The New York Times reports
Stopping up rivers where platypuses reside is restricting the odd animals’ migration patterns and causing inbreeding, scientists say.
Read more Platypuses Face a Dammed, Inbred Future
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 25, 2023
Platypuses Face a Dammed, Inbred Future
Posted in Animals | Tags: Platypuses
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 24, 2023
Regional Parks Botanic Garden Photos 7/23/23
Photos from the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on July 23. 2023.
Posted in Garden
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 24, 2023
The only known black bear in the Santa Monica Mountains has died
SF Gate reports
The only known black bear in the Santa Monica Mountains, and the first to be discovered living there in decades, was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle on Highway 101 in Ventura County Thursday night, National Park Service officials said.
Read more at The only known black bear in the Santa Monica Mountains has died
Posted in Animals | Tags: Black Bear Killed
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 24, 2023
Why is manzanita bark so smooth and red? –
from Bay Nature
While discouraging potential munchers, the smooth red bark appears to have the opposite effect on humans: It is almost impossible to resist the urge to caress the smooth, cool, silky red bark of a manzanitaas you pass one on the trail.
What a seemingly simple, but deceptively complex question! Ultimately, perhaps, the least speculative—but not completely satisfactory—answer is that manzanitas inherited this trait from their ancestors. There is compelling evidence that manzanitas (genus Arctostaphylos) are derived from a group of trees,
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Arctostaphylos, Manzanita
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 23, 2023
Perseid Meteor Shower
NPR reports
The Perseid meteor shower is here, and through late August people in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see 60 to 80 meteors every hour at its peak. No special equipment needed, just a dark sky!
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: Perseids Meteor Shower
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 23, 2023
93 Year Old Man Summits Half Dome
NBC Bay Area reports
Hiking Yosemite’s Half Dome is no easy feat, even for the youngest and healthiest.
Now imagine being in your 90s and making it to the top of the majestic peak.
That’s what 93-year-old Oakland resident Everett Kalin did this past week. With the help of his son Jon and granddaughter Sidney, Kalin completed the trek to the summit of one of the world’s most famous rocks.
Posted in Park, Walks & Hikes | Tags: Half Dome, Yosemite
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 23, 2023
Gone to the Dogs
Hakai Magazine report of the negative impact beach dogs have on shorebirds and other wildlife
Man’s best friend is a shorebird’s worst enemy. What will it take to control beach dogs—and, more importantly, their owners?
Read or listen to this article at Gone to the Dogs | Hakai Magazine
Posted in Animals | Tags: Dogs and Shorebirds
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 22, 2023
Eastern Sierra Photos Part 3
Photos taken on July 2 through 4, 2023 along highway 120 west of 395, Panama Craters, along Highway 395, Smoky Bear Flat and McGee Creek.
Posted in Butterflies, Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Eastern Sierra Photos
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 22, 2023
Global Shipping Companies Reduced Speed off the California Coast to Protect Blue Whales and Blue Skies
Bay Nature reports
Twenty-three shipping companies participated in the Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies vessel speed reduction program in 2022, contributing to cleaner air, safer whales, and a quieter ocean. Companies are recognized for their vessels transiting at ten knots or less in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Southern California region. Community support helps make this important program possible.
The voluntary incentive program ran from May 1 – December 15, 2022. Participation was greater than any previous year and increased from eighteen shipping companies participating in 2021.
Read more at Global Shipping Companies Reduced Speed off the California Coast to Protect Blue Whales and Blue Skies
Posted in Animals | Tags: Blue Whales
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 22, 2023
More than 800m Amazon trees felled in six years to meet beef demand
The Guardian Reports
Investigation involving Guardian shows systematic and vast forest loss linked to cattle farming in Brazil
— Read on www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/02/more-than-800m-amazon-trees-felled-in-six-years-to-meet-beef-demand
Posted in Environment | Tags: Amazon Deforestation
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 21, 2023
Watch: Hundreds of baby seahorses released in Sydney Harbour
The BBC reports
Scientists say they have completed the world’s largest release of seahorses into Sydney Harbour to boost population numbers. The White’s Seahorse is endemic to Australia’s east coast and became endangered in 2020 due to pollution and habitat loss.
See video and read more at Watch: Hundreds of baby seahorses released in Sydney Harbour – BBC News
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 21, 2023
Eastern Sierra Photos Part 2
Photos taken on July 2 along highway 120 east of 395 and south of Mono Lake
Posted in Butterflies, Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Eastern Sierra Photos
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 21, 2023
East Bay Regional Parks Upcoming Activities
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Posted in Park | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks Upcoming Activities
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 21, 2023
Tourism Threats to Antarctica
The Revelator reports
Tourism is booming in Antarctica, and it’s bringing invasive species, plastic pollution, and climate change with it. Marine biologist Emily Cunningham explains why it’s time for action.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Antarctica, Tourism
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 20, 2023
Reds Meadow Road will open tomorrow Friday, July 21st at 8am!
Reds Meadow Road will open tomorrow Friday, July 21st at 8am!
The Inyo National Forest will open Reds Meadow Road from Minaret Vista to the public tomorrow, July 21 at 8:00 a.m., pending any unforeseen circumstances while clearing hazard trees along the road and in parking lots, while conducting minor pothole repairs on the road.
Important items to note:
Posted in Drives | Tags: Reds Meadow Road
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 20, 2023
Otter Festival 7/20 to 7/23
The Otter Festival is going on at Big Break Regional Park in Oakley, CA from July 20 to July 21. See event at Calendar of Events | East Bay Parks
Posted in Animals | Tags: Otter Festival
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 20, 2023
Tioga Pass Road Opens Sat. July 22
from Yosemite National Park
Tioga Road (continuation of Highway 120 through Yosemite National Park) will open to vehicles on Saturday, July 22, at 8 am!! 
From Yosemite National Park: While vault and portable toilets will be available, there will be no water, no store or food service, and no fuel. Be sure to bring all the food and water you need. The Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center will be open (8 am to 5 pm) and a general information desk near the visitor center will be open from 9 am to 5 pm.
Tioga Road has some damage, so watch for one-lane sections, with delays up to 15 minutes just east of Olmsted Point.
There is no estimate when Tamarack Flat or Porcupine Flat Campgrounds will open. Other campgrounds on Tioga Road will not open this year.
It’s still snowy up there! Meadows and some trails are flooded. Snow is persisting in some shady areas as low as 8,000 feet, with extensive, deep snow coverage by 9,000 feet. Stay on trails to protect growing plants and plan for wet feet. Marked trails may be hard or impossible to follow; hikers should have GPS, as well as map and compass (and know how to use them).
Posted in Drives | Tags: Tioga Pass Opening, Yosemite
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 19, 2023
Eastern Sierra Photos Part 1
Photos taken on June 30 and July 1 Mostly along Sonora Pass (highway 108) and highway 395
Posted in Butterflies, Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Eastern Sierra Photos
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 19, 2023
Theodore Payne Foundation Upcoming Events
See upcoming Theodore Payne Foundation Events at Theodore Payne Foundation Events | Eventbrite
Posted in Class/Workshop, Garden, Talks | Tags: Theodore Payne Foundation Events
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 19, 2023
Job Opening: Restoration Field Technician
Restoration Field Technician –Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation
Working independently and occasionally under direct supervision on job sites, the Restoration Field Technician will report to the Restoration Field Supervisor or Preserve Manager, depending on the job site location. The Restoration Field Technician works on various projects, including riparian restoration, invasive species management, native plant propagation, and endangered species monitoring and restoration. This is an entry-level, full-time position.
More position details: http://lagunafoundation.org/pdfs/202…cian-Flyer.pdf
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 19, 2023
American Chestnut Update
Community Advocate reports
Due to progress in science and technology, it’s time for an update on efforts to bring back the American chestnut (Castanea dentata). This magnificent tree dominated hardwood forests in eastern North America when Europeans first arrived five hundred years ago. Then, in the 20th century, the tree was largely lost to the chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) in only 50 years (1904-1950s).
Read more at Nature Notes: American Chestnut update
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: American Chestnut
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 18, 2023
Upcoming Anza-Borrego Foundation Webinars
Join us on July 27 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. for the second summer webinar series: Beat the Heat with Cool Webinars! Anza-Borrego: In Focus, The Little Things That Run the World, A Journey to Understanding Insects Across California REGISTER NOW
We are lucky to have entomologist Eva Horna Lowell share her journey of managing the California Insect Biodiversity Initiative for the San Diego Natural History Museum. Eva will talk about how she frolics across San Diego and Imperial Counties, setting up various traps to catch insects, and then spends endless hours behind the microscope sorting and identifying them.
Join us on August 31 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. for the third summer webinar series: Beat the Heat with Cool Webinars! Anza-Borrego: In Focus, Journey to the Center of the World: Centrality and Sacredness in the Colorado Desert.REGISTER NOW
This talk uses an interdisciplinary lens to explore notions of place, sacredness, and centrality in the Colorado Desert, including Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This unique subsection of the larger Sonoran Desert is replete with themes of universal significance, where past and present, local and global, sacred and profane, all intersect. Studying the history of the Colorado Desert offers an experiential reflection on place and the diverse meanings attributed to it, including traditions of the sacred, which memorialize the desert as a locus of the holy — and holiness is directly related to notions of value, significance, and centrality.
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Anza-Borrego Foundation Webinars
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 18, 2023
New crocodile newts are discovered in Vietnam
Tuoi Tre News reports
A group of scientists, including Vietnamese and German researchers, have discovered a new species of crocodile newt living at an altitude of 1,800 meters above sea level in Ngoc Linh Mountain in Kon Tum Province of the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.
Read more at New crocodile newts are discovered in Vietnam
Posted in Animals | Tags: Crocodile Newts
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2023
2 New Job Announcements
2 New Job Announcements from the CNPS Job Site:
Senior Ecologist, Sacramento Valley (Full-time
Program Manager at Upper Salinas Last Tablas Resource Conservation District
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Openings
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2023
Carson Pass Interpretative Walks/Hikes
Posted in Walks & Hikes | Tags: Carson Pass Interpretative Walks/Hikes
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2023
The New Geologic Period
From NPR
Humans — and our mines, dams, cities and agriculture — have made such a mark on the planet that some scientists argue we’re officially in a new geologic time period:the Anthropocene era, or the age of the humans. Three Canadian artists fascinated by the debate captured 50 photos in 22 countries showing humans’ impact on the Earth, from a sprawling garbage dump in Kenya to a Texas petrochemical plant. See some of them here.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Anthropocene
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2023
What Is Causing the Perplexing Decline of the American Kestrel?
Audubon reports
Although still common, these much-loved falcons continue to disappear from North American skies. Scientists are racing to understand why.
Read more at What Is Causing the Perplexing Decline of the American Kestrel?
Posted in Birds | Tags: Declining Kestrel Population
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 16, 2023
78 pilot whales were killed in front of cruise ship docked in the Faroe Islands
NPR reports
A cruise line is apologizing to passengers who witnessed the killing of dozens of pilot whales near their docked ship this week in the Faroe Islands.
Passengers aboard the cruise ship Ambition, owned by the U.K.-based Ambassador Cruise Line, had just arrived Sunday in the port of Tórshavn in the Danish territory when they caught the spectacle, part of a long-standing and highly scrutinized local tradition.
Among those passengers were conservationists with ORCA, a marine life advocacy group that seeks to protect whales and dolphins in European waters. Since 2021, Ambassador has paid for ORCA staff to join their cruises in order to educate tourists on marine wildlife and collect data on the animals.
Read more at 78 pilot whales were killed in front of cruise ship docked in the Faroe Islands : NPR
Posted in Animals | Tags: Faroe Islands, Pilog Whales
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 16, 2023
Yosemite Pika fire grows to 500 acres with air hazard warning
The Sacramento Bee reports
The Pika Fire burning in Yosemite National Park consumed more than 500 acres of brush and timber by Sunday morning with no containment, officials in the park reported.
The lightning-sparked blaze erupted June 29 northwest of North Dome in the park and officials do not anticipate it will be fully controlled before July 30. It has sent a towering plume over the park, making air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups., pushing the PM 2.5 particulate level to the hazardous 150 level.
Read more at Yosemite Pika fire grows to 500 acres with air hazard warning | The Sacramento Bee
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 16, 2023
Natural History Wanderings 