Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 15, 2025

Fungus Devastated North American Bats. New Species Could Be Killer Blow

Society of Environment Journalists  reported

“Scientists have learned that another species of fungus found in Europe and Asia causes white-nose disease, which has ravaged bat populations in the United States and Canada.”

“In the winter of 2006, biologists in New York State got a gruesome surprise. As they surveyed colonies of hibernating bats, they discovered heaps of dead animals on the floors of caves and abandoned mines.

The culprit was a fungus new to science.

Read more  Fungus Devastated North American Bats. New Species Could Be Killer Blow. | SEJ

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 14, 2025

Photos from Regional Park Botanic Garden 6/10/25 Part 2

Photos taken in the Regional Park Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on June 10, 2025.

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The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a botanic garden of California native plants. The Garden is open Monday through Sunday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM.  It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California.  It is a 10-acre garden for many of the state’s rare and endangered plants and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses from plant communities throughout the state. To learn more about the garden visit the website at www.nativeplants.org .

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 14, 2025

Nordic studies show the significance of old-growth forests for biodiversity

ScienceDaily reports

Researchers conducted a systematic review of 99 scientific publications that compared the flora or fauna of old-growth forests, managed forests and clearcut sites in boreal Europe. The reviewed studies showed large differences in the species communities inhabiting these forest types. The species richness of full-canopy forests increases as the forest gets older. Clearcut sites are also species-rich, but they are inhabited by a distinct set of species in comparison to full-canopy forests.

Read more Nordic studies show the significance of old-growth forests for biodiversity | ScienceDaily

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 13, 2025

Photos from Regional Park Botanic Garden 6/10/25 Part 1

Photos taken in the Regional Park Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on June 10, 2025.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a botanic garden of California native plants. The Garden is open Monday through Sunday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM.  It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California.  It is a 10-acre garden for many of the state’s rare and endangered plants and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses from plant communities throughout the state. To learn more about the garden visit the website at www.nativeplants.org .

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 13, 2025

Bison gores man in Yellowstone after visitors get too close

SF Gate reported

Yellowstone officials said the goring happened after a large group of visitors got too close to the animal. 

Read on www.sfgate.com/living/article/bison-gores-man-in-yellowstone-after-visitors-get-20371051.php

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 13, 2025

Theodore Payne Foundation  Upcoming Events 

Theodore Payne Foundation inspires and educates Southern Californians about the beauty and ecological benefits of California native plant landscapes.We are located on 22 acres of canyon land in the northeast corner of the San Fernando Valley. Our full-service native plant nursery, seed room, book store, art gallery, demonstration gardens, and hiking trails are open to the public year round. We offer garden tours and classes for adults and families, as well as field trips to TPF and in-classroom programs for children. Friendly on-leash dogs are welcome and there is no admission charge!

See upcoming events at  Theodore Payne Foundation Events – 20 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 13, 2025

New species of green-eyed frog discovered in Vietnam

The Sacamento Bee reported

As night stretched across central Vietnam, a “large” creature with a heart-shaped tongue waited in the water of a stream. Its “dark green” eyes scanned the nearby forest, but it wasn’t the only one searching.

Passing scientists spotted the “robust” animal — and discovered a new species.

Read more and see phoos at   New species of green-eyed frog discovered in Vietnam: photos | Sacramento Bee

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 13, 2025

A trip to the farm where loofahs grow on vines 

Popular Science reported

Think this natural sponge comes from the ocean? Think again.

If you’ve spent most of your life under the impression that loofahs are some type of sea sponge and that these scratchy natural scrubbers are the last thing you’d want to use on your body on a daily basis, you’re not alone. But in fact, the Luffa Aegyptiaca (often known as loofah in the U.S.) is the taxonomic name of a species of gourd that grows on land, and it’s a genetic descendant of the wild cucumber. What’s more, if it’s locally grown with minimal processing, it’s plenty soft enough for not just your skin, but plenty of other applications, too.

Read more at  A trip to the farm where loofahs grow on vines | Popular Science

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 12, 2025

Letter Urges Rejection Of Renewed Proposal To Sell Public Lands

Nationall Parks Traveler reported

More than 100 environmental and conservation groups are urging U.S. lawmakers to reject a potentially renewed proposal to allow the sale of public lands.

The groups sent a letter Monday to Senate leadership in response to reports of a push by Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, to reintroduce a public lands sell-off plan as part of the Budget Reconciliation Bill. A similar provision was dropped from the bill in the House in May. That amendment would have allowed for public lands sales in four Nevada counties and one in Utah, including areas near Zion National Park.

Read more Letter Urges Rejection Of Renewed Proposal To Sell Public Lands

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 12, 2025

Early June Photos from my Garden- Part 2

Photos of what is happening in my Garden in early June.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 12, 2025

Yosemite National Park will open all park campgrounds

from Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park will open all park campgrounds beginning this month
Yosemite National Park will open all 13 park campgrounds this summer, marking the first time since 2019 that all campgrounds have been open. These additional openings will add approximately 500 campsites available to the public for enjoying the park.

Read More…

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 12, 2025

Six Fabulous Winners of the National Geographic Photography Competition (LOOK)

See the winners of the National Geographic Photography Competition for amateurs and pros alike highlight the best in travel photography at www.goodnewsnetwork.org/six-fabulous-winners-of-the-national-geographic-photography-competition-look/

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 12, 2025

What Helped Clean Up Oklahoma Waters? Getting Cows to Use a Different Washroom

AllTopCash reported

Oklahoma has been exemplary at cleaning up its streams. By some measures, more than any other state.

A big part of the solution was simple: Give cows clean drinking water and keep them out of the streams.

When one farmer tried it, he quickly saw results. His veterinarian bills went down and wildlife returned to the area.

Read more What Helped Clean Up Oklahoma Waters? Getting Cows to Use a Different Washroom

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 11, 2025

200-pound wild pigs overtake California parks

SF Gate reported

Wild pigs are increasingly threatening Bay Area hikers with aggressive encounters. These large hybrid creatures damage habitats and pose safety risks on trails.

Read on www.sfgate.com/local/article/wild-pigs-aggressive-threat-bay-area-hiking-trails-20368969.php

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 11, 2025

Early June Photos from my Garden- Part 1

Photos of what is happening in my Garden in early June.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 11, 2025

Scientists find a new way to help plants fight diseases

ScienceDaily reported

Laboratory could improve crop resilience In a discovery three decades in the making, scientists have acquired detailed knowledge about the internal structures and mode of regulation for a specialized protein and are proceeding to develop tools that can capitalize on its ability to help plants combat a wide range of diseases. The work, which exploits a natural process where plant cells die on purpose to help the host plant stay healthy, is expected to have wide applications in the agricultural sector, offering new ways to protect major food crops from a variety of devastating diseases, the scientists said.

Read on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250530123947.htm

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 11, 2025

Supergiant crustaceans could live across half the deep-sea floor

New Scientist  reported

The enigmatic crustacean Alicella gigantea is the world’s largest amphipod, but like all deep-sea creatures it hasn’t proved easy to find

A giant crustacean that resembles a large white shrimp may be far more common across the deep sea than thought, with potential habitat extending over much of the ocean floor.

“We have called this species rare for so long. We call everything in the deep sea rare,” says Paige Maroni at the University of Western Australia. “But in actual fact these species are probably more connected than we would have ever expected.”

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 10, 2025

Ancient Trees, Dwindling in the Wild, Thrive on Sacred Ground

The New York Times reported

Buddhist temples in China are home to trees from dozens of endangered species, a new study shows. Some of them are almost 2,000 years old.

Read on www.nytimes.com/2025/06/04/science/ancient-trees-china-temples-conservation.html

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 10, 2025

A crucial system of ocean currents is slowing. It’s already supercharging sea level rise in the US

CNN reports

A new study gives alarming glimpse into the future, as some scientists warn these currents could be just decades from collapse.

Read more A crucial system of ocean currents is slowing. It’s already supercharging sea level rise in the US. | CNN

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 9, 2025

Explore, Celebrate, Protect: Choose Your California State Parks Week Adventures June 11–15, 2025! | Cal Parks

From California State aparks Foundation

Explore, Celebrate, Protect: Choose Your California State Parks Week Adventures June 11–15, 2025! | Cal Parks
— Read on www.calparks.org/explorecspw2025

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 9, 2025

Native Turtles Return to Yosemite After Being Overrun by Invasive Bullfrogs from the East

The Good News Network  reported

In Yosemite National Park, the eradication of non-native American bullfrogs has led to the return of California’s only native turtle species.

The northwestern pond turtle has been proposed as a threatened species according to the US Endangered Species List, and their biggest threat is a frog from east of the Rockies.

Source: Native Turtles Return to Yosemite After Being Overrun by Invasive Bullfrogs from the East

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 8, 2025

Free Trail Guide to East Bay Regional Parks

From East Bay Regional Parks

Trails Challenge offers a free guidebook featuring 20 trails, with options for all abilities. It’s a great way to see new East Bay Regional Parks. Grab a guidebook, gather family and friends, and explore a new park TODAY. http://www.ebparks.org/TrailsChallengewww.ebparks.org/TrailsChallenge | #TrailsChallengeEBRPD

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 8, 2025

The wrong trees in the wrong places diminish their benefits

Anthropocene Magazine reported

In the first global study of city trees cooling effects, a team discovered that in hot, compact cities, narrow species and sparse planting strategies work best

Read on www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2025/01/planting-the-wrong-trees-in-the-wrong-places-can-diminish-their-cooling-benefits/

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 8, 2025

Point Reyes, After the Cattle 

Bay Nature reported

When ranchers leave the land, what version of nature takes over? The park and The Nature Conservancy have ambitious restoration plans.

Without quick action, the beloved landscape could become an eyesore, overgrown with invasive weeds and decaying structures. But with enough funding and focus, a five-year private-public partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the park seeks to manage and restore the seashore, returning large swaths of it to wilder roots.

Read more Point Reyes, After the Cattle – Bay Nature

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 7, 2025

Help Track Wildlife

from Los Padres ForestWatch

Room to Roam App Beta Launch! 

Help track wildlife crossings with our new Room to Roam App! Use it to document animals near roads and help identify where the next wildlife underpass or overcrossing should go. Watch our quick video tutorial to get started.

Download here

Watch Video Tutorial her

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 7, 2025

Giant Mystical Eagle Thought to Be ‘Extinct in Mexico’ Reappears, Marking Landmark Moment for Conservationists

Good News Network reported

A harpy eagle, Latin America’s largest eagle, and one of the largest in the world, has been sighted in a rainforest in southern Mexico, where it was believed to be locally extinct.

Named for the crone-bird hybrid of Greek mythology, the appearance of this large and majestic raptor is worthy of the association. Adult females are much larger than their male counterparts, weighing up to 40 kilograms (20 lbs), and measuring more than 6 feet from wing tip to wing tip.

Despite a significantly slower and lower birthrate than other eagle species, the harpy eagle numbers in the tens of thousands across South America. In Central America however, they’re virtually extinct.

Read more at Giant Mystical Eagle Thought to Be ‘Extinct in Mexico’ Reappears, Marking Landmark Moment for Conservationists

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 6, 2025

North American bird declines story map

eBird reported

If you feel like you see or hear fewer birds than you used to, you’re not imagining things.

Across North America, birds are vanishing from the landscapes they once thrived in. New research from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird Status and Trends was recently published in the journal Science. The paper, North American bird declines are greatest where species are most abundant, analyzes 495 North American bird species and shows that species we’ve long considered common, like American Robins and Mallards, are declining, especially in places where they were once most abundant.

Read on trends.ebird.org/

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 6, 2025

City-Dwelling Monarch Butterflies Stay Put

UC Davis reported

Monarch butterflies are famous for their annual migrations, but not all migrate. In recent years, more and more monarchs have been living and breeding year-round in California’s Bay Area, thanks in part to the growing presence of non-native milkweeds in urban gardens.

Read on biology.ucdavis.edu/news/city-dwelling-monarch-butterflies-stay-put

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 6, 2025

We’ve Lost the A’s, But At Least We Still Have This Invasive Succulent

Bay Nature reports

Are we toying with an ice plant apocalypse?

Baseball fans collect souvenirs like squirrels collect acorns. There are the official ones: home run balls, foul balls, baseball cards (and the quest to get them autographed), commemorative pins, bobbleheads, hat-shaped ice cream bowls. Grown men and women exchange hard-earned pay for small scoops of “game-used dirt.” There are, also, the unofficial keepsakes. At the Athletics’ final game in Oakland last September, a smattering of jilted fans attempted to take home anything they could pry loose: hand soap dispensers, exit signs, 15-foot banners, entire seats from the stands. And outside, guerilla gardeners tromped through the banks of succulents between the stadium and the parking lot, pulling ice plant root and branch from the soil.

Read more We’ve Lost the A’s, But At Least We Still Have This Invasive Succulent

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 6, 2025

Scientists Stumbled Upon an Active Volcanic Eruption in a Mid-Ocean Ridge for the First Time Ever

Smithson reported

From a research submersible, scientists saw hardened lava, dead tube worms and orange flashes from an eruption in the East Pacific Rise

Read more Scientists Stumbled Upon an Active Volcanic Eruption in a Mid-Ocean Ridge for the First Time Ever

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