Who’s Who Among the Oaks, my fun and interactive talk that will take place at 7:30 pm tomorrow night (Wednesday, 1/27). It is being sponsored by the East Bay chapter of the California Native Plant Society.click here to read about or sign up.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 26, 2021
Zoom Talk on Oaks 1/27/21
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 26, 2021
Yosemite Closed Until at least 1/30/21
from Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park will remain closed at least until Saturday, January 30, 2021, conditions permitting. Park staff continue to clear roads and trails, mitigate hazard trees, and work toward restoring safe conditions for employees and visitors due to last week’s Mono wind event. A significant winter storm is forecast to begin Tuesday night. Hazardous conditions, including substantial snow accumulation, falling trees, and dangerous road conditions, are anticipated through the week.
When the park reopens, it will be open 24 hours per day. Upper Pines Campground will open on February 8. Yosemite Valley Lodge and The Ahwahnee will open on February 5. Visitors will be able to enter the park using El Portal Road (Highway 140), Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 from the west), and Hetch Hetchy Road. Areas south of Yosemite Valley (including Badger Pass, Wawona, Mariposa Grove, South Entrance, and Wawona Road) will remain closed until further notice.
Posted in Park | Tags: Yosemite Closures
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 26, 2021
Biden Sets in Motion Plan to Ban New Oil & Gas Leases on Federal Land
The New York Times reports
President Biden on Wednesday will direct federal agencies to determine how expansive a ban on new oil and gas leasing on federal land should be, part of a suite of executive orders that will effectively launch his agenda to combat climate change, two people with knowledge of the president’s plans said Monday.
An eventual ban on new drilling leases would fulfill a campaign promise that infuriated the oil industry and became a central theme in the fight for the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania, where the natural gas extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has become big business.
Read more at Biden Launches Climate Change Efforts – The New York Times
Posted in Environment | Tags: Federal Gas and Oil Leases
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 25, 2021
Zoom Event: Learn About The Flora of Santa Catalina Island! 1/28/21
|
Learn About The Flora of Santa Catalina Island!
|
|
January 28th at 7pm with Plant Systematist Dr. Matt Guilliams
|
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Flora of Santa Catalina Island
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 25, 2021
When exoplanets collide
EarthSky reports about
Ten years ago, scientists speculated that warm dust in the exoplanet system BD +20 307 – located 300 light years away – had resulted from a planet-to-planet collision. Now astronomers see 10% more warm dust in this system, further supporting the idea of a collision between worlds.
When astronomers speak of the process that formed our Earth, moon and the other worlds orbiting our sun, they often speak of collisions. The planets began as dust grains orbiting the newly born sun. The grains came together, making bigger grains, ultimately forming clumps that in turn collided with each other to form larger bodies known as planetesimals. More collisions … and more. And even after the planets we know today had ultimately formed, the collisions in our solar system did not stop.
Read more at When exoplanets collide | Space | EarthSky
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: Exoplanet Collisions
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 24, 2021
Virtual Presentation: Casual Birding in Trinidad & Tobago 1/27/21
from Audubon
|
|
|
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Birding in Trinidad & Tobago
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 24, 2021
Virtual Journey Through Carrizo Plain 1/26/21
|
Join Us Virtually for a Visual Journey Through the Carrizo Plain National Monument
|
|
Join photographer Chuck Graham, author of the recently published book Carrizo Plain: Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands, on this visual journey through the Carrizo Plain National Monument as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of its designation. Chuck has been exploring the Carrizo Plain for years, photographing stunning superblooms, wildlife experiences, and the beauty of the national monument through every season.Tuesday, January 26 7 – 8:30pm
|
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 24, 2021
Early Winter Garden Photographs 1/23/21
There is always something in bloom in my yard in Berkeley, CA. The early season flowers (can’t really call them spring) are starting to bloom. Here is what is in bloom in my yard right now. on January 23, 2021.
This is part of my continuing 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 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) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos, Flowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 24, 2021
Restoring Environmental Rules Rolled Back by Trump Could Take Years
The New York Times reports
President Biden, vowing to restore environmental protections frayed over the past four years, has ordered the review of more than 100 rules and regulations on air, water, public lands, endangered species and climate change that were weakened or rolled back by his predecessor.
But legal experts warn that it could take two to three years — and in some cases, most of Mr. Biden’s term — to put many of the old rules back in place.
Read more at Restoring Environmental Rules Rolled Back by Trump Could Take Years – The New York Times
Posted in Environment | Tags: Restoring Environmental Rules Rolled Back by Trump
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 23, 2021
President Biden Issues Pro-Parks Executive Orders on First Day
National Parks Conservation Association reports
Shortly after taking office on Wednesday, President Joe Biden issued a series of executive orders addressing a range of issues from public health to immigration to the economy. Many of these new policies reflect NPCA’s top priorities for parks on issues that we — and you — have fought hard for months, even years, to see addressed. NPCA strongly supports many of the executive orders, including the following 10 actions.
Read more at President Biden Issues Pro-Parks Executive Orders on First Day · National Parks Conservation Association
Posted in Park | Tags: Pro-Parks Executive Orders
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 23, 2021
A Most Artistic Fish
To attract a female fish, the Japanese Puffer fish will work 24 hours a day, for an entire week in a row, to create the most stunning sand art. This most incredible video from BBC Earth gives us glorious look at nature and fish in particularly. After watching this video, people will hopefully look differently on fishes and treat them more kindly.
See the artistic work of this incredible fish at Puffer Fish Constructs A Masterpiece of Love – BBC Earth
Posted in Animals | Tags: Puffer Fish
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 22, 2021
Yosemite National Park to Remain Closed After Wind Damage
NBC Bay Area reports
Yosemite National Park will remain closed through the weekend after high winds that battered much of California knocked down two giant sequoias and caused millions of dollars in damage.
The park hoped to reopen Tuesday except for areas south of Yosemite Valley, including one entrance, that will remain shut to visitors, the park said Thursday.
Read more at Yosemite National Park to Remain Closed After Wind Damage – NBC Bay Area
Posted in Park | Tags: Yosemite National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 22, 2021
Researchers used Covid lockdown to show how tourism can protect vulnerable seabirds
Anthropocene reports
After a Sweden company shut down tourist traffic to a bird watching island, an influx of eagles wreaked havoc on the murre breeding season.
For a seabird trying to breed, eagles can spell trouble, either through direct attacks or by flushing seabirds off of their nests. But common murres in the Baltic Sea may have an unexpected ally—traveling humans.
Read article at Researchers used Covid lockdown to show how tourism can protect vulnerable seabirds
Posted in Birds | Tags: Murre Breeding
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 21, 2021
Major national park expansion for South America’s other big forest | BirdLife
Birdlife reports
Great news for the Gran Chaco, South America’s second largest forest and home to a host of rare and threatened species. This year, a major national park in Argentina will expand its size by almost 50% – benefiting both wildlife and local livelihoods.
Read about the expansion of Gran Chaco at Major national park expansion for South America’s other big forest | BirdLife
Posted in Birds | Tags: Gran Chaco National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 20, 2021
17 executive actions President Biden Will Take Right Away
from NPR
Just hours after he is sworn into office on Inauguration Day, President-elect Joe Biden plans to sign 17 executive actions in the Oval Office to try to hit the ground running on his top priorities — and to roll back some of President Trump’s initiatives in those areas, a group of his top advisers told reporters.
Biden wants to build momentum on his plans to address the COVID-19 crisis, the economy, racial justice and climate.
Below is a partial list of Biden’s planned actions:
- Require the wearing of masks and social distancing in federal buildings and on federal lands by federal employees and contractors.
- Rejoin the World Health Organization
- Ask federal agencies to extend eviction and foreclosure moratoriums through March 31
- Ask Education Department to extend federal student loan payment and interest pause through September 30
- Rejoin the Paris climate agreement
- Revoke the presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline
- Place a temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
- Begin to reverse more than 100 actions Trump took to roll back environmental regulations
- Rescind President Trump’s 1776 Commission and revoke Trump’s order limiting diversity training
- Stop on all wall construction at the southern border
- Reverse the Trump directive to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census numbers used to reapportion each state’s share of Congressional seats and Electoral College votes
Read more at Here’s What Biden Plans To Do In His 1st Day As President
Posted in Environment | Tags: President Biden
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 20, 2021
Include Native Plants in Your Fire-Smart Landscaping
From the Marin CNPS
Californians are coming to the realization that while wildfires may threaten many of our neighborhoods, fire also plays a role in our ecosystem. Along with hardening our structures, we must assess our landscaping with the goal of reducing fuels. A yard filled with plants native to the area can form the basis for a fire smart landscape, as well as provide ecosystem benefits and require less irrigation. As the first step in helping homeowners make their gardens safer in the event of fire, the Marin Chapter has developed a Plant Replacement List for homeowners who are removing fire-prone plants.
Read more at CNPS Marin – Include Native Plants in Your Fire-Smart Landscaping
Posted in Garden | Tags: Fire-Smart Landscaping
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 19, 2021
Zoom Presentation:Net Negative Emissions in California by 2030: Can We Do It?
From Golden Gate Audubon
The latest climate science supports what millions of people and animals are experiencing daily: the impacts of climate change are hitting harder and faster than expected, posing grave threats to human health and planetary health. We are already pushing against multiple global tipping points that could unleash abrupt and irreversible damage to people and wildlife alike. Children, the elderly, and people living in low-income communities are disproportionately affected.
Our only hope for a vibrant, healthy, and equitable future for all is to enact bold climate policies now, not decades from now. The solutions exist in every sector- from energy and transportation to natural and working lands management. Yet we still lack the political will. Ms. Cohen will highlight recent climate science findings followed by an overview of The Climate Center’s Climate-Safe California initiative and recent successes. She will inspire citizen action to ensure that California, the world’s 5th largest economy, steps up its climate leadership by enacting the bold policies required by science soon. She will conclude with a hopeful view of our future to protect the planet for future generations.
When: This Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 7 pm PST
How To Sign In: Our free Speaker Series webinar is available on a first come, first serve basis with capacity for up to 500 participants. We currently do not have the capacity to register or sign up participants before the event. Please make sure to download the Zoom app before the Speaker Series begins. You will need a passcode to sign into the event. Links and passcode are provided below.
Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device:
Please click this URL to join. https://zoom.us/j/92233923477?pwd=M1pKOGxrTlNISDgrSFUwZmlPZnJEdz09
Posted in Environment, Talks | Tags: Climate change
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 19, 2021
Berkeley Street Photos January 17 and 18, 2021
Photographed in the North Berkeley Flatlands on January 17 and 18, 2021.
This is part of my continuing 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 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 Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos, Flowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 19, 2021
2021 Tilden Fungus Fair On Youtube
You can now see the Tilden Fungus Fair from this past weekend on YouTube at 2021 Tilden Fungus Fair – YouTube
Posted in Mushrooms, Talks | Tags: 2021 Tilden Fungus Fair
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 19, 2021
Consortium wants to cut down L.A. County Arboretum trees
The LA Times
Officials at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden are in an uproar over a plan to manage storm water and boost climate resiliency by cutting down “specimen trees” — some 70 years old and more than 100 feet tall — to make room for groundwater recharge ponds and a pump station.
Source: Consortium wants to cut down L.A. County Arboretum trees – Los Angeles Times
Posted in Garden, Park | Tags: L.A. County Arboretum
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 19, 2021
Climate Watch Results
from Audubon
| What have we learned from Climate Watch? |
Since Climate Watch began, thousands of dedicated volunteers nationwide have donned their binoculars to count bluebirds, nuthatches, goldfinch, towhee, or Painted Bunting to help Audubon understand how these at-risk birds are responding to the impacts of climate change. To highlight these efforts, we have created both written reports and an online visualizer tool, where you can explore the locations of past Climate Watch surveys and the bird data that were collected. Take a look at what we’ve learned, and if you haven’t yet, sign up for the 2021 winter session before next Friday, January 15. To get started, check the coordinators list to see if there is an organized group in your area or follow these steps to count on your own. View Results |
Posted in Birds | Tags: Climate Watch
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 18, 2021
A Bird Pandemic
As we are having a pandemic the birds are also currently having one of their own right now too. There has been a salmonella outbreak amongst birds all over the country. It is very deadly to them and kills within days. The infected birds typically are lethargic, unkempt appearance, and will let humans get closer than usual. Apparently it spreads easily amongst birds, especially finches, also Pine Siskins, where they congregate in groups at feeders and baths. This disease can also spread to humans, but you can prevent it by doing what we normally do to fend off sickness by keeping clean, washing our hands, and cleaning feeders every once in a while.
Pay some attention if you see any bird at your feeder showing symptoms described in the article below. Take down you feeder immediately, clean it well.
For guidelines on how to clean your feeder got to http://support.wildcarebayarea.org/site/DocServer/Salmonella_in_Birds_how_to_prevent.pdf
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Bird Pandemic
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 18, 2021
President-elect Biden to nix Keystone XL pipeline in fight on climate change
The Washington Post reports
Biden is expected to soon reverse the efforts of the Trump administration and end a project proposed more than a decade ago.
Signaling his commitment to quickly confront climate change, President-elect Joe Biden is planning to move within days to quash the controversial multibillion-dollar Keystone XL pipeline, according to two individuals familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it had not been announced yet.
Read more at Pipeline from Canada would carry low quality oil from northern Alberta to the United States – The Washington Post
Posted in Environment | Tags: Keystone XL pipeline
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 18, 2021
UC – Berkeley Botanical Garden Plant Sale
Shop for Exceptional Plants Online 1/23-29
Buy exotic plants from the collection! The renovation of the Garden’s Tropical House required a reduction of some of the larger specimens and removal of redundant plants housed there. These tropical delights will be available for you to take your own piece of the Garden home. Browse our decadent collection of subtropicals, tropicals, and a selection of arid-region plants in our online store packed with plenty of exotic foliage and flowers to choose from.
Learn more at Plant Sale
Posted in Garden | Tags: Plant Sale
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 17, 2021
East Bay Regional Park District MLK Event
from the East Bay Regional Park District
Join the Park District in celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a virtual pre-recorded multicultural event honoring his life and dream through words, song, dance and spirit. The virtual rally takes place Monday, January 18, 2021 at 10am and will be emceed by EBRPD Board Director Ellen Corbett. Presented by the Martin Luther King Jr Rally Committee, this special program is in its 29th year as Oakland’s longest continuing celebration of Dr. King. Featured guests include former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, youth from MLK Freedom Center, and many others.
See event at East Bay Regional Park District MLK Event
Posted in Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 17, 2021
Free Admission to National Park for the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
from the National Park Service
In honor of the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., National Park Service sites will have free admission for everyone on Monday, January 18, 2021, as the first fee free day of the year. Commemorated on the third Monday of January, it is also a day of service when hundreds of volunteers participate in service projects at parks across the country.
Find volunteer opportunities inspired by a day of service or attend a ranger program to learn more about the history of Dr. King and the pursuit of civil rights in America.
If heading to a national park, please remember to recreate responsibly and check the park’s website for hours of operations and other trip planning information.
Posted in Park | Tags: Fee Free National Park Days, the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 17, 2021
Berkeley Street Photos January 16, 2021
Photographed in the North Berkeley Flatlands on January 16, 2021.
This is part of my continuing 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 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 Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos, Flowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 17, 2021
Mushroom Field Guides
from the 2021 Tilden Fungus Fair
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fungi of Coastal California by Noah Siegel; Christian (California Coast)
California Mushrooms: The Comprehensive Identification Guide by Dennis E. Desjardin (mainly Sierra Nevada)
Mushrooms Demystified Paperback – Illustrated, by David Aurora (covers all of US)
All That The Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Field Guide by David Aurora
Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest by Joe Ammirati and Steve Trudel
Mushrooms of Northeastern N. America by David William Fischer, Alan Bessette, Arleen
Mushrooms Southeastern U.S. by Dail L. Dunaway, William C. Roody, Arleen Bessette, Alan Bessette
Posted in Mushrooms | Tags: Mushroom Field Guides
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 17, 2021
Book Review – The Home Place: A Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature
from Golden Gate Audubon
GGAS’s Eco-Education Manager, Clay Anderson, was tasked by Western Field Ornithologists with writing a book review for famed Black birder J. Drew Lanham’s book, The Home Place: A Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature. Clay’s beautifully written review can be read by clicking here. We also recommend you check out Mr. Lanham’s stunning book.
About Mr. Lanham’s book: Dating back to slavery, Edgefield County, South Carolina—a place “easy to pass by on the way to somewhere else”—has been home to generations of Lanhams. In The Home Place, readers meet these extraordinary people, including Drew himself, who over the course of the 1970s falls in love with the natural world around him. As his passion takes flight, however, he begins to ask what it means to be “the rare bird, the oddity”—to find joy and freedom in the same land his ancestors were tied to by forced labor, and then to be a black man in a profoundly white field. If you’d like to learn more, please click here.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | January 16, 2021
Zoom presentation: Mushroom Diversity in Your Backyard 1/19/21
Mycological Society of San Francisco – Event Information
Virtual General Meeting – Noah Siegel: Exploring the Unknown: Cryptic Mushroom Diversity in Your Backyard
| Event Date: | 1/19/2021 |
| Event Time: | 7:00-10:00 pm (Pacific Time US and Canada) |
| Location: | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87041405787 Zoom Meeting ID: 870 4140 5787 One-tap mobile: +16699006833,,8704140578 |
For more information go to https://mms.mssf.org/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=61387&rid=17528047
Posted in Mushrooms, Talks | Tags: Mushroom Diversity in Your Backyard
Natural History Wanderings 