East Bay critters fighting to survive home shortage Human activity, development threaten area's native residents Someone was poking around in your back yard last night.
Deer wander the streets after dark looking for tasty gardens.
A barn owl swoops down and grabs a gopher on your front lawn when you aren't looking. While the valley's suburbs continue to swell and developers hungrily eye land on cities' fringes, a recent deal will ensure that 100 acres of wine country won't become another subdivision. Acquire thousands of acres of salt ponds ringing the southern edges of the Bay for more than 20 miles. There are no smokestacks on the skyline of this Midwestern city. That fact, as much as any other, is the secret to its current success.