Nature + Climate Crisis

An intact tropical storm system descended on the SF Bay Area on March 21st, bringing with it textbook behavior and astonishing satellite imagery. San Francisco saw nearly hurricane-level winds this week that blew windows off buildings, sofas off porches, and cause more trees than we can shake a stick at (pun intended) to fall across the seven-by-seven. It just feels like we can’t get an atmospheric break these days; yet another weather event is likely to descend on the SF Bay Area next week — bringing with it even more winds, even more rain, and even more seasonal depression. If anything, these past few months have proved we *really couldn’t make it* living in Portland or Seattle. Infrastructure-shattering gusts aside, what was perhaps the most spellbinding radar imagery eve...

The recent onslaught of rain has been both good and bad, across the board. Teetering on the better side: California's major water reservoirs are in their comeback era. Hallelujah: For the first time in over three years, the San Francisco Bay Area is not experiencing any drought levels. 44% of California now also falls in that same drought-free category. The most recent atmosphere river dropped inches of rain across California, all while sending 50-plus mph winds across San Francisco; residential buildings saw panes of glass fall hundreds of feet to the ground; a local beer company took the heavy winds to produce some *chef’s kiss* social media content that surely attracted customers. As a result, drought conditions that have plagued the Golden State continue their path to improvemen...

The SF Bay Area’s alien animal and plant neighbors are as diverse as the city's residents... and didn't chase six-figure salaries to get here. San Francisco’s green spaces and waterfronts are crammed with a myriad of flora and fauna. We have seals, native dolphins, whales, and even the breathtaking San Francisco garter snake slithering south of SOMA. Not too long ago, there was even a gator living its best life in Presidio’s Mountain Lake. Interestingly, most of the beautiful species we San Franciscans see on a daily basis didn’t come from here. San Francisco Bay has one of the highest concentrations of invasive species anywhere in the world. And as a self-knighted ecologist, I’ve always found this San Francisco quirk interesting—and sometimes worrisome. Let’s get to know some of ou...

Salmon are thriving; bald eagles are perching; the San Francisco garter snakes are vibing. The increasing snowpacks around northern and southern California, which caused a *wild* avalanche that was captured by a driver near Palm Springs this week,  coupled with more rain showers in lower elevations has been very good for the parched state. For the first time in years, there are now parts of California that are experiencing no drought conditions. Per the U.S. National Drought Monitor, most of the coastal areas in the southern and middle parts of California are completely drought-free, as are the Sierras and other high-elevation areas that have received record-breaking snowpacks as of late. Even for us here in the Bay Area, the most recent spat of storms has completely moved us out of “m...