Wildlife Promise » Beth Pratt

What Lives in Peter Coyote’s Backyard?

Beth Pratt — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:12:29 +0000

Peter Coyote’s wildlife-friendly yard welcomes foxes and other animals. (Photo by Peter Coyote)

Yes, his namesake animal does wander into Peter Coyote’s backyard, along with a diverse array of critters including skunks, gray foxes, raccoons, and birds galore.

His wild menagerie (complemented with two personable cats, Jackson and Pearl) attests to his lifelong affinity for nature. “I’ve always been fascinated by animals and have felt a kinship. By the time I was eight years old I realized that everything in the world was alive and connected, and had its own business—and you didn’t interrupt it without consequences.”

A resident of Marin County in Northern California since the 1970’s, Coyote has witnessed some of the negative consequences of our actions on the natural world and considers his efforts for wildlife as simply being a good neighbor. “Habitat for wildlife is continually shrinking—I can at least provide a way station.”

Peter Coyote in the gardens at his northern California home (Photo by Beth Pratt).

After spending an afternoon with Peter at his home (nicknamed ‘The Tree House’) it’s obvious that he “walks the talk” of being a caretaker for wild things. The words of his friend Gary Snyder perhaps best describes his philosophy: “Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”

Indeed, the natural world and his official dwelling seem indistinguishable, an extension of each other. From the road a series of winding staircases suspended among the redwood trees overlook ferns and other lush foliage in the creek bed below. Inside the home, you feel as if you were in the comforting embrace of a giant tree trunk. Peter describes the intent of the design: “my house and my garden are built as part of nature, not over it.”

The animals have definitely noticed the welcome mat he has extended. The garden is simply the native landscape enhanced and retains the memory of days when Roosevelt elk and grizzly bears freely roamed the area. Native wildlife—albeit smaller than the historical mega-fauna—still flock to his mini-backyard nature reserve. Peter also supplements the native plants with bird feeders. The well stocked stash of sunflower seeds entice the titmice and juncos to visit, while goldfinches feed on his offerings of gourmet thistle. While we ate lunch on his deck, a Nutall’s woodpecker eyed the suet.

A Nutall’s woodpecker eyes the feeder (Photo by Beth Pratt)

Small mammals also make frequent appearances. He’s witnessed raccoon and skunk families on parade in his yard (sometimes at the same time!), and one raccoon, named Monica, has raised her young in his garden for four years. A gray fox has become a regular resident—he once watched her, along with her three kits, drink from a clay water bowl on his deck.

A raccoon and skunk parade (Photo by Peter Coyote).

Peter has many talents, from acting in more than one hundred films like Erin Brockovich and E.T., to his Emmy award-winning narration of documentaries such as Ken Burns’ The National Parks, to his intelligent and poignant storytelling (his autobiography Sleeping Where I Fall is a favorite of mine). For being a good neighbor to wild creatures, we’ll add one more achievement to his list of impressive accomplishments: an official NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat^®.

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As part of the research for her upcoming book, When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors: Wildlife in Today’s California, NWF’s California Director, Beth Pratt, is visiting the wildlife-friendly backyards, schoolyards, businesses and communities of dedicated Californians across the state to celebrate how they are personally making a difference for wildlife.

My Top 10 Frog Photos for Save the Frogs Day

Beth Pratt — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:44:36 +0000

Regular readers of my blog know frogs rank as one of my favorite animals (right above pika and wolves, although all animals are really my favorite). Frogs have fascinated me for my entire life–as a young girl, I built special frog habitat in my backyard, and as an adult I serve as an advisory council member for the nonprofit, Save the Frogs, which holds an annual Save the Frogs Day each year. The National Wildlife Federation works regularly with Save the Frogs, and cosponsored an event in Yosemite National Park last year and several events across the country in 2013 such as a 5K run in Seattle.

To celebrate this special frog holiday, I thought I would share my top ten frog photos from my encounters with these remarkable creatures. To learn more about how you can help frogs, read Frogs Need Our Help, So Hop to It! by NWF’s Anne Bolen.

In my backyard frog pond, I enjoy watching all the new tadpoles transform into frogs each year. I love this photo as it shows a tadpole gazing at his big brother and probably thinking, hey, when do I get to do that? (Photo by Beth Pratt)

Pacific chorus frog froglets emerging from my pond. Build a small pond in your backyard–becoming a frog mom each year to hundreds of frogs is wonderful! (Photo by Beth Pratt)

Frog vs. mantid on my porch window ledge. The battle ended in a draw. (Photo by Beth Pratt)

I just named Gaylor Lakes in Yosemite one of the top 7 stunning places to see wildlife for CNN. Why? Aside from the scenery, the annual mating love song of the Yosemite toad fills the alpine basin surrounded by granite peaks with beautiful music. (Photo by Beth Pratt).

Forget the bison and elk ruts in Yellowstone. The annual frog rut is amazing (and deafening). Boreal chorus frogs almost double their body size when they sing. The ponds near Canyon Village provide some good viewing. (Photo by Beth Pratt)

This curious Pacific chorus frog in a pond near Tioga Pass made no move to dart away–he kept swimming toward me as I snapped photos. (Photo by Beth Pratt)

Frogs will sometimes mistake floating vegetation for another frog during the mating season, like this Pacific chorus frog in Yosemite. (Photo by Beth Pratt)

The Columbia spotted frog is one of two frog species in Yellowstone. They hang out near stream banks and I would always observe them on the Old Gardiner Road during my walks. (Photo by Beth Pratt)

Western toads also frequent my backyard and they make their homes in the same place year after year. This animal lives in my well house. (Photo by Beth Pratt)

Pacific chorus frogs are always a delight to discover in the garden. (Photo by Beth Pratt)

National Wildlife Federation celebrates Earth Day with donation for San Francisco Porpoises

Beth Pratt — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:07:09 +0000

When I last reported on our new Return of the Porpoise to San Francisco Bay project, I had just finished running around San Francisco and the Bay Area impersonating a cetacean for our campaign video. I have to admit, dancing underneath the Golden Gate Bridge dressed as a porpoise is certainly a fun experience.

And all of my time in a porpoise costume has paid off. In celebration of Earth Day, The National Wildlife Federation California is making its first donation of $15,000 to Golden Gate Cetacean Research in support of its work to help keep porpoises in San Francisco Bay. It is the first step in a multi-year campaign to raise $500,000 for the animal’s conservation.

Response to the campaign has been amazing, and we’ve had a variety of people make donations large and small. One very dedicated group of school children, Ms. Mindelzun’s 2nd and 3rd grade class at the Wilkinson School, raised over $200 for the San Francisco porpoises and earned a visit from the porpoise mascot for the entire school! Ms Mindelzun taught a unit on the porpoise and I loved seeing all the wonderful artwork by the children on the classroom walls. See the great photos below from my visit to the school.

On Saturday, April 20 I’ll be presenting a check to our partners at Golden Gate Cetacean Research, accompanied by the porpoise mascot, at a special Earth Day Fair hosted by Alcatraz Cruises, another supporter of the campaign. The presentation will be at 2:00 pm, and we’ll have a table at the fair from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Pier 33 , Alcatraz Landing. Come meet the porpoise and join in the other Earth Day fun!

To learn more about the campaign, visit www.sfbayporpoises.org.

Ms Mindelzun’s class at the Wilkinson School raised over $200 for the porpoise campaign.

The porpoise mascot visits the Wilkinson School

Student artwork from the unit taught on the harbor porpoise

Beautiful porpoise artwork from the kids at the Wilkinson School

California sea lion strandings alarm scientists

Beth Pratt — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:11:16 +0000

Since January 2013, more than 1,100 California sea lion pups have beached themselves along the coast. Photo:National Marine Mammal Foundation

California sea lions, a regular fixture alongside many areas of the Golden State’s 1,100 mile coastline, are known for their playful dog-like antics and social manner. Tourists from all over the globe visit Fisherman’s Wharf, Point Lobos, the Channel Islands and other gathering areas to catch a glimpse of these animals, once referred to as “dog-headed mermaids.”

Since their listing under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the California sea lion population has increased to over 200,000 animals and is thought to be within its “optimum population limits.” Yet the animal still faces threats, such as death from harmful algal blooms and human caused injury. Recently another challenge has surfaced for the sea lion that has scientists both puzzled and alarmed: an unprecedented number of strandings.

The strandings have occurred at a rate three times higher than the historic average and prompted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to take the extraordinary step of declaring an Unusual Mortality Event for California Sea Lions since the beginning of the year.

“Unfortunately, we expected NOAA’s announcement and we hope it brings even more attention to this critical situation. Peak stranding season hasn’t even arrived yet and it appears the number of pups that will show up on San Diego’s beaches will go up even more in the next two months,” said NMMF Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Smith

The unprecedented number of sea lion pub stranding has pushed many rescue centers to capacity. Photo: National Marine Mammal Foundation

Since the beginning in January 2013, dramatically-elevated strandings of California sea lion pups have been observed in Southern California (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties). NOAA reported that strandings are increasing in San Diego County. To date, strandings have totaled 1,100 sea lion pups in Southern California and 83 in the rest of the state.

National Marine Mammal Foundation researcher Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson is the Chair of the Working Group for Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events. “We’re working quickly to respond to this crisis. The NMMF’s focus is to help save the lives of these malnourished sea lions and at the same time help our colleagues determine what’s causing this alarming increase in stranded pups,” said Dr. Venn-Watson.

What is causing the unprecedented number of strandings? In a recent briefing, Sarah Wilkin, NOAA Fisheries Southwest Regional Stranding Coordinator, said the origin is still unknown, but the agency is working with a number of hypothesis, including changing environmental conditions that limit prey availability, infectious disease, biotoxins, and pollution. NOAA is assembling a multi-disciplinary investigation team to assess the causes and determine how to address.

California sea lions, once referred to as “dog-mermaids” are a regular fixture on the Golden State’s coastline. Photo: Beth Pratt

In the meantime, the government agencies have partnered with a number of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation groups to assist with the strandings, but most are at capacity and the agency has also established a triage system to monitor pups on the beach, and transfer the most serious cases in need of medical care.

And are these sea lion strandings linked to the other unusual marine mammal activity that California has been experiencing over the last couple of years? Regular readers of my blog know I have been tracking these occurrences, and I was recently interviewed by the Christian Science Monitor on the phenomena. At this point, it’s too early to tell and more research is needed, but Wilkin replied in an interview that “It may be indicating that the ecosystem is changing slightly and the animals are responding to those changes.”

For ongoing updates and more information from NOAA on the sea lion strandings, visit NOAA’s briefing site.

In more cheerful California sea lion news, scientists at the University of California Santa Cruz have trained the sea lion Ronan to bust some moves and dance to the beat of the Backstreet Boys and Earth, Wind and Fire. This is significant because the concept of rhythm was previously thought to be a human trait. Check out the fun video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Give a Hoot for Yosemite’s Great Gray Owl

Beth Pratt — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:51:05 +0000

A great gray owl and fledgling in a forest in Yosemite (Photo by Joe Medley)

This year’s theme for National Wildlife Week, “Branching Out for Wildlife,” celebrates trees and their importance to wildlife and people. In California, we couldn’t think of a more remarkable—or more rare—tree dweller to feature than Yosemite’s great gray owls.

Why should you give a hoot for Yosemite’s great gray owls? Joe Medley, a UC Davis PhD candidate and researcher affiliated with the USFS has studied the bird for years and even developed a method for using voice recognition software to track the owl that made my Top Ten California Wildlife Moments of 2012. “This is an amazing bird,” said Medley. “They have a very specialized sensory system and can detect and catch prey under a foot of snow from sound alone.”

A close up of the distinctive great gray owl (Photo by Joe Medley)

Life with the great gray owl involves days and nights wandering in the mid-elevation forests and meadows of Yosemite searching and listening for owl sign. As one part of the project, Medley has been collecting molted feathers for multiple years and the research team will attempt to identify individual owls by using DNA testing. “If the technique works, we can determine how many owls use the habitat and other data that will enable us to estimate how healthy the population is.”

Medley works with John Keane of the USFS, and Josh Hull, of UC Davis, to study the health of the 100-200 great gray owls living in and around Yosemite. With blood samples from the research, Hull conducted genetic analysis and authored the paper that suggested the owl be recognized as its own subspecies in 2010. Author and birder David Lucas in his book, Sierra Nevada Birds, noted the decision: “One of the Sierra Nevada’s most majestic birds was awarded special recognition in 2010 when the population centered around Yosemite National Park was documented as a distinct subspecies (“California” Great Gray Owl, S.n. yosemitensis) found nowhere else on earth.”

Early biologists who visited Yosemite also noticed the uniqueness of the bird, including Joseph Grinnell and Tracy Storer in their 1924 book, Animal Life in the Yosemite: “The discovery of the Great Gray Owl in the Yosemite section was one of the notable events in our field experience. And what was most surprising was the fact that the bird was apparently quite at home, and nesting. No previous record of the breeding of this northern species of owl south of Canada is known to us, and its occurrence even as a winter visitant within the northernmost of the United States is not frequent.”

Yosemite’s great gray owl population was recognized as a distinctive subspecies in 2010. (photo by Joe Medley)

Yosemite’s great gray owls are rare—and part of a species overall that is listed as endangered in California. The park provides a last haven for great gray owls and is home to the majority of the entire state’s population. Research that Medley and others are conducting is vital to understand the long-term health of a population that has been evolutionarily distinct since the late Pleistocene.

But what makes the owls even more important to Medley is a personal connection. “They are that much more special to me because the first one I saw was with my dad.” Medley’s father, an avid birder and leader of a nonprofit in Yosemite for over twenty years, passed away in 2006. “I am obsessed with raptors in general and for me this is the ultimate raptor. They are the largest of the North American owls. They live in the coolest place in California. They manage to survive winters in Yosemite. They can hear a mouse under snow. For all these reasons, it gets my vote for most awesome bird.”

Sutro Sam: San Francisco’s Celebrity River Otter

Beth Pratt — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 22:12:25 +0000

Sutro Sam, the first river otter in San Francisco in fifty years (photo by Mila Zinkova)

“There he is!” exclaimed an onlooker as the otter’s head peered above the water.

The patient crowd gathered around Sutro Baths—the ruins of a 19^th century public bathing pool on the Pacific Coast—had been awaiting the appearance of “Sutro Sam,” the first river otter in San Francisco in over fifty years. And he did not disappoint—he glided in the waters and playfully rolled a few times as if posing for the cameras.

Sutro Sam is used to being in the spotlight as visitors from all over California—and the world—have traveled to get a glimpse of this celebrity otter after the Huffington Post and other notable media outlets featured his story. Why the fascination? Aside from being almost unbearably cute, the return of the river otter after such a long absence also underscores a conservation success story.

Megan Isadore, co-founder of The River Ecology Project, is celebrating his return for just this reason. “River otters are a sentinel species in that they require healthy watersheds to thrive. The fact that river otters can live all over San Francisco Bay and the Bay Area indicates that we humans have done something right. It shows that we can make positive changes to our environment, and we surely need all the encouragement we can get in these environmentally tough times. So let’s celebrate Sam, and celebrate continuing conservation and restoration of the watersheds that support all living beings.”

Watch a video of Sutro Sam:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Our attraction to Sutro Sam might also speak to something more fundamental in us—the everyday awe of seeing wild creatures, especially in unexpected places like an urban environment. Megan agrees: “Sutro Sam is a perfect example of the joy we gain from making the changes great and small that allow wildlife to return and thrive in areas where we haven’t seen them in a long time.”

And the thrill was no less diminished for me, even thought I travel around California all the time viewing wildlife. I gave a shout of delight each time he surfaced and snapped hundreds of photos. I also met a local woman, Mila Zinkova, who has been following his antics for some time and shared her impressive knowledge—and wonderful photos with me. Like many, she returns frequently to the baths to get another glimpse.

With all his popularity, the rangers at Golden Gate National Recreation Area are asking people to act responsibly and respectfully observe Sam from a distance for both the safety of the otter and their own safety. Keeping Sam a healthy and wild otter while he remains at Sutro Baths is a priority.

With Sutro’s Sam popularity, keeping him wild and safe is a priority (photo by Beth Pratt)

Scientists are still mystified by the reason for his appearance, but some think he might have traveled from Marin, where the river otter population has been making a comeback. One attraction to Sutro Baths for Sam is a unique and plentiful (for now) food source. For reasons unknown, people have been releasing pet goldfish into the baths for years and they make for an easy meal for Sam. Another unknown: how long the otter will remain as he will probably have to travel to find a mate. Until he swims away in the quest for romance, his fans will gather daily hoping for a sighting.

As I stood on the concrete wall of the baths watching Sam, someone shouted, “Dolphins!” I simply had to turn around to view a pod of bottlenose dolphins frolicking in the ocean. Perhaps even they can’t resist catching a glimpse of San Francisco’s rare and endearing river otter.

Sutro Sam catches a meal (Photo by Bill Keener)

Marine Mammal Mania!

Beth Pratt — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:32:09 +0000

Along California’s 840 miles of coastline, you can view a wonderful array of marine mammals. And the sightings recently have been unprecedented, from what might be the largest pod of gray whales ever spotted off the coast of Palos Verdes in southern California, to the clusters of whales and dolphins surprising boaters and kayakers while feeding off the Central Coast last year, to the flash mob appearance of a super mega-pod of dolphins off the coast of San Diego last week. I’ve been tracking all these stories, and was recently interviewed in The Christian Science Monitor about the “marine mammal mania” we’re experiencing here in the Golden State.

This past weekend I ventured to the coast for a whale watching trip in Morro Bay, and while I didn’t view any dolphin mega pods, the marine mammals certainly did not disappoint. We watched two gray whales for almost an hour, were visited for a few fleeting moments by a harbor porpoise, laughed with the numerous barking sea lions, and enjoyed the almost unbearable cuteness of the sea otters. After the boat ride, I ventured up to San Simeon to catch the tail-end of the elephant seal season and saw two magnificent bulls do battle.

A collection of photos from my marine mammal encounters this weekend:

Sea otter and pup relaxing in Morro Bay (photo by Beth Pratt)

Sea otter close-up (Photo by Beth Pratt)

Elephant seals on a San Simeon beach in California (photo by Beth Pratt)

Watch a video slide show of two elephant seals doing battle:

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Thar she blows!” A surfacing gray whale. (photo by Beth Pratt)

Gray whale making its northbound journey (photo by Beth Pratt)

More sea otter, elephant seal, and other marine mammal photos on NWF California’s Facebook page.

The Porpoises Who Left Their Hearts in San Francisco

Beth Pratt — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 03:06:03 +0000

Harbor porpoises have returned to San Francisco Bay after 65 years (Photo by Golden Gate Cetacean Research).

Tony Bennett isn’t the only one to leave his heart in San Francisco. After an absence of over 65 years, the harbor porpoise recently returned to frolic in the waters of San Francisco Bay.

When walking across the Golden Gate Bridge in 2010 with a friend, we joined a group of onlookers gazing down in delight at what we all thought were dolphins swimming beneath the bridge. I snapped several photos, yet it wasn’t until a year later, after meeting marine biologist and porpoise guru Bill Keener of Golden Gate Cetacean Research, that I discovered the significance of my sighting. He identified the animals in my photos as harbor porpoises and related the remarkable story of their return.

Marine biologist Bill Keener searching for harbor porpoises on Golden Gate Bridge (Photo Golden Gate Cetacean Research/Liittschwager)

Since hearing this tale I’ve been out to view porpoises with Bill several times, and have definitely caught his enthusiasm for these creatures, so much so that I volunteered to dress up in a porpoise costume and run around popular Bay Area locations for a short video about the animal’s return (see below). Sitting in Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s chair at City Lights Bookstore, shopping at Berkeley Bowl, and dancing on the ferry to Alcatraz in a porpoise costume are just a few of the highlights from my time as a porpoise. You can read about the making of the video and all the wonderful people who made it happen.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Aside from not wanting to miss the resurgence of Beat poetry or the great burritos in the Mission, why did the harbor porpoises return? And why did they originally leave? According to Bill, several reasons might explain their reoccupation, including the reduction of pollution in the Bay. But more research is needed and Bill is dedicated to finding an answer, as knowing the cause of their departure and subsequent return is vital to ensure the porpoise becomes a permanent resident again.

As Bill observed, “The unexpected return of these animals provides a unique scientific opportunity. San Francisco Bay may now be the best place in the world to study harbor porpoises. The more we can learn about these animals in their natural habitat, the more we can do to help them survive and thrive into the future.”

To celebrate this success and to ensure the marine mammal’s continued residence in the Bay, National Wildlife Federation and Golden Gate Cetacean Research have partnered on a “Return of the Porpoise to San Francisco Bay” campaign. At this point, the National Wildlife Federation is the only major nonprofit supporting this cause and Golden Gate Cetacean Research the only organization conducting a study. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.sfbayporpoises.org.

Ranger Rick helps celebrate the return of the porpoise to San Francisco with a Cetacean friend (Photo NWF California).

Harbor porpoises are notoriously shy and as a result not much is known about this creature in contrast to its more charismatic relatives like the bottlenose dolphin. The unprecedented access to viewing these animals in the Bay is already shedding insight into their once mysterious habits. And to help with this effort, people can share their photos and report sightings at www.sfbayporpoises.org. By looking at scars and pigmentation patterns on the body, researchers can use the photos to track movements of the porpoises. Your pictures will contribute to the most comprehensive photo-identification effort ever undertaken for this species. And be on the watch for the easily recognizable white porpoise that has been nicknamed Mini-Moby!

Mini-Moby:the white harbor porpoise in San Francisco Bay (Photo by Golden Gate Cetacean Research).

In celebration of our launch of the Return of the Porpoise to San Francisco Bay campaign, we’re holding a Valentine’s Day contest with a “porpoise.” So share the porpoise love and help keep the hearts of these amazing creatures in San Francisco Bay. Upload your best porpoise-themed Valentine poem, pun, song, haiku or artwork on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NWFCalifornia by 2/14. Winners receive Return of the Porpoise t-shirts, “autographed” photos of porpoises and more!

The entrant must affirmatively agree to these Official Rules when submitting the entry form for the Contest.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ODDS OF WINNING WILL DEPEND ON THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ENTRIES RECEIVED. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ONLINE ENTRY ONLY AND INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED.

Contest only open to legal residents of the 50 United States or D.C., 13 years and older. The Contest begins February 8, 2013, at 10:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST) and ends February 14, 2013, at 11:59 PM PST (“Entry period”). The contest winner’s photo will be published on NWF’s Facebook and other social media pages by February 15, 2013. ARV of all prizes awarded: $10.00 Winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and release of liability and publicity (where permitted). Subject to full Official Rules. Company: National Wildlife Federation, PO Box 1583, Merrifield VA 22116-1583.

Wish They All Could Be California Squirrels…

Beth Pratt — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:48:45 +0000

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day! California is home to ten species of these cute and mischievous critters, including the state’s namesake animal: the California Ground Squirrel. In celebration of Squirrel Appreciation Day, here are some California squirrel stories that show why the Golden State’s squirrels are the cutest [and most intrepid] squirrels in the world.

1. Curious squirrel causes 11,000 resident to lose power in Berkeley and Oakland: In October, a curious squirrel exploring transmission equipment at a PG&E substation caused thousands to lose power for three hours, disrupting evening plans and causing many loyal Cal fans to miss the televised football game. “That’s impressive work for a squirrel,” admitted one business owner to Oakland North.

2. Squirrel vs. Lamborghini: A squirrel that successfully dodged a Lamborghini traveling 100 mph on a California racetrack made CNN. That was one squirrel determined not to become roadkill.

Click here to view the embedded video.

3. This squirrel knew the way to San Jose: A yellow-bellied marmot (a large ground squirrel) hitched a ride from Yosemite and was seen near a storm drain in San Jose. Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (WCSV) and WildRescue helped capture and transport the animal back home to Tuolumne Meadows. Check out this great video from WildRescue:

Click here to view the embedded video.

4. RoboSquirrel: Researchers at UC Davis are using robotic squirrels to study the interaction between squirrels and rattlesnakes. Apparently, squirrels are quite adept at evading snakes and RoboSquirrel might help scientists figure out why. As one researcher commented. “Squirrels have a remarkable ability to move out of the way of an oncoming snake strike,” he said. Even adult squirrels that do not seem to be aware of a snake will often successfully dodge a strike.” Can’t wait for RoboSquirrel the movie!

Click here to view the embedded video.

5. Squirrel Siesta: California squirrels know how to relax. During a record heat-wave in the state this summer this squirrel took a long daily siesta.

Top Ten California Wildlife Moments 2012

Beth Pratt — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 21:44:45 +0000

California is home to a remarkable array of wildlife, from the grey whales swimming in its coastal waters, to the sandhill cranes soaring over the Central Valley, to the bighorn sheep roaming its mountains and deserts. As a result, the Golden State never lacks for fascinating wildlife stories. Presented below are my favorite good news wildlife moments from 2012. I’ll look forward to celebrating more wildlife success stories in 2013!

1. A wolf returns to California after a 90-year absence: OR7 or “Journey” celebrated his first anniversary of roaming California this December. Amaroq Weiss of the California Wolf Center remarked, “His arrival in California restores a native species to our state, itself a remarkable event. His continued presence for an entire year, roaming landscapes his ancestors once called home, indicates we still have good wolf habitat here.” OR7 is so popular that he made Time Magazine and the spike in traffic from people wanting news on his status caused the California Department of Fish and Game’s website to temporarily crash.

2. The lion king of Griffith Park: A mountain lion took up residence in Griffith Park, located in the middle of Los Angeles. This intrepid cat had to cross not only developed areas in the second most populated city in the nation, but he also made it safely across the worst highway in the country—the 405. Despite living in a park that 10 million people visit annually, the citizens of LA seem to be taking his residence in stride. As Jeff Sikich, the National Park Service biologist researching P-22 recently commented in an article in the Los Angeles Times: “I think there’s a greater risk from hopping in your car and driving on the 101 … than getting attacked by a lion.” P22 even has his own twitter account!

P22-The Lion King of Griffith Park. Photo courtesy the Griffith Park Connectivity Study.

3. Marine mammals off the central coast: Whales and other marine mammals were sighted in abundance this summer off the Central Coast of California-specifically at Avila, Pismo and Seal Beaches. Photos and videos of humpback whales surfacing and surprising boaters and kayakers went viral, and thousands flocked to the area to catch a close-up glimpse of these animals. Watch this video that went viral on YouTube:

Click here to view the embedded video.

4. Rare island scrub-jay rebounding: A study led by the Smithsonian Institution’s Migratory Bird Center found that the Island Scrub-Jay, found only on Santa Cruz Island and one of the rarest songbirds in the United States, may be recovering due to conservation measures.

5. Baby bobcat rescued from fire: Fire crews rescued an adorable baby bobcat, nicknamed Chips, from a fire in Plumas National Forest this summer. Despite mistaken reports that Chips is “too nice for a bobcat,” Nan from Sierra Wildlife Rescue says Chips and her two companions are actually “very wild, as they should be—hissing, spitting, clawing, and averse to humans” and will be released back to nature in the spring.

Chips, the baby bobcat rescued by firefighters this past summer, in a recent photo by Nan at Sierra Wildlife Rescue.

6. Lucky lobster: Mike Warrick and his friends raised $230 to purchase an 80-year old lobster and rescue him from the dinner table. Working with the California Department of Fish and Game, they released him back into the ocean and formed a new group, Big Bug Rescue, to educate fisherman about the need to increase the older and larger lobster population along the California coast, which is vital to conservation efforts for the animal. Warrick, himself a lobster fisherman, recently told the Orange County Register, “We want to raise awareness of how important it is to release large lobsters.”

7. A shark at a golf course: This fall staff at the San Juan Hills Golf Club witnessed a live leopard shark fall onto the green near the 12^th tee, probably dropped by a raptor. Director of Club Operations Melissa McCormack told the Capistrano Dispatch. “Honestly, this is the weirdest thing that’s happened here.” Employees drove the injured but still living shark the five miles to the ocean and watched as he swam away.

The leopard shark at San Juan Hills Golf Club. Photo courtesy Melissa McCormack

8. “Blonde bomber” sea lion returns to ocean: A piece of plastic trash threatened to strangle this five year-old sea lion, but rescuers from the Marine Mammal Center captured him at Pier 39 in San Francisco and removed the injurious packing strap. A couple of weeks later a crowd of people excitedly watched as the Blonde Bomber waddled back to the ocean when he was released, happy and healthy, on Rodeo Beach.

Blonde bomber being released on Rodeo Beach. Photo by Ingrid Overgard – The Marine Mammal Center.

9. Great grey owls in Yosemite go digital: To help minimize the impacts of research on a rare and endangered great grey owl population, scientists used digital audio recorders and used voice recognition software to track the birds. Joe Medley, a researcher and PhD candidate at UC Davis who works on the project designed an algorithm to more rapidly process data from recordings that would have instead taken 7 years of listening. “It’s pretty cool that we can use this technology as a supplement to traditional monitoring techniques. You don’t need to go out at night, and it’s really cost effective,” observed Medley.

Great Gray Owl in Yosemite. Photo Joe Medley

10. Mountain yellow-legged frogs get help: The once abundant mountain yellow-legged frog is on the verge of extinction and on February 2, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to grant this frog protection under the California Endangered Species Act. But as the LA Times reports, one population of frogs in the San Gabriel Mountains is making a comeback partly due to the efforts of USGS researchers to save the amphibian—and their findings may provide clues on how other populations may combat the deadly chytrid fungus. The National Wildlife Federation, Save the Frogs! and Yosemite National Park also teamed up to host Save the Frogs Day in Yosemitein April of 2012 to highlight the plight of the mountain yellow-legged frog in the Sierra.

Mountain yellow-legged frog, photo courtesy National Park Service

It was difficult to stop at ten, so here is a bonus story and a new NWF campaign.

11. Return of the Porpoise to San Francisco Bay: Harbor porpoises have returned to San Francisco Bay after an over 65-year absence. National Wildlife Federation and Golden Gate Cetacean Research have joined forces to celebrate the return of the porpoises to San Francisco Bay– and to ensure their continued residence. Watch our new video below:

Click here to view the embedded video.