Charlie Chesney
- Desert Ecologist -
The Eco Hour
KZSC Santa Cruz 88.1
The Eco Hour is hosted by DJ Raven and DJ Desert Mouse. Tune in every Friday at 4pm for a discussion about sustainability and environmental careers. Every week features a guest who sheds insight into the work they do and how they got there.
Plant-Demic, Available Now!
Earth Team Blog
Plant-Demic is looking for a superhero like you to help save the planet and protect its beautiful ecosystems from dangerous invasive species. Play Plant-Demic, by Arroyo Earth Team!
A Wonderful Year with Arroyo Earth Team
Earth Team Blog
Arroyo Earth Team completed the program year on June 2nd. Read about everything they achieved here!
Skyline Earth Team concludes another year
Earth Team Blog
Skyline Earth Team met a total of 42 times this year! Read about their accomplishments here.
A Busy May for Arroyo Earth Team!
Earth Team Blog
Arroyo Earth Team wrapped up two projects and gave a presentation this month.
Skyline Earth Team Completes Three Projects
Earth Team Blog
Skyline Earth Team accomplished many things in May, including a campaign, a game and a research project.
Trash Sorter – A Skyline Earth Team Game
Earth Team Blog
Learn to sort your trash with Trash Sorter, a new game developed by Skyline Earth Team!
Community outreach while social distancing
Earth Team Blog
Both Arroyo & Skyline Earth Teams led social media campaigns to reduce waste.
Coming Soon: Earth Team Educational Games!
Earth Team Blog
Skyline and Arroyo Earth Teams began working on two educational games during April.
COP26 – Earth Team Interns Negotiate a UN Climate Agreement
Earth Team Blog
18 Earth Team interns role played as UN delegates to negotiate a climate agreement at our virtual Conference of the Parties.
Arroyo Earth Team Moves Online
Earth Team Blog
Arroyo interns reconnect over Zoom as Earth Team moves meetings online in response to COVID-19.
Communicating Science with Skyline Earth Team
Earth Team Blog
Skyline Earth Team learned different ways to communicate science, including an informative poster and fun science stories.
Environmental education through art
Earth Team Blog
Arroyo and San Lorenzo Earth Teams came together to showcase their art projects at the San Lorenzo Library to educate their community.
Skyline Earth Team explores harmful algal blooms and welcomes two new interns
Earth Team Blog
Skyline Earth Team is joined by two new interns and the team begins collecting data for their research project exploring why Harmful Algal Blooms occur in some Bay Area waterbodies but not in others.
Arroyo Earth Team plans an educational art show
Earth Team Blog
Arroyo Earth Team interns planned and built art pieces for an upcoming Art Show at San Lorenzo Library to educate their community on how pollution impacts watershed health.
Arroyo Earth Team returns to Don Castro
Earth Team Blog
The Arroyo High Earth Team returns to Don Castro to help restore watershed habitats.
Skyline Earth Team learns about “reverse coal mining”
Earth Team Blog
Skyline Earth Team tours ALL Power Labs to learn about the positive environmental and climate impacts of biochar.
Skyline Earth Team Plants with Friends of Sausal Creek
Earth Team Blog
The Skyline High Earth Team worked with Friends of Sausal Creek to plant 136 native plants in Diamond Park!
Arroyo Earth Team Develops Their Research Skills
Earth Team Blog
The Arroyo Earth Team explored different ways to conduct research during the month of December, beginning with internet-based research and ending with collecting environmental data at Heron Bay.
Arroyo Earth Team Helps Restore Don Castro
Earth Team Blog
Arroyo Earth Team clears 800 square feet of invasive plant material to restore the slopes of Don Castro Park.
A Walk in the Redwoods
Earth Team Blog
Skyline Earth Team stepped out of the classroom to enjoy an afternoon learning about the giant redwoods at Joaquin Miller Park. While only a short drive from Skyline High School, some of our interns had never walked through this park before! The park, named after the American poet, is home to over 200 native plant species, including the Coast Redwoods. Joaquin Miller planted many of the trees himself.
Episode 4: BCM Insights
BCM Podcast
In the fourth episode of the BCM Podcast, Cathy and Charlie discuss what life is like as an Oxford student. BCM course director Dr. Paul Jepson and students Allan Mjomba Majalia, Nelson Wekwa Mhlanga, and Roberta Ordoñez join Cathy and Charlie to give insight into the BCM program. Take a listen if you're thinking about applying to BCM, have been accepted into the course and are awaiting to start, or are simply interested in what we're actually doing here in Oxford.
Episode 3: Lab-grown Meat
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BCM Podcast
In the third episode of the BCM Podcast, Cathy and Charlie discuss lab-grown meat with Dr. Hanna Tuomisto, a Senior Researcher at the University of Helsinki, and Sergio Carvalho, a DPhil student at Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment.
Episode 2: Ocean Plastics
BCM Podcast
In the second episode of the BCM Podcast, Charlie and Cathy discuss ocean plastics with fellow BCM student, Kat Machin, and Dr. Lucy Woodall, a researcher with the Oxford University Ocean Research and Conservation Group as well as the Principal Scientist with the NGO Nekton.
Episode 1: Species Concept
BCM Podcast
The very first episode of the BCM Podcast, Charlie and Cathy discuss the merits of defining new species and what this might mean for conservation.
Lessons for Rewilding: Condors, Partnerships and a Bunch of Dead Cows
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BCM Class Blog
The California coast attracts visitors not only for the aesthetically pleasing ocean views, but also for the glimpse of a bird that puts vultures to shame: the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). Although spotting North America’s largest land bird is still a rare occurrence, the chances of seeing this critically endangered bird today are much greater than they were 30 years ago. Policy and education play a role, but a series of unusual partnerships may be to thank for the miraculous recovery of a species that has gained conservation fame. The successful reintroduction of the bird with a three metre wingspan can serve as a lesson for the future of rewilding in Europe.
A Grave, Some Ponies, and a Troop of Conservationists
Out and About: The SOGE Field Trip Blog
A group of biologists and social scientists boarded a coach on September 28th. We were all a little nervous, yet still blissfully unaware of what we had just gotten ourselves into. What followed was three days of discerning the course, jaunting through English countryside, and a long game of Never Have I Ever to truly get to know our course mates.
What We Learned in Wytham Woods
Out and About: The SOGE Field Trip Blog
On a chilly Friday morning in late October, the BCM and ECM cohorts crowded into two coaches. The location was only a short trip from Oxford city centre, but quick glances between hedges from the coach windows revealed we would be spending our day surrounded by trees.
White-tailed Kite
SFBayWildlife.info
The White-tailed Kite, also referred to as the White Hawk and the Black-shouldered Kite, is the only North American Kite that hovers while hunting for prey. This prey consists of small rodents, especially Voles, and occasionally reptiles, insects, and other small birds. White-tailed Kites form monogamous pairs in December that last until August. Nests are built 20-50 feet high in trees and are often built near other pairs. About 4 eggs are laid and, after hatching, the male will hunt while the female stays with the nest. White-tailed Kites roost together when not breeding in groups of 5 to even 100 birds. California has the highest population in all of North America.
Western Pond Turtle
SFBayWildlife.info
The Western Pond Turtle is the only native freshwater turtle on the Pacific Coast. The length ranges from 3.5 to 8.5 inches (9 to 21.5 cm) and can be seen as dark brown, black, or dark green. The top of the shell, or the carapace, is covered in lighter colored spots that radiate outwards. The underside of the shell, or the plastron, is a lightish yellow color. The Western Pond Turtle is diurnal. Its predators consist of raccoons, coyotes, skunks, and foxes. They are particularly vulnerable when emerging from eggs and are sought after by ravens, garter snakes, bass, egrets, and herons.