Gliman Intersection Fix

This would be a great idea. That is one hell of an intersection and something needs to be done. EBV likes!

California Drought

Gov. Arnold Shwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in California due to the past three years of drought and the likely fourth year to come. A good reminder that even though it has been raining for what seems like everyday this month that we still need a lot more water.

The governor signed the proclamation Friday. Among other steps, it directs state agencies to provide assistance for affected communities and businesses.

The move encourages urban water agencies to reduce water use by 20 percent and says mandatory conservation is an option if other measures are insufficient.

Schwarzenegger called the drought a crisis as severe as an earthquake or wildfire.

Photo by Flickr user Jason-Morrison used under a Creative Commons License.

More Barreleye Fish of Monterey Bay

Another article and more information on the awesome barreleye fish on Monterey Bay

Fish with See-through Head

This is a pretty awesome looking fish courtesy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

h/t Ryan G.

Congratulations Cate!

Cate Whalen, a good friend of the store from back in her Cafe Rouge days was named by the SF Chronicle as one of the 5 best bartenders in the Bay Area. And if you know the Bay Area well, you know we take our drinks and our bartenders very seriously.

Three years behind the buzzing bar at Berkeley's Cesar infused her with a deep knowledge of wine and spirits. "I started to appreciate the culture of sharing that with food," she says.

Then it was out of the frying pan into Slanted Door's fire, where she spent three hectic years under Thad Vogler (see this page, above), whose recent gigs include Beretta and Oakland's Camino.

"Thad has the most integrity in the choices he makes - in who makes the spirit and how it's made and how it's consumed as well," says Whalen. She paid attention.

After such fast-paced stints, Pizzaiolo, with its tiny seven-seat bar and a wine-friendly rustic Italian menu, might seem an odd next step. A little like finding a fortified Italian wine, rum and an herbal Cognac-based liqueur in the same cocktail (see recipe). But Whalen makes a convincing case.

I will refrain from posting pictures of her passed out at home plate at an EBV sloshball tournament and post this beautiful cocktail photo instead :)

Photo by Flickr user Jeremy Brooks used under a Creative Commons License

Animal Rescue Training

I do not know a lot about Noah's Wish but they are having a 2-day in-field training for volunteers and the community in Dublin, Ca. on March 7th & 8th.

According to their website:

Since we were established in 2002, we have been there to support animals during disasters. For example, we responded to:
-Katrina and the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
-Lake Tahoe fires.
-Southern California fires.
-Iowa Floods and many others.

Sounds like a great cause so head on over and sign up if you have the time to help some needy animals.

Sustainable Food

A really interesting history of Niman Ranch meat and where it goes from here now that it is owned and controlled by a large Chicago Company and the founder will no longer eat it's products.

Photo by Flickr user revolute used under a Creative Commons License.

Mystery Solved

The mystery deaths of hundreds of seabirds in Monterey Bay was a normally non-toxic algae.

But after water testing, the researchers found no indication of excess oil, pesticides, acids or commercial products that might have caused the foam and gooey coating on the birds. All told, 207 birds were found dead and 550 were stranded.

Then the slime disappeared.

Now, the "mystery spill" has been solved. It wasn't the Cosco Busan oil spill in nearby San Francisco Bay or a controversial aerial pesticide spraying along the Central Coast. It was harmless-looking foam from an ordinarily nontoxic algal bloom churned up by November waves, according to a study coming out in PLoS ONE on Monday.

This unassuming foam looks like "if you beat egg whites into a meringue and sprinkle a little dirt in with it," study co-author Kudela tells ScientificAmerican.com. Although the protein-rich froth didn't contain toxins, it acted as a surfactant, which lowers the surface tension of water—especially where it comes into contact with oil. This disabled the natural water-repellent coating on the feathers of floating loons, grebes, northern fulmars and other birds in the bay, soaking them through and rendering them susceptible to the chilly autumn Pacific water.

Desert Wildflower Outlook

Looks like this year may end up being another decent year with the rain the desert just got this past week.

Here is a great website for tracking flowers in the California Desert. If anyone knows of any others please pass them on.

Also any book reviews out there for Introduction to California Desert Wildflowers (California Natural History Guides)

Photo from EBV Desert Trip 2008 by myself

CA Salmon News Gets Worse

Looks like we may be headed to another closure of the salmon season here in California. I would imagine the lack of rain until now really hurt things too.

A record-low number of chinook salmon returned to rivers in California's Central Valley last year, indicating that severe restrictions on salmon fishing are likely again this year, federal regulators say.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council reported that in 2008 a total of 66,264 natural and hatchery chinook or "king" salmon adults were estimated to have returned to the Sacramento River basin to spawn, the lowest estimate on record.

The council uses the estimates to determine if it should recommend limits on commercial and recreational fishing.

Photo by Flickr user stu_spivack used under a Creative Commons License

Stelephant

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Stelephant Colbert the Elephant Seal

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

Shark Season

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat warns that it is shark season on the North Coast with several sitings in the last few weeks.

Studying Walrus Sex

Nearby in Vallejo at the Six Flags aka Marine World scientists are hoping to collect the world's first Walrus semen sample.

That possibility makes the breeding behavior of Jocko and his two female friends, who live at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, fascinating to scientists - to the point that one researcher is creating an artificial vagina to entice the 2,200-pound Pacific walrus into sexual acts that can be measured and quantified.

"This would be the first semen sample out of a walrus in the wild or captivity," said Holley Muraco, a specialist in marine mammal reproduction who has constructed similar body parts for horses, cows and pigs.

She said the dramatic changes likely to occur in the Arctic would affect walrus breeding, an obscure activity about which little is known, partly because it happens underwater and partly because Pacific walruses live in a remote part of the world.

Good luck guys. All kidding aside this is important research even if John McCain would not agree. And I am going to go ahead and give this post the "cryptozoology" tag since it seems Walrus semen is the Arctic Sea's version of Nessie and Bigfoot.

Photo by Fickr user Steffe used under a Creative Commons License

Offshore Oil Drilling

Coming to a California Coast near you!

The federal government is taking steps that may open California's fabled coast to oil drilling in as few as three years, an action that could place dozens of platforms off the Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt coasts, and raises the specter of spills, air pollution and increased ship traffic into San Francisco Bay.

The federal government is taking steps that may open California's fabled coast to oil drilling in as few as three years, an action that could place dozens of platforms off the Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt coasts, and raises the specter of spills, air pollution and increased ship traffic into San Francisco Bay.

You really have to hand it to Democrats bowing to the mighty power of the oil industry during last summer's gas price sky-rocket. Offshore oil drilling was never a short-term solution to gas prices and their decision not to press the Bush administration on renewing the ban looks even sillier today. Hopefully Boxer and Pelosi can block this or President Obama can reinstate the executive order before any rights are sold.

Photo by Flickr user tsuda used under a creative Commons License.

Missing Tortoise Found

A bay area tortoise missing for 6 weeks mysteriously reappears in his yard. Good to see he is home.

Butch the tortoise, who gets around, is back home in Cupertino.

The 150-year-old reptile turned up Monday morning in the front yard of his home, following a mysterious six-week disappearance that left his owners, Penny and Chuck Carle, shell shocked.

...

The Carles suspect that someone snatched Butch from the yard and then returned him when the reptile began growing lethargic, as tortoises do as winter approaches. But they don't know for sure, and Butch isn't talking.

Finally

After 20 long months the tree-sitters have finally come down.

Four tree-sitters climbed down from an 80-foot-tall redwood tree near Memorial Stadium this afternoon, bringing a peaceful ending to a nearly 2-year-long standoff that attracted national attention.

The conclusion of their aerial protest, a defiant stand on a campus known for radicalism, came after UC Berkeley officials agreed to create a committee that will oversee future campus development, a protest spokesman said.

UC officials declined to comment on the reported deal, saying they will talk later this afternoon about how the protest was resolved.

Before climbing down from a wooden crow's nest attached to the top of the tree, one of the protesters, nicknamed Huck, pumped his fist and shouted, "We love you," to cheering supporters below.

Police arrested each of the protesters when they climbed out of the tree top. The tree-sitters' deal with the university did not include amnesty from criminal charges, said their spokesman, Erik Eisenberg.

Photo by Flickr user meganpru used under a Creative Commons License

Western Pond Turtles

A brief video no Sonoma State students working with Western Pond Turtles.

Catch and Release

The fourth White Shark at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been released after only 11 days on exhibit. I was going to go see her next week ... oh well saw the other three.

From an e-mail from the MBA ...

After 11 days on exhibit, the young white shark brought to the Aquarium last month was tagged and released to the wild on September 7 in offshore waters in the Santa Barbara Channel.

While she was swimming well in the million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit, the shark fed only once during her stay and the Aquarium’s animal care staff decided it was best to return her to the ocean.

"These decisions are always governed by our concern for the health and well-being of these animals under our care," said Jon Hoech, director of husbandry for the Aquarium. "On Saturday, it became clear that it was time to release her."

Interesting that she was released in the Santa Barbara Channel rather than the Monterey Bay like the previous sharks. Maybe has to do with the time of year she was released? Anyone know?

Photo by Flickr user and friend of the store baltus15 used under a Creative Commons License

White shark 2008

Thought I had posted this and then realized that I had not, but the Monterey Bay Aquarium has a new white shark on exhibit.

For only the fourth time since 2004, Monterey Bay Aquarium has a young white shark in the Outer Bay exhibit. The shark--a 4 ½ foot-long female, weighing 55 ½ pounds—arrived on August 27, and will remain with us as long as her health is good and she’s small enough for us to handle safely when it’s time to return her to the wild.

1 month until Openeing

The Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park reopens one month from today. Getting really excited.

Photo by Flickr user drquimbo used under a Creative Commons License.