The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

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THIS WEEK IN
CALIFORNIA WILD

Spring 2003
Vol. 56:2

A wild scene complete with a stuffed mastodon met visitors to the former headquarters of the California Academy of Sciences. The 1906 earthquake destroyed the ornate Market Street building along with most of its artifacts, but the Academy rose again to become one of the world's premier scientific institutions.
Photo: CAS/Library Special Collections.

Departments
Life On The Edge
In Search of the Wild West
Keith K. Howell

Habitats
Evolution in the Park
Gordy Slack

Counterpoints in Science
Galápagos Adventure
Jerold M. Lowenstein

Here At The Academy
Bowls, Baskets and Beads
Stephanie Greenman

Letters to the Editor
Aging Gracefully

Reviews
Adrienne Zihlman on Human Culture
Tom Daniel on Eastern Sierra Wildflowers
•Editors' Recommendations

Features
Science Amid the Saloons: The Academy Begins
Surrounded by frontier town chaos, seven amateur naturalists sat down to systematize the study of the West's wildlife.
Dave Brian Butvill

In Darwin's Wake: The Academy sets sail for the Galápagos
A ragtag crew of hearty young naturalists set out to save some of evolution's islands for science. Their voyage became the adventure of a lifetime.
Kathleen M. Wong

Surveyor of the Western Sky: George Davidson
From a chilly canvas tent perched atop San Francisco, Academy president George Davidson launched California's first astronomical observatory.
Kirsten Vanstone

Hanna's Heavens: From the Roof Prism Gang to the Theater of the Stars
An expert in diatoms, G. Dallas Hanna went on to build the best star projector in the world.
Bing F. Quock

I Don't Want To See Any Water: Earl Herald, Aquarium Dynamo
The charismatic and unflinching host of TV's "Science In Action" battled boa constrictors and voter ballots in support of Steinhart Aquarium.
John E. McCosker

The Legacy of George Lindsay
While the flower children filled Golden Gate Park, botanist George Lindsay presided over the blossoming of the California Academy of Sciences.
Adrian Barnett

At Home in the
Natural World

Wild Lives
Burmese Vine Snakes
Celeste Biever

Skyguide
The Lunar Seas
Bing F. Quock

Naturalist's Almanac
What to Look for This Spring
David Lukas

Not available online:
Hardy Perennial: Alice Eastwood Reinvigorates the Academy.
After rescuing the botany collection from earthquake ruin, the diminutive botanist with the spine of steel became the heart of the Academy.
Elizabeth Rush