The Secret Life of Mountain Lions

The Secret Life of Mountain Lions

M72 dies in the first year after the family is attacked by a pack of wolves.
M80 is killed by a trophy hunter after he leaves his family to find a mate and new home.
F61 has more kittens.
F96 survives to reproduce as well.

Five threats to mountain lions
1. Habitat loss. 2. Predation by other carnivores. 3. Hunted by and harmed by humans (i.e hit by car) 4. The harsh climate in which they live. 5. Disease. 

Conservation Organizations
Cougar Rewilding Foundation: To facilitate the recovery of the cougar in suitable wild habitat east of the Rocky Mountains.
Mountain Lion Foundation: The mountain lion is an apex species in which whole ecosystems depend thus conservation of the lions habitat is of the upmost importance.

Trophic Cascade
If keystone species like mountain lions go extinct then the deer, elk and other herbivores that they eat will grow out of check. The overpopulation of these herbivores will lead to destruction of much more vegetation then the ecosystem can handle and other animals that rely on that vegetation for food or shelter will also begin to diminish; overall causing a cascade of species loss.

Siuslaw National Forest - Management Changes

Points from the wonderful thirty-minute film documentary, “Seeing the Forest,”

•  Instead of continually fighting with each other all those interested in or benefiting from the forest and formed a council. 
• The council focused of environmental restoration, especially restoration of local salmon population, and proper usage of the land. 
• The council was able to make quicker decision and work together better then if things were left to bureaucracy.
• Upon working together the forest became healthier, thrived better, and was less impacted by humans and nature.

The Salmon Life Cycle

The salmon life cycle:

1. The salmons life cycle begins in fresh water where the eggs are laid in the gravel. After they hatch they remain hidden until they are grown into fry.

2. They can stay in their freshwater stream for up to a year, other species can migrate to nearby lakes, before they head out to sea. Depending on how well the streams and estuaries are preserved dictates how many salmon emerge to grow up in oceans.

3. Different species can spend years in the ocean traveling around for food before migrating back to their spawning stream.

4. Traveling back to their spawning stream takes up a lot of energy, their bodies ready for reproducing. Females will build nests once they find their spawning grounds. After a females mates with a male they both die to provide nutrients for the ocean.

I did not know the salmon died after reproducing, that's very fascinating. It really puts into perspective how our fishing of salmon can impact their numbers.

Endangered and threatened species are important to keep track of, the loss of individuals can impact genetic variation causing problems in the long run for a whole species. Dwindling population can lead to the collapse of other species that feed off of or are fed by the failing species. Whole ecosystems can fall from the loss of one species.

6 ways mushrooms can save the world

6 ways mushrooms can save the world

After reviewing this TED talk I feel we are underrating mushrooms as just a pizza topping.

• The same way we use mold to create antibiotics we can use fungus to create more and more powerful medicines. It has been seen that mushrooms can stave off viruses, flu, and pox diseases. 
• Adding them to grow boxes or small garden will create better production and cut down of waste and increase recycling of nutrients.
• Mushrooms can be used in their pre-sporing phase as a way to kill off insect colonies that are trying to colonize your house. 
• Adding mushrooms to debris creates a filter system that can dramatically cut back on coliform numbers in agriculture and water supplies.
• They have this amazing ability to produce enzymes that remanufactured hydrocarbons into carbohydrates, which basically can take fossil fuel waste and make it into sugar for plant growth. 
• Green fuels can even be made using mushrooms as an intermediary. 
• They're also really tasty on pizza. 

World Population

World Population

Our planet's resources are not infinite and we need to make a lot of changes to make better practice of accepting that. We need to stop over- running our earth's land and water resources with our farming and contamination. Modern medicine and modern technology lead to a boom in population but it can also help stabilize the growth, through the education of women and the availability of safe contraceptives.  We can change the direction our world is heading, but we all need to be a part of the change.

Change!
What resources you use? And how much? Can you decrease it?

See how you can aid other nations?

See how you can start action in your own community? Recycling? Bike sharing? Education?

Climate Change

Global warming is occurring because oh humans. We contaminate water and soils. We burn fossil fuels and contaminate the atmosphere. We destroy forest and plant life everywhere. And we constant cut down the biodiversity everywhere.

Because of this warming we not have hotter summers and colder winters, along with rise in ocean levels.

Go Local Business Promise

My favorite Go Local businesses that I will continue to give patronage to include: Community Market in Santa Rosa. It is right next to the JC campus so I often go over for snacks or if i need to do a little grocery shopping. I do my main grocery shopping at Oliver's Market in Cotati as I live in Rohnert Park. For my fresh produce I go to Darling Farm's stand In Rohnert Park. I am going to be more aware of where I go out to eat. Through a little research I found out Mary's Pizza Shack is local. One of my favorite restaurants in Santa Rosa: Gaia's Garden, is local. And the best place for dessert in Petaluma; The Petaluma Pie Company is local as well!


The Petaluma Pie Company

Giai's Garden

Mary's Pizza Shack

Darling Farms

Oliver's Market

Community Market