High Country News covers Audubon California's work to monitor and mitigate drought

High Country News interviewed Audubon California's Working Lands Director, Meghan Hertel, about the program's work to support birds in the Central Valley. Six chapters participate by volunteering their time to survey birds at wildlife refuges located in their area. You can read the piece here: http://www.hcn.org/articles/the-disappearing-wetlands-in-californias-central-valley. 

Short-term pollutants bill highlights connections between air pollution, public health, and climate change

After debuting his legislation at the Paris Climate Talks last year, California State Sen. Ricardo Lara last week introduced a new bill that would greatly reduce short-term air pollutants such as black carbon, fluorinated gases, and methane by 2030. Senate Bill 1383 would require the State Air Resourced Board to to "approve and implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants to achieve a reduction in methane by 40%, hydrofluorocarbon gases by 40%, and anthropogenic black carbon by 50% below 2013 levels by 2030."

Audubon California is watching this bill closely because we understand that these pollutants are driving climate change while also creating immediate public health challenges for communities. Audubon research shows that 170 California bird species are threatened by climate change. Moreover, this same air pollution that creates public health problems in people also creates immediate health issues for birds and habitat.

2016 Owens Lake Bird Festival - April 22-24, 2016

Join Friends of the Inyo and our partners for the second annual Owens Lake Bird Festival in Lone Pine, CA. The festival will celebrate migrating shorebirds as they move between hemispheres at Owens Lake Important Bird Area and will highlight the significance of the Owens Lake story and the return of a threatened habitat.

Preregistration opens February 1 at 2 pm to all Friends of the Inyo members. Join Friends of the Inyo to gain access. Open registration for the public begins February 15. 

Event details:

Friday, April 22, 2016- Sunday, April 24, 2016

Tickets: $60.00, students $30, children 12 and under free. Registration includes Friday evening reception, Owens Lake field trips on Saturday and Sunday and continental breakfast on Saturday and Sunday

Optional Items: Saturday sack lunch $12, Saturday dinner $25.00, T-shirt $20.00

Friday evening: reception at the Western Film History Museum at 6:00 pm.
Saturday: morning and afternoon trips around Owens Lake.
Saturday evening: dinner reception at Statham Hall in Lone Pine at 5:00 pm with the presentation "Owens Lake- Its New Role in the Flyway" by keynote speaker Debbie House.
Sunday: morning trips on Owens Lake followed by casual lunch in Lone Pine Park.

Register Here

This week's record high temperatures have officials concerned about 'considerable' drought

State officials released a statement that expresses their renewed concern about early snowpack melt. Capital Public Radio shared pieces of the report:

"In the core western drought areas of California and western Nevada, dry, warm weather during the period resulted in no change to this week’s drought depiction," reports the U.S. Drought Monitor in its update released Feb. 18. "While much of the region has experienced favorable precipitation during the 2015-16 Water Year - and subsequent removal of the "S" (short-term) drought Impact Type - considerable long-term (L) impacts remain."

The weekly update also says "there are notable pockets of short-term dryness over central and southern California contributing to the long-term drought signal."

The Drought Monitor intensity levels are Abnormally Dry, Moderate, Severe, Extreme and Exceptional drought.

This week in California: 99.7 percent is abnormally dry, 94 percent moderate, 81 percent severe, 61 percent extreme and 38 percent is in exceptional drought.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Sacramento Bee editorial calls on Governor to remove all of his appointees to Coastal Commission

After his appointees led a highly-criticized push last week to remove the California Coastal Commission's executive director, the Sacramento Bee editorial board is calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to remove all four of his appointees in order to protect the integrity of the agency that oversees protection of more than 1,100 miles of coastline. The newspaper also called for speedy passage of new legislation aimed at improving the transparency of the agency's dealings with lobbyists and consultants representing development interests:

"The public may never get the whole sordid story on the California Coastal Commission’s firing last week of its executive director, but it’s not too late to insist that the powerful land-use board – and the consultants who make millions lobbying its members – be subjected to future transparency.

"The Coastal Commission, which was created shortly before the state’s 1974 Political Reform Act, isn’t explicitly included in state laws covering lobbying disclosures. Why not? That’s another mystery in what seems to be a whole stretch of murky commission waters ...

"Speaking of which, Gov. Jerry Brown, who has four appointees, should seek new commissioners. The current group may have had their concerns, but threw the public’s business into turmoil by letting the management of Lester degenerate into a political mugging. Until the governor gets the blood out of the water, public confidence won’t be restored."

Proposal will vastly increase protected land around Los Angeles region and San Fernando Valley

The National Park Service yesterday transmitted to Congress its preferred alternative for a massive expansion of the Santa Monica National Recreation Area. The so-called Rim of the Valley project could result in a 170,000-acre addition to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. surrounding the San Fernando Valley, greatly increasing access to nature for millions of poeple in this densely-populated area. Here's a map of the proposed increase:

The National Park Service has even more information on the Rim of the Valley project.

Obviously, there's a great opportunity here for the greater Los Angeles area to connect millions of people with the natural world. We at Audubon California have been highly supportive of this, and we'll be tracking it moving forward.