Believing in the Power of Beavers
California's beavers have been by turns hunted, protected, and neglected—even parachuted away to distant forests. Today, the embattled rodent is finding new appreciation for its ecological work.
Conservation
Giving Back to the Green Hills: Winter 2024 Stewardship Opportunities
Those fantastically green hills, meadows, and gardens of Bay Area winter could use your help.
Oakland’s Urban Tree Dreams Get (Partially) Funded
The city’s draft urban forest plan has drawn more than 800 comments—many clamoring for more native trees.
A River Runs Above Us
In mid-November 2021, a great storm begins brewing in the central Pacific Ocean north of Hawai‘i. Especially warm water, heated by the sun, steams off the sea surface and funnels...
Inside the East Oakland Plant Nursery That’s Breaking the Incarceration Cycle
“Nobody's got our kind of re-entry program that mixes soil, re-entry, healing, and good pay,” says Planting Justice's operations manager, Lynn Vidal.
As Cities Heat Up, USDA Grants $42 Million for Urban Trees Around the Bay
The money is meant to fix longstanding tree-cover gaps in disadvantaged neighborhoods—but it’s a fraction of what’s needed.
The Comeback Quail
The official bird of San Francisco has been AWOL in the city for years. But the Presidio hopes to change that.
All Vaxxed Up and Ready to Roost, Six Captive-Born Condors Fly Free
Though, faced with freedom, Condor 1139 and his fellow juveniles take their sweet time to step across the threshold. "We're on condor time," says a program manager.
It’s Looking Like a Banner Year for Baby Newts in the North Bay
“In some areas, they blanketed the road,” says a volunteer newt-rescue organizer.
Newfangled Horizontal Levees Rise (Gently) Across the Bay
A dozen such projects have sprouted, offering habitat-friendly flood protection. Getting permission for them is a challenge.
