As a naturalist, I probably pay more attention to the weather than most. A few degrees of temperature or tenths of an inch of rain can make the difference between seeing your target species and getting “skunked”. For instance, night driving for salamanders after an afternoon rain is a great way to see some species, but it only works if the roads remain wet. That same drive can have great snakes if the night temperatures remain warm enough. Even things like wind speed and humidity can matter for the critters observation. A slight breeze may be enough to reduce the number of butterflies out visiting flowers, but a really still humid day may cause birds to stop singing earlier in the morning.

My frequent checking of the forecast goes up another level when I’m teaching the California Ecology and Conservation class. Temperatures in the high eighties and nineties means we may need to shift our schedule to earlier in the morning and later in the evening. An overnight low below dewpoint makes it imperative that we bring our books and gear inside, so they aren’t damaged. The types of projects the students can conduct depend on the tides and the cloud cover and the phase of the moon.

When going into the Californian backcountry in the summer and fall (and increasingly, the spring) means checking the fire forecast, as well. While CEC has never had to evacuate we have had to change our route a few times due to wildfires and the smoke they cause. Every day during the course I check three things. First, I go to my Wunderground app and check out the humidity and wind speed forecast. The combination of low humidity and high wind may cause the National Weather Service to issue red flag alerts, which pop up on the weather app. Next, I check Cal Fire incident map and the Watch Duty fire app for active fires. Even without a red flag warning, there are pretty much always active fires in the state. At last check, there are currently 16 active fire incidents in California. Finally, I check the AirNow.gov map for the air quality forecast. Even if there aren’t nearby fires, smoke can travel long distances and make it unsafe to work outside. All of this info, along with knowing the evacuation routes and shelter in place protocols at each reserve we visit is essential to staying safe in fire country.