How Can Conservationists Move Forward Following the 2016 Election?

The World Turned Upside Down - I think that is how most of us are feeling. This photo sums it all up for me. Do you know what it is?

This summer a wildfire roared through the hillsides west of our house. This is a coast live oak. It's trunk burned completely through and the whole tree tumbled onto its crown. It flipped upside-down. Destruction prevailed.

Unexpectedly, however, the downed part of the tree did not burn. The skeleton remains, an alien looking structure.

Destruction is a natural process and regeneration is its second chapter. Look in the left lower corner–green shoots sprouting. Ashes can provide nutrients and reinvigorate. 

If we believe in nature, then let's take heart in it's lessons. Let's listen, examine closely, and use the ashes to reinvigorate support for clean air, clean water, safe habitats, and action to limit climate change. 

And if you need a little uplift, try A Romp On The Beach

White Film on Bird Bath Water

Have you ever had your bird bath instantly go from clean to layered with a gray filmy scum?

It's ash. Not necessarily ash from a burning fire, but often from a bird that has come through a burned area.

The first time I saw this was several years ago when a group of white-crowned sparrows arrived during fall migration and we had just had a wildfire that burned miles of hillside north of us. The white-crowns seemed to line up at the bird bath and when they were done the water was almost soapy. 

This past spring a large swath of the Santa Monica Mountains at the Camarillo Grade was severely burned. The area is northwest of us, up the coast. When I saw the state of the water I had changed the evening before, I knew that a bird had arrived who was flying down the coast. The amount of water splashed around suggested something larger than a white-crowned sparrow.

Then we heard an unfamiliar call, an American kestrel. This is a small bird of prey, much smaller than our resident Cooper's hawk or red-tailed hawk. We spotted the female kestrel sitting in the top of a dead tree calling. It's been years since we've seen kestrels in our neighborhood. It could be that this bird was returning to territory that was burned out. It will be interesting to see if she stays or moves on.

Rinsing out the ash only took a moment or two. It was nice to know we helped a traveler freshen up. That is what being an oasis of habitat is all about.

Fire in Los Angeles

October 14, 2008 - The billowing smoke of yesterday has become a permeating brown haze. All the windows in my house are closed, but the smell of smoke fills each room. I'm running the fan just to pull smoke out of the air, but I feel the layer of soot on my skin.

The fires are miles away, across the valley, yet the wind has been blowing this direction since the burning began. A smudgy russet veil colors everything. The band-tailed pigeons sit nervously in the neighbor's eucalyptus tree. They can't seem to decide if it is safe to come down from their perch.

A feeling of hesitancy hangs heavy. Sirens blare, speeding down the street. Where are these fire trucks headed? Has the wind really stopped? Is this place safe? Where is the fire now?

While the fire departments work tirelessly, we all wait. Wait to see if the wind will die down. Wait to see which direction the fire will head. Pray that watchful eyes will spot any new blazes before they become roaring flames worthy of a name.