Environmental News

A curated set of environmental news stories brought to you by the Gottlieb Native Garden team.

12 Ways Your Fellow Angelenos Are Reducing Their Plastic Waste

My family recently made an effort to cut out single-use plastic from our life. Or at least, to reduce it significantly.

Southern California deserts need protection, Congress says as it crafts legislation for off-roading, wilderness land

Republicans and Democrats disagree on a lot of issues, but protecting deserts in Southern California doesn’t seem to be one of them.

Achieving a balance: Animal welfare and conservation

Animal care experts and veterinarians evaluate the balance between animal welfare and conservation needs for a number of rare species of native birds being raised in San Diego Zoo Global breeding centers in Hawaii. The paper shares the challenges and complexity of situations where the needs of an individual and the needs of a species are weighed, and how that balance is achieved.

A Rare Super Bloom of Desert Wildflowers Is Expected This Spring

“Super Blooms”–seasons in which unusually high numbers of wildflowers blossom in California’s deserts–can only occur if very specific conditions are met. After a wet and rainy winter, it looks like nature will be treating us to the rare display.

Gray wolves in California are endangered species, judge says

A California judge on Monday upheld protection for gray wolves under the state’s Endangered Species Act, rejecting a legal challenge from ranchers and farmers who fear the predators will threaten their livestock.

New Bill Could End Cruel Trapping in California

Conservationists and animal advocates are applauding the introduction of legislation in California that would ban fur trapping throughout the state once and for all.

This Winter’s Top 5 Wildlife Webcams

As the biting cold rips through civilization, people seek refuge in blankets and huddle by crackling fires. But many critters brave the elements—and they don’t seem to mind. While winter keeps us somewhat-evolved primates in hiding, we can still appreciate this roundup of wildlife webcams, all of which showcase some amazing adaptations and quirky behaviors.

King tides offer look at the coast’s flooded future with sea-level rise

The extreme king tides of the past few days occur only once or twice a year, but they offer a glimpse of what normal tides will be eventually be doing daily as the result of rising sea levels.

Border walls already take a toll on wildlife

Two years ago, along the southern border west of El Paso, a Mexican gray wolf loped north through the Chihuahuan Desert and into the United States. A few days later, unable to find a mate, he returned to Mexico.

California condor channels ‘Harry Potter’ in latest giant-bird release above San Simeon

A California condor named Cedric — released Dec. 28, 2018 — is the fourth juvenile from a cohort of six of the giant birds to be set free in the mountains above San Simeon since November.