowledged the work of our coalition: “Your group is a model of citizen activism.” CCI joins a list of prestigious environmental organizations dedicated to protecting the native communities found in Knowland Park. We welcome their support. Visit their website at www.californiachaparral.com.

Laura Baker is an environmental activist and former Conservation Chair of the California Native Plant Society. Growing up in Missouri, she learned that the cure for most ills rests in spending time out in nature. She wishes for every child to have the experience of wholeness that nature provides. Laura holds an M.A. in Ecology and Systematic Biology.

Laura’s Knowlander blog is dedicated to building an online library of the natural history of Knowland Park so that the public may enjoy the park for the natural heritage treasure that it is. Knowing the land is a never ending process of inquiry open to all. We welcome your comments, contributions, and photos

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