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Nature lovers versus breeders. Preservationists versus poachers and smugglers. A history that goes back eons versus threatened extinctions in the 21st century. These are just some of the stories that lie within the dangerous world of....butterflies?
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Here on the west coast, we enjoy seeing the annual migration of the brilliant orange monarch butterflies, some of which gather in certain trees at the Bodgea Dunes state park on the Sonoma Coast. But the Monarchs of eastern North America have a longer and far more remarkable migratory cycle.
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Researching and writing this book on butterflies has opened his eyes in unexpected ways, Peter Laufer (left) says, but it also served to fulfill the unarticulated wish behind the impromptu remark that first set him onto that path.
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This video compresses the life cycle of the Painted Lady butterfly into less than three minutes of striking time-lapse photography.
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From PeterLaufer.com:
War weary after writing a book about Iraq, Laufer joked before an audience that his next book would be about butterflies. The result: an invitation to a butterfly preserve in Nicaragua. There he stumbled into a theater of intrigue full of strange and nefarious characters-all in pursuit of one of nature's most delicate creatures.
The Dangerous World of Butterflies chronicles Laufer's unexpected discoveries in the butterfly industry and underground. Readers will learn everything there is to know about the beauty and magic of butterflies. But Laufer's narrative takes unpredictable turns into the high-stakes realms of organized crime, ecological devastation, species depletion, natural history museum integrity, and chaos theory. Set in locales throughout the Americas and beyond, this fascinating book takes us into a behind-the-scenes world sure to alter our view the next time we delight in the colorful fluttering of butterflies in our yards.
Butterflies are enormously popular, and have been for centuries, but not everyone loves them. There is even a website for people who are repelled by them.
You have to get up pretty early to capture the pure sounds of nature… and get a long way away from the rest of the noisy human race.
Gina Farr of Wild Sound Stories in Marin County finds a poignant significance in these recent recordings, because the changes they document tell a story of losses that will not be recovered.
This is one of her summer 2009 recordings of birds in the Grand Tetons of northwest Wyoming: 
Tom Rusert, an avid birdwatcher and the volunteer director of Sonoma Birding, joined in the June workshop to see firsthand how the sounds now increasing featured in birding guides were being collected.
Hundreds of shorebirds were covered in oil after the Cosco Busan oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. Many died, but some were saved. Here, International Bird Rescue Association volunteer Tom Rusert releases one of the very first stricken shorebirds back into the wild after being cleaned.
Global warming poses a real and serious threat to California’s wine industry, but vineyards throughout the state—and other agricultural lands—can also take steps to blunt the pace of climate change.
It is increasingly clear, says Ted Lemon (right) , co-owner of Littorai Wines in Sebastopol, that the dominant business model in American agriculture, needs to change.
Monoculture farming has not succeeded in feeding the world. Lemon observes, so a new approach is clearly needed.
The Littorai Winery is an informal demonstration site for the practical application of principals of agroecology. The Wine Institute of California has also intiated a proactive program in support of sustainable vineyard practicies, which you can read about here.
Daily Acts, a Petaluma-based dedicated to sustainability and transformation, works, its founder says, by exercising “the freedom to act without having all the answers.”
As the impacts from Daily Acts ripple outward from the North Bay, founder and Executive Director Trathen Beckman says they are looking for new ways, and new partners, to help expand their influence.
From conservation to graywater reuse to designing and installing permaculture landscapes, many Daily Acts projects now are focused in one way or another on water. Which, when you think about it, is only natural.
This was the postcard invitation to the fundraising (and networking) breakfast on Thursday, Nov. 5. Part of the program was a informational video about the organization, created by local filmmaker Eve Goldberg. You can also see it here:
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The Redwood Empire Food Bank has seen their client base grow by 40% over the past two years, and has added some innovative new ways to serve them.
The development of the Redwood Empire Food Bank’s new “3 Squares” prepackaged meals, explains Executive Director David Goodman, grew out of a large donation of a single ingredient.
The “3 Squares” meals are now being offered in three flavors: Black Bean Chili, Pasta with Marinara Sauce, and Spanish Rice. They were deliberately made not to be microwavable, Goodman adds, but to reinforce the idea of dinner as an event for the family to share.
