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Explore local news, plus state, national, and global environmental developments—including scientific research and good news.
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Explore local news, plus state, national, and global environmental developments—including scientific research and good news.
On January 30, 2026, the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network held the Science & Stewardship Symposium, bringing together more than 250 leaders working on scientific research and hands-on land stewardship in the Santa Cruz Mountains region…
Colorado has just become the first state in the nation to establish a comprehensive framework for the reuse, repurposing, and recycling of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Governor Jared Polis's signing of Senate Bill 003 marks a significant milestone for responsible transportation electrification.
When Yap Jo Leen was tracking dusky langurs in the forests of Penang for her master’s degree in 2016, she watched a langur they called Towkay Soh — Hokkien for “lady boss” — get hit by a car while trying to cross a busy coastal road. So in 2019, Yap and her collaborators built an artificial canopy bridge over the road…
The Trump administration is abandoning its plan to dismantle a $368 million ocean monitoring system critical to understanding climate change and marine ecosystems, bowing to a bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill -- the Senate passed a bipartisan bill on Wednesday to block the removal of deep-sea monitoring instruments…
We’ve reached a huge milestone in our fight against the mass detention center in the heart of the Everglades: ICE announced it has removed all detainees from the cruelly named “Alligator Alcatraz,” and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed it’s closing. For a year the Center for Biological Diversity has fought to shut down this facility…
The federal administration continued its assault on environmental protections by opening three federal marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. On June 11, President Trump signed a proclamation to weaken three of America's marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean
Sonia Dunlop is the CEO of the Global Solar Council. That’s the worldwide industry association for solar and battery storage. Interview highlights include: Dirty fuels have become unreliable and expensive. Building a large, reliable solar farm with batteries costs the same as building the same size natural gas power plant. Except the fuel is free for the solar farm.
While many big name philanthropists are backing away from climate giving, at least one megadonor is stepping up and writing major checks. Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and founder of Bloomberg L.P., has announced $590 million in new environmental commitments in recent days.
June 11 -- The Energy Department, under a legal settlement filed in federal court this week, has agreed to reinstate 11 Biden-era financial awards for clean energy technologies that it canceled last October. The settlement marks the second time this year that companies and organizations whose awards were terminated by DOE claimed victory in court.
A battle raged over controlling tule elk in the only national park where they still occur. With growing concerns of extinction and climate crises, pressure from citizens and environmental groups boiled over and, following a recent settlement, the government enacted changes to move away from private businesses guiding park management.
A young California condor flew into Oregon last month, marking the first time in more than 120 years that one of the critically endangered birds has flown free in Oregon’s sky, according to the Yurok Tribe–led Northern California Condor Restoration Program. On May 12, a 2-year-old female condor known as B9
The world’s mangrove forests have staged a remarkable global recovery, with scientists hailing the news as “an important source of optimism for climate action”. Mangrove forests protect millions of people from storms, absorb vast amounts of CO2 and are vital nurseries for fish.
For the first time ever, researchers have quantified the length and mass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks globally and mapped the ecosystems where they are densest. Hidden underground around the world lie 110 quadrillion kilometers of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks..
In a new study, the Corporate Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), a business group that promotes emissions-free power sources, found that if no additional wind and solar energy were added to the grid, it would add $11.6 billion in annual electricity and natural gas costs to electricity bills for U.S. households…
From 2000 to 2022, Santa Rosa County—where Navarre Beach is located—accounted for 56 percent (254 of 452) fishing pier entanglements reported on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The Dexters lead a team of 26 volunteers in Navarre Beach who are certified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to conduct turtle rescues..
Decades of research shows that outdoor learning improves attention, academic achievement, mental and physical health, and student engagement. AB 2158 (Hoover) recognizes outdoor learning as a research-backed, standards-aligned instructional approach and…
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just designated 1.5 million acres of critical habitat for the rusty-patched bumblebee. This victory couldn't come soon enough. More than 90% of all rusty-patched bumblebees have vanished over the last two decades,..
The Trump administration is advancing plans that could reopen California waters to new offshore oil drilling, putting our marine ecosystems, coastal economy, fisheries, tourism industry, and way of life at risk. In response, Save Our Shores and the Romero Institute brought together environmental leaders, elected officials, activists, musicians, and community members
The U.S. Senate went home (June 11) — without voting on Utah Senator Mike Lee’s joint resolution to undo the management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument using the Congressional Review Act. They have let a 60-day session deadline pass without voting on it…
A small Wisconsin city has just notched a big win in its fight against a proposed data center, thanks to grassroots community organizing and support from a growing statewide coalition. And to help guide other communities facing similar challenges, organizers in Menomonie have helped develop a toolkit for taking on hyperscale data centers…
The Philippines (is engaged in a) solar super-boom in 2026! The archipelago nation imported more Chinese solar panels (over 4,000 MW worth!) than any nation in the world (except the Netherlands) in just January through April…
Key environmental indicators show that the nation is a tinderbox, gripped by widespread drought and with a light snowpack in the mountains that will offer little relief as its remnants melt away. At the same time, upheaval in the federal wildland firefighting effort and the loss of many staff qualified
In 2021, scientists reintroduced 500 endangered African spurred tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata, the third-largest tortoise in the world) in Senegal, at the edge of the Sahara Desert, as part of an ongoing locally led tortoise conservation project. Now, satellite imagery reveals that the tortoises have transformed the landscape!
Hundreds of thousands of small dams were built during the Industrial Revolution, but many are now completely obsolete and disused, ……. Now, record-high dam removals took place in both the United States and Europe in 2025!
Researchers have been trying to replace (PET plastic) for years. Most bio-based alternatives couldn’t handle heat or stretching at an industrial scale. A team from the University of Connecticut and Purdue University has now built one that can…
Four third graders, Leah, Itzel, Lorelai and Scarlett, all animal lovers, and particularly concerned about threatened or endangered animals, formed a club called the Del Mar Wildlife Association. They sold their handmade crafts and baked goods at the Earth Day at the Live Oak School District Farm event… (and) collected over $200 in donations.
Two clean energy reports out this week offer seemingly contradictory snapshots of domestic solar and battery manufacturing. One, released Wednesday by the Rhodium Group’s Clean Investment Monitor, shows a distinct decline in investment going into U.S. factories to make more of these technologies. The other, released today by the trade group American Clean Power Association, shows staggering recent growth in production capacity.
Building upon thousands of hours of analysis by scientific experts from around the world, the Drawdown Explorer provides comprehensive, detailed information on the many technologies and practices proven or proposed to effectively reduce greenhouse warming pollution in the atmosphere.
The SCMSN is a collaboration of twenty-five organizations engaged in land stewardship in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. Our mission is to help cultivate a resilient, vibrant region where human and natural systems thrive for generations to come.
A popular waterfall loop trail reopened May 22 for the first time since the fire. The 2.9-mile Sequoia Trail allows visitors to view Sempervirens Falls. The trail can be combined with 1.4 miles of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail to create a 4.3-mile loop from the park’s main day-use area. The moderate hike passes through recovering redwood trees and features the picturesque 20-foot Sempervirens Falls.