The San Francisco Chronicle reports
One of the rarest whales in the world was just spotted in Monterey Bay. A North Pacific right whale, one of an estimated 30-odd individuals along the U.S. and Canadian Pacific Coast, was seen by a whale-watching boat Sunday, making it one of very few sightings in California over the decades.
Read more and see photo at One of world’s rarest whales spotted off California coast
Posted in Animals | Tags: North Pacific right whale
Join POST and Jo Ellis with the Bay Area Lyme Foundation as we dive into the science of ticks and how to keep yourself safe in the outdoors. Thursday, March 9 · 7 – 8pm PST
To register and learn more go to: Tick Talk: Science and Safety – POST
Starting March 3, 2023, hear weekly recorded wildflower reports, narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Spano, the Voice of the Wild Flower Hotline, at 818 768-1802 ext 7. New reports are released every Friday, March through May!
The acclaimed Theodore Payne Wild Flower Hotline, founded in 1983, offers free weekly online and recorded updates — posted each Friday from March through May — on the best locations for viewing spring wildflowers in Southern and Central California. All locations are on easily accessible public lands and range from urban to wild, distant to right here in Los Angeles. We balance the spectacle of annual flower displays with perennial plants and their spring color.
The Hotline is meant to help people enjoy the unique and beautiful nature of Southern California. While super blooms are a beautiful and awe-inspiring natural phenomenon, they are also delicate and are easily damaged by human activity, so it is important to enjoy them responsibly and minimize the impact on fragile ecosystems. Please…
To get the current repot go to Wild Flower Hotline | Theodore Payne Foundation
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Posted in Talks | Tags: Plant Galls
Beginning March 8 and through May swing by the EcoCenter in Heron’s Head Park (32 Jennings Street, San Francisco) for drop-in Natural History Walks second and fourth Wednesdays of every month 1 to 3 p.m.
For more information, email ecocenterhhp@sfgov.org.
Posted in Walks & Hikes | Tags: Heron's Head
The Revelator reports
Indigenous-led prescribed fire is helping to restore depleted lands and long-suppressed cultural practices.
Read more at Rekindling the Practice of Cultural Burning: An Act of Climate Hope • The Revelator
Posted in Environment | Tags: Indigenous-led prescribed fire
from Audubon
When It’s Okay (or Not) to Feed Birds | Audubon
Posted in Birds | Tags: Bird feeding
The Nature Conservancy reports
After more than a decade of negotiations, governments convening in New York City today agreed a landmark United Nations treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of the high seas – those vast areas of open ocean that lie beyond territorial waters and collectively cover nearly half of Earth’s surface. Formal adoption and signing of the treaty text must take place as soon as possible.
Read more at At Last, a New Deal for the High Seas
Posted in Environment | Tags: Treaty to Protect Ocean Life
Last chance to enroll early in Channel Islands Restoration docent training program
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Channel Islands Restoration docent training program
Winter photos from yesterday at the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA.
from California Native Plant Society
Whether you’re walking in the sandy expanse of the desert or across a treeless plain, the ground beneath your feet in California is never empty. It can be home to millions of seeds, each just waiting for the right conditions to germinate.
Many of these seeds are wildflowers. As one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, California has tremendous native plant diversity, which includes a dazzling variety of annual spring blooms. Sometimes the conditions are just right for an epic abundance of these flowers—a phenomenon popular culture calls a “superbloom”—when the growth is so colorful and vast that it has been seen from space. This is a rare event anywhere in the world, and we are lucky to have it occur in our own backyard.
Why do we have such gorgeous annual wildflowers that live for a short spring season before going to seed? It has to do with California’s special climate. It makes more sense for these flowers to be annuals with a seasonal life cycle. That way they don’t have to survive the state’s hot and dry summers. They can instead leave a new generation, in the form of seeds, to spring forth in the coming years.
See the wildflower guide and read more at California Wildflowers Your guide to spring wildflower season
from the Xerces Society
Organizations recently challenged the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CA DPR) through a lawsuit to close the loophole allowing for the unregulated sale and use of seeds pretreated with pesticides. This is an important step because a single pesticide-coated seed can be toxic enough to kill tens of thousands of bees. Learn more
Posted in Environment | Tags: Pesticide-Coated Seed
Posted in Park | Tags: Joshua Tree National Park
NPR reports
Black women love the outdoors as much as anyone else. Groups such as Outdoorsy Black Women and Black Packers are helping them explore and enjoy the outdoors.
Listen to or read interviews at New groups are changing the narrative about Black women and the outdoors : NPR
Posted in Walks & Hikes | Tags: Black Packers, Outdoorsy Black Women
Berkeley News reports
Speciesism places Homo sapiens at the top of a hierarchy that is often used to justify sacrificing other animals, plants, fungi and microbes for the benefit of humanity. A different perspective is needed to ensure the survival of Earth’s ecosystem and ultimately humans themselves, a new book argues.
Read more at Speciesism, like racism, imperils humanity and the planet | Berkeley News
Posted in Animals | Tags: Speciesism
See the Bay Nature calendar of in person and online events at Bay Nature Events Calendar
Posted in Talks, Walks & Hikes | Tags: Bay Area Nature Events
Yosemite has experienced significant snowfall in all areas of the park, resulting in snow depths up to 15 feet in some areas. Park crews are working to restore critical services so visitors can safely return. There is no estimated date for reopening.
Posted in Park | Tags: Yosemite National Park Closure
Due to inclement weather in the area, the park entrances and visitor centers are closed. Park rangers are working on reopening the park as soon as possible.
Posted in Park | Tags: Joshua Tree Closed
TheXerces Society reports
Washington has just become the first state in the United States to develop a statewide strategy to conserve bumble bees. The strategy, which focuses on eight bumble bee species, was created with leadership from the Xerces Society and informed by data collected through the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee Atlas, a Xerces community science program.
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Bubble Bees
See upcoming the Xerces Society calendar of upcoming events at Xerces Society Events
Posted in Talks | Tags: Xerces Society
Imperial College of London
Tropical forests that are recovering from having trees removed were thought to be carbon absorbers, as the new trees grow quickly. A new study, led by Imperial College London researchers, turns this on its head, showing that the carbon released by soil and rotting wood outpaces the carbon absorbed by new growth.
Read more at Forests recovering from logging act as a source of carbon | Imperial News | Imperial College London
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Carbon Absorption, Carbon Emission
See an incredible performance of the Northern Lights at www.facebook.com/watch
Posted in Park | Tags: Northern Lights
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Openings
The Citizen reports
African elephant numbers have dropped from about 26 million in the 1800s to 415,000 today. While this is largely due to European colonisation, poaching and habitat loss, these majestic animals now face another grave challenge.
Climate change is causing droughts in much of Africa to become longer and more severe. This damages elephant habitats and denies them the water they need. Due to their unique physiology, African elephants need hundreds of litres of water each day to survive.
Read more at Climate change leaving African elephants desperate for water | The Citizen
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Elephants and Climate Change
Rains at TPF have been bountiful, with over 4 inches falling during the past storm cycle, and more forecasted in the next 48 hours.
All of the runoff has caused significant damage to our driveway, access road and demonstration garden along with a few trees down. Over three feet of sediment have swept over a swath of our demonstration garden (our Director of Horticulture Tim pointed out that it’s a perfect example of an alluvial fan…).
Nature is powerful! In order to make sure everything is cleaned up and safe for visitors we’ll be closing the nursery Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. We apologize for the inconvenience!
Posted in Greece | Tags: Theodore Payne
Job Opening: Regulatory SpecialistThe Citrus Heights office of Madrone Ecological Consulting, LLC has an opening for a regulatory specialist. For more information about this position go to Job Opening: Regulatory Specialist, Sacramento, CA – CNPS Forums
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
Posted in Environment | Tags: Major Winter Storm
from Audubon
The National Audubon Society today announced Badger Creek Ranch in central Colorado as the 100th ranch to receive a Bird-Friendly Habitat Certification. Beef produced on the ranch and sold under the Badger Creek Ranch brand can now carry the Audubon Certified bird-friendly seal, a package label that recognizes product origin as lands managed for birds and biodiversity. This bird-friendly habitat certification is through Audubon Conservation Ranching, a habitat program working to stabilize declining grassland bird populations in Colorado and across the U.S.
Read more at Audubon Issues 100th Bird-Friendly Habitat Certification to Badger Creek Ranch | Audubon
Posted in Birds | Tags: Bird-Friendly Habitat Certification
Update: CA-190 is open. Power and phones are out in Death Valley National Park as of Saturday, 2/25. Power will be out at least until Sunday morning. Multiple roads are closed due to winter conditions and flash flood damage.
Posted in Desert, Drives, Park | Tags: Death Valley Updates
Posted in Job Openings, Park | Tags: Job Openings
Natural History Wanderings 