Eco News

Science Spotlight: Marbled Murrelets

Marbled murrelets, small and plump seabirds with short necks, stubby tails, and webbed feet, nest silently in old-growth forests. Robin Corcoran, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

They sneak silently into their nests an hour before sunrise, after spending a day and a night hunting at sea. Hundreds of feet off the ground, they settle into the highest branches of old-growth trees.

Big Blue Dream

Maybe THEY will save the world ... Photo by Jasper Lyons.

O'Neill Sea Odyssey nears a major milestone: 100,000 students served.

The Elephant Seals of Ano Nuevo State Park

Science Spotlight: Domoic Acid

Colored image of a diatom seen through an electron microscope. Photo by ZEISS Microscopy.

A potent neurotoxin, domoic acid comes from Pseudo-nitzschia, a genus of diatoms found along the Pacific coast.

Science Spotlight: Offshore Faults

A map of offshore fault lines across Monterey Bay reveals where future earthquakes might happen. Courtesy Gary Greene/Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.

The waters of Monterey Bay may obscure potential dangers. Far below the surface are seismically active faults that could be the site of offshore earthquakes in the bay.

Cotoni–Coast Dairies National Monument: A Good Thing

Hilltromper photo

The campaign to create the Cotoni–Coast Dairies National Monument came to a storybook ending on Jan. 12 when Pres. Barack Obama issued the proclamation three days before Martin Luther King’s birthday.

J. Nichols: National Monument a ‘No-Brainer’

J. Nichols' Blue Marble movement has distributed more than a million little reminders that life on earth is precious and fragile.

The North Coast scientist, author and ocean advocate calls for designation of Coast Dairies as a national monument.

Remembering Scott Peden

Scott Peden leading a nature walk at Rancho del Oso.

Like a gentle modern mountain man, the longtime docent delighted many with his knowledge of nature and his enthusiasm for Waddell Creek and Big Basin.

Groups Fund Rangers for San Vicente Redwoods

San Vicente Redwoods (outlined). Map of Santa Cruz County open spaces courtesy Land Trust.

Environmental groups team up with Santa Cruz County to fund public safety and education at the 8,500-acre San Vicente Redwoods property, opening in 2018.

Science Spotlight: Marine Terraces

An aerial view reveals several marine terraces above Wilder Beach and in Wilder Ranch State Park. Photo by Gary Griggs.

Inland of Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay, the sculpted landscape rises in living testimony to the power of geologic forces.

Pages

Parks

Community

Gear