Urban Forest Map (San Francisco)

The Urban Forest Map is a project in San Francisco, California that allows residents to enter information online by finding a tree on Google Earth, marking it and entering information regarding the street tree.  It's a great way to build an urban tree inventory through volunteer efforts.  This project is supported by governments, non-profits and businesses. It not only helps catalogue (with species, diameter at breast height and other info) the immense urban canopy the city has but it also provides data on the ecological services that the trees provide to the area. Check it out below:

Part of the reason this project was initiated was that canopy cover was extremely low (2.5% in 2008), and this inventory has helped underline this and show where new trees are most needed.  You can see all the trees in google map in either a street view or satellite view.  Pretty impressive!

100 birds at Macoun Marsh

Check out this incredible list of 100 birds that have visited Macoun Marsh, including the eastern bluebird, three types of herons, a kingfisher, three types of woodpeckers, ten varieties of warblers, eleven kinds of sparrows, two owls, an osprey, two kinds of sandpipers, three species of vireos, four ducks plus a teal and even a bobolink!

Macoun Marsh is a small urban pond approximately a quarter of an acre (or 1000 m2) registered with the Ontario Adopt A Pond program.  It is surrounded by an acre or more of trees on two sides and flanked by townhouses and an open grassy cemetery on the other.

Youth and Biodiversity BlogSpot: Macoun Marsh Birds

Image of White-throated Sparrow from Macoun Marsh Blog

P.S. Check out my post about Similar Aquatic Plants, Local Birds Close to the Marsh and my latest: Online Nature Resources by Nature Canada!

Cornwall Eco Gardens

Did you know that Cornwall has an Eco-Garden? It can be found in the middle of Lamoureux Park and includes a small creek. It was built in 1997 and attracts many fish, birds and amphibians. The creek is key for spawning chinook salmon and the alternating shallow riffle areas and deeper pools have provided a home for cutlip minnow (which requires clear, silt-free streams to thrive).

The article goes on to say that smaller streams and creeks have improved in gaining back nutrients for the larger river, but more work still needs to be done. Rock reefs have been built along the river to create protected areas for fish to forage and nurse. The article also lists three areas where work is still continuing on the remedial action plan: contaminant levels in fish, decreases in levels of nutrients in smaller rivers and creeks, and fish and wildlife habitat, in particular coastal wetlands.

 More info here: Cornwall Standard-Freeholder Image from Standard Freeholder.