Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 26, 2026

Timber Fire Now Third Largest in State, CHP Announces Highway 1 Closure

KQED reported

A stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur will close again Thursday in an effort to regain control over the Timber Fire.

The fire has burned nearly 19,000 acres as of Wednesday — more than double what prompted initial evacuations on Aug. 10.

The Timber Fire is now the third biggest fire in the state this year, according to CalFire. Much of that spread has been to the east, moving deeper into the Los Padres National Forest.

Read more at Timber Fire Now Third Largest in State, CHP Announces Highway 1 Closure

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 26, 2026

Sand overextraction weakening riverbanks as concrete demand soars | Mining | The Guardian

The Guardian reported

Research finds demand has more than doubled since 2000 and 80% of current demand comes from Asia

Read on www.theguardian.com/science/2026/aug/26/terrawatch-sand-overextraction-riverbanks-concrete-demand

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 26, 2026

Deep partial lunar eclipse on August 27-28, 2026

EarthSky  reported

People in Africa, Europe, parts of Greenland, Antarctica, most of the Americas and the eastern Pacific Ocean will see a deep lunar eclipse overnight on August 27-28, 2026. The eclipse won’t be total. But it’ll be nearly total, with 96% of the moon within the Earth’s dark umbral shadow at mid-eclipse.

Read more at Deep partial lunar eclipse on August 27-28, 2026

See how to watch the eclipse in California at SF Gate: How to watch Thursday’s unusual lunar eclipse in California skies

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 26, 2026

Biologist Fernanda Abra strung rope bridges above an Amazon highway and 15,000 animals crossed safely without a single death

Eco Portal reported

In 2024, Projeto Reconecta installed eight rope canopy bridges near Alta Floresta, connecting fragmented forest patches over a local highway. The results, documented over 15 months of camera-trap monitoring, were unambiguous: 15,000 safe crossings by arboreal animals, and not a single roadkill event recorded.

Read story at https://www.ecoportal.net/en/fernanda-abra-rope-bridges-amazon/30871/

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 25, 2026

How Forest Fires Affect Insects

Xerces Society reported

Fire has always been part of the ecosystems of the western United States, but the fires we are experiencing now are bigger and hotter than they used to be. This is partly because of years of fire suppression, but is also a result of the changing climate. Invertebrates from caddisflies to slugs to bees and butterflies are likely negatively affected, but we still have much to learn about the effects on these populations.

Read on xerces.org/blog/how-forest-fires-affect-insects

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 25, 2026

Painting Turbine Blades Black Saves Birds

The Pulse reported

Painting 1 of 3 rotor blades black on 4 Norwegian turbines cut bird collisions by nearly 72 percent, and the white tailed eagles under them stopped hitting the rotors altogether

Read more at Painting Turbine Blades Black Saves Birds

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 24, 2026

8 most poisonous birds on the planet

Discover Wildlife reported

If you’re thinking of some enormous flying creature with teeth or talonscarrying deadly venom, you’ll need to reign in your imagination. No known bird actively injects or produces venom – but the poisonous birds on this list do contain deadly toxins within their skin, feathers and other tissues.

Where do they get these toxins from? They don’t produce them themselves but rather engage in a process called heteroaglandular poison – poison produced as a result of consuming a certain toxin which is then re-used for the animal’s own defences.

Read more at https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/most-poisonous-birds?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 23, 2026

The mysterious self-willed wildflower meadow that seeded itself

The Guardian reported

Farmer Derek Sayer let a boggy field run wild and just one annual hay-cut has led to remarkable biodiversity

Read on www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/24/mysterious-self-willed-wildflower-meadow-that-seeded-itself

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 23, 2026

California faces highest shark numbers in years as great whites head north

The Guardian reported

Read more at California faces highest shark numbers in years as great whites head north

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 22, 2026

‘Devastating’: Western Australia fears a black swan moment as bird flu threatens flagship species

The Guardian reported

The state’s bird emblem is an indicator species for H5N1, with high visibility populations and low survival rates. Experts are warning of ‘significant mortality’

Read on www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/23/black-swan-bird-flu-western-australia

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 22, 2026

Sperm whales change ‘vowel’ sounds when boats are nearby, scientists discover

The Guardian reported

perm whales produce a specific pattern of clicking noises when they hear the noise of boats, researchers have found. The pattern is so distinct that the scientists who identified it said they can now use it to predict when ships are nearby.

Read more at Sperm whales change ‘vowel’ sounds when boats are nearby, scientists discover

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 21, 2026

As the American West dries out, a secret savior emerges from the soil

SF Gate reported

Living crusts produce and reinforce desert soils, laying a foundation upon which all else grows.

Scientists are now learning that biocrust plays important roles in everything from erosion control and nutrient cycling to bracing against the worst impacts of climate change. And as temperatures continue to rise, researchers are turning to these living soils as a potential tool for restoring healthy landscapes.

Read more at As the American West dries out, a secret savior emerges from the soil

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 21, 2026

Reforestation is more cost-effective than previously thought

Reforestation is more cost-effective than previously thought

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 21, 2026

Nature’s air conditioner: How urban forests are cooling Korea’s heat waves

Korean Times reported

As record heat waves continue to bake concrete jungles across the globe, city planners looking for thermal relief may find their best tool planted right outside their front doors. According to new research from Korea’s National Institute of Forest Science, urban forests serve as powerful, natural air conditioners, slashing daytime temperatures by nearly 2 degrees Celsius compared to heavily built-up city centers.

Read  on www.koreatimes.co.kr/lifestyle/travel-food/20260727/natures-air-conditioner-how-urban-forests-are-cooling-koreas-heat-waves

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 20, 2026

Fish Maw: An Emerging Ocean Conservation Nightmare • The Revelator

Like the early days of the shark fin trade, the mostly unregulated market for dried fish swim bladders has exploded in popularity, devastating species around the world.
— Read on therevelator.org/fish-maw-conservation-nightmare/

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 20, 2026

Bumblebees collect up to 7 times more toxic metals than honeybees

ScienceDaily reported

Bumblebees are picking up dramatically more toxic heavy metals than honeybees, even when both species forage in the same places. Researchers warn that this hidden pollution could quietly reduce their ability to find food, reproduce, and keep colonies healthy.

Read on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260707025044.htm

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 20, 2026

Pollen has a surprising problem — and honeybees have found a way around it | ScienceDaily

Honeybees can apparently detect when their food has the wrong balance of essential nutrients and adjust how much they eat to avoid potentially harmful excesses. They also transform pollen into remarkably well-balanced “baby food” for their larvae, revealing a sophisticated nutritional strategy hidden inside the hive
— Read on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260819041237.htm

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 19, 2026

What is the oldest living tree?

What is the oldest living tree?

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 19, 2026

Blood Is Life — The Amazing Dragon’s Blood Tree

The Revelator reported

New research proposes classifying the threatened tree as an “umbrella species” because of its oversized ecological role.

Dragon’s blood trees (Dracaena cinnabari) are evolutionary marvels of the plant kingdom, but they may not be around forever.

Native to a single island in the Socotra archipelago, off the coast of Yemen in the Arabian Sea, the extraordinary-looking dragon’s blood tree, which is classified as “vulnerable to extinction,” can grow to more than 30 feet in height and live for 600 years. Looming over the island’s rocky, mountainous terrain, it produces rich berries and a vermilion sap — the source of its name — that has been used for centuries as everything from medicine to lipstick, and even as a varnish for violins.

Read more Blood Is Life — The Amazing Dragon’s Blood Tree

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 18, 2026

Judge Vacates Land Exchange, Halts Road Through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

Defeneders of Wildlife reported

A federal judge today vacated an illegal closed-door deal between the U.S. Department of the Interior and a for-profit Alaska Native corporation, King Cove Corp., that exchanged a 10.5-mile corridor of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness lands to enable a 18.9-mile gravel road connecting King Cove and Cold Bay. U.S. District Court of Alaska Judge Sharon Gleason found that the federal government violated the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

Read more at Judge Vacates Land Exchange, Halts Road Through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 18, 2026

The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to strip protections from 44 million acres of national forest.

The Hill reported

The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to strip protections from 44 million acres of national forest.

The U.S. Forest Service has proposed to rescind the 2001 “Roadless Rule,” which prohibits road construction and logging in pristine parts of national forests that don’t currently have roads.

Read more at The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to strip protections from 44 million acres of national forest.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 18, 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 | August 18, 2026

Sleeper Shark

Discover Wildlife reported

The enormous deep-sea creature, which can grow up to seven metres in length, had never been filmed in this part of the world before.

In June 2025, scientists released extraordinary footage of Pacific sleeper sharks in the South China Sea. It was the first time the species had been caught on camera in this part of the world, offering vital new clues about the behaviour and distribution of these elusive deep-sea giants.

Read more at Scientists sunk a cow into the South China Sea. Then a gigantic animal appeared

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 17, 2026

Feds halt controversial work on border security inside Big Bend National Park

CNN reported

All border security construction work in Big Bend National Park is being temporarily suspended, Rodney Scott, commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, announced Monday.

Read more at Feds halt controversial work on border security inside Big Bend National Park

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 17, 2026

California Lawmakers Kill Grizzly Bear Reintroduction Bill

KQED reported

Lawmakers on Thursday killed a controversial plan that could have allowed grizzly bears to one day return to California.

Read on www.kqed.org/news/12095345/california-lawmakers-kill-grizzly-bear-reintroduction-bill

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 17, 2026

 Los Padres ForestWatch Upcoming Events

See Upcoming Los Padres ForestWatch Upcoming Events at Home | Los Padres ForestWatch

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Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags:

Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 17, 2026

New species of Giant Salamander Discovered

Discovef Wildlife reported

A new species of giant salamander, described in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, has been discovered by a team of researchers in Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve in Anhui Province, China, at an elevation of 948 metres.

Read more Scientists were exploring a river in China when they came across something absolutely enormous…

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 16, 2026

Fall is planting season

Fall is planting season

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 16, 2026

Bird Watchers Brains

SpaceDaily reported

Experienced birdwatchers were found to have denser, more structurally complex brain tissue in regions linked to attention and perception, and when shown birds they had never seen before, those same regions activated most strongly.

Read more at https://spacedaily.com/n-experienced-birdwatchers-were-found-to-have-denser-more-structurally-complex-brain-tissue-in-regions-linked-to-attention-and-perception-and-when-shown-birds-they-had-never-seen-before/

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | August 15, 2026

Why pollinators – Calscape

Pollinators keep our landscapes blooming and our food growing — yet they’re declining fast from habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. Wherever you live, your everyday life depends on them.

Find plants for pollinators at calscape.org/why-pollinators/

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Posted in Animals, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: ,

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