The wind lashed at native grasses along the bluff, then rippled upland through ochre fields. Rocky palisades cascaded down the to the sea, where awesome turbulence alternated with the stillness of protected coves. Tidepools revealed ancient life to the patient observer. Above, cypress hedgerows shaped shadowy cathedral aisles, parsing the fields, and traversing inland. Fields met forests, which climbed to the horizon. They sequestered ancient redwoods and a meandering river.
We were back in this rugged redoubt, called The Sea Ranch, which stretches ten miles along a slice of coastal habitat, 100 miles north of San Francisco. It remains a place of spectacular beauty and abundant natural diversity, a place where nature still predominates and surprises. For sixty years it has been an avatar of environmental planning.
