#fort-funston

#fort-funston

"They didn't even try to fly away. They just feebly made noise," a woman told the Santa Barbara Independent on Saturday after spotting over two dozen dead or dying cormorants near Goleta Beach. "A few were on their stomachs, wings spread [and] gasping for breath.... Heartbreaking."

Abiqua Falls is a stunning 92-foot waterfall that tumbles over a wall of columnar basalt into a wide pool, perfect for swimming. The surrounding area features a pebbled beach that provides breathtaking views of the falls and lush greenery.

"The mystery to me is how something so big and that was supposed to be so prominent has gotten so forgotten," Richard White, a Stanford professor emeritus of American history, told SFGATE.

"I hadn't even seen the inside just like you, but I just felt like one person, DJ equipment, had to fit in there somehow. We knew it could be Pandora's box in there."

Get up early to drive into the hills and park in the main lot, which opens 30 minutes before sunrise. This will leave you with enough time to make your way to the peak through the wildflower-scattered trails and watch the sunrise over the Bay.

A board member of the Farallon Islands Foundation, Bob Lewis has taught birding classes in the Bay Area for over 25 years. In his Around the World in 80 Birds presentation, he shares ornithological photos from his travels to Madagascar, Borneo, Hawaii, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and Cuba.

Named after the legendary Big Sur female pioneer and rancher, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park stands out even among the rest of the region's attractions. The park features stands of centuries-old redwood trees and provides a haven for a variety of California wildlife, though it's best known for the 80-foot-high McWay Falls, an impressive cascade that drops directly from a sheer cliff to the sandy beach below.

It's an opportunity for people to get out and see birds without pressure, no matter how long it takes or how many birds we see, said OBara, a retired nurse who has been leading the accessible outings for three years. She said disabled people often cannot keep up on traditional outings, especially when competitive birders are focused on checking off a list of the greatest possible number of species.

Not only do we have an amazing trail with 10 waterfalls (four of which you can walk behind), but it's a great place to see and learn about plants and wildlife. We also have several historic buildings that are open to the public-all built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s and 1940s.

Visitors can skip the entrance fees at California parks on Monday, part of a state effort to reduce barriers to accessing the outdoors. More than 200 California state parks are offering the free vehicle entry including motorcycles on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday to California residents and visitors. Entrance fees are typically around $10. The complete list of parks offering free entry on Monday can be found here.

The Bay Lights belong to San Francisco, Illuminate founder Ben Davis said in a Thursday statement announcing the March 20 relighting date. They're a reminder that beauty can live at the scale of infrastructure and that awe can be part of a city's identity. SF Mayor Daniel Lurie also chimed in on the same Thursday announcement. The Bay Lights are an iconic symbol of San Francisco and the entire Bay Area, Lurie said in the same press release.

The San Francisco Botanical Garden is one of the most diverse gardens in the world. A unique urban oasis, the garden is a living museum within Golden Gate Park, offering 55 acres of both landscaped gardens and open spaces, and showcasing over 9,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. One of the most beautiful spots is the Japanese-design inspired " Moon Viewing Garden," (pictured above) located in the Mild-Temperate Climate section in the Northwest portion of the gardens. [ view map]