Century-old bird nests help scientists time-travel to San Francisco Bay’s lost plant communities.
The San Francisco Bay Area is bejeweled with hundreds of parks and open space preserves as well as a rich set of laws and policies meant to ensure the survival of vulnerable species and ecosystems. Real people made this happen through a dedicated call to stewardship.
A Nasty Salmon-Killing Tire Chemical Is in Bay Waterways. Can It Be Cleaned Up?
6PPD-quinone comes from a long-used chemical that will be hard to replace in tires. But green infrastructure like “living levees” may help trap it.
In a Changing World, a Biologist Documents the Newt Normal
Droughts, wildfires, and heat waves are putting unprecedented strain on newts. With help, scientists hope, they may be able to persevere.
After ‘Heartbreaking’ Vandalism, Sausal Creek Plant Nursery Volunteers Pick Up the Pieces
Over 4,000 native plant seedlings were knocked over in broad daylight at the Friends of Sausal Creek’s native plant nursery in Joaquin Miller Park, Oakland. At least 600 seedlings were lost, and the creek restoration organization estimates material damages as high as $8,000.
Remembering Phyllis Faber: 1928-2023
Veteran environmental activist, writer, editor, publisher, educator, and coastal wetlands scientist Phyllis Faber has made countless contributions to the Bay Area environmental movement.
Juristac: Proving the Sanctity of a Landscape
The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band has been barred from Juristac, a place of great cultural importance, for generations. The land has been grazed by cattle and developed for oil production over the years, and now, an investor group wants to build a sand-and-gravel quarry at the site.
This Winter, Get Your Hands Dirty: Stewardship Volunteer Opportunities
Want to do more outdoors than play? The Bay Area is rich with protected habitat that needs tending. Discover your community and get outside while doing good. Reach out to these organizations, and check BayNature.org/events for more.
6 Million Acres to Go
California, the most biodiverse state, hopes to stave off the Sixth Extinction by protecting 30 percent of its lands and waters by 2030. How’s that going?
How Indigenous People Got Some Land Back in Oakland
The city of Oakland just made history by giving over five acres in Joaquin Miller Park to an Indigenous land trust’s stewardship. But the backstory was decades in the making.
Bats Tell Us How Healthy the East Bay’s Habitat Is
A Bat Brigade of volunteers has been helping collect data at the “bat castle,” watching when bats leave their roosts to forage.