Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 14, 2026

Photos from Regional Parks Botanic Garden October 13, 2026

Photographed in the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on Ocotober 13, 2026.

The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a California native plant garden. It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California, It is a 10-acre garden includes many of the state’s rare and endangered plants and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses from plant communities throughout the state. There are free weekend and holiday tours.  Admission and parking are free. For more information about the garden visit the Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 14, 2026

Sonoma Land Trust Events

Check out the latest events and news for Sonoma Land Trust at OUTINGS & EVENTS

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Posted in Talks, Walks & Hikes

Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 14, 2026

Hundreds of sea lions are taking over a roadway in Moss Landing

SF Gate reported 

A small harbor on Monterey Bay has become a gathering point for hundreds of sea lions since the summer.

Sea photos an read on www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/sea-lions-moss-landing-22475916.php

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 14, 2026

Costa Rica to require wildlife crossings for roads when they impact fauna

Monga Bay reports

Costa Rican lawmakers unanimously voted to require wildlife crossings for new and existing road infrastructure when evidence shows the infrastructure interrupts natural connectivity and threatens wildlife safety. The measure, approved in August 2026, will help wildlife avoid being struck by cars while crossing roads and connect habitat, the regulation notes.

Read more Costa Rica to require wildlife crossings for roads when they impact fauna

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 13, 2026

Native Plant Gardening Talks 10/17

from Bring Back the natives there are a series of gardening talks at nurseries  this Saturday October 17. 

 See the schedule at Talks in the Nurseries

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 13, 2026

Jepson Worshop on Fire & Impact on Flora 10/17/26

Date: This Saturday, October 17, 2026
Instructors: Keith Gilless, Ayn J. Hunt, Jon Keeley, Tom Parker, Lynn Sweet, and Yana Valachovic
Location: Virtual, on Zoom Course fee: $25    To join this exciting event, please sign up here.This virtual workshop (held via Zoom) is aimed at answering a botanist’s questions about the role fire plays in California’s different ecosystems. Starting with an overview of how the California flora has adapted to fire, we will then look at the role of fire in forests and chaparral, and fire’s specific role as a restoration tool in grasslands, with experts in each of those areas speaking on their research. Finally, we will look at current fire policy and management.Start/End: Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 13, 2026

Anza-Borrego Foundation  Upcoming Events 

Anza-Borrego Foundation hosts a variety of events and educational programs, including hikes, botany walks, photography workshops, and more. See the schedule at  Events | Anza-Borrego Foundation

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 13, 2026

Narwals -Unicorns of the Sea

The Revelator in their ‘Whale of the Month’ column wrote about Narwals

No, they’re not creatures of myth or cartoons. The “unicorns of the sea” are real — and they’re incredible.

Read article at Whale of the Month: Narwhals

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 12, 2026

Rare, critically endangered trees wiped out by fire on Santa Rosa Island

SF Gate reported

A mass die-off is expected for a rare grove of endangered trees found on a windswept stretch of a remote California island, officials with theNational Park Service announced Tuesday.

The Torrey pine is “the rarest native pine in the United States and, possibly, the rarest pine in the world,” according to the Park Service. The tree only grows naturally in two very specific areas: Santa Rosa Islandand Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego.

And on Santa Rosa Island, the majority of mature Torrey pines aren’t expected to survive after a large fire spread through the area in May.

Read more at Rare, critically endangered trees wiped out by fire on Santa Rosa Island

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 11, 2026

Sturgeon that can live over 400 years

Smithsonian reported

Some Fish in the Great Lakes Might Be More Than 400 Years Old, a Study Suggests, Outliving Around 15 Generations of Humans

Lake sturgeon may be among the longest-living vertebrates, second only to Greenland sharks, according to recent research. However, scientists note that follow-up work is necessary to clarify the species’ lifespan.

Read more at Sturgeon that can live over 400 years

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 10, 2026

Photos from Regional Parks Botanic Garden October 10, 2026

Photographed in the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on September, 22, 2026.

The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a California native plant garden. It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California, It is a 10-acre garden includes many of the state’s rare and endangered plants and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses from plant communities throughout the state. There are free weekend and holiday tours.  Admission and parking are free. For more information about the garden visit the Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 10, 2026

Morocco, Spain Launch Joint Program to Save the Andalusian Buttonquail

Morocco World News reported

Morocco and Spain have launched a conservation program for the Andalusian buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus), a threatened bird subspecies whose last known population survives along Morocco’s Atlantic coast.

The program establishes two captive-breeding populations, one at Aïn Sebaâ Zoo in Casablanca and another at the Jerez Zoo and Botanical Garden in Andalusia.

Read more Morocco, Spain Launch Joint Program to Save the Andalusian Buttonquail

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 9, 2026

Job Announcement : Assistant Researcher/ Associate Researcher at Jepson Herbarium

We are pleased to share the open recruitment announcement for an Assistant Researcher/ Associate Researcher in the Jepson Herbarium, UC Berkeley, the epicenter of research and education on the vascular plants of California.

The successful candidate will lead the Jepson Flora Project and curation of the Jepson Herbarium, pursue their own research interests, and participate in outreach programs.

More details including qualifications and application requirements can be found here: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05487
Early career candidates are encouraged to apply.

The first review date is Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The final date to apply is Friday, November 6, 2026.
Please send any questions about the position to Staci Markos (smarkos@berkeley.edu).

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 9, 2026

Bhutan’s Carbon Neutral Success Story

Space Daily reported

While the world promises to go carbon neutral by 2050, this Himalayan kingdom has already done it—and for decades.

Bhutan’s constitution requires that at least 60 percent of the country stay under forest, and the latest national inventory places the actual figure at 69.71 percent. It absorbs more carbon than it emits, which makes it one of very few countries that is carbon negative rather than aiming to be.

Read more Bhutan’s Carbon Neutral Success Story

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 8, 2026

UB Berkeley Botanical Garden Carnivorous Plants 10/11/26

Pop-Up Plant Sale:  Carnivorous Plants

Sunday, October 11

Members Early Access: 9:00-10:00 am
General Public: 10:00 am–4:30 pm

Get Directions

We’ll have gorgeous Sarracenia species and hybrids, sundews, and more.
Come early for some special plants in very limited supply, like Nepenthes and Darlingtonia californica.
Buy your plants here and support the Garden!
(Overflow parking available with free shuttle from the Lawrence Hall of Science)
Plant List

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 8, 2026

Jonathan the giant tortoise, 194, offers up insight into secrets of longevity

The Guardian reported

DNA analysis of oldest living land animal reveal patterns on genes that appear to protect functioning of mitochondria

Read more at Jonathan the giant tortoise, 194, offers up insight into secrets of longevity

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 8, 2026

Otter Recovery Story

Space Daily reported

A species once hunted to the brink of extinction in Singapore has staged an unlikely comeback, doubling its population in just four years.

In 1998 a resident pair of smooth-coated otters returned to Sungei Buloh; by early 2021 Singapore counted at least 170 otters in 17 groups, up from 79 in 11 groups in 2017

Read more Otter Recovery

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 7, 2026

Upcoming UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Events

See the events calendar for the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden at Garden Events

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 7, 2026

Exceptionally Preserved Bird Feathers Found in 66-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Coprolite

Sci News reported

Paleontologists in Montana have discovered remarkably preserved feathers of an ancient aquatic bird inside a fossilized dinosaur dropping, offering rare insight into why certain birds survived the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

Read more at Exceptionally Preserved Bird Feathers Found in 66-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Coprolite

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 6, 2026

Photos: just walking around town

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 6, 2026

Upcoming Bay Nature Events

See the schedule of upcoming Bay Nature Events https://baynature.org/events/

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 6, 2026

Tiger Population Surges Past 400 in One of the Greatest Wildlife Comebacks of Our Time

PBS Nature reported

This Global Tiger Day, Nepal announced that its wild tiger population has surpassed 400 individuals. To appreciate what that number represents, consider where the country started. In 2009, just 121 tigers remained in Nepal. By 2022, that number had nearly tripled to 355. Today’s milestone news of over 400 tigers marks one of the most significant recoveries of any endangered species in the world.

Read more at Tiger Population Surges Past 400 in One of the Greatest Wildlife Comebacks of Our Time

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 5, 2026

Free Classes on Wildflowers of the World

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Posted in Class/Workshop, Wildflowers and Other Plants

Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 5, 2026

State Considers Lifting Ban On Hunting Bobcats

SF Gate reported

California could reinstate a hunting season on bobcats six years after lawmakers made it illegal.

Read on www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/regional-state-considers-lifting-ban-on-hunting-22461670.php

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 5, 2026

Klamath River Ecosystem is Booming One Year After Dam Removal

Underscore Native News reported

Despite the hopeful strides the river has taken in healing, scientists say federal funding cuts pose a setback to continued scientific monitoring.
At a virtual press conference on Thursday, Oct. 9, Klamath River scientists announced that a year after the last of the dams were removed, river health has begun to bounce back. With salmon swimming upstream, bald eagles flying overhead, and increased bear, beaver, otter and osprey activity, the ecosystem is booming with ecological shifts thanks to the completion of the world’s largest dam removal effort.

Read more at Klamath River Ecosystem is Booming One Year After Dam Removal

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 4, 2026

Trump administration reverses decision to scrap ocean monitoring system

The Guardian reported

Move to dismantle $368m sea observatory initiative faced opposition from experts and lawmakers

Read on www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/18/ocean-monitoring-system-reversal-trump-administration

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 4, 2026

After 600 years Storks return to Derbyshire

The Guardian  has a story about  how Three juvenile storks have returned to Derbyshire in the United Kingdom for the first time in 600 years. Will they act as a “magnet flock” and attract more storks to stay and breed?

Read more  at  The Guardian

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 3, 2026

More bad news for California’s imperiled Joshua trees

SF Gate reported

Severe wildfires can kill 80% of Joshua trees in their path, and the Trump administration just gutted mitigation efforts.

Read story at   More bad news for California’s imperiled Joshua trees

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 3, 2026

Upcoming CNPS Events

See the calendar of upcoming events of the California Native Plants Society at https://www.cnps.org/events

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | October 3, 2026

The government canceled this nature study. Scientists kept going anyway.

Yale Climate Connections reported

When the National Nature Assessment was shut down, the scientists who worked on it found another way. In this Q&A, one author explains what the research reveals about nature’s powerful, underused role in supporting health.

Most of us sense it without being told why: A walk in the woods or an hour in the park leaves us calmer, clearer, and restored. Increasingly, modern science agrees. A growing body of evidence links time in nature to better physical and mental health – and a major new effort is working to document exactly what that evidence shows.

That effort is called the Nature Record, and its survival is a story in itself. It began as the National Nature Assessment, a federal undertaking modeled on the long-running National Climate Assessment and mandated by a Biden-era executive order. Roughly 180 scientists volunteered to develop about a dozen chapters. The project had reached an early public-comment draft when the Trump administration canceled it. Rather than abandon the work, the authors decided to finish it independently under a new name, with foundation funding and National Academy of Sciences review. The report is now under revision, with the final release slated for December 2026.*

Read more at The government canceled this nature study. Scientists kept going anyway.

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