AI system is spotting California wildfires as soon as they start
With a historic drought deepening across the Western United States, many residents, officials, and first responders are nervously awaiting an inevitable severe wildfire season. When it comes to wildfire, quick detection is key and even a few minutes can make the difference between homes saved and Read More...
Monarch conservation coalition launches huge milkweed planting initiative
Although monarch butterfly populations showed signs of recovery in recent years, these orange beauties are still highly threatened. The species’ numbers have fallen 99 percent since the 1980s, but a new collaboration between conservation groups, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Read More...
California identifies two sites for introduction of offshore wind energy
The US recently approved its first utility-scale offshore wind farm in Massachusetts, but the West Coast has been slower to adopt wind technology due to resistance from the Department of Defense. The same agreement that sanctioned the East Coast’s offshore wind farms will now finally expand wind Read More...
California commits to end oil extraction in the state by 2045
Following the federal commitment to reduce US emissions by 50 percent by 2030, California has expanded upon its climate commitments with the new goal of phasing out all oil extraction in the state by 2045. Additionally, it has demanded that the Department of Conservation halt all fracking permits Read More...
Three proposed solutions for California’s purple sea urchin crisis
If you dive under the waters of the Pacfic Ocean along the California coast, you’ll see the seafloor coated in small, spiny, purple creatures. These sea urchins are eating up local kelp forests at alarming rates, leaving behind a “purple carpet” wasteland in their wake. West coast divers are Read More...
Yurok Tribe to lead the reintroduction of condor in northern California
For the first time in 100 years, the endangered California condor is expected to once again soar the skies of the Pacific Northwest. The ambitious reintroduction effort will be led by the Yurok Tribe, whose ancestral land includes parts of Redwood National Park that were once home to the Read More...
New study shows that California’s diesel regulations are paying off
California has some of the most comprehensive air pollution prevention measures in the US and although cities like Los Angeles are still infamous for their smog, a new report shows that the state’s policies have been highly effective at improving air quality. Researchers from the University Read More...
New partnership helps wildlife and farmers coexist peacefully in California
Wildlife and the agricultural industry have long been at odds in California’s Central Valley. The rich farming region known as “the breadbasket of the world” is responsible for 20 percent of the US’ rice production, but it’s also a critical habitat space for migratory birds which have Read More...
Scientists design underwater elevator that boosts kelp growth four fold
As the production of biofuel continues to increase, so does the need for sustainable feedstocks. Corn, canola, and sugarcane have all been used to produce biofuels, but the problem is that these feedstocks require land to grow on as well as a lot of resources such as water and fertilizers. Kelp Read More...
This teen’s nonprofit has donated 30,000 pairs of shoes to the homeless
When Lindsay Sobel was 13, she needed a community project to meet the requirements of her Bat Mitzvah. That’s when she came up with the idea of collecting lightly used shoes and donating them to the homeless. Lindsay, who is from Chatsworth, California, started collecting shoes in her own Read More...