Enjoy your “free” time in the national parks. 120 national parks and monuments that normally charge an entrance fee will be free on several days during the year. The other parks are free all of the time.
August 4, 2021: One year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
August 25, 2021: National Park Service Birthday
Posted in Park | Tags: Fee Free National Park Days
The New York Times reports
The froghopper has amazing powers of suction, scientists found. It also produces astonishing amounts of urine.
A meadow froghopper urinates so much that it could drown itself. Luckily, the insect Philaenus spumarius, which is approximately the size of a Tic Tac, has a butt catapult that regularly flicks its globules of liquid waste into the air and safely away from its body.
mong entomologists, the froghoppers’ urinary powers are well understood. But the insects’ suction abilities, which long confounded scientists, have turned out to be much more impressive, according to a paper on the meadow froghoppers’ feeding mechanisms published on Wednesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Read more This Insect Drinks Your Milkshake – The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: froghopper
Photos taken along Rock Creek Road in the Eastern Sierra Nevada on July 6, 2021.
You can see large high quality version of these photo and other photos from the Eastern Sierra/White Mt. trip in a Flickr collections at Sierra Nevada and White Mt. Trip July 2021
Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology Conservation Seminar Series
The WFVZ is hosting Dr. Daniel Hanley, a researcher and Assistant Professor of Biology at George Mason University, who is interested in understanding the diversity of life. He will speak about the function and evolution of natural coloration of birds’ eggs. Get your tickets here!!
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Avaian Ecology, Bird Eggs
Photos from the Mono Basin taken on July 5, 2021.
You can see large high quality version of these photo and other photos from the Eastern Sierra/White Mt. trip in a Flickr collections at Sierra Nevada and White Mt. Trip July 2021
Posted in Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Mono Basin Wildflowers
NPR reports
Star gazers, are you ready to witness the best show from Saturn of the year? On Sunday, about an hour after sunset, look to the horizon for the bright “star” of Jupiter and then locate nearby Saturn. Here’s what to look for.
World Ranger Day is celebrated on 31 July to commemorate Rangers killed or injured in the line of duty and to celebrate the work Rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage.
Climate change, poaching and armed conflict are some of the challenges facing World Heritage. The Covid-19 pandemic has amplified these issues affecting sites and the managers who protect them.
Read more, see some ranger stories and learn about activities at: World Ranger Day
Posted in Park | Tags: World Ranger Day
From National Audubon
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Comments Off on Urge Congress to Support the Migratory Bird Protection Act
Posted in Birds | Tags: Migratory Bird Protection Act
Photos from Mono Lake taken on July 5, 2021.
You can see large high quality version of these photo and other photos from the Eastern Sierra/White Mt. trip in a Flickr collections at Sierra Nevada and White Mt. Trip July 2021
Posted in Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Mono Lake Area
The New York Times reports
North Atlantic right whales are struggling to survive, and it shows.Most of the 360 or so North Atlantic right whales alive today bear scars from entanglements in fishing gear and collisions with speeding ships and, according to a new study, they are much smaller than they should be.
Read more at On the Verge of Extinction, These Whales Are Also Shrinking – The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: Extinction Risk, Right Whales
ScienceDaily reports
Poor air quality caused by food production in the U.S. is estimated to result in 16,000 deaths annually, 80% of which are related to animal production, according to a new study. The study also shows how improving animal and crop management practices, as well as how eating more plant-rich diets, can substantially reduce mortality from food-related air pollution.
Read article at Animal production responsible for vast majority of air quality-related health impacts from U.S. food — ScienceDaily
Posted in Environment | Tags: Animal Prodeuction and Air Quality
Posted in Park | Tags: Buffalo Soldiers, Buffalo Soldiers Day
Photographs from the Bodie Hills on July 4, 2021.
The Bodie Hills are a transition zone between the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin and thus harbor a diverse assemblage of plant and animal species. including pika, lodgepole pine, Sierra juniper and Utah juniper. The Nature Conservancy has noted that the Bodie Hills “are among the most biodiverse in the Great Basin ecoregion” (from the Bodies Hills Conservation Partnership)
You can see large high quality version of these photo and other photos from the Eastern Sierra/White Mt. trip in a Flickr collections at Sierra Nevada and White Mt. Trip July 2021
Posted in Park, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Bodie Hills, Wildflowers and Other Plants
Posted in Drives | Tags: Monitor Pass
reposted from Channel Islands National Park
There’s no 9-to-5 for female northern elephant seals. After the winter breeding season, the animals spend more than 19 hours—and up to 24 hours—per day hunting in the northern Pacific Ocean, killing up to 2000 small fish daily to survive, according to a new study of these elusive animals. The work, made possible by cameras and devices attached to the seals’ heads, could also help scientists monitor other deep-ocean life.
Posted in Animals | Tags: Elephant Seals
Posted in Desert, Park | Tags: Death Valley, Flash Floods
The Revelator reports on how European “explorers” left their mark not only on the environment, but also in knowledge systems.
Ecology has developed through a western knowledge production process that has gone hand in hand with extraction, violence and imperialism. Early European explorers and collectors were integral to the systems of colonial land management, and insights from what would become ecology have been used to justify social and environmental control.
Recognizing that science is not free of power and violence is a step towards improving knowledge systems and making them fit for purpose for an inclusive world.
In a recent paper we explore what is needed to change knowledge production in ecology, but our arguments also have further reach. We reflected on ecology as a subject of scientific inquiry and on the research process, and argue that it needs to change.
Read more Five Shifts to Decolonize Ecological Science — Or Any Field of Knowledge • The Revelator
Posted in Environment
Photos taken in the Sierra Nevada along highway 120 between highway 395 and the Tioga Pass entrance to Yosemite on July 3, 2021. Includes the Nunatak Nature Trail.
You can see large high quality version of these photo and other photos from the Eastern Sierra/White Mt. trip in a Flickr collections at Sierra Nevada and White Mt. Trip July 2021
Posted in Park, Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Sierra Nevada, Wildflowers and Other Plants
US 395 is back open from its closure due to the Tamarack Fire. Hwy 89 (Monitor Pass) remains closed but Hwy 108 (Sonora Pass) is open.
Posted in Drives | Tags: Eastern Sierra Road Closures
Nature Boost: Wildlife Restoration in the Presidio Join Presidio Trust’s Wildlife Ecologist Jonathan Young to learn about the past, present and future of Presidio wildlife.July 30, 11 a.m. To watch click on Watch the Nature Boost on YouTube
Posted in Park | Tags: Wildlife Restoration in the Presidio
BerkeleySide reports
High in the branches of the eucalyptus, pine, cypress and redwood trees on Gill Tract Farm, a cluster of monarch butterflies have found a home. Amid a dramatic decline in monarch populations across the state, the 57 butterflies overwintering at the Albany farm in 2020 marked Gill Tract as the the fifth-largest overwintering site in California that year and the largest in the East Bay.
Read more at Fight to save monarchs at Gill Tract Farm ends in cautious victory
Posted in Butterflies | Tags: Gill Tract, Monarch Butterflies
Posted in Park, Walks & Hikes | Tags: from Eldorado National Forest Trail Closures
from Audubon
July is Disability Pride Month, and while it may not be nationally recognized yet, celebrating individuals with disabilities doesn’t require a special occasion at Audubon. That’s why we’re partners with Birdability, an organization whose mission is to share the joys of birding with people who have disabilities and other health concerns and to ensure birding is accessible for everybody.
Audubon supports this mission by hosting the crowd-sourced Birdability Map cataloging the accessibility of birding locations worldwide. Audubon’s Enterprise GIS team synthesizes survey data submitted by supporters like you to provide detailed accessibility information that many people with access challenges need to know before planning a bird outing.
Read more at : National Audubon Society
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Disability Pride Month
Anthropocene reports
Researchers quantified nectar supply in rural and urban areas and found the scale of production in city gardens overwhelming
One major source of widespread pollinator decline is a lack of food and, at first glance, the expansive parking lots and paved city blocks in urban areas may appear to contribute to this scarcity. But until now scientists hadn’t measured urban nectar production on a landscape scale. Pockets of green spaces—particularly gardens—in towns and cities may be providing more sustenance for pollinating insects that previously thought.
Read more at Trailblazing research uncovers urban gardens as a hidden powerhouse for pollinators
Posted in Environment, Garden | Tags: pollinators, Urban Gardens
YubaNet reports on Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition Formed to Protect Iconic Trees from Threats of Climate Change and Catastrophic Wildfire
As fire once again sweeps through the American West, an interagency report formally released today estimates that 7,500 to 10,600 large giant sequoias were killed in last year’s Castle Fire. This represents 10-14% of large sequoias in the world. Today, the agencies united by stewardship of giant sequoias are officially coming together in partnership, under the new Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition, to save the remaining 90%.
Posted in Environment, Uncategorized | Tags: Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition
Photographs from the high country in Yosemite along highway 120 between Crane Flat and Tioga Pass taken on July 2, 2021.
You can see large high quality version of these photo and other photos from the Eastern Sierra/White Mt. trip in a Flickr collections at Sierra Nevada and White Mt. Trip July 2021
Posted in Park, Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Wildflowers and Other Plants, Yosemite
The New York Times reports
Sulfur-crested cockatoos, which may sound exotic to Americans and Europeans, are everywhere in suburban areas of Sydney. They have adapted to the human environment, and since they are known to be clever at manipulating objects it’s not entirely surprising that they went after a rich food source. But you might say that the spread of their latest trick, to open trash cans, blows the lid off social learning and cultural evolution in animals.
Not only do the birds acquire the skill by imitating others, which is social learning. But the details of technique evolve to differ in different groups as the innovation spreads, a mark of animal culture.
Read more at Australia’s Trash Parrots Invent New Skill in Suburbs – The New York Times
Posted in Birds | Tags: Sulfur-crested cockatoos
Audubon reports
In a new report, experts ruled out a range of causes, but they still recommend taking down feeders until the source of the disease is identified.
Removing bird feeders has been shown to dramatically curb House Finch eye disease outbreaks. Cleaning bird baths and feeders regularly also prevents salmonella growth. Assuming the mystery pathogen spreads similarly, these small actions could go a long way to keep birds safe.
Read article at Scientists Still Searching for the Pathogen Behind the East’s Songbird Epidemic | Audubon
Posted in Birds | Tags: House Finch eye disease
ESA seeks a Botanist to join our team in Sacramento and in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are looking for team members with 1–2 years of work experience and academic background or training in botany, plant science, vegetation ecology, or related discipline. This is an entry-level opportunity that will include field work in the Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area and office work comprised of data entry and analysis and report preparation. This opportunity places a high value on collaboration, delivery, and the desire to learn and grow.
To learn more and to apply go to https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=35435&clientkey=0A2A2B3498A92573DA13BE33E8BDD296
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Botanist, Job Opportunity
Posted in Drives | Tags: Road Closures, TamarackFire
Natural History Wanderings 