By Nate Gartrell
The San Pablo Bay, the Napa River, and the mighty Carquinez Strait are not only stunning natural beauties, they’re also the reason many of the cities along the northern Bay Area—originally port towns—exist in the first place. They’re also home to rare birds, extensive marshlands, and some of the most overlooked hiking spots around.
Every year for the past five years, Vallejo has been home to a festival aimed at spreading appreciation for the area’s intricate bodies of water and lush natural sites. Sponsored by the United States Forest Service and local groups like the Vallejo Community Arts Foundation, the four-day Visions of the Wild festival draws a connection between the allure of nature and self-expression.
“Our goal is to bring people to nature using the arts, or to bring people to the arts using nature,” said Steve Dunsky, a video producer with the US Forest Service. “We do that using films, art exhibits, talks, field trips, river cruises, things like that.”
Vallejo held the first festival in 2014; it was created as a way for the Forest Service (which has its regional headquarters on Mare Island) to connect with the city that has been its home for nearly 20 years. “We’ve been here since 1999, but it wasn’t until 2014, when we first did Visions of the Wild, that we got really engaged with the community,” Steve said.
Steve, who serves as the festival director for Visions of the Wild, said it’s structured around other local projects and events that all share the common goal of promoting Vallejo arts and the Carquinez area’s ranches, wetlands, and other open spaces. “Vallejo has been through some ups and downs in recent years, and the revival of the downtown area has largely been driven by artists,” Steve said. “As the Forest Service, we want to engage with that community and support the revitalization of our city.”
“In the last five years we’ve been doing this, we’ve seen a lot of real positive things,” he continued. “There has been a burst of energy and excitement about what is happening in Vallejo and Mare Island. We’re excited to see that and also to be a small part of it.”
This year the festival kicks off on September 20th with a reception downtown at the Vallejo Naval Museum featuring guest speaker John de Graaf, a prominent activist and award-winning documentarian who writes, speaks, and creates films on environmental and economic sustainability. De Graaf has a major campaign going on right now called ‘And Beauty for All’—about this whole idea of getting people out in nature to improve their lives.
“Each year, it is a little bit of a different theme. Last year’s theme was changing landscapes, and the year before that about urban wildlife,” Steve said. “This year we are celebrating rivers and trails. It’s about getting outdoors using rivers, trails, kayaking, biking, hiking, and enjoying the scenic beauty of nature.”
Among the featured artists will be Ian Ruhter, an internationally-known photographer who turned heads by bringing back one of the earliest methods of photography, and created a new genre of photography. Ruhter uses the collodion wet plate process, which is said to have been invented in the 1850s when films were manually developed using a concoction of chemicals. Ruhter has transformed a large van into a mobile camera, using it to take giant photographs and project them onto plates of glass. He’ll be coming to photograph Mare Island and his work will be on display at the Naval Museum. Steve tells us he’s also going to teach art classes with local kids at the Vallejo Summer Arts Camp.
The festival will also have an exhibit that pays tribute to the life of Doug Tompkins, a conservationist who founded the clothing company North Face. “This exhibit is kind of a tribute to Tompkins’ work, but it is also based on a quote that Tompkins had that gets back to the concept of scenic nature,” Steve said. “He said, ‘If anything can save the world, I’d put my money on beauty.’”
On Saturday, September 23rd, the festival will hold a Nature Discovery Zone at the Vallejo Farmers’ Market. It will coincide with a chalk festival that day as well, running from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. “The Nature Discovery Zone is always based around the theme of the festival,” Steve said. “It’s an opportunity for young people, or anybody really, to learn about the beauty of nature.”
One of the most popular festival events, the river cruises, will take place this year along the Napa River and Carquinez Strait. The river cruises have a cover charge because of the overhead costs for the boat, which is the only element of the festival that does. So, with the exception of the festival’s boat cruises—everything is free!
The four cruises should have a little something for everyone; they include a beer/food cruise, a photography cruise, and two others dedicated to learning about the area’s natural history. “The morning cruises are more informational, but the afternoon ones are more relaxing, recreational, and in an informal type of setting,” Steve said.
We have many fascinating sights to see in the area’s waterways, from century-old shipwrecks to gorgeous views and up-close looks at native animals and birds. For as long as humans have lived in this area, animals have relied on the network of waterways to eat, travel, and simply to appreciate. “It’s a tremendous place for birdwatching, kayaking, and there are levees you can hike on,” Steve said. “It’s a huge area that’s really spectacularly beautiful. Frankly, a lot of people don’t know it’s there or how to access it.”
To that point, Steve said the Forest Service is working with local groups to improve access to the waterways, starting in Vallejo. “One of the things we’re working on with our local friends and Solano trail advocacy group is to try and get more water access in general,” Steve said. “Right now there are no official kayak launch sites in Vallejo and we’re working to get access for people with kayaks, paddle boats, canoes, that sort of thing.”
The festival kicks off on September 20th. For additional information, visit visionsofthewild.org or check out the schedule in this magazine. You can also contact the Forest Service at (707) 562-8737.
Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track.
