A new bill would send scientists to sequence genomes from Earth's rarest, most extreme-surviving species — then use AI to mine that data for new medicines. Read more: calalive.net/4xdJa3x

Rounds Introduces Legislation to Expedite Scientific Research on Diseases | U.S. Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) today introduced...

rounds.senate.gov

Repost from the Power In Nature coalition: Protecting public lands means protecting the communities that depend on them. From outdoor recreation to tourism and local businesses, conserved lands fuel local economies while preserving the biodiversity that makes California unique...

Plant with purpose. Grow native plants. sbbotanicgarden.org/grow/gardeni...

Planting a Garden in the Santa Barbara Area? Visit us for Native Planting tips & resources. - Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Building your native plant garden? Come by our nursery to discuss your garden with our knowledgable staff.

sbbotanicgarden.org

🧪🧵 🪰 🐜🪲🐞🦗🐛🦋🪳🦟 How many species of insect are there?  A seemingly simple question, but one that has been 'bugging' scientists for years.  Our work out today suggests that there are millions more than we had previously expected.  doi.org/10.1073/pnas... @gdfcf.bsky.social

Big news for endangered species: Colossal Biosciences & U.S. Fish and Wildlife are partnering to preserve cells, tissue, and DNA from every plant and animal under the Endangered Species Act — 2,300+ species worldwide. Read more here:

Your backyard observations matter! Every species you log on iNaturalist adds to a growing record of California's biodiversity — supporting researchers and land managers statewide. No find is too small! 🪲 Image courtesy of iNaturalist: www.instagram.com/p/DZaROvwCQR...

We’re racing to collect as many species as we can, so we can protect them. Join us! Just scoop, label, and send. We’ll send you back information about what we find in your soil. Visit CalATBI.org for more info. Request a sampling kit here: HTTPS://cal-atbi-kit-fulfillment.Vercel.App/

What's living in your backyard soil? 🌱 We're 310/1,000 samples into #SummerOfSoil — help us find out. Could be a species no one's discovered yet. Scoop. Label. Send. CalATBI.org

It's the fifth annual California State Parks Week! From June 10–14, free events at state parks across California are open to all — horseback riding, nature journaling, historical tours, and much more. RSVP for free events at castateparksweek.org

California State Parks Week – This is where you live.

June 10-14, 2026

castateparksweek.org

Happy Earth Day! Today, we celebrate the incredible diversity of life that makes our planet so vibrant, from the smallest organisms to the largest ecosystems. At the California Institute for Biodiversity, we’re continually inspired by the beauty, resilience, and interconnectedness of the

California All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory partners are collecting samples from all over California to discover and preserve California's biodiversity. Join us! www.calatbi.org/collect-samples

We've been funding innovative research projects through Experiment.com, and here's one we're excited to spotlight: "Macrofungi of the California Archipelago" by Christian Schwarz and Dean Lyons. The Channel Islands are a biodiversity hotspot, but we know almost nothing about an entire kingdom of

Congratulations to Meghan Hertel on her appointment as Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife!

Governor Newsom announces appointments 1.29.2026 | Governor of California

Official website of the State of California

gov.ca.gov

Five incredible new species were described in 2025, and we're proud that CIB helped support the discovery of Siskiyu armilla—a new spider species found in Northern California! Through DNA analysis supported by our research project, scientists confirmed this brown spider as not just a new species,

Meet five new species discovered in 2025

A bumpy snailfish, Andean mouse opossum and ancient sea cow were just some of the many species described in 2025.

npr.org

You are invited to the California All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (CalATBI) Quarterly Webinar on Dec. 10 at 2:00 pm! CalATBI is a voucher-based, DNA-powered effort to discover and catalog California's unexplored biodiversity. Registrater for free here: bit.ly/4iEwZXr

More great work from our biodiversity champion, Assemblymember Ash Kalra! In his latest newsletter, he celebrated the signing of the California Migratory Bird Act, legislation we proudly supported to help safeguard our ecosystems. As Kalra shared: "As a passionate advocate for our environment,...

Thank you to all the dedicated legislators who stood up for California’s biodiversity! Together, your support secured critical funding for native plant seed banking — ensuring healthier ecosystems, stronger wildfire recovery, and the protection of rare plants for generations to come.

A round of applause for our incredible champions of biodiversity, Matt Haney, Steve Padilla, Lori Wilson, Isaac Bryan, Jesse Arreguín! Because of their dedication, California is investing in native plant seed banking — protecting rare species, supporting restoration, and ensuring our state is ...

A huge thank you to Assemblymember Steve Bennett for championing California’s biodiversity and helping secure critical funding for native plant seed in the state budget! Because of your leadership, California is taking bold steps to protect our ecosystems, restore wildfire-impacted lands, and ...

California’s future is greener and more resilient thanks to the leadership of State Senator Monique Limón. With your support, funding for native plant seed banking is now a reality — advancing restoration of damaged lands, supporting pollinators, and ensuring our state has the seeds we need to meet

Thank you, Ash Kalra, for being a true leader in protecting California’s biodiversity! Your vision and dedication helped secure vital funding for native plant seed, a win that will strengthen restoration efforts, safeguard rare species, and build a more resilient future for our state.

Calling all California field researchers! From students to seasoned naturalists, you can now apply for fast, flexible micro-grants to help collect, voucher, and archive specimens that fuel tomorrow’s biodiversity science. DUE Sept. 12th! Learn more & apply here: experiment.com/programs/cal...

California Species Collection | Experiment

For Science!

experiment.com

Volunteer with Adventure Scientists! • Big Laguna Lake – August 15: bit.ly/455qh80 • Santa Lucia Conservancy – August 15: bit.ly/3J0GbI9 • Santa Rita Ranch – August 16: bit.ly/3J10LrJ • Camp Pollock – August 24: bit.ly/47g05Zx

Don’t miss Adventure Scientists’ upcoming webinar on August 6 at 12:00 pm PST to hear about recent progress on the California Biodiversity Project! Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Join Dr. Kazue Fujiwara at King Middle School in Berkeley, CA, on July 24th-25th to learn about the power of the Miyawaki Method, a cutting-edge approach to urban forestry and landscaping. Register here: bit.ly/4nNmQtV

California’s future is one of abundant flowers—we just need the seeds. This New York Times piece shows how ecological landscaping is reshaping our spaces. Let’s get CA the native seed supply it needs! calalive.net/4jjlvaz @inclusiveabundance.bsky.social @scottwiener.bsky.social

The Next ‘Big Idea’ in Ecological Landscapes: Abundance

Learn to embrace both the visual and functional aspects of your garden to support diversity in your plantings.

calalive.net

Big congrats to Assemblymember @ashkalra.bsky.social on his appointment by Speaker Robert Rivas as Chair of the new Assembly Select Committee on Alternative Protein Innovation! Thank you, @caspeakerrivas.bsky.social peakerRivas, for recognizing this growing field and naming the perfect chair!

California is home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity. On #BiodiversityDay, we reaffirm our mission to protect it through education, research, and action. #CaliforniaBiodiversity

California is facing an urgent and growing need for native seeds. Right now, the demand for these seeds far exceeds the available supply. Heritage Growers is working tirelessly on the front lines, collecting native seeds vital for habitat restoration.

Meet the seed collector restoring California’s landscapes - one tiny plant at a time

Native seed demand far outpaces supply for the state’s ambitious conservation plan. This group combs the landscape to address the deficit

theguardian.com

Aggressive layoffs at science agencies are putting irreplaceable scientific collections, samples, and data at risk. The time to safeguard scientific collections is now. Please share this with your colleagues or tell us how we can help here: bit.ly/3D3s41Z