Category: Science News

In science news this week: Idled farmland presents habitat restoration opportunities in San Joaquin Desert: “Most of the native habitat in California’s San Joaquin Desert has been converted to row crops and orchards, leaving 35 threatened or endangered species confined to isolated patches of habitat. A significant portion of that farmland, however, is likely to be retired in the coming […]

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In science news this week: Insects Show the Healing of Toxic Metal Mining Scars:  “A hue reminiscent of orange soda might be appealing at the diner, but in rivers and streams, it’s a sign of serious damage. Open pit mining, which excavates strategic minerals from huge open pits dug into the land, is particularly harmful to the environment, exposing metallic […]

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In science news this week: Is habitat restoration actually killing plants in the California wildlands? “In 2014, plant biologists with the California Department of Agriculture reported an alarming discovery: native wildflowers and herbs, grown in nurseries and then planted in ecological restoration sites around California, were infected with Phytophthora tentaculata, a deadly exotic plant pathogen that causes root and stem […]

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In science news this week: A Sailor, a Squall and a Scientist:  The Northern California Water Association blog writes, “It all started in the coastal town of Santa Barbara. It is here, along California’s southern most portion of the Central Coast, where Ted Sommer was preparing to fulfil his childhood dream.  As early as he could remember, Ted had always […]

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In science news this week: Maximizing every drop: Rice farmers, duck hunters work with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited for ‘world class habitat’: “The rice fields are his home away from home.  Don Bransford, a third-generation rice farmer in Colusa, California, has been growing the grain since 1980.  His 1,200-acre farm is in the Sacramento Valley, which on […]

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In science news this week: Sierra snowpack could drop significantly by the end of the century:  “A future warmer world will almost certainly feature a decline in fresh water from the Sierra Nevada mountain snowpack. Now a new study by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) that analyzed the headwater regions of California’s 10 major reservoirs, […]

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In science news this week: Human actions impact wild salmon’s ability to evolve:  “Once spring-run chinook salmon disappear, they are not likely to re-emerge, indicates genetic analysis of the revered wild fish in a study led by the University of California, Davis. Prompt conservation action could preserve spring-run chinook, as well as their evolutionary potential.  The study, published online today […]

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In science news this week: Clips and codes: How many Central Valley salmon come from hatcheries?  “Every year, hundreds of thousands of adult Chinook salmon race upstream to their spawning grounds in the tributaries and mainstems of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. But sometimes, salmon get mixed up about which river they should return to for spawning. Following the […]

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In science news this week: Sierra snowpack and the San Joaquin River Restoration Program:  “In California, we all need snow – even the fish in the San Joaquin River. The San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) hosted the 2018 Science Meeting in Sacramento in late August to share research findings and updates about ongoing restoration activities. While much of the […]

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In science news this week: The Spring-run Salmon Saga of the San Joaquin:  “We’ve recently reported on the long and fascinating history of Friant Dam, the collapse of San Joaquin River salmon populations, and the groundbreaking lawsuit that resulted in the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP), one of the most ambitious river restoration projects in the country. In August, […]

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