2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, the Marin-based organization that tracks the movements of birds of prey over the Marin Headlands. Since 1984, more than 1,500 volunteers have logged 40,000 hours alongside staff and scientists to monitor raptors along one of West Coast’s most trafficked migratory routes.
Planning for the Pond Turtle’s Protection
Scientists are working on the first draft of a conservation strategy for California’s only native freshwater turtle, the western pond turtle. The state Department of Fish and Game (DFG) commissioned the U.S. Forest Service’s Redwood Sciences Laboratory to write the … Read more
A Pasture Becomes a Rich Birdwatching and Kayaking Area in Point Reyes
Wildlife thrives at Giacomini Wetland at the south end of Tomales Bay.
Top Billing for Shorebirds
As summer turns to fall, thousands of shorebirds return to the shoreline and mudflats of San Francisco Bay, either for a pit stop on their way south or to stay for the winter. Sometimes many different kinds gather in one place. How can you tell them apart?
Trial by Fire for Condors
In June 2008, when the Basin Fire burned through the Big Sur coast, California condors, and the biologists who monitor them, faced wildlfire for the first time in living memory. After a heroic rescue of juvenile birds, the scientists and the flock came out well. Now they face more insidious threats: lead shot in carcasses and deadly trash along roadways.
New Submarine Explores California’s Sea Floor
The Nature Conservancy launched the Beagle, a new deep-sea submersible whose first missions is to assess the impacts of different kinds of trawling in Morro Bay.
Protecting Raptors and Climbers at the Pinnacles National Monument
Every summer, Pinnacles National Monument staff lift seasonal rock climbing closures on several rock formations that close each year to protect nesting raptors. For the last 23 years, park staff have closed routes to climbers to allow the birds to nest undisturbed, and raptor health has stayed high.
A Night Out with the Bats
Spend a night out as a bat and you’ll be amazed by these critters’ abilities to “see” in the dark and fly nimbly as they catch fast-flying bugs.
Around the Bend
Put your boat or raft in the river above Healdsburg and follow a wild, green thread flowing through an altered landscape.
Call of the Galls
Standing sentinel near the highest point in the East Bay Regional Park District, an ancient blue oak is our window into a spectrum of life in the orbit of one grand tree.