As an Assistant Biologist I/II and embark on an exciting journey to protect creeks, rivers, reservoirs, wetlands, riparian, and rare plant habitats. The Assistant Biologist I/II will perform the duties of a field botanist/plant ecologist/habitat restoration specialist, as well as provide comprehensive biology/ecology support for a variety of Valley Water programs, projects, and activities.
Read more at Field Biologist (Assistant Biologist I/II)
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
NPR reports
Huge swaths of the country are pivoting from fossil fuels, toward wind, solar and other renewables. New York Times climate reporter Brad Plumer discusses this progress and roadblocks that lie ahead.
Read or listen at U.S. transition to clean energy is happening faster than you think, reporter says : NPR
Posted in Environment | Tags: Transitioning to Clean energy
Posted in Garden | Tags: Marin CNPS Native Plant Sale
|
|
BBC reports
The world is breaching a key warming threshold at a rate that has scientists concerned, a BBC analysis has found.
On about a third of days in 2023, the average global temperature was at least 1.5C higher than pre-industrial levels.
Staying below that marker long-term is widely considered crucial to avoid the most damaging impacts of climate change.
But 2023 is “on track” to be the hottest year on record, and 2024 could be hotter.
Read more at World breaches key 1.5C warming mark for record number of days – BBC News
The Guardian reported
At least 1,000 birds died from colliding into a single building in Chicago on Thursday, 5 October, as they migrated south to their wintering grounds. Volunteers are still recovering bird carcasses within 1.5 miles of McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, which is largely covered with glass.
Read more at At least 1,000 birds died from colliding with one Chicago building in one day | Chicago | The Guardian
Posted in Uncategorized
Earlier this year it was clear Antarctic sea ice levels were low. Now, as the continent enters spring, it’s obvious that “it’s a really exceptional year.”
— Read on www.nytimes.com/2023/10/04/climate/antarctic-sea-ice-record-low.html
Posted in Environment | Tags: Antarctica
from Bay Nature
Turkey Vultures are known for lots of things—their baldness, their rocking flight, and their red heads (male wild turkeys, their namesake species, share this trait). Naturalist Tony Iwane breaks down potential reasons behind this coloration and points out that sometimes things in nature defy explanation.
Read story at Why do turkey vultures have red heads?
Posted in Birds | Tags: Turkey Vulture's Red Heads
from Marin CNPS
“Wildscaping for Songbirds” Guest Speaker: Veronica Bowers
Monday, October 9 @ 7:30 pm
Your garden is your outdoor sanctuary. With some careful plant choices, it can be a haven for native birds as well. Landscaped with native species, your yard, patio, or balcony becomes a vital recharge station for migratory birds passing through and a sanctuary for nesting and overwintering birds.
“Wildscaping for Songbirds” will demonstrate the importance of restoring nature in our communities, one garden patch at a time. From a birds-eye view, learn how to create wildlife-friendly gardens that help combat the loss of open spaces and create green corridors that link your wildscape to larger natural areas by providing habitat for songbirds and supporting biodiversity.
Veronica Bowers is the Director and Founder of Native Songbird Care and Conservation
Posted in Birds, Garden, Talks | Tags: Wildscaping for Songbirds
From the Alt National Park Service
Posted in Environment | Tags: Invasive species
ScienceDaily reports
A new study has found that air pollution is preventing pollinators finding flowers because it degrades the scent.
Read more at Bees struggle to find flowers because of air pollution
Posted in Animals, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Air Pollution, Pollination
The East Bay Regional Park district is hiring a vegetation ecologist. To see job description and to apply go to Vegetation Ecologist – East Bay Regional Park District
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks, Job Opening, Vegetation Ecologist
from Ashby Village
The Fate of the Condor Thursday, October 12, 3-4:30pm *ON ZOOM*
Alacia Welch, Condor Program Manager at Pinnacles National Park, joins us to discuss the importance of vultures in the world and how California Condors fit into the larger picture of environmental health. We’ll learn about the most significant threats to condor recovery, how they are similar and different to vulture declines in other parts of the world, and the current status of condor re-establishment at Pinnacles National Park. Registration is encouraged, email Joseph Evinger (jdevinger@comcast.net) and read more here.
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Condors, Pinnacles National Pa
NPR reports
A new robot is designed to sink sargassum before the stinky seaweed comes ashore. Sargassum can wreck local economies, ecosystems — and even threaten human health, some research suggests.
Listen at: A new robot could help fight climate change by sinking stinky seaweed : NPR
Posted in Uncategorized
from NPR and LAist
There’s a growing movement to address the intertwined crises of mental health and the climate emergency. Climate Cafe LA, a free, virtual support group, aims to provide an informal and confidential space for people to connect with each other about the painful emotions that come with living with climate change. [via LAist]
The East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden Fall Plant Sale is this Saturday in Tilden Park on Berkeley, CA. See Plant list at Annual Fall Plant Sale Saturday, October 7
Posted in Garden | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Native Plant Sale
Posted in Bird Festivals | Tags: Berkeley Bird Festival
From Golden Gate Bird Alliance
Zoom Presentation: When we contemplate how bird diversity has changed, we often focus on the handful of species we have lost entirely. But while we have yet to lose a single bird species to our rapidly changing climate, birds and other creatures are currently adapting and responding in myriad ways. Across the world, species are shifting their geographic distributions, shifting the timing of life history events, and even shifting their body shapes and sizes. Integrating field research and citizen science over decades to centuries, the research presented in this talk demonstrates the complex ways that species are responding to a changing climate.
Zoom Link: HTTPS://US06WEB.ZOOM.US/J/86849685738?PWD=N3LXCG0VSW9MQLVNR3FAMMXKRFO3UT09
Read more at How Birds are Responding to Climate Change – Golden Gate Bird Alliance
Posted in Birds | Tags: How Birds are Responding to Climate Change 10/12/23- 7pm
Maui News reports
A unique plant first seen in the high forests of West Maui in 2020 has now been officially recognized as a new Hawaiian species, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced Thursday.
The plant, now named Clermontia hanaulaensis, was found during routine surveys by botanist Hank Oppenheimer of the Plant Extinction Prevention Program, a partnership with DLNR and the University of Hawai’i.
Read more and see photo at Plant found in remote West Maui forests declared new species | News, Sports, Jobs – Maui News
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Clermontia hanaulaensis, New Plant Species
Sierra Pacific Industries has posted three new job openings. Click on each for details and application process.
Forestry – Wildlife Technician Internship Opportunity
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Openings
The Guardian reports
The Chumash tribe had advocated for California’s central coast to be protected, but a draft management plan left out the stretch they had hoped would be protected
Read story at ‘We felt so betrayed’: Indigenous tribe reels after exclusion from US marine sanctuary | California | The Guardian
Posted in Park | Tags: Chumash, Marine Sanctuary
BBC reports
Switzerland’s glaciers have lost a further 4% of their volume this year – the second biggest loss ever – after last year’s record melt of 6%.
The statistics come in the annual report of the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (Glamos), whose team of researchers have been monitoring 176 of Switzerland’s 1,400 glaciers for years.
They warn it may now be too late to save many of the alpine ice fields, even if climate targets are met.
— Read on www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66950328
Posted in Environment | Tags: Declining Glaciers
from Audubon
Here are 15 of our favorite shots featuring chicks from the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards featuring Adorable and Awkward Baby Bird Photos. See bird photos at Make Some Time for These Adorable and Awkward Baby Bird Photos | Audubon
Posted in Birds, Photography | Tags: Bird photos
from Channel Islands and Los Angeles/Santa Monica CNPS Chapters
Tuesday, October 10th (2nd Tuesday instead of 3rd) at 7pm on Zoom
Guest Speaker Jordan Collins will discuss Botanical Resources of the Santa Clara (Utom) River Watershed
Jordan’s talk will provide a detailed summary of the botanical resources (both vascular and non-vascular plants) of the watershed of the Santa Clara River (called Utom by the Chumash). The Utom Watershed botanical study provides a description of the biogeography of the watershed and its flora with over 2,300 plant taxa reported for the region. The study’s findings
will support the conservation of these resources, as well as appropriate land use decisions made within and adjacent to the watershed.
Posted in Environment, Talks | Tags: Botanical Resources of the Santa Clara (Utom) River Watershed
|
ScienceAlert reports
Antarctica is looking less and less recognizable with each passing year.
On land, scientists have found flowering plants, moss, and algae spreading like never before, and at sea, the extent of floating sea ice has hit record lows.
These dramatic changes have coincided with rising summer temperatures. In 2022, researchers at the University of Washington (UW) recorded the largest heatwave to ever hit Antarctica.
Read more at Flowers Are Spreading in Antarctica as Summer Temperatures Soar : ScienceAlert
Posted in Environment, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Flowers in Antarctica
Starting tomorrow, NPR is dedicating a week to spotlighting climate solutions. It’s easy to feel hopeless about the future. That’s why reporters across the NPR Network have been searching the world for climate change innovators. Now, they’re ready to share what they’ve found for NPR’s Climate Solutions Week.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate Solutions
ScienceDaily reports
A new study shows unprecedented heat is likely to lead to the next mass extinction, akin to when the dinosaurs died out, eliminating nearly all mammals in some 250 million years time.
Read more at New research reveals extreme heat likely to wipe out humans and mammals in the distant future | ScienceDaily
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Mass Extinction
|
Posted in Garden | Tags: Native Plant Sale
Natural History Wanderings 