Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
From the National Parks
NPR reports
The Arctic is heating up nearly four times faster than the Earth as a whole, according to new research. The findings are a reminder that the people, plants and animals in polar regions are experiencing rapid, and disastrous, climate change.
Read more at : Climate change is causing rapid Arctic warming : NPR
Posted in Environment | Tags: Arctic Warming, Climate change
Photos from Blake Garden.
Blake Garden is in Kensington and is relatively unknown as it is only open to the public on weekdays. To learn more about Blake Garden read my posting A Secret Garden – Blake
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Blake Garden
NPR reports
The last time in the year to catch a supermoon, the biggest and brightest full moons, begins soon.
The astronomical event started Wednesday, but isn’t expected to be visible to the naked eye until 9:36 p.m. EDT Thursday and will stay in that phase until Saturday morning, according to NASA.
It is the fourth and final supermoon of the year.
Read more The last time to catch a supermoon in 2022 is nearing : NPR
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: Super Moon
Thursday, August 18 @ 7 pm in person |
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Celebrating our very own island paradise and its protected wildlands, we’re thrilled to host a live talk and visual presentation at the museum by Catalina Island Conservancy president and CEO Tony Budrovich. We invite you to delve into Catalina Island’s history and its renowned beauty, as well as the role of the conservancy—marking 50 years of stewardship!—in keeping this natural treasure pristine and accessible to all. |
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from Defenders of Wildlife
Posted in Environment | Tags: Arctic Drilling
from Death Valley National Park
Posted in Desert, Drives, Park | Tags: Death Valley Closures
The Guardian reports
A rare hummingbird has been rediscovered by a birdwatcher in Colombia after going missing for more than a decade.
The Santa Marta sabrewing, a large hummingbird only found in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, was last seen in 2010 and scientists feared the species might be extinct as the tropical forests it inhabited have largely been cleared for agriculture.
But ornithologists are celebrating the rediscovery of Campylopterus phainopeplus after an experienced local birdwatcher captured one on camera.
Posted in Birds | Tags: Campylopterus phainopeplus, Rare bird sighting
from Death Valley National Park
State Route 190 will remain closed through at least August 17 as Caltrans maintenance crews continue to clean up after last week’s flash floods. Drivers are urged to stay clear of the highway and respect closure points that allow crews to safely work within the incident area.
There are no current open entrances to the park, regardless of what some navigation systems may say. Check our webpage (nps.gov.deva) for most current conditions. All park roads remain closed as damage assessments, crucial repairs, and flood recovery work are underway. Conditions are subject to change as the Death Valley area is expecting a chance of additional thunderstorms this week. Always check weather and conditions prior to leaving: https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/conditions.htmPosted in Desert, Drives, Park | Tags: Death Valley Closures
See the upcoming classes and event from Theodore Payne Fondation at Theodore Payne Foundation Events | Eventbrite Programs are both virtual and in-person.
Posted in Class/Workshop, Garden, Talks | Tags: Theodore Payne Foundation
from Los Padres ForesWatch
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Posted in Environment | Tags: Drilling, Fracking, Los Padres ForestWatch
CNPS holds California’s largest native plant-focused conference. Our aim is to bring together the native plant community and the diverse disciplines and voices that definite it. The theme for 2022 is Rooting Together: Restoring Connections to Plants, Place, & People.
We’re excited to share that registration is now open for two action-packed days in San Jose, from October 20-22. If you register now, you’ll get early bird pricing and your pick of workshops and field trips. Financial supportopportunities are available. The days will be filled with sessions and talks in Conservation, Plant Science, Horticulture, and Education, not to mention good times like the native plant tattoo contest, music jam, and more. Ain’t no party like a native plant party!
Conference Highlights Include:
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Visit conference.cnps.org to find out more.
Flowers blooming in my garden right now.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Bees, Garden Photos
from The National Parks Conservation Association
Yesterday the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which would invest $500M in hiring National Park Service staff and $500M in restoring and protecting our parks from the impacts of the climate crisis. This future of our parks and gateway communities depends on Congress acting now.
Posted in Park | Tags: Inflation Reduction Act, National Park s Conservation Association
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Posted in Environment, Talks | Tags: Restoration Outcomes on California Coastal Grassland
Anthropocene reports
Members of the public have trouble understanding words and phrases that climate scientists often use, according to a new study. The confusion affects both people who accept the reality of climate change and climate change doubters.
If climate change is to be stopped, scientists can’t just communicate amongst themselves. They also need to make their findings understood by policymakers and the general public so that we can collectively take action. This need has led the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other climate-science organizations to step up their efforts at science communication.
Read more at People don’t know what climate experts are talking about
Posted in Environment | Tags: Language of Climate Change
The air quality has greatly improved with the Washburn Fire at 100% containment and the Oak Fire, outside of the park, at 90% containment. How exactly do we measure air quality?
Absorbent filter tape is used for Beta Attenuation Monitors or BAM for short; BAM is how we measure PM.25 content in the air. PM 2.5 is a category of organic compounds small enough to enter the lungs and cause both short-term and long-term harmful effects. Filter tape traps particles over a set time for the monitors to measure air quality. Those values are used to calculate the Air Quality Index which is a system used to report how clean or polluted the air is, and what health effects might be of concern.
Wind carries particulates far and wide. When people enter Yosemite, they breathe the air that is shared across mountains, cities, and nearby communities. There are no boundaries for the breeze; thus, consider the wind for there is no distance between the lungs and the sky above.
Posted in Park | Tags: Yosemite Air Quality, Yosemite Fires
Photos take along Highway 108 driving through Sonora Pass.
Posted in Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Sonora Pass
Posted in Drives, Park | Tags: Death Valley National Park
What Grows Here? generates a list of species that grow at the location you choose.
You decide which lifeform(s) should be included, whether non-native plants should be omitted, and how the results should be formatted.
You can:
Get started using What Grows Here? !
Photographed in the East Mono Basin, primarily in the Adobe Valley on July 10, 2022.
Posted in Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Adobe Valley, Damselflies, Dragonflies, East Mono Basin, Wildflowers and Other Plants
from Yale School of the Environment
To spur decarbonization, public investments must go beyond government support of research and development and expand into the manufacturing and deployment of new technology. To do this, governments must move beyond the myths surrounding public investment in clean energy that discourage use of public funds, a newly published Yale School of the Environment-led commentary in “Nature Energy” explains
.In 2021, worldwide investment in low-carbon energy transition was $755 billion, far below what is required, the authors note. Climate finance must grow by a factor of almost six by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, government support in helping to advance clean energy technology, the authors say, has been hampered by three key myths that permeate the discussion: government should not pick “winners” by throwing funding behind key innovators; public financing of a specific technology company could lead to excessive government support known as “rent-seeking”; and publicly funded clean energy technology that fails is tantamount to policy failures.
Read more at Debunking the myths that discourage public funding of clean energy | UC Berkeley Rausser College of Natural Resources
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Public Funding of Clean Energy
AP reports
Flash flooding at Death Valley National Park triggered by heavy rainfall on Friday buried cars, forced officials to close all roads in and out the park and stranded about 1,000 people, officials said
Read more at Flash floods strand 1K people in Death Valley National Park | AP News
Posted in Park | Tags: Death Valley, Flash Floods
HWY190 is closed and additional roads in the park may be impacted or impassible due to flash floods. Use extreme caution.Posted in Desert, Drives | Tags: Death Valley Road Closures
from Los Padres ForestWatch
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Posted in Environment | Tags: Logging, Los Padres National Forest
BayNature reports
What’s the Secret of Strawberry Hill, a Butterfly Haven in a City That’s Rough on Butterflies?For urban butterfly habitats, more is more/
Read story at How to Make a City Friendly to Butterflies – Bay Nature
Posted in Butterflies | Tags: Golden Gate Park, Strawberry Hill
From the Academy of Science
With more than 7,000 photographic submissions entered by world-class photographers representing 65 countries, we’re excited to announce the winners of this year’s BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition! From the beautiful to the bizarre, this photographic showcase of life on Earth shines a light on some of our planet’s most amazing species and places.
Stay tuned for our next BigPicture exhibition, opening fall 2022!
BigPicture is open to all photography enthusiasts and professionals alike worldwide to compete for a chance to win the $5,000 grand prize.
Comments Off on Big Picture: Natural World Photography 2022 Winners
Posted in Photography, Uncategorized
from Marin CNPS
“Wetland Plants Along the San Mateo Coast”
Guest Speaker: Toni Corelli, Botanist, Photographer, Author
August 8 at 7:30 p.m. – Online Zoom Presentation
preregister HERE
Posted in Uncategorized
from Marin CNPS
“Plants of the Wetlands Along the San Mateo Coast” Monday, August 8 @ 7:30 pm
Guest Speaker: Toni Corelli, Botanist, Photographer, Author
Posted in Talks, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Wetland Plants of San Mateo Coast
Natural History Wanderings 