Here are some WERC and other USGS sights and sounds seen around the net this week:
- Landfills and garbage are changing the breeding and feeding behavior of sea gulls in Alaska and San Francisco Bay, according to USGS research by Abby Powell and WERC lead scientist Josh Ackerman. [Mongabay.com]
- Desert tortoises are an issue for the BrightSource solar project in San Bernadino County, and this article quotes WERC lead scientist Kristin Berry on the difficulties of studying energy project impacts on tortoises. [Riverside Press-Enterprise]
- The American Veterinary Medical Association has a nice profile about California sea otters dying from blooms of the toxic freshwater microbe, Microcystis, a recent discovery co-authored by WERC lead scientist Tim Tinker. [JAVMA]
- Our colleagues at the USGS Oregon Water Science Center have also recently found Microcystis in Upper Klamath Lake, Copco Reservoir and Iron Gate Reservoir. [Siskiyou Daily News]
- Beak deformities appear to be mysteriously increasing in birds in the Pacific Northwest, according to our colleagues at the USGS Alaska Science Center [AP, New York Times]
- And finally, our Department of Interior siblings at Yosemite National Park recently received a surprised visit from television star Oprah Winfrey, who featured her wilderness experience on her website. Say hello to our Yosemite Field Station next time, Oprah! [Oprah.com]
-- Ben Young Landis
Top: The California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis)
experienced another drop in its population estimate this year. Image credit: Tania Larson/USGS.
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey