Nature

by Peter Baye published in the July & September, 2017 issues of The Calypso, newsletter of the Dorothy King Young Chapter of the California Native Plant Society reprinted with permission Part 1 – Wigeongrass and Sago pondweed Last April (2017), our local public radio station (KZYX) ran an excellent “Ecology Hour” program interviewing world-renowned oceanographer John Largier from University of …

If we have ever taken a walk anywhere in our area and come back home without being able to name or describe a single tree, this article will make you think anew about the trees that surround us. Here we learn why attending to trees and their differences makes us ever aware of local resources, some ancient, others quite recent. …

Are you ready to learn more about how beaver coexistence can build capacity for land managers and owners in California? Join the California Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program on June 10, 2026 from 9-11:30am for an informative webinar featuring coexistence experts and practitioners. By the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center – visit their website to register for the webinar …

Beavers, nature’s furry water engineers, are making a comeback on a major Central Coast waterbody with help from the California Water Boards and a group of dedicated educators and volunteers. published by California Water Boards, April 8, 2026 Beavers stand on a lodge they made in Mather Lake. Credit- California Department of Fish and Wildlife Funding from a 2021 settlement …

Published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), March 26, 2026 Back-to-back record spawning seasons suggest that reconnecting tributaries and restoring salmon habitat is supporting Central California Coast Coho population growth. NOAA has funded more than 100 restoration projects on the Mendocino Coast. Adult CCC coho spawning at Neefus Gulch. Trout Unlimited removed a fish passage barrier at this …

by Mandela Linder, The Mendocino Voice, January 24, 2026 [excerpt:] MENDOCINO CO., 1/24/26 — After decades of decline, endangered coho salmon have returned to the coast in numbers that more than double the targets set by habitat restoration projects. In 2008, just 5,000 coho were estimated across the entire state, one percent of their historic numbers; over the winter of …

by Eel River Recovery Project, Dec. 13, 2025 Chinook salmon were thought to have gone extinct in the Garcia River after the 1950s but they are showing up again as the river goes into its second decade of recovery. It has been protected by the Garcia River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) constraints under the Clean Water Act that has …

by Sarah Stierch, The Mendocino Voice, December 11, 2025 [excerpt:] MENDOCINO CO., 12/11/25 – Juvenile coho salmon have been documented in a tributary of the Russian River in Mendocino County for the first time since 1991, state officials announced Thursday. A juvenile coho salmon found in Ackerman Creek near Ukiah, Calif. on Friday, June 20, 2025. Pinoleville Pomo Nation Water …

by Amie Windsor, The Press Democrat, December 8, 2025 [excerpt:] The excitement started with a flash of silver followed by a hefty dose of disbelief. A team of conservationists and biologists from The Wildlands Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages the 5,600-acre Jenner Headlands Preserve on the Sonoma Coast, couldn’t believe what they were seeing: the telltale color and shape of …

Research by King County, WA scientists on how to reduce the toxicity of stormwater runoff is showing promising results and could offer new solutions to the longstanding problem of coho salmon dying from exposure to pollution before they can spawn.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA Fisheries News March 5, 2025 [excerpt:] Last winter, Central California Coast coho salmon returned to Mendocino Coast rivers in the highest numbers since monitoring began. The overall numbers remain low compared to the species’ past abundance, but NOAA scientists are excited by the results. Juvenile CCC Coho salmon collected during monitoring. Credit: CDFW Last …

Video by David Lichtman, October, 2024, used with permission

Yellow-legged Frog in the Gualala River, photo by Amy Ruegg “Down by the Gualala River near the Hot Spot, we enjoyed seeing a variety of small aquatic creatures like water beetles, tiny fish, and a foothill yellow-legged frog! It was just a small one in the water blending in perfectly with the rocks. No more than an inch or so …

By Emma Hall, The Sacramento BeeDecember 14, 2023 [Excerpt:] One of the three yearling beaver kits casually floats in front of attendees while awaiting the rest of the family group to join him in exploring their new home in Plumas County, California on October 18, 2023. (CDFW Photo/Travis VanZant) For the first time in almost 75 years, beavers were released …

November 21, 2023 Sonoma County Board of Supervisors 575 Administration Drive Room 100 A Santa Rosa, CA. 95403 To the Honorable Members of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors: Friends of Gualala River thanks you for the opportunity to comment in support of the proposed Oak Woodland Protection Ordinance, a critically important step in saving our wild oaks, one of …

By John Reid, September 25, 2023 YaleEnvironment360 Published at the Yale School of the Environment [Excerpt:] Only 5 percent of the redwood forests that once stretched across coastal Northern California have never been logged. An initiative to restore these forests is gaining momentum, aided by research showing that redwoods store more aboveground carbon than any forest on Earth. Lyndon Johnson …

Press release by Earthjustice, August 15, 2023 [excerpt] The Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) today notified U.S. tire manufacturers of their intent to sue over the use of a chemical called 6PPD in rubber tires because of its devastating impacts on Endangered Species Act (ESA)-protected salmon and steelhead. When 6PPD reacts …

Family SAPINDACEAE by Laura Baker In this article we celebrate bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). Bigleaf maple is neither the tallest nor largest tree species in the watershed, nor the most abundant, economically valuable, nor longest-lived. It is beautiful, but then so are many other species of trees. Perhaps it’s best to say that it has scope, and to tell its …

Gualala River mouth, with Bald Eagles on the right side. Jan. 30, 2023. Photo by Rick Denniston. Here’s a close-up of the mated pair of Bald Eagles on the sand spit > close-up of the mated pair of Bald Eagles on the sand spit

Family: PINACEAE by Laura Baker In many countries around the world, an evergreen tree is the symbol of the yule tide season, representing the spirit of hope in the deepest dark of winter. Among the species of conifers chosen as Christmas trees, grand fir stands out. Its lustrous dark green needles, citrus-like fragrance, and beautiful conical shape lend it an …