From SFGate...
Snow Shortage Followed by Potential Whiteout in Sierras
01/05/2024Heavy snow is projected in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Previously, warmer storms had been bringing precipitation mainly to higher elevations in the Sierras.
From YubaNet...
01/04/2024Research shows that a mountain chickadee facing deep snow is like a canary in a coal mine—its survivability tells us about the challenges ahead.
From LAist...
Bright Blue Waves Return to Southern California
01/03/2024Bright blue waves have been spotted in Long Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. The bioluminescence is caused by organisms known as dinoflagellates and can impact fish populations.
From Sacramento Bee...
Sierra Snowpack at 25% of Usual Levels
01/02/2024The California Department of Water Resources has found that the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains is at just 25% of normal levels for this time of year. This could potentially impact water supply and wildfire protection.
From The Mercury News...
Collisions With Buildings Are Killing Millions of Birds Nationwide
12/26/2023A dark-sky movement to save birds from window strikes is sweeping the San Francisco Bay Area. Several cities have passed or are drafting laws restricting light pollution while making windows easier for birds to see.
From Monterey Herald...
How Gruesome Seal Deaths on the California Coast Revealed a Surprise Predator
12/22/2023Sarah Grimes investigates reports of dead marine mammals up and down the coast. So when she began finding the decapitated bodies of harbor seal pups just a few miles north of Fort Bragg in 2016, she was on the case. Grimes wasn’t able to pin down the culprit until last year, with the help of a UCSC student.
From SFGate...
Tribe Acquires Vast Land in Northern California, Will Remove Dams
12/21/2023The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced it is acquiring about 10,000 acres of land in Northern California for $14.1 million. As part of this, the tribe will remove dams along the Klamath River and restore salmon runs.
From Sacramento Bee...
Single Delta Tunnel Wins Approval from State
12/21/2023The California Department of Water Resources has approved building a tunnel between the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The approval could signal a new wave of legal challenges to the long-running and controversial project.
From Los Angeles Times...
Kern County Is Poised to Become Warehousing’s Next Frontier
12/19/2023Farmland is being rezoned for industrial use, and massive warehouses are being built on spec near communities like Buttonwillow and Shafter, so goods coming through the Southern California ports can be shipped quickly throughout the western United States.
From CalMatters...
Ranchers, Tribes Clash Over Water, Salmon Ahead of Sweeping New Irrigation Regulations
12/17/2023Salmon populations in the Scott and Shasta rivers have crashed, so state officials are about to restrict irrigation again. And the controversial rules may even become permanent.
From Capital & Main...
Kern County Looks to Make Renewable Energy with Carbon Dioxide
12/12/2023Officials in Kern County are proposing to build a carbon management facility that would be twice the size of Manhattan. By doing this, they would leverage federal tax credits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
From YubaNet...
Millions of Birds Lose Precious Energy Due to New Year’s Eve Fireworks
12/11/2023Birds are affected by the mass use of fireworks on New Year’s Eve up to a distance of 10 km away, reports an international team of researchers.
From New York Times...
NY Times Meteorologist Talks California’s Big Year of Weather for 2023
12/11/2023Judson Jones, a meteorologist and reporter for The New York Times, gave a Q&A about California’s year of intense weather. This included the state’s largest snowpack in 40 years and a “pretty astonishing” amount of precipitation.
From SFGate...
Yosemite Trying New Strategies to Reduce Food Packaging Waste
12/11/2023An estimated 100,000 pizza boxes have been removed from Yosemite’s waste stream. This is because the famed park now serves pizza on trays and puts to-go portions in compostable bags, part of a move to reduce food-related waste.
From YubaNet...
Research Explores Capacity of Biochar to Combat Climate Change, Improve Forest Soils
12/08/2023A Cal Poly Humboldt professor is partnering with USDA researchers to study biochar, which results from heating dry plant-based materials at high temperatures without oxygen. The CO2 in the charcoal then stays in the soil for hundreds of years, rather than in the atmosphere.
From Sacramento Bee...
State Releases EIR for Delta Tunnel
12/08/2023The California Department of Water Resources released an environmental impact report for a tunnel that the state would like to build through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The report identifies potential impacts to farmland, tribal remains and endangered species of fish.
From New York Times...
Plan to Eliminate Catalina’s Deer Infuriates Locals
12/07/2023Conservationists intend to shoot all of the deer on Santa Catalina Island by helicopter. Some people are opposed, either for not wanting to eliminate the deer or for missing out on future chances to hunt them.
From Capital & Main...
CA Air Resources Board Staff Barred from Talking to Retired Staffer
12/06/2023Staff at the state’s air regulatory agency have been restricted from communicating with Jim Duffy, a scientist who retired from the agency in 2022. Duffy had criticized gas lobbyists and an agency director.
From Sacramento Bee...
State Might Soon Require Replacing Broken A/C Units
12/06/2023California energy regulators are considering requiring homeowners to replace broken air-conditioning systems with heat pumps or HVAC systems that are more energy efficient. The change would go into effect in 2026.
From Los Angeles Times...
High-Speed Rail Project Connecting SoCal to Las Vegas Wins Grant
12/05/2023Private company Brightline secured a $3 billion grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation toward a 218-mile high-speed rail line from Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas. The line would allow people to make the trip to Sin City in a little over two hours.
From KQED...
Oakland Might Have to Pay Developers Millions Over Coal Terminal
12/04/2023An Alameda County judge ruled on Nov. 22 that the city of Oakland thwarted a proposed coal export terminal. The judge will rule if the developer who sued is entitled to $159 million in damages or moving forward with the project.
From SFGate...
Imperial County Might Have Enough Lithium for 375 Million Batteries
12/04/2023A new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that approximately 3,400 kilotons of lithium are located below Imperial County in Southern California. This could produce more than $7 billion in lithium carbonate annually, helping power significant numbers of electric vehicles.
From YubaNet...
Science Points to ‘Climate Collapse’ as UN Chief Calls for Action
11/30/2023The world is heating up at an unprecedented pace, new climate data shows, and leaders gathered for the COP28 conference in Dubai must get us out of “deep trouble,” UN chief António Guterres said.
From SFGate...
Sewage Spill Closes Southern California Beach
11/29/2023Two miles of public beach were closed in Laguna Beach following a spill of 94,500 gallons of sewage. Orange County is testing water to determine when the beach will be safe to reopen.
From YubaNet...
DOE Analysis Confirms Salton Sea Is a Rich Domestic Lithium Resource
11/28/2023An analysis by the U.S. Department of Energy found that with expected technology advances, the Salton Sea region’s total lithium resources could produce more than 3,400 kilotons of lithium, enough to support over 375 million batteries for electric vehicles—more than the total number currently on U.S. roads.
From CalMatters...
As Storms Hit California, Reservoirs are Healthy. But Water Forecast Remains Unclear
11/16/2023Unlike a year ago, water storage is above average. Whether the year is wet or dry, though, remains uncertain despite El Niño conditions.
From CalMatters...
In Rare Strike by Civil Servants, State-Employed Scientists Walk Out for Better Pay
11/15/2023More than 4,000 state scientists have worked under an expired contract for three years. Average wages in 2020 were $83,586, 27% less than state engineers’ pay. The state filed an unfair labor practice charge to stop the strike.
From CalMatters...
Families Struggle to Pay Power Bills, but California Regulators May Hike Prices
11/14/2023Millions of people across the state struggle to pay electric bills as California regulators decide on proposed rate increases. PG&E wants a rate hike to bolster the safety and reliability of its services.
From The Guardian...
Southern California Has Wolves Again, for the First Time in Nearly 150 Years
11/13/2023A 2021 fire has helped bring wolves back to Southern California for the first time since the 19th century. A rancher is worried about how to keep wolves, which are federally protected, from harming cattle.
From Los Angeles Times...
A Proposed Development Might Threaten California’s Oldest Tree
11/06/2023A shrubby Palmer oak tree in Riverside County is around 13,000 years old, making it California’s oldest tree and one of the longest-lived organisms on earth. Some people are concerned that a proposed development could threaten the tree.
From YubaNet...
Nevada County RCD Offers No-Cost Prescribed Fire Training
11/03/2023The Nevada County Resource Conservation District is launching a multi-year education program for private landowners to learn how to use prescribed fire as a tool to reduce wildfire hazard and promote healthy ecosystems.
From New York Times...
UCLA Scientist: California’s Redwoods Might Not Last Another Century
10/31/2023A UCLA climate scientist says California’s redwoods might not last in their current groves for another 100 years. An effort is afoot to plant redwoods elsewhere in more potentially hospitable climates, such as the Pacific Northwest.