Reprinted from The Western Tanager 89(4):1-3. A fact that has stuck with me from the research for the Los Angeles County Breeding Bird Atlas in the 1990s is that there was not a single neighborhood in the county that did not have at least ten breeding bird species. Residents can enjoy birds wherever they live. … Continue reading An Urban Forest for the Birds
Chicago has been replacing its high-pressure sodium lamps with 3000K LEDs. They are finding many objections to the level of glare and brightness, but the Chicago Tribune editorial board came out with a ringing endorsement of full-spectrum white light, and celebrating the loss of yellow and orange hue of high-pressure sodium. This is my response. … Continue reading Chicago, the Night Should Not Look Like the Day
At today’s meeting of the California Energy Commission, an update to the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards was passed that would require solar panels on the roof of all new residential construction. In the abstract, I am a strong supporter of distributed solar generation, especially as a means to reduce impacts to wildlands from extensive … Continue reading Unintended outcome? Required solar panels on new houses limits future urban forest
Travis Longcore 