Bay Curious

As we go about our lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and explore this beautiful state, it's not uncommon to encounter wild animals. Whether you're hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains and see warnings about mountain lions, or camping in Tahoe where bears have learned human ways, there are some things to know about how to stay safe. KQED's audience desk reporters Sarah Wright and Carly Severn join us with helpful tips about how to coexist in nature with the animals that also call it home. Additional Resources: ⁠Camping in California? If A Bear Shows Up, Here's What to Do⁠ ⁠What to Do If You See A Mountain Lion While Hiking in the Bay Area⁠ ⁠Coexisting With California's Urban Coyotes⁠ ⁠You've Found A Sick Or Lost Animal In the Bay Area. What Should You Do?⁠ Episode transcript ⁠Sign up for our newsletter⁠ Enter our ⁠Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest⁠ Got a question you want answered? ⁠Ask⁠! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to ⁠https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts⁠ This story was reported by Carly Severn and Sarah Wright. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

Gabriela Glick, a KQED producer and reporter, dives into the charming world of San Francisco's 900 stairways. She uncovers not only the city’s shortest and longest staircases but also highlights the quirkiest one-step oddity. Listeners learn about the incredible Oakhurst Lane, recognized as the longest continuous stairway, along with steep contenders like Iron Alley and 22nd Street. Glick also shares the history and cultural significance behind these unique urban features, making them a delightful surprise for locals and visitors alike.

Originally imported to Monterey County for sport by a wealthy landowner in the 1920s, wild boars now number in the hundreds of thousands, and they are destroying sensitive habitats and suburban lawns all over the state, including Morgan Hill, Lafayette and San Jose. Bay Curious listener Travis Mowbray wondered if there were any creative solutions to the problem. Additional Resources: Invasion of the Grub Snatchers: How One Rich Guy's Boars Colonized California Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

Christopher Beale, a KQED reporter, takes us on a nostalgic journey through the beloved amusement parks of the Bay Area. He shares the rise and fall of Idora Park, detailing its community impact and the shift in leisure activities over the decades. Listeners will delight in enchanting memories of Playland-at-the-Beach, from its iconic attractions like Laughing Sal to the creation of the 'it's it' dessert. Beale captures the bittersweet legacy of these amusement parks, reflecting on how they shaped joyful childhood experiences for generations.

The Bay Area is a biodiversity hotspot, home to species found nowhere else on Earth. But decades of urbanization have pushed many of these animals — and the ecosystems they depend on — to the edge. Can science bring them back? In this episode, we examine the remarkable comeback of the southern sea otter and an ongoing effort to resurrect the long lost Xerces blue butterfly. Additional Resources: Is Extinction Permanent? Resurrecting California's Xerces Blue Butterfly Healthy Otters Lead to a Happy Ecosystem in Monterey County's Elkhorn Slough Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Gabriela Glueck. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

Seagulls are everywhere in the Bay Area — flocking to Giant's games in San Francisco and crowding South Bay salt ponds. But are they actually native? Once seasonal visitors from Mono Lake, they've recently become year-round residents. We get to the bottom of this gull invasion. Additional Resources: Are California Gulls Native or Invasive to the Bay Area? Maybe Both Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Pauline Bartolone. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

Over the past 40 years, Afghans have steadily immigrated to the East Bay town of Fremont, hoping to start new lives close to others who share their language and culture. We trace four waves of immigration and check in with Afghans who've chosen to settle in Fremont. Additional Resources: How Did Fremont Become Known As 'Little Kabul'? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Asal Ehsanipour. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsay and everyone on Team KQED.

Claudia Falconer, an architect and Julia Morgan enthusiast, and Victoria Kastner, a historian and author with decades at Hearst Castle, dive into the legacy of pioneering architect Julia Morgan. They discuss her architectural innovations and whimsical designs, emphasizing her role in shaping the Bay Area's landscape. Key topics include Morgan's collaboration with Phoebe Hearst, her challenges as a female architect, and her lasting influence in creating community spaces for women. Their conversation celebrates how Morgan's vision continues to inspire today.

Nearly one in three Daly City residents identify as Filipino, according to 2019 Census data. Bay Curious listener Ricky Tjandra wondered what makes this town just south of San Francisco such an international hub of Filipino life. We dig into more than a hundred years of history between the U.S and the Philippines and talk to current residents of Daly City. Additional Resources: In Daly City, the Bayanihan Spirit Is Alive and Well Read the transcript for this episode How Daly City Became One of the Most Densely Populated Cities in the Country Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Amanda Stupi. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsay and everyone on Team KQED.

Alameda is the second most populous county in the Bay Area, after Santa Clara. Oakland is the biggest city, but the county stretches all the way out to Livermore in the east and Fremont in the south. It’s a big swath of land and about half of it is unincorporated, including two areas known as Cherryland and Ashland. Bay Curious listener Sam Hopkins wondered what it means for an area to be unincorporated and the history of these two communities. Additional Resources: 150,000 People Live in Unincorporated Alameda County. What Does That Mean For Them? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Brian Krans. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsay and everyone on Team KQED.