Date: 9/9/26 5:39 pm From: San Mateo County Bird Alliance via groups.io <office...> Subject: [SFBirds] Thurs. Sept 10 A Bird's-Eye View of the Bay Area Ridge Trail
*Tomorrow 7:00 pm Zoom*
The Bay Area Ridge Trail is an ambitious vision for a connected trail along the ridgelines surrounding San Francisco Bay, linking people, parks, and open spaces. More than 400 miles are open today, but completing the trail requires thoughtful partnerships to navigate private lands, sensitive habitats, road crossings, and other complex gaps.
Ryan Fritz is a Trail Planner with the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, working with public agencies, conservation organizations, landowners, and partners to advance trails. His background includes outdoor science education, conservation trail work in Utah, and a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail before starting trail planning and GIS work in the Bay Area.
Ryan will share how the Ridge Trail moves trail connections from ideas to reality while balancing public access with protection of the landscapes they pass through. The presentation will highlight current work in San Mateo County, including the newly opened Skyline Watershed Ridge Trail, trail planning around La Honda, and Peninsula studies. He will also share examples from the South Bay and San Francisco, where Ridge Trail projects intersect with habitat restoration, interpretation, safety, and stewardship.
The talk will also introduce the Ridge Trail's Very Important Trail (VIT) program, which offers guided experiences on restricted or managed-access lands while building relationships with landowners and conservation partners. For birders and conservationists, these projects offer a window into the opportunities and challenges of connecting people with the Bay Area's open spaces while protecting the habitats and wildlife that make those landscapes special.
