Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 26, 2021

Salt Point State Park Photos 4/19/21

Photos from the Salt Point State Park headlands.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 26, 2021

Pt. Reyes Limantour Road Closures

Limantour Road:  Through Friday, May 7, 2021, Limantour Road will be closed each day from Monday through Friday from 8 am to noon, and from 1 pm to 5 pm.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 26, 2021

Resilient Redwood Forest a Beacon of Hope for California

NBC Bay Area reports

Eight months after a lightning siege ignited more than 650 wildfires in Northern California, the state’s oldest park — which was almost entirely ablaze — is doing what nature does best: recovering.

Clusters of chartreuse shoots were budding on blackened redwood branches and trunks. Bright yellow bush poppies, white violets and star lilies dotted the scorched landscape. Hillsides of purple California lilac shrubs were fixing nitrogen in the soil. And new Knobcone pine trees, which need temperatures above 350 degrees to pop open their cones and drop their seeds, were sprouting.

Read more Resilient Redwood Forest a Beacon of Hope for California – NBC Bay Area

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 25, 2021

Coastal Photos April 18 and 20, 2021

Photos taken along the Northern California Coast between Pt. Reyes and Salt Pt.  All photos are from Highway One except the Trillium and Calypso Orchid which were photographed at Kruse Rhododendron State Natural Reserve.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 25, 2021

Xerces Society May Webinars

All Webinars will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel. Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 25, 2021

Wildflower conservation has made it to Vogue magazine

The California Native Plant Society reports

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 24, 2021

Bringing Back the Natives Virtual Tour starts tomorrow

The Bringing Back the Natives Virtual Tour starts tomorrow and runs for several Sundays. The keynote speaker is Doug Tallamy.
Check out the tour of Native Here Nursery tomorrow, Sun. Apr. 25th at 1:30 pm!

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 24, 2021

Super Moon 4/26/21

NASA  reports

The Next Full Moon is the Pink Moon, the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, the Fish Moon, the Paschal Moon (for Eastern Christianity), Hanuman Jayanti, Bak Poya, and a Supermoon.

The next full Moon will be late Monday night, April 26, 2021, appearing opposite the Sun in Earth-based longitude at 11:32 p.m. EDT. This will be the next day from the Atlantic Daylight Savings timezone eastward across Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia to the International Date Line. Most commercial calendars are based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and will show this full Moon occurring on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Sunday night through Wednesday morning.

Read moreThe Next Full Moon Is a “Supermoon” Pink Moon – NASA Solar System Exploration

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 23, 2021

Hwy 1 by Big Sur reopens after mudslide 

KRON4  reports

Gov. Gavin Newsom is traveling to the California coast on Friday to commemorate the reopening of State Highway 1 at Rat Creek in Monterey County after heavy rainfall caused the roadway to collapse in January.

Nearly 150 feet of Highway 1 south of Big Sur was swept away by a mudslide.

Though rainfall from an atmospheric river storm was heavy, the area was susceptible to debris flows because of burn scars from last August’s wildfires.

Read more: Hwy 1 by Big Sur reopens after mudslide | KRON4

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 23, 2021

Newsom orders halt to new fracking in California starting in 2024

The San Francisco Chronicle  reports

Gov. Gavin Newsom says he has directed the state to stop issuing permits for the oil extraction method known as fracking by January 2024. He also told state agencies to create a plan to end all oil drilling and extraction in California by 2045, the most sweeping declaration of its kind in the nation.

Read story: Newsom orders halt to new fracking in California starting in 2024 – and wants to end all drilling by 2045

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 23, 2021

Lassen Park Highway Fully Open

All 30 miles of Lassen Volcanic National Park Highway are cleared of snow and open to hiking and biking.
Park road crew and Caltrans “broke through” just below Kings Creek Trailhead yesterday afternoon.
The 10-mile section of the highway between Loomis Plaza and Devastated Area remains open to vehicles.
Other sections of the highway or the entire highway will open to vehicles once road preparations are complete (signs, parking area clearing, rockfall management, etc.)

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 23, 2021

Why California’s Tule Elk population may be declining | KRON4

Kron4 reports

The National Park Service says the Tule Elk’s population declined in 2020, likely due to drought conditions impacting the elk’s food.

An annual census count found about 150 Tule Elks living on Point Reyes National Seashore have died likely due to drought conditions.

Read more at  Why California’s Tule Elk population may be declining | KRON4

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 22, 2021

Tioga Inn project denied at Board of Supervisors

from Mono Lake Committee

After three hours of public comment and deliberation, a motion to approve the Tioga Inn project failed in a 2–2 vote at the Mono County Board of Supervisors meeting this afternoon, which means the project is denied.

The project had not changed from the last hearing in December 2020, which members of the public and the Mono Lake Kutzadika’a Tribe pointed out in another round of thoughtful public comment. In addition to the 19 people who spoke during public comment at the meeting, the Board received 66 comment letters, all but one of which were in opposition to the project, as they have been for most of this project’s nearly five-year existence.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 22, 2021

U.S. Aims For 50% Cut In Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

NPR reports

President Biden opened a global summit on climate change Thursday morning by announcing that the United States will aim to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half, based on 2005 levels, by the end of the decade.

That aggressive 2030 goal, which the White House is framing as a “50-52 percent reduction,” will be formalized in a document called a “nationally determined contribution,” or NDC.

The NDC is a public commitment to address climate change made by each country that signed on to the 2015 Paris Agreement, which the U.S. formally left last year at the behest of then-President Donald Trump and reentered this year after Biden took office.

Read more at  Climate Summit: U.S. Aims For 50% Cut In Greenhouse Gas Emissions : NPR

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 22, 2021

Insect Declines and What You Can Do to Help 4/22/21 at 10 am PDT

Join us this morning at 10:00 am PDT to listen to Scott Black, Xerces’ director, talk about insect declines, what’s causing them, and what we can do. Register Now

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 22, 2021

To Counter Climate Change, We Need to Stop Burning Things

The New Yorker has an article that cuts to the chase about what humans need to do to deal with Climate Change. It talks about the need to stop burning things and the fallacy in policies that treat biomass as “carbon-neutral”.

If one wanted a basic rule of thumb for dealing with the climate crisis, it would be: stop burning things. Human beings have made use of combustion for a very long time, ever since the first campfires cooked the first animals for dinner, allowing our brains to get larger. Now those large brains have come to understand that burning stuff is destroying the stable climate on which civilization depends.

Read more at  To Counter Climate Change, We Need to Stop Burning Things

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 22, 2021

New Study Sheds Light on Why Grasshoppers Flocked to Vegas 

The New York Times  reports

In a new study, ecologists document the impact that the world’s brightest city has on the insect population.

Read story at  New Study Sheds Light on Why Grasshoppers Flocked to Vegas – The New York Times

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 21, 2021

Zoom Presentation Tonight: “Avian malaria in Hawaii: past, present, and future”

From Central Sierra Audubon

Avian malaria in Hawaii: past, present, and future”

4/21/21 at 6:30 pm  Zoom log-in info:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85363260801

Presenter Gabbie Names
Since the introduction of avian malaria to Hawaii a mere century ago, the disease has contributed to devastating declines of the native avifauna. In most Hawaiian forest birds, avian malaria causes high mortality. A few species are able to cope with infection, including the Hawaii Amakihi (pictured right), but surprisingly little is known about what allows the birds to survive infection. In this presentation, Gabbie will provide a brief overview of the history of avian malaria in Hawaii and discuss some of the findings from her PhD involving the causes and consequences of avian malaria resilience in Hawaii Amakihi.

 

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 21, 2021

Zoom Presentation: Climate Change

Poppy Hour: Climate Change

Thursday, April 22, 5:30–7:00 PM  FREE PROGRAM

CLICK HERE for YouTube
CLICK HERE for Zoom

We’re on a planet with an urgent problem. How shall we respond?

Robert Haw and Roger Klemm from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory join us for a talk that explains climate science in easily understood terms, discusses why human-induced climate change is real and alarming, and illustrates growing manifestations of global warming such as Feedback Loops and extinction rates.  Many of the changes in our world are evident in the biosphere, and we will address local effects, especially on native plants.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 21, 2021

Job Openings: Tahoe National Forest Westzone ACE botanical technician positions

Summary: American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit
Conservation Corps, in partnership with the Tahoe National Forest is
seeking two Botany Technicians. This opportunity is intended for enthusiastic professionals with a deep interest in advancing their
career goals in natural resource management and conservation.

The Botany Technicians will plan, participate in, and conduct a variety of field studies of native and non-native botanical species and their habitats. They will coordinate with the Forest Service botanist in developing data collection plans for use in habitat and species condition analyses. The member will also meet with others to plan and coordinate work efforts, discuss technical requirements, and present study findings or discuss technical problems encountered or anticipated during project work. An appreciation of the outdoors and an interest in the beautiful Sierra Nevada is key to this position.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 21, 2021

Interior Secretarial Orders revoke destructive Trump policies in Alaska and America’s Arctic

Alaskan Wilderness League News Release

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued two Secretarial Orders “to prioritize action on climate change throughout the Department and to restore transparency and integrity in the Department’s decision-making processes.” She also revoked Secretarial Orders issued during the previous administration found to be “inconsistent with the Department’s commitment to protect public health; conserve land, water, and wildlife; and elevate science.”

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 21, 2021

East Bay Regional Parks and Climate Change

Protecting Parks and Trails from Climate Change
Since 1966, the Park District has invested more than $85 million in acquisition of shoreline parks and over $184 million toward improvement projects, including projects that respond to the climate crisis and sea level rise risks. Explore the District’s new StoryMap about how climate change is affecting shoreline parks, the benefits of restoration and public access projects, and our ongoing efforts to protect parks and trails from changing climate and sea level rise. More Info.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 20, 2021

2021 SF State Sierra Nevada Field Campus Virtual Classes

The 2021 Summer program will consist of five virtual workshops. For up to the minute SNFC news, you may want to follow the Friends of the Sierra Nevada Field Campus on Facebook.

To see class listings go to  Class & Workshop Calendar-REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! for Summer 2021 | SF State Sierra Nevada Field Campus

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 20, 2021

The real reason humans are the dominant species

20The BBC  reports

Because unlike virtually every other creature on Earth, we human beings do much more with energy than just power our own metabolism.

“Anything that allows an organism to get energy more efficiently is going to have huge effects on the evolutionary trajectory of that organism,” explains Prof Rachel Carmody of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

She believes the decisive development was cooking. Cooking transforms the energy available from food, she argues.

Read full story at  The real reason humans are the dominant species – BBC News

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 19, 2021

Wildflower Bloom and Bust Cycles 4/22/21

Wildflower Bloom and Bust Cycles: Join the talk virtually on Thursday, April 22 at 6pm

Many of us have been able to experience the magic of vibrant hillsides showing a kaleidoscope of colors during a superbloom in California, but why isn’t every year a superbloom year? Join Maria Jesus, M.S. Botany student at Claremont University at CalBG, to learn all about the bloom and rest cycles of California’s native wildflowers. Join her on a virtual tour to several beloved wildflower hotspots around the state and learn the best strategies for wildflower viewing during dry years. Come away with a better understanding of how our changing world could impact superblooms of the future and learn about efforts to conserve California’s unique plant diversity. You can register here: https://www.calbg.org/event/wildflower-bloom-and-bust-cycles

 

 

 

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 19, 2021

East Bay Regional Park Tree Die-Off

from East Bay Regional Parks

Tree Die-Off a Major Fire Concern
Since October 2020, we have seen sudden tree mortality and dieback in many different species of trees, including eucalyptus, acacia, bay, and pine. The most significant Regional Parks impacted are Anthony Chabot, Reinhardt Redwood, and Tilden. So far, we have tracked approximately 1000 acres of tree die-off.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 18, 2021

CNPS California Native Plant Week Virtual Events

from CNPS

Each day of California Native Plant Week, we will unveil a 360° native plant experience. From home gardens to apartments, city parks to wildlands, these 360° tours will share the many ways that you can grow CAre with native plants. See garden tours and events at  Grow CAre Everywhere

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 18, 2021

Best East Bay Regional Parks for Wildflowers

10 Great Parks for Wildflowers
The Regional Parks are awash with colorful spring wildflower blooms! Check out our new Wildflowers in Your Parks webpage dedicated to this favorite springtime sight. Or enjoy these 10 great parks to see beautiful blooms.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 18, 2021

Prosperity comes at ‘devastating’ cost to nature

The BBC reports

A landmark review has called for transformational change in our economic approach to nature.

The long-awaited review by Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta, of the University of Cambridge, says prosperity has come at a “devastating” cost to the natural world.

The report proposes recognising nature as an asset and reconsidering our measures of economic prosperity.

It is expected to set the agenda on government policy going forward.

Read more at  Prosperity comes at ‘devastating’ cost to nature – BBC News

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 17, 2021

Zoom: Chaparral Regrowth After the Cave Fire

From Channel Islands CNPS Chapter

From Flames to Flowers: An In-depth Look at Chaparral Regrowth After the Cave Fire  w/ Bryant Baker of the Los Padres Forest Watch

Tuesday, April 20th, 2021 at 7:00PM 

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