Oakmont Alliance Member David Schmidt's Long-Awaited Book Arrives to Rave Reviews

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.

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"From clear-cutting redwood forests to mining’s toxic legacy to urban sprawl, the pollution and loss that once shaped the San Francisco Bay Area has evolved into a hopeful new era of parks, renewable energy, and wildlife recovery. David Schmidt has expertly and comprehensively captured the Bay Area’s fascinating and storied environmental journey. A must-read for anyone who wants to truly understand how this amazing place came to be." Paul Rogers, Natural Resources and Environment Writer, San Jose Mercury News

"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, author of the California Field Atlas

"For more than two decades, David Schmidt has led unforgettable public outings for Greenbelt Alliance, captivating participants with his encyclopedic knowledge of the Bay Area’s cultural and natural history. Now, with The San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History, readers everywhere can experience the insight, storytelling, and deep place-based understanding that have made his guided walks so beloved."

Ken Lavin, Outings Coordinator, Greenbelt Alliance

About the author:

David D. Schmidt is a lifelong San Francisco Bay Area resident, naturalist and environmental historian. He worked as a writer in the public affairs office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco from 1991 to 2021. An avid hiker and backpacker, he has led dozens of hikes for the Greenbelt Alliance, the Bay Area's leading land conservation organization (www.greenbelt.org), in the region's extensive public parklands.

David has volunteered on habitat restoration projects for the Golden Gate National Parks and the California Native Plant Society in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties from 1991 to the present. He is also the author of Citizen Lawmakers: The Ballot Initiative Revolution (Temple University Press, 1989). He has a bachelor's degree in history from Santa Clara University. Born in Mountain View, he lived in San Francisco for more than 50 years, and now lives in Santa Rosa.

To obtain your copy, visit https://backcountrypress.com/book/san-francisco-bay-area/ or attend the Authors Book Faire on November 15, 2025, hosted by the Soroptimist International of Oakmont Wine Country (SIOWC), from 11am- 2pm at the Berger Center.