In this week's Around Town column, Gunn High students play in national band, Joe Biden snaps a selfie with former Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou and a new study finds the Peninsula can once again host elk.

SAXOPHONE STARS ... When the U.S. Navy Band kicks off the 44th International Saxophone Symposium at George Mason University this weekend, Palo Alto will be well represented. The event, which according to organizers will include more than 150 performances, masterclasses and lectures, will feature the Triquetra Quartet, a group that consists of Gunn High seniors Tyler Featherman and Theo Fong, junior Ethan Hong and sophomore Kabir Mahajan, according to The Oracle, Gunn's student newspaper. The group will be taking part in the High School Honors Recital on Jan. 13, the second day of the two-day event.

'23 AND ME ... It's been an eventful year for former Palo Alto Mayor Lydia Kou, who began her tenure with a heavy storm and a sharp spike in gas bills, concluded it with a heated debate over California Avenue and, along the way, squared off with a group of Zoom bombers, lambasted Sacramento's housing mandates and took a selfie with U.S. President Joe Biden. She fondly recalled the lattermost episode on Jan. 8, during her last meeting as mayor. Biden came to Palo Alto last June to announce a $2.6-billion investment for climate resilience and Kou was among the attendees at the Baylands press conference. "At the meeting after the speeches, someone said, 'President, shall we take a selfie?' which the president said yes to. Two men, who are elected representatives, blocked me from being included in the selfie and President Biden observed this and said, 'Let's make sure the mayor is in this picture.' I will never forget this gesture of inclusivity from President Biden and will do my best to incorporate this lesson to myself." Kou, who will conclude her second council term in 2024 and who is running for the state Assembly, received hearty applause from the filled Council Chambers for her actions as mayor. Greer Stone, who succeeded her as mayor, gave her particular props for standing up to Zoom bombers who dialed in to council meetings last fall to make racist and antisemitic comments. "I think we can all probably agree that this was the most difficult and troubling time as a council member, at least that I've experienced. You took that fight on like a knight on top of their powerful steed, and I think we all felt so safe with you leading us at that time," Stone said.

INCHING THE ELKS ALONG ... The Peninsula could soon be the newest home to California's growing elk population, according to a study published Dec. 29 by the California Fish and Wildlife Journal. The tule elk population — a native California species — has slowly bounced back from near-extinction after the species was reintroduced into various parts of California throughout the 20th century, including the Diablo Mountain Range, where some of the elk currently roam. Last month's study used predictive models to find that there are 2,000 square miles of unoccupied habitat around the northern Santa Lucia and Diablo Range and on the coastal and inland sides of the Santa Cruz mountains (aka the Peninsula), where there is enough vegetation and bodies of water to sustain the once-abundant species. Dr. Rick Lanman, a co-author of the study and the president of the Los Altos-based Institute of Historical Ecology, argues the addition of elk to the Peninsula could become a state revenue driver due to elk-fueled tourism and hunting. But he thinks the best part of reintroducing the animal could be its part in remedying a growing California sickness: wildfires. "Elk are nature's lawnmowers," Lanman said. He said they can gnaw on grass and leaves, stymying the build-up of dense vegetation that fuels fires. He said in conjunction with cultural and prescribed burns, the Peninsula could use the elk population to lower the threat of wildfires. But to get the elk back onto the Peninsula, state officials will likely have to translocate them — move some elk from one part of the state to another — or build an overpass for wildlife crossing over U.S. Highway 101, a deadly divide for elk between the coast and their current home in the mountains. Lanman's hoping his recent study will push state officials to expedite the elk's return to the Bay. n