Roses thrive in Topanga gardens, where the heirloom varieties share space with newer garden varieties in almost every color and shape, delighting the senses with beautiful blossoms and divine fragrance. The Santa Monica Mountains are also home to a native wild rose, Rosa californica. For the indigenous people of California, this rose has been a cherished source of fragrance, medicine, and food. In this issue of TNT we celebrate the rose, old and new, native and imported, delicate and tough, part of our history and one of the symbols of California and everything it represents. Cover design by Urs Baur
The Gifford Fire, near Cayama in Central California, is responsible for the orange tint to the light this week. Sunsets have that eerie autumnal orange glow, and the late afternoon sunlight feels heavy, almost tangible. This fire, which is burning in the Las Padres National Forest between Santa Maria and Bakersfield, ballooned to more than 65,000 acres over the weekend. It was just three percent contained when TNT went to press. Challenging terrain and high heat are causing problems for firefighters. Although this fire is far from home, the next one might not be. It’s a reminder that peak fire season is approaching and that everyone needs to be ready.
It’s taken more than a decade, but researchers have now solved the mystery of why Pacific coast sea stars are dying. In 2013, sea stars began suffering from a mass mortality event. The mysterious illness was given the name “sea star wasting disease,” or SSWD, but the cause remained elusive.
SSWD has killed an estimated five billion sea stars, leaving some species on the brink of extinction. In the Pacific Northwest, the catastrophic sea star die off enabled the unchecked growth of purple urchin populations and that resulted in the widespread loss of kelp forests. Starfish prey on urchins, urchins eat kelp, and kelp forests create essential habitat for thousands of species of marine organisms, including nurseries for many of the species humans depend on. Remove one part of the equation and suddenly there is a cascade effect that can result in widespread devastation.
On the local coast, there is evidence that ochre stars (Pisaster ochraceus) are beginning to recover, but other species are still in trouble. It is estimated that ninety percent of all sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) died during the first five years of the outbreak, landing this species on the critically endangered list.
Now, a new study, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution this month has identified a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida as the culprit. This research project, led by marine disease ecologist Alyssa-Lois Gehman of the Hakai Institute in British Columbia, reveals another concern. Vibrio thrives in warmer water which suggests that climate change and rising water temperatures also has a role in the spread of SSWD.
The sea star on its own may not seem significant, but its place in the food web and the entire marine biome is incalculable. The term “keystone species” was coined by ecologist Robert Paine in 1969 in reference to a specific species of sea star in the Pacific Northwest. It is now applied to any species that helps hold an ecosystem together the way the keystone of an arch keeps the archway from collapsing. The research that has identified the pathogen killing sea stars is critically important. The next step is finding a solution, and the same team is committed to that goal.
Although they are as unlike sea stars as any species could possibly be, mountain lions are also a keystone species at risk. Decades of National Park Service scientific research has documented both the importance of their role and the threat they face from genetic isolation. The conclusion reached was that a wildlife crossing would be the only viable way to save the local mountain lion population from extinction—and by extension, other species that are dependent on this keystone. Wallis Annenberg understood why that was important and contributed $26 million dollars to help get the wildlife crossing project off the ground.
Annenberg took the helm of her publishing magnate father’s philanthropic organization, the Annenberg Foundation, in 2009. Her projects include Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica—a public beach house open to everyone; Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, dedicated to animal welfare and facilitating pet adoptions; Wallis Annenberg GenSpace, a center for older adults that is focused on health and connection; the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing that has become a reality in large part because of her commitment to the project.
The bridge is on track to be completed in 2026. We were saddened to learn that the project’s biggest supporter won’t be there for the official opening. Wallis Annenberg died on July 15. She was 86, and continued to advocate for the things she believed in right to the end. Her name on a wall, plaque, building, or bridge represents her commitment to a better future for people and wildlife, and that legacy lives on.
Stay safe, be well.
