Monterey County Animals Digest

For the past two decades, Marin’s Turtle Island Restoration Network has been supporting efforts to phase out the use of gillnets used for catching swordfish, because they kill sea turtles, dolphins and other sea animals.

It’s been a long road to recovery for the sanctuary and the society’s senior wildlife biologist, Joe Burnett. In August 2020, he watched helplessly over a remote video camera as a ribbon of flame crested over the mountain ridge toward the condor sanctuary.

In 1997, 1.2 million butterflies were flying at overwintering sites along the West Coast. In 2017, researchers counted almost 200,000 monarchs.

Scientists studying otter behavior at the Elkhorn Slough near Moss Landing find that volunteers are as effective as professionals in collecting data.

Spring runs of a large minnow numbering in the millions have nourished Pomo Indians since they first made their home alongside Clear Lake more than 400 generations ago.

A new generation of Olympia oysters has taken up residence in Elkhorn Slough. Scientists hope breeding oysters in the lab and returning baby oysters to the slough will help the mollusks to rebound from the brink of extinction.

Drought, human-caused climate change, invasive species and a “legacy” of environmental issues are permanently altering California’s landscape and placing some communities and ecosystems at increasing risk.

A dozen independent fish scientists are calling for urgent changes to sport fishing rules to save California’s largest freshwater fish after an unprecedented red tide this summer left hundreds of them dead.

For eight straight days this summer, farmers in far Northern California drained almost all of the water out of a river in defiance of the state’s drought regulations. The move infuriated environmentalists and salmon-dependent Native American tribes downstream.

California pet rental laws can get tricky, and are slightly different between subsidized housing and rentals. The Bee breaks down everything that pet lovers need to know.

Confetti-like bits of plastic are increasingly becoming a pollution problem in the world’s oceans, reports a new study by Stanford University.

The iconic monarch butterflies are back and researchers are hoping there will be more to count than last year, when the endangered species reversed the downward trending numbers.

Patrick Belanger, professor of communication studies at CSU Monterey Bay, interviewed representatives from four organizations to help figure out how to help hunters understand the importance of condor conservation efforts.

2022 State of the Birds Report shows decline in more than half of the bird population, with grassland bird species shrinking the fastest. On the bright side, waterfowl are thriving in the nation’s wetlands.

After street repairs disturbed nursing harbor seals, the Pacific Grove City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that imposes road work restrictions during the seals’ pupping season.

Working as a firefighter is physically and mentally stressful. Now, the Salinas Fire Department has a new member on their crew to help with that. His name is Cruz, and he’s the department’s first-ever therapy dog.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sandy Shore & Aviary exhibit is closed until further notice, a precautionary measure against a global outbreak of bird flu that’s now active locally.

Fall is deer mating season on the Central Coast, and deer are significantly more likely to be on the move. SPCA Monterey County is urging drivers to use extreme caution when driving to avoid hitting deer on roadways this time of year.

Marin, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Ventura counties have prohibited nurseries from selling a species of tropical milkweed species after the California Department of Agriculture recategorized it as a noxious weed. But some experts say the focus should be on larger threats such as pesticide and herbicide use.

Whale watchers in California's Monterey Bay happily made way for a juvenile red-footed booby as the rare seabird landed on the rail as if to become just another passenger.

As soon as the presence of red-legged frogs in an irrigation pond near a construction site at Palo Corona Regional Park’s front entrance was confirmed, Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District halted the building project and called in agencies to protect the federally listed species.

After a contentious meeting, the Marina City Council voted 3-2 to approve a concessionaire agreement with Chaparral Country Corp. of Woodside to provide recreation facilities and public programs at the Marina Equestrian Center Park.

The Pacific Grove City Council has directed City Attorney Brian Pierik for a draft ordinance that would impose roadwork restrictions during harbor seal pupping season.

Dr. Ronald Li, a veterinarian at UC Davis, treated 23 cats rescued from the Tubbs fire in 2017. In addition to the expected traumatic injuries, something else caught Li’s attention. “We noticed clots forming within their hearts,” he said. “But at that time, we didn’t know why.”

The monarch butterfly has been placed on the endangered list because of its dwindling numbers. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migrating insect for the first time to its “red list” of threatened species.

Caring for animals rescued along 600 miles of coastline from Mendocino County to San Luis Obispo County, the Marine Mammal Center just ended its longest public closure since its founding in 1973.

Dr. Merrianne Burtch established BirchBark Foundation to assist people facing financial obstacles in caring for pets. “The vision driving our organization,” she said, “is that financial hardship should never cause the loss of any family pet.”

As of May 28, 2022 the number of California condors (Gymnogyps californianus) in the Central Coast flock is 86, three young have hatched and two nests have failed. Twenty-five birds are managed by Pinnacles National Park and 61 are managed by Ventana Wildlife Society.

Central Coast residents are urged to be on the lookout for struggling pelicans. The birds can be helped by the Monterey County SPCA. And in Santa Cruz County, help can be found at Native Animal Rescue, also a certified wildlife rehabilitator.

Spring is here, which brings with it wildlife youngsters. Many people who come across young animals may think they are abandoned or injured. This is most often not the case.

Backers of California’s High Speed Rail project haven’t had much to celebrate, given soaring costs and scaled-back service, but a new poll shows a solid majority of voters still want to move forward and finish the job.

In 1992, the federal government recognized a section of the California coast now known as the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. On March 19-20, Whalefest Monterey gives a nod to the sanctuary’s 30 years of ocean preservation.