December 2014 – Puloma Katiyar

The San Francisco Bay Area is most famously known for its natural beauty, scattered around marshy terrain and rolling hills. It’s simple enough to focus on just this aspect of the Bay Area, but there is more to it than meets the eye. There are three unique species of endangered animals hidden in plain sight that can be found right in your own backyard.

If you look closely, you might spot the mission blue butterfly, a light-blue butterfly which is dying out because of habitat invasion, whether it be by non-native plants or human development. Or you could find the San Francisco garter snake, a rare, multi-colored reptile, also threatened by urban development and illegal collecting. Maybe you will see the California clapper rail, a long-billed bird that inhabits marshes, but is disappearing because of introduced predators and habitat destruction.

Do your part in helping the Earth and its residents by raising awareness for these dying creatures.

Much of California’s energy comes from unsustainable fossil fuels, like natural gas and coal, which are harmful to the environment. By taking advantage of the sun’s power, we can cut down on dangerous emissions from fossil fuels and then have access to a clean source of energy that will never run out. If we use solar energy, it can lead to cleaner air and less pollution. Our state is undeniably the nation’s solar leader, and a project called “Million Solar Roofs” was launched by an organization called Environment California back in 2006. Their long term goal was to have a million solar roofs in the state of California by the year 2020. At this point, the group is on track to reach their goals earlier than expected. The use of solar power has tripled in the U.S. within the last two years and the price has dropped more than 50% since 2001. The solar revolution is expanding remarkably. The government is working with 14 states to set goals that ensure we get 10% of the nation’s energy from solar power by 2030. This will produce enough clean energy to replace half of the country’s coal power plants and more than half of the energy used to fuel cars. By increasing the use of solar power, we can preserve our environment for years to come.