Regional Open Space District (www.openspace.org) is looking for an Ecologist. This position oversees the Midpen’s IPM Program and Wildland Fire Resiliency Program; advise and monitor field and office staff and contractors on vegetation management; lead a multi-department team in reviewing and setting priorities for all vegetation management activities on approximately 65,000 acres according to Midpen policy; train staff in ecologically sensitive vegetation management and safety; conduct field inspections; recommend appropriate treatment methods; monitor work; and report on progress of the program to the General Manager, Board of Directors, and public.
— Read on to learn more and apply at forum.cnps.org/
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 30, 2022
Ecologist II/III – CNPS Forums
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 30, 2022
Supreme Court Ruling Will Harm People and Parks
From National Parks Conservation Association
Today’s decision will limit the abilities of the Environmental Protection Agency to do its job, and the consequences for the climate could be disastrous.
— Read on www.npca.org/articles/3215-supreme-court-ruling-will-harm-people-and-parks
Posted in Environment, Park | Tags: Supremes Court decision on environment
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 30, 2022
When Antlers Tangle, Sometimes Both Animals Lose
The New York Times reports
Antlers, the headgear of deer, moose and elk, are more useful for display than combat. But that does not stop deadly lockups from occurring.
Read more When Antlers Tangle, Sometimes Both Animals Lose – The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: Antlers can be fatal
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 30, 2022
Polar bear population discovered that can survive with little sea ice
Nature reports
The group has adapted to hunting on glacial ice, which suggests some members of the species might survive as the Arctic heats up.
An isolated population of polar bears has been discovered in southeast Greenland1, which is free of sea ice for most of the year. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) typically need sea ice to survive, so the discovery is raising hopes that some members of the species might survive the loss of ice caused by climate change.
Read more at Polar bear population discovered that can survive with little sea ice
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Climate change, Polar Bears
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 29, 2022
Nature’s Best Hope w/ Doug Tallamy
from Berkeley Public Library
Nature’s Best Hope w/ Doug Tallamy July 1, 2022 – 3:00pm-4:30pm Virtual Program
Join us for a virtual talk w/ Douglas Tallamy – Entomologist, Conservationist, and Professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware
Join online: At this link or enter the information below in the Zoom application.
Or call in: (669) 900-9128
Webinar ID: 858 5039 1720 Passcode: 248315
Learn more at Nature’s Best Hope w/ Doug Tallamy | Berkeley Public Library
Posted in Animals, Environment, Talks, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Doug Tallamy, Nature's Best Hope
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 29, 2022
Rural New Mexico County Votes to Stop Funding Federal Wildlife-Killing
Center for Biological Diversity News Release
SILVER CITY, N.M.— Grant County commissioners voted 2-1 against renewing a contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program last Thursday because the federal agency, which kills carnivores on behalf of the livestock industry, ignored requirements within its last contract.
Posted in Animals | Tags: U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, Wildlife Killing
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 29, 2022
The Long Road to Recovery at Yellowstone
from National Parks Conservation Association
On June 13, historic floods wrought catastrophic damage on this iconic landscape and surrounding communities. What happens next?
Posted in Park | Tags: Yellowstone National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 29, 2022
Baby woolly mammoth – beautifully preserved – found in Yukon
EarthSky reports
The Canadian territory Yukon – and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, a First Nation band – said late last week (June 24, 2022) that miners in the region have discovered a whole, 30,000-year-old mummified baby woolly mammoth. It’s only the second one ever found in the world. And it’s the first and most complete discovery of its kind in North America.
Read more at EarthSky | Baby woolly mammoth – beautifully preserved – found in Yukon
Posted in Animals | Tags: Preserved baby woolly mammoth
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 28, 2022
Sierra Pacific Industries closes California forestlands to public access due to drought and wildfire danger
Sierra Nevada Ally reports
Due to extreme drought conditions across northern California and the associated risk of wildfire, Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) has closed its substantial California forestlands to public access.
The closure began on Monday, June 21 and will remain in effect until further notice.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Sierra pacific Forest Lands
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 28, 2022
$1 MILLION AND DEDICATED POLLINATOR CENTER TO ADDRESS MONARCH BUTTERFLY DECLINE
Press Release from Senator Jeff Merkley
Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced a $1 million investment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Conservation Fund, and the establishment of a Pollinator Conservation Center at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Both projects are supported by the western monarch conservation funding Senator Merkley secured as Chairman of the Interior, Environment & Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee in the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill.
The announcement was made during a two-day summit hosted by Senator Merkley, in collaboration with the Department of the Interior, on preserving the monarch butterfly at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC. The event brought together key stakeholders across science and policy to identify solutions to reverse the cratering population of the monarch butterfly, particularly the western monarch.
Source: Press Release | Press Releases | News | U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon
Posted in Butterflies | Tags: Monarch Butterflies, Pollinator Conservation Center
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 28, 2022
Eastern Sierra Land Trust’s Earth Day Youth Art Contest
The results are in for Eastern Sierra Land Trust’s Earth Day Youth Art Contest! Thank you to everyone who submitted their beautiful and inspirational artwork as part of this contest. The images in this post are samples of some of our favorite pieces.
Want to see the art in person? Winning artwork will displayed at C5 Studios in Bishop on Wednesday, June 29th, from 6-7 pm. All members of the community are invited to come and admire the creative pieces that were submitted by young artists from Inyo and Mono Counties.
Light refreshments will be provided at this free event. Although not required, an RSVP is appreciated. If you plan to attend the Earth Day Youth Art Contest Showing, please email claire@eslt.org. For more information and the list of winners, visit eslt.org/events
See some of the work at https://www.facebook.com/easternsierralandtrust/
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 28, 2022
Lights Out for Birds
from AudubonMigratory birds navigate by the stars. More than 250 species migrate through San Francisco Bay, many of them small songbirds such as warblers, thrushes, tanagers, and sparrows that migrate at night. One of the best ways to provide safe passage is to turn off outdoor lights at night to prevent building collisions. Learn how Golden Gate Audubon is taking the lead with their Lights Out for Birds initiative.
Posted in Birds | Tags: LIghts Out for the Birds
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 27, 2022
The National Park Service aims to increase African-American sites
NPR reports
The National Park Service is trying to include more Black history into the story of America. Some of the proposed sites are painful, others are controversial.
Read story at The National Park Service aims to increase African-American sites. : NPR
Posted in Park | Tags: African-American National Park sites
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 27, 2022
Avian Influenza Is Affecting Wild Mammals
The New York Times reports
As a new version of bird flu spread through North America this spring, scientists began finding the virus in red foxes, bobcats and other mammals.
Read more at Not Just for the Birds: Avian Influenza Is Also Felling Wild Mammals
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 26, 2022
Supreme Court aborts its credibility
Many environmental and conservation groups are speaking out about the recent Supreme Court Decision. Here is one I thought represents what many people are feeling today.
Western Environmental Law Center News Release
Today’s Supreme Court decision eliminating a woman’s constitutional right to safe, legal abortions lays bare the court’s conservative perspective and eliminates 50 years of freedom for American women and non-binary people to choose what happens to their own bodies. About half of states will now functionally ban abortion, many even in cases of medical necessity.“
The brutal, dismissive language this decision uses to describe women, our bodies, and our inalienable right to decide what happens with our corporeal sovereignty is the stuff of nightmares,” said Susan Jane Brown, Wildlands and Wildlife Program director at the Western Environmental Law Center. “The fallout from this decision will be predominantly borne by disadvantaged Black and Brown women. That inequity makes me even more angry.”
Gallup polling shows Americans’ support for legal abortion under all or certain circumstances at 80% in May 2021. That the vast majority of Americans support a woman’s right to choose underscores the disparity between the court’s ruling and the sentiment of the vast majority of the country.
Read more Supreme Court aborts its credibility – Western Environmental Law Center
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Supreme Court Abortion Decision
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 26, 2022
Conservation at Don Edwards SF Bay NWR 6/29/22
Celebrating 50 Years of Conservation at the Refuge From SF Bay Wildlife Society| online | June 29
Join docent Larry Rosenblum for this presentation about the journey to create the Don Edwards SF Bay NWR, how fortunate we are to have it today, and how it will continue to benefit us in the future. Learn more here!
Posted in Environment, Park | Tags: Don Edwards SF Bay NWR
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 26, 2022
California forest that starred as Endor in ‘Star Wars’ was obliterated
SF Gate reports
Secluded in the remote northwest corner of the state, Del Norte County earned a starring role as the forest moon of Endor in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” The popularity of the movie led to speculation over precisely where Endor is — or was — located.
The film’s shoot took place from 1982, and it was an economic boon for the rural county. The dense redwood groves would ultimately inspire fans to seek out the sites where the bunker once stood or the grounds where the furry Ewok characters had roamed. But don’t get your hopes up for a visit to the celebrated set. Months after the “Star Wars” shoot was over, a logging company clear-cut the entire area. Endor is no more. Read about how it happened here.
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 25, 2022
How Airports Became a Haven for Wild Animals – Bay Nature
BayNature reports
Snakes, frogs, eagles and owls thrive next to the planes at Bay Area airports.
Airports in general have to be built on wide-open flat spaces,” says Natalie Reeder, SFO’s in-house biologist. “If you literally take a bird’s-eye view and look at the satellite image of the area, we have the best grassland around. I can imagine being a barn owl, being a red-tailed hawk, flying around seeing this great big lawn and coming straight here.”
Read story at How Airports Became a Haven for Wild Animals – Bay Nature
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 24, 2022
Introduction to Fog Belt Birding 6/25/22
Introduction to Fog Belt Birding From Coastside Land Trust| online | June 25
World renowned international bird guide Alvaro Jaramillo, returns to the Coastside Land Trust free community webinar series to explore the rich diversity of birds that inhabit and pass through the San Mateo coast. Learn more here!
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Fog Belt Birding
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 24, 2022
Job Opening: Sierra Nevada Conservancy Accounting Officer
SENIOR ACCOUNTING OFFICER (SUPERVISOR)
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy is seeking a highly motivated individual who has strong experience in state accounting functions & methods to join the Department’s Administrative Services Division as the Accounting Officer. More info & apply at: https://www.calcareers.ca.gov/…/JobPostingPrint.aspx…
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 23, 2022
Yosemite Mask Mandate
from Yosemite National Park
Masks are again required indoors and in enclosed public transportation. Yosemite National Park is currently at high COVID-19 community levels. Mask wearing is now required for all people when entering federal buildings and enclosed public transportation, regardless of vaccination status. We would like to thank our visitors for their patience and commitment in protecting themselves, our staff, and our visitors.
Posted in Park | Tags: Yosemite Mask Mandate
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 23, 2022
Job Opening: Executive Director Ruth Bancroft Garden
Posted in Garden, Job Openings | Tags: Ruth Bancroft Garden
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 23, 2022
Tioga Road construction updates!
from Yosemite National Park
If you are planning on visiting Tuolumne Meadows or driving the Tioga Road, be prepared for road work. Expect delays, and in some places you’ll be driving on a dirt road. Be aware that not all parking areas are open.
Expect 30–60-minute delays. While waiting for the pilot car, don’t venture too far from your vehicle.
Sections of roadway east of the Sunrise Lakes Trailhead are unpaved.The following parking areas are open:
Visitor Center Parking. The western portion is specifically for Cathedral Lakes and Glen Aulin hikers. Wilderness Center Parking. This parking is for wilderness users only. Dog Lake Parking. This parking area is the best for those hiking to Lembert Dome, Dog Lake, Young Lakes, Lyell Canyon, John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails, Twin Bridges, and for Elizabeth Lake. Tuolumne Meadows Store. This parking is for shoppers only.The following parking areas are closed:
No parking along Tioga Road within the pilot car area. Lembert Dome parking area. Soda Springs Road.Pack your patience and plan ahead if visiting the high country this summer. Be prepared for changing road and parking conditions in the Tenaya Lake and Tuolumne Meadows area.
Posted in Drives, Park | Tags: Tioga Road construction updates, Yosemite National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 23, 2022
Oldest Park Ranger Retires
At 100 years old, Betty Reid Soskin, is hanging up her flat hat. Betty retired from the National Park Service with a guaranteed legacy — she educated and inspired thousands with talks about Black women and people of color on the WWII Home Front.
A retirement for the ages. Betty Reid Soskin clocks out at 100 years old
Posted in Park | Tags: Betty Reid Soskin, Oldest Park Ranger
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 23, 2022
National Parks Add To The Economy
National Park added $42.5 billion to economy & support 322,600 jobs
from the National Park Service
America’s 423 national parks—at least one in every state—are a vital part of our nation’s economy, especially for park gateway communities where millions of visitors each year find a place to sleep and eat, hire outfitters and guides, and make use of other local services that help drive a vibrant tourism and outdoor recreation industry.
In 2021, visitor spending in communities near national parks resulted in a $42.5 billion benefit to the nation’s economy and supported 322,600 jobs. National parks continue to provide visitors with innumerous recreational, inspirational, and world-class experiences.
Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm
Posted in Park | Tags: National Parks and the Economy
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 23, 2022
Theodore Payne Foundation Upcoming Events
Theodore Payne Foundation inspires and educates Southern Californians about the beauty and ecological benefits of California native plant landscapes.We are located on 22 acres of canyon land in the northeast corner of the San Fernando Valley. Our full-service native plant nursery, seed room, book store, art gallery, demonstration gardens, and hiking trails are open to the public year round. We offer garden tours and classes for adults and families, as well as field trips to TPF and in-classroom programs for children. Friendly on-leash dogs are welcome and there is no admission charge!
See upcoming classes at Theodore Payne Foundation Events | Eventbrite
Posted in Garden, Talks | Tags: Theodore Payne Foundation Events
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 23, 2022
The Ocean’s Biggest Garbage Pile Is Full of Floating Life
The New York Times reports
Researchers found that small sea creatures exist in equal number with pieces of plastic in parts of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which could have implications for cleaning up ocean pollution.
Read more at The Ocean’s Biggest Garbage Pile Is Full of Floating Life – The New York Times
Posted in Environment | Tags: Ocean plastics
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 22, 2022
New Terns Nesting at Alameda Point
Alameda Post reports
Caspian and Elegant Terns have joined the struggling Least Terns making their nests and raising young at Alameda Point.
Read story at New Terns Nesting at Alameda Point – Alameda Post
Posted in Birds | Tags: Caspian Terns, Elegant Terns
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 22, 2022
Study finds that climate change could spark the next pandemic
National Science Foundation reports
As Earth’s climate continues to warm, researchers predict that wild animals will be forced to relocate their habitats — likely to regions with large human populations — dramatically increasing the risk of a viral jump to humans that could lead to the next pandemic.0
Read more at Study finds that climate change could spark the next pandemic | NSF – National Science Foundation
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate Change and Pandemics, National Science Foundation
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 21, 2022
In a Return to the Land, Tribes Will Jointly Manage a National Monument
The New York Times reports
Five Native American tribes will work with the Bureau of Land Management to plan and conserve Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, officials said.
“Today, instead of being removed from a landscape to make way for a public park, we are being invited back to our ancestral homelands to help repair them,” Carleton Bowekaty, the lieutenant governor of the Zuni Pueblo tribe, said in the statement.
Mr. Bowekaty is the co-chair of the Bears Ears Commission, a group that also includes representatives of four other tribes that at some point were driven off the land: the Hopi, the Navajo Nation, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation.
“This type of true comanagement will serve as a model,” said Tracy Stone-Manning, the director of the Bureau of Land Management, which is within the Interior Department.
Posted in Park | Tags: Bears Ears National Monument
Natural History Wanderings 