lynnwatson's Journal

Hello all - this is Lynn's son James posting - Lynn passed away last week, the coroner thinks it was heart disease that lead to a heart attack.

This is quite a shock to all of us, and seemingly came out of the blue.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfws_pacificsw/29757865333/

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/analysis/2016/09/14/blm-releases-final-california-desert-management-plan

http://www.elwhafilm.com/

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/09/08/fall-wild-study-documents-catastrophic-decline-worlds-untouched-places

https://vimeo.com/181225323

The California Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies used to flutter about San Francisco aplenty, but their populations declined in the 20th century as more areas were developed. Now in the early 21st century, they’re incredibly rare in the city, so one resident decided to do something. California Academy of Sciences aquatic biologist Tim Wong built a butterfly home in his own backyard, and around three years later is seeing the colorful blue butterflies slowly return.

http://inhabitat.com/san-francisco-man-singlehandedly-revived-a-rare-butterfly-species-in-his-own-backyard/

Before she went, Soto-Balderas said, she had been unsure exactly how she would apply her love of math and science to a professional career. But after a week of classroom, field and lab-based activities focused on applied conservation science and research, she was sold.

“I wasn’t thinking about conservation at all before this program,” said Soto-Balderas, who added a minor in spatial studies so she could learn programming and help scientists model species’ migratory patterns and population fluctuations. “Now, I’m hoping to get good enough in analysis so that I can use those skills to contribute to conservation.”

• See more at: http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/016733/mentorship-and-motivation#sthash.sM4JLVDH.dpuf

UCSB ecologist Benjamin Halpern co-authors a new study that underscores the need for better data to facilitate effective biodiversity conservation
By Julie Cohen
Thursday, April 21, 2016 - 11:00
Santa Barbara, CA

To prevent a new mass extinction of the world’s animal and plant life, scientists need to understand threats to biodiversity, where they occur and how quickly change is happening. To do that, they need reliable and accessible data.

This Venn diagram shows the different criteria used to evaluate each dataset and their overlaps. The sweet spot — the middle area — shows the 14 datasets that meet all criteria. - See more at: http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/016714/heading-mass-extinction#sthash.tWn1vvON.dpuf

Via email: the peak of the lower-elevation bloom at death valley is now. don't wait if you want to see it! there will be blooms at higher elevation as time goes on, but there is no guarantee it will be as fabulous as this lower-elevation bloom is now.

http://tchester.org/dv/plants/reports/2016.html

this report is linked online, so feel free to share it with anyone you'd like.