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.
Environment
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After President Donald Trump rescinded the legal foundation for U.S. climate policy, California is preparing to sue — and could try to write its own rules.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.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Offshore oil threatens Santa Cruz County’s coastal economy — we must act now
Local business and fishing leaders Kristen Brown, Terrence Concannon and Melissa Mahoney warn that proposed offshore oil and gas leasing would endanger local tourism, fisheries and the region’s coastal identity. They urge the public to submit “negative nominations” to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management by Feb. 26 to protect federal waters off Central California from drilling.
Posted inLatest News
Holding the line: What’s happening with salmon in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County’s salmon population faces a variety of threats, but scientists and habitat restoration groups point to the fish’s resilience, bolstered by decades of monitoring and an expanding web of restoration efforts.
Posted inLatest News
California spends billions based on this pollution tracker. Who benefits from its latest update?
California is updating CalEnviroScreen, the influential pollution tracker that helps determine which communities get environmental grants. Advocates say the state should improve the tool and use it more frequently to cut pollution.
Posted inFood & Drink
State OKs pop-up gear for spring Dungeness crab season
California Fish and Wildlife has approved ropeless pop-up gear for spring Dungeness crab fishing, allowing licensed fishers statewide to apply to use the whale-safe technology from April 1 through July 15.
Posted inLatest News
Mountain lion roams posh San Francisco neighborhood before being captured
A 77-pound mountain lion set off a scramble Tuesday as it wandered through San Francisco’s wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood before finally being captured as onlookers safely peered from their home windows or stood across the street.
