Community Highlight - Sophia Porter

Responses from Sophia Porter, Pepperwood Steward

1. How long have you been a Steward or Volunteer with Pepperwood?

I’ve been associated with Pepperwood for a little over 4 years now. It all started with the spring section of the UC Naturalist class offered by the Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). I fell in love with the place and it felt like that sentiment was mutual – the land loved me back. 

2. Tell us a little bit about your background and how you became interested in Pepperwood. What keeps you motivated?

I studied nursing at the SRJC, and my anatomy teacher informed me about a study abroad opportunity to Costa Rica over the summer. I took that opportunity. While there, she informed us about the UC Naturalist class, Bio 85. I couldn’t take it that fall, but enrolled in the following spring. According to my field journal, I first stepped foot on the preserve on March 27, 2010. It was love at first sight. And, I guess, it is that love that keeps me motivated. Love for the land, love for the people, and an appreciation for everything we do here and why - the belief that we make a difference and a positive impact in the world through conservation, preservation, and education.

I’m not sure how far back you want me to dig in my biography, but I am part Hawaiian, and being part of a native culture that lived and worked on the land is interwoven with my very existence. Maybe a connection to the land and nature is just embedded in my genetics (I’ll let the geneticists and anthropologists debate that one). Each of my siblings feels the same. My outlook about the earth and nature is very similar to that of the other native cultures that once dwelled and flourished in Sonoma County. In some respects I feel like I didn’t choose the preserve, it chose me. I think some of the other stewards may feel the same way, thus we are loyal to our little patch of land, tending to it and taking care of it as a child would do an ailing parent. It is our family, and it is our responsibility as stewards to look after it.

3. What projects have you worked on?

Name something and I’ve probably assisted directly or indirectly in some way, shape, or form. I have worked on wetland monitoring, a fungi study, an oak woodland study, some grassland monitoring, weed warriors, phenology, parts of the first wildlife camera project, I was religiously at every monthly workday for years, have assisted at different events, proctored many classes, and provided stress relief to many other volunteers and staff members ;). Basically I’m a generalist because I love it all and can’t narrow my interests to a mere one or two things. The preserve beckons and I answer.

4. What are three words that describe Pepperwood to you?

I’ll give you four, and then some… Home. Ours. Healing. Sanctuary, in every sense of the word. I could say simple things like nature, environment, research, discovery, wonder, adventure, grace etc. But that’s a given, and the words I list are carefully chosen. Think about what they mean to you and see if you have that same feeling when you come to Pepperwood. Again, it is what keeps us like-minded people motivated. If it were mere tasks – pull weeds, document flower, take pictures, enter data – we would not be here. There is something more, deeply rooted within us.

5. What does your experience at Pepperwood mean to you?

(See Above) During the throngs of the nursing program, and so many other ups and downs I’ve pushed through over the years, the preserve was a constant and stabilizing agent. The people are always cheerful and welcoming, staff and volunteers alike. You come and nurture the land and you are nurtured in return. It is a place we come to make a positive impact in a world of negatives. We make a difference. Not just I – We.

6. What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned or seen at Pepperwood?

I don’t know if anything is really surprising. Many discoveries were there right in front of me the whole time, I’ve just learned how to take note of those things and appreciate them in all their complexity. My tenure at the preserve has trained me to look and analyze nature through a more scrutinizing lens. I guess I find things more enlightening than surprising, and there is so much. The photos of wildlife, especially the bears, the Native American history, the research projects conducted to not only find answers, but more questions to ask as we discover more and more about our environment.

Everything is very enlightening and enriching. Whether it is walking into the Dwight Center and peeking at the new wildlife photos, sitting in the field by Bechtel House and analyzing the life stages of California Poppies, looking across Turtle Pond at the dragonflies hatching and flying around, deciphering the blanket of green (now brown again) that covers our hillsides, recognizing the diversity that exists in our grasslands and other ecological communities, or  appreciating the underlying geology that serves as the foundation for it all. Everything in nature has always been present and has been for millennia, so it isn't surprising, just revealing and mesmerizing for those that care to look.

7. What’s the one thing you’d want to share with someone who is thinking about volunteering?

I think everything else I’ve mentioned covers this question. Do it. Make it happen. You won’t regret it. The elation is all consuming and very contagious.  Enjoy.

8. What do you like to do in your spare time?

Long walks on the beach, hiking, movies, and a nice romantic dinner… Sorry, I’m just joking around…

I like other outdoor activities, hiking, camping, etc. anything that keeps me busy and mentally/emotionally engaged. Remaining stationary and reading a good book or watching a good documentary is all fine and dandy too.  Also, I like facilitating other people’s interactions with the natural world as well, at the preserve and beyond. I have been involved with the geology club at the SRJC for years and like to promote discovering more about our natural world. Learning and academics does not need to be limited to a room with a chalkboard and projector. I feel it is outside where the real learning takes place - learning that motivates action of conservation and preservation.

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 Interested in volunteering? Check our website for info on monthly Volunteer Workdays or send us an email.

Climate Change and Conservation – Visualizing Our Future

By Tom Greco, Communications Specialist

Land and water managers in the Bay Area can now better prepare for the impacts of a shifting climate thanks to new research released by Pepperwood’s TBC3 (Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative). TBC3 co-chair and UC Berkeley professor Dr. David Ackerly will share highlights of this ground-breaking research at a free lecture on Friday, May 2, 2014 at Pepperwood.  The lecture begins at 7pm, preceded by an open house and light refreshments starting at 6:30pm. No advance registration is required. For directions please visit www.pepperwoodpreserve.org.

 

View of morning fog and the Mayacamas Mountains facing north as seen from Pepperwood's Three Tree Hill

Pepperwood’s TBC3 is a group of over 30 interdisciplinary scientists producing research that may just change the face of conservation planning in our region.  By “downscaling” the most widely-recognized international climate projections, TBC3 has created a set of high-resolution climate futures for the 10 Bay Area counties that include the most recent data from the International Panel on Climate Change released mid-April. This means that land and water managers can now see how climate variables like precipitation or temperature are likely to change over time for their local areas of interest. 

Screen capture from the Bay Area Open Space Council's
Conservation Lands Network Explorer website, which
now hosts the new research released by TBC3

Users can choose from a range of different climate scenarios, such as ones that assume higher or lower rates of global carbon dioxide emissions. The potential uses for TBC3’s research include long term planning for water resources, open spaces, agriculture, and emergency preparedness.  Sonoma and its neighboring counties have just been awarded a “Climate Ready” grant from the California Coastal Conservancy to apply TBC3 data to local government’s efforts to prepare for potential climate change impacts.

At his lecture on May 2, Dr. Ackerly will draw on his background in plant ecology and TBC3’s latest research to describe the potential impacts of climate change on Bay Area forests, chapparal and grasslands. How are the Bay Area’s landscapes likely to change, and will the native plants we are familiar with be able successfully adapt to changes that will occur? Dr. Ackerly will also discuss the new long-term research plots at Pepperwood designed to monitor forest change over time. Dr. Ackerly recently partnered with the Santa Rosa Junior College on a National Science Foundation proposal to engage local college students in this “Climate Smart” research at Pepperwood.

Dr. Ackerly (left) and TBC3 researchers survey a location at
Pepperwood for one of 50 long-term forest monitoring plots 

Dr. Ackerly is a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley and co-chair of TBC3. His lab studies plant ecology and evolution, with an emphasis on the native plants of California. His current work examines potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity conservation and land management, with a focus on the Bay Area. Dr. Ackerly is developing a new model that provides a probabilistic approach to modeling patterns of vegetation in California, and how these patterns may shift in the face of climate change.

Pepperwood is a leader in forging solutions to advance the health of Northern California’s land, water and wildlife.  Pepperwood’s Dwight Center for Conservation Science produces cutting-edge research, provides comprehensive environmental education for all ages, and facilitates an innovative citizen science initiative. We use our 3,200 acre nature preserve as a living laboratory to engage students, volunteers, and scientists in applied conservation. Our singular focus is applying science to safeguard the future of nature for generations to come.

Pepperwood is located at 2130 Pepperwood Preserve Road approximately midway between the towns of Santa Rosa and Calistoga off of Franz Valley Road and adjacent to Safari West. Please carpool as parking is limited. For more information about Pepperwood and its programs, please visit www.pepperwoodpreserve.org.

Nature Photography with Gerald and Buff Corsi

Gerald and Buff Corsi in Yosemite, CA

By Sandi Funke, Education Director

Gerald and Buff Corsi are world-class photographers whose works have been featured in National Geographic and other prestigious publications. On Sunday, April 27th they taught an Introduction to Field Photography class at Pepperwood, covering basic camera techniques as well as providing some tips and tricks based on their experiences. We asked them a few questions about their photography: 

Acorn Woodpecker © Gerald & Buff Corsi

You both had careers prior to pursing nature photography full time. How did you originally get into photography? 

It's been a lifelong interest for both of us. We actually met in a photo workshop about 40 years ago at the California Academy of Sciences.

What do you find most rewarding about nature photography? 

We find ourselves looking more closely at nature's beauty. 

Why would you recommend nature photography as a hobby? 

It takes us to interesting places with new experiences on each trip and makes us appreciate the variety of life on earth.

Lioness and cub © Gerald & Buff Corsi

What is one of your most memorable photos? 

We had been in the Masai Mara (Kenya) for several weeks and had the chance to watch and follow a lioness with her three newborn cubs--from the place she gave birth to them to eventually bringing them to her pride and introducing them to their father. The photo we enjoy most from that was the lioness carrying her littlest cub which seemed to need a ride from mom sometimes. 

Is there a photo you missed and wished you had gotten? 

Many photos have been missed for various reasons. We've been fortunate to be able to return to favorite places and try again.

Anything else you would like to add? 

Nature photography is a great hobby, but in today's market, unfortunately, not necessarily a financially rewarding career.

www.pepperwoodpreserve.org

Protecting Our Butterflies with Liam O'Brien

Liam O'Brien

By Sandi Funke, Education Director

For some of us our personal story could be told as a travel log. For others, our life history would be best captured as a mystery or maybe a romance. For Liam O’Brien, a Bay Nature 2014 Local Hero Award Winner for Environmental Education, his story is best told through natural history - specifically through three very attractive butterflies: the Western Tiger Swallowtail, the Coastal Green Hairstreak and the Mission Blue.

Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus),
© Christopher L. Christie

Western Tiger Swallowtail

The Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) is a very common butterfly that can be found in woodlands, by creeks, and even in urban areas. For something so widespread it is anything but ordinary. This showy butterfly is quite large with sloped yellow and black wings tipped with small patches of red and blue. It’s this gorgeous insect that lured a successful professional actor off the stage. After a Western Tiger Swallowtail flew into Liam’s urban yard his life was changed forever. He left the stage and began searching for all of the remaining butterfly species left in his county. Little did he know, this was just the beginning of a twenty year love affair with butterflies!

Coastal Green Hairstreak

Coastal Green Hairstreak (Callophrys viridis), © Scott Cox

The story of the Coastal Green Hairstreak (Callophrys viridis) is a story of islands. Not islands surrounded by water, but instead islands surrounded by concrete. Coastal Green Hairstreaks are small iridescent green butterflies which mate in the spring. The females then disperse after mating looking for plants on which to lay their eggs, which in San Francisco are only Coast Buckwheat and Deer Weed. Sadly these small dune dwellers cannot fly but a few hundred feet. A city guy himself, Liam brought the idea of The Green Hairstreak Project to fruition. Through an organization called Nature in the City, The Green Hairstreak Project brought citizens and decision makers together to develop a corridor of linked habitats in San Francisco that provide food in terms of host plants for Coastal Green Hairstreak caterpillars. Since 2006, community members have planted thousands of these native host plants. Liam was instrumental in getting this amazing project initiated, creating acres of native butterfly habitat and beautifying San Francisco while helping to save this butterfly.

Mission Blue (Plebejus icariodes
missionensis), © Liam O'Brien

Mission Blue

Liam’s determination to ensure San Francisco is home to butterflies did not stop with the Coastal Green Hairstreak. He has also worked to help save the endangered Mission Blue (Plebejus icariodes missionensis). This small butterfly only occurs in Marin and southern San Francisco counties. It is small, grayish blue with spots on the outside of its wings and a pleasing amber hue on the inside.  Mission blue caterpillars rely entirely on lupines for food. Liam is working to survey this rare butterfly and relocate individual butterflies to more suitable habitat where the populations are threatened because of development.

Pepperwood is pleased to be hosting Liam O’Brien for a class on butterflies on Saturday, May 3, 2014. Click here to register or learn more. 

You can learn more about Liam’s work and projects at http://www.sfbutterfly.com.

Keywords: Butterflies, Coastal Green Hairstreak, Mission Blue, Western Tiger Swallowtail, Pepperwood, Liam O'Brian, Conservation

This Year's Drought is Making Climate Change Real

By Lisa Micheli, PhD

Often when people learn I work on climate change they ask me how I can avoid becoming depressed. I don't get depressed because humanity has demonstrated over and over again its capacity for change. But honestly sometimes I do get frightened looking at what the next century and beyond may hold for our children and theirs, especially if we do not take actions to stem the pace of climate change now. This year in particular, when each new catastrophic headline points to the impact of a weather extreme, it feels eerily like the climate models I've been staring at since about 2007 are starting to unfold in our material world. And now concern about how we will actually handle our local climate extremes is not limited just to me and my in-the-know colleagues, but is one of the chief topics being debated at cafés, gas stations and grocery stores throughout my neighborhood in light of the California drought now fully upon us. (While last weekend’s storm has brought some immediate relief, we are still in a drought!)

In science we know that all models are wrong, but some models are useful. I estimate that back in the early 90s I was approximately the last person let into an Earth Sciences doctorate program without any computer programming experience. I lived through a transition in my chosen field of hydrology from an emphasis on measuring the planet to a fixation on modeling the planet. When I was at UC Berkeley I had the honor of belonging to the Energy and Resources Group, probably one of our most prestigious energy and climate think tanks. But at the time my interest was zeroed in on urgent challenges in water resources. I spent my time in with the geomorphology research group both in the field and on the computer researching how to restore California's rivers, a problem we faced in the moment, not something projected for the future by a computer model. I simply left the question of climate change to my colleagues.

It took the extreme heat waves of 2007 (over 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Sonoma) to steer my attention towards the inevitability of climate trends, and in turn, the necessity for conservation practitioners like myself to start to take climate change seriously. I perceived this as an obligation particularly because we were engaged in building habitat restoration projects that would take centuries to mature and fulfill their promised potential. Soon after I helped to found the North Bay Climate Adaptation Imitative which will be working with the County of Sonoma on a Climate Ready regional climate vulnerability analysis under the auspices of the State Coastal Conservancy and Pepperwood this year.

Scientists know that our climate system is complex enough that we cannot point to a single event and say this was caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and by copping to that we create fodder for a lot of debate in the media. But now there is increasing certainty around climate trends that recent advances in computer modeling can customize to local regions like our own, and now our weather station measurements are increasingly confirming those modeled trends.

One of my roles at Pepperwood is to facilitate scientific teams like the Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Collaborative (TBC3) which I co-chair with Prof. David Ackerly of UC Berkeley. We just completed a two-year study thanks to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The cornerstone of TBC3's 2013 products is a set of climate projections for the Bay Area crafted by the USGS' Lorraine and Alan Flint in concert with geospatial analyst extraordinaire Dr. Stuart Weiss of the Creekside Center for Earth Observation. Under the expert guidance of IPCC scientists, this team selected 18 climate futures that represent the full statistical extent of the IPCC's global analyses. Then we “downscaled” these projections to 18-acre "pixels" for the San Francisco Bay Area. As a result, land and water managers in the Bay Area finally have climate projections at a scale they can incorporate into their long-term planning processes.  (You can now access a subset of the TBC3 climate futures data at bayarealands.org via the Explorer Tool's new Climate Portfolio Report for your own region of interest.)

The trend for the Bay Area we identified in our original 2012 publication was that despite the potential range in total quantities of winter rainfall projected for the future, our watersheds are going to be prone to becoming more arid. In other words, there is a risk of increasingly short winter wet periods and increasingly extended dry periods, also known as droughts, as in exactly what we are experiencing this year in Northern California. One of the tools developed by Dr. Weiss to visualize the Flints' Basin Characterization Model data set are water cycle diagrams that depict seasonal fluctuations in rainfall and its products. Below is a graph of the average annual water cycle for the Upper Sonoma Creek watershed, using historical data (1980-2009).

Upper Sonoma Creek - Average Annual Water Cycle (1980-2009)

The total height of the "wave" moving through each month of the season is equivalent to the total rainfall received over that month. The area in light green evaporates directly to the atmosphere or through plant respiration. The area in dark green is the water that stored in the soils for plants to use. The area in dark blue refills our underground groundwater basins. The area in light blue is the water available to feed our streams and reservoirs. The area in red that grows at the end of the summer season is the climatic “water deficit,” a measure of drought stress.

Now below is the same diagram representing the drought of 1975 to 1976 on Upper Sonoma Creek. As you can see it is almost all light green and red – meaning that all the incoming rainfall, which was very limited that year, was used up by plants with almost no water left to recharge the groundwater or feed streams. And that is similar to what is happening to our watersheds this year.

 

Upper Sonoma Creek (1975-1976) Drought Event

It's interesting to me that those of us who wear water goggles all the time – i.e. we look out at the world through the lens of water – probably considered us to be in trouble at the end of last year's wet season, when despite experiencing flood conditions in November, the absence of any further rain left us in a drought by May. Now in May we didn't know what this winter would hold, but there's always a chance of another dry year following a drought year, and when this happens three years in a row the water managers consider this an emergency. Dr. Weiss's preliminary analyses of the climate futures for the Bay Area suggests that three-year droughts could be a more frequent event.

I was reassured to have recently learned from a sociologist presenting at the Nature Conservancy's annual science symposium that what I felt in my gut about people was true. That is that while there can be relatively predictable divisions along political lines regarding the theory of climate change, there is in fact almost unanimous bi-partisan support for ensuring that communities in the US are prepared to deal with natural resource crises such as this year's drought. We see this as our community comes together to face this challenge, to support the ranchers who cannot feed their cattle because there's no water to make the grass grow, to support the water districts in their need to stretch a stressed supply. However that is one of the mysteries to me about our social response – why are we just starting to talk about water conservation measures now, when it was clear last May we were already facing risks to our water security?

Thanks to Dr. David Ackerly's TBC3 long-term forest monitoring project at Pepperwood, we will have data to evaluate hypotheses about how this drought is impacting our forests. Informed observers say things like "the forest looks stressed to me," or "I think I am seeing more brown tipped leaves," or "I think species X is having a really hard time." I now have some rigorous measurements in place to test these emerging hypotheses. Thanks to Dr. Ackerly and his laboratory at Berkeley's Department of Integrative Biology, there are 50 sites at Pepperwood where every single plant has been identified and measured. Now when we conduct our repeat measurements we will have actual data capable of showing the impact of the drought on plant composition and survival. This kind of scientific research will be absolutely critical to better understanding how our natural resources will respond to increasing climate and water stresses.

What the TBC3 project at Pepperwood does is provide a high resolution portal on local changes in the context of global climate science. Fran Ulmer, chair of the US Arctic Research Commission recently shared upon release of the Arctic Report Card 2013  the following perspective: The Arctic is not like Las Vegas: whathappens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. 

So while my personal mission is one of equipping our communities to be resilient in the face of climate change based on real-time local data, the magnitude of the challenge we face will be directly proportional to our ability to steer our energy consumption patterns away from carbon-based fuels. Another catchphrase which has been in the forefront of my mind is the following. There are known alternatives to fossil fuels. There are no known alternatives to water.

TeenNat Provides Workforce Experience Through Real Life Science and Art

By Sandi Funke, Education Director

Across Sonoma County, organizations are opening their doors to provide unique learning opportunities for students. These work-based learning experiences are allowing students to hone their skills as they explore career interests. They are able to apply their knowledge and abilities in real-world settings as they practice so called “soft skills” like critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Work-based learning experiences are helping ensure that today’s students are prepared to become Sonoma County’s future workforce and that they have the skills required for success.

Motivated by a desire to serve teens and help develop a more diverse workforce able to address our natural resource challenges, last summer Pepperwood launched TeenNat. TeenNat mis a teen internship that teaches youth about natural science careers and exposes them to real science-in-action as they help gather data critical to preserving our area’s rich biodiversity. During the internship, 28 youth learned how to collect biological data using digital cameras and GPS units as well as how to take artistic photographs. These photographs were displayed in Pepperwood’s gallery.  


The data interns collected was uploaded to an online database of species called iNaturalist.org that is used by researchers across the globe.  TeenNat participants helped our mpreserve management team identify areas on the preserve where invasive species were present and where populations of rare species were located. Our redwood forests were also surveyed and the data collected was sent to Redwood Watch. Time was also spent identifying species, hiking, and learning about careers in the natural sciences. Throughout the program, local scientists and professional photographers were on hand to guide learning and assist with expeditions on the preserve.

"TeenNat is a place where young adults gain hands-on experience in working on a preserve, where we are exposed to various careers such as environmental educators and ecologists. We learned how to use our Canon cameras and how to capture picturesque photographs. We learned how to react when there is a tick on us and how to correctly and safely remove them if we are bitten. We learned how to take the DBH of redwood trees, procuring the first data of Redwood trees for Pepperwood ever. We learned about iNaturalist, the Facebook for naturalists, and how it benefits scientists globally. We learned how to identify some invasive plants such as the yellow star thistle and how to properly dispose them. The amount of information that we learned is extremely vast and seemingly ineffable." 
- TeenNat Intern Tommy Nguyen

This summer, thanks to support from funders including the Kimball Foundation, Save the Redwood League, and Toyota’s TogetherGreen, Pepperwood is again offering the TeenNat internship. Teens ages 13-17, who are interested in spending time outdoors, taking photographs, learning technical skills, and gaining experience collecting data for ongoing scientific research can apply. The internship will run 3 days a week for 5 weeks in July and takes place at Pepperwood’s 3,200 acre nature preserve located off Mark West Springs Rd., adjacent to Safari West in Santa Rosa.  At the completion of the program, the participants keep their new digital camera and fulfill 90 hours of community service. Applications can be obtained at www.pepperwoodpreserve.org and are due by April 25^th. 
To learn more about Sonoma County Office of Education’s efforts working with businesses to provide workforce experience for teens please visit their website. 

SCIENCE is the 2013 Word of the Year!?

By Lisa Micheli, PhD, Executive Director

Geeks everywhere are pumped that as part of the New Year’s media blitz the dictionary publishers Merriam-Webster crowned science as the word of the year! (See here). Science, a word users looked up 176% more than the year before, was followed by other popular lookups including ecology’s niche coming in at number four. It caught me by surprise, since 2013 struck me as a year full of doubt and questioning authority, but perhaps that’s part of science’s growing appeal?

“The more we thought about it, the righter it seemed in that it does lurk behind a lot of big stories that we as a society are grappling with, whether it’s climate change or environmental regulation or what’s in our textbooks,” said John Morse, president and publisher of Merriam-Webster Inc. (Read the article here).

As a scientist who spends a fair bit of time trying to explain what we know and what we don’t about things like our water supply, wildlife ecology, and climate change, I am heartened by 2013’s word.

My only worry is whether looking up science on the web will provide eager neo-geeks the reassuring knowledge they seek….or is there the risk of finding a bunch of confusing misinformation that may only deepen rifts between entrenched, distinctly unscientific, points of view?

Many of Pepperwood's research projects utilize data from this
weather station, pictured here with Pepperwood Steward Dave 
Andersen (right) and Preserve Manager Michael Gillogly (left)

As an experiment I “googled” climate science to see what I would find. Instantly I was gratified that the top links were actually research-based, including sites hosted by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  But I realized while there was a lot of late-breaking research findings there, honestly it was at such a high technical level I suspected someone without an earth science PhD would likely find it pretty confusing. 

Only a couple search products below the hard-core science news stuff, however, I was disappointed to find international media sites featuring cutting edge science articles serving apparently as primarily a prod for renewed mudslinging. Below the actual news pieces slews of comments were posted that rapidly devolved into science-free personal epithets traded between seasoned extremists…and I found that disheartening.

I don’t mean to disrespect the internet with my cursory experiment, but being kind of old school I always rely on knowledgeable individuals to filter on-line data sources for me. Colleague Dr. Andy Gunther who coordinates the Bay Area Ecosystems and Climate Change Consortium (BAECCC) has a bunch of links up to climate science resources, including the State of California’s succinct climate science summary located here. For those who want greater depth, I am a fan of  NOAA’s Climate.gov which includes a real-time climate “dashboard” on the front page.

So in honor of the word of the year, I ask what does it mean when millions around the globe are searching for meaningful information regarding science?

Preserve Ecologist Michelle Halbur conducts TBC3 research

To me it suggests that people are ready to make scientific knowledge their own, to seek reliable information to provide a middle ground for understanding, and to provide meaningful explanations to the sometimes puzzling events around them.

Recent surveys indicate that people’s number one preferred way to get scientific information is from scientists themselves—ideally in person—and those are the kind of rare opportunities we aim to provide at Pepperwood through our programs that link citizens and scientists.

At our pilot climate adaptation workshop for land managers last fall, our TBC3 scientists were on hand and in the field to present their data in nature’s context and to answer key questions. Our scientists in turn wanted to hear from range and conservation managers what their priorities were to guide the next phases of TBC3 research to make sure it will have meaning for those who need it most.

We aim to provide this kind of transparent access and exchange via every class, workshop, lecture and hike folks participate in at Pepperwood. Please join us in making science the word of the day everyday at Pepperwood!