from Mono Lake Tourism
More Eastern Sierra roads reopen!
Posted in Drives | Tags: Eastern Sierra Road Openings
3 Individuals Sentenced To Jail Time And Fines For Land Violations @ Yellowstone National Park Unofficial Networks
Unoffficial Networks reported
Three individuals have been sentenced after each committed separate public land violations @ Yellowstone National Park.
Read more at 3 Individuals Sentenced To Jail Time And Fines For Land Violations @ Yellowstone National Park – Unofficial Networks
Posted in Park | Tags: Bad Park Visitor Behavior, Yellowstone National Park
UK delays to environment law have led to massive deforestation, report says
Monga Bay reported
- U.K. lawmakers have spent the last four years delaying the implementation of “forest risk” regulations on imported commodities like beef, soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee and rubber.
- A law passed in 2021 needs secondary legislation to implement the regulations, which would establish what supply chain information needs to be collected by businesses and how it should be reported to the government.
- As the country waits for the law’s implementation, U.K. imports have resulted in more than 39,300 hectares (97,100 acres) of deforestation, according to a report from NGO Global Witness.
Read mroe at UK delays to environment law have led to massive deforestation, report says
Posted in Environment, Uncategorized | Tags: Deforestation
Montana’s bold gamble to stop the Yellowstone highway bloodbath
SF Gate reported
At first sight, Highway 89 in Montana doesn’t look dangerous. It’s bucolic: horses and cattle graze near the road, the Yellowstone River winds in and out of sight, and the Absaroka Mountains rise sharply to the east. But with alarming frequency, this two-lane highway en route to Yellowstone National Park becomes a bloody mess when wildlife cross the road. 0:
Wildlife-vehicle collisions on this stretch of highway between Livingston and Yellowstone’s north entrance in Gardiner, one of the park’s five entrances and the only one that stays open year-round, have cost drivers $32 million in damages over the past 10 years, according to a coalition called Yellowstone Safe Passages. Yellowstone Safe Passages is made up of residents of the Upper Yellowstone watershed, as well as state and federal agencies, elected officials, conservation groups, landowners and more.
Read more Montana’s bold gamble to stop the Yellowstone highway bloodbath
Posted in Animals, Drives, Park | Tags: Animal Vehicle Collusions
‘Don’t call it zombie deer disease’: scientists warn of ‘global crisis’ as infections spread across the US
The Guardian reported
The contagious, fatal illness in deer, elk and moose must be taken seriously, say experts as it takes hold in the US and reaches other countries. While it has not infected humans yet, the risk is growing
Posted in Animals | Tags: chronic wasting disease, Zombie deer disease
Can NASA Help Predict Wildflower Super Blooms?
KQED reported
What if scientists could accurately predict when and where a wildflower super bloom will occur?
NASA researchers are working to do just that — with the help of a fancy device they call an imaging spectrometer. The advanced camera maps and tracks blooms across landscapes in California.
These scientists analyzed native California wildflowers for a recent study and found that both space-based and airborne sensors can monitor the seasonal cycles of blooming plants by detecting one of their signature traits: colors.
Read more Can NASA Help Predict Wildflower Super Blooms? | KQED
Posted in Uncategorized, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Wildflower Bloom Predictions
Dire wolf de-extinction: Colossal Biosciences says it has resurrected an extinct animal for the first time
CNN reported
A species of wolf that died out some 12,500 years ago lives again as the “world’s first successfully de-extincted animal,” according to Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences.
Colossal scientists have created three dire wolf pups by using ancient DNA, cloning and gene-editing technology to alter the genes of a gray wolf, the prehistoric dire wolf’s closest living relative, the company announced Monday. The result is essentially a hybrid species similar in appearance to its extinct forerunner.
The dire wolf, Aenocyon dirus, which was the inspiration for the fearsome canine featured in the HBO TV series “Game of Thrones,” was a top predator that once roamed North America. (HBO shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN.) Dire wolves were larger in size than gray wolves and “had a slightly wider head, light thick fur and stronger jaw,” the company said.
Posted in Animals | Tags: Dire Wolves
Berkeley gets $4M to help clean Aquatic Park, prevent I-80 collapse
Berkeleyside reports
The state money will go toward fixing the failing tide tubes that are primary culprits for the lagoon’s health risks to humans and marine life.
Read more: Berkeley gets $4M to help clean Aquatic Park, prevent I-80 collapse
Posted in Environment | Tags: Aquatic Park
Photos from the Regional Park Botanic Garden April 7, 2025
Photos taken in the Regional Park Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on April 7, 2025.
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 .
The world’s ugliest animal is celebrated as New Zealand’s fish of the year
NBC News reported
With help from a radio station, the blobfish enjoyed a late surge in voter support against the orange roughy, its fellow deep-sea dweller.
The blobfish, a deep-sea creature, has been described as the world’s ugliest animal because of its gelatinous, tadpole-like body. But voters in a New Zealand contest were having none of it, naming the blobfish — known affectionately as “Mr. Blobby” — New Zealand’s fish of the year this week in a competition held by an environmental nonprofit group.
Read more and see photos at The world’s ugliest animal is celebrated as New Zealand’s fish of the year
State of the Birds 2025
NANCI reported
This 2025 edition of the State of the Birds report is a status assessment of the health of the nation’s bird populations, delivered to the American people by scientists from U.S. bird conservation groups.
See report at State of the Birds 2025
Posted in Birds | Tags: 2025State of the birds
Los Padres ForestWatch Upcoming Events
See Upcoming Los Padres ForestWatch Upcoming Events at Home | Los Padres ForestWatch
Posted in Birds, Talks | Tags: Los Padres ForestWatch Upcoming Events
These Iguanas Got Carried Away and Ended Up in Fiji, 5,000 Miles From Home
The New York Times reported
Genetic evidence suggests that the reptiles somehow managed millions of years ago to make an ocean crossing from North America to Fiji.
Read story at These Iguanas Got Carried Away and Ended Up 5,000 Miles From Home
Trump admin says national parks can’t close trails amid staffing woes
SF Gate reported
Despite staffing cuts, a funding freeze and low morale plaguing national parks across the county, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order Thursday hindering the ability of individual parks to limit or reduce their hours — and park advocates are not happy.
Read more Trump admin says national parks can’t close trails amid staffing woes
Posted in Park | Tags: National Parks
Monitor Pass Reopens Tomorrow
Posted in Drives | Tags: Monitor Pass
Unusual desert rocks suggest unknown microorganism that uses marble and limestone as a habitat
Phy.org
In the desert areas of Namibia, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, research work has revealed unusual structures that are probably due to the activity of an unknown microbiological life form. Unusually small burrows, i.e., tiny tubes that run through the rock in a parallel arrangement from top to bottom, were discovered in marble and limestone of these desert regions. The paper is published in the Geomicrobiology Journal.
Read more Unusual desert rocks suggest unknown microorganism that uses marble and limestone as a habitat
Posted in Uncategorized
An Endangered Galápagos Tortoise Is a First-Time Mother at 100
The New York Times reported
Mommy, a Western Santa Cruz tortoise, recently welcomed four hatchlings at the Philadelphia Zoo, where she has lived since 1932.
Read on www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/science/galapagos-tortoise-hatchlings-philadelphia-zoo.html
Posted in Animals | Tags: Western Santa Cruz tortoise
Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association Upcoming Events
See upcoming events calendar of hikes and programs at https://www.abdnha.org/calendar1.htm.
The Psychological Effects of Climate Change: The Scientific Explanations — and Solutions That Can Empower Your Mind
The Revelator reported
Are environmental and climate change problems overwhelming you? As psychologists my colleagues and I increasingly see the psychological and physiological effects of climate stress on our clients. These effects — including “fear of the unknown,” instability, catastrophizing, financial insecurity, and biophysiological alterations due to unseasonal weather events — create an ominous feeling of chaos, adversely affecting people’s emotional and mental equilibrium and making it hard to focus on clear actions, solutions, and effective pathways to fighting back climate confusion. This can leave us feeling deeply uneasy about the future.
How can we cope with these feelings of overwhelming apprehension or hopelessness? As individuals we can’t take on the world — that’s an impossible task. So do we just turn away and give up?
Of course not. Instead let’s look at more productive approaches to applying the brakes when anxiety, nihilism, and emotional shutdown leave us stuck in place.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Psychological Effects of Climate Change
April Fools’ Dayokes bring much-needed levity to National Park Service
SF Gate reported
Pranks from national park staffers and enthusiasts offer comedic relief during tough times.
Read on www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/national-park-april-fools-jokes-bring-levity-20253499.php
Posted in Park | Tags: National Parks April Fool’s Jokes
Great Bird Cams
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Upcoming Events at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum
Apply for Youth Conservation Corps
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Youth Conservation Corps
Sonoma Land Trust Events
Check out the latest events and news for Sonoma Land Trust at OUTINGS & EVENTS
Posted in Talks, Walks & Hikes
‘3,000 year-old’ trees in Tanzania are new species
Monga Bay reported
- A group of botanists has discovered a new species of rainforest tree in Tanzania’s Udzungwa Mountains.
- A total of around 100 mature trees were found growing in two village land forest reserves surrounded by abandoned croplands, and initial assessments suggest some of them could be up to 3,000 years old.
- The team behind the discovery says the trees are vulnerable to extinction because of their low numbers and tiny distribution.
- But the area in which they were found is the site of a forest restoration project, giving hope for their long-term survival.
Read more at ‘3,000 year-old’ trees in Tanzania are new species
Posted in Animals | Tags: New Species, Tessmannia princeps
Photos from the East Bay Regional Park Botanic Garden – late March
Photos taken in the Regional Park Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on March 25 and 31, 2025.
The East Bay 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 .
Wildflower Guides for Sonoma County, Bay Area and Statewide for California
from Sonoma Land Trust
Want to learn more about wildflowers? Need a local guide to boost your wildflower ID skills? There are so many resources available. When outside and hiking, please remember that you are a part of nature and that your actions make a huge difference. Please stay on the main trails, pack out any trash, and respect these special and colorful places where wildflowers thrive.
Here’s that list of guides and articles from various organizations based in Sonoma County, the San Francisco Bay Area, and California. We hope they add a sense of adventure to your wanderings this spring.
Sonoma County Guides and Resources
- Wildflower Guide from Sonoma Land Trust;
- Wildflowers of Sonoma County by Sonoma County Regional Parks;
- LandPaths zine that includes wildflower ID and insight;
- Wildflowers on the Sonoma Coast – short article by The Wildlands Conservancy at Jenner Headlands;
- UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County – great resources on native plants (including wildflowers) to plant in gardens.
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Wildflower Guides
Become a Garden Greeter at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden
Posted in Garden | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Garden Greeters
Slovakia backs plan to shoot 350 bears after man killed in attack
The BBC reported
The Slovak cabinet has approved a plan to shoot around a quarter of the country’s brown bears, after a man was mauled to death while walking in a forest in Central Slovakia.
Read more Slovakia backs plan to shoot 350 bears after man killed in attack
Posted in Animals | Tags: Bear Attacks, Bears
Evolution of plant network: 600 million years of stress
ScienceDaily reported
Without plants on land, humans could not live on Earth. From mosses to ferns to grasses to trees, plants are our food, fodder and timber. All this diversity emerged from an algal ancestor that conquered land long ago. The success of land plants is surprising because it is a challenging habitat. On land, rapid shifts in environmental conditions lead to stress, and plants have developed an elaborate molecular machinery for sensing and responding. Now, a research team has compared algae and plants that span 600 million years of independent evolution and pinpointed a shared stress response network using advanced bioinformatic methods.
Read full story at Evolution of plant network: 600 million years of stress | ScienceDaily
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Evolution of plant network

