The Backyard Stories, Dispatch One: Stephanie Howe

“I want him to know that we go get food from the farmers who grow it, and then we take it home, and we cook it into something delicious. So far, he’s been a really good eater and he likes that experience. He loves real food.” 

With multiple ecoregions in close proximity to the Bay Area, the population density supports small and large farms that produce a wide range of crops. From orcharding, vegetables, and grains, the northern half of California could be a self-contained food system. With rapidly changing weather patterns and access to water for irrigation, (agriculture accounts for roughly 80% of all water used in California), it is only a matter of time before growing conditions will become less productive. To give perspective on that big of a number, the Central Valley, just east of the Bay Area, produces 25% of the nation’s food.

Wildfire and Air Quality

To live in the West is to live with wildfire. And living with wildfire is to live with smoke. Stephanie has been a long-time advocate not only for clean eating but for clean air. It would be easy to say this is for the purpose of running, which is true. But more than that it is for quality of life and for the health of Julien. 

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“It’s not good for anyone’s lungs and especially not for an infant,” Stephanie says. In the coastal foothills of the Bay Area, smoke can get blown in from hundreds of miles away and be trapped in pockets of  the landscape. “Last year was the first time I’ve had an air quality app on my phone. We purchased HEPA filters for our house just so we could not be breathing in the smoke all the time.”

More urgently, wildfire is an ongoing threat for Stephanie and her neighbors. “It’s not if there’s going to be a fire, it’s when and how big it’s going to be, and how much damage, how many homes is it going to burn, how much of the open spaces is going to burn, how much smoke is going to settle in,” she says, listing off the concerns that come with living in the region. “You can’t ever let your guard down, That’s one of the first things that I learned when we moved here.”

“It’s not if there’s going to be a fire, it’s when and how big it’s going to be.”

As Stephanie, Julien, and I hiked through the open space at the end of her block, Soren, Stephanie’s German Shorthair Pointer, led the way. These are the trails that Stephanie runs for training but the area is also important to her and Julien for their time outside.

“We live on a dead-end street, right up to the trail, and that’s where a lot of that grass is,” says Stephanie. Having the open space so close is a danger because of the proximity to highly flammable grasses. “There’s only one way out. Our neighborhood has an evacuation plan of how to get out if there’s a fire blocking the road. Everyone is really aware about the defensible space and the danger just living up on this ridge. When it’s dry and hot, that makes it even more risky.”

Stephanie pointed to a hillside that was covered with dry grass blowing in the wind. It was beautiful but I also knew that it was highly combustible. The San Rafael Fire Department uses goats to bring down fuel load on this open space. “It’s a really cool way to reduce the fire danger, to keep the grass short,” Stephanie told me. “They’ll bring out a bunch of goats and they’ll put up a fence and just let them be there for four to five days. It’s a perfect circle because the goats are happy.”

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All grazing animals serve their own purpose in an ecosystem. Goats clean up shrubs, brush, and invasive species that other animals won’t eat. This makes them biological tractors for bringing down wildfire fuel on hard-to-reach terrain.

“Julien and I love to come watch the goats graze on these hillsides,” said Stephanie. “It’s amazing how quickly they can work. Then they are moved to another section.” 

The beautiful life that Stephanie has created for Julien, despite the omnipresent threat of wildfire and smoke, is what struck me the most about the time I spent with her.

Becoming a Climate Advocate

While Julien was with his babysitter, Stephanie and I ran up a trail in a neighboring open space. We passed a few of her running friends, and reminded me of how good it felt to run into my own friends, on my own home routes. The trail camaraderie made me realize just how powerful communities of athletes and recreationalists are as a whole organism. We are an organism that can move as one.

Climate change is such a big issue that it can often feel impenetrable. Figuring out how to make a difference is such a large barrier that it can create inertia under a ticking clock. Stephanie is now the Protect Our Winters Trail Alliance captain, but she hasn’t always taken leadership in climate advocacy. 

The trail camaraderie made me realize just how powerful communities of athletes and recreationalists are as a whole organism. We are an organism that can move as one.

“It was frustrating to me, to feel like I wanted to do more, but I didn’t know how,” Stephanie told me while we were sitting at her dining room table. “I researched all these climate organizations, and Protect Our Winters felt like a way for me to actually do something, rather than just donate money or read newsletters of what they were trying to do. POW is fighting the fight that I want to be a part of, and they’ve been amazing in elevating my voice and giving me the opportunity to share my personal story.” 

Over my two days with Stephanie in her backyard, we had gone on one hike, one run, and one visit to the farmers market. We’d enjoyed one berry torte, with the company of one baby and one dog, yet political action underpins all of this, for we must always understand our political will — our one vote.

“Policy is kind of gross, I know, and talking about bills and politicians is so complicated and intimidating,” Stephanie tells me, with a forkful of homemade torte in her hand. “But it’s where the work needs to happen to make big change.”