San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most ecologically diverse—and most transformed—regions on Earth. In this sweeping and beautifully detailed book, David D. Schmidt traces how natural forces and human choices have shaped the landscape over thousands of years.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• Ancient roots of stewardship: How Native Tribes cared for the land through fire, harvest, and ceremony for millennia.
• Colonization and upheaval: The arrival of European settlers, the loss of Indigenous lifeways, and the ecological consequences of agriculture, mining, and logging.
• The making of a metropolis: How dams, filled wetlands, and sprawling urban growth reshaped the Bay’s natural systems.
• Cycles of change: Fire and flood, boom and bust, extinction and renewal—all part of the region’s ongoing evolution.
• Twenty thematic chapters: Exploring invasive species, transportation networks, waste disposal, and the rise of Silicon Valley.
• Stories of resilience: Victories like the Save the Bay movement, wetland restoration projects, and the revival of Indigenous stewardship practices.
• A hopeful path forward: How understanding the past can guide a more sustainable and equitable future for the Bay Area.

Grounded in meticulous research and accessible storytelling, San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History is an essential resource for anyone who loves, studies, or calls this region home.

"There has never been a book like SFBA: An Environmental History. It is the new mandatory read for all citizens of this unique and precious place. In essence, it is a handbook that details what it is to call this place home."—Obi Kaufmann