- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The spotted lanternfly, native to Asia, first came to America in 2014 when it was found in Pennsylvania. Despite a quarantine, populations have been discovered in New York, Delaware and Virginia, reported Zach Montague in the New York Times.
“They've been appearing in grapes, and we have reports from growers last year of a 90 percent loss,” said Julie Urban, a senior research associate at Penn State.
The reporter also contacted UC Cooperative Extension advisor Surendra Dara, who published an article in 2014 about spotted lanternfly in
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Biologists believe a high volume of water flowing through the Los Angeles River this winter due to El Niño rain will favor native fish, reported Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times. Native species - who evolved in river systems prone to sudden torrents of water, mud, bolders and debris in winter and pools and damp patches in summer - main gain an edge when the river rages.
Currently, the fish population in the river is almost entirely non-native. Released as bait by anglers, dumped by the city to eat unwelcome species, and aquarium fish set free by their owners now populate the...
- Author: Brenda Dawson
An article in The (Stockton) Record by reporter Alex Breitler took a closer look at an economic analysis of building a peripheral canal to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The analysis, written by David Sunding, UC Cooperative Extension economist at Berkeley, found that more than 129,000 jobs would be created in order to build a peripheral canal or tunnel. Sunding presented the report at a public meeting where he gave this caveat, quoted in the article: "[The Bay Delta Conservation Plan] is an extremely complex activity with all kinds of economic...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
As if life weren’t difficult enough for California’s majestic oaks, they now face a brand new adversary. Already burdened by drought, wildfires, firewood harvesting and Sudden Oak Death, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported in December that goldspotted oak borer hitchhiked from Arizona or Mexico a few years ago and is now attacking Southern California oaks.
It was identified in the Golden State in 2006 and to date has besieged coast live oak, California black oak and canyon live oak, according to an article in the December 2009 issue of UC's Oaks 'n' Folks...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Invasive Species Council of California has apointed a 24-member advisory committee that includes a diversity of environmental and agricultural experts, including two UC agriculture and natural resources scientists, according to a news release issued yesterday by CDFA.
The UC advisory board members are:
- Joseph M. DiTomaso, Weed Specialist, University of California Davis Cooperative Extension
- Larry Godfrey, Vice Chair, Department of Entomology, U.C. Davis
In addition, the board includes representatives from the Citrus Research Board, the U.S. Forest Service, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the...
