CNDDB News Blog

Please join our next Conservation Lecture Series talk that focuses on how extreme climatic events have recently impacted marine ecosystems around the world, including foundation species such as kelps. We quantify the rapid climate-driven catastrophic shift in 2014 from a previously robust kelp forest to unproductive urchin barrens in northern California. Bull kelp canopy was reduced by 93% along >350 km of coastline. Twenty years of kelp ecosystem surveys reveal the timing and magnitude of events, including mass mortalities of sea stars (2013-) and red abalone (2017-), extent of nearshore ocean warming (2014-2017), and the sea urchin population explosion (2015-). These stressors led to the unprecedented and long-lasting decline of the kelp forest and the ecosystem services is supports such as the red abalone and sea urchin fisheries.

Date: Thursday, July 18, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Register to view online.

Questions? Contact: Whitney.Albright@wildlife.ca.gov

The quarterly update of the Barred Owl Observations Database is available in the BIOS Viewer for CNDDB subscribers. The barred owl database includes barred owl (Strix varia), Strix hybrid, and unknown Strix detections.

Many of the records represent incidental detections made during spotted owl surveys; therefore, this dataset may not accurately represent the current distribution of barred owls in California. Furthermore, this dataset is only available to CNDDB subscribers because it contains references to sensitive spotted owl locations. A public version will be available in the future.

For a copy of the geodatabase or for site-specific inquiries, contact the database manager at owlobs@wildlife.ca.gov.

Summer is officially here, folks! The snow is melting in the Sierras and the sun is shining throughout the valleys. Thank you to everybody who snapped and submitted photos of species taking full advantage of the California sun. Here are our favorite Online Field Survey Form photo submissions for June:

Taxidea taxus – American badger

Submitted by Matthew Grube

Matthew observed this adult badger crossing a road near San Timoteo Canyon in San Bernardino County. It stopped on its way to an open field just long enough for Matthew to catch its stoic pose. American badgers are a Species of Special Concern. Being one of the most popular mammal submissions we receive, there are currently 590 American badger occurrences across the entire state in the database. Thank you, Matthew for this wonderful submission!

Ceanothus gloriosus var. exaltatus – glory brush
Submitted by Heather Morrison

Heather found this exciting shrub in Mendocino County in an opening of a mixed forest consisting of redwood, Douglas fir, and tanoak trees. It is endemic to California and is commonly found along the northern coast in chaparral. Ceanothus gloriosus var. exaltatus more commonly goes by the name glory brush. It is a California Rare Plant Rank 4.3 plant, and you can see these wonderful poofs of flowers from March to June, with the occasional late bloomers still around in August. So, there is still time to see them before they are gone! Thank you, Heather, for the hard work you do and such an awesome photo!

Do you have some great photos of rare plant or wildlife detections? Submit them along with your findings through our Online Field Survey Form and see if your photos get showcased!