End Pavement

The Press-Enterprise had an article a couple of days ago describing current efforts to identify and preserve wildlife corridors across Southern California. A new report has been issued about various linkages missing from the overall network of routes.

“Essentially, if one of these linkages is lost, it reduces the ecological integrity of the entire network,” said Kristeen Penrod, conservation director for South Coast Wildlands.

In 2000, land managers, conservancy groups and academic and government scientists from such agencies as the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and state parks gathered at the San Diego Zoo. There, they identified 232 wildlife linkages in California, 69 of them in Southern California.

Some of those same scientists narrowed the critical list down to the 15 linkages released in the latest report, “South Coast Missing Linkages: a Wildland Network for the South Coast Ecoregion.”

A PDF of the report is available for download as well.

Thanks to the Press-Enterprise for passing along a warning from officials about a particular blooming plant showing up in burn areas:

The Poodle-dog bush, also known as Turricula parryi, can cause itching rashes and irritation. The San Bernardino County Fire Department issued an advisory this week warning people not to touch or smell it.

• Turricula parryi at Calflora.org
• Photos at CalPhotos
• Turricula parryi at USDA

Photo © Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary’s College.

Update: there’s a thread over on SoCalTrailRiders about exploring the Chiquita Ridge. One of the commenters mentions getting rashes from certain shrubs, and another links to this page. Someone posted a picture of the results of a run-in with one of the poodle dog bushes. Ouch!

Thanks to a post over at Dodger Thoughts, “Cycling for the Hit”, I can combine two of my passions in one post — cycling and the Dodgers.

If you’re game enough to navigate the streets of Los Angeles and the hills of Chavez Ravine, well then yes, there is a parking spot at the end of your pedaling rainbow.

A Dodger Thoughts commenter Tuesday passed along this post from StreetsBlog Los Angeles wondering where you could safely lock your bicycle at Dodger Stadium. I asked Josh Rawitch of the Dodgers, and he replied that “Indeed, we allow bicycles to park at the top of lot P to the left of the gates.”

Naturally, there is some concern about whether or not your bike is safe during the game, and whether you’re safe after, but nevertheless, this is a cool thing. Now they just need to get some sort of tram to Union Station, and we’ll be in business.