This Trump Change Could ‘Eviscerate’ the U.S. Endangered Species Act
A plan to redefine ‘harm’ could remove federal habitat protections from almost 100 Bay Area listed species. The proposal is now open for public comment until May 17.
Category: Biodiversity
Spring 2025 Almanac: Madrones and Gophers
Life during spring can take your breath away.
Behold the Flamboyant Mating Rituals of Grebes
Western and Clark’s grebes strike rakish figures on Bay Area waters. But for all the attention they command, the secrets of their lives are well-guarded.
Even Ground Squirrels Got In On the Vole Feast Last Summer
For the first time, scientists documented concerted carnivory by California ground squirrels. But why were there so many voles?
Naturalist’s Notebook: The Nuances of Yellow-Rumped Warblers
Yellow-rumped warblers are around in winter. But which variant are you seeing?
Winter 2025 Almanac: Salamanders and Sperm Whales
Life during winter is full of conversation.
A Mussel Bed is Full of Life, 80 Years Later
The invertebrates found in a mussel bed on Dillon Beach in western Marin County are just as abundant as they were in 1941. But the types of organisms have changed.
The Adder’s-Tongue—Our Fetid Friend in the Shadows
Deep in the shadows of redwood understory, when winter rains still drip on the mosses and ferns, an unusual flower heralds the beginning of the blooms—a sort of “flower new year” before spring.
What Lies Beneath
Can we keep Lake Tahoe's aquatic invaders at bay?
A Sapsucker Superspecies Is Evolving In Our Midst
Rows of pea-size holes, drilled in the trunks of thin-barked trees, are the beginnings of a story that stretches back millions of years.
