22,000-year-old White Sands footprints

Apache Stronghold, Oak Flat, Arizona

Naelyn Pike, member of Apache Stronghold, speaking to NWF and HECHO teams at Oak Flat

Protect Oak Flat (apache-stronghold.com)

(HECHO Online) Some experiences and places can be transformative and change our perspective. Oak Flat, or Chi'chil Biłdagoteel, is a sacred land in southeastern Arizona.

• Wisdom Quarterly: Stealing Native land for a good 4th of July
• It's National American Indian Heritage Month, November 2024

It is the kind of place that stays with one way after a visit, just like the people of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, who have lived in and cared for this beautiful high desert since time immemorial.

That was the experience that members of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and HECHO teams had during a recent visit to Oak Flat, 60 miles east of Phoenix.

Articulate it to a judge; make them understand

They saw firsthand the extraordinary beauty of this area now at risk and listened to the eye-opening testimonies of members of the Apache Stronghold.

Listen to Naelyn Pike, member of the Apache Stronghold. #SaveOakFlat

• HECHO Online, Feb. 4, 2023; Apache Stronghold; Xochitl, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

P-22 Mountain Lion Festival, LA (10/22)

Fiona Ng, LAist.com, Oct. 21, 2023; Xochitl, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

A mountain lion stalks by hillside homes in the LA suburbs. Long live P-22 (Johanna Turner).

.

Nearly a year after its death, the Mountain Lion Spirit of P-22 lives on in Los Angeles

I thought I loved my cat. I love this one!

This Sunday (10/22/23), Griffith Park is celebrating its most influential transplant: LA's Lion King.

It's a native son who made the trek from the Santa Monica Mountains to its new digs by crossing the 101 and 405 Freeways — and in so doing inspired Los Angeles to dream the impossible dream of building the world's biggest freeway overpass for animals to use, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.

"We were told we were crazy, and here we are. It's underway," said Beth Pratt. "It actually started because of the P-22 story and the effect it had on me."

A drawing of a bridge for wildlife to cross over a busy freeway A rendering of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, slated for completion in 2025 (National Wildlife Foundation).

Pratt leads the Save LA Cougars campaign, which helps support efforts to get the historic wildlife crossing built.

The organization is also behind the annual P-22 Day Festival at Griffith Park, where all of Los Angeles is invited to celebrate the city's urban wildlife and its titular king.

LA's Lion King

P-22 Day Festival, Oct. 22 (urbanwildlifeweek.org)

Like the majority of the city, Pratt first heard about P-22 in 2012, shortly after she started working with the National Wildlife Federation.

"I couldn't believe the headlines I was reading that a mountain lion had made a home in Griffith Park," she said.

She learned from biologists working in the area about the plight of P-22 — having arrived after a treacherous journey in Griffith Park only to be trapped there.

"It wasn't just P-22, there were mountain lions all around the Santa Monica Mountains that were facing the same struggle. I asked that day how I could help."

Beth Pratty, Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

More than a decade later, Pratt and Save LA Cougars have raised some $100 millions toward the construction of the wildlife crossing near the Liberty Canyon exit on the 101 Freeway.

The project broke ground last year. Currently, Caltrans crews are putting up the support system on both sides of the freeway for the bridge to be placed across early next year. The entire crossing is set for completion in 2025. Source (LAist.com) laist.com/news

[Let's kill P-22 then feel sorry for it, like we did the Native Americans, the Palestinians, and most of the other wildlife that used to roam wild throughout the basin, from the foothills to the bay.]

The Magpie who loved me and friends (video)

Tsuki, 7/8/23; Danielle (The Dodo, 5/18/21); Crystal Q., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Woman gives toys to a wild magpie — and he invites all his friends over to play | The Dodo Wild Hearts

(The Dodo) Danielle -- friendless and alone, depressed and anxious -- had just moved into her new house when all of a sudden, a wild magpie landed at her feet. He was very trusting and inquisitive and would follow her around and sit on her knee. Then he brought his son over. Before long, 25 teenage magpies were playing in her yard, too.

Keep up with The Magpie Whisperer on Instagram: thedo.do/magpies. Introducing Dodo swag: https://shop.thedodo.com/ Love animals? Subscribe (http://thedo.do/2tv6Ocd). ¿Hablas español? (https://thedo.do/2BsuN4o). Follow The Dodo: Tweet on Twitter: https://thedo.do/2Jast1M #thedodo #cat #kitten

5 extinct animals we have footage of

(Tsuki) The majority of organisms that have ever existed are now extinct. Most animals have been wiped out by mass extinction events, and some scientists argue that we are currently going through a mass extinction event. Humans have raised the rate of biological extinction. We are losing animals at an astonishing rate. Most animals disappear without a trace. Fortunately, for some recently-extinct animals, footage remains. This video goes through a few of these species, five animals thought to be extinct with only a tiny sliver of hope that at least one of each still survives.

CHAPTERS

• 0:00 Intro

1. 1:10 Baij (Chinese freshwater dolphin)
2. 2:44 Heath Hen (American pre-turkey)
3. 3:50 Golden Toad
4. 5:06 Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
5. 6:22 Thylacine

Attributions: Baiji Dolphin images: Chris_huh wikimedia.org public domain. Greater prairie chicken footage: Robert Barnes vimeo.com CC BY-NC-ND. Thanksgiving image: Jennie Augusta Brownscombe wikipedia.org public domain. Ivory billed woodpecker images: L. Shyamal wikimedia.org. (CC BY-SA 3.0) Thylacine images: Tim Bertelink wikimedia.org (CC BY-SA 4.0). Dasyuromorphia animal images: Helenabella wikimedia.org (CC BY-SA 3.0). Michael J Fromholtz wikimedia.org (CC BY-SA 4.0). Mathias Appel flickr.com (CC0 1.0). Bernard DUPONT flickr.com (CC BY-SA 2.0). I (Tsuki) have edited and adapted some of these clips and images. Creative commons licenses: https://creativecommons.org/license.

How I Built a Wildlife Pond (video)

I built a wildlife pond: Here's what happened

(Stefano Ianiro) Dec. 7, 2022. Eight months ago, I built a wildlife pond. Today, I share the whole story of how I turned a patch of grass into a healthy and thriving ecosystem. It's been an incredible transformation!

New to the channel? Checkout this playlist with some of my favorite in-the-field and wildlife photography tutorial videos ▶ geni.us/BestVideos. #Nature #Wildlife #Birding

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Beach Meditation to see the Dolphins (July 14)

Ananda M. (Dharma Meditation Initiative), Dhr. Seven, Jen, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

(Javi Dooney 2017) There are dolphins in LA's Santa Monica Bay, even at crowded Venice Beach.

There are secret beaches on the west coast with amazing wildlife -- dolphins, seals, otters, sea lions, seabirds, and tidepools. Let's visit a secret spot or two to see sea mammals and meditate.

Then watch the dolphins appear. They always have before. But, of course, we can't guarantee they will. Meditating in nature is one of the most fulfilling Buddhist practices.

Los Aangeles dolphins are real (oceanconservation.org).

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The Buddha established a Forest Tradition that encouraged wandering, or "wayfaring," through the wilderness.

Bring your lunch, beachwear, sandals, towel, and maybe something edible (vegan) to share. We'll carpool from our meeting point.

Swimming optional in the California surf, dolphins permitting. Suitable for beginners, sun lovers, photographers.

 

Dharma Meditation Initiative, Los Angeles: July 14, 2018 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Baby BALD EAGLES, California (live video)

BigBearGrizzly.net; Friendsofbigbearvalley.org; Xochitl, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

There are no baby Bigfeet at Big Bear, kids.*

Last week a bald eagle [named Lucy, who is mating with Ricky] near Big Bear Lake laid two eggs, just in time for the public January bald eagle count Saturday, Jan. 13th.

The eagle and her mate are year-round residents of the area. The eggs should hatch after about 35 days, around Feb. 10, 2018.

(Bald Eagel Cam) LIVE Nest Watch from Big Bear Lake, California

 

“This is part of the story of bald eagle population recovery nationwide,” said Robin Eliason, a U.S. Forest Service biologist.

“We think these are the first eggs laid by this young female. We do not know for sure because she’s not banded, but some of us are convinced that the female is the first bald eagle recorded to be hatched in the San Bernardino Mountains [east of Los Angeles], which was in 2012.”

 

Big Bear Lake is a small city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest (wiki).

 

*We don't exist, so don't worry if you see us.

Because bald eagles will abandon nests if disturbed, the Forest Service has closed the area to all public entry through June 22, the duration of the nesting season. “We’re very concerned about people trying to get close for photographs, viewing, etcetera,” Eliason said.

 

Better viewing can be found from the comfort of one’s home, anyway. The nonprofit group Friends of the Big Bear Valley installed a livestream camera on the nest in 2016, which is still active.

• The Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam streams live on YouTube.

Four eagles, including the nesting pair, were spotted around Big Bear Lake by 35 citizen scientists at the Dec. 2017 bald eagle count. More

• Group trip, visit Big Bear, Jan. 20, 2018 
• VIDEO: Bigfoot sighting in Big Bear, CA (March 20, 2016) 
• VIDEO: Bigfoot sighting in Big Bear (May 12, 2012) 
• BFRO Report 9759: Young man has a midnight face-to-face... (bfro.net, Nov. 13, 2004) OBSERVED: I was living in Southern California at the time, I was 12-years-old, and...

Eastern Himalayas reveal 100s new species

Flying frog (Rachophorous suffry) discovered in the home of the Yeti. The Eastern Himalayas harbor a staggering 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians, and 269 types of freshwater fish. The region also has the highest density of Bengal tigers in the world and is the last bastion of the charismatic greater one-horned rhino. The report describes more than 350 new species discovered, including 244 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, two birds, two mammals, and at least 60 new invertebrates. PHOTOS»

(CNN) -- Over 350 new species including the world's smallest deer, a "flying frog," and a 100 million-year old gecko have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, a biological treasure trove now threatened by climate change.

• Chinese earthquake put Pandas in more peril
• Good news for fish stocks

A decade of research carried out by scientists for the WWF in remote mountain areas brought discoveries such as a bright green frog that uses its red and long webbed feet to glide in the air. The WWF report, "The Eastern Himalayas -- Where Worlds Collide," details discoveries made by scientists from various organizations between 1998 and 2008 in a region reaching across Bhutan and northeast India to the far north of Burma as well as Nepal and southern parts of Tibet in China. Full article»

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