Peregrine falcons — long celebrated as one of the greatest wildlife recovery stories in modern history — have seen rapid deaths across the greater San Francisco Bay Area since 2022. Long-term monitoring by the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group suggests bird flu could be the culprit.
Environment
Posted inEducation
Seymour Studios goes live with new community science podcast
The Seymour Marine Discovery Center launched a new podcast Tuesday to connect Santa Cruz County’s scientists, problem-solvers and community members. While the new show spotlights local environmental success stories, the studio itself offers an inclusive space for anyone in the community to record and share their message, conservation-focused or not.
Posted inLatest News
Big cats, bigger protections: Santa Cruz County mountain lions now listed as threatened
Mountain lions in Santa Cruz County recently gained new protections under the California Endangered Species Act after years as candidates for listing. Protecting six distinct puma populations around the state is a win for many dedicated researchers, but the move heightens the concerns about potential land-use and livestock impacts for developers, ranchers and farmers.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Barbara judge rules against company that turned to Trump for help restarting pipeline
A Santa Barbara judge tentatively ruled that the Trump administration’s intervention wasn’t enough to let Sable Offshore restart a pipeline shut after a 2015 oil spill.
Posted inLatest News
First bird flu cases confirmed in California’s northern elephant seals
Researchers have detected avian flu in a major breeding colony of northern elephant seal pups at Año Nuevo State Park. Swift detection has triggered an intense scientific response as researchers work to determine how the virus jumped species.
Posted inLatest News
Whale entanglements in fishing gear surge off West Coast during marine heat waves
New research finds that rising ocean temperatures are shrinking cool-water feeding grounds, pushing humpbacks into gear-heavy waters near shore. Scientists say an ocean forecasting tool could help fisheries reduce the risk.
Posted inLatest News
Through night drama, Elkhorn Slough reveals its salty secret life
A fresh look at North America’s coastal wetlands highlights the importance of the ecosystem in our own backyard: Elkhorn Slough. New camera-trap research and ongoing restoration offer rare insight and real optimism for the future of this landscape.
Posted inLatest News
California State Parks acquires 153-acre property for Big Basin expansion
The $2.4 million acquisition of the NoraBella property along Highway 236 is seen as a key step in the post-CZU fire recovery of Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Trump scraps a cornerstone climate finding as California prepares for court
After President Donald Trump rescinded the legal foundation for U.S. climate policy, California is preparing to sue — and could try to write its own rules.
Posted inLatest News
Facing ‘extinction vortex,’ California grants new protections to some mountain lions
State fish and game officials declared mountain lions on the Central Coast and in Southern California threatened under the state’s endangered species act.