Point Blue

Groundbreaking Awards Will Accelerate Restoration Across California

We are thrilled to share the news that the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) has awarded Point Blue two major restoration-oriented block grants. In total, the two grants represent $50 million over four years for science-based restoration with particular focus on community engagement, research, and equity building across California.

Restoring Wetlands: A Strategy to Address Climate, Biodiversity, and Water

By Dr. Kristen Dybala, Principal Ecologist No matter where you live, you’re likely to have a wetland somewhere nearby. Wetlands include any land that is saturated with water at least some of the time, like marshes and mangroves along our coasts, floodplains and wet meadows along rivers and streams, and vernal pools and prairie potholes.

Partnering with Microbes to Predict Changes in Soil Carbon

In efforts to address climate change and identify ways to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses like CO2 in the atmosphere, one key place to include is below our feet: the soil. Soil organic carbon is a central component of soil health. A 2020 study showed that soil carbon represents 25% of the potential of natural climate solutions.

The Climate is Changing. How we Manage Water Must Change Too

Flooding amidst persistent drought is indicative of the future of the arid West under climate change. Add in agriculture, growing populations, wildlife, and safe drinking water (particularly for historically disadvantaged communities), and it’s apparent there is a mosaic of complex needs to consider. One thing is clear: how we manage water in the West over the next hundred years must look different than how we’ve managed it for the last hundred.

5 Questions with our new Board Chair, Anne Chadwick

Anne Chadwick became our new Board Chair last summer. Point Blue has a very engaged and talented Board and Anne exemplifies those qualities. She is an author, illustrator, and photographer and is bringing her creative talent to our leadership team. She is past president of the Truckee Donner Land Trust; former International Trade Policy Advisor

STRAW Program Assumes Management of Restored Novato Baylands

Point Blue Conservation Science’s STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed) Program is excited to step into a management role at the Novato Baylands Restoration site. STRAW has played a key role in engaging communities to restore this former airfield since the beginning and our staff are looking forward to working with site partners, the

Hope in the Cloud?

By Dr. Grant Ballard, Chief Science Officer Being in the midst of a technological revolution isn’t always as exciting as we might hope. In fact, the promise of the revolution can be hard to appreciate given that the outcome seems to be mostly an endless proliferation of distractions (think: receiving custom-designed advertisements, thanks to artificial

Strengthening the Strands, One Snowy Plover Flock at a Time

Monterey State Beach is one of Point Blue’s southernmost Monterey Bay Snowy Plover monitoring locations and it’s part of a swath of key locations that stretches from the Point Reyes National Seashore just north of San Francisco to Vandenberg Air Force Base just north of Santa Barbara.

Bird-A-Thon Team with the Youngest Counters Detect the Most Species

We gathered in the darkness of 5:00am at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. Like last year, we were treated to a wonderful flight of Swainson’s Thrushes migrating and calling in the dark sky above us. We were able to hear a Northern Saw-Whet Owl and several Great Horned Owls right from the parking lot, so those three species marked the beginning of our list!

Major USDA Grant to Support Climate-Smart Agriculture

In September, the USDA announced a huge new pot of funding, sending $2.8 billion to 70 climate-smart agriculture projects. Each project aims, in its own way, to support the production of climate-smart commodities, which are defined as those that are produced using practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon. We’re excited to share

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