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Our 2024 Year Highlights

We started the year off with a once-in-a-lifetime special opportunity for a small group of Point Blue community members–a two week trip to Antarctica in January alongside then CEO, Mani Oliva, and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Grant Ballard. And finally, in December, we wrote about “putting the meadow restoration season to bed” under a blanket of fluffy white snow after restoration activities at over 50 meadows, covering more than 8,000 acres.

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Rails, Camera, Action!

Last year, we began a new pilot study to investigate how extreme high tides are really affecting these secretive marsh birds. We’re putting cameras out during the winter high tides to spy on the rails without disturbing them.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Brightest Day of the Year

On the longest day of the year in the southern hemisphere, the Adélie penguins are about half-way through their breeding season. They’ve been here since late October, when they claim their nesting territories and choose mates. The ocean I see from our cozy little hut is bustling, with thousands of animals visible at any time – Adelie and emperor penguins, south-polar skuas, snow petrels, killer whales, minke whales, Weddell seals

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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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Hope is Green and Soggy in the Sierra Nevada

It was July 28, 2021, I was sitting in my living room overlooking Lake Almanor in the Northern Sierra Nevada, having spent the morning raking fir needles and covering attic vents, I was hunched over the air purifier sucking in as much fresh air as I could get. It was 3 weeks into the Dixie Fire, and the sky, much like what the San Francisco Bay Area experienced in the fall of 2020, had looked an eerie orange for weeks from wildfire smoke with little relief. I was alone, having sent my family out of harm’s way the week before.

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Science News: Guiding Renewable Energy, Celebrating Climate Legislation, and much more

Biden Signs Landmark Climate Bill On August 16th, 2022 President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Although it’s not perfect, it is the biggest, most important piece of federal climate legislation to date. It encompasses clear and actionable policy to drive the needed investment to decarbonize our economy emissions. Importantly, the bill clearly prioritizes

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