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.
Why Are There So Many Fires, and Other Common California Wildfire Questions
Wildfires have become larger, more frequent, more severe, and more destructive to human life and property in many ecosystems in California in recent decades. If you’ve lived in California for a while, it might feel like this has suddenly become … Read more
Now, California Waits for the Fires
Drought returns to California, with a long fire season ahead.
With Fewer than 2,000 Butterflies Counted So Far, Western Monarch Takes an Astonishing Step Closer to Extinction
After dipping below its potential “extinction threshold,” the beloved butterfly population crashed again in 2020.
Climate Change and Forest Management Have Both Fueled Today’s Epic Western Wildfires
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. What is driving the wildfires that are ravaging California, Oregon and Washington? President Trump and state officials have offered sharply different views. Trump asserts … Read more
Environmental Groups Oppose U.S. Army Corps Plan to Dredge the Bay for Bigger Oil Tankers
Conservation groups say the environmental assessment avoids considering environmental justice or marine life
What Happened to Commercial Crab Season?
Why couldn’t I buy live crabs this Thanksgiving? Whether or not you choose to use your carnassial teeth for their intended purpose, eating Dungeness crabs (Metacarcinus magister) is something of a regional tradition around the holidays. A “crab feed” is … Read more
How to Start Adapting to California’s “Precipitation Whiplash”
Much of California enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate where the weather typically swings like a pendulum from warm, dry summers to cool, wet winters. Year-to-year, this pendulum can swing with great variation. If it doesn’t swing toward rain and snow … Read more
These Trees Survived California’s Drought and That’s Giving Scientists Hope for Climate Change
The drought killed a lot of trees. But not all of them.
As Temperatures Change, What Organisms Move North to California?
What are some the biological consequences of climate change in Northern California?