The old ecological and political order is crumbling. When calculations are complete, 2016 will be the hottest year on record, surpassing a mark set one year ago. The oceans are rising at an increasing rate. In the American West, it is too warm and dry this month for snow, delaying the accumulation of a natural […]
Its marshes drained and diked, its rivers dredged and diverted, today’s Delta has been called a “brittle skeleton” of what it was 200 years ago. In fact, scientists concluded in 2014 that the Delta is hardly a river delta at all, anymore. But in a follow-up report published today, those same experts with the San […]
The San Francisco Bay Estuary and the rivers that feed it face an existential crisis. The signs of impending collapse include six endangered native fish species, shrinking wetlands and beaches, and more frequent cyanobacteria blooms that generate neurotoxins powerful enough to kill pets and sicken people. Just outside the Golden Gate, Orca whales feeding on […]
Cloud seeding has resumed over the Sierra Nevada in hopes of increasing the winter snowpact, but La Nina might have other plans for the central California rainfall season. The Northern California Power Agency, which has conducted cloud seeding every year since 2006, has begun seeding a 74-square-mile watershed above New Spicer Reservoir in Tuolumne County […]
Now that the state has cleared the way, the Sacramento City Council will again consider finalizing an artificial turf ordinance that would lift a longtime ban on faux grass in front yards. Last year, the Sacramento Planning Commission approved a measure that would lift a three-decade ban on fake turf in front and side lawns […]
California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a productive agricultural area and a vital linchpin in the state’s complex water supply system. It’s also a highly unique ecosystem, which was a hotbed for endemic species, many of which are now under stress and some facing extinction. As various agencies and other stakeholders work on ways to balance the […]
Better Water Decisions In The Age Of Deep Uncertainty
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Circle of Blue (Traverse City, Mich.)by Brett WaltonThe old ecological and political order is crumbling. When calculations are complete, 2016 will be the hottest year on record, surpassing a mark set one year ago. The oceans are rising at an increasing rate. In the American West, it is too warm and dry this month for snow, delaying the accumulation of a natural […]
Future Look For The Delta?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Stockton Recordby Alex BreitlerIts marshes drained and diked, its rivers dredged and diverted, today’s Delta has been called a “brittle skeleton” of what it was 200 years ago. In fact, scientists concluded in 2014 that the Delta is hardly a river delta at all, anymore. But in a follow-up report published today, those same experts with the San […]
OPINION: Bobker, Rosenfield: San Francisco Bay Estuary Needs More Fresh Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The San Jose Mercury Newsby Gary Bobker and Dr. Jonathan RosenfieldThe San Francisco Bay Estuary and the rivers that feed it face an existential crisis. The signs of impending collapse include six endangered native fish species, shrinking wetlands and beaches, and more frequent cyanobacteria blooms that generate neurotoxins powerful enough to kill pets and sicken people. Just outside the Golden Gate, Orca whales feeding on […]
Cloud Seeding Resumes Over Sierra
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Calaveras Enterprise (San Andreas)by Charity ManessCloud seeding has resumed over the Sierra Nevada in hopes of increasing the winter snowpact, but La Nina might have other plans for the central California rainfall season. The Northern California Power Agency, which has conducted cloud seeding every year since 2006, has begun seeding a 74-square-mile watershed above New Spicer Reservoir in Tuolumne County […]
Will Sacramento Finally Lift Its Ban On Artificial Turf?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Ryan Sabalow and Anita ChabriaNow that the state has cleared the way, the Sacramento City Council will again consider finalizing an artificial turf ordinance that would lift a longtime ban on faux grass in front yards. Last year, the Sacramento Planning Commission approved a measure that would lift a three-decade ban on fake turf in front and side lawns […]
BLOG: New Report Offers Framework For California Delta Restoration
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Water Deeply (New York)by Tara LohanCalifornia’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a productive agricultural area and a vital linchpin in the state’s complex water supply system. It’s also a highly unique ecosystem, which was a hotbed for endemic species, many of which are now under stress and some facing extinction. As various agencies and other stakeholders work on ways to balance the […]