Why California Can’t Tell You Where It’s Unsafe to Swim
For most lakes and rivers, the state’s official map of fecal bacterial contamination shows data that’s more than a year old.
The Ocean
Solving the Mystery of Point Reyes’ Purple Waves
Meet the wildly complex, lilac-hued squishy that has been arriving in droves in our coastal waters.
Naturalist’s Notebook: See the World in a Velella
Did you know that you an find an echo of the spin of the planet in the sails of the by-the-wind sailors that wash ashore in spring and early summer?
Seaside Subterfuge
When you’re tidepooling this spring, an encrusted crustacean might surprise you.
After Elephant Seal Deaths, the Race Is On for Bird Flu Investigators
A big question now is whether the virus will spread between seals.
First Cotoni-Coast Dairies Trails Opening At Last
Explore sweeping coastal prairies, redwood forests, and oak woodlands at a new national monument near Santa Cruz
Finding Bugula
A colony of hundreds of small animals, whose symbiotic bacteria pumps out human medicine.
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.
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?
