

Summer in the Forest
Enjoy Nisene Marks State Park with Delight...and Caution Wells Shoemaker MD, July, 2024 We customarily think of redwood forests with...

Claudia Torkelson
Jul 8, 20249 min read
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Salamanders in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
The Magnificent Seven of the Redwoods: Two Giants, two Slenders, a Tree climber, Golden Eye, and a Poisonous Newt Wells Shoemaker Golden...

Claudia Torkelson
Jun 13, 202410 min read
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Poison Oak in the Forest of Nisene Marks:
You can look, but you better not touch...The Coasters, 1959 A look at natural history, some human biology, preventive measures, and...

Claudia Torkelson
Apr 25, 20248 min read
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Horsetails
Wells Shoemaker 3-21-24 Somewhere around 250 million years ago, horsetails appeared in the fossil record. For a while (100 million...

Claudia Torkelson
Mar 22, 20243 min read
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Ferns of the Forest of Nisene MarksSpring Highlights for a Green Hike
Advocates Blog 3/4/2024, Wells Shoemaker A cascading mural of Maidenhair, Lady, Sword, and Bracken Ferns 2 feet above the main fire road....

Claudia Torkelson
Mar 4, 20243 min read
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Moss in the Park
Mossy redwood stump at Mary Easton Picnic Area Part of our history, Part of our future Moss appeared on Earth about 480 million years...

Claudia Torkelson
Feb 26, 20242 min read
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Mushrooms in the Forest...to be Seen in Nisene!
February, 2024 Two months of rain have done the trick again! Mushrooms are pushing up through the duff of the forest, bursting out...

Claudia Torkelson
Feb 23, 20241 min read
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Advocates assist State Parks in comprehensive trail damage assessment
January 10 & 11, 2024 The recent atmospheric river wreaked havoc from San Diego to the Oregon border, and the Central Coast got hammered....

Claudia Torkelson
Feb 13, 20242 min read
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Aptos Rancho is the Trail of the Month
Classification: Easy to moderate Distance: 1.4 miles from the entrance kiosk to George’s Picnic Area Highlights - This trail is on...

Claudia Torkelson
Dec 28, 20232 min read
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Vienna Woods is the Trail of the Month
Two Vienna Woods Trailheads: On Aptos Creek Road across from the south end of the Buggy Trail and Mesa Grande Road in the Vienna Woods...

Allison Livingston
Dec 1, 20232 min read
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THE TRAIL OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER IS THE BUGGY TRAIL
A leisurely walk on this easy trail will complement a lazy day at George’s Picnic Area. Bordered by sword ferns, this half-mile trail...

Allison Livingston
Oct 3, 20231 min read
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The Old-Growth Loop is the trail of the month for August
Trailhead: The Emmett Reed Picnic area near the entrance kiosk Distance: 1.1 miles to complete the loop Classification: Moderate - some...

Allison Livingston
Oct 2, 20234 min read
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Fabulous Forest Flowers!
I hope you get into the park to start seeing these fabulous forest flowers. Colorful, unique, amazing these flowers are like hidden...

Allison Livingston
Mar 16, 20231 min read
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What's new in the forest of Nisene Marks SP?
It's flower season! The first native forest flowers are emerging out of the ground. We'll be posting more as more bloom from January -...

Allison Livingston
Jan 20, 20222 min read
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Animals in the Park
When you think about animals in Nisene Marks, forest owls might not come up to mind right away. Bobcats, mountain lions, raccoons and...
L Kerbs
Sep 16, 20211 min read
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