I Did Not Know That

In The Big Lebowski, John Goodman's character, Walter, takes his gun to the bowling alley and points it at an opponent during a scoring disagreement. The victim, Smokey, is revealed to be "fragile, man," but not too fragile to submit the incident to the league. Around here, it's almost as if we humans took our metaphorical gun to the bowling alley and threatened some local wildlife, which is now submitting the incident to the league. We humans have acted boorishly, brandishing dangerous developments and runoff at delicate ecosystems, and must now face some consequences. At the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Endangered Species Big Year Kick-Off Event, not only will some nice environmental scientists explain why the Bay Area's animal populations are fragile, man, but some of the endangered species themselves make appearances. See a bald eagle and a peregrine falcon, back from the brink and considered success stories of rehabilitation, as well as the still-endangered San Francisco Garter Snake. Then, walk across the Great Highway to Ocean Beach to see the totally threatened Western Snowy Plover in its natural habitat. Their lives are in our hands, dude.
Sun., Jan. 6, 1 p.m., 2008