Emily Erickson: Researching Monarch Migration Mysteries
by Sarah Van Roo – Wandering the trails and sidewalks of Oakland with a butterfly net over her shoulder, Emily Erickson is clocking about 60 miles a month in search of elusive monarch butterflies. After completing her Entomology doctorate at Penn State, Emily returned to her native California as a post-doctoral researcher on a UC Davis project that has brought her home to Oakland to study the population dynamics of the urban butterfly. She is working on a study of non-migratory local monarch butterflies and their behavior and also seeks to determine whether there is evidence that our urban gardens over space and time influence (positively or negatively) the better-known migratory western monarchs who migrate every year between coastal California and inland breeding sites west of the Rockies. The iconic monarch butterfly is studied by most schoolchildren as it moves through its four fascinating transformations: from a tiny pinprick of an egg… CONTINUE READING
Grand Avenue Merchant News – February 2022by Ken Katz – The Noir City Film Festival, which ended on the 29th, was a huge success at the Grand Lake box office, but it also directly benefited at least two Grand Avenue businesses. Attendees attired in period dress ventured up the block to snap up copies of Dark City and books in the film noir genre that Walden Pond had displayed in the lobby. George Adranly, owner of nearby Ikaros, was similarly pleased. One of the main drivers of the festival is a regular patron of the Greek restaurant and apparently lots of the film devotees followed his example. The same kind of collaborative process is in the works for the Grand Opening of ReLove on Saturday, February 18 from 5:00-9:00 pm. Since owner Delila Hailechristos is expecting a large turnout, Jessica and Kori at Alkali Rye are arranging outdoor seating and will also open up their… CONTINUE READING
Lakeshore BID – February 2022 Highlights
by Kira Pascoe – Halloween and Halloween weekend were festive on Lakeshore and Lake Park Ave! See how Lakeshore celebrated from the Annual Parade, parties, treats, and swag. Big news for the Avenue: 1) Lakeshore Cafe celebrated its 20th anniversary and, in celebration, has overhauled its menu (yum!). 2) The owners of Bardo Lounge and Supper Club have bought Sidebar. 3) Hipline has grown to have classes in-person and online. Now, they have an online boutique with cool swag and stylish clothes. Giving Back: Proposition Chicken and the Oakland LBGTQ Center are giving back to the community with efforts to community food security and education. Read all about it. CONTINUE READING
Odds and Ends – by Ken Katz 
Multiple Businesses on Grand and Lakeshore have recently been burglarized
Can ChatGPT solve homelessness?
Splash Pad’s Grand Crew volunteers need reinforcements
If you ended up in District 1 due to redistricting, Dan Kalb wants to hear from you. CONTINUE READING
February 2022 Calendar
by Sheila McCormick – This month’s top picks:
February 3: Rotary Nature Friends – Chat #27: Estuaries, Biology, and Lake Merritt
February 13: Broken Hearts Party and Shrine Launch at Main Library
February 26: Oakland the Beautiful Community Art Showcase at Camron Stanford House
February 26: Black Joy Parade and Festival – Entrance at 14th & Franklin
For the full month’s calendar, please click on this link.
Perhaps common knowledge by now, but the display case was taken out of Merritt Bakery on Lakeshore in the last few days and today I see that the “Closed/Open” as well as the menus have been removed. Fond memories of all the times I visited when the bakery was over near Lucky’s, and now it may be the end (unless they’re moving somewhere else).