The Black Oystercatcher gets ‘climate endangered’ status — but it’s complicated

The Black Oystercatcher is one of our favorite shoreline birds, with its black body and bright orange beak. The bird has long been a focus for conservation, and its recent designation as climate endangered in Audubon research has heightened concern. But as a recent Bay Nature article shows, the story of the Black Oystercatcher isn't as gloomy as one might think. We're learning a great deal about the bird, thanks to a massive effort from volunteers up and down the coast, and what we're learning gives us hope.

As Audubon California Marine Program Director Anna Weinstein says in the article, "“They have a chance. These birds are tough, they’re survivors that chase away predators such as ravens and red-tailed hawks, and I have a sense that they will prevail and adapt to climate change. They are a bird for today’s world.”

Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society salt pond restoration is bringing back rails

Much like our own Sonoma Creek Marsh restoration project, our colleagues at Santa Clara Audubon Society are bringing back a formerly troubled area of San Francisco Bay.  They are one of several groups involved with the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, the largest tidal wetland restoration project on the West Coast. The restoration is converting 15,100 acres of commercial salt ponds at the South end of San Francisco Bay to a mix of tidal marsh, mudflat and other wetland habitats. The San Jose Mercury News reports that a focal species has already arrived on the restoration site:

"We're ecstatic. It's a milestone," said biologist Rachel Tertes of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who on Sunday led a small private tour along the dusty levee of the pond, which is closed to the public.

"It happened so quickly," said Tertes, a member of the team at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge that found both species only nine years after excavators breached the walls of the toxic pond, allowing natural tidal flows to resume.

The morning sun was just rising over the bay last July when Tertes and a team of wildlife surveyors were suddenly startled by the clattering sound of a pair of Clapper, now called Ridgway's, Rails.

"It was a duet. Male and female, dueling clatters," said Tertes. "It blew everyone's mind."

Read the rest of the article by clicking here.

To read more about the project, click here.

LA Times poll shows Californians don't see drought as reason to ease environmental protections

The Los Angeles Times reports:

After four parched years, most California voters seem to be taking the drought in stride, saying it has had little to no effect on their daily lives. They oppose sacrificing environmental protections to expand water supplies and generally approve of how Gov. Jerry Brown has handled the crisis, according to a new statewide USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll...

Given a choice between protecting the environment at the expense of water supply or ensuring water supply even if that damages the environment, 50% of those polled favored the environment and 34% picked water supply.

Continue reading the entire article here.

Another Audubon-sponsored bill heads to the Governor's desk this week

Assembly Bill 1482, establishing a Strategic Growth Council that will oversee climate adaptation for critical habitat, passed out of the Senate yesterday.  The bill would require state agencies to consider climate adaptation strategy when making decisions. Audubon California co-sponsored the bill with Assembly Member Rich Gordon.