Tuleyome’s June Nature and You lecture is coming up on Thursday (6/27) at 7pm on Zoom. This month’s lecture will be given by Tuleyome’s Policy Director, Dr. Hekia Bodwitch, who will be discussing “Using Indigenous Knowledge to Inform Environmental Management.”
RSVP here to receive the Zoom link. I will send out the link to everyone who has RSVP’d on Thursday morning. We hope to see you there!
The San Francisco Chronicle reports
An $18 million makeover of what’s known as Ackerson Meadow, which was recently acquired by the National Park Service, is transforming this dusty tract on the park’s western edge into a vibrant hub of wildflowers, songbirds and water-loving grasses — an effort billed as the biggest restoration project in Yosemite history.
Read more at Yosemite meadow is largest restoration project in park history
Posted in Park | Tags: Ackerson Meadow
Defenders of Wildlife report
Wolves, polar bears, mountain lions. Many of us are eager to help the big, charismatic megafauna at the top of the food chain. This passion and excitement can also extend
— Read on defenders.org/blog/2024/04/benefits-of-planting-native-plants
Posted in Garden, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: benefits of native plants
from California State Parks
Due to the Post Fire that started on June 15, Hungry Valley SVRA remains temporarily closed. Nearly 50% of the 20,000-acre SVRA burned. We want to thank our staff as well the firefighters working tirelessly to contain the Post Fire and for saving critical infrastructure within the SVRA last weekend. We will work with partners and friends to reopen this SVRA destination that offers a variety of terrain and trails in the Tejon Pass north of Los Angeles.
Posted in Park | Tags: Hungry Valley SVRA
The BBC reports
In the 400 years since New York City’s birth, the local wildlife has adapted to a life of fast food, pollution and isolation.
At a top secret location in Manhattan, within a large public park, is a tiny patch of moist hillside. Flecked with shade from a grove of young maple, oak, and black cherry trees, the area is bordered by a busy road and sits just across the street from a school. And yet, stalking the slope’s meadows of moss and wildflowers, lounging among decaying logs and fallen leaves, is a population of New York City’s most obscure inhabitants.
This is predator territory, and here lives a killer so rare and little-known, only a handful of New York City’s eight million or so residents have ever seen one. “They will eat anything they can stuff into their mouths. They’ll eat each other.
Read more at The mutant wildlife adapting to New York City
Posted in Animals | Tags: northern dusky salamanders
North Pacific right whale
— Read on www.sfgate.com/local/article/north-pacific-right-whale-point-reyes-19482524.php
Posted in Animals | Tags: North Pacific right whale
from Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase
Upcoming Free Events from the Natives Garden Tour: Online talks, garden visits, bike trips, bird walks and more
This month we’re beginning a new online talk series featuring inspirational, interactive presentations (bring your questions!) that will help you move ahead with your native plant projects.
These presentations will be followed by opportunities to get together with other native plant fans for outings to home gardens, public native plant gardens, native plant nurseries, restoration projects and more—often followed by the opportunity to have lunch at restaurants with outdoor dining.
Below is information on these and other upcoming events and opportunities:
You Can Do It! Design Your Own Native Garden (online)
Presenter: Native Garden Designer Kelly Marshall, owner of Kelly Marshall Garden Design
Tuesday, June 25, 6:30 – 8:00 pm (online)
Register for Kelly’s talk here. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants a few days before the event.
Posted in Garden | Tags: Bringing Back the Natives Events
See the California Parks State Parks activity guide at Activities Guide | Cal Parks
Posted in Park | Tags: Cal Parks State Parks
The New York Times reports
During a few weeks each year or so, an international team of scientists spends long days at sea searching for the most endangered marine mammal on Earth: the vaquita porpoise. The species is teetering on the edge of extinction, with recent surveys estimating around 10 individuals in the area.
Read more at The Most Endangered Marine Mammal Still Exists. Here’s the Latest Count.
Posted in Animals | Tags: Vaquita Porpoises, Vaquitas Porpoise Extinction
Join MCBG Horticulturist Paul Ruiz-Lopez for our monthly nature walks on the 4th Saturday! These guided tours will lead you through the horticultural and natural areas of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. The main focus of the walk will vary from month to month but this Saturday’s walk will focus on Riparian Forests.
— Read on www.facebook.com/photo/
Posted in Garden | Tags: Mendocino Botanical Garden
Regional In Nature (RIN) Activity Guide. Fun facts on wildlife, plants, ecology, and history; games and activities for kids and families!
— Read on www.ebparks.org/whats-new/rin
Posted in Park | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks
The New York Times reports on the discovery of plant not seen in a 100 years
“Are you sitting down?” Vermont’s state botanist asked a fellow plant expert after spotting false mermaid-weed last month.
Read story at By a Stream in Vermont, a Glimpse of a Plant Last Seen a Century Ago
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: false mermaid-weed
NASA reports
Floating fragments of sea ice spun into intricate patterns as ocean currents carried them south along Greenland’s east coast in spring 2024. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured a moment of this dizzying journey on June 4, 2024.
Much of the ice has likely drifted a great distance to get to this point. The Fram Strait, a 450-kilometer (280-mile)-wide passage between Greenland and Svalbard (to the north, out of view), connects the Arctic Ocean with the Greenland Sea. It serves as the primary route for sea ice out of the Arctic. After moving through the Fram Strait, ice is swept south along the Greenland coast by the East Greenland Current.
Read more at Sea Ice Takes a Spin Down the Coast
Posted in Environment | Tags: Fram Strait, Sea ice
Cal Fire reports
The number of wildfires is up 9% this spring, but the acres burned have skyrocketed by 1,462% – from 5,747 acres to 89,784 acres over the same period (Jan 1 – Jun 19), which is well above normal for this time of year.
95% of wildfires in California are human-caused and are occurring in areas with grasses and light flashy fuels that have dried out. Additionally, winds are contributing to these fires moving quickly and consuming thousands of acres.
Californians can help by being wildfire-safe:
Don’t mow after 10 a.m.
Don’t allow vehicle tow chains to drag.
Don’t pull your vehicle into dry grass.
One less spark is one less wildfire.
Follow incidents in real-time at: https://www.fire.ca.gov/ and learn more about preventing wildfire at: https://readyforwildfire.org/
Posted in Environment | Tags: Cal Fire, Wildfires
Posted in Park, Walks & Hikes | Tags: Low Impact Hiking, Yosemite Hikes
Photographed on Crete April 21, 2023.
Posted in Photos (Sandy's), Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Crete Wildflowers
You Can Do It! Design Your Own Native Garden (Zoom and YouTube)
Presenter: Native Garden Designer Kelly Marshall, owner of Kelly Marshall Garden Design Tuesday, June 25, 6:30 – 8:00 pm (online)
Register for Kelly’s talk here.
Posted in Uncategorized
EuroNews reports
What is the EU’s Nature Restoration Law? Inside the first-of-its-kind regulation.
After months of deliberations, the EU’s Nature Restoration Law has finally been approved.
The first-of-its-kind regulation aims to restore Europe’s damaged ecosystems and boost biodiversity.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Nature Restoration Law
Our Speaker — Dr. Nathan Van Schmidt Thursday, June 20 (7pm)Online via Zoom
California experienced rapid and widespread destruction and modification of natural hydrological ecosystems and wetlands after the Gold Rush, including the loss of nearly all tidal wetlands in San Francisco Bay, many of which were converted to commercial salt production ponds.
The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project is now restoring large swaths of tidal marsh habitat, but they are faced with a new dilemma: many bird species that had used wetlands lost or degraded elsewhere in California, including the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada, have come to use the salt ponds as accidental habitat.
| Learn More and Zoom Info |
Posted in Environment | Tags: Salt Ponds
from Jepson Herbarium
Please not that first review of applications will actually be July 30th, not the June 27th date noted in the position description Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Jepson Herbarium, Job Opening
In honor of Juneteenth National Independence Day, no pass or fee is required to enter national parks tomorrow, 6/19! (Note that some parks may still require a reservation due to high visitation).
Posted in Park, Uncategorized | Tags: Fee Free National Park Days
from Inyo National Forest
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Mono Lake Bird Outings
The Guardian reports
The golden state legalised marijuana production in 2016, but strict curbs have led to a thriving black market. Its hub is in Siskiyou county, where the environmental damage is clear to see.
Read article at California comedown: how illicit cannabis farms have left a wilderness where ‘you’re lucky to see a lizard’ | Cannabis | The Guardian
Posted in Environment | Tags: Environmental Damage from Marijuana Industry
The Revelator reports
From pocket parks to large-scale projects, cities around the world are working to reverse a troubling trend.
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Pollinator Decline
The Search for Lost Birds, a collaboration between Re:wild, American Bird Conservancy and BirdLife International, has developed the most complete tally of bird…
— Read on www.birdlife.org/news/2024/06/17/new-analysis-reveals-126-birds-are-lost-to-science-without-a-confirmed-sighting-in-at-least-a-decade/
Posted in Birds | Tags: Birds Lost to Science
ScienceDaily reports
To woo a mate, the Albert’s Lyrebird of Australia becomes a real song-and-dance bird. Each male first chooses a stage of entangled vines, then in performance he shakes the vines as part of his courtship footwork, synchronizing each shake with the beat of his striking song.
Read more at Lyrebird synchronizes elements of its mating dance | ScienceDaily
Posted in Birds | Tags: Albert's Lyrebird
See the upcoming events and information about the Native Plant Garden Tour at Theodore Payne Foundation | Educating Southern Californians about the beauty and ecological benefits of California native plants.
Posted in Uncategorized
The Guardian reports
As frozen ground below the surface melts, exposed minerals such as iron are giving streams a rusty color that pose a risk to wildlife
Read more Alaskan rivers turning orange due to climate change, study finds | Alaska | The Guardian
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate change, Orange River
East Bay Regional Parks
The Park District is celebrating Juneteenth on Wednesday, June 19 with a Free Park Day and special naturalist-led programs. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally recognized celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Learn more about the Juneteenth Free Park Day and programs. #Juneteenth #EBParks90 #LoveEBRPD
Posted in Park | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks, Juneteenth
Natural History Wanderings 