By Robin Meadows On a mild November day in California’s Sacramento Valley, Diana Almendariz ignites a clump of dry grass in a grove of cottonwoods. Landin Noland, wearing a thick, protective shirt with flames running down the sleeves, expertly wields...
By Robin Meadows The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which hugs the northern arc of the San Francisco Bay, was established half a century ago to conserve water birds. Now the refuge has an additional vital role: bolstering the...
By Caroline Hemphill, EOS Dozens of atmospheric rivers, superconcentrated channels of water in the sky, dumped staggering amounts of rain and snow on the U.S. West Coast in late 2022 and early 2023. The intense, long-lasting storms caused more than...
By Alastair Bland Federal wildlife officials formally listed the San Francisco Estuary longfin smelt as an endangered species in July. Whether the action is a first step toward recovery or just an administrative milestone on the path to extinction is...
Flood risk is one of the most pressing threats to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta’s 1,100 miles of levees protect highly productive agriculture, recreational assets, habitats for sensitive species, utility and road infrastructure, freshwater for export, and navigation. However,...
