Photos were taken in my yard on the last two days.
This is part of my continuing pandemic project, the “Stay at Home Photo Project”. It includes many street photos from Berkeley and Albany as well as photos from the UC Berkeley campus, my yard, local botanic gardens, and neighbors’ yards You can see larger higher quality versions of many of the photos at Flickr in my collection Stay at Home Photo Project.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Neighborhood Photos, Yard Photos
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To see description of presentations go to: https://friendsoftheinyo.salsalabs.org/2021olbf?wvpId=7a2f55e8-4afc-4ad6-8d82-7ddb51ae3d32
Posted in Bird Festivals, Birds | Tags: Owens Lake Bird Festival
Pacific Horticulture describes seven gardens to visit in Northern California. They include:
See Garden descriptions and photos at at A Horticultural Adventure through the West: Northern California Garden destinations across our region
Posted in Garden | Tags: Northern California Gardens
CALIFORNIA BOTANIC GARDEN
1500 North College Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711-3157 · Phone 909-625-8767 · Fax 909-626-7670 www.calbg.org
TITLE: Seed Conservation Intern
DEPARTMENT: Conservation
STATUS: Full-time Hourly, Seasonal Position
REPORTS TO: Director of Conservation Programs
SCHEDULE: Four 10-hour days/week
Position Overview:
Assist the Director of Conservation Programs and the Seed Conservation Program Manager in execution of field research and seed collecting activities for California Botanic Garden’s (CalBG) Conservation Program. Project activities will include a diverse program of work that includes assisting with: California Plant Rescue (CaPR) rare plant seed banking, Seed LA restoration seed collections, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Seeds of Success Program (SOS), rare plant monitoring, botanical surveys, and California Seed Bank curatorial duties. CaPR is a collaborative project to secure the future of California’s native flora by collecting seeds of California native plant species for long term preservation in secure regional seed banks (ex-situ conservation), Seed LA is a regional effort to make locally appropriate regional native plant materials more broadly available in the greater Los Angeles region, and SOS is a program coordinated by the BLM to support seed collections from native plant populations to conserve and develop native plant materials for stabilizing, rehabilitating and restoring lands in the United States. Duties include assisting in the field to scout populations, collect seed, conduct surveys, collect and process plant specimens, plant identification, data collection, preparation of field forms and reports, data entry and labeling of field collections, seed processing, seed testing, and preparation of seeds for storage.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Job Opening
Director of Collections University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley
We seek a permanent, full-time individual who will be a key player in the Botanical Garden’s teaching and worldwide research missions. Additional major roles include conservation of plant diversity and promoting public understanding and appreciation of plants’ natural environment. The UC Botanical Garden is distinguished by the diversity of its collection (over 16,000 accessions, representing 10,500 taxa) and by the fact that provenance is known for over 70% of the collection. Major responsibilities include: supervising a horticultural/curatorial staff of 15, exploring and defining directions and emphases for maintaining, refining, and expanding the Garden’s collection, including reviewing and setting Garden collection policy, setting strategic goals and planning their implementation, and developing opportunities for increasing the Garden’s collection through collaborations with national and international partners.
To apply go to garden’s Facebook page
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Job Opening
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The New York Times reports
When last we checked on the platypus, it was confounding our expectations of mammals with its webbed feet, duck-like bill and laying of eggs. More than that, it was producing venom.
Now it turns out that even its drab-seeming coat has been hiding a secret — when you turn on the blacklights, it starts to glow.
Read full article at Platypuses Glow Under Blacklight. We Have No Idea Why. – The New York Times
Posted in Animals | Tags: Platypuses
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Posted in Talks | Tags: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Events
Photos from a visit to the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley on February 23, 2021
The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a botanic garden of California native plants. The garden is open for visitors Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free but reservations are required. For reservations click here.
You can see other photos from the Regional Parks Botanic Garden by several photographers on the garden’s Flickr group page at Regional Parks Botanic Garden.
This is part of my continuing pandemic project, the “Stay at Home Photo Project”. It includes many street photos from Berkeley and Albany as well as photos from the UC Berkeley campus, my yard, local botanic gardens, and neighbors’ yards You can see larger higher quality versions of many of the photos at Flickr in my collection Stay at Home Photo Project.
Plant ranges are now available on Calflora! These ranges show where a plant could grow, and individual plant locations are also available as an overlay on the maps. Plant range maps are accessible from every Calflora taxon report page. See video demonstration at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdIAfvvjtBY&feature=youtu.be
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Calflora, California Plant Ranges
See the winners of the Birds Canada’s Winter Birds Photo Contest at Winter Birds Photo Contest Winners | Birds Canada.
Posted in Birds, Photography | Tags: Winter Birds Photo Contest Winners
The New York Times reports
A missed deadline for flights to look for polar bears means the work to locate oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is effectively killed.
An Alaska Native group failed to meet a critical deadline as part of its proposal to conduct a seismic survey in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Interior Department announced. The failure effectively kills the survey, which would have determined the location of oil and gas reserves in part of the refuge in anticipation of drilling there.
Read more at Seismic Survey of Alaskan Arctic Refuge Won’t Move Forward
Posted in Environment | Tags: Alaskan Arctic Refuge
Position Term This is an on-call position. We anticipate as much as 30-40 hours per week through June; however, we do not promise a minimum number of hours.
Reports To Project Manager
Summary: The Restoration Landscape Worker treats and removes weeds using his or her hands, hand tools, power tools, herbicide, backpack sprayers, and spray bottles. He or she also plants native plants, installs irrigation systems, and does other physical tasks as needed. Work is on the mainland of Santa Barbara County and Ventura County. Travel time to the job sites is typically not paid. Field conditions may be windy, hot, dusty, cold, muddy, and/or wet. The work is hard but also fun and in beautiful environments with great people!
Read more about qualifications, wages, benefits and how to apply at Habitat Restoration Landscape Worker — Channel Islands Restoration
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Job Opportunity
Posted in Talks, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Flora of Channel Islands
Center for Biological Diversity News Release
Judge Rejects Effort to Strip State Endangered Species Act Safeguards
A Fresno County Superior Court judge has rejected an effort by construction and real estate interests, along with the city of Hesperia, to strip away legal protections that currently apply to the imperiled western Joshua tree.
“This is a critical victory for these beautiful trees and their fragile desert ecosystem,” said Brendan Cummings, the Center for Biological Diversity’s conservation director and a Joshua Tree resident. “If Joshua trees are to survive the inhospitable climate we’re giving them, the most important thing we must do is protect their habitat, and this decision ensures recent protections will remain in place.”
On September 22, 2020, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to grant western Joshua trees candidate status under the California Endangered Species Act, giving them legal protection during a yearlong review to determine whether the species should be formally protected. The commission’s protection decision came in response to a petition from the Center.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Joshua Trees
Dates: Position is from mid-April 2021 to the end of Sept 2021 (~5 months).
Application deadline is 8am on March 3, 2021.
Compensation: $17.15 hourly, plus paid vacation and sick days
Overview: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is recruiting field botanists (GG-0404-05) to assist with research evaluating the effectiveness of restoration techniques used to decommission OHV trails in the deserts of southern California. The field techs will collect data on plant cover, density, and species diversity; soil bulk density and texture; and other measures of restoration success. Work will be based out of the USGS office in Henderson, NV, with week-long visits to various field sites in CA required (~20 travel days per month). This work will help the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) determine techniques used for future restoration projects. This is a temporary 5-month position that will begin in mid-April 2021.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Job Opening
from Audubon
You’re invited to this month’s episode of I Saw a Bird, Wednesday, February 24 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on Zoom and Facebook Live.
We’re going back to basics with Birding 101 tips from Program Manager for Urban Conservation at Audubon Pennsylvania, Keith Russel. Then, science educator and co-creator of the popular YouTube channel AsapSCIENCE, Greg Brown, will be joining us to talk about how he got into birds during the pandemic. These special guests and more this week on I Saw A Bird—see you on the internet!
Click below to RSVP for Wednesday’s show, and if you don’t already follow us on Facebook, click here to like our page.
| RSVP |
Posted in Birds | Tags: Birding Tips
from Audubon
| Since 2013, Audubon’s Hummingbirds at Home program has helped scientists understand how climate change, flowering patterns, and human interactions impact hummingbirds. Thanks to community scientists like you, our first peer-reviewed study about the program has confirmed many longstanding suspicions about these beloved birds and their important relationship with the native plants within their migratory range. Read on for more insights from the study |
Posted in Garden | Tags: Hummingbirds, Native Plants
Photos from a visit to the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley on February 20, 2021
The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a botanic garden of California native plants. The garden is open for visitors Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free but reservations are required. For reservations click here.
You can see other photos from the Regional Parks Botanic Garden by several photographers on the garden’s Flickr group page at Regional Parks Botanic Garden.
This is part of my continuing pandemic project, the “Stay at Home Photo Project”. It includes many street photos from Berkeley and Albany as well as photos from the UC Berkeley campus, my yard, local botanic gardens, and neighbors’ yards You can see larger higher quality versions of many of the photos at Flickr in my collection Stay at Home Photo Project.
From Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers & Native Plants
Poppy Hour: A Conversation with Brandy Williams Thursday, February 25, 5:30 PM -7:00 PM
Free event via Zoom or YouTube
Get in the conversation with Brandy Williams, founder Garden Butterfly as we talk about native and non-native succulents! We’ll discuss slowly introducing natives into gardens with limited space, including containers, the challenges of finding plants in general nurseries, mixing textures, pollinator habitat, ways to overcome common garden obstacles in the Los Angeles landscape and even growing your own food!
Poppy Hour is our California native plant internet mashup. Part interviews, part garden tour, part happy hour, we explore the amazing diversity of people and ideas that connect to Southern California plants and landscapes. Join us!
All previous episodes are archived on our YouTube channel.
Thank you to an anonymous donor for making Poppy Hour Season 2 possible.
Posted in Talks, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Butterfly Gardening, Native Plants
from Bay Nature
From the whimsical to the macabre to the downright bizarre, there’s an incredible amount of diversity in local fungi. These species showcase some of the fascinating features of mushrooms that you can find in Bay Area parks and urban spaces.
Posted in Uncategorized
Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association is the official sponsor of the Borrego Valley Hawkwatch. The Borrego Valley is a unique staging area for migrating Swainson’s Hawks each spring. A steady stream of hawks enters the Borrego Valley in the evening to roost, spending the night. In the morning, if food is available (food such as flying ants, caterpillars, or grasshoppers) the hawks feed before departing the valley, migrating north through Coyote Canyon on the way to breeding grounds, some as far away as Alaska.
Posted in Birds | Tags: Borrego Valley Hawkwatch
There are a number of job listing for the East Bay Regional Parks at Job Opportunities | Sorted by Job Title ascending | Jobs at East Bay Regional Park District
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Job Opportunities
Posted in Talks | Tags: Coffee with a Naturalist
Plant identification in the field can be challenging, and capturing clear pictures of the parts of a plant that you’ll need for later identification can be a frustrating exercise. Dee Himes will show you how to take quality close-ups with an iPhone and ōlloclip® lens adapter, and help understand what features of plants are needed to identify a plant from pictures. You’ll never have to return home and be disappointed that your pictures are missing features or are too fuzzy to use.
Dee has been a CNPS member since the early 2000s, and served as our Chapter treasurer (2012- 2014) as well as field trip chair (2014-2016). She’s currently serving on both the state CNPS and our Chapter’s board of directors. Dee has a passion for horticulture and photography and combines this love by photographing plants in their natural environment.
How to attend: via Zoom (preregistration required)
Or watch live or later on our YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/c/ CNPSSantaClaraValley.
Posted in Photography, Talks, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Plant ID pictures with a Camera Phone
You may have heard that next Tuesday, Feb. 23 is shaping up to be an important day for public lands, particularly in California. The U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on a package of bills called The Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act. Four of the bills will protect public lands in California:
Today, we need your help to encourage the following representatives to vote to support the Act. If you are represented by one of the following legislators, please take a moment to call or email their offices today or Monday.
Thanks in advance for helping us protect California’s native plants and places! Your voice matters!
Posted in Park | Tags: Public Land Protection
Audubon is hiring a CA Conservation Ranching Director! Join our team to protect grassland bird habitat, increase adoption of natural and working lands climate solutions, and keep ranchers ranching. Apply
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Job Opportunity
In a fevered bid for wealth, white ranchers and gold miners began pouring into the remote Mono Lake Basin east of Yosemite in the 1850s, taking over the ancestral lands of Native Americans who had existed there from time immemorial.
To members of the Mono Lake Kutzadika Paiute tribe, it was an assault on their traditions, their culture and on their very survival.
Read more A century-old fight for tribal recognition simmers – Los Angeles Times
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Mono Lake Kutzadika Paiute tribe
Wednesday, February 24, 7pm on Zoom
Sonoma Land Trust is committed to ensuring more equitable access to the outdoors and is proud to announce a special speaker for Black History Month: James Edward Mills, author of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors. “The Adventure Gap” refers to the racial, cultural and socioeconomic divide between those who spend time in nature and those who do not. A freelance journalist who specializes in telling stories about outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving and practices of sustainable living, James Edward Mills of Madison, Wisconsin has worked in the outdoor industry since 1989 as a guide, outfitter, independent sales representative, writer and photographer. His advocacy work focuses on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation. Interweaving stories from his own life, Mills will address what we can do about The Adventure Gap.
Posted in Talks
Friends of the Inyo Commends Biden Administration’s Decision to Protect the DRECP, California Desert National Conservation Lands
In an announcement today, the Department of the Interior says it would put a stop to efforts by the previous administration to reopen the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). Proposed changes would have rolled back key conservation protections, putting 2.2 million acres set aside for conservation at risk.
The following is a statement from Jora Fogg, Policy Director, Friends of the Inyo in response to this announcement:
“Friends of the Inyo extends our heartfelt thanks to the Biden Administration and the Department of the Interior for stopping this backhanded attempt to undermine the DRECP and open up the California Desert to more destructive development. Places like Conglomerate Mesa and Panamint Valley will remain permanently protected as Conservation Lands and existing areas identified as appropriate for Renewable Energy will help California combat climate change.”
Posted in Desert | Tags: Conglomerate Mesa!, Panamint Valley
Natural History Wanderings 