SSU Center for Environmental Inquiry

Summer just entered the chat, nature lovers...☀️🕶️⛱️

On Sunday, June 21st, this year's summer solstice, is happening! The exact time is 4:24 AM PT.✨

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, this day represents longer hours of daylight 🌤️and shorter periods of darkness.🌙Our planet rotates at a slight tilt — as a result we have seasons and the summer solstice!

CEI is dedicated to supporting projects that solve NorthBay area challenges, including celebrating the way these seasonal shifts affect our natural habitats!🙌

Ok… why is nobody talking about this heat?????🔥

Now that mother nature turned up the thermostat, it makes sense to spotlight the Flame Skimmer this week!🐦‍🔥 The male version of this cool dragonfly can be identified by its red or dark orange color. ❤️🧡This includes their eyes, legs, and wing veins.

Female Flame Skimmers are darker brown with yellow markings. 😌

Even though they're 2-3 inches long, they bring the heat to nature!🥵

These insects are native to western North America and can also be found southwestern areas. They tend to fly towards hot springs, warm ponds, and streams, public gardens, or backyards! They definitely live up to their name...

There's more nature lovers...these skimmers eat other insects, including butterflies, mosquitos, flies, and moths... How do we feel about this???🦟🪰🦋

Shoutout to wild-by-nature-db (iNaturalist) for the photo! 📷

Be prepared to be blown away nature lovers....🌬️

June 15th was Global Wind Day!!! 🍃💨

This day celebrates the world coming together to gain awareness on how wind power works and the benefits with renewable. ⚡️This wind day encourages people, like you, to transition to clean energy. 🫧

That's not all...this years theme is, "Our wind, our community." What does this mean? It means that we are understanding the real power the wind carries! 🙌

CEI supports efforts to enhance environmental solutions like this in our region!😌

Thank you to everyone who came to this amazing iNaturalist intro event at Galbreath Wildlands Preserve! 🙌✨🏞️

Also, thank you to our speakers and partners for helping us build a future where nature and people thrive together.🤲🥹

Together we observed a wide diversity of living things and learned new skills with technology.📱 With this journey, attendees investigated and identified plants🌱 and insects🐞 , because they are everywhere around us and offer mysteries for iNat users to solve!

RUN DON'T WALK OUTSIDE...unless you prefer to walk. Then walk outside! 🚶☀️🌳

National Get Outdoors Day is tomorrow on June 13th! The day is used to remind you to step outside, enjoy nature's beauty, and explore something new! ✨👀

Don't allow your phone to show you something new in nature when you can head outside and search for it yourself!📵

Participating is as simple as going on a hike, touching grass, or even joining CEI by participating in our events, programs, and more! 😌

We do so much to improve the environment around us and so can you! 🙌

Do spring and summer weeds take over your land? 🏞️Do you wonder why they keep spreading and how to effectively manage them without doing harm to other species?🛑 Then join Price Sheppy, conservation director of the Anderson Valley land Trust, and Clebson Gomes Goncalves, UCANR’s diversified agriculture advisor for Lake and Mendocino counties, at the Galbreath Wildlands Preserve on Saturday, June 13, from 10 AM to 4 PM. 🤲✨

📅 Saturday, June 13, 2026
🕙 10 AM–4 PM
📍 Galbreath Wildlands Preserve
🎟️ Free Event • Registration Required

Register w/ QR Code OR with the link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/w64rhpk

**dWalk **ds

POV: We're all getting involved in this week's Invasive Species Action Week!🌱✨

This week, CEI is highlighting California's Invasive Species Action Week (CISAW) -- happening until June 14th. This event focuses on learning about the different invasive animals, plants, and insects that affect California's ecosystem. ⛰️

While gaining awareness, this week also provides an opportunity to understand ways we can take action to stop the spread of invasive species. 🛑

Making a difference doesn't have to be difficult. It can be as easy as utilizing native plants in your garden, becoming an active member in an organization focused on removing invasive species, and so much more!😌

Do you want to get involved locally and start creating some change? Learn to identify invasive weeds in your area and manage them by attending our W**d Walk on June 13th!🤲

📅 Saturday, June 13, 2026
🕙 10 AM–4 PM
📍 Galbreath Wildlands Preserve
🎟️ Free Event • Registration Required

Register w/ QR Code OR with the link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/w64rhpk

🚨Wildlife Wednesday Just Dropped!!!🚨

What's up nature lovers!👋😌

This week, we are highlighting the Black Phoebe! 🐦‍⬛This cool bird has an all-black look with a bright white belly that forms an upside-down "V" shape on its chest. If you ever see one, try and look for its dark beak and legs. However, younger ones tend to have some brown feathers mixed in. Do you want to learn more? Keep reading!👀

This bird is found in several parts of the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. For example, in the U.S., the bird hangs out in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California, Oregon, and more! These animals like to be near water, costal cliffs, and even park fountains. So, keep an eye out!🙌

Hold on, there's more! These cool birds have two songs. They alternate between a tee-hee and tee-ho sound. The songs are mainly sung by the male bird.🎶

Shoutout to electriceye64 (iNaturalist) for the photo! 📷

Waving hello to all you ocean lovers! 🦈🦀🐠

This is a reminder to RUN, don't walk, to the OCEAN!!!! 🏃‍♂️‍➡️🌊

Today is World Oceans Day! This day commemorates more than looking at sparkly blue waters. ✨It calls attention to the global action needed to protect ecosystems🪸, wildlife🪼, and more!

This years Action Theme is: "Universal."🪐 But, what exactly does this mean?🤨 It is defined as a shared responsibility between all us to protect our ocean. We work toward a healthy, stable climate and thriving biodiversity.💪

You might also be asking, "How can I get involved?" 🤔Well...let me tell you! Here at CEI we have a WATERS Collaborative💧 that encourages individuals of all backgrounds and disciplines in finding solutions to water challenges in the Russian River Watershed. What's even cooler is that with these efforts, we can prevent further damages to these amazing oceans since our rivers and creeks all connect! ⛓️Cool right? 😎

To learn more visit: https://cei.sonoma.edu/

Wait! Before you keep scrolling... it's World Environment Day Today!!!!🌍👀⭐️

The theme this year is "Climate Action"...but what does that mean? This holiday underlines the importance of taking care of and reading the signals our planet sends. 🤲We must remain aware of rising sea levels, wildfires, and increasing heatwaves to understand the urgency of taking action.🤝

We are getting closer to exceeding the global warming threshold of 1.5°C. Climate change is no longer a future threat — it is an issue that needs to be resolved NOW.

At CEI, Education Into Action re-imagines the role of higher education in addressing these real-world climate challenges. We currently address challenges in water (Rising Waters)💧, fire (Fire Up)🔥, forests (Forest Futures)🌳, and land management (Eco Edge)⛰️. CEI provides structure and support to create a meaningful impact on the Earth.

For more info visit: https://cei.sonoma.edu/