The New York Times reports
Braving tigers and other dangers, frontline workers face difficult working conditions as they try to keep the peace between humans and wildlife.
Armed only with a bamboo stick, Bijesh T.K. was part of a team looking for a tiger that had escaped from a wildlife sanctuary. But it was the tiger that saw him first.
Read this article about these heroic rangers at Risking Their Lives, for Little Pay, to Guard India’s Forests – The New York Times
Posted in Park | Tags: India's Rangers
Photos taken at Pt. Reyes on March 14, 2022 near the Lighthouse parking lot, Chimney Rock area, along the outer part Sir Francis Drake Blvd. and a bird feeder at the Cottages at Pt. Reyes.
See upcoming Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association programs, hikes & events at Mar 20 ABDNHA Desert Update
From Los Padres ForestWatch
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Ventura County took the unprecedented step of limiting an oil and gas permit renewal in the Sespe Oil Field adjacent to Los Padres National Forest. The project is governed by an “antiquated” CUP and has never been subject to a full evaluation of impacts under modern environmental law. The planning commissioners’ decision could signal a pivot away from business-as-usual and is an example of the need to update “antiquated” permits to modern health and safety standards.
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Posted in Environment | Tags: Los Padres National Forest, Sespe Oil Field
Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands has a botanist position open. Read description and how to apply at Botanist Position Available with CEMML – CNPS Forums
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Opening
US News reports
Earth’s poles are undergoing simultaneous freakish extreme heat with parts of Antarctica more than 70 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) warmer than average and areas of the Arctic more than 50 degrees (30 degrees Celsius) warmer than average.
Read more at Hot Poles: Antarctica, Arctic 70 and 50 Degrees Above Normal | World News | US News
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate change, Global warming
New Openings from posts on CNPS job site. Click on each for more information and application process
Applied Ecologist at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Seasonal Forestry Technicians on the Lassen NF – Sierra Institute
Mid-Level Botanist, San Luis Obispo, CA
Instructional Assistant in Plant Science – now hiring! Apply before the end of March
Botanist (Mid-Level) – Green Diamond Resource Company, Humboldt County, California
Botanist- Eldorado National Forest (Pollock Pines or Georgetown, CA)
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Openings
Photos from Abbotts Lagoon at Pt. Reyes taken on March 13, 2022.
Posted in Birds, Park, Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: California Wildflowers, Pt. Reyes Abbotts Lagoon
from Los Padres ForestWatch
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Last week, Santa Barbara County Supervisors denied Exxon’s proposal to send up to 78 oil trucks per day onto our already crowded and dangerous highways. The proposed route would have crossed Twitchell Reservoir, twisted through the mountains of the Los Padres National Forest along and over the Cuyama River (shown here during an oil spill from an overturned tanker in 2020), and traveled alongside the ,
. This was a vote for wildlife, water, public health, and our climate.
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The BBC reports
It is the untold story of the winter storms. More than eight million trees have been brought down and many are now threatened by another two named storms bearing down on Britain.
Read story at More than eight million trees lost this winter in the UK – BBC News
Posted in Environment | Tags: UK Tree Losses
The New York Times reports
For the past 10 years, wolves have been steadily returning to the state after being wiped out a century ago. But not everyone is rolling out the welcome mat.
Their return is motivating conservationists and scientists like Mr. Laudon to battle misinformation and the deep politicization of the species. Simultaneously, biologists are learning more about their habits in an effort to help humans and wolves coexist.
read article at Wolves Returned to California. So Did ‘Crazy’ Rumors – The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: California Wolves
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: sierra Nevada Conservancy
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Los Padres ForestWatch
ScienceDaily reports
A framework for identifying the most vulnerable marine species will boost global conservation and policy efforts against anthropogenic climate change.
Read more at : 45,000 marine species are at-risk: What’s most vulnerable? — ScienceDaily
Posted in Animals | Tags: At-risk Marine Species
4 new job openings. Click on each for more details and how to apply
Botanist (Mid-Level) – Green Diamond Resource Company, Humboldt County, California
Botanist- Eldorado National Forest (Pollock Pines or Georgetown, CA)
Restoration Biologist (GS-9) – Point Reyes National Seashore/National Park Service
Vegetation Biological Science Technician – Point Reyes National Seashore Association
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Openings
EarthJustice f News Release
On Friday, the U.S. District Court in Montana invalidated hundreds of oil and gas leases sold by the Trump administration. The leases covered hundreds of thousands of acres of sage-grouse habitat protected under the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2015 sage-grouse conservation plan. The ruling mirrors a similar May 2020 decision in an earlier stage of the case, which invalidated several other lease sales on the same grounds, and rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to gut the 2015 plan by reinterpreting it to allow leasing millions of acres of the iconic bird’s habitat for fossil fuel development.
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Sage-grouse Habitat
Anthropocene Magazine reports
Near-term benefits of decarbonization are mostly from improved air quality, not reduced heat — but those benefits are substantial.
Rapid and massive action to decarbonize the U.S. economy will net the country trillions of dollars in savings over the next few decades alone, according to a new study—even if the rest of the world does nothing.
Plenty of research has shown that in the long term, the costs of climate change will be much greater than the costs of retooling society to reduce emissions and keep climate change in check. But the conventional wisdom has been that it will take many decades to “break even” on decarbonization from a financial point of view. And the prospect of short-term pain for only long-term gain has made it difficult to generate political support for climate action now.
Read more at Climate action pays for itself a lot sooner than you think
Posted in Environment | Tags: Benefits of Climate Action
The Atlantic posted the winners of the 2021 World Nature Photography Awards. See the photos at :Winners of the 2021 World Nature Photography Awards – The Atlantic and check out the option for seeing the photos in full screen
Posted in Photography | Tags: World Nature Photography Awards
SF Gate has an article on What Yosemite looks like in 2100 with climate change and how it will impact the flora and fauna in the park and what needs to be done to protect the park
Meeting the Paris Agreement is key to the future of Yosemite.
Read article at What Yosemite looks like in 2100 with climate change
Posted in Environment, Park | Tags: Yosemite and Climate Change
The Mon Lake Committee has a schedule of field and virtual seminars and workshops at Field Seminars
Posted in Animals, Birds, Class/Workshop, Photography | Tags: Mono Lake Committee Field Seminars
NPR reports
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a man trying to smuggle 52 reptiles at the San Diego border, the agency says.
Read more at Man arrested after carrying 52 reptiles to the San Diego border : NPR
Posted in Animals | Tags: Animal Smuggling
ScienceDaily reports
A new study shows that aging slows to a crawl when yellow-bellied marmots hibernate. These large ground squirrels are able to virtually halt the aging process during the seven to eight months they spend hibernating in their underground burrows, the researchers report. The study is the first to analyze the rate of aging among marmots in the wild.
Read more at The secret to longevity? Ask a yellow-bellied marmot — ScienceDaily
Posted in Animals | Tags: Yellow-bellied marmot
Photos from a visit to the UC-Berkeley Botanical Garden on March 4, 2022.
The garden is currently open daily to the public from ten to five by reservation . Garden members can enter at nine. There is an entrance fee (free for garden members) and paid parking. Reservations are required except for garden members. For more information and to make reservations go to UC-Botanical Garden.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: UC-Berkeley Botanical Garden
Center from Biological Diversity News Release
Lakeside Homes Would Destroy Federally Threatened Ash Grey Paintbrush
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif.— A judge ruled against a controversial development proposed on the north shore of Big Bear Lake over concerns about wildfire evacuation risks and threats to a plant unique to the area.
The Moon Camp development would bring 50 luxury custom-built homes to lakefront property that serves as habitat for successfully breeding bald eagles and rare plants, including the ash-grey paintbrush, a federally threatened species.
The ruling stated that the environmental study for the development was inadequate because it failed to consider wildfire evacuation conditions and did not mitigate the project’s harms to the ash-grey paintbrush and pebble plain habitat. This rare habitat is characterized by clay soil that is home to alpine plants unique to Big Bear Valley.
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Ash Grey Paintbrush, Castilleja cinerea
Join Golden Gate Audubon for Birdathon, our annual spring fundraiser. Birdathon offers innovative new programs that will keep everyone healthy while still reveling in Bay Area birds:
Learn more about the birdathon, see a list of this year’s programs and register at Birdathon Landing Page – Golden Gate Audubon Society
Posted in Birds
East Bay Regional Parks Hirings
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Now Hiring Interpretive Student Aides
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Are you a student who dreams of working outside and sharing your passion for nature with others? We are hiring Interpretive Student Aides to assist our Naturalists in visitor centers and surrounding parks. More Info.
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Lifeguards Wanted for 2022 Swim Season
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The Park District will soon be hiring 50 new lifeguards for the 2022 swim season at its 10 East Bay swim facilities, which include lakes, lagoons, and pools. All new lifeguard positions are seasonal, full-time positions from May through September. Anyone 16 and over before April 23, 2022 are encouraged to apply. More Info.
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Posted in Job Openings | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks
New Scientist reports
A major crop pest has 50 genes that appear to originate from plants, and it might use them to detoxify plants’ chemical defences.
Read article at Whiteflies have acquired dozens of genes from plants they eat | New Scientist
Posted in Animals | Tags: White Flies
Natural History Wanderings 