Wetlands breathe in carbon dioxide, but can breathe out methane.
Timely news, art, ideas and science from the natural world of Northern California.
How Laura Cunningham Became a Signature Artist for California’s Former Landscapes
What did natural California look like before the arrival of Europeans? Laura Cunningham paints it.
The Fastest Population Growth in the West’s Wildland-Urban Interface is in Areas Most Vulnerable to Wildfires
New research shows that some areas of the wildland-urban interface – the land where development ends and wilderness begins – are at much higher risk of burning than others.
We’re Celebrating: Digital Editor Eric Simons Wins Journalism Award
Bay Nature Digital Editor Eric Simons has won a 2021 Excellence in Journalism award for his story “Land Back” on the challenges of Indigenous land repatriation in the Bay Area.
Volunteers Save Thousands of Newts from Becoming Roadkill
Tens of thousands of newts try to cross Chileno Valley Road every year in the breeding season. Volunteers try to help them make it alive.
Deadly Fungus Found in California Salamanders
The chytrid fungal pathogen Bd causes a dangerous skin infection and spreads easily.
Big Rain Leads to a Big Year for Salmon
Record-breaking rainfall drenched much of the Bay Area in late October and again around Christmas, leading to flooding, power outages, snarled traffic — and a great season for a fish that has had it rough in recent years. For East-Bay … Read more
Bay Nature’s Winter 2022 Issue and “Interviewing an Animal in Its Own Language”
Considering face-to-face encounters with wild animals.
We Urgently Need More Information about Spiders, as Climate Change Means New Risks for Them
Climate change seems like a critical threat to spiders. But researchers are hampered by a lack of basic information.
Seemingly Headed for Extinction in 2020, Western Monarchs Boom Back in 2021
In 2020, less than 2,000 monarchs were counted at overwintering sites in California. Scientists weren’t sure if they’d come back. This year’s count shows that they did, and in a big way.