Shellmounds are man-made mounds of earth and organic matter that were built up by humans over thousands of years. They were created by the people native to the San Francisco Bay Area. One archeologist estimated there were more than 425 shellmounds in the Bay Area at one point. Paul Gilbert wants to know what happened to them.

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Reported by Laura Klivans. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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The Mission District is one of San Francisco’s most famed neighborhoods -- and one of its oldest. It’s lived a lot of lives, from the Yelamu native people to the Spanish missionaries, and then waves of European immigrants. So then how did it become the center for the Latino community? Bay Curious intern Sebastian Mino-Bucheli tells us the story.

Additional reading

•  Latinos in La Misión: A Story of Resistance and Community

Reported by Sebastian Miño-Buchli. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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Eric Johnson has been trying to explore more areas of San Francisco. He discovered the Filbert Steps on Telegraph Hill one beautiful spring day and it got him wondering what it's like to live there. Are there special rules homeowners have to follow? We met up with some residents to find out, discovering a whole lot more about this tight-knit community along the way.

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Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Jen Chien, Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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Bay Curious listener Matt Leonard asked: "What's the deal with San Francisco's trash cans? Why are they so unwieldy and why does it seem like it's so hard to get them replaced?" The answer takes us into the belly of San Francisco's Mohammed Nuru corruption case. On the upside, we'll get to know the new trash can prototypes.

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Reported by Christopher J. Beale. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli, Vanessa Rancaño and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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When California became a state in 1850, it entered the union as a state that would not allow slavery. That's the history most people know. But in reality, California did allow slavery and its early leaders sided with the South and the rights of enslavers through a litany of early laws. The effects of that racist foundation are still being felt by people of color in California today.

Additional Reading:

Reported by Otis Taylor and Lakshmi Sarah. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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You might consider the 1960 Winter Olympics in Lake Tahoe a quaint affair compared to what's going on in Beijing right now, but these games had an outsize impact on televised sports, snow sports along the West Coast, and subsequent Olympic Games. Yet that these Games were even held in Tahoe is a bit of a miracle.

Additional Reading:

•  'The World Was Shocked': How the Winter Olympics Came to Tahoe in 1960

Reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Editing help on this episode from Victoria Mauleon and Katrina Schwartz. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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Located at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Derby streets in Berkeley, The Rainbow Sign was a Black-centered space that was open to all — as a performance venue, a political organizing nexus and a legendary cafe. It saw dozens of high-profile Black luminaries walk through its doors, including James Baldwin, Nina Simone, Maya Angelou and Shirley Chisholm. The Rainbow Sign opened its doors in 1971, but was forced to shut down just six years later. Despite its short existence, the venue left an indelible mark on many young people in the community, including Vice President Kamala Harris.

Bay Curious is presenting this episode from The California Report Magazine, a KQED radio program and podcast. Subscribe to their podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for more stories from around California.

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Reported by Sasha Khokha and Marisa Lagos. The California Report Magazine is made by Victoria Mauleon, Sasha Khokha, Suzie Racho and Brendan Willard. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Toven-Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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If you're out for a walk along the Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline at low tide, you might see the bones of an old ship poking out of the mud. How did it get there and what kind of life did it have?

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Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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A lot of us are cleaning out our closets these days, getting rid of the stuff we don't wear and maybe even downsizing. But what do you do with all those old clothes? And, can stained or ripped clothes be recycled? We've got answers.

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Reported by Sarah Craig. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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Western monarch butterflies migrate to California to overwinter each year, traveling hundreds, even thousands of miles When they arrive, they need nectar flowers and milkweed to survive, but climate change, pesticide use and loss of habitat are threatening these magical creatures. A Bay Curious listener named Ellea wants to know what we can do to help support the Monarchs and other pollinators. One major learning from this episode: It's illegal to rear monarchs without a permit!

Additional Reading

• How You Can Help Save the Monarch Butterfly and Other Pollinators

Reported by Amanda Stupi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

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