Conservation In The Works

Sometimes you read things in the news that are good. I just read one such story. The Tehachapi Mountains are located in Southern California and the story is about the 100,000 acre Tejon Ranch. In a time when there is seemingly endless building of homes and mini malls, the corporation that is the Tejon Ranch is taking a sensitive approach to possible development of its land with an eye for conservation of its eco-systems. 90,000 acres of the ranch will be protected under a deal struck with various groups! Follow the link to read the story in the Los Angeles Times "The Tejon Ranch Model" by Graham Chisholm and Joel Reynolds

Flame Retardent Falcons

Peregrine Falcons in California's Urban Areas are

Contaminated with Toxic Chemicals

By Marla Cone

"California's peregrine falcons, once driven to the edge of extinction by the pesticide DDT, now are contaminated with record-high levels of other toxic chemicals that may threaten them again."

This is the opening line to an article in the Los Angeles Times about Californias Peregrine Falcons and the high levels of various chemicals found in thier bodies. They came back from DDT poisining and now have to deal with a whole host of hazardous chemicals. Follow the link to read the article at the Los Angeles Times

The Coyote In The News

Coyotes have been in the news quite a bit lately. There have been several attacks at one particular park in the Chino Hills. We see the coyote in our neighborhoods and may think about them as a nuisance, but I have never thought of them actually harming or dragging off a child. But the fact is that attacks are happening, in our own backyards, or perhaps what used to be the coyotes backyard. Is this a problem of urban sprawl and mans encroachment into wild areas or just plain insensitivity to our surroundings?

I believe that with proper education, for all, that we can coexist with our wild neighbors. These attacks are alarming but to me must signal something else, there is a cause and effect for our actions. Our ever expanding tract homes creating suburbs out of wildlands mean we will continue to hear of interactions with wildlife.