Santa Cruz County Local Animals News Articles and Digest

From Good Times...

Animals Community Service & Support BirchBark Foundation UnChained Santa Cruz SPCA Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation

Nonprofits Participating in Santa Cruz Gives: Animal Welfare

12/20/2023
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These nonprofit groups participating in Santa Cruz Gives find creative ways to bring shelter animals and people together, and also help owners keep their pets.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Water Animals Agriculture, Food & Gardening State of California

Ranchers, Tribes Clash Over Water, Salmon Ahead of Sweeping New Irrigation Regulations

12/17/2023
Salmon populations in the Scott and Shasta rivers have crashed, so state officials are about to restrict irrigation again. And the controversial rules may even become permanent.

From Monterey Herald...

Environment Animals

Butterfly Numbers Down, But Not Out

12/15/2023
Seasonal counts are showing there are, as expected, fewer butterflies overwintering in Pacific Grove than last year, but not the record lows of 2018-20.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Art & Culture Animals

Graphic Novel by Reverberations Books Depicts Plight of Puma

12/12/2023
A new graphic novel by Santa Cruz’s Reverberations Books, “Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma’s Journey,” depicts the life cycle of pumas, the challenges they face and what people can do to help.

From YubaNet...

Environment Animals

Millions of Birds Lose Precious Energy Due to New Year’s Eve Fireworks

12/11/2023
Birds are affected by the mass use of fireworks on New Year’s Eve up to a distance of 10 km away, reports an international team of researchers.

From SFGate...

Animals Housing

Coyotes More Likely To Turn Up at Wealthier Properties in San Francisco

12/08/2023
A coyote recently was found at the $27 million Russian Hill home of AI mogul Sam Altman. This relates to a study, which found that coyote sightings were more frequent in higher-income areas of San Francisco.

From New York Times...

Environment Animals

Plan to Eliminate Catalina’s Deer Infuriates Locals

12/07/2023
Conservationists intend to shoot all of the deer on Santa Catalina Island by helicopter. Some people are opposed, either for not wanting to eliminate the deer or for missing out on future chances to hunt them.

From Hilltromper Santa Cruz...

Environment Parks & Recreation Animals

What Is Audubon's Christmas Bird Count and How Do I Participate?

12/05/2023
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Find out what the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count is all about and learn how to participate in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Silicon Valley.

From Good Times...

Health Animals

Dog Virus Hasn’t Hit Santa Cruz

11/29/2023
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A mysterious upper respiratory illness has been hitting canines around the country, but local vets say Santa Cruz dog owners don’t need to worry too much.

From Sacramento Bee...

Animals Sustainability

White House Allocates Millions for Burps from California Cows

11/24/2023
Livestock are responsible for half of all methane emissions in California. The White House is giving $21.4 million to California Dairies and $22.8 million to Dairy Farmers of America to help change this.

From The Guardian...

Environment Animals

Southern California Has Wolves Again, for the First Time in Nearly 150 Years

11/13/2023
A 2021 fire has helped bring wolves back to Southern California for the first time since the 19th century. A rancher is worried about how to keep wolves, which are federally protected, from harming cattle.

From Good Times...

Environment Animals

Monarchs Flutter In

11/08/2023
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Lily Aravanis is fielding visitor questions, selling butterfly paraphernalia and talking to a reporter all at once—still, she doesn’t skip a beat as she says that there are an estimated 3,500 monarch butterflies at Natural Bridges State Beach.

From YubaNet...

Animals Sustainability

NOAA: New Funding to Help Bring California Salmon Back from the Brink

11/06/2023
The Office of Habitat Conservation’s Restoration Center has awarded $27.8 million to bring Central California Coast coho salmon back to California rivers, funding projects by Trout Unlimited, the San Mateo and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts, and the Nature Conservancy.

From LAist...

Animals Sustainability

A Big Year of Snow in California Was Horrific for Endangered Sheep

10/31/2023
Researchers tell LAist that half of California’s population of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, which are endangered, died last winter due to record weather. Causes of death include avalanches, starvation and getting eaten by mountain lions after moving to lower elevations for food.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Animals Sustainability

California Officials Delay Start of 2023 Dungeness Crab Season

10/27/2023
For the fifth consecutive year, California officials are delaying the Bay Area’s commercial Dungeness crab season to decrease the chances of migrating whales currently off the coast getting ensnarled by the crab-pot fishing lines.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Animals

Surfboard-Stealing Otter of Santa Cruz Appears With Tiny Pup

10/25/2023
An otter appearing to be 841 with its youngster was floating just off Lighthouse Point, periodically diving while the pup floated. When both were on the surface, the pup bobbed nearby.

From YubaNet...

Art & Culture Animals

Graphic Novel Illustrates Plight of Mountain Lions

10/20/2023
Written by Center for Biological Diversity scientist Tiffany Yap and illustrated by artist Meital Smith, “Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma’s Journey” takes the reader through diverse habitats, across busy freeways and inside science labs to learn about one mountain lion’s survival story.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Business, Economy & Jobs Animals Agriculture, Food & Gardening Sustainability Government

Climate Credits for Cow Manure: Program May End Soon

10/19/2023
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As the state moves to a fully electric future, biofuels may be phased out along with credits for the cow poop that produces them.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Animals

Dead Gray Whale Washed Ashore at Seacliff State Beach

10/04/2023
"What's most unusual about this animal is nearly all of the calfs and young gray whales that are stranded are almost always in our area killed by orca whales and this animal was not," said Robin Dunkin, director of the Long Marine Lab's stranding program.

From KSBW NBC/ABC...

Environment Animals

Spider Webs Seen Falling From the Sky Across the Central Coast

10/04/2023
A sticky and fluffy substance has been seen falling in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties—a natural phenomenon called ballooning, when spiders use their webs to fly through the air.

Santa Cruz County Local News: Animals