There are currently 67 recognized species or subspecies of lizards in California. Of these, at least 11 have been seen in our mountains. The Tehachapis are an area of considerable taxonomic mixing of both plants and animals, where different species from the Great Basin Desert, Sierra Nevada, Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley can often be found.
A wildlife biologist returns to a childhood stomping ground, devoid of its once-plentiful amphibians.
https://www.hcn.org/issues/50.13/wildlife-after-the-mountain-yellow-legged-frog-disappeared
The research, which was led by Caleb Phillips of the University of Colorado Boulder and Grant Lipman of the Stanford University School of Medicine, examined 20 years of snakebite data from across California. Their findings contradict a popular theory among many wilderness health professionals that drought might increase snake bites by pushing the reptiles into the open where they are more likely to run into people.
Instead, the group discovered that for every 10 percent increase in rainfall over the previous 18 months, cases of snake bites spiked by 3.9 percent in California's 58 counties.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180905113638.htm
To help reduce collisions with animals and birds, Caltrans and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife remind motorists to be on the lookout during “Watch Out for Wildlife Week” Sept. 16–22.
https://scvnews.com/2018/09/14/state-officials-urge-drivers-to-watch-out-for-wildlife/
Scientists are racing to stop a pandemic before it starts – but will they find it in time?
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/on-the-hunt-for-a-silent-salamander-killer/
The report is being released during Watch Out for Wildlife Week, which runs Sept. 16-22 and is a project of Caltrans and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The week coincides with the start of the season in California when deer and elk migrate and look for mates, serving as a reminder for motorists to be especially alert to avoid collisions with wildlife.
https://phys.org/news/2018-09-roadkill-roadmap-wildlife-collisions.html
An analysis of 5,365 snakebites in California by Stanford University scientists found that the number of rattlesnake bites increases after periods of rainy weather – but decreases after a drought.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/09/24/rattlesnake-bites-linked-to-weather-says-stanford-research/
This unassuming, seemingly abandoned site along the Los Angeles River pulls everything into focus. The future of the Bowtie Parcel, once one of Southern California’s most important railroad yards, is being discussed right now. "South of Fletcher: Stories from the Bowtie" aims to diversify the voices being heard by listening to the people who know the Bowtie — what it was, what it is, and who care about what it will become.
