News and Events

PRBO: At the Forefront of Conservation
Interview with Ellie Cohen

New PRBO Publication on Restoration and
Conservation Planning in the Face of Uncertainty
It may seem obvious to resist putting all your eggs in one basket, but when considering how best to spend conservation dollars and help ecosystems adapt to climate change, this age-old idea is key. PRBO's new paper, led by Dr. Sam Veloz, found that considering a range of future conditions to prioritize restoration projects today leads to robust adaptation plans. Their conclusion: future uncertainty should not prevent us from developing and implementing climate-smart adaptation plans today.
>>Read our publication brief
>>Read the paper
>>Read more about our work in tidal marsh

Climate Change Winners: Adelie Penguin Population Expands as Ice Fields Recede
Climate change will affect different species in different ways. PRBO Chief Scientist Grant Ballard co-authored a new scientific publication in the online journal PLOSone showing that glaciers receding in Antarctica due to warming temperatures mean more nesting habitat for Adelie Penguins.
>>Click here to view the paper

“Do you want flies with that?” New PRBO study shows migrating songbirds stop for “fast food” along California’s Central Valley rivers.
Healthy floodplains and riparian forest restoration are helping birds find enough food between their northern breeding grounds and wintering grounds in Mexico, Central and South America.  Led by PRBO’s Renée Cormier, the researchers found that migrating birds can quickly refuel when stopping along the Mokelumne and San Joaquin rivers during their long journey south.  These important habitats also buffer human communities against increased flooding, heat waves, droughts and other climate-change impacts.
>>Read our publication brief.
>>Read the paper.

News From the Farallones: So Far, So Good
PRBO biologists documented the earliest Common Murre egg ever on record and earliest Cassin’s Auklet population-wide breeding effort in over 10 years. Early egg laying may be a sign of a good year for seabirds and the marine ecosystem off north-central California. Time will tell if these conditions last and translate up the food chain to species such as Brandt’s Cormorant that feeds entirely on small fish. Meanwhile, a single Northern Gannet, the first of its kind to be documented in the Pacific Ocean, remains at the Farallones a year after its arrival (see SF Chronicle article below.)
>>Read recent San Francisco Chronicle front page article
>>Read about our extensive work on the Farallones
>>Follow our Farallones blog

Student installing a native plant with STRAW
Photo: Lishka Arata/PRBO

PRBO’s Restoration Education Program Gets a Boost on Earth Day!
We just received news that we were awarded a grant from Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) as part of the $3 million Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. We are one of 64 community-based nonprofits around the country honored by this program that supports land and water conservation, energy efficiency, infrastructure, and educational outreach.  Thanks to this funding our Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed (STRAW) Project will lead 240 elementary school students from Vallejo and Richmond to learn about watershed and restoration science and have an opportunity to restore a wetland in their local region.
>> Read more about this exciting grant
>> Read more about STRAW

We are changing our name!
We are very excited to announce that as of June 2013 PRBO will change its name to Point Blue Conservation Science. Our new tagline will be: Conservation science for a healthy planet. As we transition to Point Blue Conservation Science, our mission remains constant—to conserve birds, other wildlife and ecosystems through innovative scientific research, restoration, outreach and partnerships.
>>Click here for more information

Rich Stallcup (1944-2012)
A Champion for Conservation and All Things Wild
PRBO Co-founder
We are truly and deeply saddened by the passing of Rich Stallcup. He inspired and taught so many of us about the beauty and magic of birds and our natural world.
>> Rich Stallcup Memorial Fund
>> Share Your Thoughts (guestbook)