The WBBC loves to observe all things natural while commuting. But here is a new twist—ride your bike, look for endangered species, and participate in the Endangered Species Big Year Bike Tour.

Brent Plater, executive director of SF-based Wild Equity Institute, explains: “Did you know that the Golden Gate National Recreation Area has more endangered species, 36 actually, than in any other national park in North America? It’s not exactly something to be proud of,” says Plater, “but there is something we can do about it.” Plater and Wild Equity organized the Endangered Species Big Year. The bike tour is one event of many during the Big Year. It is a “race against time to see—and save—the park’s endangered species.”

The Big Year teaches people about the endangered species in their proverbial backyards, then empowers them to take action to help save those species. 36 endangered species, 36 actions they can take to help. Eloquently simple, and the bike tour is an innovative way to reach out to a new audience, get people working their heart a bit, learn, take action, check off some species on their Big Year checklist, and win prizes when the contest is over.

Plater, who doubles as the tour’s guide, believes participants might be able to spot about seven endangered species: marbled murrelet, western snowy plover, Gowen cypress, southern sea otter, Stellar sea lion, San Francisco lessingia, and humpback whales. Huh, whales? That’s right, with binos and a clear day, riders can stop along the Pacific Ocean side of the Presidio and scan the waters for the Humpy’s telltale dorsal fins, spout cloud shape, tail (if sounding), and their extended flukes (if they are playing around).

Plater admits, though, that the two species that will most likely be seen are snowy plovers around the Crissy Field Wildlife Protection Area and the San Francisco lessingia (a beautiful little endangered plant that doesn’t swim or fly away).

Endangered Species Big Year Bike Tour takes place on Sunday, December 19^th. Sign up and get active!