Quercus
@quercusbottoms.bsky.social
Ecologist, ISA Certified Arborist, Prescription Pruning and Tree Risk Assessment Qualified.
Wildlife/native habitat consultant
Native plant / plants-for-birds / host plant obsessive.
Restoring ecological functionality to rural, MS Hill Country
Wildlife/native habitat consultant
Native plant / plants-for-birds / host plant obsessive.
Restoring ecological functionality to rural, MS Hill Country
Reposted by Quercus
Our new paper led by Dr. @zialyle.bsky.social assessed the climate risk to US drinking water utilities, & many of their revenue bonds don't reflect their climate risk. Here's the paper: www.nature.com/articles/s43.... Melissa Fleur Afshar wrote about it in Newsweek: www.newsweek.com/new-study-sh...
Map reveals America’s most vulnerable drinking water utilities
New index shows 67 million Americans rely on high‑risk water systems as climate threats outpace utilities’ disclosures.
www.newsweek.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:16 AM
Our new paper led by Dr. @zialyle.bsky.social assessed the climate risk to US drinking water utilities, & many of their revenue bonds don't reflect their climate risk. Here's the paper: www.nature.com/articles/s43.... Melissa Fleur Afshar wrote about it in Newsweek: www.newsweek.com/new-study-sh...
Reposted by Quercus
ICYMI: our new paper on climate risk to US drinking water utilities. Climate impacts threaten water utilities across multiple hazards: fire, drought, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather, & other hazards. But many long-term utility bonds don’t mention the risks: www.nature.com/articles/s43...
February 6, 2026 at 4:08 AM
ICYMI: our new paper on climate risk to US drinking water utilities. Climate impacts threaten water utilities across multiple hazards: fire, drought, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather, & other hazards. But many long-term utility bonds don’t mention the risks: www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Reposted by Quercus
📣NEW @ucs.org analysis documents how extreme weather events were behind all the largest power outages in the Central U.S. over the past decade, affecting hundreds of thousands of customers and demonstrating the urgent need to build a more resilient electric #grid.
Power After the Storm
As climate change can exacerbate extreme events the need for science-based, proactive grid modernization is more pressing than ever.
bit.ly
February 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Quercus
ProPublica identified 20 segregation academies in Mississippi that received almost $10 million over six years through a state-funded program.
At least eight opened with an early boost from state-funded vouchers in the 1960s.
(Published Nov. 2024)
At least eight opened with an early boost from state-funded vouchers in the 1960s.
(Published Nov. 2024)
Segregation Academies in Mississippi Are Benefiting From Public Dollars, as They Did in the 1960s
ProPublica identified 20 schools in the state that likely opened as segregation academies and have received almost $10 million over the past six years from the state’s tax credit donation program.
www.propublica.org
January 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM
ProPublica identified 20 segregation academies in Mississippi that received almost $10 million over six years through a state-funded program.
At least eight opened with an early boost from state-funded vouchers in the 1960s.
(Published Nov. 2024)
At least eight opened with an early boost from state-funded vouchers in the 1960s.
(Published Nov. 2024)
Reposted by Quercus
Some of the most incisive education reporting over the past 3 years (especially in the South) has come from @propublica.org—and I’ve been proud to be included in several of their stories.
As Black History Month begins, a reminder that history is present.
As Black History Month begins, a reminder that history is present.
ProPublica identified 20 segregation academies in Mississippi that received almost $10 million over six years through a state-funded program.
At least eight opened with an early boost from state-funded vouchers in the 1960s.
(Published Nov. 2024)
At least eight opened with an early boost from state-funded vouchers in the 1960s.
(Published Nov. 2024)
Segregation Academies in Mississippi Are Benefiting From Public Dollars, as They Did in the 1960s
ProPublica identified 20 schools in the state that likely opened as segregation academies and have received almost $10 million over the past six years from the state’s tax credit donation program.
www.propublica.org
February 2, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Some of the most incisive education reporting over the past 3 years (especially in the South) has come from @propublica.org—and I’ve been proud to be included in several of their stories.
As Black History Month begins, a reminder that history is present.
As Black History Month begins, a reminder that history is present.
Reposted by Quercus
Republican Congressmen, AGs, state finance officers, etc. have been undertaking a hazing campaign the last three years sending threatening letters to investors demanding they, e.g., "Abandon... the practice of framing deterministic future outcomes as long-term risks"
www.esgdive.com/news/state-g...
www.esgdive.com/news/state-g...
February 3, 2026 at 2:01 AM
Republican Congressmen, AGs, state finance officers, etc. have been undertaking a hazing campaign the last three years sending threatening letters to investors demanding they, e.g., "Abandon... the practice of framing deterministic future outcomes as long-term risks"
www.esgdive.com/news/state-g...
www.esgdive.com/news/state-g...
Reposted by Quercus
Dr. Lyle's paper is in @commsearth.nature.com and here's the CMU news about it: engineering.cmu.edu/news-events/.... Tl;dr climate bad water good
Tapping into risk in America’s drinking water
A new Drinking Water Utilities Climate Risk Index finds utilities serving 67 million people face high climate risk. Yet 36% of their bonds omit climate change, revealing gaps in preparedness.
engineering.cmu.edu
February 3, 2026 at 1:10 AM
Dr. Lyle's paper is in @commsearth.nature.com and here's the CMU news about it: engineering.cmu.edu/news-events/.... Tl;dr climate bad water good
Reposted by Quercus
🚨Our new paper led by Dr. @zialyle.bsky.social looked at how climate change poses risks to US drinking water utilities & if their bonds disclose these risks to investors. Utilities serving 67 million people have high risks, but 36% of their bonds don't mention climate: www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Climate change risk index and municipal bond disclosures of United States drinking water utilities - Communications Earth & Environment
67 million customers across the US rely on drinking water utilities that face higher climate risk than accounted for, which exposes major gaps in climate adaptation and resilience planning, suggests a...
www.nature.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:06 AM
🚨Our new paper led by Dr. @zialyle.bsky.social looked at how climate change poses risks to US drinking water utilities & if their bonds disclose these risks to investors. Utilities serving 67 million people have high risks, but 36% of their bonds don't mention climate: www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Reposted by Quercus
I’m sharing this video again because people don’t really get what these data centers and ai are doing to our planet and our communities. Especially Black communities because they were strategically placed there.
I need you to listen to these people.
STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.
I need you to listen to these people.
STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.
January 20, 2026 at 11:16 PM
I’m sharing this video again because people don’t really get what these data centers and ai are doing to our planet and our communities. Especially Black communities because they were strategically placed there.
I need you to listen to these people.
STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.
I need you to listen to these people.
STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.
Reposted by Quercus
Having diverse trees in playgrounds helps young children feel good https://relationalthinkingblog.com/2025/12/10/plain-language-summary-having-diverse-trees-in-playgrounds-helps-young-children-feel-good/
Read the full paper here https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70227
Read the full paper here https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70227
relationalthinkingblog.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Having diverse trees in playgrounds helps young children feel good https://relationalthinkingblog.com/2025/12/10/plain-language-summary-having-diverse-trees-in-playgrounds-helps-young-children-feel-good/
Read the full paper here https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70227
Read the full paper here https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70227
Reposted by Quercus
“If Americans increased their protein intake by just 25%…it would require about 100 million acres of additional ag land each year — an area larger than Michigan, Ohio & Pennsylvania combined — & increase annual emissions by 100s of millions of tons of CO2e, according to @worldresources.bsky.social.”
Opinion | The New Food Pyramid, Brought to You by Big Meat
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 6:06 PM
“If Americans increased their protein intake by just 25%…it would require about 100 million acres of additional ag land each year — an area larger than Michigan, Ohio & Pennsylvania combined — & increase annual emissions by 100s of millions of tons of CO2e, according to @worldresources.bsky.social.”
Reposted by Quercus
Reposted by Quercus
T. rex is more closely related to this little dinosaur (a hummingbird) than T. rex is to Allosaurus. Also, a hummingbird's humerus is way smaller than it's eyeball. Go home, evolution, you're drunk! 🦖
January 9, 2026 at 8:54 PM
T. rex is more closely related to this little dinosaur (a hummingbird) than T. rex is to Allosaurus. Also, a hummingbird's humerus is way smaller than it's eyeball. Go home, evolution, you're drunk! 🦖
Reposted by Quercus
Tired: Everything evolves to be a crab.
Wired: Everything evolves to eat ants.
Wired: Everything evolves to eat ants.
Mammals have evolved into ant eaters 12 times since the dinosaur age, study finds
Mammals have developed some unusual eating habits over the past 100 million years, but a new study has uncovered the surprising lengths to which some have gone to satisfy one of the more peculiar—a ta...
phys.org
January 7, 2026 at 1:13 AM
Tired: Everything evolves to be a crab.
Wired: Everything evolves to eat ants.
Wired: Everything evolves to eat ants.
Reposted by Quercus
You probably heard the US admin is threatening to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research: but did you know they already froze funding for the 9 regional Climate Science Adaptation Centers? From tracking invasives to helping tribes with drought, here's why the CASCs matter ⬇️
From invasive species tracking to water security – what’s lost with federal funding cuts at US Climate Adaptation Science Centers
The people who manage America’s aquifers, wetlands, shorelines and recreation areas rely on federal science as they face new and rising risks in a changing climate.
theconversation.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
You probably heard the US admin is threatening to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research: but did you know they already froze funding for the 9 regional Climate Science Adaptation Centers? From tracking invasives to helping tribes with drought, here's why the CASCs matter ⬇️
Reposted by Quercus
“Car bloat”—increasingly oversized automobiles—worsens road safety, affordability and the environment.
Here are some of the stories I wrote in 2025 examining the trend and proposing solutions. 🧵
In @vox.com, I likened car bloat to secondhand smoke (which helped bring down the US tobacco industry).
Here are some of the stories I wrote in 2025 examining the trend and proposing solutions. 🧵
In @vox.com, I likened car bloat to secondhand smoke (which helped bring down the US tobacco industry).
Gigantic SUVs are a public health threat. Why don’t we treat them like one?
The anti-tobacco playbook could help turn the US public against their beloved oversized cars.
www.vox.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:08 PM
“Car bloat”—increasingly oversized automobiles—worsens road safety, affordability and the environment.
Here are some of the stories I wrote in 2025 examining the trend and proposing solutions. 🧵
In @vox.com, I likened car bloat to secondhand smoke (which helped bring down the US tobacco industry).
Here are some of the stories I wrote in 2025 examining the trend and proposing solutions. 🧵
In @vox.com, I likened car bloat to secondhand smoke (which helped bring down the US tobacco industry).
Reposted by Quercus
that alluvial fan coming out of the san gabriels near wrightwood really is something: visible from the pelona schist that just comes pouring down wildhorse canyon when 10" of rain falls like it just did, spreading out 15+ miles into the mojave
December 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM
that alluvial fan coming out of the san gabriels near wrightwood really is something: visible from the pelona schist that just comes pouring down wildhorse canyon when 10" of rain falls like it just did, spreading out 15+ miles into the mojave
Reposted by Quercus
"By the mid-21st century, flood events are expected to be more frequent predominantly in the eastern United States"
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
"urgent need for flood mitigation measures"
tl.dr --> Floods in the East. Drought in the West
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
"urgent need for flood mitigation measures"
tl.dr --> Floods in the East. Drought in the West
Changes in the Frequency of Flood Events Across the United States Detectable by the Middle of This Century
Climate-informed Poisson regression models are developed to predict and project the changes in the frequency of flood events By the mid-21st century, flood events are expected to be more frequent...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:25 PM
"By the mid-21st century, flood events are expected to be more frequent predominantly in the eastern United States"
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
"urgent need for flood mitigation measures"
tl.dr --> Floods in the East. Drought in the West
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
"urgent need for flood mitigation measures"
tl.dr --> Floods in the East. Drought in the West
Reposted by Quercus
On average, Christmas Day was 15.4F above the 1991-2020 normal. Seems warm. Seems bad.
December 26, 2025 at 3:56 PM
On average, Christmas Day was 15.4F above the 1991-2020 normal. Seems warm. Seems bad.
Reposted by Quercus
🚨🔥 Warmest Christmas on record for the Contiguous U.S.! The average high of 57.9F and the average low of 36.6F each broke the Christmas record by a full 3F. 🔥🚨
December 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
🚨🔥 Warmest Christmas on record for the Contiguous U.S.! The average high of 57.9F and the average low of 36.6F each broke the Christmas record by a full 3F. 🔥🚨
Reposted by Quercus
A state-funded survey across California has uncovered hundreds of fungi new to science, part of a first-of-its-kind biodiversity effort.
Often overlooked, fungi support plant growth and store carbon — knowledge that could guide conservation and forest restoration as wildfires intensify.
Often overlooked, fungi support plant growth and store carbon — knowledge that could guide conservation and forest restoration as wildfires intensify.
Statewide survey aims to put California’s fungi on the conservation map
Getting to The Cedars, an ecological preserve in California’s Sonoma county, is a slog. Multiple rivers and creeks must be crossed, and it can be tough going on an often storm-destroyed road. But…
news.mongabay.com
December 25, 2025 at 10:21 PM
A state-funded survey across California has uncovered hundreds of fungi new to science, part of a first-of-its-kind biodiversity effort.
Often overlooked, fungi support plant growth and store carbon — knowledge that could guide conservation and forest restoration as wildfires intensify.
Often overlooked, fungi support plant growth and store carbon — knowledge that could guide conservation and forest restoration as wildfires intensify.
Reposted by Quercus
“This year, renewables surpassed coal as a source of electricity worldwide, and solar and wind energy grew fast enough to cover the entire increase in global electricity use from January to June, according to energy think tank Ember” www.science.org/content/arti...
Science’s 2025 Breakthrough of the Year: The unstoppable rise of renewable energy
Clean energy infrastructure is being deployed with unmatched scale and speed—and China is leading the way
www.science.org
December 26, 2025 at 1:29 AM
“This year, renewables surpassed coal as a source of electricity worldwide, and solar and wind energy grew fast enough to cover the entire increase in global electricity use from January to June, according to energy think tank Ember” www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Quercus
Compounding risks of climate change: the authors "assess European birds’ historical exposure to multiple extreme events and identify where and how the risk of compound events will change under different emissions scenarios". doi.org/10.1111/con4...
Spoiler alert: compounding increases risk ☹️
Spoiler alert: compounding increases risk ☹️
Compounding Impacts of Extreme Climate Events on European Birds Under Climate Change
When multiple simultaneous or successive extreme climatic events occur, compound impacts can follow, where the effects of one event worsen the impacts of another. Surprisingly, the risks that these c...
doi.org
December 15, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Compounding risks of climate change: the authors "assess European birds’ historical exposure to multiple extreme events and identify where and how the risk of compound events will change under different emissions scenarios". doi.org/10.1111/con4...
Spoiler alert: compounding increases risk ☹️
Spoiler alert: compounding increases risk ☹️
Reposted by Quercus
The Green Book Project catalogues this history of segregation in public accommodations, documenting local businesses that defied the norm of racial segregation. Explore the papers, methods, download data, and share your story 3/3 greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #CommunityMap
#EconSky
#EconSky
December 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The Green Book Project catalogues this history of segregation in public accommodations, documenting local businesses that defied the norm of racial segregation. Explore the papers, methods, download data, and share your story 3/3 greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #CommunityMap
#EconSky
#EconSky