Explore sweeping coastal prairies, redwood forests, and oak woodlands at a new national monument near Santa Cruz
The Ocean
Fall Issue 2025
Finding Bugula
A colony of hundreds of small animals, whose symbiotic bacteria pumps out human medicine.
Wild Billions
The Epic Saga of the Verna A II, a Shoreline Menace No More
A derelict fishing vessel has finally been removed from a Sonoma County beach, after nine years. Waiting to do the cleanup more than doubled the cost.
Science and Nature
Unmasking the Sea Star Killer
After a decade of carnage, we finally know what’s devastating sea stars along North America’s West Coast. Does that mean scientists can save them?
Conservation
Map: Where Oodles of Federal Dollars for Nature Have Gone
BIL and IRA spending on nature in the greater San Francisco Bay Area has topped $1 billion, according to Bay Nature’s most recent tally for our Wild Billions project.
Climate Change
These Programs Have Monitored Our Waters For Decades. Trump Could Destroy Them.
“Long-term monitoring isn’t sexy,” says one source. But this data is how we know what is happening to the planet.
Spring Issue 2025
Naturalist’s Notebook: Disco Anemones
The sunburst anemone has two color morphs and a glowing reputation.
Spring Issue 2025
A New Story for Sperm Whales
Nearly 175 years after Moby-Dick, pioneering research from Monterey Canyon and beyond is transforming how we understand the life of an enigmatic ocean legend.
Science and Nature
Along With Its New Park, Ocean Beach Gets a Dunescaping
Sea-level rise is threatening San Francisco’s shores. Vegetating the sand dunes is part of the city’s answer.
Winter Issue 2025
A 200-Year-Old Scale That Will Help You Read the Wind
On land, we can usually afford to ignore the wind. Not so in a small sailboat, where the wind is your boss.
