West Coast Salmon Show Up in East Coast Courtroom

gr-29008-1-1The federal government (National Marine Fisheries Service) and wildlife conservation groups are aligned in in a battle over pesticide use, with the latest round in a Virginia courtroom. NMFS wants to require no-spray buffer zones around waterways where salmon and steelhead live and migrate, for certain chemicals that are toxic to the fish. The chemical manufacturers are challenging that rule. Reporter Lori Abbott outlines the arguments.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service photo at the right shows fish casualties the agency says were the result of pesticide contamination. Courtesy of USFWS.

Environmental News

October 19, 2025

Ear to the Wild: The Sound of the Surf at Drakes Beach

With the busy-ness of one’s day to day life it’s easy to forget how the rhythms of nature can sooth us. It’s good to take a minute to tune into this place, and to all the other creatures who live here at Drakes Beach, in Point Reyes National Seashore.
September 28, 2025

Ear to the Wild: The Belted Kingfisher - Gustav’s “Mechanical Bird"

In memory of Gustav Hobel. My friend Gustav and I used to live next door to one another on Sonoma Creek. The Belted Kingfishers would fly by, calling, with that ratchety kind of sound that they have in their voice. That’s why he’d call them the “mechanical bird.”
Belted Kingfisher 24120918989
September 10, 2025

BeautifySJ

When San Jose volunteers feel the need to clean, BeautifySJ is there to supply all the tools and services necessary to facilitate their anti-litter activism.
September 10, 2025

The Trash Punx

“We’re a group of people…who want nothing but a cleaner world!”
May 27, 2025

The 3rd Annual Food and Wine Awards Recap

An unforgettable evening that brought together food lovers, changemakers, and public media supporters to celebrate the best of the Bay Area’s farms,…
Mar 10, 2025

Bay Area Bountiful: Fisher Creek Women

A group of women environmentalists from Point Blue Conservation Science and Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority get together to plant native…
Feb 25, 2025

Bay Area Bountiful: The Worm Lady

From thermal composting, to worm composting, to compost tea we see Alane O'Rielly spreading compost and spreading the good word about sustainable…

Northern California
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