The Revelator reports
Tackling the biodiversity crisis may mean starting small — very small. That starts with protecting the soil.
Soil’s microbial communities keep it healthy, just like the one in our guts. But new research finds we’re not doing a good enough job of protecting it.
Read more at The Earth Has a Microbiome — And It Needs Help • The Revelator
Posted in Environment | Tags: Microbial Communities, Soil
From National Audubon
The Northern Mockingbird is one of North America’s most beloved mimics. The skilled singer has also become inextricable from American popular culture, providing inspiration for the fictional “Mockingjay” of the Hunger Games franchise to being a central theme in the iconic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. John James Audubon was a fan of the mocker as well. Here are some facts you might not have known about this American classic.
— Read on www.audubon.org/news/10-fun-facts-about-northern-mockingbird
Posted in Birds | Tags: Mockingbird
ScienceDaily reports
A new Japanese ‘ladies tresses’ found in private gardens and on balconies!
It is extremely rare for a new plant species to be discovered in Japan, a nation where flora has been extensively studied and documented. Nevertheless, botanists recently uncovered a stunning new species of orchid whose rosy pink petals bear a striking resemblance to glasswork. Interestingly, it can be found in familiar environments such as lawns and parks, and even in private gardens and on balconies. This research suggests that other new species may be hiding in common places.
Posted in Garden, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: 'ladies tresses', New Species
It’s planting time! We are holding an online plant sale in April with order pickup in Greenbrae the following Saturday.
Species we will be offering include cobweb thistles, three colors of hybrid Pacific iris, foothill penstemon, checkerbloom, rosilla (sneezeweed), woolly blue curls, seep monkeyflower, yarrow, sundew poppy, wind poppy, yellow-eyed grass, mugwort, and deer grass. Lippia nodiflora, a great groundcover for full sun, will be available in flats. Flowering shrubs include many different types of ceanothus, black sage, Brandegeii’s sage, California buckwheat, Nevin’s barberry, Pacific ninebark, spice bush, snowberry, twinberry, buttonwillow, and Dr. Hurd manzanita.
Online Plant Sale Opens: Wednesday, April 5 at 6 pm
Online Plant Sale Closes: Monday, April 10 at 6 pm
Order pickup at Bon Air: Saturday, April 15, 10:30 am to 1:00 pm
Posted in Fall Foliage | Tags: Native Plant Sale
See the ABF’s April Newsletter for upcoming events and wildflower information at
myemail.constantcontact.com/ABF-s-April-Newsletter.html
Posted in Walks & Hikes, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Anza-Borrego Foundation Events
WildEarth Guardians News Release
We recently shared important news about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) declining to protect the Joshua tree, an icon of the Mojave Desert, under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). As Guardians staff attorney Jennifer Schwartz noted, “we’re incredibly disappointed that the government, once again, has failed to afford future generations of Joshua trees the federal protections and help they need to withstand climate change, but sadly we’re also not surprised. Now Guardians is forced to explore whether another round of litigation is needed to show that the Service again caved to political opposition and arbitrarily disregarded multiple recent studies forecasting the Joshua tree’s future plight.”
Read more at The fate of threatened Joshua Tree in limbo due to government failure to do more – WildEarth Guardians
Posted in Desert, Environment, Park | Tags: Joshua Tree s
The New York Times reports
Bison once numbered in the tens of millions in the United States. Now, a nonprofit is working to restore the shortgrass prairie, where the American icons and their ecosystem can thrive again.
Since 2001, American Prairie — formerly known as American Prairie Reserve — has been working to create a fully functioning wild prairie, complete with herds of bison thundering across the landscape and playing their historical ecological role.
Read article at Where the Bison Could Roam – The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: American Prairie, Bison
See upcoming events calendar of hikes and programs at https://www.abdnha.org/calendar1.htm.
Get additional information including wildflower bloom updates at https://www.abdnha.org/
When put to the test, bees have proved over and over again that they’ve got a lot more to offer than pollinating, making honey and being fiercely loyal to a queen. The industrious insects can count and alter their behavior when things seem difficult, and now some scientists say there’s proof they also like to play.
If bumblebees can play, does it mean they have feelings? This study suggests yes : NPR
Posted in Animals | Tags: Bees Can Play, Bees Have Feelings
National Parks Conservation Association News Release
In response to recent news that President Biden will visit Nevada next week to establish the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada, the National Parks Conservation Association issued the following statement:
Statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):
— Read on www.npca.org/articles/3401-president-biden-poised-to-establish-avi-kwa-ame-national-monument-in-nevada
Posted in Park | Tags: Avi Kwa Ame National Monument
The Preserve Manager – Santa Barbara County (Preserve Manager) will be responsible for managing a preserve in Santa Barbara County that has been permanently protected for conservation purposes. Learn and find out how to apply at forum.cnps.org/
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
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Posted in Garden | Tags: Native Plant Sale, UC Berkeley Botancial Garden
Science reports
Jurassic Park may be about to get a makeover. A new study finds that Tyrannosaurus rex and its relatives did not look like crocodiles, with teeth jutting from their maws in all their full, razor-sharp glory. Instead, these dinosaurs covered their chompers with lips, more like today’s lizards.
Read more at T. rex had lips, new study suggests | Science | AAAS
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Tyrannosaurus rex
The New York Time asks
Are Butterflies Wildlife? Depends Where You Live.A legal quirk leaves officials in at least a dozen states with little or no authority to protect insects. That’s a growing problem for humans.
Read more at Are Butterflies Wildlife? Depends Where You Live.
Posted in Butterflies | Tags: Are Butterflies Wildlife?
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
Check out the latest events and news for Sonoma Land Trust at sonomalandtrust.org/enews/march-2023/
Posted in Talks, Walks & Hikes
Yale E360 reports
The deadly chytrid fungus has wiped out as many as 90 species of amphibians. Now researchers from Australia to California are exploring a host of ways to save threatened frog populations — from relocation to safer habitats to reintroducing frogs treated with a sort of vaccine.
Read more As Fatal Fungus Takes Its Toll, Can We Save Frog Species on the Brink? – Yale E360
Posted in Animals | Tags: chytrid fungus, Frogs
Chico Enterprise-Record reports
Come rain or shine the Feather River Recreation and Park District is welcoming spring with its 15th annual Wildflower and Nature Festival on Saturday.“The forecast changes daily for weekend. I know because I’ve been watching,” said Victoria Teague, FRRPD interim general manager. “We’re manifesting no rain but, if it does, we’re encouraging folks to put on their ponchos and join us for a really fun day.”The free festival will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Riverbend Park, 50 Montgomery St.
Read more at Wildflower fest celebrates nature – Chico Enterprise-Record
ScienceAlert reports:
Octopus is a popular ingredient in many cuisines, with some 420,000 metric tons of this mollusc being caught worldwide each year.The rising global popularity of octopus has been attributed to the increasingly adventurous tastes of younger consumers, its nutritional benefits and the decline of traditional fish stocks such as cod.
But it is no simple matter for consumers to weigh up the costs and benefits of eating farmed fish and marine animals. It is tempting to believe that organized systems reduce the risk of overfishing, but it is also well established that fish farms and other forms of aquaculture pollute coastal waters with pharmaceuticals and feces.
Added to this is the serious moral issue of confining sentient creatures to industrial food systems.
Researchers have suggested that, as particularly intelligent and playful creatures, octopuses are unsuited to a life in captivity and mass-production. Animal rights activists argue that farming octopuses will, based on this evidence, induce needless suffering on an unprecedented scale.
Read full article at Octopus Farming Is Deeply Disturbing. A Professor Explains Why. : ScienceAlert
Posted in Animals | Tags: Octopus Farming
New Job Listings from CNPS Job Announcement Sites:
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Openings
from NPR
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Posted in Astronomy | Tags: 5 planets align
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Posted in Garden | Tags: pollinators
The New York Times reports
In the Austrian state of Carinthia, where the law favors light-colored local bees, those honey producers judged “too dark” risk eradication.
Read story at What’s the Correct Color of Bees? In Austria, It’s a Toxic Topic.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Austrian Bees
The recent storms created significant damage at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. Read about the storm damage at Bomb Cyclone Storm Damage – UC Botanical Garden
Posted in Garden | Tags: UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Storm Damage
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Seasonal Jobs in the Parks |
| The East Bay Regional Park District is seeking student laborers and gate attendants for the 2023 summer season. Whether you are looking for entry-level work experience or returning for another season of teamwork and interaction with the public, the Park District offers a supportive and fun work environment. More Info. |
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Now Hiring Interpretive Student Aides |
| Are you a student who enjoys sharing history and nature with your community? The Park District is hiring Interpretive Student Aides to join the dynamic teams at visitor centers across the District. Visitor Centers that are currently hiring are: Crab Cove, Black Diamond, Del Valle, Ardenwood, Sunol, and Coyote Hills. More Info. |
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: ast Bay Bay Seasonal Park District Jobs
The Guardian reports
Once-abundant giant lacewing was believed extinct in eastern US but mislabelled specimen hints at surviving populations.
A giant Jurassic-era insect missing from eastern North America for at least half a century has been spotted clinging to the side of a Walmart big box in Arkansas.
Read more at Giant Jurassic-era insect rediscovered outside Walmart in Arkansas | Insects | The Guardian
Posted in Animals | Tags: Giant Lacewing, Polystoechotes punctata
The New York Times reported
The world’s only wild black-furred rabbit has a very important job — distributing seeds for a parasitic plant.
Read story at How Rare Island Bunnies Do a Parasitic Plant’s Bidding
Posted in Animals, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Amami rabbit, Balanophora yuwanensis, Pentalagus furnessi
New Job Listings from the CNPS Job Announcement Site:
Click on each of the above for information about the position and application process.
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Openings
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| Meet and learn from TNC conservation experts who will share how we’re leveraging the latest research, science and traditional stewardship practices to manage grasslands in North and South America.
Bring your questions for the discussion! We hope you can attend this exciting event. If you have registered already, thank you! We look forward to learning with you. |
Posted in Environment | Tags: Grassland
From California Wildflower TipLine
An FYI for Point Bouchon at Montana de Oro- they are only allowing 275 people to hike it per day, not at a time. We got there at 11 am and they were not letting anyone else in.
Posted in Park | Tags: Montana deOro
Natural History Wanderings 