twas a sorry sight for the official bird of California and San Francisco: Ishi, the last known California quail in San Francisco, wandering near Golden Gate Park’s handball courts, crying out for company in 2017. Armed with new data that habitat restoration might support quail again, local scientists and other experts hope to rewrite that sad chapter.
But adding another species to a jam-packed urban landscape will require more than science and data. It will require empathy and reimagining what’s possible for a 21st-century San Francisco. The good news is, with the pandemic, some of that work has already begun, as slow streets, “shared space” parklets, and other COVID silver linings have gained traction.