Back from the Brink: for the last wild franciscan manzanita
It has long been known that the Presidio is home to the last Raven's manzanita on earth. Surprisingly, a chance discovery made in 2010 during the Doyle Drive reconstruction project revealed the existence of the Franciscan manzanita, thought to have been extinct in the wild for more than 70 years. This 23-minute film by San Francisco filmmaker Melissa Peabody tells the compelling story of these two icons of California's natural heritage. Produced 2011. Presidio Trust.
When I read the story of the unlikely discovery of this rare plant, and all the work that went into saving it, I wept. Maybe there is hope for us silly humans if we can work together to save an interesting but humble plant from extinction.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, I've got a soggy face after watching the video.
Thanks for sharing. I found it uplifting too.
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