One of our PhD students, Carlos Esperanza, recently visited Doodad Ranch to collect a genetic sample for his Western Bluebird population genetics project!

I know people say touch grass a lot on here and while I'm in full support of spending time in nature, touch grass also means take a pottery class, go to a bar. Sit on a dock drinking cokes and skipping stones. It just means get offline for a bit.

My awesome labmates made me a crochet replica of my dog and a polymer clay jalapeño bagel charm (prey item of my dog from the counter) to go with it 🥹

Insightful summary of an extraordinary person being extraordinarily fired: "you don't silence a woman of color who raised concerns about racism by silencing her...The fingerprints are distributed perfectly across the system." www.linkedin.com/pulse/uclas-...

Strong recommendation to teaching faculty to just say no to this stuff, even if you are AI curious/enthusiastic. This is meant to reduce faculty autonomy and capture human labor with automation. You're selling out your future self and the profession as a whole. www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...

Only 2 days left to order this beautiful design on your favorite type of shirt! By buying the shirt you will be helping us with all our projects including the #PoisonFreeBelize project and our free on-site education programs! #Birds #Raptors #bsnm 🪶 Link ➡️ www.bonfire.com/belize-rapto...

Record toad night: nine individuals.

We have been taking night bike rides near the river where we have encountered numerous cute lil guys (California Toads).

Luis Alvarez, an undergraduate in the BioInnovation Group at UC Davis, wrote this article highlighting some of our work!

I have found an AI* agent that is as helpful to my workflow as the more conventionally used ones. Subscription costs** are reasonable as well. * Avian Intelligence ** Bag of feed

Have encountered this a disappointing number of times

Love some excellent giant gartersnake outreach!

NSF is about to dismantle NCAR at Russell Vought's direction to protect the fossil fuel industry. It's hard to communicate just how much NCAR does, so let's take a look: I've never worked at NCAR, and I've worked with NCAR researchers once ever. What scientific discoveries has NCAR made possible? 👇

I love it

Save the date for a Global #eDNA 🧬 conference! More details to come soon.

Convinced my lab to join Bluesky! Give us a follow for updates on our work 🤗

Should I ask him for a kayak? 🪶🌿

I made an art for a good cause 😊

Seeking scientist volunteers for this fall! Want to practice science communication and help author a 🌟comic🌟 about your research? I need collaborators for the next cohort of SciComm & Comics art and design students. All countries and scientific fields eligible.

Join us for an emergency rally to save critical government services targeted for elimination! The Ecosystems Mission Area of USGS, which most people have not heard of, contains the US’s bird banding lab, monitors dangerous diseases and pollutants, and much more! www.mobilize.us/nwf/event/79...

The Trump administration will freeze funding for USGS Ecosystems Mission Area programs and plans workforce cuts. Although a judge temporarily blocked the layoffs, college students and USGS wildlife professionals face weeks of uncertainty.

The legendary USGS Bee Lab is being shut down. The 2026 budget proposal defunds the Ecosystem Mission Area, which supported the lab. If their science helped your work, there’s still time to make your voice heard. Read below. (1/4) 🧪 #pollinators #Pollinators #USGS #Entomology #Hymenoptera 🪲🪳

What do the USGS Ecosystem Mission Areas (EMA) mean to me? They are where I gained the bulk of my wildlife experience: not only through fieldwork but also learning how to analyze those data. When I started twelve years ago, I had no idea this was where I wanted to pursue my career.

DOI was notified of competitive areas on April 15. They have to wait 30 days to take action (RIF)- that is next week. This story validates the concern. Of our 8000+ employees in January, 1500 have opted into voluntary departures. Another 1000 were removed from FWS and consolidated to DOI.

Have you read the president’s budget that was released today? Aside from the disgusting, offensive language and blatant lies, the cuts would be catastrophic. DOI cuts alone would destroy NPS, cut all natural resources/climate research at USGS, eliminate state wildlife agency funding sources… (1/3)

If you, like me, had you NSF granted terminated, here’s what I learned from a hopeful meeting with my VP of research: 1. We have 30 days to act! Meet with your admin asap 2. APPEAL: Everyone can appeal! It must go through your institution, there’s a template, sent registered mail. My VP told me ⬇️

The Trump admin aims to zero out funding for NOAA’s 16 cooperative institutes, which study everything from extreme weather to fisheries to toxic algae. I spent last week talking with folks about the losses — & potential threats — to society if these institutes close. www.eenews.net/articles/tru...

Presidential budget requests are a call to action not an obituary. Call your reps.

This USGS program includes, amongst others, the Climate Adaptation Science Centers and the Ecosystems' Land Change Science Program www.science.org/content/arti...

Yesterday, we had an office potluck to celebrate our colleagues who ended their federal service. Though bittersweet, it was a reminder that our bond keeps us going in times of adversity.

naturalresources.house.gov/calendar/eve... This can't be good. "Evaluating the Implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act | Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee"

*Illegal layoffs* that are currently being challenged in the courts.

Yesterday many thousands of federal employees were terminated. This is a Reddit thread for federal employees that got laid off.