💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🍝🤌 A sea urchin #pasta craze is fueling illegal nighttime #poaching in #Naples’ #Gaiola Underwater Park.

Marine biologists found that poachers strip up to 17% of the park’s purple #urchins in one night – removing a #keystonespecies that keeps algal growth in check and supports #predator #fish populations. The trade is entirely black market in #Campania, with scientists calling for a nationwide harvest moratorium.

👉 https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/how-a-popular-spaghetti-dish-is-threatening-italys-marine-ecosystem/

#seaurchins #italy #marinelife #conservation #overfishing #ocean #ecosystem #marinebiology #fishing #spaghetti #seafood #biodiversity #science

Legacy of #Indigenous #stewardship of #camas dates back more than 3,500 years, #OSU study finds

May 20, 2024

Excerpt: CORVALLIS, Ore. — "An #Oregon State University study found evidence that Indigenous groups in the #PacificNorthwest were intentionally harvesting edible #CamasBulbs at optimal stages of the plant’s maturation as far back as 3,500 years ago.

"The findings contribute to the growing body of research around #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge and practices, demonstrating the care and specificity with which Indigenous groups have been stewarding and cultivating natural resources for millennia.

"Camas is an #ecological and cultural keystone, meaning it is a species that many other organisms depend on and that features prominently within many cultural practices.

" 'If you think about #salmon as being a charismatic species that people are very familiar with, camas is kind of the plant equivalent,' said Molly Carney, an assistant professor of anthropology in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts and lead author on the study. 'It is one of those species that really holds up greater #ecosystems, a fundamental species which everything is related to.'

"An eye-catching blue flower that grows widely throughout the Pacific Northwest, camas is referred to in Indigenous calendars across the region, with the plant’s growth stages used as a sort of seasonal benchmark. It is often included in traditional #FirstFood ceremonies, in which tribal communities mark the coming of spring with the first #SalmonRun or the first #EdibleRoots after a long winter, Carney said.

"Camas bulbs must be baked for two to three days to render them edible. Once soft, the bulbs taste a bit like sweet potato, Carney said. Traditional baking was done in underground ovens using heated rocks."

Read more:
https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/legacy-indigenous-stewardship-camas-dates-back-more-3500-years-osu-study-finds

#SolarPunkSunday #LandUse
#IndigenousFoods #CulturalPreservation
#NativeAmericanHistory #IndigenousStewardship #IndigenousHistory #TraditionalFoods
#TraditionalFoodSources #KeystoneSpecies #PNW #TEK

Dynamic Depth: How I Apply Hans Hofmann’s Color Theory in My Studio

Lee Krasner Art:

From last #Spring.
I'm waiting for local #GarryOak #camas #meadows to showcase their annual full blooms. Another 2 weeks 💜

#ecosystem #KeystoneSpecies #nativeplants #nature #Saanich #Wsanec #IndigenousFoodPlant #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PNW

I'm getting some resources this week, to put together several free #GarryOakEcosystem #nature #zines to give away in my #LittleFreeLibrary all through this Spring & Summer.
It's part of my ongoing personal efforts to boost #NatureEducation / #NatureTeachings - right from the front of our home; so more people can learn about amazing local #biodiversity in our local #ecosystems 🙂
People who learn more about nature, will learn to love, respect & protect nature life systems 💚☘️

#FreeZines #NatureZines #KeystoneSpecies #GarryOaks #Wsanec #Saanich #CommunityBuilding #CommunityEducation #CommunitySharing #CommunityLibrary #EverythingIsFree #Ecological #VictoriaBC #VancouverIsland #YYJ #VanIsle #PNW

Putting 3 of these buttons & 2 stickers into my #LittleFreeLibrary today. To raise more public awareness to #SaveGoldstreamSalmon 💗

#Selektel #Wsanec #Saanich #GoldstreamRiver #SaveWildSalmon #ProtectWildSalmon #KeystoneSpecies #Conservation #ProtectWaterways #StopEcocide #Activism #WildSalmonAlliance #WildFirst #BCpoli #BoycottFarmedSalmon #ProtectTheWild #biodiversity #pinbacks #stickers #BCWildSalmon #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #VictoriaBC #CoastSalish

Awkward by design.
Essential by function.

Eastern white-bearded wildebeest.

No elegance.
No apologies.

Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus
Keystone species energy.
https://www.cernunnosfoundation.com/nature-pictures/connochaetes-taurinus-albojubatus/ #Savanna #KeystoneSpecies

The purple #seastar aka #OchreSeastar - Pisaster ochraceus - is one of the most commonly found #starfish along the coasts of #BritishColumbia. You can see they have thousands of tiny feet on their legs to help them move around.

The purple sea star is considered a #KeystoneSpecies & an essential indicator of #OceanHealth in #intertidal zone.

#WildlifeWednesday #SeaCreatures #MarineAnimals #wildlife #ProtectOceans #SupportMPAs #WildFirst #HealthyOceansHealthyPlanet #Environmentalist #nature #photography #WhatsInMyHand #MarineLife #LookAndLearn #educational #MarineBiology #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #SalishSea

#Spawning #salmon in the river.

#Nanaimo #nature #fish #KeystoneSpecies #coho #WildFirst