The Guardian reports
Rural towns on the edge of parks split between fear of infection and imperative to revive tourism-dependent economies
the phased reopening of America’s national parks has raised concerns about exacerbating the spread of Covid-19 and endangering the residents of rural towns located near parks.
Read more at US national park reopenings raise fears of coronavirus outbreaks | Environment | The Guardian
Posted in Park | Tags: National Park Openings.
Climate News Network writes about how to save economy and climate together
There’s growing agreement by economists and scientists: Covid-19 needs the world to rescue both economy and climate together
The warnings are stark. With the Covid-19 crisis wreaking global havoc and the overheating atmosphere threatening far worse in the long term, especially if governments rely on the same old carbon-intensive ways, both economy and climate will sink or swim together.
Read more How to save economy and climate together | Climate News Network
Posted in Environment | Tags: Jointly rescuing economy and climate
Homestead Valley has a new wildflower update. See photos and maps at May 15, 2020
NEW
– American wild carrot is blooming in meadows.
– California coffeeberry, one of the most common shrubs of the forest understory, is blooming with clusters of flowers.
– California everlasting is blooming in the meadows of Homestead Hill.
– Coyote mint is blooming purple in meadows.
– Lance leaf self heal is blooming velvety purple in seeps on the Homestead Trail near 12.
– Milkwort is blooming low and purple in the meadow near 14.
– Naked buckwheat is blooming in meadows below Homestead Hill.
– Sticky monkeyflower is blooming orange in meadows.
You can again follow Natural History Wanderings on Facebook. For some unknown reason posts stop showing up on Facebook. It only recently came to my attention but I believe it has been corrected. All new posts should now show up on Facebook. If anyone notices a problem with this please let me know. Thanks and sorry for the past inconvenience to Facebook followers.
Posted in Uncategorized
The Moab Sun reports
On May 13, Zion National Park is set to begin a phased reopening amid a nationwide push to reopen businesses and public land. Arches and Canyonlands will follow suit at the end of the month on May 29 after two months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more Arches, Canyonlands, Zion National Parks to reopen | Covid-19 | moabsunnews.com
Posted in Park | Tags: Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Zion National Park
These photos taken along the streets in the Berkeley Hills on the afternoon of May 15, 2020. They are part of my continuing project, which I am now calling the “Stay at Home Photo Project” It has included 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 of the Stay at Home Photo project on Flickr at
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos
National Parks Conservation Association Press Release
Federal agencies tasked with protecting America’s national parks, public lands, and waterways did the opposite today by advancing the proposed 210-mile Ambler industrial mining road. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has consistently fought the proposed road and associated mining district, which threatens Alaska Native communities and the remarkable parklands and wildlife in the region, including one of Earth’s longest land migrations. The rushed federal review is fatally flawed, as it fails in numerous ways to assess the true impacts of the industrial mining road on clean water, air, wildlife, climate change, and local food security.
Posted in Environment, Park | Tags: Ambler industrial mining road, Gates of the Arctic National Preserve
These photos taken along the streets of Albany and the North Berkeley Flatlands on the afternoon of May 14, 2020. They are part of my continuing project, which I am now calling the “Stay at Home Photo Project” It has included 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 of the Stay at Home Photo project on Flickr at
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos
In Defense of Plants reports
When you think of gardening, alligators don’t readily jump to mind. Hang out long enough in places like the Everglades and that might change. I was only recently introduced to the concept of a “gator hole” and I must say, I was surprised what a quick search of the literature revealed. It turns out that alligators are important ecosystem engineers and do a wonderful job at increasing plant diversity in the wetlands they inhabit.
Read more at Alligators Increase Plant Diversity — In Defense of Plants
Posted in Animals, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Alligators
These photos taken along the streets of Albany and the North Berkeley Flatlands on the afternoon of May 12, 2020. They are part of my continuing project, which I am now calling the “Stay at Home Photo Project” It has included 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 on my Flickr site at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandysteinman/albums
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos
The LA Times reports
The people who guard the gulls that nest on Mono Lake’s islets in the eastern Sierra Nevada have used dynamite, electric fences and lawsuits to protect the birds from wily coyotes and diversions of water to Los Angeles.
Through it all, California gulls returned each year to rear new generations of their species in roughly 25,000 nests.
Now, the gulls are facing a botanical invader they may not be able to overcome: thickets of invasive weeds that have engulfed most of their breeding grounds.
Read more at Mono Lake’s California gulls must contend with invasive weeds – Los Angeles Times
Posted in Birds | Tags: California Gulls, habitat loss, Invasive Weeds
Photographed in my yard yesterday after the morning rain. My goal was to include photographs of raindrops on plants. It is part of my continuing project, which I am now calling the “Stay at Home Photo Project” It has included 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 on my Flickr site at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandysteinman/albums
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Flower photos, Garden
EarthSky answers the question “”How small is the smallest habitable exoplanet?”
Where can we expect to find life beyond Earth? A new study has redefined the lower limit in mass for habitable exoworlds. It suggests that low-mass waterworlds might exist and might be a place to look.
Read more at How small is the smallest habitable exoplanet? | Space | EarthSky
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: exoplanets
A series of three virtual gardening workshops from the East Sierra Land Trust
Guest speaker Dr. Sarah Richman, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno will share takeaways from her research about the challenges pollinators face, and how you can help by creating your own blooming backyard habitat. She’ll share science-based tips and tricks for the best ways to bring your garden to life.
For more information and to register for any of these workshops, contact Education Coordinator and AmeriCorps Member Marie at marie@eslt.org.
Posted in Class/Workshop, Garden | Tags: Virtual Gardening Workshop
|
|
|
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Spring Migration
The Mercury News has an article how to do a virtual visit to Yosemite at Virtual vacation: A weekend jaunt to Yosemite — via laptop
There are live webscams, archived time-lapse feeds, and 33 video podcasts including soundscapes, night skies, bears and moonbows.
Posted in Park | Tags: Yosemite National Park
Cornell Lab of Ornithology has an article how tips for photographing birds in Flight
Successfully shooting birds in flight is rewarding and exciting, but it takes a lot of patience and there is no single surefire approach to it. If every bird in flight were a slow-flying, high-contrast Osprey against a clear blue sky, the task would be easier. But try photographing a puffin flying 50 mph against a dark cliff in flat light! Camera and lens capabilities, birds’ flight styles and speeds, plumage effects on autofocus performance, quality of light, and variable backgrounds—all of these factors and more can make photographing birds in flight challenging and frustrating. But don’t despair! Try these tips and best practices—they’ll get you started photographing birds in flight.
Read more at How to Photograph Birds in Flight | All About Birds All About Birds
Posted in Birds, Photography | Tags: Bird Photography
Photos taken along the streets of the North Berkeley Flatlands on May 11, 2020. All photos in this post and on the previous Berkeley and Albany Street photo posts were taken within a mile and a half of home. This is part of my continuing project during this “shelter at home” period.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos
Posted in Park | Tags: Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
The Center for Biological Diversity reports
The president’s “Nuclear Fuel Working Group” has issued recommendations to dramatically expand uranium mining by lifting protections on public lands like those around the Grand Canyon. The group is also calling to slash environmental laws and use our precious tax dollars to prop up the deadly industry.
Help stop this push to expand uranium mining in the West.
Read more at Grand Canyon Threatened by Radioactive Trump Plan
Posted in Environment | Tags: Grand Canyon Threatened by Radioactive Trump Plan
Photos taken in my backyard, a friend’s yard where a Black Phoebe is nesting and along the streets of the North Berkeley Flatlands on May 10, 2020. All photos in this post and on the previous Berkeley and Albany Street photo posts were taken within a mile and a half of home. This is part of my continuing project during this “shelter at home” period.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos
KRCR reports
After closing amid the coronavirus pandemic, the National Park Service is testing public access at several parks across the nation, including two in Utah, with limited offerings and services. Visitor centers and campgrounds remain largely shuttered at Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef, but visitors are welcome at some of the sites.
Read moreNational parks visitors should plan for ‘new normal’ | KRC
Please note Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Acadia, Grand Teton, Glacier and Crater national parks are among those that remain closed.
Posted in Park | Tags: National Park Openings.
From Pt. Reyes Station House:
Dear Friends near and far –
Today we have an announcement to make that is harder than you can imagine.
After nearly a month of diligence, Station House Cafe secured disaster relief funding through the first round of the federal Paycheck Protection Program (P.P.P.) and we were able to bring back much of our workforce- this was cause for celebration and our future looked a little brighter.
We HAD this. The funding was designed to help businesses sustain the loss of imposed restrictions during shelter-in-place orders and it would have successfully done so but another factor was introduced that changed the course of survival for Station House Cafe.
Our lease was due to renew on June 1. The proposal received by our landlord would have raised our rent more than 300% from $8372 per month to $28,000 per month, under the current lease, with no option to renew after one year. The landlord also offered an alternative lease, with new, restrictive and onerous conditions, that would extend the term to four years at $21,000 per month.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Pt. Reyes, Station House Cafe Closure
Photos taken along the streets of the North Berkeley Flatlands on May 9, 2020. All photos in this post and on the previous Berkeley and Albany Street photo posts were taken within a mile and a half of home. This is part of my continuing project during this “shelter at home” period.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos
The New York Times reports
The Trump Administration Is Reversing Nearly 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List.
64 completed 34 in progress 98 total rollbacks
After three years in office, the Trump administration has dismantled most of the major climate and environmental policies the president promised to undo.
Calling the rules unnecessary and burdensome to the fossil fuel industry and other businesses, his administration has weakened Obama-era limits on planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and from cars and trucks, and rolled back many more rules governing clean air, water and toxic chemicals. Several major reversals have been finalized in recent weeks as the country has struggled to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Trump Rollback Environmental Rules
The LATimes reports
More beaches, trials and parks opened as officials ease coronavirus restrictions
Read article at Coronavirus: More California beaches and trails reopened – Los Angeles Times
Posted in Park | Tags: California Beach Openings, California Park Openings
As the Pt. Reyes Birding Festival was cancelled this year the Environmental Action Committee ( EAC) of Marin has had a number of festival webinars which you can now watch online at your leisure online! Topics include bird conservation, spring migration, Spotted owls, Cooper’s Hawks, botany and youth book reading and marine mammals! See the webinars at EAC’s Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival Webinars Available Online
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Pt. Reyes Bird Festival Webinars
Conservation Magazine recently has an article explaining how deforestation has a very negative impact on fish. They report
Fish rely on forests for their very survival. That’s because, in a way, they eat them. Debris from forests finds their way into rivers, lakes, and streams. The bacteria in the water break down the leaves and bits of tree bark and dead animals. Then the zooplankton eat those bacteria, and the fish eat the zooplankton.
Read full article at: Deforestation is bad news for fish. But why? | Conservation.
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Deforestation, Zooplankton
Photos taken along the streets of the North Berkeley Flatlands on May 8, 2020. Today’s walk was short and emphasizes mainly roses.All photos in this post and on the previous Berkeley and Albany Street photo posts were taken within a mile and a half of home. This is part of my continuing project during this “shelter at home” period.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Berkeley Street Photos
A “Virtual Spring Wildflower Show” is being presented by the North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society and is located via a tab on the chapter’s website. Content is being added now and will continue as long as it is being submitted. The show features photographs of wildflowers and their habitats, presentations on pollination and pollinators, posters and slide shows about invasive plants, dune plants and Wiyot plants and a variety of wildflower art.
You can see the wildflower show at North Coast Wildflower Show
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Virtual Spring Wildflower Show
Natural History Wanderings 