Science News: How Our Science Protects Wildlife
October 7, 2021
Do Protected Areas Actually Protect? We need effective conservation measures that will help threatened bird populations recover, survive, and thrive alongside human communities. Many of us assume that protected areas, such as local, regional, and national parks, are one such measure and Point Blue Avian Ecologist Mark Dettling recently published a study to explore our
Oil Spill Response and Point Blue Deployment
October 5, 2021
By Mani Oliva, C.E.O. As you have likely heard by now, on Saturday morning an oil spill occurred off the coast of Huntington Beach in Southern California in which 127,000 gallons of oil leaked into the ocean. This spill, the largest in the area in three decades, has already impacted wildlife and poses significant risk
Cool City Challenge in Petaluma
August 27, 2021
The population at large is becoming increasingly aware that the climate crisis is not something that will happen in the future. It is happening now, and there is not much time left before many of the irreversible environmental tipping points have been passed. Though the challenge can feel daunting, there is hope. But we need
New and Improved Sea Level Rise Planning Tool!
August 2, 2021
It’s live! We are excited to announce that we just launched our newly updated Our Coast, Our Future platform (ourcoastourfuture.org)! In a time when we are seeing and feeling the effects of climate change more than ever, it’s critical that our solutions keep pace and help us think ahead and think holistically. That’s exactly what
Sierra Meadows Partnership Poised to Meet 2030 Goal
July 28, 2021
Sierra meadows are a critically important component of the Sierra Nevada landscape. They provide multiple benefits. They contribute to carbon sequestration, groundwater recharge, flood attenuation, water quality improvements, and stream flow, improving the quality of life for downstream ecosystems and human communities. Meadows are also biodiversity hotspots that provide important habitat for birds, fish, amphibians,
Science News: More drones for science? Yes!
July 2, 2021
Science Drones from Antarctica to CA Drones are fast becoming an important conservation tool. At Point Blue, we began using them to survey a colony of half a million penguins in Antarctica that we’ve been monitoring on foot since the early 1970s. That study is still active and proving to be successful in bringing a
A Decade of Ambition
June 4, 2021
Editor’s note: The decade 2021-2030 has been designated by the United Nations as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and Point Blue is proud to be participating in and supporting the UN’s effort. As part of our participation we have crafted our own declaration and commitments below. We plan to add to these commitments over time,
A Decade to Re-up on Restoration Globally
May 31, 2021
Editor’s note: In support of the UN’s Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Point Blue has crafted our own declaration and commitments that can be found here. We plan to add to these commitments over time, as we assess ways of increasing the pace, scale, and impact of our climate-smart conservation. The decade 2021-2030 has been designated
Pyrodiversity and Biodiversity in the Sierra
May 4, 2021
By Dr. Grant Ballard, Chief Science Officer Point Blue has monitored California’s iconic Sierra Nevada ecosystems since the 1970’s, with a particularly extensive study of birds and vegetation covering thousands of locations across the entire mountain range beginning in 2009. This long-term study serves as a witness to the transformation of Sierra ecosystems that is
Science News: Fire, Owls, and Farallon Gulls
April 30, 2021
The Benefits of Fire for Birds Fire is a phenomenon that may not be easy to think positively about when it comes to areas where we live, especially in California right now. But the story is more complicated than whether fire is all good or all bad. In the Sierra Nevada our research has revealed
