Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 26, 2024

Theodore Payne Foundation Upcoming Classes and Workshops

See upcoming Theodore Payne Foundation Classes and Workshops at Theodore Payne Foundation Events | Eventbrite

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 26, 2024

‘The future is fungal’: New research finds that fungi that live in healthy plants are sensitive to climate change

ScienceDaily reports

Findings more than a decade in the making reveal a rich diversity of beneficial fungi living in boreal forest trees, with implications for the health of forests.

— Read on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240220203312.htm

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 26, 2024

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is hurting climate science

NPR reports

Lack of data about conditions in the Russian Arctic is already hampering climate science, and will cause ever-growing gaps in our understanding of how climate change affects the fastest-warming region of the planet, scientists warn.

The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the Earth as a whole. And Russia has more Arctic land than any other nation. But, since Russia invaded Ukraine, it’s been increasingly difficult for climate scientists in Russia to collaborate or share data about conditions in the country’s vast frozen areas.

Read more or listen to the article at The Russian invasion of Ukraine is hurting climate science : NPR

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 25, 2024

Regional Parks Botanic Garden Photos 2/24/24

Photographed in the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on February 24, 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 | February 25, 2024

Coho Have a Surprisingly Strong 2023-2024 Spawning Season 

U.S. National Park Service News Release

Some years, the San Francisco Bay Area Network coho and steelhead monitoring team is alarmed by the low number of coho salmon returning to spawn in Marin County creeks. Last year, they didn’t spot a single live adult coho salmon. This has not been one of those years.

This season is on track to be the best spawning season on Olema Creek in more than 15 years.  With the coho spawning season just about over, the monitoring team has counted over 200 adult coho and over 50 coho redds (nests) in Point Reyes National Seashore’s Olema Creek. Fishery Biologist Mike Reichmuth recalled one memorable day in late December, “We had an epic day on Olema, with a single-day count of 150 adult coho salmon. This is the highest single-day count that we have [ever] recorded.” Overall, this season is on track to be the best spawning season on Olema Creek in more than 15 years!

Read more at  Coho Have a Surprisingly Strong 2023-2024 Spawning Season (U.S. National Park Service)

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 25, 2024

The Sex-Obsessed Marsupials That Will Sleep When They’re Dead 

The New York Times reports

Scientists find that male antechinuses, rodent-like animals from Australia, will forgo sleep for sex during their breeding season, after which they die.

Read article at The Sex-Obsessed Marsupials That Will Sleep When They’re Dead

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 24, 2024

Webinar: Environmental Justice with Dr. David Pellow 2/26/24

from Los Padres ForestWatch

Celebrate Black History Month: A Conversation on Environmental Justice with Dr. David Pellow
Join us for an interview with Dr. David Pellow as we celebrate Black History Month by highlighting his contributions, along with those of other Black leaders, to the ongoing progress of the environmental movement towards justice.

Monday, February 26, 2024   3p-4p
Register

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 24, 2024

3 New Job Announcements

Summer Field jobs: USGS bio sci techs (fire/forest ecology) – Sequoia Field Station

Seasonal Botany/Wildland Seed Collection Technician – River Partners

Apricot Lane Farms Now Hiring! Habitat Restoration Team Member

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 24, 2024

Garden Photos 2/23/24

The photos are from my garden except for the Leucospermum which is in my next door neighbor’s garden.  I was focusing on flowers in bud today with the exception of the Douglas Iris, which just bloomed.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 24, 2024

UC 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 | February 24, 2024

A Quarter of Freshwater Fish Are at Risk of Extinction, a New Assessment Finds

The New York Times reports

A global update from the leading authority on the status of species shows that climate change is compounding other threats to plants and animals.

A quarter of the world’s freshwater fish are at risk of extinction, according to the first comprehensive assessment of the animals by the world’s leading scientific authority on the status of species.

Read more at A Quarter of Freshwater Fish Are at Risk of Extinction, a New Assessment Finds

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 23, 2024

Help Save Duke University Herbarium From Being Shut Down

Duke University recently made a decision to close its herbarium.

The decision by Duke University to close their herbarium is deeply concerning. Herbaria are not just repositories of plant specimens, they are living libraries of life on Earth. They hold the keys to understanding our planet’s diverse flora and provide invaluable resources for research, education, and conservation efforts.

According to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), there are approximately 3,000 active herbaria worldwide which house an estimated 350 million specimens – an irreplaceable source of information on Earth’s biodiversity (source: GSPC). The closure of Duke’s herbarium would mean a significant loss in this global effort.

You can sign a petition and help support efforts to reverse this decision at Urge Duke University to Reconsider Closing Their Herbarium

You can read more in the New York Times at  Duke Shuts Down Huge Plant Collection, Causing Scientific Uproar. University officials say they cannot afford to maintain one of the largest herbariums in the United States. Researchers are urging Duke to reconsider.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 23, 2024

38,000 Sandhill Cranes Flock to Nebraska in a Record-Breaking Start to Spring Migration

Smithsonian Magazine reports

A record number of sandhill cranes arrived in central Nebraska during the first week of their annual spring migration, likely lured by mild winter temperatures.

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of the tall, long-legged birds begin making their journey north to breeding grounds in Alaska, Canada and eastern Siberia. Out of all the world’s sandhill cranes, 80 percent use Nebraska’s Platte River as a pit stop, where they fatten up on corn kernels left over from the previous fall’s harvest.

Read on at  38,000 Sandhill Cranes Flock to Nebraska in a Record-Breaking Start to Spring Migration | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 23, 2024

Job Opening: Curator and Conservation Officer – UC Bot. Garden

Curator and Conservation Officer
The University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley has a rare opportunity to hire a Curator and Conservation Officer. This full-time position will build upon the curatorial and conservation programs developed over the history of the garden and bring fresh input to the table. Working with the Director of Collections, curatorial staff, and volunteers, the incumbent will oversee all documentation (plants, library and archives), research use of the collections, and conservation programs. This is a unique opportunity to work with and build on one of the best documented research collections in the world. The position will provide research support to the global community, including the research and teaching activities of numerous UC Berkeley departments. Follow the link for full application details and to apply:http://tinyurl.com/2dupyy3z

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 23, 2024

Whale song mystery solved by scientists

The BBC  reports

Scientists have worked out how some of the largest whales in the ocean produce their haunting and complex songs.

Humpbacks and other baleen whales have evolved a specialised “voice box” that enables them to sing underwater.

The discovery, published in the journal Nature, has also revealed why the noise we make in the ocean is so disruptive for these ocean giants.

Whale song is restricted to a narrow frequency that overlaps with the noise produced by ships.

Read more at Whale song mystery solved by scientists

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 23, 2024

A Bird’s-Eye View of a Technicolor World 

The New York Times

Scientists have devised a new video system that reveals how animals see color, and us.

See images that show how the world looks to animals and read more at: A Bird’s-Eye View of a Technicolor World

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 22, 2024

UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Photos 2/21/24

Photos from the UC- Berkeley Botanical Garden taken on February 21, 2024.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 22, 2024

Job Openings

Seasonal Botany/Wildland Seed Collection Technician – River Partners

Apricot Lane Farms Now Hiring! Habitat Restoration Team Member

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 22, 2024

New Videos Available at Jepson Herbaria YouTube Channel

from Jepson Herbaria
We are happy to announce that a full set of videos, twelve in total, is now available on our University & Jepson Herbaria YouTube channel! The videos are recordings from our mini-workshop series and provide an introduction to botany, ecology, and conservation biology. All of the mini-workshops were taught by researchers, graduate students, and professionals associated with the University of California, Berkeley.
Specifically, the mini-workshop topics included ferns, bryophytes, plant identification, seaweeds, lichens, floristics, spatial phylogenetics, fungi, paleobotany, ecology, documenting diversity, and climate change. We encourage you to watch these videos on your own or, as several folks have already done, host watch parties! We cannot wait to hear about all you learn from this great set of videos!
You can access the videos here:
One of the video sets was even recently publicized in the Berkeleyan, UC Berkeley’s weekly email newsletter:

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 22, 2024

Contrary to politicians’ claims, offshore wind farms don’t kill whales. 

AP reports

Unfounded claims about offshore wind threatening whales have surfaced as a flashpoint in the fight over the future of renewable energy.

In recent months, conservatives including former President Donald Trump have claimed construction of offshore wind turbines is killing the giant animals.

Scientists say there is no credible evidence linking offshore wind farms to whale deaths.

Source: Contrary to politicians’ claims, offshore wind farms don’t kill whales. Here’s what to know. | AP News

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 21, 2024

East Bay Regional Parks March-April Activity Guide

View Calendar of Events for activities, classes, and programs  at East Bay Regional Parks March-April Activity Guide

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 21, 2024

Do tree-planting campaigns follow best practices for successful forest restoration?

Science Daily reports

New research reviewed publicly available information for 99 different organizations that coordinate large-scale tree-planting programs around the globe to see if these organizations seemed to be applying best practices for successful reforestation

But the problem is, there’s a huge difference between simply planting a tree and making sure that trees survive and grow over the long-term.

Read article at  Do tree-planting campaigns follow best practices for successful forest restoration? | ScienceDaily

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 21, 2024

Photos from Crete 4/14/23

Photos from last year’s trip to Crete taken on April 14, 2023

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 20, 2024

California State Parks and the Resighini Tribe of Yurok People sign historic agreement

from California State Parks

California State Parks and the Resighini Tribe of Yurok People announced the signing of a historic agreement to protect the natural and cultural resources in state parks within the Tribe’s traditional territory.

Read more at  Resighini Tribe of Yurok People & CA State Parks Sign Historic Agreement to Steward & Co-manage Cultural and Natural Resources in Ancestral Territories

 

 

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 20, 2024

15th Annual Pt. Reyes Birding Festival




Early Bird Registration (EAC Members) February 23rd-29th, 2024
Public Registration March 1st, 2024
Schedule at a Glance & Full Descriptions
Join or Renew Your EAC Membership Here to Receive Early Bird Member Registration

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 20, 2024

Photos from Crete 4/13/23

Photos from a trip to Crete this past year taken on April 13, 2023.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 20, 2024

How bird counts affect airport design and permitting

Anthropocene reports

When they conducted a network analysis to track bird movement, researchers discovered a better way to evaluate the impacts of big infrastructure projects

In much of the world, construction of large infrastructure such as freeways, airports or pipelines must be scrutinized to see if it will harm wildlife.

Read on: How you count birds affects airport design and permitting

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 19, 2024

Photos from Sobrante Ridge Preserve

Sobrante Ridge Regional Park, or simply Sobrante Ridge, is a regional park of the East Bay Regional Parks District in Richmond, California. It covers 277 acres and protects the extremely endangered Alameda manzanita, a native plant of the area. The park has 2+1⁄2 miles of trails. There are currently thousands of Indian Warrior / Pedicularis densiflora  in bloom.

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 19, 2024

Whipnose Anglerfish Swim Upside Down 

The New York Times report

Deep-sea videos from around the world show how the whipnose anglerfish prefers to swim belly up.

Usually, a belly-up fish isn’t long for this world. But video evidence from the deep ocean suggests that some species of anglerfish — the nightmarish deep-sea fish with bioluminescent lures — live their whole lives upside down.

Read more and see videos at A Fish That Fishes for Other Fish Lives Its Life Upside Down

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Posted by: Sandy Steinman | February 18, 2024

Best Practices for Pollinators Summit

from Xerces Society

Best Practices for Pollinators Summit – all session virtual

Registration is open for 2024: Feb 27, Feb 28 and Feb 29.

Learn ecologically sound land practices that promote pollinators, climate resilience, clean waters and lands. Practical knowledge and innovation on pesticide reduction, habitat installation, fostering soil health, pollinator biology, pollinator conservation and more.

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Posted in Butterflies, Environment | Tags:

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