Bionic Bird Boy

arm the birds

[Bionic Bird Boy @Jakebthom]

@InstBirdPop Cliff swallow

[Bionic Bird Boy @Jakebthom]

@InstBirdPop Veery!

[Joey Santore @JoeySantore]

One of the most iconic plants of the Brazilian Campos Rupestres biome, Cippocereus minensis is a bat-pollinated cactus w/ blue fruits & white flowers that open at night & close by dusk. It's an obligate out-crosser, so without bats it will cease to reproduce.

[Bionic Bird Boy @Jakebthom]

@InstBirdPop Brewers sparrow

[The Hotshot Wake Up @HotshotWake]

Remembering The Granite Mountain Hotshots: 10 Years Ago Promises Were Made.

The Hotshot Wake Up
(Original Article link in my bio)
#wildfire

If you were a wildland firefighter the year the Yarnell Fire rolled over the top of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, you remember where you were when that news came. I was in Colorado with the Lone Peak Hotshots. Our assignment on that fire was a relatively simple but shitty one. We were asked to assess and complete structure protection and build a fireline around a billionaire’s house in the middle of nowhere.

When we got back to fire camp, we did what we’d always done for countless fires before this one. The buggies were parked, the chocks were put down, and we lined out for chow. It was evident by the time we got to the caterer’s trailer that something unusual was happening. Camp was very hush. The laughing and loud voices in the dinner tent were muffled and silent. The squadies and our Supt had a miniature circle up at the back of our chow line. This was not uncommon, but their eyes told a different story this time.

I was a Lead at the time, and I sat next to my Squadie with our plates of Saulsberry steak, green beans, and what we were able to pile on from the salad bar. I asked “Frenchie” quite candidly, “What the fuck is going on?”
He told me something terrible happened, and the crew would circle up after dinner to discuss it. I remember him telling me, “Nothing like this has ever happened before.” I knew firefighters had died at that point, but I had no idea what the circumstances were, how many, and who they were.

We all circled up after dinner, and the news was brought to us. We were told that there would be a national operational standdown the next day and that we should all reach out to our families to let them know we were ok. This was 2013, and people still had flip phones. We hit the line the next day after a moment of silence; after years of thinking about it, that was much better than sitting in the buggies all day.

Everyone was baffled and shocked at how this could even happen. Folks struggled to understand how an entire crew could have ended up in a situation like this.

The Yarnell Hill Fire started near Yarnell, Arizona, after a lightning strike on June 28, 2013. On June 30, it overran and killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
I would be lying to you if I said this wasn’t a controversial topic sometimes in the wildfire world. Plenty of Hotshots and operational folks have strong personal opinions on the matter. Everyone is entitled to that, and I’ve listened to many.

This was quite literally a national tragedy. It shook everyone. It was the deadliest fire for U.S. wildland firefighters since the 1933 Griffith Park fire, which killed 29 civilian firefighters who were drafted on short notice to help fight a fire near Los Angeles. The entire nation was taken aback by the news out of Yarnell, Arizona.

The Vice President at the time even traveled and spoke at the funeral of the firefighters, and the procession was nationally televised. We were told things needed to change, and they were right. We were told that for far too long, “forestry technicians” have been underpaid, under-recognized, undervalued, and forgotten when help was needed most.

Today is the 10-year anniversary of this national tragedy. Wildland firefighters are still classified as “forestry technicians,” pay increases still linger in Congress, and the man who spoke at their funerals is now President.

I call on this man, the President of the United States, to honor the 19 fallen Hotshots and fulfill promises that were made 10 years ago.

Today is a day of remembrance. It is a day to honor the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Men that lost their lives in the most horrific way imaginable. Burned alive trying to save property in their local community.

Ten years ago, promises were made. Wildland Firefighters are still waiting for them to be kept. They can’t hold their breath much longer.
God Bless

[Bionic Bird Boy @Jakebthom]

@InstBirdPop Northern goshawk

[Jack Ashby @JackDAshby]

OK here we go. Conceivably the greatest, most technical accomplishment in the history of natural history art: nearly 4000 glass models of flowers created by Rudolph and Leopold #Blaschka for @HarvardMuseum. None of the objects in here look like glass.
Readers, they're all glass.

[Steven Donziger @SDonziger]

While the fossil fuel industry reports record profits, millions of humans and other sentient beings are suffocating today from the impact of global warming. Those who blame "wildfires in Canada" are missing the deeper cause.

The Brooklyn Bridge today in NYC. Photo: @Phil_Lewis_

[Bionic Bird Boy @Jakebthom]

@InstBirdPop Kentucky warbler!

[Bionic Bird Boy @Jakebthom]

@InstBirdPop Virginias warbler

[Bionic Bird Boy @Jakebthom]

@InstBirdPop Cerulean warbler

[Coronado NF @CoronadoNF]

News Release:
Suspect wanted for questioning in Molino 2 Wildfire
Coronado National Forest, Santa Catalina Ranger District

https://t.co/kxrPIZES4r

[Matthew Koehler @KoehlerMatthew]

Without a doubt, some of the biggest "Welfare Queens" in the entire American West are public lands ranchers who get to graze their cows and sheep on America's #publiclands and within #Wilderness areas for a few pennies a day.

[Joey Santore @JoeySantore]

Our small-scale TV show about Lawn Killing is out now. Unfortunately it's not available for streaming, only cable (though you can stream on DirecTV or Fubo), so nobody I know can watch it. We kill lawns in San Diego, Miami, New Orleans, & South Texas. Times/Channels listed below

[Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz]

Chuck Todd: Make the case for why Americans should be willing to go to war over Taiwan
Michael McCaul: Well it's about controlling semiconductors
Todd: So kind of like fighting wars for oil?
McCaul: Uhh, well actually it's about protecting democracy and freedom

[Lauren McKenzie @TheMcKenziest]

Fun fact: most of the water from the Colorado River goes 7,000 miles away to feed Saudi Arabian cows.

Only 20% of the water is used for residential purposes.

[Stephen Semler @stephensemler]

According to the user guide for this robot police dog (https://t.co/tr7wnZyNYZ), it definitely shouldn’t be submerged in water. Some other behaviors we should avoid in order to not damage/break it:

[Joey Santore @JoeySantore]

Some of the best habitat in the state of Texas being cleared for the performative border fence ™️. I know this land well. It should've become a preserve. I was joking w/ border patrol a few weeks ago about how little this fence will do to stop human trafficking & crime.