A team of scientists recently unearthed an exceptionally well preserved fossil of a complete mammoth skull from an eroding stream bank on Santa Rosa Island.

The team, consisted of retired National Park Service archaeologist Don Morris,  Mammoth Site paleontologist Justin Wilkins and Monica Bugbee.

“This mammoth find is extremely rare and of high scientific importance. It appears to have been on the Channel Islands at the nearly same time as humans,” Wilkins said.

Geologists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have dated charcoal samples adjacent to the specimen to approximately 13,000 years old. The dating is significant since this time period coincides with the age of Arlington Man, the oldest human skeletal remains in North America, also found on Santa Rosa Island.

It is believed that the Columbian mammoths migrated to the Channel Islands during the past two ice ages when sea levels were lower and the island land mass was closer to the mainland coast.

Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Russel Galipeau said, “One of the purposes of the park is to provide scientific value. This project is a great example of a multidisciplinary collaboration to learn about the prehistory of the park.”

The mammoth specimen was first discovered in September 2014 by National Park Service biologist Peter Larramendy, who noticed an ivory tusk protruding from gravel sediment in the canyon wall while he was conducting a stream study.

by Sheli Ellsworth

On October 18, Rincon-Vitova Insectaries won the international 2016 Regenerative Business Prize at the Regenerative Business Summit in Seattle Washington. Founded in 1959 by entomologist Everett Dietrick who passed away in 2008, the company is located at 108 Orchard Drive, just outside the Ventura city limits. RVI pioneered the commercial production of biological controls in pest management and produces, imports and distributes natural enemies for the control of pests like houseflies, beetles, mites, whitefly, grubs, moths, snails, and many others. pests. They also supply beneficial organisms like nematodes (to control pests that live in the soil) and microbials to kickstart soil biology. They are very active promoting living soil, because an acre of healthy living soil has six tons of microbes digesting wastes, protecting roots, sequestering carbon dioxide,  opening up soil structure and conserving water. They also sell  botanicals like orange oil and hot pepper extract to control pests. RVI offers technical support for the use of their products as well as educational materials about composting, organic gardening, and protecting pollinators.

RVI serves thousands of large and small farms, home gardens, nurseries, green houses, landscape and interior plantscapers, livestock and composting operations, stables, hotels and resorts, zoos, botanical gardens, government agencies, many research institutions, and private residences.

Everett taught that the key to pest management is understanding the behavior and life cycle of pests and of the beneficials that attack them. “Often the most effective strategy does not require the purchase of products. It requires knowledge of how to integrate features of crop rotation, variety, fertility, tillage, irrigation, insect attractant, and habitat management that can make a big difference in the ratio of good bugs to bad.” Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is not just one thing; it is a series of activities, which fosters natural enemies to keep pests within tolerable limits. IPM uses pesticides only as a last resort.

The company, operated by a dozen employees, occupies one acre of land, has $1.3 million in gross sales and ships millions of bugs all over the continental US. The biggest obstacle to their business is the competition from the marketing of chemical pesticides. Since insects cannot be patented and have relatively short life cycles, “success depends on expert guidance for the customer to set up a program.” RVI’s licensed pest control advisor, Ron Whitehurst, says that as farmers move from chemical toward biological farming they need a broader ecological regenerative mindset Trends related to global warming and the potential of biological agriculture to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere has increased the company’s sales. At present, about half the company’s business is concentrated on fly control and the remainder on field crops, orchards, zoos, botanical gardens and conservatories.

Rincon-Vitova also supports training projects of the Dietrick Institute for Applied Insect Ecology and a subsidiary company produces the D-Vac Vacuum Insect Net used for monitoring the insect ecology on farmscapes and landscapes. Go to http://www.rinconvitova.com for information and newsletters.

Attention film enthusiasts and filmmakers: If you haven’t started working on your short film yet for the Water: Take 1 Online Short Film Festival, it’s not too late!

Awards include the Audience Choice Award, voted on by the general public with the winner receiving a brand new iPad; the award for Best Student Short Film, chosen by a jury of entertainment and water industry experts with a GoPro camera for a prize; and the Grand Prize of $1,500 cash presented by Ventura Water.

Film submissions are now being accepted through Dec. 14, so don’t miss the deadline! Winners will be announced at a celebration event to be held in Ventura in the spring of 2017. Last year, 48 films were entered from around the globe. The 5th annual contest kicked off with a party held on September 21 in Ventura.

Water: Take 1 aims to create a greater awareness of water as a valuable resource by inviting filmmakers locally and worldwide to submit short films of five minutes or less in any genre – drama, documentary, comedy, animation, sci-fi or experimental – that address the topic of water.

A new partner in the festival this year, the Palmdale Water District, is also sponsoring the Palmdale Vision Award, recognizing films that best represent its mission and objectives, also for a $500 cash prize.

If you’re not sure what your short film should look like, get inspired by watching the Palmdale Water District’s hilarious minute-long film, The Conservation Enforcer, which won the 2015 grand prize. View The Conservation Enforcer here.

For more contest details, visit www.watertake1.com.