Serving up your Bay Area nature news digest:
- New study finds Cal sea otter population has grown since 2012, not yet enough to be removed from threatened list. [Live Science]
- Weekend downpour not enough to dampen Bay Area’s driest year on record, so far. [San Jose Mercury News]
- With 84 percent of Yosemite’s Rim Fire contained, officials say full containment won’t happen until early October. [SF Appeal]
- Marin locals weigh in on traffic and parking issues at Muir Woods in community meeting. [Marin Independent Journal]
- Scientists testing out new whale tracking app to prevent ship collisions. [SF Appeal]
- Where did all the 2011 Japanese tsunami debris end up? Not on Californian shores. [San Jose Mercury News]
- What’s the latest on CEQA “reform”? Apparently a bunch of new exemptions. [Legal Planet]
- San Mateo county parks turn to crowdfunding to encourage community investment in parks. [San Mateo Daily Journal]
- Should billionaire George Lucas get to build a graphic art museum in old commissary spot at Crissy Field? [SFist]
- Ever wondered about the history of one of SF’s only natural lakes — Mountain Lake? [San Francisco Chronicle]