Goose in the Lights

Sometimes nature outreach opportunities come when you least expect. For those watching the baseball playoffs — I wasn’t — the Dodgers-Padres game got a little nutty when a goose settled in on the field round about the 8th inning Wednesday night. It was no local, bread-fed, domesticated park dweller but a bona fide wild Greater … Continue reading Goose in the Lights

Darkness as Refuge

Reprinted from Western Tanager 88(6):22-24. The challenges faced by the Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) are many as it winters and breeds along the coast of southern California.  Beach grooming by heavy equipment perpetually remove valuable habitat and flatten out once-undulating dunes.  Beachgoers and their pets use the land where they once nested.  Predators … Continue reading Darkness as Refuge

Two Light Pollution Projects Accepted to UCLA Undergraduate Research Week

Two students working in the Longcore Lab @ UCLA in the Sustainable Los Angeles Grand Challenge Undergraduate Research Program (URSP) have had presentations accepted to the Undergraduate Research & Creativity Showcase at UCLA Undergraduate Research Week. Here are their abstracts: Characterizing Nighttime Light Exposure Across Land Use and Demography Ahalya Sabaratnam and Travis Longcore As … Continue reading Two Light Pollution Projects Accepted to UCLA Undergraduate Research Week

On Mountain Lions, Woodside, and the Definition of “Habitat”

Last session, the California Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, SB9, which allows by-right splits of any single-family residential parcel and then construction of a duplex on both parcels (at least four dwelling units where there was one before, and potentially accessory dwelling units, ADUs, in addition). Cities across the State are left with implementing … Continue reading On Mountain Lions, Woodside, and the Definition of “Habitat”

Covid-19 Update: Why It Looks Like Death Rates are Going Down But Aren’t

I would like to explain one thing, which is why the apparent death rate for cases of covid19 looks like it is declining. In part this is because I get sent links to things written by opinion writers who do not understand what they are talking about and I’d like to have a clear explanation … Continue reading Covid-19 Update: Why It Looks Like Death Rates are Going Down But Aren’t