Tag: "ecology"
Salmon Runs, Grizzly Bear Dreams
Using grizzly bears in the Pacific Northwest as a proxy for the benefits salmon deliver to ecological communities, a new study argues that letting more salmon migrate into coastal streams will lead to downstream improvements for the ecosystem and eventually the offshore salmon catch.
Post on Apr 18, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Fair Game? On Lions, Hunters and Wildlife Policy
Trophy hunting mountain lions is legal in every Western state except California. When the head of the state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission, a life member of the NRA, killed a young lion in Idaho, state legislators and environmental and animal welfare groups called for his resignation. What should Californians expect of state officials in charge of setting wildlife policy?
Post on Apr 04, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Small Rewards: Tiny Frogs and Chameleons Find and Fill a Niche
Recent discoveries of a Lilliputian lizard and elfin amphibian, fascinating in their own right, highlight one of the most enduring questions in biology: what controls the evolution of body size? They also provide a rare bright spot amid the relentless reports of endangered and disappearing amphibian and reptile species around the world.
Post on Mar 21, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
A Birder’s-Eye View of Conservation
The Great Backyard Bird Count gives novice Bay Area wildlife watchers the chance to play field biologist in their own backyards and help scientists gather data on the incidence, abundance, and distribution of birds. Researchers will use sightings to identify trends that will help conserve these valuable indicators of biodiversity.
Post on Feb 15, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Songbirds as a Measure of Farm Sustainability
John Quinn, a researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, explains how he collects and uses bird calls to establish an indicator for farm healthiness known as the Healthy Farm Index.
Post on Dec 06, 2011 by John Quinn from QUEST Nebraska
Everything is Illuminated, All the Time
The world is not as dark as it used to be. Light pollution can come directly from light bulbs, or it can bounce off of dust and water droplets in the air, creating a bright haze called skyglow. But there are ways to dim the lights and reduce their effects—and save energy in the process.
Post on Jul 11, 2011 by Jennifer Skene
Sudden Oak Death Plus Wildfire: A Natural Experiment
A natural experiment created by the overlap of the Basin Complex Fire and a UC Davis study allowed scientists to test whether SOD did in fact make wildfire worse. What they found was not what the news media or the firefighters predicted.
Post on Jan 31, 2011 by Jennifer Skene
Lessons from the Chicken Coop
As I thought about the salmonella-laced headlines that have tumbled across my doorstep and my computer screen over the past few weeks, I thought having my own backyard chickens might not be a bad idea.
Post on Aug 30, 2010 by Jennifer Skene
Home Sweet Serpentine
Serpentine soil is a tough environment, but some unique plants and animals call it home.
Post on Aug 16, 2010 by Jennifer Skene
Oil Spills and the Environment
The volume of oil recently spilled in the Gulf of Mexico is several thousand times what was spilled in San Francisco Bay in 2007, but the ecological studies conducted in the wake of the SF spill give us an idea of what we can expect in the Gulf.
Post on Aug 02, 2010 by Jennifer Skene
LEED or Get Out of the Way
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has become so popular and well known that many cities now require that new municipal buildings be built to LEED standards. But do these buildings actually save energy?
Post on May 15, 2009 by Jim Gunshinan
Being Green on the Way to Work
On Thursday, May 14th, expect a jump in the number of bikes on the road in San Francisco. The reason for the inflation? Bike to Work Day.
Post on May 13, 2009 by Cat
Turning Lemons Into Energy Efficient Homes
While new housing is stalled in the United States, there is lots of funding-in the billions of dollars-on the way for weatherization, residential energy efficiency, and renewable energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Post on May 01, 2009 by Jim Gunshinan
Producer's Notes for Underwater Wilderness: Creating Marine Protected Areas
Through the eyes of these scientists, we witness the undersea life in bloom. They clearly have one of the best offices to go to work to each day.
Post on Oct 21, 2008 by Chris Bauer
Of Birds, Poets, and Architects
A Passivhaus is so well designed that it doesn't need a furnace for heating or an air conditioner for cooling. Because the house is so well sealed, it needs to be ventilated mechanically. That is done through a heat recovery ventilator, a device that pulls up to 80% of the heat from exhaust air and transfers it to the incoming, fresh air.
Post on Aug 08, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Reporter's Notes: Eating a Low-Carbon Diet
Not everyone would be excited about a box of 16 pounds of meat. But for the members of the Bay Area Meat CSA, the enthusiasm was off the charts. I took part in their spring share this year, where member of the CSA receive a monthly box of pork, poultry, lamb and beef from local [...]
Post on Jun 13, 2008 by Lauren Sommer
Reporter's Notes: Who Will Revive the Electric Car?
One of the best parts of working on this story was stumbling upon a subculture of electric car fanatics, like Darell Dickey, many of whom drive incredibly rare, full-size all-electric cars that were available for a blink of an eye in the late '90s and early 2000s. There are just hundreds of these cars left [...]
Post on Jun 09, 2008 by Amy Standen
Saving Energy in a Hurry
Yeah Alaska! Yeah Brazil! Yeah California? The people of Juneau saved electricity in a hurry– when electricity went to 55 cents per kilowatt-hourIn Juneau, Alaska, an avalanche on April 16th downed transmission lines and cut off the city from it's cheap source of hydroelectric power; electricity prices jumped by 500%. Alan Meier-a scientist at Lawrence [...]
Post on Jun 02, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Have sewage, will travel
Unless our sewage happens to end up in the Bay and in the headlines, most of us probably never give a second thought to where our wastewater is headed each time we run the tap or flush the toilet. To learn more about the travels of sewage, I took a tour of the Las Gallinas [...]
Post on May 06, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
Designing a Penguin Wetsuit
A "penguin suit" doesn't just refer to a tuxedo anymore. Why does Pierre, the Academy's 25-year-old penguin need a wetsuit?Thanks to an innovative treatment at the California Academy of Sciences. Pierre, the Academy's 25-year-old penguin was recently fitted with a wetsuit! Pierre's feathers were thinning and not growing back. Because penguins rely on their feathers [...]
Post on May 01, 2008 by Cat
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