Latest News and Updates from Audubon in California
California Condor. Photo: Scott Frier/USFWS
Sure looks that way. Readers may recall our complaints earlier this year about an Army Corps of Engineers plan to kill 11,000 Double-crested Cormorants and destroy 26,000 nests on Oregon's East Sand Island in order to protect endangered salmon hatchlings. Well, our friends at the Audubon Society of Portland have obtained documents showing that at least one study commissioned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service indicated that killing the cormorants would not have any impact on salmon survival. Despite Audubon protests, the Army Corps moved forward with its plan this spring, and obtained a permit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The killing of birds at East Sand Island has already begun. According to the Oregonian, 158 cormorants have been shot and 5,089 nests destroyed.
In the most depressing news we're going to see in quite a while, a Golden Eagle released into the wild just three months ago after being rescued by firefighters was killed yesterday by a wind turbine in Livermore.
Audubon California Director of Bird Conservation Andrea Jones appeared on KPCC's AirTalk recently to talk about how the ongoing drought is affecting birds throughout the state.
Yes, alligators can be seen at our Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary. Alligator Lizards (genus Elgaria), to be precise. A beautiful, medium-sized lizard native to the area, it eats small invertebrates, other lizards and small mammals. These lizards are typically found in urban and highly populated areas. A funny fact is that they will poop in self-defense if threatened or handled.
Our newsletter is fun way to get our latest stories and important conservation updates from across the state.
Help secure the future for birds at risk from climate change, habitat loss and other threats. Your support will power our science, education, advocacy and on-the-ground conservation efforts.
Join the thousands of Californians that support the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument.