SSU Center for Environmental Inquiry

Happy Holidays! Wishing you and the planet a happy & healthy holiday season.

Its #InternationalMountainDay! Mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and host about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots. They provide freshwater for everyday life to half of humanity. Mountain biodiversity is the theme of this year’s International Mountain Day, so let's celebrate their rich biodiversity, as well as address the threats they face. https://www.un.org/en/events/mountainday/"

It's #WildlifeWednesday! Today we have a video of a coyote caught on our motion-triggered camera. Did you know coyotes are actually born blind and do not gain sight until 10 days after birth? They can also jump horizontal distances up to 13 feet! Video taken at our Galbreath Preserve.

How can one capture the wonder of the outdoors on the written page? Engage your senses as we explore nature right around our homes and in our memories, then create short nature essays or poems. Join us this Saturday 12/12 at 11am online to learn how to articulate your experiences of the natural world in writing! Register at cei.sonoma.edu/winter-writing-walk

Thank you to our Fall 2020 Copeland Creek Restoration and Plant Propagation Students: Emily Ledford, Savanna Thomas, and Dillon Henderson. This small group of passionate students and Benjamin Bravo (SSU-CEI Preserve Resources Manager) removed a substantial amount of Invasive Himalayan Blackberry, Fennel, and Poison Hemlock from the habitat adjacent to Copeland Creek. Under the guidance of professor Heidi Herrmann, these students propagated native grasses and forbs to use on our newly treated sites. This effort is part of a multi-year riparian restoration project funded by The Sonoma County Water Agency. Stay tuned for more restoration success stories!

It's #WorldSoilDay! Every 5 seconds, the equivalent of one soccer field of soil is eroded. This alarming fact reaffirms the need to raise awareness through World Soil Day of this growing problem, as the Earth's population continues to expand. Learn More: https://www.un.org/en/events/soilday/