The Bay water board is proposing narrow five‑year extensions to the new 2034 nitrogen deadline for qualifying nature‑based and recycled‑water projects, raising questions about costs and oversight. Local pilots, like Palo Alto’s horizontal levee, show what the extra time might buy.

A 125‑acre former Orick sawmill has been reshaped into the 'O Rew Redwoods Gateway and will be returned to the Yurok Tribe after extensive floodplain and habitat restoration.

Fairfax closed Peri Park’s playground after officials found a "significant flea infestation." Town staff are weighing pesticide‑ordinance‑compliant treatments.

Monterey County agencies are weighing billion‑dollar projects to stop seawater intruding on the Salinas Valley aquifer and protect farms, wells and drinking water.

Passengers on a small boat off Moss Landing captured rare footage of orcas leaping and tossing dolphins during a dramatic hunt in Monterey Bay.

Several California national parks ban bear spray while Colorado parks explicitly allow and recommend it — a confusing split for hikers this summer.

A 161‑acre gift will open a fenced‑off summit above Larkspur, adding the missing crown to King Mountain Preserve. County officials expect the transfer to be finalized this summer.

A federal judge in Sacramento paused BLM’s plan to remove about 850 wild horses from three Northern California herd areas, saying the agency relied on flawed population assumptions. The injunction stops September gathers while the case proceeds.

Oakland Zoo has taken in Sitara, a 13‑year‑old tiger rescued from the Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife Foundation. She’s undergoing rehabilitation and is not yet on public view.

Chevron says less than a barrel of crude leaked into San Francisco Bay during maintenance at its Richmond long wharf. State spill teams and wildlife responders are monitoring.

A beloved Napa cottage at a busy five‑way junction may be lost to a long‑planned double‑roundabout. Longtime resident Charlie Rossi faces possible displacement.

State conservancy cleared a plan to transfer Pedro Point parcels to the National Park Service; advocates say federal management could bring new trails, rangers and long-term protection.

Heat-driven blazes are shortening evacuation windows in Marin County and across the West; narrow roads and single-exit neighborhoods are forcing planners to rethink how people get out.