Marin CNPS has photos for species seen on a trip last Friday to the Rodeo Lagoon area and Rodeo Beach, in the Marin Headlands, GGNRA. at Marin Native Plants | Facebook
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 21, 2020
Rodeo Lagoon and Beach Wildflowers 7/17/20
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 21, 2020
Fire-related Road Closures Near Lassen Nat. Park
Lassen National Park reports
There are now temporary closures on Hwy 44 and Hwy 36 east of the park due to the Hog Fire. Conditions and closures are changing rapidly. Please check CalTrans for highway closures prior to travel and the CAL FIRE Lassen-Modoc Unit for fire information.
Posted in Park | Tags: Lassen National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 21, 2020
Plant Your Own Edible Native Fruits & Vegetables
Edible Native Fruits & Vegetables of SF
July 25, Saturday, 1pm Speaker: Susan Karasoff
Zoom reservations required
Presented in conjunction with San Francisco Public Library. San Francisco is home to many delicious edible native fruits, vegetables, herbs and nuts. Local California native plants evolved to adapt to our local soils and climate. We’ll discuss what to plant in specific areas of San Francisco so that you can grow your own native edible plant buffet, including shallow rooted plants that thrive in pots. Edible plant recommendations are based on ethnobotany publications of edible Ohlone and Coast Miwok plants, growing the plants and taste testing the plants.
Posted in Talks | Tags: Edible Native Fruits & Vegetables
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 20, 2020
New stretch of Bay Trail opens
The San Francisco Chronicle reports
The $18.9 million East Bay Regional Park District project added a new mile-long segment to the trail behind the Golden Gate Fields racetrack, closing a gap in the trail between Berkeley and Albany.
Read full story at‘The views are stunning’: New stretch of Bay Trail opens
Posted in Park | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks, San Francisco Bay Trail
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 20, 2020
Monumental Failure
A Sierra Club Article that points out a big contradiction
Donald Trump has authorized the government to arrest anyone who destroys a monument on federal land and punish them with up to 10 years in prison. Yet, his administration has devastated national monuments like Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante, which he slashed by two million acres to make way for drilling.
Read article at “But when it comes to destroying, nothing tops the devastation of his medieval border wall,” writes Sierra Club columnist Javier Sierra.
Posted in Environment, Park | Tags: Border Wall, National Monuments
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 19, 2020
Berkeley Street Photos 7/18/20
Photographed in the North Berkeley Flatlands on July 18, 2020.
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 which includes the following albums
Posted in Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos, Flowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 19, 2020
‘A Guide To The Birdsong: Volume II’ Uses Electronic Music To Save The Birds
NPR reports
An international collective of electronic music DJs and composers is taking beats from the dance club to jungles and forests and back, all to help save nature’s greatest singers. A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean is a new album that samples the sounds of endangered birds and whose proceeds go directly towards efforts to save them.
Read more and check out link at ‘A Guide To The Birdsong: Volume II’ Uses Electronic Music To Save The Birds : NPR
It has a good beat and you can dance to it.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 19, 2020
Two Webinars from Bay Nature: Trees and Tidepools
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Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Tidepools, trees
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 18, 2020
Eastern Sierra Job Opportunity: Education Coordinator
Eastern Sierra Land Trust announces
We have an exciting opportunity for any enthusiastic, conservation-minded young leader! Applications are open until July 24th to become ESLT’s next Education Coordinator and AmeriCorps member.
Apply today, or share this post and help us spread the word.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Eastern Sierra Land Trust, Job Opportunity
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 18, 2020
UC – Berkeley Botanical Garden Photos 7/17/20
The UC – Berkeley Botanical Garden has reopened. It is currently open only to members but will be open to the general public beginning July 22. It is open daily from noon to five by reservation. There is still an entrance fee as well as paid parking. For more information and to make reservations go to UC – Botanical Garden.
Here are some photos from my visit
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: UC-Berkeley Botanical Garden
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 18, 2020
Effortless Environmentalism
An interesting opinion piece on very easy ways everyone can help the environment.
Here are some easy ways to live more gently on the earth. The key word here is “easy.”
Read at Effortless Environmentalism – New York Times
Posted in Environment | Tags: How You Can Help the Environment
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2020
Coronavirus in Yosemite
The San Francisco Chronicle reports
There were no reports of coronavirus in Yosemite. Then they tested the park’s sewage
Like a lot of the rural West, Yosemite National Park stood as a safe haven from the coronavirus. No park employees or residents tested positive. No visitors reported being sick. The fresh air and open space seemed immune.
That’s until local health officials started looking for the coronavirus in the park’s raw sewage — that’s right, the poop. This week, lab analysis of feces at two wastewater treatment plants serving Yosemite revealed the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19. Dozens of people in Yosemite Valley are believed to have been infected.
Read more at There were no reports of coronavirus in Yosemite. Then they tested the park’s sewage – SFChronicle.com
Posted in Park | Tags: Coronavirus in Yosemite
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2020
Pt. Reyes Updates
Campgrounds have reopened!
Thursday, July 9, 2020, Park campgrounds reopened with some new rules in an effort to keep campers healthy.
The following areas, buildings, and roads are closed until further notice:
- Bear Valley Visitor Center
- Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center
- Point Reyes Beach between the North Beach parking lot and the mouth of Abbotts Lagoon is closed to all entry on weekends and federal holidays
- Sir Francis Drake Boulevard southwest of its junction with Drake Beach Road to the Point Reyes Lighthouse
- South Beach Road and parking lot
- Point Reyes Lighthouse, Lighthouse Visitor Center, and the surrounding area
- Chimney Rock and the surrounding area
- Mesa Road from the Commonweal entrance to Palomarin Trailhead (this is the most popular trailhead for Bass Lake and Alamere Falls)
- Palomarin Trailhead
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2020
Homestead Valley Land Trust Wildflowers July 17/2020
Homestead Valley has a new wildflower update. See photos and maps at July 17, 2020
NEW
– Coast tarweed, one of the resinous madias is blooming yellow in meadows.
– Old man’s beard*, native of Europe, is an invasive vine that blooms in forests with fragrant white flowers.
– Roughleaf aster is blooming with pale flowers in meadows.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2020
Staying Connected To Nature From Home
Eastern Sierra Land Trust has recommendations for staying connected to nature at home
- Visit our At-Home Haven, where we’ve uploaded resources for gardening, birdwatching, and more, along with family-friendly outdoor games and scavenger hunts.
- Tour America’s national parks, online.
- Meander through beautiful gardens all over California
- Go for a virtual hike, anywhere in the world
- Enjoy the lovely “True To Nature” exhibit from the National Gallery of Art
Learn even more resources at 05 Staying Connected From Home – Eastern Sierra Land Trust
Posted in Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 17, 2020
Andean condor can fly for 100 miles without flapping wings
The Guardian reports
World’s largest soaring bird flaps wings only 1% of time in flight, study shows
A study sheds light on just how efficiently the world’s largest soaring bird rides air currents to stay aloft for hours without flapping its wings.
The Andean condor has a 3-metre (10ft) wingspan and weighs up to 15kg (33lbs), making it the world’s heaviest soaring bird.
Read story at Andean condor can fly for 100 miles without flapping wings | Environment | The Guardian
Posted in Birds | Tags: Andean Condor
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 16, 2020
National Parks May Become Latest Battleground in Reopening
The New York Times reports
Americans crave outdoor recreation more than ever. But National Parks – sometimes many miles from equipped hospitals – are grappling with how to stay safely open.
Most National parks have at least partially reopened, including Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. But infections are surging in Western states that host many of the country’s most-visited parks.
Read more at National Parks May Become Latest Battleground in Reopening – The New York Times
Posted in Park | Tags: National Parks and Coronavirus
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 16, 2020
Trump Administration Guts National Environmental Policy Act
EarthJustice News Release
Final Council on Environmental Quality regulations to trigger legal challenges
The Trump administration finalized its proposal to gut more than 40 years of settled environmental law. The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released the final text of a sweeping rule which will eviscerate core components of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a crucial safeguard for communities’ clean air, clean water, and health, as well as imperiled species and wild lands. Environmental justice and conservation advocates announced their intention to respond to the rollback with legal action.
CEQ’s proposal is the culmination of a relentless, multiyear assault on NEPA’s protections for workers, local communities, and the natural environment. It would open the door for the government to exempt pipelines, large-scale logging operations, waste incinerators, smog-spewing highways, and countless other federal actions from environmental review or sharply limit local communities’ ability to participate in the environmental decision-making process.
Posted in Environment | Tags: National Environmental Policy Act
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 16, 2020
Backyard Birding Podcast
NPR has a podcast on backyard birding
If you pay attention to what’s going on in your own backyard, ornithologist Viviana Ruiz Gutierrez says the birds you see will likely put on a great show. In this episode of the Short Wave podcast, Gutierrez provides a primer on migration, mating dances, nesting, and tips on how to be hospitable to the birds in your neighborhood. (Listen here)
Posted in Birds | Tags: Backyard Birding
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 15, 2020
Berkeley Yard Photos July 14, 2020
Photographed in my yard on July 14, 2020. I was fortunate to have a Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly land in front of me. I didn’t have a camera but took the photo with an iPhone. I was so close to the butterfly I didn’t have to zoom in or crop the photo. We also found some new Pipevine Swallowtail eggs and caterpillars on our California Pipevine. This is always a treat as Pipevine Swallowtails are only seen in our neighborhood occasionally.
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 which includes the following albums
- Berkeley and Albany Street Photos
- Yard Photos
- UC – Berkeley Forest Science Tree Trail
- Berkeley Hills
- Rockridge and Claremont-Elmwood Street Photos
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos, Flowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 15, 2020
This is Latino Conservation Week
Latino Conservation Week: Disfrutando y Conservando Nuestra Tierra is an initiative of Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF). Latino Conservation Week was created to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources.
During this week, community, non-profit, faith-based, and government organizations and agencies hold events throughout the country. From hiking and camping to community roundtables and film screenings, these activities promote conservation efforts in their community, and provide an opportunity for Latinos to show their support for permanently protecting our land, water, and air.
Read more at Latino Conservation Week :: A Hispanic Access Foundation Initiative – About LCW
Posted in Environment | Tags: Latino Conservation Week
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 15, 2020
Fracking Firms Fail, Rewarding Executives and Raising Climate Fears
The New York Times reports
Oil and gas companies in the United States are hurtling toward bankruptcy at a pace not seen in years, driven under by a global price war and a pandemic that has slashed demand. And in the wake of this economic carnage is a potential environmental disaster — unprofitable wells that will be abandoned or left untended, even as they continue leaking planet-warming pollutants, and a costly bill for taxpayers to clean it all up.
Still, as these businesses collapse, millions of dollars have flowed to executive compensation.
Read full story at Fracking Firms Fail, Rewarding Executives and Raising Climate Fears
Posted in Environment | Tags: Fracking
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 15, 2020
Big Win for Yellowstone Grizzlies
The Sierra Club reported
Last week, the US Appeals Court of the Ninth Circuit ordered Endangered Species Act protections reinstated for Yellowstone grizzlies, effectively halting planned trophy hunts in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. “We’re thrilled with the court’s decision,” said Bonnie Rice of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America Campaign.
Posted in Animals | Tags: Yellowstone Grizzlies
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 15, 2020
California condors in Sequoia National Park, a first in 50 years
The Los Angeles Times reports
For the first time in nearly 50 years, California condors have been spotted at Sequoia National Park, wildlife officials announced.
At least six condors were spotted in the park in late May, including two near Moro Rock, a popular hiking destination. Four others were seen in the Giant Forest, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday in a joint news release.
Read full story at California condors in Sequoia National Park, a first in 50 years – Los Angeles Times
Posted in Birds, Park | Tags: California Condors, Sequoia National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 15, 2020
A Dam Comes Down — and Tribes, Cities, Salmon and Orcas Could All Benefit
The Revelator reports
You may not have heard much about the long fight to remove the Nooksack Dam near Bellingham, Washington, but its detonation this week will prove ecologically and culturally important.
Proponents also hope to see indirect benefits for endangered Southern Resident killer whales. This population of orcas ranges across Pacific Northwest coastal waters and relies on dwindling numbers of Chinook as a main food source. Fewer than 80 of the whales remain, and Chinook populations have fallen so low that the orcas have started altering their traditional migration patterns as they search for fish to eat.
Read full story at : A Dam Comes Down — and Tribes, Cities, Salmon and Orcas Could All Benefit • The Revelator
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Nooksack Dam
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 14, 2020
Joshua Tree Limits Indoor Services
Joshua Tree National Park reports
Joshua Tree National Park, in response to guidance from the State Health Department and to support the nation’s effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, will temporarily limit some indoor services at the park. Effective immediately, the following areas will be temporarily limited until local public health guidance changes:
1. Oasis of Mara Visitor Center, Twentynine Palms, CA – The museum portion of the visitor center will be temporarily closed but the bookstore and information desk will remain open.
2. Joshua Tree Visitor Center – The museum portion of the visitor center will be temporarily closed but the bookstore and information desk will remain open.
Posted in Park | Tags: Joshua Tree National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 14, 2020
SFBBO Waterbird Research – Zoom Presentation
Golden Gate Audubon’s Online Speaker Series
This month’s feature: SFBBO Waterbird Research
with Dr. Max Tarjan
This Thursday, July 16th at 7 pm
Learn about four decades of waterbird research and conservation in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device:
Please click this URL to join. https://zoom.us/j/92759490662?pwd=RCtKUDdBelVqd2wwNjFOUlRDWWZWQT09
Password: 493519
Password: 493519
Or join by phone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799click read more to learn about presentation and sign in
US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799click read more to learn about presentation and sign in
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Waterbird Research
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 14, 2020
Comet NEOWISE up in the evening now, too
EarthSky reports
Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) has been putting on a grand show at dawn for binocular users. It’s very far to the north on the sky’s dome, becoming visible now (with optical aid) to observers in the northern U.S. and Canada in the early evening skies as well.
For charts and more info click on For those at northerly latitudes, Comet NEOWISE up in the evening now, too | Space | EarthSky
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 14, 2020
Berkeley Street Photos 7/13/20
Photographed in the Claremont neighborhood in Berkeley on July 13, 2020. It is an extension of the walking tour I did on July 3 and 6 in Rockridge, Claremont, Elmwood and Uplands neighborhoods
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 which includes the following albums
Posted in Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos, Flowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 14, 2020
Roadkill Declines as COVID-19 Continues
UC Davis has a study showing Roadkill Declines as COVID-19 Continues
Fewer wild animals, including threatened mountain lions, are becoming roadkill during shelter-in-place orders, finds a study on three states from the University of California, Davis.
Using traffic and collision data collected from California, Idaho and Maine, the researchers found that wildlife-vehicle conflict has declined by 21 percent to 56 percent from early March to mid-April, following government stay-at-home orders.
Read more at Roadkill Declines as COVID-19 Continues | UC Davis
Posted in Animals | Tags: Roadkill and Covid -19
Natural History Wanderings 