Tag: "wildlife"
California Wildlife Mural Celebrates Its Third Birthday
In 2009, after West Valley College built its brand new biology building, a group of faculty stood in the natural history lab staring at a blank wall. "It's too empty," they agreed. "How about a mural?" suggested biology and genetics instructor Molly Schrey.
Post on Sep 18, 2012 by Danna Staaf from QUEST Northern California
Tracking Big Cats to Learn Their Secrets
Learning to see the landscape through the eyes of a wild carnivore helps Bay Area residents appreciate the essential ecological roles bobcats, mountain lions, and other predators play in ecosystems. New research shows that lion leftovers feed a surprising diversity of other species.
Post on Jul 11, 2012 by Liza Gross from QUEST Northern California
Bay-Friendly Gardening: Welcoming Wildlife and Nature Into Human Habitats
A "Bay-Friendly" gardens initiative is underway around the Bay Area under the sponsorship of Stopwaste.org. Last weekend some generous, certified “Bay-Friendly” garden owners opened their yards for tours.
Post on May 11, 2012 by Sharol Nelson-Embry 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
Spotted Owls Face New Threat
Spotted owls, one of the most iconic threatened species in the West, are still declining. That may be due in part to a new threat – not from humans, but from other owls.
Post on Apr 29, 2011 by Lauren Sommer
Backyard Mountain Lions
A few weeks ago, in the middle of the night, a mountain lion roamed the streets of Berkeley. The Berkeley Police deemed the mountain lion a threat to public safety, and, following protocol, shot it in a resident’s driveway. These policies make sense—and so does a mountain lion walking in streets of Berkeley, when you really think about it.
Post on Oct 11, 2010 by Jennifer Skene
Working Dogs for Conservation
With unemployment at an all time low, it seems controversial that some very solid jobs are going to non-humans, but there are just some things that humans will never be qualified to do.
Post on Dec 09, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe
Reporter's Notes: Journey to the Farallones
Our trip to the Farallon Islands was certainly eventful: seasickness (me), bug bites (me) and immersion in one of the most unique wildlife habitats in the world (luckily). This chain of windblown rocks, about 27 miles from San Francisco, is teeming with 300,000 seabirds in the spring and summer.
Post on Jul 24, 2009 by Lauren Sommer
Nature Play: Notes from the Field
At Nature Play, a new Oakland Zoo camp, campers need little guidance to make peace with Nature, and each other.
Post on Jul 01, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe
Producer's Notes for Cool Critters: Turkey Vultures
Now, a vulture isn't what typically comes to mind for making a good first impression. But this bird is absolutely gorgeous, and unbelievably interesting; we instantly fell in love.
Post on Jun 16, 2009 by Lindsay Kelliher
The Farallones Caught on Camera
A new webcam on the Farallon Islands helps scientists– and the public– monitor wildlife.
Post on Jun 10, 2009 by Cat
Predators in Peril in Uganda
Last October, I gazed out at the expanse of Queen Elizabeth Park, in Uganda, close to the comfy Mweya Safari Lodge where we were staying. The landscape was beautiful, peaceful…and kind of empty. Though we had seen a large and lovely herd of elephants the evening before, on this fine, clear morning, the habitat was clearly missing one of the most important parts of the eco-system: predators. All we could find were tracks.
Post on Apr 08, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe
Gorilla Cough
Forgive me for being Gorilla-Crazy and writing yet another blog about these creatures, but anyone who has completed a gorilla trek understands the obsession and concern. One issue: We make them sick.
Post on Feb 05, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe
Reporter's Notes: Tracking Urban Lions
It's amazing that such large animals can live so near to urban areas and remain unseen – particularly since these animals inspire such fear and alarm whenever there is a reported sighting.
Post on Jan 09, 2009 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Oil Spill Anniversary
November is the month when thousands of migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway make their stop in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's also the month when herring arrive in the Bay in gigantic schools – tons and tons of the tiny fish. And November's the month last year when the Cosco Busan crashed, leaking 53,000 gallons of black goo into San Francisco Bay.
Post on Oct 31, 2008 by David Gorn
Reporter's Notes: Condor Return
By now, I am used to the usual suspects of species degradation: urban sprawl, loss of habitat, pollution, shrinking resources. Those are almost always given as the explanation for why a particular species is threatened or endangered. This surprised me.
Post on Oct 17, 2008 by David Gorn
Wire Snares in Africa
Photo by: Melissa Batson And how they put a snare in the plan for chimps and humans to live together. In the Budongo Forests of Uganda, a large group of Chimpanzees, named by researchers The Sonso Group, attempt to thrive in their natural habitat, eating plants and small prey. At the same time, humans who [...]
Post on Jul 03, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe
Turning Plastic Bags into Beautiful Bolsas
And how this metamorphosis saves Monkeys! Colombia: a beautiful country, with incredible forests and diverse wildlife, but like many other countries, a trash problem. With no formal trash collection system, the forests and villages suffer from scattered plastic bags, endangering wildlife and creating a mess on village streets. One such village was Los Limites, until [...]
Post on Jun 19, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe
