Ranchers want to obliterate #wolves, #coyotes, etc. Trump's BLM chose the cruelest way possible: reversing Biden's ban on cyanide bombs (M-44s). M-44s injure and kill people, non-target wildlife, and companion animals. It's a slow, brutal death. We can put a stop to those barbaric devices.

San Jose City Hall Falcons: All 4 juveniles had fledged by Day 3, May 30, and begun exploring the City Hall area. Watch the highlights (by fledge watcher and raptor videographer @skh4birdies.bsky.social): www.youtube.com/watch?v=slTt.... #birds

The National Park Service (NPS) is spending ~$67M from national park entrance fees to help fund Trump’s decorative projects in D.C.: ~$60M in repairs to 9 ornamental fountains and ~$7M of the $13.1M to paint the Reflecting Pool: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/c... (gift). The spending is legal. But...

In the next 5 years, the Earth is likely to surge repeatedly past the international climate threshold set as safe (1.5°C / 2.7°F) and to shatter its hottest-year record along the way, per new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) projections.

San Jose City Hall Falcons, Fledge Day 4: Three of the four fledglings are on the nest level, complaining loudly about the meal service. Fledging is stressful. Time for a nap. Watch ledge cam: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pp9... and roof cam: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQLh.... #birds

From the hearts of @hcrichardson.bsky.social and many more, the 250 to 250 Project is a series of 1-minute stories of the people, places, and events that have built the United States. They remind us that each person has the power to make history. Among the first stories is a story of conservation.

VA is home to ~25% of the nation’s data centers. The 10,500 diesel backup generators attached to those data centers pollute more than a gas-fired power plant. Even if operated for <1 hour/week, they produce enough pollution to worsen lung and cardiovascular conditions and to cause at least...

In the largest US cities, the number of heat waves has increased from ~3/year in the 1980s to 6/year in the 2020s and have gotten longer and hotter. On a hot day, treeless areas of a city get 8-11° hotter than greener areas. Better tree cover could prevent several hundred heat deaths/year....

San Jose City Hall Falcons: Video recap of May 29, Fledge Day 2 (by fledge watcher and raptor videographer @skh4birdies.bsky.social): youtu.be/kIcphBp29qU. As of 11 am PDT today, Stewart and Jet are still on the City Hall roof, getting meal delivery and snoozing. They may never leave! 😉

San Jose City Hall Falcons: As evening settled, so did all the flying and flapping. Stewart and Jet had prey delivered and are snuggle buddies on the City Hall roof. Scout just fledged today and is spending a rough night on the very uncomfortable, very bright rotunda.

San Jose City Hall Falcons: Although his fledge started as a fludge, Walton has been impressive since. At ~12:45am PDT, he's seen on the very top of City Hall with the satellite dishes (below, left). From there, he flew down to the City Hall roof (below, right), then down to the nest level.

San Jose City Hall Falcons: The last two juveniles have fledged! Scout flew at 1:31pm PDT (below, left) and Jet flew at 1:34pm PDT (below, right). #birds

Environmental groups sued to halt the USDA's Wildlife (dis)Services from killing predators inside Wilderness areas to protect domestic livestock. They assert federal agencies are violating the Wilderness Act, which gives designated Wilderness areas the highest level of protections for public lands.

San Jose City Hall Falcons: Early this morning, the fledglings were spotted near City Hall: Walton on the rotunda; Stewart on top of an elevator shaft. As of noon PDT, Jet and Scout have not fledged and are currently hanging out on the upper ledge of the nest area.

On June 9, @cornellbirds.bsky.social is hosting a live webinar with habitat restoration expert Mhairi McFarlane. Mhairi will share practical tips for creating bird-friendly habitat, from a single pot to large-scale restoration projects. Register: cornell.zoom.us/webinar/regi...? #gardens #birds

San Jose City Hall Falcons, May 28 Highlights: Stewart had a strong flight from the low ledge. Walton was found on the ground and escorted to City Hall's roof to try again. And more. Watch a recap from dawn to evening (video by @skh4birdies.bsky.social): youtu.be/hW4WVZR6AAU. #birds

San Jose City Hall Falcons: The chicks woke up to a rainy day today. Fledge watch has begun, with "boots on the ground" (BOGs) looking to rescue any fledglings that run into trouble. Yesterday, one already did: Walton "fludged" (fledged accidentally) when he overshot the low ledge.

Hellgate Ospreys: New Guy has earned a real name. Iris's companion late last year, he returned for more Iris this year, has defended her and the nest bravely (losing tail feathers in the process), responds to Iris's fish calls, is a nestorations expert, and enjoys brooding eggs as much as Iris does.

A stunning 1.9-million-acre wild landscape, Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument protects awe-inspiring geological formations, rare dinosaur fossils, revered cultural sites, and diverse wildlife, including the endangered California Condor. Today the Condor’s habitat is at risk.

On top of all the support, subsidies, and huge windfalls from the Iran war, Republicans want to grant the oil and gas industry broad legal immunity from policies and lawsuits aimed at holding it accountable for damages caused by its emissions. More: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... (gift).

San Jose City Hall Falcons: Scout scored a number of firsts today: nest board ✔️ behind nest board ✔️ top of nest box ✔️ upper ledge ✔️ first flight ✔️ Enjoy his enthusiasm as he flaps from one challenge to the next (video by @skh4birdies.bsky.social ): www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJPO.... #birds

Big Bear Valley Bald Eagles: Jackie's eaglets are ~7 weeks old and have been sleeping alone in the nest as Jackie stands guard nearby. Tonight it's very windy, and Jackie has moved back to the nest to protect her eaglets. Sandy and Luna don't object. Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L.... #birds

Hellgate Ospreys: One of the important jobs of the male Osprey is defending the nest from dangers, such as Bald Eagles. A few days ago, New Guy returned to the nest missing 4 tail feathers (see below + alt text) after having been seen fighting a Bald Eagle. Ospreys often don't survive those fights.

Thanks to a developing El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific, the US will see a below-normal hurricane season (Jun 1-Nov 30) in 2026. NOAA predicts 8-14 storms with winds at 39mph or more, with 1-3 of those expected to become category 3-5 (winds 111mph or more).

San Jose City Hall Falcons: Fledge watch begins on May 29. A group of volunteers will stand by to ensure that any fledglings who run into trouble are rescued, returned to the City Hall roof, and given a 2nd...or 3rd...or...chance to fly. The chicks, for their part, are busy wingercising,...

Overwhelmed by #garden and #gardening tips? Chaos gardening might just be for you. The name is new, the practice is old: just throw some seeds and see what happens. That's all there is to it, but if you'd like some tips for success: www.sierraclub.org/Sierra/chaos...?

At ~30 years old, Iris is the oldest known Osprey. She's raised >30 chicks, and endured hailstorms, neglectful mates, attacks from owls, and more. Catch up on her backstory in this "Birds & Blooms" article: www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/bird.... Watch nest: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qvY.... #birds

Trump's EPA recently announced unraveling federal drinking water limits established by Biden's EPA for 6 PFAS. Why expose Americans and wildlife to PFAS, which never break down in the environment and are so toxic there is no safe level of exposure? Trump's tech bro donors and their data centers.

A Trumpy endorsement: "it won't cause extinction." Trump F&WS has determined that the weedkiller atrazine doesn't pose an extinction risk to threatened or endangered wildlife, justifying its continued use. (In 2021, not-Trump EPA determined atrazine was likely to harm >1,000 protected species.)

While electricity prices spike across the US, a new power market in 11 Western states could help save consumers up to $1.2B/year, cut pollution, and reduce outages. Called a “day-ahead” market, it enables the 38 power authorities to work together to better utilize cheap, clean electricity...

Floodlight reporters spent months investigating how the Yellowstone Club orchestrated a land swap in Montana's Crazy Mountains to create a private resort for the very wealthy on public lands that used to belong to us. It's a long, twisted story: floodlightnews.org/trump-offici...? 🌎

San Jose City Hall Falcons: This year, all 4 chicks are males. They're ~5 weeks old—and starting to think about fledging. Smaller, lighter males don't need as much development time as females and fledge earlier. They're spending time these days on a low ledge scoping out the world they'll fly into.

Hellgate Osprey, Neighbors Edition: Iris is startled by the sudden appearance of a European Starling fledgling on her nest. She calls and New Guy arrives to provide backup. Both seem unsure how to react but are also careful not to harm the young starling as it toddles around the nest.

American Kestrels have been in decline in North America since the mid-1960s. A recent study brought together multiple data sources from around the continent and verified a population decline of 29% between 1986 and 2019. Factors likely affecting adult and juvenile survival went beyond...

Eulogy for a #butterfly: Global warming, wildfires, excessive grazing, invasive plants, and recreation activities led to the decline of the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly. It has not been seen in the wild since 2022. Now, the last known caterpillar of its kind has died.

Trump is delaying a phaseout of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent planet-warming chemicals used in air-conditioning and refrigeration. Why? Trump claims it will reduce grocery prices. Truth? They're elevated because of tariffs, extreme weather, and soaring fuel prices—not refrigeration costs.

A Tale of 2 Solars: What to do when the US blocks oil shipments? In Cuba, the blockade has spurred a solar boom. Solar now provides as much as 10% of Cuba's power, up from almost nothing a year ago. Cuba—and many other countries—are sourcing solar from China: e360.yale.edu/digest/cuba-.... MAGA? 🌎

El Niño—powerful shifts in Pacific Ocean winds and water temperatures—can drastically transform global weather patterns and spark epic droughts, heat waves, and epidemics. An emerging El Niño could be one of the strongest on record, adding pressure to an already precarious global system.

Another first for the gray wolf BEY03F: In February 2026, she was the first gray wolf to enter Los Angeles County, CA, since 1924, when wolves were completely eradicated from California (photo below). She is now the first gray wolf to enter Sequoia National Park in more than 100 years.

The UN's most extreme model of climate change (RCP 8.5) assumes the world does nothing to curb planet-warming emissions and suffers profound consequences. UN scientists now say that model is "implausible”: the deployment of renewable energy and other factors has helped avert runaway warming, but...

San Jose City Hall Falcons: The chicks are 4 weeks old and have started exploring the nest floor. 2 little adventurers even hopped up on a low ledge to get their first view of San Jose. Their baby down is rapidly being replaced by juvenile brown feathers, and they could fledge in as soon as 2 weeks.

The Senate used a despicable ploy to approve controversial Steve Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management. To get him confirmed, the Senate packaged Pearce in a bill with ~50 other nominees; the bill passed on party lines. The vote puts a man who has argued that “we do not even need”...

MAHA? Trump's EPA wants to unravel the nation’s first federal drinking water limits for #PFAS. Biden's EPA established limits on 6 PFAS after determining exposure was linked to serious health issues. Trump's EPA will rescind protections for 4 PFAS and continue to protect against 2 of them...

Hellgate Ospreys: The river has settled down, and NG2 is now regularly delivering fish to Iris. He is, however, always reluctant to let the fish go, leading to a tussle as Iris (right) pulls it off his talons. 3 eggs in the nest; a 4th egg tomorrow? Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qvY.... #birds

Love raptors? Big Red and Arthur, Cornell University's resident Red-tailed Hawk pair, welcomed 3 down-covered hatchlings to their nest in early May. Watch highlights of the hatchlings and find out what to expect as they grow up (too soon): www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/cornell.... #birds

May 17: BirdCast predicts another busy night for bird migration: birdcast.org/migration-to.... Note that birds are avoiding gray areas (storms). Birds have an organ in their middle ear that senses drops in atmospheric pressure. Severe weather generates low-frequency sound waves (infrasound)...

Recent research by EDF (@envdefensefund.bsky.social) found that the FDA has been allowing 25 chemicals linked to #cancer into the US food system. For example, methylene chloride is so dangerous that even the EPA has banned most uses, but the FDA allows it to be used to decaffeinate coffee and tea.

Coloradans voted to reintroduce gray #wolves to their original habitat in 2020. Since then, new wolf packs have formed and pups have been born. The wolves are just beginning to take hold, and already anti-wolf groups want to derail the state's efforts. Hoping that anti-wolf voices will undermine...

Gardens can be designed to be as alive at night as they are during the day, offering new delights and a refuge for nocturnal species. By reducing unnecessary lighting and planting with nighttime ecology in mind, gardens can be a source of rejuvenation for both people and wildlife.

Per EPA data, emissions of the neurotoxin mercury from coal-fired power plants rose 9% in 2025 compared to 2024, resulting in 4,800 pounds of mercury released into the environment. What happened? Trump is keeping coal power plants online past retirement and stripping away Clean Air Act safeguards.