Next Three Events:
Download the Spring 2025 calendar as a pdf here.

Wednesday, March 26, 7:30 pm
Lessons for the Biosphere
A Public Talk at 518 Valencia Street
In our seat upon the California Coast, we who live in the territory of Yelamu are favored with remarkable biodiversity. A conversation between Obi Kaufmann, author of the California Field Atlas series, and Sara Moncada, the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone Director of Native Ecology, looks at the uniqueness of place and locates us within it. From our state rock and unique ecosystem to the concept of bioregionalism that began with Peter Berg and Planet Drum to the subject of fire in our state, join us for an exploration of the biosphere and the knowledge we gain from it.
We welcome donations. Donate now!

Sunday, April 13, 9 am
Kayak Tour of Islais Creek
with Mark Morey of Kayaks Unlimited (attendance limited!)
SORRY! The Kayak Tour is
AT CAPACITY!
with Mark Morey of Kayaks Unlimited (attendance limited!)
SORRY! The Kayak Tour is
AT CAPACITY!
Experienced and first-time kayakers are welcome to explore the Islais Creek waterway at the intersection of San Francisco Bay while learning about the history, ecology, and peculiarities of this place. Kayaks and flotation gear provided. Must sign a Kayaks Unlimited waiver.
This is a free event, but we gladly accept donations. donate now!

Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 pm
Explosivity! Port Chicago & Beyond
A Public Talk at 518 Valencia Street
Javier Arbona-Homar is the author of the new book, Explosivity: Following What Remains, an exploration of the racial violence embedded in San Francisco's landscapes as exposed by five disastrous explosions from the last two centuries. His presentation covers the geography of memorials, critical military studies, and social practice art. Specially commissioned site photography by artist Andrea Gaffney accompanies conceptual musings on sites of explosions. Javier is an assistant professor in American Studies and Design at UC Davis, and a co-founder of the DEMILIT landscape arts collective.
We welcome donations. Donate now!
Explore Shaping San Francisco:

Ecology Emerges
Discussions and reflections on the history of Bay Area ecological activism, based on oral histories documenting the past 50 years.
Ecology Emerges is an oral history gathering project to explore the past 50 years of ecological activism in the Bay Area and the role that individual and institutional memories play in the development, policy proposals, and interrelationships that together make up the existing networks of ecological politics. We document the living ecological activist movement, in their own words, but also in a larger context of urban growth and globalization.

Oral Histories
Shaping San Francisco, as part of our ongoing work, sits down with people who have stories to tell and conducts oral history interviews.
Check them out here.
"Editor's Pick Tour" from FoundSF.org
Comprised of over 1,400 pages, and 2,500 historical photos, the wiki-based archive FoundSF.org is the product of hundreds of contributors, regular people who were compelled by the chance to investigate some piece of this City's past.
Shaping San Francisco is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, a California non-profit corporation.