The Good News Network reported
By turning the land over to the tribe, a substantial conservation corridor for animals including these Tule elk will be established.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 26, 2025
Tribe Releases Native Elk Back onto 17,000 Sacred Sierra Nevada Acres
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 26, 2025
Where to Find Fungi, Once the Rains Begin
Bay Nature reported
The soils beneath our feet teem with fungi. The mycelia-networks of rootlike hyphae that form the actual fungal organism-are interwoven and conjoined with tree roots underground. During the winter months, rain spurs the matrix of mycelia to develop fruiting bodies: mushrooms. These caps emerge from the duff in a great variety of shapes and colors.
Public parks are great places to spot varieties of mushrooms. But beware: most parks in California restrict or outright forbid mushroom collecting; in some parks, the fines can be considerable. Furthermore, those untrained in the proper identification of California’s approximately 300 species should take care, as more than a few are toxic if eaten. However, there are no penalties-and many rewards-for admiring these evanescent beauties in their natural settings. Here is, by county, a list of some sites recommended by local fungophiles for good mushroom viewing.
Posted in Mushrooms | Tags: Bay Area Mushroom Hunting
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 25, 2025
Hundreds of Joshua trees were scorched during the shutdown
MSN reported
A firefighter with the National Park Service says a fire wiped out more than a thousand Joshua trees amid the government shutdown. Restoration could be limited by a depleted staff, they said.
Read on www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hundreds-of-joshua-trees-were-scorched-during-the-shutdown/ar-AA1QSYaP
Posted in Park | Tags: Joshua Tree National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 25, 2025
Christmas-Bird-Count
From National Audubon
The 126th Christmas Bird Count is around the corner!
We’re getting ready for the 126th Christmas Bird Count (CBC), with local counts running from December 14 to January 5. Want to learn more about the program? You’re invited to sign up for a CBC Participant Webinar! Register here to receive a pre-recorded orientation webinar on December 1.
Register Now
—
To register and learn more read on audubon.emailmachine.co/view-message/181
Posted in Birds | Tags: Christmas Bird Count
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 25, 2025
In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Locals Fight for ‘The Right to Night’
NY Times reported
Industrialization in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has some residents pushing for protection of the region’s celestial splendor.
Read on www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/science/astronomy-michigan-dark-sky.html
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: Dark Skies
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 25, 2025
Birds Captured in Remarkable Flight Path
Moss and Fog reported
This unique photographic approach captures entire flight patterns of birds in one image.
See amazing Photography by Xavi Bou and read more: Birds Captured in Remarkable Flight Path Photography by Xavi Bou | Moss and Fog
Posted in Birds, Photography | Tags: Amazing Bird Flight Patterns
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 25, 2025
Colorado’s wolf release program
Vox reported
Wolves were released in the mountains west of Denver. Many of them died, and now, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is struggling to find more wolves for reintroduction.
Read on www.vox.com/climate/470075/colorado-wolf-release-program-stumbles
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 24, 2025
Stone-cold killers’: New Zealand to eradicate feral cats by 2050
The Guardian reported
Feral cats are already caught and killed in some areas but will now be subject to coordinated targeting, with large-scale eradication programsRead more Stone-cold killers’: New Zealand to eradicate feral cats by 2050 | New Zealand | The Guardian
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 24, 2025
Bowhead Whales Live Long Lives. Do They Hold the Key to Human Longevity?
Smithsonian Magazine reported
With a lifespan of over 200 years, bowhead whales are remarkably resistant to age-related illnesses like cancer. Now, a new study has uncovered how these 80-ton mammals can survive for so long. The answer could help humans, too.
In a study published this week in the journal Nature, researchers found that the key to the whales’ lifespans is a cold-activated protein called CIRBP. This protein can repair damaged DNA, and bowhead whales have large amounts of it.
Read more Bowhead Whales Live Long Lives. Do They Hold the Key to Human Longevity?
Posted in Animals, Uncategorized | Tags: Bowhead whale
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 23, 2025
Cemeteries: How the Dead Protect the Wild
from the Revelatory
Lively cemeteries: Done right, many cemeteries can serve as more than a repository for our dead. As Karen Mockler reports, they can also provide vital habitat for plants and wildlife — even endangered species.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Nature Benefits of Cemeteries
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 22, 2025
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 events at Theodore Payne Foundation Events – Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
Posted in Class/Workshop | Tags: Theodore Payne Foundation Upcoming Events
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 22, 2025
Photos from the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 11/21/25
Photos from the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden taken on November 21, 2025/
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: UC Berkeley Bontanical Garden
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 22, 2025
What moves the sailing stones of Death Valley?
EarthSky reported
How could rocks – driven by some unseen force – slide across the ground, leaving behind a trail? That’s what happens at Racetrack Playa, a dry lake bed at Death Valley National Park in California. The definitive solution to this long-standing mystery finally came in 2014, from two cousins. Their work showed that the rocks are nudged into motion by melting panels of thin floating ice, driven by light winds, in winter.
Read on earthsky.org/earth/death-valley-sliding-slithering-sailing-stone-mystery-solved/
Posted in Park | Tags: Death Valley Moving Stones
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 22, 2025
Soil treated only with organic fertilizer yields very exciting results
A summary of what Earth.com found out about benefits of organic fertilizer
A study by Kansas State University examined soil from a Kansas cornfield that had not been tilled for 22 years. The study found that soil treated with organic amendments like manure or compost had higher carbon levels and more carbon stored in protected pores and on mineral surfaces compared to soil treated with synthetic fertilizer or no fertilizer. This suggests that organic amendments can increase soil carbon storage and improve soil health, but the effectiveness depends on local conditions and management practices.
Read article Soil treated only with organic fertilizer yields very exciting results – Earth.com
Posted in Environment | Tags: Organic Fertilizers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 21, 2025
Moss survived in space for nine months, study finds
NBC News reported
The moss was attached to the International Space Station, fully exposed to the harsh environment of the cosmos. Not only did the spores endure, they could still reproduce after returning to Earth.
Read more Moss survived in space for nine months, study finds
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Moss survives in Space
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 21, 2025
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Upcoming Events
See all Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Upcoming Events at see all upcoming events
Posted in Park | Tags: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Events
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 21, 2025
Spider web ‘decorations’ may help pinpoint location of captured prey
Phy.org reported
The long-standing mystery around why spider webs sometimes feature “extra touches” known as stabilimenta has been revisited in a new study which suggests that their wave-propagation effects could help spiders locate captured prey.
Posted in Animals | Tags: Spider Webs
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 20, 2025
Tahoe Area State Park to Reopen
SF Gate reported
D.L. Bliss State Park, one of Lake Tahoe’s most beloved stretches of shoreline, is finally set to fully reopen after years of closures, delays and mounting frustrationover a stalled infrastructure overhaul, California State Parks announced this week. The park, in the southwestern corner of the lake, just north of Emerald Bay, has been largely inaccessible since 2023, as crews attempted to replace aging, leaking water lines.
Read more Beloved California state park to reopen after yearslong closure
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 20, 2025
Regional Parks Botanic Garden Photos 11/19/25
Photographed in the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on November 19, 2025.
The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a California native plant garden. It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California, It is a 10-acre garden includes many of the state’s rare and endangered plants and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses from plant communities throughout the state. There are free weekend and holiday tours. Admission and parking are free. For more information about the garden visit the Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 20, 2025
Puffins return to nature reserve for first time in 25 years
The Independent reported
Experts say it is a huge milestone for the vulnerable birds
Puffins have been discovered nesting at a County Antrim nature reservefor the first time in a quarter of a century.
This marks a significant milestone in the recovery of the vulnerable seabirds in Northern Ireland.
The find was made by Ulster Wildlife on the Isle of Muck, located off Islandmagee.
The comeback is attributed to a dedicated seabird recovery project, initiated by the nature conservation charity in 2017.
Source: Puffins return to nature reserve for first time in 25 years
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 20, 2025
Leave the Leaves for Natural Pest Control
from the Xerces Society
Once your yard plants have died back in the fall, you might wonder where all the insects you saw spend the winter. Most stay right in your yard, just hidden (and often in a different life stage!) Quality overwintering habitat like leaves, stems, stumps, rock shelters, and bare soil provides year-round habitat for all sorts of beneficial insects that eat pests in your yard!
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Leave the Leaves
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 19, 2025
Trump administration seeks to roll back protections for imperiled species and habitat
NPR reported
President Trump’s administration moved Wednesday to roll back protections for imperiled species and the places they live, reviving a suite of changes to Endangered Species Act regulations from the Republican’s first term that were blocked under former Democratic President Joe Biden.
The proposed changes include the elimination of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “blanket rule” that automatically protects animals and plants when they are classified as threatened. Government agencies instead would have to craft species-specific rules for protections, a potentially lengthy process.
Read on www.npr.org/2025/11/19/g-s1-98459/trump-administration-endangered-species-act-blanket-rule
Posted in Animals, Birds, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Endangered Species Act
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 19, 2025
Climate Watch | Audubon
Since 2016, Climate Watch volunteers have collected data which Audubon scientists are able to use to document in peer reviewed research that birds are responding to climate change and shifting their ranges. You can join us in this mission by observing birds in your area, using our specific protocol, and helping us learn about how birds are responding to the changing climate.
Posted in Birds | Tags: Climate Watch
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 19, 2025
In Washington, Birds Are Giving ‘Yelp Reviews’ of Forest Restoration Work
The New York Times reported
A collective of land trusts, conservancies and tribes is capturing birdsong with audio gear and A.I. for clues about habitat health.
Read on www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/climate/washington-birds-habitat-health.html
Posted in Birds | Tags: Bird Conservation, Habitat Restoration
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 19, 2025
Xerces Society Upcoming Webinars
See all Xerces Society upcoming events at Xerces Society Webinars
Posted in Butterflies, Talks | Tags: Xerces Society Webinars
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 19, 2025
Los Padres ForestWatch Upcoming Events
See Upcoming Los Padres ForestWatch Upcoming Events at Home | Los Padres ForestWatch
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Los Padres ForestWatch Upcoming Events
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 19, 2025
Photos from my garden
Photos from my garden in Berkeley, CA from 11/17/25.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Garden Photos
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 19, 2025
Sperm whales use vowels like humans, new study finds
Popular Science reported
Scientists decoding whale clicks found patterns that echo the building blocks of human speech.
Read more https://www.popsci.com/environment/sperm-whale-language-vowels/
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 19, 2025
Sea levels are rising faster than at any time in the last 4,000 years
EuroNews reported
Melting glaciers and thermal expansion are driving the ‘acceleration’ of sea level rise to record levels.
Sea levels are rising faster than at any point in the last 4,000 years, highlighting the urgent need for “global and local” action.
New research has warned that climate change and human activities are driving the surge, which poses a serious threat of flooding for major cities around the world.
Read more at Sea levels are rising faster than at any time in the last 4,000 years. Here’s why
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | November 18, 2025
Mushrooms in the Garden
Photos of Mushrooms from the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA taken on November 15, 2-25.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Mushrooms, Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Botanic Garden
Natural History Wanderings 