Looks like 5 thousand years ago, 5 million years ago. And thats tremendous. Doug these icons of california have also inspired a legacy of conservation. Alex cocone a really special place for people to come and visit, and a really special place in california and in the world. Doug and some unlikely messengers sheltered in redwood shadows. Emily burns its plot number one. Doug tell the story of a world in transition. Emily they are telling us so much about whats happening in the forest. Doug well, this immense and ancient redwood is known as the mother of the forest here in big basin state park, californias very first state park, and home, among other things, to the worlds tallest tree, south of San Franciscos latitude. Well, its fun and easy to explore big basin, to be inspired by its redwoods, and to discover that they shelter other species, stories, and science you may not expect. Doug nestled in the heart of the santa cruz mountains, and just over the hill from silicon valley, big basin state park stretches from forested summits down to the sea at waddell beach, with serene waterfalls, tiny newts, and massive trees in between. Alex i like to think of big basin as the bay areas backyard wilderness. Doug alex cocone is a california state park ranger. And he leads us along a popular and wheelchairaccessible redwood loop trail near the parks entrance. Doug so alex, you love this place. Big basin is a special spot for you. Alex it is a special spot for me. It was actually in this park when i was a little kid that i decided i wanted to be a park ranger when i grew up. When i was young, my parents would take me up here to the santa cruz mountains. I fell in love with this place, i fell in love with the outdoors. Doug millions of others from near and far have also fallen in love with these big trees and beautiful forests since the park was established in 1902. Doug so alex, i mean, you have people coming here i bet from all over the world to marvel at these trees, huh . Alex yeah, you really do. I mean, there is a weekend when i looked at the camper notice board, and there were just messages in english, french, german, farsi, arabic, japanese, and korean. And i was just like thatsyou know, from all of these people all over the world that are looking to big basin doug and look up these trees and theyre all saying in whatever their language, wow. Doug wow is right. Most of us are left nearly speechless in the presence of such grandeur. The big basin is not just a natural wonder, its also a profound cultural landmark. Alex so what were looking at here is some of the Human History of big basin. So the first people that were the stewards of big basin were the ohlone tribe of native americans. And they left a lasting impression because you can see that weve got these mortar holes. Doug literally a lasting impression. Alex yes. Doug these mortar holes were used for grinding acorns and grasses by countless generations. Alex these could be, you know, 2,000 years old, or they could be 200 years old. Its really hard for us to know. But that legacy from the ohlone tribe of california indians stretches all the way back to then, and continues today. Doug this is a land of legacies. And the conservation legacy was launched in the summer of 1900, when a small group from the Sempervirens Club explored these wild woods, camped here at the base of Slippery Rock, and committed themselves to protecting this forest for all, forever. Doug Slippery Rock is this kind of a touchstone, literally, for conservation in california, for protecting our lands and for creating the state park system. Alex it is. This is where it began. Its our founding monument. Doug and looking down upon us, as it did when the ohlone were grinding acorns and the Sempervirens Club was camping here, is a glorious redwood and alexs favorite tree in the park. Alex its a beautiful tree, and its seen so much of the history of this place, and it will continue to see some of the history of this place. Doug the Sempervirens Fund continues its conservation commitments to this very day. And so does save the redwoods league, which has worked to protect our redwood empire for nearly a century, and conducts and supports significant Scientific Research throughout the redwood range, especially related to the impacts of Climate Change. Emily the ferns, to me, are completely amazing. You turn over a leaf, youre going to see things you had no idea were hidden there all the time. You see insects, you see spiders, you see moths. There are salamanders and millipedes. I mean, theres just teeming with life on the forest floor. Doug emily burns is science director for save the redwoods league, and leads its fern watch project in an effort to understand how a warming and perhaps drying climate may be shaping the forest of the future. Emily theyre like the canary in the mineshaft. They really tell us something about how much water is available for all the plants to grow. Doug rainfall affects the growth and reproduction of these sword ferns. And by tracking changes, emily and her team can see the effects of the current drought. Emily only 19 centimeters. Doug and possibly predict the longterm consequences of Climate Change. Emily so by studying them, we have a good sense of how healthy the forest is. And it can help us figure out how to take better care of the forest. Doug thousands of volunteers are assisting this study in many redwood forests, including over 500 Oakland High School students, who leave their urban world to help us all better understand the natural one they and we will be inheriting in the decades ahead. Doug you know, you have volunteers, you have students, you have even people like me. I mean, regular old people can get involved in this with you, yes . Emily yeah. Even you can do just that. Im going to show you, im going to put you to work here. Doug ill try to do no harm. Emily yeah, please, please dont hurt the ferns. Doug emily puts me to work measuring the length of each frond to determine how much water has fallen in the forest. Doug this looks like a nice long one, somehow, to me. Emily it does. Doug so ive got to measure from the very, very, very, very tip. And were doing this in, what, centimeters, right . Emily in centimeters, yep, thats the units of science. Doug so im fairly close there, right . Emily thats perfect. Doug all right, that says 83 centimeters. So this is a tall one. That is, thats cool. Emily yeah. Doug we could each come out and volunteer, be part of all of this, and get to know the forest we love a bit better. Emily so all you need is a tape measure and a sandwich is what i say. Come up for the day, spend the day, get to know the ferns, help us understand how Climate Change is impacting the forest. And you know what, its a lot of fun. I can tell youre smiling. Doug i am smiling. Doug these redwood environments give us quite a lot to smile about. And the more we know about the future of ferns and the surrounding forest, the better we can manage and nurture these natural wonders, and continue legacies of conservation many generations old. Alex its very special to be kind of part of that tradition of being a steward of this landscape that stretches back to the ohlone tribe and has carried through today. Doug Sempervirens Club, all those Sempervirens Club. Century ago. Alex the state parks, and to folks like the rangers that work here to continue supporting, nurturing, and helping this landscape, and making sure that its still a Living Landscape where people can still come and enjoy it and be a part of it. Doug to find out more about visiting big basin and participating in the fern watch program, go to nbcbayarea. Com openroad. Stay with us to see a slough stocked with wild wonders, find inspiration with intrepid adventurers, and come face to face with a bobcat on the water. Doug openroad is made possible in part by the generous support of our founding underwriters. These public and Nonprofit Institutions are dedicated to protecting the natural and historical treasures of the bay area and Northern California, and making them accessible to all of us for all time. Additional support is provided by these institutions, also committed to caring for our special environmental and historical legacies, and inviting us to join them. Doug weve saved sanctuaries for nature all around us in Northern California, precious gifts from previous generations to ours, allowing us to live with wildlife in ways and in numbers most urban regions on earth simply cannot. We dont have to travel to the ends of the earth to witness wildness on grand display in the air, on the land, and in the water. One of the most astounding can be easily seen by all of us in a place called Elkhorn Slough, nestled next to the bustle of highway 1, between santa cruz and monterey. Bryan largay you will see more animals than you can believe. Mark silberstein if you really want to get your finger on the pulse of the natural world, heres a place close to home that you can do that. Doug well, theres busy highway 1, People Racing between santa cruz and monterey. Its hard to believe that here at moss landing and just beyond that busy road is the Elkhorn Slough, hiding in plain sight, one of the great natural wonders of california being cared for by some extraordinary people. Doug the largest single concentration of sea otters in california, harbor seals by the hundreds, and 340 species of birds that we can all see up close in boats, in kayaks, and on foot. Doug nice crowd of seals over there. Bryan thats right, theyre doing real well here. Mark you know, these tidal marshes really are the kind of the energetic engine that fuels a lot of the food, complex food webs in this estuary. Doug Elkhorn Slough is brimming with wildlife. But its also facing a grave danger to its very existence. These marshlands, the largest tracts between San Francisco and mexico, have been literally washing away. Bryan right here, we have intact, healthy salt marsh, but in other parts of the slough, hundreds of acres have died back. Doug when Moss Landing Harbor was created to support a fishing fleet in the 1940s, the mouth of Elkhorn Slough was open directly to the force of the ocean. And high tides began rushing in and out of the slough, flooding and eroding the marshlands, and carrying precious mud out to sea. The dying and disappearing marshes needed to be saved, and soon. Mark one of the solutions that weve implemented now was to bring to a more natural state that movement of hydraulic water, the tidal water, coming in and out of Elkhorn Slough. Doug after years of consideration by hundreds of people, the protectors of Elkhorn Slough installed an underwater retaining wall, a sill five feet beneath the surface at a critical location, in hopes of slowing the destructive tides. It was a huge project conducted very carefully in a sensitive habitat. And so far, it seems to be working. Bryan and what that does is it acts like a speed bump, slowing down the water, holding it back a little bit, enough to make a difference in the rest of the estuary. Doug and youre happy with the results . Bryan oh, were thrilled. Its working great. Mark so that sill was really a very significant step towards securing the longterm health and future of Elkhorn Slough. Doug Elkhorn Slough has survived many threats over many decades. The Lessons Learned in this place may be applied elsewhere in and around the slough, in hopes that the marshes here will be sustained to nurture all the residents, and all of us visitors, for generations to come. Mark one of my goals was to leave it in better shape than i found it. Were moving down that path, and itll just keep getting better. Doug the wild wonders of Elkhorn Slough are waiting for all of us to witness, on our own, on guided tours, and in a wonderful Visitors Center with fascinating displays and lots of good information. To find out more about all of this, go to nbcbayarea. Com openroad. [music] doug when we come back, a compassionate crew dedicated to bringing outdoor pleasure to people needing a bit of help, and a stealthy photographers fantastic finds. Doug for anybody who loves to play and have adventures in the outdoors, theres no better place on the planet than Northern California. And thanks to an extraordinary organization, the outdoors are accessible to everyone, including those of us with significant physical and economic challenges to overcome. Environmental traveling companions, etc, has been working wonders and changing lives for many decades. Doug and i want you to meet somebody whom i admire, respect, like an awful lot, diane poslosky, for more than 30 years the executive director of environmental traveling companions, etc. And diane, you take people out to have adventures in our beautiful environment here in Northern California who might not otherwise have a chance to go do this. And tell me what etc is all about. Diane poslosky etceteras mission is to make the joy and challenge of outdoor adventures accessible to people with disabilities and disadvantaged youth, and inspire confidence and connection to nature and stewardship of the environment, and just have a whole lot of fun enjoying their lives. Doug to be out there with you and your gang of volunteers and supportersand you take people into some wonderful, wonderful places. River rafting has always been a big piece of the puzzle for you. Describe that. Diane well, our rafting program is our flagship program. It was how we started on the banks of the san islas river, running class 3 rivers with people who might be blind or wheelchair users, or disadvantaged innercity youth, and just getting out there and experiencing the joy and challenge and fun of a white water river. After the san islas was dammed, we moved that program over to the south fork of the american river, where we have a beautiful base camp right now. Doug and it really is wonderful. I mean, the adventure, the excitement, the high spirits that are out there. And if you go uphill a little ways, in the wintertime, assuming we have snow up there, you take people outdoors for big snow adventures. Diane we do. Snow is the operative word. This winter, our program we call the Winter Program versus the crosscountry ski program, but weve been doing that program for over 30 years. And taking visually impaired and developmentally delayed, and we have sitskis for wheelchair users, and for innercity youth, oftentimes its the very first time theyve ever seen snow or been able to throw a snowball, and its an Amazing Program as well. Doug and i got to go to another one of your programs. It was kayaking right here on San Francisco bay. You also do it at tomales bay. But we went with you from angel island over to sausalito, and that was a wonderful, wonderful, memorable day for me. Diane yeah, that was coming back with a group of visually impaired students, i believe. And we do have an amazing sea kayaking program here on San Francisco bay, where we paddle one to multipleday trips over to angel island, the jewel of San Francisco bay. And we also go on tomales bay. And those programall of our programs we do in partnership with over 70 agencies and schools. And the state parks play a huge role in our partnership as well. We also have a fourth program, which is our Youth Leadership program, which are intensive Leadership Development programs primarily for innercity teens. And its to develop their sense of confidence and leadership skills and stewardship. Doug you do such a wonderful job with all those, diane. Keep up the great work, and ill be following you no matter where you go. Diane thanks, doug. Its great to see you today. Doug great to see you again. Doug for information about environmental traveling companions, visit nbcbayarea. Com openroad. When we come back, a fine photographer with a gentle approach to nature. Support of our founding underwriters. These public and Nonprofit Institutions are dedicated to protecting the natural and historical treasures of the bay area and Northern California, and making them accessible to all of us for all time. Additional support is provided by these institutions, also committed to caring for our special environmental and historical legacies, and inviting us to join them. Doug one of our Favorite Places to photograph for openroad is Point Reyes National seashore, with its wild lands, wildlife, and wide open spaces, perfect for pictures and exploration on foot and in the shell of a kayak, paddling quietly in protected waters and getting close to nature. Doug and heres somebody who is a wonderful photographer and a wonderful kayaker, and really knows point reyes, galen leeds. You are a spectacular photographer. I love looking at your stuff. And you grew up in the point reyes area. Galen leeds right. Doug you know it really, really, really well. You photograph in many ways, but you get in your kayak, you get out close to nature. So describe that. Why kayaking in photography . Galen well, it started out id be driving along tomales bay, you know, seeing highway 1, these beautiful vistas. I realized i was always shooting from the same spot, the same turnouts. I really wanted to find some other way where i could just experience tomales bay a little more. And so i got myself a kayak, i started paddling around, and i just started realizing how much more there is to see from a kayak than you can ever really see from land. Theres so many different types of birds, marine life, seals, otters. And i realized that also so much of this, when youre actually photographing from a kayak, youre right down there, like, much closer to the eye level of the birds, much closer to the eye level of the animals, and you just get such a different perspective on them. Its just a very nice way to see all the wildlife out there. Doug it really, really is. I mean, as youre describing this, i mean, i love it too because, you know, youre moving quietly. Its just you and the kayak and the water. Nature comes around you in many ways. You dont have to seek it out. Galen no, you get to just kind of cruise, glide through it, and you can really use the wind and the tides to just kind of drift you right in close to animals when you want to see them, and while staying very still. You know, if you get the wind right behind you, the wind will blow the kayak right up to what youre trying to photograph and right on by without ever disturbing the bird, right, or the otter right as its eating a fish, or the bobcat as its cruising the shores. Doug it really, reallyi mean, you have such wonderful photographs, you know, from your times doing this. What are some of your favorite memories out there, some of the pictures that come to mind as you remember your times out there . Galen well, theres a lot of times where, late afternoon, ive found theres these certain sort of days where, if you just paddle the shores really quietly, the bobcats, they just kind of come down to the shore. And you wouldnt think that kayaking is where you would see a bobcat. But youll just kind of be cruising along quietly, and suddenly youll pass around a point, and a bobcat will pass around the point, and there you are just kind of pausing, just kind of a little quiet moment. Another great thing is bobcats, you know, they dont really know what a kayak is, and so theyre not nearly as spooked seeing someone in a kayak as they would someone walking along a trail. It doesnt quite enter their radar in the same way. Doug and you have some wonderful photographs, getting up close to seals and marine mammals. And again, youre not encroaching on their territory. You let them come to you. Galen yeah, i let them come to me, and i try and just drift by them, try and be quiet, you know, justi just try and let them do their thing, just be an observer. You know, me out on the water, them on the shore. Or else if its like a seal, seals are so curious. Like, if youre paddling along, they love to just pop up behind you and just kind of trail right along, hoping that you dont see them. Doug you know what, but you have seen them, you photograph them. Galen, thank you so much for your great photographs, for your tips, and well see you on the water. Sounds great. Thanks, thanks. Galen thank you. Doug for information about galen leeds and his photography, and all of the places we visited and people we met in this show, go to nbcbayarea. Com openroad. Doug well, thats our show. I hope you enjoyed it and will join us next time right here for more discoveries along the open road, im doug mcconnell. Well see you soon. Doug well leave you with more of galen leeds photos. [music] [music] welcome to fort green sheets. Welcome to castle bravestorm. Its full of cool stuff, like my second in command. And my trusty bow. And free of stuff i dont like. And in my castle we only eat chex cereal. Chex cereal. Its full of delicious crunchability. No artificial flavors, and its glutenfree. And thats something even my brother. Sister can understand. Mom, brian threw a ball in the house attacking trump. Who is taking on david versus goliath challenge. Welcome to access hollywood, weekend edition. The top story why its not a good idea to good after the donald. Rick perry and lindsay gram who both went after trump and quickly fell in the poll but that doesnt matter to randy paul. In many case i probably identify more as a democrat contract. Just seems that the economy does better under the democrats. Paul launching first attack ad targeting Republican Trump showing him in the past praising democrat including hillary clinton. I think shes a terrific woman. Im a little biased because i have known her for years and phone her an her husband for years and i really lake them both a lot. I think she does a good job. I like her. Shes a really good person. Wednesday night on cnn trump commented on the ongoing sparring match. You look at a guy leak paul. Hes weak on the military a mess no question bit. He released own statement thursday responding to the comments in the ad. Unless you are a piece of unyielding granite over the years position evolve as they have in my cas case. Ronald reagan