Environmental News

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

A warning from ancient tree rings: The Americas are prone to catastrophic, simultaneous droughts

By analyzing tree ring records, scientists have now found evidence that such tandem droughts are more than a coincidence: 

Imperiled Yellow-legged Frogs Protected Under California’s Endangered Species Act

The California Fish and Game Commission today approved California Endangered Species Act protections for five of six populations of the foothill yellow-legged frog, a species that has disappeared from more than 50% of its historic habitat in the state.

Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kits Designed to Support Imperiled Western Monarchs

These specially designed kits, geared towards large-scale projects, incorporate native milkweeds, nectar plants, and climate considerations.

Remembering my first Christmas Bird Count

On the 120th Anniversary, join an Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count near you

What’s creating thousands of craters off the California coast?

Just off the coast of California, thousands of craterlike depressions, some as big as buses, dot the sea floor. Now, scientists say they know what’s causing these mysterious features.

Nature’s ‘Brita Filter’ Is Dying And Nobody Knows Why

On the Clinch River alone, hundreds of thousands of freshwater mussels are believed to have perished; a mass mortality event that has baffled scientists and alarmed ecologists.

Changing wildfires in California’s Sierra Nevada may threaten northern goshawks

Research in the journal Biological Conservation, published by Elsevier, suggests fire, as it becomes more frequent and severe, poses a substantial risk to goshawks in the Sierra Nevada region.

Rising temperatures may be making birds smaller

 The animals might be shrinking in order to stay cool in warmer temperatures, or their growth may be stunted by the heat, the researchers say. 

Thousands of Albatrosses Saved from Deadly Fishhooks

This big win came after years of advocacy from the Audubon network.

Cameras reveal new Sierra Nevada fox population in CA

Wildlife managers have discovered a previously unknown population of potentially endangered foxes high in the mountains of California