Great News! We’ve recently reinvigorated our Facebook and Instagram accounts by posting photos from the exciting events that SB and our wonderful community of Sausalitans have been involved with: Sausalito Jazz on the Bay and most recently a Green Thumbs day at the Ice House Plaza site. Check it out on our Facebook and Instagram pages! You’ll also see updates from us on NextDoor. Share any posts that catch your fancy, and, if you are so inclined, please follow us—we’re just one click away!
As a reminder, our social media network will keep you up to date on SB’s upcoming events, promotions, as well as important issues that impact our mission to keep Sausalito’s public green spaces healthy, sustainable and resilient!
Green Thumbs Day at the Ice House
August 10, 2019
Nearly 30 Green Thumbs volunteers gathered together on Saturday, 8/10, to help plant a variety of around 80 plants at the iconic Ice House Plaza site. This amazing site was an idea that began a little over a decade ago conceived by the Sausalito Historical Society and designed by the incredibly talented landscape architects at SWA. For those who don’t know about the illustrious history of the Ice House, it was built in the 1880’s with the sole purpose of storing blocks of ice where the Sausalitans would go to purchase these blocks to keep their food cold inside “ice boxes” way before the advent of modern-day refrigerators.
When the project is complete, a reproduction of the old railroad line that once abounded through the city will be on display with a timeline of Sausalito’s history etched into the ground. One of the most prominent features will be that of a life-size bronze statue of the late Phil Frank, legendary illustrator and long-time Sausalitan, renowned for his famed “Farley” comic strip. His beautiful wife, Susan Frank, was on-hand to give her assistance to the planting and has been involved from the start on this amazing project.
After everything is in place, there will be benches and lovely gardens that will provide a welcoming place for sojourners to rest and savor Sausalito’s scenic landscape, and learn about her history.
Gardening for Butterflies Seminar: August 29
From the regal Monarch to the dainty “gossamer-winged ones,” the more you understand about butterflies, the more your habitat garden will be graced by their presence.
In this special program, attendees will gain insight into these beautiful creatures by learning about their different life stages, the host plants and habitats they frequent, and the fascinating ecological adaptations that make them such a compelling study. Presenter Charlotte Torgovitsky is an accomplished naturalist, founder of Home Ground Habitats (a native plant nursery), and the immediate past president of the Marin chapter of the California Native Plant Society.
Thursday, August 29 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Sausalito City Hall
This program is sponsored by the Sausalito Library and Sausalito Beautiful.
Update on Trees for MLK Park
June 25, 2019
The regrading and reseeding of the MLK athletic fields is almost done, but now Sausalito Beautiful needs your help to replant the trees! Over 40 trees were removed from the park but we commissioned a Tree Plan which calls for over 100 beautiful trees to be replanted. We estimate that $50,000 will be needed to implement this plan, and the City of Sausalito recently agreed to contribute half or $25,000 (thank you, City Councilmembers!!). Sausalito Beautiful will contribute $10,000 from it’s general fund as long as we raise the remaining $15,000 in the community.
Read more about the Tree Plan and fundraising, and contribute to this worthy cause yourself!
Cultural Landscapes
At Sausalito Beautiful, we have been talking a lot about trees lately because trees improve the environment while promoting a sense of place and beauty. Trees are also an important part of our “cultural landscapes”, a concept that Sausalito Beautiful introduced to the General Plan Advisory Committee in June. We believe that understanding the cultural significance of a landscape can be a useful guiding principle when improving our public green spaces.
Cultural landscapes are especially important because landscapes often tell more about a culture than its buildings yet they are not protected as historic buildings are. Consequently, when landscapes are lost, they are lost for good. It is critical that we understand the cultural significance of a green space, so it can be preserved appropriately yet evolve for future use.
Categories of cultural landscapes include:
Designed – landscapes consciously designed or laid out by a landscape architect, master gardener, architect, or horticulturist according to design principles, or by an amateur gardener working in a recognized style or tradition
Ethnographic – landscapes containing a variety of natural and cultural resources that the associated people define as heritage resources. For example, sacred religious sites or massive geological structures.
Historic Sites – rare cultural landscapes significant for their association with a historic event, activity, or person.
Vernacular – landscapes that reflect the physical, biological, and cultural character of everyday lives—typically evolving through use by a people who shaped those landscapes through social or cultural attitudes of an individual, family, or a community
So many examples of cultural landscapes exist in Sausalito. Viña del Mar Plaza is a Designed Landscape, the Houseboats and Marinship are Vernacular Landscapes and sites like Yee Tock Chee Park fall into multiple categories. All of these need to be considered in the General Plan, in order to provide guidance and priorities for the future improvements. The fishing pier is a great example of how these landscape features and experiences that are a part of our culture can cease to exist.
I hope you enjoy learning about Cultural Landscapes and why Sausalito Beautiful believes they are important. Having a good understanding of these cultural aspects of built and natural spaces will help to preserve and improve them for future generations and avoid losing what makes them important.
Bill Hynes President, Board of Directors Sausalito Beautiful
Park Renovation Updates
May 15, 2019
At the May 15th Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, we received an update on all the parks being renovated.
Dunphy Park: Aiming for opening by the September Chili Cookoff. The major work on the park should be complete by early July, after which the park will be hydroseeded with a fescue-rye-bluegrass mix (not the same grass as the Civic Center). Compared to the plan displayed on-site, you won’t see lights for the bocce courts yet, a couple of the paths and path bumpouts, or restrooms. The 4th of July activities normally at Dunphy, will take place on Caledonia Street.
MLK Park: Aiming for full opening by end of August. The major work on park is finishing up. In late June, the fields will be hydroseeded and roped off but there will be access to the path and new exercise equipment. The tennis courts required much more work than expected, but the City is aiming for an end of June opening. The fields should be opened up just in time for (ironically) parking at the Labor Day Art Festival.
Southview Park: This contractor is the same as at Dunphy, so work will ramp up here as the work at Dunphy ramps down.
