5 things you might want to know
Spotted owls, aerial retardant, vacation planning and more
Volume 1, Number 39 - Thursday, March 30, 2023
Now twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays!
(I’ve had technical difficulties this morning, so the newsletter is going out a little late)
The Thursday edition remains in development as I try new ways to provide information to readers. Instead of “This week’s spotlight,” this week, I’m introducing “5 things you might want to know.” You’ll find links to a collection of shorter pieces about — or related in some way — to giant sequoias. I may alternate this new feature with the long-form journalism pieces of “This week’s spotlight.” Feedback is appreciated — let me know what you think! — Claudia Elliott
5 things you might want to know
Click the link to read more about each topic!
1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks comment on California spotted owl proposed listings.
2. Aerial retardants — the chemicals dropped from helicopters and airplanes to try to stop wildfires — have been in the news.
3. Vacation planning — when March and April become June and July (maybe)
4. Assessing the damage from California’s 2023 storms is going to take a while.
5. Wildfire planning underway
Wildfire, water & weather update
I was surprised this early Thursday morning to find that more snow fell in the Tehachapi Pass sometime in the night. We’re at the tip of the southern Sierra, at about 4,000 feet. It was snowing early yesterday morning, but that ended, and in the valley, the snow melted away by early afternoon. I hadn’t noticed this latest snow in the forecast, so I was surprised this morning by what appears to be a couple of inches in my yard. More may be coming our way next Monday.
This week’s storms have brought just inches to Tehachapi Pass, not even enough to close Highway 58 (but local schools are closed today). In areas to our north — including the national forests and national parks where giant sequoias grow — the latest storms have added additional feet of the white stuff to already epic snowpacks.
The best information on what is heading toward the Sierra Nevada can be found at NWS Hanford, HERE, and NWS Sacramento, HERE. From the weather reports, it appears that we have more wet weather on the way, but not as much as earlier this month.
Drought update: The new California drought map is out this morning. Very little of the state remains at any level of drought. As noted last week, the California-Nevada River Forecast Center also provides great information about rivers and floods. You can select options to change what is displayed on the map. I added burn areas from 2020, 2021 and 2022, which made it easy to see the relationship between some of the large fires to the watersheds.
Wildfire update: No wildfires in California, but lots of planning for the coming fire season.
The difference between the Monday and Thursday editions
Monday’s editions of the newsletter include my ramblings about giant sequoias and related topics under the heading “Perspective,” in addition to the historic photo of the week and featured giant sequoias growing outside their natural range (around the world). Paid subscribers also have access to the archives and Thursday editions with more formal articles and other features being added. Paid subscriptions also help me cover the expense of resources, including newspaper subscriptions from which I offer gift links, when available, that allow non-subscribers to read full articles.
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Giant sequoias in the news
• In February, I shared information about a giant sequoia in a San Francisco park that snapped in two during a storm. There is more information HERE, including a report that the giant sequoia was only one of four in the city. Here’s an excerpt:
The tree—one of only four sequoias in the city—had likely been around for almost 150 years. But it probably should not have been planted here to begin with, just as many other non-native trees are planted across the city in habitats where they don’t belong.
• A photo of a giant sequoia tree in Grant Grove is one of the images used in this ABC News piece entitled “Amid extreme climate and natural disasters, is California still a desirable place to live and vacation? Experts weigh in. — The state of climate in California is constantly vacillating between extremes.” You can read or watch it HERE. Here’s an excerpt:
"Almost anywhere you go in the United States going forward, you’re going to be contending with some form of climate change" -- things like increased wildfires, increased smoke from wildfires, extreme flooding, or longer, intense seasons of extreme heat, Kristina Dahl, senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said. "There’s no corner of the country that will be untouched by climate change. It's a matter of picking your poison."
• I missed this piece in the Washington Post when it was published in February. Although it’s not specifically about giant sequoias, it’s published with a photo of the tree in Trail of 100 Giants, where President Bill Clinton signed the proclamation creating the Giant Sequoia National Monument in 2000. The analysis piece, which you can read HERE, is by Amanda Little, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering agriculture and climate. She is a professor of journalism and science writing at Vanderbilt University and author of “The Fate of Food: What We’ll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World.” Here’s an excerpt:
“There’s no question that better management of forests and farmland can substantially reduce our atmospheric warming even within the next decade — and, further, that exponentially more carbon can be removed from the atmosphere if we invest in technologies that support and extend the power of nature.”
Thanks for reading!