Thursday an Associated Press story described how a coyote attacked a 2-year-old girl in her front yard in Southern California.

The mother rescued her child and the coyote ran off. It was the third time in five days a coyote has posed a threat to a small child in Southern California. On May 2 another 2-year-old girl was attacked in Alterra Park in Chino Hills, 30 miles east of L. A. And a coyote went after another toddler in the same park on May 4. All three children suffered non life-threatening injuries.
Read the rest of this entry »

My friend Brian of Walnut Creek, Calif., has a special way of looking at the land that we can all benefit from. He sees it through Mother Nature’s eyes.

A case in point. Brian is very much involved with the Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation and one of his special projects, among many, is to help plant oak trees in the Walnut Creek open space areas. Not by simply poking holes in the ground, dropping in acorns and kicking a little dirt over the top of the oak seeds.

No, nothing quite so complicated.
Read the rest of this entry »

50,000-plus gallons of toxic fuel oil is dumped into S.F. Bay after a ship hits the Bay Bridge on Nov. 7 … 5 million-plus gallons of sewage is spilled in Southern Marin on Jan. 25 and Jan. 31 … 1,500 gallons of raw sewage is spilled at Marin’s San Quentin Prison on Feb. 14 … 250 gallons of raw sewage spilled in North Marin on Feb. 18 … 6,000 gallons of raw sewage and storm water spilled in San Rafael on Feb. 24 …

And now thousands of gallons of the toxic and carcinogenic chemical toluene were spilled in Richmond sometime between Friday night and Monday morning. And they don’t even know for sure when the stupid spill happened!
Read the rest of this entry »

The ASPCA issued the following statement on the tragic death of a racehorse — Eight Belles — at the 2008 Kentucky Derby last weekend:

“The fragile nature of thoroughbred racehorses and the stress and rigors that the industry subjects on these animals is loudly evidenced in the tragic death of Eight Belles who, as we saw, was euthanized after both of her front ankles collapsed just after coming in second at the Kentucky Derby,” said ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres.
Read the rest of this entry »

I was on vacation last week in Germany with my wife, Lois.

While there, Lois and I were fortunate to have a chance to visit the marvelous and monstrous Deutsches Museum in Munich. Whole floors of this beautiful and outstanding science and technology museum (eat your heart out, Smithsonian) were devoted to Aerospace, Aviation, Shipping, Energy & Power, Chemistry, the Environment, etc., etc.
Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Gary:
My friend Rodger Hartwell pointed out that in his neck of the woods, they are noticing mountain lions eating wild turkeys — something they have not seen before.

So I might suppose the same thing might be happening in the hills around Rossmoor in Walnut Creek (where there are a LOT of wild turkeys! /Gary). Rodger had been wondering what was going to come of the increasing wild turkey population. One predator has now stepped up.
Read the rest of this entry »

A grizzly bear that appeared in Will Ferrell’s movie, “Semi-Pro,” killed a 39-year-old trainer with a bite to his neck.

The grizzly had to be subdued with pepper spray.

According to an Associated Press story, this grizzly was described as “the best working bear in the business,” in a February interview with the owner of the Predators In Action facility in Southern California, where the bear lived along with other wild animals used to make movies.
Read the rest of this entry »

Army relocates endangered desert tortoises into drought area. Starving coyotes kill tortoises. Army kills coyotes. Nobody wins, except the Army.

When our little story opens, 770 endangered desert tortoises are living peacefully in their local ecosystem in California’s lovely Mojave Desert. Then along comes the U.S. Army to stake claim on the endangered tortoise’s critical habitat because they want to use the area for Army tank training.
Read the rest of this entry »

Who’s got the weirdest and most artistic bird nests sitting in their Bay Area yard? Is it you?

It’s time for the 4th Annual Gary’s Wildest Bird Nest Contest and you’re all invited to search your yards and enter some wild and wonderful photographs of all the unique bird nests you find. Check all the nooks and crannies in your yard and around your house (or on your house!).
Read the rest of this entry »

This quote from Lisa White’s story in today’s Contra Costa Times:

“Mary Tappel, an environmental scientist who has a long history of helping communities manage beaver populations, said it appears the Martinez beavers have practically depleted the creek banks of their favorite foods and seem to be moving downstream. ‘Beavers always move,’ she said, adding that city leaders should not believe they can keep the animals in the location in the creek where they have built their dam.”
Read the rest of this entry »