Breaking News Archives | Page 134 of 251

Bird Identification

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on April 17, 2020 with No Comments

Size: Ravens are larger than crows.Buddies: Ravens often travel in pairs, while crows are seen in larger groups.Tail Feathers: Raven’s have longer tail feathers in the middle of the tail, while a crow’s tail feathers are basically the same length. (Remember the phrase Round Raven, Square Crow)Calls: Raven’s make a lower croaking sound, while crows make a cawing sound.Beaks: Raven’s have shaggy throat feathers and a large, heavy and curved beak, while crows have a slimmer sharp pointy beak. Now … Read More

Cougar Now a Candidate Species

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on April 16, 2020 with No Comments

A video/conference call/live stream meeting started at 9:30 this morning. The agenda item we were waiting for was #32 (of 33). The item began at 3:45, with comments starting around 4:30. Our item ended at 5:53. Who hangs on a call for more than six hours? We do. Why? Because the California Fish and Game Commission was considering the fate of the sub-species of the California Mountain Lion in our area. The process for listing a species under the California … Read More

The Pandemic & Saving Nature

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on April 15, 2020 with No Comments

This article identifies four key ways to prevent this type of massive pandemic from happening again. It includes: ensuring supplies of medical equipment, having adequate testing, banning the wildlife trade, and saving nature. This article identifies four key ways to prevent this type of massive pandemic from happening again. It includes: ensuring supplies of medical equipment, having adequate testing, banning the wildlife trade, and saving nature. Every day we are trying to be creative as to how we save lands… … Read More

Stream Flows

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on April 15, 2020 with No Comments

Last year was quite wet in terms of the rainfall. This helped promote an amazing super bloom. It also finally allowed the intermittent streams to fill up and flow. An intermittent stream ceases to flow during dry periods. A perennial stream has a continuous flow in all or parts of the channel year round. (Video: A view of a stream with water flowing from left to right and fresh green growth along the stream channel.)

Stink Bugs

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on April 13, 2020 with No Comments

This insect goes by many names: stink bug, darkling beetle, clown beetle, and pinacate beetle. It is jet black in coloring and there are 1400 species within the family. Why does it have the name stink bug? You guessed it, it stinks–rather the secretion it emits from its hind quarters smells. When it feels threatened you see this bug do the stink stand by putting its rear in the air toward the threat. Interestingly, pinacate beetles are found west of … Read More