fire bad, tree pretty

Last Saturday morning, some of my coworkers and I braved the early hours and headed out to the Presidio to do some native plant restoration in the Tennessee Hollow watershed. The site was used by the Army to practice digging trenches and, apparently, to test the ability of soldiers to managed their gas masks when faced with mustard gas. Restoration work was halted here a few years ago when a scientist found a vial of the nasty stuff. Oh, fun litter. We didn't come across any while we were planting sticky monkeyflower or yarrow -- but I did manage to step in dog crap, which is pretty par for the course for Presidio hiking. Oh, dog owners.

Don't let the dog poop deter you; there are a ton of fun, informative ways to volunteer at the Presidio. The history of the Presidio is fascinating -- did you know that the base became established primarily as a result of the Philippine War? Located ideally, the base was a launching point for war efforts in the Philippines in the late 1800s. You can read more here and check out a cool exhibit at the Officer's Club through February 22nd, 2009.