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.

Fremont police say the Alameda Creek staging areas at Niles Canyon are closed and will be patrolled this weekend; swimming is unsafe and trespassers may be cited.

State Parks' new rules limit refunds, charge late cancellations and can bar repeat no‑shows from ReserveCalifornia for a year.

The Forest Service will gather about 450 Montgomery Pass horses beginning July 8 to protect Mono Lake wetlands, reigniting tribal and legal fights over the herd.

Dozens of dead honeybees on an Oakland porch sparked 'zombee' chatter. Scientists say testing and reporting are needed to know whether parasitic flies or other stressors are to blame.

Drone video shows multiple great whites feeding on a whale carcass off Martin's Beach. Scientists link the sightings to warm ocean conditions and early El Niño signals.