The New York Times reports
The International Dark-Sky Association awards certifications to sites with exceptionally high-quality night skies, including national parks, sanctuaries and reserves.
Read more and learn about these new ” Dark-Sky Places” at Lights Out: 5 New ‘Dark-Sky Places’ for Top-Shelf Stargazing – The New York Times
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: Dark Sky Locations, International Dark Sky Association
Come shop an array of coastal native plant species grown locally. Native plant experts will be on hand to help you choose the right plants for your garden. The proceeds benefit the projects and programs of Pacifica Gardens. Mask required.
Posted in Garden | Tags: Native Plant Sale
KCET reports on ten dark place in California for stargazing
Of these ten spots all are in theory reachable by car, though you’re much better off leaving your car and finding a spot remote from headlights. Most are in places that are dark enough that you should be able to make out lots of detail in the Milky Way, including the shadows in the vicinity of Sagittarius and Scorpius. Three have such dark skies that you might not recognize even the most familiar constellations: they’ll just have way too many stars in them.
Read more to learn about these locations at These Are California’s 10 Darkest Places For Stargazing | KCET
Posted in Astronomy, Uncategorized | Tags: Dark Sky Locations, International Dark Sky Association
from Bring Back the Natives Tour
Native Plant Extravaganza, Saturday December 4, 10:00-4:00 — Fall is the time to plant natives! Shop in-person on Saturday at East Bay Wilds (28th and Foothill in Oakland) or the Watershed Nursery (601 Canal Street in Point Richmond), or place your orders on-line through Green Thumb Works on either Saturday or Sunday, Dec. 4 or 5. A percentage of the sales made through the Extravaganza will go to support the Tour.
Posted in Garden | Tags: Native Plant Sale
There are a number of job openings at Lassen National Park including Park Ranger, Wildland Firefighter, Archeological Technician and several internships. For information go to https://www.nps.gov/lavo/getinvolved/workwithus.htm?fbclid=IwAR0t22elfusA_g9P0tpAB95xloX-VwIa3ORJa5UAr-6Eo5bqXMYjGhifrCc
Posted in Job Openings
from Audubon
The Christmas Bird Count occurs December 14 to January 5 every year. Sign up to receive information and results about all of Audubon’s community science programs through American Birds, our newsletter by email.
Oct 2021: Please read our COVID-19 safe requirements available here
Click here for a map view of the circles expected to be included in the 122nd CBC.
In November you will also be able to view the circles by state or use ESRI’s free mobile app to view updated public maps of all CBC circles by state! Click here to download the free ESRI Explorer app for iOS or Android. Find CBC circles by searching on your state’s full name + “Christmas Bird Count”.
Follow these steps to participate in Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count:
Step 1 Read these details to become familiar with Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count.
Step 2 Check out the map above to find a count near you. Green and yellow circles are open for new participants, and red circles are full.
Step 3 To arrange participation contact compilers by email in advance of count day by using the information from the circle pop-ups on the map.
Step 4 Sign up for American Birds so you can hear about the results of the Christmas Bird Count and other Audubon community science programs!
Step 5 Already signed up for a count? Then head over to our CBC Live tracker to see photos posted from others who are scouting for or participating in the Christmas Bird Count, and upload your own photos!
Posted in Birds | Tags: Christmas Bird Count
Scientists observed a beetle walking upside-down on the undersurface of a pool of water. Read story at You Won’t Believe This Beetle’s Upside-Down Walk on Water – The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: Beetle Walks Upside-Down on Water
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
Posted in Drives | Tags: Mono Country Road Conditions
See December events for the California Native Plants Society at Upcoming Events – California Native Plant Society
Posted in Talks, Wildflowers and Other Plants
Buried Treasure? If you ever find a sand dollar, you may wonder what it is. A shell? Some kind of weird rock? You might conclude that it was something formerly alive. And you’d be correct! Read more at: But what kind of organism was it?
Posted in Animals | Tags: Sand Dollar
Nevada Today reports
Large, majestic trees are iconic symbols of great age among living organisms, yet published evidence suggests that trees do not die because of genetically programmed age deterioration, but rather are killed by an external agent or a disturbance event. And, they can be a record of thousands of years of environmental change, especially in Nevada.”These ancient trees are indicative of the enduring landscapes that surround us,” Franco Biondi, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno and co-author of the paper said, “and a reminder of the value of having such long-lived organisms within them.
In their paper about tree longevity published in the August edition of New Phytologist, as a Tansley Review, they find that the “cambium,” which is the growth tissue area between the bark and the wood, appears immune to senescence, which is defined as the intrinsic age-dependent increase in mortality or deterioration in performance under the control of an internal biological clock. Theoretically then, trees could be immortal organisms, and gene expression analyses are starting to uncover the processes that maintain a balance between growth and aging processes in old trees.
Read full article at Research suggests some trees have potential for immortality | University of Nevada, Reno
Posted in Environment | Tags: Immortal Trees
The Jepson Herbaria has links to botanical talks, books, update, Jepson eFlora updates and and more at University and Jepson Herbaria Home Page
Posted in Talks, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Jepson eFlora updates, Jepson Talks
The past 15 months have been devastating for the majestic trees, as fires destroyed an estimated 13 to 19 percent of their population, officials said.
Read m
Comments Off on Wildfires in California Killed Thousands of Giant Sequoias
Posted in Environment | Tags: Wildfires Killed Thousands of Giant Sequoias
The National Parks Conservation Association writes about 9 parks to explore without a car
Spend time off the beaten path — literally. These 9 national park sites offer slower, quieter, human-paced alternatives to automobile-powered excursions.
Read article at Your Mileage May Vary: 9 Parks to Explore Without a Car · National Parks Conservation Association
Posted in Park | Tags: Parks to Explore Without a Car
Birdability’s vision is that birding truly is for everybody and every body, regardless of disability or other health concerns.
Help us celebrate birders with disabilities and other health concerns, and share resources and ideas to help the birding community be accessible, inclusive and welcoming to everybody and every body! Learn more about accessible birding including maps of accessible birding areas at Birdability
Posted in Birds | Tags: Birdability
Photos from the Pierce Point Ranch this past Monday. There is a fence right next to the parking lot that is full of great lichens. Unfortunately, parts of the fence have fallen down and other parts are looking pretty shaky.
from Bay Nature
The Bay Area Water Trail is a growing network of trailheads to launch and land non-motorized small boats. So far, it consists of 53 trailhead sites, which are spread out along the shoreline of the nine counties surrounding the Bay. One of its latest additions is Crane Cove Park, a new seven-acre park on San Francisco’s Southern Waterfront. Read more!
Posted in Walks & Hikes | Tags: Bay Area Water Trail
Posted in Park | Tags: National Parks, Native American Heritage Day
Here are a few more photos from this past Monday at Pt. Reyes.
Posted in Animals, Birds, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: California Quail, Elephant Seals, Red-tailed Hawk
from the US National Park Service
Giant sequoias have coexisted with fire for thousands of years. Their thick, spongy bark insulates most trees from heat injury, and the branches of large sequoias grow high enough to avoid the flames of most fires. Also, fire’s heat releases large numbers of seeds from cones, and seedlings take root in the open, sunny patches where fire clears away fuels and kills smaller trees. But starting in 2015, higher-severity fires have killed large giant sequoias (those 4 feet or greater in diameter, or >1.2 m) in much greater numbers than has ever been recorded. We have reached a tipping point — lack of frequent fire for the past century in most groves, combined with the impacts of a warming climate — have made some wildfires much more deadly for sequoias.
Read more at Wildfires Kill Unprecedented Numbers of Large Sequoia Trees (U.S. National Park Service)
Posted in Environment | Tags: Fires, Giant Sequoias
The Golden Gate Audubon Blog has an interesting article about how swifts roost in old industrial chimneys.
Even a passing acquaintance with the natural world reveals that species exist on a continuum from Specialist to Generalist—from species that require a very particular habitat to those that can survive in a variety of places. Both have their strengths but the vulnerabilities of the specialist are easily seen. What happens to the specialist when their special habitat is impacted? Obviously, it becomes “adapt or perish.”
Vaux’s Swifts (Chaetura vauxi) and Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica)—both of which evolved to rely on hollow trees for nesting and roosting—are a case in point. What happens when humans destroy old growth forests and remove hollow trees and snags? These swifts have adapted to a different vertical, tubular structure, the chimney: residential chimneys for nesting, and large, pre-World War II industrial chimneys for migratory roosting. Why pre-World War II? Because the older chimneys are often made of concrete or brick with rough inner walls where birds can grasp and hang, while modern industrial chimneys are either metal or ceramic lined. So the chimneys used by swifts are antique, with all the scarcity and fragility this implies.
Read more Chaetura Swifts: From trees to chimneys – Golden Gate Audubon Society
Posted in Birds | Tags: Chaetura pelagica, Chaetura vauxi, Chimney Swifts, Vaux’s Swifts
The National Parks ConservationAssociation reports
The Biden administration … announced new protections for the sacred Chaco Canyon landscape that would prevent new oil and gas drilling on federal lands within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historic Park for 20 years.
Posted in Park | Tags: Chaco Culture National Historic Park
The New York Times reports
As scientists planned an expedition in Mexico this fall to count one of the world’s most endangered animals, a shy porpoise called a vaquita, they dreaded the possibility that there would be none left to find. The last survey, in 2019, estimated that only about 10 remained.
Read more at Vaquitas Could Soon Be Extinct. Mexico Will Largely Determine Their Fate- The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: Vaquita Extinction
Bay Nature has suggestions for parks to try with your family, friends, or on your own this week at Bay Area Outdoors Trips for Thanksgiving Week
Posted in Park, Walks & Hikes
I was at Pt. Reyes this past Monday and the Brown Pelicans were numerous at Drakes Bay. Photos were taken from Drakes Beach, the Elephant Seal Overlook trail, and the Historic Point Reyes Lifeboat Station.
Posted in Birds, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Brown Pelicans, Pt. Reyes
NPR reports
Humans are not the only ones adapting to the effects of global climate change.
Animals are also adapting to the environmental changes — as some warm-blooded animals are beginning to “shapeshift” their bodies in response to shifts in climate, according to a recent study in Trends in Ecology & Evolution led by Sara Ryding, a researcher at Deakin University in Australia.
Read moreClimate Change Is Causing Some Animals To Grow Larger Limbs And Beaks : NPR
Posted in Animals | Tags: Climate change
from East Bay Regional Park District
Fall and winter holidays are a great time to get into nature and spend time with family and friends. While holiday gatherings and shopping are enjoyable traditions, spending time in nature helps relieve stress and improves your physical and mental health. Here are a few holiday favorites. www.ebparks.org/civica/press/display.asp?layout=11&Entry=699
Posted in Drives | Tags: East Bay Hikes
A new study reveals how some mammals evolved nature’s most impressive chompers (which are not always used for chomping).
So why, across the broad sweep of geologic history, do such useful teeth only appear among mammals and no other surviving groups of animals? According to a… in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, it takes two key adaptations to teeth to make a tusk — and the evolutionary pathway first appeared millions of years before the first true mammals.
Read article at How Did Elephants and Walruses Get Their Tusks? It’s a Long Story. – The New York Times
Natural History Wanderings 