Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 23, 2024

Nature enthusiast, 10, makes rare find: a pink grasshopper | AllSides

All Sides reports

Like many 10-year-olds, Madeline Landecker is fascinated by insects. At her family’s small farm near Little Rock, Ark., she enjoys watching ants and ladybugs and using a net to capture butterflies. Her friends in the fourth grade call her the “bug expert,” she said. So when Madeline spotted a flash of bright pink on the ground after looking in on her chickens after school on March 14, she stooped down to get a closer look

— Read on www.allsides.com/news/2024-03-23-0530/culture-nature-enthusiast-10-makes-rare-find-pink-grasshopper

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 23, 2024

Bay Nature Events

See Bay Nature’s calendar of upcoming events at Bay Nature Events.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 23, 2024

Sparrows uniquely adapted to Bay Area marshes are losing their uniqueness 

UC Berkeley reports

Increased interbreeding due to loss of tidal marsh habitat caused saltwater-adapted Savannah sparrows to lose their genetic distinctiveness.

Read more Sparrows uniquely adapted to Bay Area marshes are losing their uniqueness | Berkeley

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 22, 2024

Oregon Outback is now the largest Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world 

HereIsOregon reports

A 2.5 million-acre swath of southern Oregon has been named the largest Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world.

Source: Oregon Outback is now the largest Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world – Here is Oregon – hereisoregon.com

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 22, 2024

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Programs & Workshops 

See the schedule of upcoming activites at the the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden at  Seasonal Programs & Workshops – UC Botanical Garden

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 22, 2024

Poison Frogs Have a Strange Behavior That Scientists Seek to Explain

The New York Times reports

Three studies suggest that the presence of prey may encourage toe-tapping in poison dart frogs.

Three laboratories in different countries recently set out independently to understand why. Their studies all suggest that the presence of prey influences these frogs’ toe-tapping, but the purpose of all that fancy footwork is still mysterious. The research could help explain similar behavior in other frogs and toads, as dozens of species make some kind of toe or foot movement while hunting.

Read more at Poison Frogs Have a Strange Behavior That Scientists Seek to Explain

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 21, 2024

 Marin County Parks Upcoming Events 

Free events calendar for Marin County Parks at Events Calendar – Marin County Parks

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 21, 2024

Garden Photos

Here is what is blooming in my garden right now

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 21, 2024

California Against the Sea 3/27/24

Sonoma Land Trust Presents:

Language of the Land: California Against the Sea
March 27, 7-8:30pm, Zoom (registration required)
REGISTER / REGÍSTRESE

Reflect on the future of the California coast with Rosanna Xia, an environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She will share insights from her award-winning reporting on sea level rise and introduce her new book, California Against the Sea, which explores how the decisions we make today will determine where we go tomorrow: headlong into natural disaster, or toward an equitable refashioning of coastal stewardship.

Spanish interpretation will be provided.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 21, 2024

Newfound bee species help solve a decades-old mystery

ScienceNews reports

Hylaeus bees likely island-hopped across the Pacific, evolving into distinct species

Read more: Newfound bee species help solve a decades-old mystery

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 20, 2024

Last free-access beach in Big Sur bans overnight camping, campfires 

KRON4  reports

San Carpoforo beach — the last free access beach in Big Sur — has banned overnight camping and campfires for two years due to management issues and concerns about sensitive species and habitats, the United States Forest Service announced on Friday.

Read more at  Last free-access beach in Big Sur bans overnight camping, campfires | KRON4

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 20, 2024

Mendocino Land Trust Acquires Coastal Prairie Land

From Mendocino Land Trust
MLT obtains title to Saunders Landing!
An important step forward just happened with our Saunders Landing project, about 12 acres of land situated between Hearn Gulch and a Caltrans vista point, south of the city of Point Arena. Caltrans acquired this property for MLT and will restore the coastal prairie by removing invasive plants such as the ice plants, which cover most of the western headlands. MLT obtained title to this land on Friday, and will be moving forward with the planning of a new trail, adding approximately 0.4 miles of new coastal trail across the Landing.

Read More…

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 20, 2024

Job Opening: Restoration Field Manager at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden 

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is hiring a Restoration Field Manager. See job description and application process at Restoration Field Manager at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden – CNPS Forums

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 20, 2024

Reforestation programs could threaten vast area of tropical grasslands

ScienceDaily reports

New research led by the University of Liverpool highlights issues relating to restoration and reforestation projects across Africa.

New research reveals the scale of inappropriate reforestation projects across Africa. A new study reveals that an area the size of France is threatened by forest restoration initiatives, such as the AFR100 initiative (African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative), due to inappropriate restoration in the form of tree-planting.

Read more at  Reforestation programs could threaten vast area of tropical grasslands | ScienceDaily

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 19, 2024

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Events

SB Museum features exhibit halls focusing on regional natural history (birds, insects, mammals, marine life, paleontology), Native Americans, and antique natural history art. In addition there is a life-size Blue Whale skeleton. See their calendar of upcoming events atcCalendar | Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 19, 2024

Skyline Garden Photos 3/18/24

The Skyline Gardens Alliance is a combination botanical survey and restoration project in the Skyline Trail area of the Oakland–Berkeley Hills. To learn more about it and see plant lists go to Skyline Gardens Alliance.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 19, 2024

2024 Owens Lake Bird Festival April 19 to 21

from Friends Of Inyo

Join us in Lone Pine for peak migration season, April 19-21! Register Below

Friends of the Inyo, with sponsorship support from the County of Inyo and AltaOne Federal Credit Union with branches in Bishop and Lone Pine, is pleased to announce that our Owens Lake Bird Festival will return in April 2024, with birding tours on and off the famous Owens Lake, as well as photography, advocacy, botany, geology, and mining history tours.

The festival will take place as follows:

  • Friday, April 19: Happy Hour and Check-in at FOI’s Lone Pine Office, 142 E. Bush Street, from 5:30-8:00 PM (optional).
  • Saturday, April 20: Half-Day Morning and Afternoon tours, as well as Full-Day Tours starting from the parking lot of the Lone Pine Museum of Western Film History, 701 S. Main Street. The day will end with a celebratory catered Dinner(optional), also at the Museum, starting at 6 PM, and featuring guest speaker Jolie Varela, founder of Indigenous Women Hike, and a Silent Auction with goods donated by local businesses.
  • Sunday, April 21: Morning Half-Day tours, also starting from the Museum.

More than just an amazing birding opportunity, there is something for everyone at the Owens Lake Bird Festival as we celebrate the amazing history and wildlife of Southern Inyo County. All of us at Friends of the Inyo hope to see you there!

Register Today!

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 19, 2024

The World Is Losing Migratory Species at Alarming Rates

Inside Climate News reports

Humans are driving migratory animals—sea turtles, chimpanzees, lions and penguins, among dozens of other species—towards extinction, according to the most comprehensive assessment of migratory species ever carried out.

The State of the World’s Migratory Species, a first of its kind report compiled by conservation scientists under the auspices of the U.N. Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, found population decline, a precursor to extinction, in nearly half of the roughly 1,200 species listed under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), a 1979 treaty aimed at conserving species that move across international borders.

Read more at  The World Is Losing Migratory Species at Alarming Rates – Inside Climate News

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 18, 2024

Webinar: A Last Best Hope For Local Coho 3/20/24 at 1 pm PT

from Bay Nature

Join us online for a Bay Nature Talk on Wednesday, March 20 from 12-1 pm with Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District lead scientist John Green, NOAA Restoration Center marine habitat resource specialist Sarah Nossaman Pierce, and environmental journalist Alastair Bland. This webinar will be a fascinating discussion building on the Winter 2024 Bay Nature story, “A Last Best Hope For Local Coho.”

Register Today!

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 18, 2024

Regional Parks Botanic Garden Photos 3/17/24

Photographed in the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on March 17, 2024.

The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a California native plant garden. It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California, It is a 10-acre garden includes 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. There are free weekend and holiday tours.  Admission and parking are free. For more information about the garden visit the Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 18, 2024

What Is a Species, Anyway?

The New York Times reports

Some of the best known species on Earth may not be what they seem.

Naturalists have been trying for centuries to catalog all of the species on Earth, and the effort remains one of the great unfinished jobs in science. So far, researchers have named about 2.3 million species, but there are millions — perhaps even billions — left to be discovered.

As if this quest isn’t hard enough, biologists cannot agree on what a species is. A 2021 survey found that practicing biologists used 16 different approaches to categorizing species. Any two of the scientists picked at random were overwhelmingly likely to use different ones.

Read more at What Is a Species, Anyway?

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 17, 2024

These 10 National Parks Wouldn’t Exist Without Women · National Parks Conservation Association

From Joshua Tree to Great Sand Dunes, these 10 special places are protected today thanks to their female champions.
— Read on www.npca.org/articles/1478-these-10-national-parks-wouldn-t-exist-without-women

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 17, 2024

Car Fumes, Weeds Pose Double Whammy for Fire-Loving Native Plants 

UC Davis reports

A recent study led by Justin Valliere, assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, found that native wildflowers and other plants that typically flourish following a fire were, instead, replaced by invasive plants on land that received the kind of nitrogen contained in vehicle emissions.

“But we found that these fire-following species may be especially vulnerable to the combination of nitrogen pollution and invasive plants.”

That’s part of the reason native plants in these mountains have been declining.

Read article at  Car Fumes, Weeds Pose Double Whammy for Fire-Loving Native Plants | UC Davis

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 16, 2024

Regional Parks Botanic Garden Photos 3/15/24

Photographed in the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on March 15, 2024.

The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a California native plant garden. It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California, It is a 10-acre garden includes 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. There are free weekend and holiday tours.  Admission and parking are free. For more information about the garden visit the Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 16, 2024

Job Openings at Yosemite

Late on the summer job search? Not at all, you’re just in time! We’re currently hiring seasonal rangers for our entrance stations and campgrounds this summer. Apply right away at the link below as the application window doesn’t last long.
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/781451800
For more information about assembling a federal resume for the application, visit https://help.usajobs.gov/…/docum…/resume/what-to-include

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 16, 2024

Send in the Birds: Eliminating Pennsylvania’s Spotted Lanternflies Through Avian Assistance

Vista.Today reports

The ways to get rid of spotted lanternflies over the past few years have been to step, squish, and squash them. But as the battle against the bugs becomes too steep, some researchers say that getting native birds to eat these invasive pests is key, writes Dino Grandoni for The Washington Post.

Read more at  Send in the Birds: Eliminating Pennsylvania’s Spotted Lanternflies Through Avian Assistance

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 15, 2024

Anza-Borrego Foundation Events 

Anza-Borrego Foundation hosts a variety of events and educational programs, including hikes, botany walks, photography workshops, and more. See the schedule at  Events | Anza-Borrego Foundation

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 15, 2024

South Georgia: Bird flu infects penguins at famous wildlife haven

The BBC reports

Bird flu has been confirmed in 10 penguins on South Georgia, one of the world’s great wildlife havens.

Avian influenza had already infected other seabirds and mammals on the British Overseas Territory, but scientists report gentoo and king penguins have now fallen victim, too.

Read more att  South Georgia: Bird flu infects penguins at famous wildlife haven

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 14, 2024

Sea Cucumbers Can Help Save Coral Reefs

NPR  reports

he quest to slow the decline of the world’s coral reefs now seems to have a surprising ally: the humble sea cucumber. Georgia Tech marine ecologist Cody Clements noticed years ago that clearing the pickle-shaped marine invertebrates from study areas seemed to accelerate coral tissue death. He set out to test his theory, proving in newly-published research that there was a “15-fold more death” of whole corals in places where sea cucumbers were removed. The reason likely has to do with the vast amount of sand these “little Roombas” hoover up as they roam the sea floor. Read the story and listen here

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | March 14, 2024

The Pipevine Caterpillar Thrives in a Toxic Love Triangle

See this video from PBS about Pipevine Catepillar, Butterfly and Pipevine flowers.

The drama is real for this sultry flower, a gorgeous butterfly and an unlucky fungus gnat.

See video at  Deep Look | The Pipevine Caterpillar Thrives in a Toxic Love Triangle | Season 8 | Episode 10 | PBS

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