Nature Blog Network

The third largest state in the US and with by far the largest population, California is known for a lot of things, but for our purposes the most interesting are by far its spectacular natural places.   Because of this abundance, the Golden State holds the honored distinction of having the most extensive state park system in the nation, covering nearly a third of the state’s coastline along with 1.4 million acres of wetlands, estuaries, forests, deserts and more.  It’s no small investment in the infrastructure of the state, and more importantly us here in the NBN, it keeps California nature bloggers full of things to photograph and write about and share.

But as budgets are tight in many states across the US, interests of natural significance often get affected disproportionately.  Our colleagues in Cali look to take a big hit with the proposed closure of nearly every single state park in the system, 220 of the 279 currently open, so make ends meet in Sacramento.  I can’t imagine how frustrating that must be for California nature lovers, and I can sympathize with how helpless those of us out of the state feel about the situation.  Fortunately, and of small consolation, even in the worst case scenario there are still public lands whose management instead is the responsibility of the Federal Department of the Interior, many of which iconic in their own right.  For now, those at least are safe.

Half Dome at Yosemite National Park.  Photo from wikipedia

While there’s still some small hope that many of the parks may avoid the axe, or at very least the closures will prove short-term, let’s look on the bright side and focus on those California residents who blog as part of the NBN and the state they share with us in the wider world.  It’s pretty spectacular, and the bloggers in the NBN do it proud.  Incidentally, I did a Networking post on California bird blogs some time ago, so if your interest is piqued beyond those you find here, definitely give it a read too.

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- Well-regarded Birds is a bird blog that either wasn’t in the NBN when I did the last post, or I missed it.  There’s even money on either.  Jaime, though, is a talented illustrator whose drawings and thoughts are worth checking out.

- Don’t let the simple name fool you, Frog Blog is about more than amphibians (though they do take the lion’s share).  Mixed in with the herp talk are discussions of conservation and environmental policy, especially as they pertain to the endemic California Yellow-legged Frog.

- The southern half of California is dry to say the least, and water and land management issues rule.  Get the latest on the California desert, as well as those of surrounding states at Desertblog.

- Home of the Outdoor Hour Challenge, an initiative to take some time every day to enjoy the outdoors, the Handbook of Nature Study is a great resource for the nature minded parent.  Hey, I’m a nature minded parent!  Though my son prefers to sleep through his time outdoors.  Soon enough though…

- California’s bugs are as special and unique as the rest of the nature you’ll find there.  And there’s scarcely a better place on the web to enjoy them than Am I Bugging You Yet? And to answer your question, no, not at all.

- I don’t know what’s more impressive about Photography on the Run.  That Gary Valle actually runs to these gorgeous scenic overlooks high in the Sierras, or that he takes a camera with him to photograph interesting things along the way.  Either way, it makes this blog a pretty cool one.

- Interrupted Though Process is listed in the network as a photography blog, and it is, but it could fit into lots of other categories too.  But the photography aspect means he puts lots of big, beautiful pictures of flowers and bugs and landscapes and, especially, snakes, and it’s all the more impressive because he uses a point and shoot camera and the photos are really really great.

- At Our Simple Life, Julia regales us all with tales of her rural spread.  At places like this nature is an intrinsic part of daily life, impossible to separate from the day to day.

- Rural life and nature also find their way into posts at the Nature of a Man, along with some really nice photography and top-notch prose about life in the Sierras.  May I suggest the most recent post, Jack and Diane?  It’s a really fun one.

- Also from beautiful northern California comes Sierra Nevada Ramblings, where Zhakee keeps us posted on the happenings thereabouts.  The ecosystem there, including the famous sequoias, are fascinating, and there’s no shortage of great nature observations to share.

- California Nature Photographers is a group blog showcasing the work of several working professional photogs. As you might expect, the quality here is exquisite and the subject matter is diverse.  It’s a great ay to end our trip through the NBN’s California faction.

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The big news here at the NBN lately has been the launch of version 2.0, and all the new categories where member blogs can find there niche.  So for next week, let’s kick the tires on the new system, and open up a subset of blogs that may have been hidden before.  So the theme for next time is…

Conservationists

Blogs that consider themselves primarily for the purpose of conserving habitat or species themselves, or some aspect thereof and have labeled their blogs as Conservation.  This is a good group of people really looking to make a difference.  It will be my pleasure to show them to you.  If you know of any that aren’t on the list, send them to me at naswick (at) gmail (dot) com.

Till next week!