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"content": "\u003cp>Among the billions of dollars in funding \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996440/uncertainty-looms-over-bay-area-climate-projects-under-trump\">terminated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u003c/a> in recent months were 63 grants representing nearly $260 million for projects and organizations across California, according to a KQED analysis of a list compiled by a group of Democratic senators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The senators, including California’s Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, \u003ca href=\"https://www.schiff.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/letter-re-ej-grant-terminations-and-oej-ecr-closure.pdf\">sent a letter\u003c/a> this week to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin demanding that the agency reverse what they called the illegal termination of 400 congressionally authorized grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the letter, the senators released “never-before-seen” internal EPA documents listing the grants targeted for elimination, which would have gone toward projects addressing childhood lead poisoning, air pollution and health risks related to extreme heat and wildfires. Twenty-one of the grants, totaling more than $67 million, were meant for the Bay Area and its organizations, including major cities like San Francisco and San José as well as small climate-based nonprofits in places like East Palo Alto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Democratic members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works said the EPA has knowingly violated contractual obligations and court orders by terminating the grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re trying to overwhelm us because the reality is most families in America are too busy to try to keep up,” Padilla said at a press conference on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The senators want the EPA to reverse all terminations immediately and to stop “making further unlawful terminations.” They would also like the agency to deliver any documents and information related to the “illegal clawbacks” by March 31.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996495\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996495\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/20250325_EPAProtests_GC-16_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Community, environmental and climate justice groups hold an emergency rally to denounce Trump’s and Musk’s attacks on environmental laws and justice programs in front of USEPA’s Regional Headquarters in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We call on you to follow the law,” the senators wrote, adding that they want information on the agency’s decision-making process for the grant terminations and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031373/a-radically-reshaped-epa-takes-its-toll-on-bay-area-environmental-justice-efforts\">closing of its environmental justice offices nationwide\u003c/a>, including in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate groups across the Bay Area have seen federal grants canceled or frozen over the last few months. Some told KQED they do not know their funding status because agency staffers have been ordered not to communicate with them. Others are blindly billing for their projects with no assurance that they will be reimbursed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, EPA officials terminated $20 billion in climate grants issued by the Biden administration. The money was meant to finance clean energy and environmental projects through a so-called green bank. Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in response.[aside postID=science_1996440 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/Coyote-Valley-Landscapes-DN-3-22-2016-19-1020x680.jpg']The $67 million in Bay Area grants targeted by the EPA \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996440/uncertainty-looms-over-bay-area-climate-projects-under-trump\">closely mirrors survey results\u003c/a> of Bay Area climate nonprofits, public agencies and tribes by Together Bay Area. The group found that at least $60 million in federal funding for climate projects across the region is at risk, potentially stalling wildfire prevention efforts, trail building and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really think that’s just the beginning,” said Annie Burke, executive director of Together Bay Area, which represents many affected organizations and agencies. “Every day, I’m getting emails saying there’s another million-dollar project that just got paused, and those million-dollar projects are things like catastrophic wildfire prevention.“\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Administration officials have also targeted diversity, equity and inclusion programs, calling them wasteful spending that needs to be cut to align with orders from President Donald Trump. The agency shuttered its environmental justice offices nationwide, including in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, EPA Administrator Zeldin said environmental justice has been used “primarily as an excuse to fund left-wing activists instead of actually spending those dollars to directly remediate environmental issues for those communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995142\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995142\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York, during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center on Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. \u003ccite>(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Zeldin also announced 31 actions meant to assign more authority to the states and relax federal regulations. The administration argued that this would lower the cost of living while supporting the energy and automobile industries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” Zeldin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Environmental Protection Network, made up of over 600 EPA alumni across the country who volunteer their time to protect the integrity of the agency, condemned the rollbacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group analyzed data from the EPA and found that for every million dollars “in favors handed to corporate polluters,” Americans “will suffer” around $6 million in health-related costs. It said the consequences of “these rollbacks will disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing health inequities and accelerating environmental degradation at a time when climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, yet these rollbacks do the exact opposite,” said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network. “The agency is endangering lives, worsening pollution and undermining decades of progress protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. Congress, the courts, and the public must stand up to these reckless rollbacks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The $67 million in Bay Area grants targeted by the EPA \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996440/uncertainty-looms-over-bay-area-climate-projects-under-trump\">closely mirrors survey results\u003c/a> of Bay Area climate nonprofits, public agencies and tribes by Together Bay Area. The group found that at least $60 million in federal funding for climate projects across the region is at risk, potentially stalling wildfire prevention efforts, trail building and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really think that’s just the beginning,” said Annie Burke, executive director of Together Bay Area, which represents many affected organizations and agencies. “Every day, I’m getting emails saying there’s another million-dollar project that just got paused, and those million-dollar projects are things like catastrophic wildfire prevention.“\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Administration officials have also targeted diversity, equity and inclusion programs, calling them wasteful spending that needs to be cut to align with orders from President Donald Trump. The agency shuttered its environmental justice offices nationwide, including in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, EPA Administrator Zeldin said environmental justice has been used “primarily as an excuse to fund left-wing activists instead of actually spending those dollars to directly remediate environmental issues for those communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995142\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995142\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2024/11/TrumpLeeZeldinAP-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-New York, during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center on Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. \u003ccite>(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Zeldin also announced 31 actions meant to assign more authority to the states and relax federal regulations. The administration argued that this would lower the cost of living while supporting the energy and automobile industries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” Zeldin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Environmental Protection Network, made up of over 600 EPA alumni across the country who volunteer their time to protect the integrity of the agency, condemned the rollbacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group analyzed data from the EPA and found that for every million dollars “in favors handed to corporate polluters,” Americans “will suffer” around $6 million in health-related costs. It said the consequences of “these rollbacks will disproportionately harm vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing health inequities and accelerating environmental degradation at a time when climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment, yet these rollbacks do the exact opposite,” said Michelle Roos, executive director of the Environmental Protection Network. “The agency is endangering lives, worsening pollution and undermining decades of progress protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. Congress, the courts, and the public must stand up to these reckless rollbacks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Top Places to See Wildflowers Around the Bay Area",
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"content": "\u003cp>Each spring, the Bay Area’s rolling hills and coastal landscapes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">burst into color\u003c/a> as wildflowers blanket the terrain. From the iconic\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Eschscholzia-californica-(California-Poppy)\"> California poppy\u003c/a> to the delicate\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Primula-jeffreyi-(Sierra-Shooting-Star)\"> shooting star\u003c/a>, these blooms are just now beginning to emerge around the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is the most biologically diverse state in the country and is home to more than 8,000 species of plants — over half of which are native to the state. Wildflowers have thrived in the Bay Area thanks to our Mediterranean climate of wet winters and dry summers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So with all the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-weather\">rain we’ve been getting\u003c/a> these past few months, what’s the forecast like for wildflower blooms — or even a “super bloom” — around the Bay Area and the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#superbloom-bay-area\">Jump straight to: Where to see wildflowers in bloom in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why California probably won’t see a 2025 ‘super bloom’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Cameron Barrows, a conservation ecologist at the Center for Conservation Biology at UC Riverside, told KQED in 2023: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">“Super bloom” is not actually a scientific term\u003c/a> and is mainly used by the media to describe incredible uncommon bloom events, when many different species of wildflowers bloom at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Minnich, a professor at UC Riverside’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said one of the most memorable \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">California super blooms of the last few decades\u003c/a>, back in 2005, was thanks to a wet winter that followed extended dry periods. “The best flower year is the first dry year after a multi-year drought,” said Minnich — because the drought suppresses invasive species or annual grasses, leaving room for the wildflowers to take off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While wildflowers are starting to bloom across the state, Minnich doesn’t anticipate a “super bloom” on a par with the breathtaking displays of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">2005\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/03/19/704707396/poppy-apocalypse-california-city-swarmed-by-selfie-stick-toting-tourists\">2019\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Southern California state parks\u003c/a>, the year’s wildflower bloom is expected to be limited due to below-average winter rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything here [in Southern California] is parched and brittle, with little or no green sprouts. Unless there is significant rain landing in the deserts in the next few weeks, I predict the desert wildflower show will be a bust,” UC Riverside’s Barrows told KQED by email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “a bad year for Southern California flowers doesn’t necessarily mean a bad year for Northern California flowers,” Ryan Forbes, an educator with California State Parks’ Bay Area district, told the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/california-wildflower-bloom-20188019.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. And the Bay Area offers many stunning spots for those eager to see wildflowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before heading out, check park websites for any closures or conditions. To avoid crowds, consider visiting wildflower sites on weekdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, respect the landscape by staying on marked trails, avoiding flower picking, and packing out what you bring in. Wildflowers play a vital role in supporting ecosystems, and damaging them affects pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as other wildlife that depend on them for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to contribute to wildflower research, consider sharing your sightings on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">iNaturalist app\u003c/a> to help scientists track species distribution and seasonal changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984535\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1984535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Purple wildflowers blossom.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stems of purple lupine blossom along Grizzly Peak Boulevard in Berkeley, on April 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some of the spots listed below will bloom during the spring and summer months, and the number of flowers that actually bloom will vary every year depending on how much rain and dry weather we get. So, if you can’t make it out into nature soon, don’t worry: You’ve got time to spot some beautiful blooms over the next few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in San Francisco:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Bernal-Heights-Park-151\">Bernal Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/coronaheightspark-328\">Corona Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Grandview-Park-Trail-400\">Grandview Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfparksalliance.org/our-parks/parks/tank-hill\">Tank Hill\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/716/McLaren-Park\">McLaren Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm\">Lands End\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/batteries-to-bluffs-trail\">Batteries to Bluffs Trail in Presidio\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/511/Glen-Canyon-Park\">Glen Canyon Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Balboa-Natural-Area-325\">Balboa Natural Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Mt-Davidson-Park-190\">Mount Davidson\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in North Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/\">Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471\">Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm\">Tennessee Valley\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/sca-trailhead.htm\">SCA Trail, Sausalito\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=466\">China Camp State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in East Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Hills\">Berkeley Hills\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden\">Tilden Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote-hills\">Coyote Hills Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol\">Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.walnutcreekca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/664\">Shell Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Diablo (near Walnut Creek)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in South Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/santa-teresa-county-park\">Stile Ranch Trail at Santa Teresa County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/calero-county-park\">Calero County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/coyote-lake-harvey-bear-ranch-park\">Coyote Lake – Harvey Bear Ranch County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/almaden-quicksilver-county-park\">Almaden Quicksilver County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/joseph-d-grant-county-park\">Joseph D. Grant County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/uvas-canyon-county-park\">Uvas Canyon County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://parks.ca.gov/henrycoe/\">Henry W. Coe State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Hamilton\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/rancho.html\">Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/coyotevalley.html\">Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/sierra-azul\">Mount Umunhum, Sierra Azul Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/st-josephs-hill\">Manzanita Trail, St. Joseph’s Hill Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/2088/2028\">Alum Rock Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers on the Peninsula:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/moripoint.htm\">Mori Point, Pacifica\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=531\">Half Moon Bay State Beach\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/san-bruno-mountain-state-county-park\">San Bruno Mountain Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/edgewood-park-natural-preserve\">Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/pulgas-ridge\">Pulgas Ridge Reserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/russian-ridge\">Russian Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wildflower guided tours and events:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/calendar/month?terms=wildflower\">Wildflower events at East Bay Regional Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/upcoming-events?field_preserve=98&city=All&attributes=All&category=73&activities=All\">Guided hikes at Máyyan ‘Ooyákma-Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Spring flower bloom updates by California State Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/wildflower-shows\">Wildflower shows at California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Each spring, the Bay Area’s rolling hills and coastal landscapes \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">burst into color\u003c/a> as wildflowers blanket the terrain. From the iconic\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Eschscholzia-californica-(California-Poppy)\"> California poppy\u003c/a> to the delicate\u003ca href=\"https://calscape.org/Primula-jeffreyi-(Sierra-Shooting-Star)\"> shooting star\u003c/a>, these blooms are just now beginning to emerge around the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is the most biologically diverse state in the country and is home to more than 8,000 species of plants — over half of which are native to the state. Wildflowers have thrived in the Bay Area thanks to our Mediterranean climate of wet winters and dry summers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So with all the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-weather\">rain we’ve been getting\u003c/a> these past few months, what’s the forecast like for wildflower blooms — or even a “super bloom” — around the Bay Area and the state?\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#superbloom-bay-area\">Jump straight to: Where to see wildflowers in bloom in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Why California probably won’t see a 2025 ‘super bloom’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As Cameron Barrows, a conservation ecologist at the Center for Conservation Biology at UC Riverside, told KQED in 2023: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1981882/where-to-see-wildflowers-near-you-in-the-bay-area-plus-the-science-behind-the-super-bloom\">“Super bloom” is not actually a scientific term\u003c/a> and is mainly used by the media to describe incredible uncommon bloom events, when many different species of wildflowers bloom at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Minnich, a professor at UC Riverside’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said one of the most memorable \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">California super blooms of the last few decades\u003c/a>, back in 2005, was thanks to a wet winter that followed extended dry periods. “The best flower year is the first dry year after a multi-year drought,” said Minnich — because the drought suppresses invasive species or annual grasses, leaving room for the wildflowers to take off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While wildflowers are starting to bloom across the state, Minnich doesn’t anticipate a “super bloom” on a par with the breathtaking displays of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2005/03/03/4521310/wet-winter-brings-life-to-death-valley\">2005\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/03/19/704707396/poppy-apocalypse-california-city-swarmed-by-selfie-stick-toting-tourists\">2019\u003c/a>. In \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Southern California state parks\u003c/a>, the year’s wildflower bloom is expected to be limited due to below-average winter rainfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything here [in Southern California] is parched and brittle, with little or no green sprouts. Unless there is significant rain landing in the deserts in the next few weeks, I predict the desert wildflower show will be a bust,” UC Riverside’s Barrows told KQED by email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But “a bad year for Southern California flowers doesn’t necessarily mean a bad year for Northern California flowers,” Ryan Forbes, an educator with California State Parks’ Bay Area district, told the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/california-wildflower-bloom-20188019.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. And the Bay Area offers many stunning spots for those eager to see wildflowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before heading out, check park websites for any closures or conditions. To avoid crowds, consider visiting wildflower sites on weekdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also, respect the landscape by staying on marked trails, avoiding flower picking, and packing out what you bring in. Wildflowers play a vital role in supporting ecosystems, and damaging them affects pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as other wildlife that depend on them for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to contribute to wildflower research, consider sharing your sightings on the \u003ca href=\"https://www.inaturalist.org/\">iNaturalist app\u003c/a> to help scientists track species distribution and seasonal changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1984535\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1984535\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Purple wildflowers blossom.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/04262023_ksuzuki_warmweather-103-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stems of purple lupine blossom along Grizzly Peak Boulevard in Berkeley, on April 26, 2023. \u003ccite>(Kori Suzuki/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some of the spots listed below will bloom during the spring and summer months, and the number of flowers that actually bloom will vary every year depending on how much rain and dry weather we get. So, if you can’t make it out into nature soon, don’t worry: You’ve got time to spot some beautiful blooms over the next few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in San Francisco:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Bernal-Heights-Park-151\">Bernal Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/coronaheightspark-328\">Corona Heights\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Grandview-Park-Trail-400\">Grandview Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfparksalliance.org/our-parks/parks/tank-hill\">Tank Hill\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/716/McLaren-Park\">McLaren Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm\">Lands End\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/batteries-to-bluffs-trail\">Batteries to Bluffs Trail in Presidio\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/511/Glen-Canyon-Park\">Glen Canyon Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Balboa-Natural-Area-325\">Balboa Natural Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Mt-Davidson-Park-190\">Mount Davidson\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in North Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/\">Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471\">Mount Tamalpais\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/tennessee_valley.htm\">Tennessee Valley\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/places/000/sca-trailhead.htm\">SCA Trail, Sausalito\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=466\">China Camp State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in East Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Hills\">Berkeley Hills\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden\">Tilden Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/coyote-hills\">Coyote Hills Regional Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/sunol\">Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.walnutcreekca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/664\">Shell Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Diablo (near Walnut Creek)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers in South Bay:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/santa-teresa-county-park\">Stile Ranch Trail at Santa Teresa County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/calero-county-park\">Calero County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/coyote-lake-harvey-bear-ranch-park\">Coyote Lake – Harvey Bear Ranch County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/almaden-quicksilver-county-park\">Almaden Quicksilver County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/joseph-d-grant-county-park\">Joseph D. Grant County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://parks.sccgov.org/santa-clara-county-parks/uvas-canyon-county-park\">Uvas Canyon County Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://parks.ca.gov/henrycoe/\">Henry W. Coe State Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517\">Mount Hamilton\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/rancho.html\">Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/coyotevalley.html\">Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/sierra-azul\">Mount Umunhum, Sierra Azul Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/st-josephs-hill\">Manzanita Trail, St. Joseph’s Hill Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/2088/2028\">Alum Rock Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see wildflowers on the Peninsula:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/moripoint.htm\">Mori Point, Pacifica\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=531\">Half Moon Bay State Beach\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/san-bruno-mountain-state-county-park\">San Bruno Mountain Park\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.smcgov.org/parks/edgewood-park-natural-preserve\">Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/pulgas-ridge\">Pulgas Ridge Reserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspace.org/preserves/russian-ridge\">Russian Ridge Preserve\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wildflower guided tours and events:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/calendar/month?terms=wildflower\">Wildflower events at East Bay Regional Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.openspaceauthority.org/upcoming-events?field_preserve=98&city=All&attributes=All&category=73&activities=All\">Guided hikes at Máyyan ‘Ooyákma-Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30077\">Spring flower bloom updates by California State Parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/wildflower-shows\">Wildflower shows at California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "What You Should Know Before Your Next National Park Visit",
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"content": "\u003cp>As of Feb. 14, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/26/nx-s1-5307908/national-parks-layoffs-visitors-disruptions\">President Donald Trump’s administration has fired roughly 1,000 National Park Service employees\u003c/a> — about 5% of its workforce — as part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/07/nx-s1-5288988/doge-elon-musk-staff-trump\">a broader effort to reduce the federal workforce\u003c/a>. The plan, spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk and the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, has faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/video/protests-hit-yosemite-over-national-park-layoffs/\">widespread criticism from outdoor enthusiasts\u003c/a> and former park employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While 5,000 seasonal jobs that were also originally cut \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-20/trump-administration-backtracks-eliminating-thousands-national-parks-employees\">have now been reinstated\u003c/a> following public pushback, permanent employees still in their probationary period — many of whom played roles in conservation and park operations — remain unemployed and are uncertain about their future. NPS told KQED in an email that it is hiring seasonal workers to ensure visitors “have a chance to explore and connect” with our national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm\">Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a> — which includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/muwo\">Muir Woods\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/alca\">Alcatraz Island\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/prsf\">Presidio\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/fopo\">Fort Point National Historic Site\u003c/a> — expects to lose 60 to 80 employees, according to Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This administration is using very blunt tools to reduce government in a way that doesn’t regard parks,” Lehnertz said on a recent episode of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909000/what-trumps-order-to-dramatically-reduce-presidio-trust-means-for-the-beloved-park\">Forum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kenanchan/\">Kenan Chan\u003c/a>, a former marine scientist at Channel Islands National Park, was one such national parks worker affected. His work focused on intertidal monitoring for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/im/medn/rocky-intertidal-habitat.htm\">a program\u003c/a> that tracked changes in population in kelp forests, algae, invertebrates and fish for over 40 years — with the goal to identify trends and potential threats to the ecosystem’s overall health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan, who is from the Bay Area, had been with NPS as a seasonal employee for a decade before finally securing a permanent position in October last year. But just months into his new role, he was let go on Valentine’s Day — and “it happened very fast and unexpectedly,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996204\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-800x521.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-1020x664.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-768x500.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-1536x1000.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former marine scientist Kenan Chan working on long-term intertidal monitoring at Channel Islands National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kenan Chan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How will national parks — and their visitors — be changed by these losses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These layoffs have included public-facing roles like campsite maintenance, custodial teams and even search and rescue personnel — the absence of which can have extreme consequences for visitor safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ranger_wild/\">Alex Wild\u003c/a>, a former interpretive ranger and Emergency Medical Technician at Devil’s Postpile National Monument, about 50 miles south of Yosemite, told \u003ca href=\"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-job-cuts-threaten-safety-at-national-parks-workers-say\">Bloomberg\u003c/a> that in the summer and fall, he would respond to emergency calls “two to three times a week and mostly on weekends, to respond to visitor emergencies.” These situations, said Wild, can range from “a twisted ankle” to “a flare-up of a heart condition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fewer staff performing emergency medical technician and search and rescue roles means that visitors might have to wait longer for the remaining staff to respond to emergencies. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#A\">Jump ahead to: What should national parks visitors know about safety amid the layoffs?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The layoffs have impacted not only public-facing positions like campsite maintenance and search and rescue but also roles that usually go unnoticed and are essential for long-term park health. “There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that are critical to ensuring the park maintains a healthy system, which will be maintained for generations to come,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan’s work has helped track changes experienced at the Channel Islands. “We’ve documented new invasive species, we’ve tracked the decline of some abalone species, we’ve contributed to countless research projects. This data helps inform fellow scientists and policymakers,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGRIKzqTK-0/?img_index=4\">he wrote in his Instagram post\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan hopes that the parks are able to restore the staff shortage “to allow the American people to fully enjoy these beautiful and amazing resources that we have. They are meant for everybody to enjoy,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do it because we love it. We’re passionate about the mission of the park service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Planning to visit? Set your expectations\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In recent years, staff shortages at national parks — albeit on a much larger scale than these recent layoffs — have had big impacts on visitors. During the 2018 government shutdown that saw \u003ca href=\"https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/updated-impacts-of-the-trump-shutdown-\">80% of NPS employees furloughed\u003c/a>, fewer emergency and law enforcement personnel were left to police the parks or rescue injured guests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the recent layoffs, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/yosemite-reservations-trump-20145111.php\">Yosemite National Park has delayed its summer campground reservations\u003c/a>. These reservations were implemented to better manage crowds and visitor expectations for the millions of summer visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beth Pratt, California regional executive director at the National Wildlife Federation, said this delay could lead to overcrowding, damage to wildlife, and strain on park infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reservations are usually open five months in advance, and experts worry that this delay may be “too close to the summer season to adequately plan for the park’s annual crush of visitors to avoid complications for both visitors and park infrastructure,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/02/yosemite-delay-summer-campground-reservation-sales-amid-staffing-crisis\">wrote Justin Housman on National Parks Traveler\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors should check \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm\">Yosemite’s website\u003c/a> for the latest on camping and reservations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neal Desai, Pacific regional director at the National Parks Conservation Association, NPCA — an independent, nonpartisan organization advocating for the NPS — said these recent park layoffs will impact the visitor experience in many ways, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Traffic into some parks will be longer than usual.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Park staff will pull back camping reservations.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Parking will be harder to find due to larger crowds and less staff to manage them.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trash may be overflowing from trash cans and dumpsters due to a lack of a cleanup crew.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bathrooms and trails in certain parks will be unmaintained.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Guided tours and ranger programs for kids may also be closed or have reduced hours.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"A\">\u003c/a>With layoffs impacting search and rescue staff as well as park EMTs, visitors should also plan ahead in case an emergency arises during their national park visit:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Be aware of weather alerts and warnings — and take extra caution at parks like Death Valley, where temperatures can rise to the hundreds in the summer. Prepare to cancel plans if weather conditions aren’t in your favor.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bring your own emergency kit that includes medicine, first aid supplies, food, water and other essentials. This list by NPS provides an overview of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm\">10 essentials in an emergency kit\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Be prepared to “self-rescue.” Wild told the \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/20/yosemite-national-park-staff-cuts/\">SF Standard\u003c/a> that visitors should be prepared to treat a national park “like a wilderness area and manage your own emergency.”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Take extra caution when hiking more difficult terrain in parks, in the knowledge that if search and rescue roles have been cut in that park you’re visiting, you may have to manage a possible emergency situation on your own.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Desai encourages future visitors to set expectations before visiting a national park, understanding that the experience may not be what they were necessarily expecting due to park staff layoffs. “People have these expectations of what a visit to a national park should be. And they should expect to be disappointed if things [like staff shortages] don’t turn around,” he said.[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='national-parks']Desai also advises future visitors to proactively watch for updates from the park’s official websites and NPCA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jonathan Farrington, CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/\">Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau\u003c/a>, urged visitors not to cancel their plans but to be mindful of the park’s limitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a family member asked me if they should come to Yosemite this year, I would absolutely say yes,” said Farrington in an email to KQED. But he also urged people to “visit responsibly,” recommending that tourists:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Plan their stay in advance.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Arrive early.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Avoid peak traffic areas and promontories “between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>As the federal cuts continue to ripple through the park service, Desai encouraged visitors to show appreciation for the remaining park staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are folks who have devoted their lives to helping people create lifetime memories in these special places,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so, if you’re visiting a park and you see a park ranger, give them thanks and words of encouragement — because they deserve it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>NPS cuts deemed ‘unstrategic’ and ‘bad politics’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>From \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGIfyW3NUdE/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">park rangers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/olakthepolak/\">custodial roles\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGLxMKbyKwq/\">locksmiths\u003c/a> and rescue officers, many former NPS employees like Channel Islands National Park’s Chan have taken to social media to share their stories and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGMT7C1SgoU/\">ways people can help America’s national parks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These stories that are coming out are reminding people of the value of these types of jobs and the importance of the national park system,” Desai said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A poll conducted before Trump’s inauguration shows that \u003ca href=\"https://www.westword.com/news/even-maga-voters-oppose-cuts-national-parks-forest-services-23648871\">the majority of Americans approve of the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service’s performance\u003c/a> across political party lines, with even Republicans identifying as “MAGA” overwhelmingly opposing cuts to these agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the NPCA, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/6911-lost-jobs-broken-hearts-and-harms-to-national-parks\">NPS funding accounts for less than one-fifteenth of one percent of the federal budget\u003c/a>. Yet, in 2023, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/national-parks-contributed-record-high-%2455-6-billion-to-u-s-economy-supported-415-000-jobs-in-2023.htm\">national parks contributed $55.6 billion to the economy\u003c/a> and supported 415,000 jobs in nearby communities. That same year, 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in gateway towns, highlighting the financial ripple effect of park operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desai called the cuts “unstrategic” and “bad politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our national parks are loved by all Americans across the political spectrum. They’re one of the few nonpartisan issues we see in our nation,” he said. “And they happen to be equally owned by every single person … attacking this institution is bad politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting from KQED’s Gilare Zada.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As of Feb. 14, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/26/nx-s1-5307908/national-parks-layoffs-visitors-disruptions\">President Donald Trump’s administration has fired roughly 1,000 National Park Service employees\u003c/a> — about 5% of its workforce — as part of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/07/nx-s1-5288988/doge-elon-musk-staff-trump\">a broader effort to reduce the federal workforce\u003c/a>. The plan, spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk and the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, has faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/video/protests-hit-yosemite-over-national-park-layoffs/\">widespread criticism from outdoor enthusiasts\u003c/a> and former park employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While 5,000 seasonal jobs that were also originally cut \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-20/trump-administration-backtracks-eliminating-thousands-national-parks-employees\">have now been reinstated\u003c/a> following public pushback, permanent employees still in their probationary period — many of whom played roles in conservation and park operations — remain unemployed and are uncertain about their future. NPS told KQED in an email that it is hiring seasonal workers to ensure visitors “have a chance to explore and connect” with our national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm\">Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/a> — which includes \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/muwo\">Muir Woods\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/alca\">Alcatraz Island\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/prsf\">Presidio\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/fopo\">Fort Point National Historic Site\u003c/a> — expects to lose 60 to 80 employees, according to Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This administration is using very blunt tools to reduce government in a way that doesn’t regard parks,” Lehnertz said on a recent episode of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909000/what-trumps-order-to-dramatically-reduce-presidio-trust-means-for-the-beloved-park\">Forum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/kenanchan/\">Kenan Chan\u003c/a>, a former marine scientist at Channel Islands National Park, was one such national parks worker affected. His work focused on intertidal monitoring for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/im/medn/rocky-intertidal-habitat.htm\">a program\u003c/a> that tracked changes in population in kelp forests, algae, invertebrates and fish for over 40 years — with the goal to identify trends and potential threats to the ecosystem’s overall health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan, who is from the Bay Area, had been with NPS as a seasonal employee for a decade before finally securing a permanent position in October last year. But just months into his new role, he was let go on Valentine’s Day — and “it happened very fast and unexpectedly,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996204\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-800x521.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-1020x664.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-768x500.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/IMG_2514-scaled-e1740701051907-1536x1000.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former marine scientist Kenan Chan working on long-term intertidal monitoring at Channel Islands National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Kenan Chan)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How will national parks — and their visitors — be changed by these losses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These layoffs have included public-facing roles like campsite maintenance, custodial teams and even search and rescue personnel — the absence of which can have extreme consequences for visitor safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ranger_wild/\">Alex Wild\u003c/a>, a former interpretive ranger and Emergency Medical Technician at Devil’s Postpile National Monument, about 50 miles south of Yosemite, told \u003ca href=\"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-job-cuts-threaten-safety-at-national-parks-workers-say\">Bloomberg\u003c/a> that in the summer and fall, he would respond to emergency calls “two to three times a week and mostly on weekends, to respond to visitor emergencies.” These situations, said Wild, can range from “a twisted ankle” to “a flare-up of a heart condition.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fewer staff performing emergency medical technician and search and rescue roles means that visitors might have to wait longer for the remaining staff to respond to emergencies. \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#A\">Jump ahead to: What should national parks visitors know about safety amid the layoffs?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The layoffs have impacted not only public-facing positions like campsite maintenance and search and rescue but also roles that usually go unnoticed and are essential for long-term park health. “There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that are critical to ensuring the park maintains a healthy system, which will be maintained for generations to come,” Chan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan’s work has helped track changes experienced at the Channel Islands. “We’ve documented new invasive species, we’ve tracked the decline of some abalone species, we’ve contributed to countless research projects. This data helps inform fellow scientists and policymakers,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGRIKzqTK-0/?img_index=4\">he wrote in his Instagram post\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chan hopes that the parks are able to restore the staff shortage “to allow the American people to fully enjoy these beautiful and amazing resources that we have. They are meant for everybody to enjoy,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do it because we love it. We’re passionate about the mission of the park service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Planning to visit? Set your expectations\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In recent years, staff shortages at national parks — albeit on a much larger scale than these recent layoffs — have had big impacts on visitors. During the 2018 government shutdown that saw \u003ca href=\"https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/updated-impacts-of-the-trump-shutdown-\">80% of NPS employees furloughed\u003c/a>, fewer emergency and law enforcement personnel were left to police the parks or rescue injured guests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the recent layoffs, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/yosemite-reservations-trump-20145111.php\">Yosemite National Park has delayed its summer campground reservations\u003c/a>. These reservations were implemented to better manage crowds and visitor expectations for the millions of summer visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beth Pratt, California regional executive director at the National Wildlife Federation, said this delay could lead to overcrowding, damage to wildlife, and strain on park infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reservations are usually open five months in advance, and experts worry that this delay may be “too close to the summer season to adequately plan for the park’s annual crush of visitors to avoid complications for both visitors and park infrastructure,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/02/yosemite-delay-summer-campground-reservation-sales-amid-staffing-crisis\">wrote Justin Housman on National Parks Traveler\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Visitors should check \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/index.htm\">Yosemite’s website\u003c/a> for the latest on camping and reservations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Neal Desai, Pacific regional director at the National Parks Conservation Association, NPCA — an independent, nonpartisan organization advocating for the NPS — said these recent park layoffs will impact the visitor experience in many ways, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Traffic into some parks will be longer than usual.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Park staff will pull back camping reservations.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Parking will be harder to find due to larger crowds and less staff to manage them.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trash may be overflowing from trash cans and dumpsters due to a lack of a cleanup crew.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bathrooms and trails in certain parks will be unmaintained.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Guided tours and ranger programs for kids may also be closed or have reduced hours.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"A\">\u003c/a>With layoffs impacting search and rescue staff as well as park EMTs, visitors should also plan ahead in case an emergency arises during their national park visit:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Be aware of weather alerts and warnings — and take extra caution at parks like Death Valley, where temperatures can rise to the hundreds in the summer. Prepare to cancel plans if weather conditions aren’t in your favor.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bring your own emergency kit that includes medicine, first aid supplies, food, water and other essentials. This list by NPS provides an overview of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm\">10 essentials in an emergency kit\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Be prepared to “self-rescue.” Wild told the \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/20/yosemite-national-park-staff-cuts/\">SF Standard\u003c/a> that visitors should be prepared to treat a national park “like a wilderness area and manage your own emergency.”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Take extra caution when hiking more difficult terrain in parks, in the knowledge that if search and rescue roles have been cut in that park you’re visiting, you may have to manage a possible emergency situation on your own.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Desai encourages future visitors to set expectations before visiting a national park, understanding that the experience may not be what they were necessarily expecting due to park staff layoffs. “People have these expectations of what a visit to a national park should be. And they should expect to be disappointed if things [like staff shortages] don’t turn around,” he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Desai also advises future visitors to proactively watch for updates from the park’s official websites and NPCA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jonathan Farrington, CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.yosemite.com/\">Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau\u003c/a>, urged visitors not to cancel their plans but to be mindful of the park’s limitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a family member asked me if they should come to Yosemite this year, I would absolutely say yes,” said Farrington in an email to KQED. But he also urged people to “visit responsibly,” recommending that tourists:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Plan their stay in advance.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Arrive early.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Avoid peak traffic areas and promontories “between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.”\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>As the federal cuts continue to ripple through the park service, Desai encouraged visitors to show appreciation for the remaining park staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are folks who have devoted their lives to helping people create lifetime memories in these special places,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so, if you’re visiting a park and you see a park ranger, give them thanks and words of encouragement — because they deserve it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>NPS cuts deemed ‘unstrategic’ and ‘bad politics’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>From \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGIfyW3NUdE/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">park rangers\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/olakthepolak/\">custodial roles\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGLxMKbyKwq/\">locksmiths\u003c/a> and rescue officers, many former NPS employees like Channel Islands National Park’s Chan have taken to social media to share their stories and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DGMT7C1SgoU/\">ways people can help America’s national parks\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These stories that are coming out are reminding people of the value of these types of jobs and the importance of the national park system,” Desai said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A poll conducted before Trump’s inauguration shows that \u003ca href=\"https://www.westword.com/news/even-maga-voters-oppose-cuts-national-parks-forest-services-23648871\">the majority of Americans approve of the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service’s performance\u003c/a> across political party lines, with even Republicans identifying as “MAGA” overwhelmingly opposing cuts to these agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the NPCA, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/6911-lost-jobs-broken-hearts-and-harms-to-national-parks\">NPS funding accounts for less than one-fifteenth of one percent of the federal budget\u003c/a>. Yet, in 2023, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/national-parks-contributed-record-high-%2455-6-billion-to-u-s-economy-supported-415-000-jobs-in-2023.htm\">national parks contributed $55.6 billion to the economy\u003c/a> and supported 415,000 jobs in nearby communities. That same year, 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in gateway towns, highlighting the financial ripple effect of park operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desai called the cuts “unstrategic” and “bad politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our national parks are loved by all Americans across the political spectrum. They’re one of the few nonpartisan issues we see in our nation,” he said. “And they happen to be equally owned by every single person … attacking this institution is bad politics.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting from KQED’s Gilare Zada.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Praying mantises, barnacles, newts and earthworms have some of the strangest love lives.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>We get it, dating is hard. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From meeting the right special someone, to getting to know them, to avoiding imminent death. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bizarre romantic lives of these four tiny creatures sometimes end in strange and tragic ways. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Especially for the praying mantis. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to hooking up, a male mantis has good reason to fear commitment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Praying Mantis Love is Waaay Weirder Than You Think\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This mantis is at the top of her game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All summer, she’s been bulking up on grasshoppers and flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called bordered mantises. Ambush hunters, cloaked by camouflage – some green and some brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out those forelimbs. They’re lined with sharp spikes – almost like a couple extra sets of jaws to grab her prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve served her well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But summer is coming to an end here in California’s Owens Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one thing left for them to do is start the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sends out a chemical signal – an alluring cocktail of pheromones – into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This guy picks up the message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s way, way smaller than she is, simply outclassed when it comes to strength and deadliness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He makes his move, to pass on his genes …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uh …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s one way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he’s not the only male to meet his end this way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why would praying mantises do this – eat their own kind at a rather intimate moment? Seems like they wouldn’t last long as a species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it takes a ton of energy for females to produce their eggs, about a hundred of them developing inside her. She’ll lay them in a foamy cluster like this called an ootheca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that male is fueling the survival of his species, nutritionally speaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch in the spring, there will be plenty more mantises to replace this one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these bordered mantises weren’t going to live much longer anyway. They can’t survive the cold autumn nights. So males might as well take a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww … This time it worked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He delivers a packet of sperm to fertilize her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But each time, it’s a serious gamble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that didn’t go so well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But wait, look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s been decapitated, but his body is still moving, like it’s on autopilot – kind of a zombie mating machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s being controlled by nerves in the mantis’ abdomen and can still get the job done. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, males who successfully mate and get eaten in the process may father more eggs than those who get away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, while it may not really seem that way, this guy may be the ultimate winner in the primal quest to pass on his genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles might look like jagged little rocks at low tide. But they’re surprisingly well-equipped when it comes to finding a date.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Barnacles Go To Unbelievable Lengths To Hook Up\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Finding a date is hard enough in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s especially tricky when you’re stuck to a rock in the middle of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, acorn barnacles don’t get discouraged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crusty little animals actually have a pretty wild sex life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At low tide each one is sealed up inside its own miniature fortress. shielded by a ring of armored plates. The two central plates press together to form a water-tight seal so they don’t dry out in the open air. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re ready and waiting for the tide to rise so they can get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first they need to freshen up a bit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The barnacle unfurls eight pairs of delicate feathery legs called cirri, which they use to absorb oxygen from the water. The legs filter out plankton and debris churned up by the waves, bringing the catch inside to the mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They may not look like it from the outside, but beneath their shell it’s easier to see that barnacles are crustaceans related to crabs and shrimp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a nice meal, it’s ready for some action. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The little barnacle lets loose the longest penis of any animal – relative to its body size of course – stretching up to eight times the length of the barnacle itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this penis has skills. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can taste and smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the tip can feel around, probing to see which neighbors have ripe eggs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it finds what it’s looking for the barnacle delivers sperm to fertilize the eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles aren’t exactly prudes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pretty much everyone is fair play. Because they’re all hermaphrodites, simultaneously male and female.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes it’s one-on-one, sometimes more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles are nurturing parents, too. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They hold on to their fertilized eggs and protect them until they hatch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are their baby larvae called nauplii. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the young barnacles’ chance for adventure. They roam the sea searching for food and growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they survive long enough the barnacle larvae mature into cyprids. At this stage the barnacle doesn’t eat. The cyprid’s only mission is to find the ideal spot to glom onto before it starves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having survived the trials of youth, the barnacle settles in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now it’s time to get to know the neighbors. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How far would you go for love? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California newts make an epic journey back to the pond where they were born. Check it out. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Newt Sex: Buff Males! Writhing Females! Cannibalism!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Life is struggle. Sex. Death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s true across nature. It’s especially true for a newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the time, California newts live quiet, hidden lives in the forest. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But every winter – and newts can live for 20 years – they experience an uncontrollable urge. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s called water drive. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave the safety of their burrows to go mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They begin a treacherous odyssey, a migration back to the pond in which they were born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It begins with a hormone called prolactin, the same one that helps women produce breast milk. In newts, prolactin sparks a need to become aquatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water could be miles away, like three miles. That’s the equivalent of 36 miles for you and me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists don’t know for sure, but some think newts use their sense of smell to help guide them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they only have one real defense against snakes hiding in the brush: their skin. It’s covered in a poison strong enough to kill a person, if you ate one. Newts’ yellow eyes and belly tell predators to stay away. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But poison isn’t always enough to protect them. Many never make it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they move toward water, newts’ skin starts to lose its bumps and becomes smooth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their long tails flatten into fins. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their amphibian bodies transform from terrestrial to aquatic to prepare for a mating frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male newt bulks up. It grows thick pads on its feet, perfect for clamping onto a female. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The word is “amplexus,” Latin for “embrace,” which is one word for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newts can stay like this for hours, or days. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result: egg clusters that females lay in the pond. So many eggs that newts sometimes eat a few for extra protein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ones that survive will grow into larvae and stay in the water for several months, transforming into adults. In the fall, they’ll leave the pond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then, if they’re lucky, they’ll come back here, again, and again, and again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or at least, they’ll try.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Earthworm Love Is Cuddly … and Complicated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earthworm love. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s cuddly … and complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the start, the earthworm is built for romance, with four or five pairs of hearts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding a match, though, that’s a challenge for these mostly solitary animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They go out looking when they’re a few months to a year old, and they’ve grown this fleshy, saddle-shaped patch, called a clitellum. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re now mature enough to get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tube-shaped invertebrate seeks mate to share loamy soil and good times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The earthworm follows tastes and smells through dirt or leaf litter to find its valentine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It crawls around by anchoring its body with these bristles called setae … then pushing forward with its muscles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along the way, it fuels up on bacteria and tiny fungi in the soil and leaves, sucking them in with its mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such a luscious … lip?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every earthworm has some non-negotiables: Must breathe through iridescent skin. Must want kids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But male or female is not one of them. All earthworms are both. They’re hermaphrodites, which automatically doubles their chances of finding a mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they do, they waste no time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Side by side, they surround each other with rings of slime they exude from their skin, bodies pointing in opposite directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they embrace with these flaps on their clitella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can canoodle like this for an hour, swapping sperm. It travels outside their bodies, here, where they press up against each other, and flows between these segments into storage sacs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But their tender act has a dark side. As they do the deed, the earthworms stab each other with their pointy setae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those wounds mean the injured lovers won’t be hooking up with others anytime soon. Jealous much?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After they’ve parted ways, each earthworm produces a sheath with its clitellum and shimmies it down its tubular body. The protein-rich ring moves over tiny holes where it gathers eggs and some of the collected sperm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, it slips right off the worm and becomes a cocoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baby worms flourish inside, growing beating hearts that one day they’ll give to their special someone.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Especially for the praying mantis. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to hooking up, a male mantis has good reason to fear commitment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Praying Mantis Love is Waaay Weirder Than You Think\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This mantis is at the top of her game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All summer, she’s been bulking up on grasshoppers and flies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called bordered mantises. Ambush hunters, cloaked by camouflage – some green and some brown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And check out those forelimbs. They’re lined with sharp spikes – almost like a couple extra sets of jaws to grab her prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve served her well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But summer is coming to an end here in California’s Owens Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one thing left for them to do is start the next generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She sends out a chemical signal – an alluring cocktail of pheromones – into the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This guy picks up the message.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s way, way smaller than she is, simply outclassed when it comes to strength and deadliness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He makes his move, to pass on his genes …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uh …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s one way to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he’s not the only male to meet his end this way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So why would praying mantises do this – eat their own kind at a rather intimate moment? Seems like they wouldn’t last long as a species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it takes a ton of energy for females to produce their eggs, about a hundred of them developing inside her. She’ll lay them in a foamy cluster like this called an ootheca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that male is fueling the survival of his species, nutritionally speaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch in the spring, there will be plenty more mantises to replace this one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these bordered mantises weren’t going to live much longer anyway. They can’t survive the cold autumn nights. So males might as well take a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aww … This time it worked out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He delivers a packet of sperm to fertilize her eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But each time, it’s a serious gamble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that didn’t go so well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But wait, look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s been decapitated, but his body is still moving, like it’s on autopilot – kind of a zombie mating machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s being controlled by nerves in the mantis’ abdomen and can still get the job done. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, males who successfully mate and get eaten in the process may father more eggs than those who get away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, while it may not really seem that way, this guy may be the ultimate winner in the primal quest to pass on his genes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles might look like jagged little rocks at low tide. But they’re surprisingly well-equipped when it comes to finding a date.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Barnacles Go To Unbelievable Lengths To Hook Up\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Finding a date is hard enough in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s especially tricky when you’re stuck to a rock in the middle of the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, acorn barnacles don’t get discouraged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These crusty little animals actually have a pretty wild sex life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At low tide each one is sealed up inside its own miniature fortress. shielded by a ring of armored plates. The two central plates press together to form a water-tight seal so they don’t dry out in the open air. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re ready and waiting for the tide to rise so they can get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first they need to freshen up a bit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The barnacle unfurls eight pairs of delicate feathery legs called cirri, which they use to absorb oxygen from the water. The legs filter out plankton and debris churned up by the waves, bringing the catch inside to the mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They may not look like it from the outside, but beneath their shell it’s easier to see that barnacles are crustaceans related to crabs and shrimp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a nice meal, it’s ready for some action. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The little barnacle lets loose the longest penis of any animal – relative to its body size of course – stretching up to eight times the length of the barnacle itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this penis has skills. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can taste and smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the tip can feel around, probing to see which neighbors have ripe eggs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it finds what it’s looking for the barnacle delivers sperm to fertilize the eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles aren’t exactly prudes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pretty much everyone is fair play. Because they’re all hermaphrodites, simultaneously male and female.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes it’s one-on-one, sometimes more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnacles are nurturing parents, too. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They hold on to their fertilized eggs and protect them until they hatch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These cuties are their baby larvae called nauplii. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the young barnacles’ chance for adventure. They roam the sea searching for food and growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If they survive long enough the barnacle larvae mature into cyprids. At this stage the barnacle doesn’t eat. The cyprid’s only mission is to find the ideal spot to glom onto before it starves. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having survived the trials of youth, the barnacle settles in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now it’s time to get to know the neighbors. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How far would you go for love? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California newts make an epic journey back to the pond where they were born. Check it out. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Newt Sex: Buff Males! Writhing Females! Cannibalism!\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Life is struggle. Sex. Death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s true across nature. It’s especially true for a newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the time, California newts live quiet, hidden lives in the forest. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But every winter – and newts can live for 20 years – they experience an uncontrollable urge. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s called water drive. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They leave the safety of their burrows to go mate. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They begin a treacherous odyssey, a migration back to the pond in which they were born.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It begins with a hormone called prolactin, the same one that helps women produce breast milk. In newts, prolactin sparks a need to become aquatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Water could be miles away, like three miles. That’s the equivalent of 36 miles for you and me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists don’t know for sure, but some think newts use their sense of smell to help guide them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they only have one real defense against snakes hiding in the brush: their skin. It’s covered in a poison strong enough to kill a person, if you ate one. Newts’ yellow eyes and belly tell predators to stay away. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But poison isn’t always enough to protect them. Many never make it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As they move toward water, newts’ skin starts to lose its bumps and becomes smooth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their long tails flatten into fins. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their amphibian bodies transform from terrestrial to aquatic to prepare for a mating frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male newt bulks up. It grows thick pads on its feet, perfect for clamping onto a female. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The word is “amplexus,” Latin for “embrace,” which is one word for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newts can stay like this for hours, or days. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The result: egg clusters that females lay in the pond. So many eggs that newts sometimes eat a few for extra protein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ones that survive will grow into larvae and stay in the water for several months, transforming into adults. In the fall, they’ll leave the pond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then, if they’re lucky, they’ll come back here, again, and again, and again. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or at least, they’ll try.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Earthworm Love Is Cuddly … and Complicated\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Earthworm love. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s cuddly … and complicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the start, the earthworm is built for romance, with four or five pairs of hearts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding a match, though, that’s a challenge for these mostly solitary animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They go out looking when they’re a few months to a year old, and they’ve grown this fleshy, saddle-shaped patch, called a clitellum. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re now mature enough to get down to business. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tube-shaped invertebrate seeks mate to share loamy soil and good times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The earthworm follows tastes and smells through dirt or leaf litter to find its valentine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It crawls around by anchoring its body with these bristles called setae … then pushing forward with its muscles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along the way, it fuels up on bacteria and tiny fungi in the soil and leaves, sucking them in with its mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such a luscious … lip?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every earthworm has some non-negotiables: Must breathe through iridescent skin. Must want kids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But male or female is not one of them. All earthworms are both. They’re hermaphrodites, which automatically doubles their chances of finding a mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they do, they waste no time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Side by side, they surround each other with rings of slime they exude from their skin, bodies pointing in opposite directions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they embrace with these flaps on their clitella.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They can canoodle like this for an hour, swapping sperm. It travels outside their bodies, here, where they press up against each other, and flows between these segments into storage sacs inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But their tender act has a dark side. As they do the deed, the earthworms stab each other with their pointy setae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those wounds mean the injured lovers won’t be hooking up with others anytime soon. Jealous much?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After they’ve parted ways, each earthworm produces a sheath with its clitellum and shimmies it down its tubular body. The protein-rich ring moves over tiny holes where it gathers eggs and some of the collected sperm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, it slips right off the worm and becomes a cocoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baby worms flourish inside, growing beating hearts that one day they’ll give to their special someone.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "sf-dumps-millions-of-gallons-of-sewage-during-big-storms-surfers-say-that-needs-to-stop",
"title": "SF Dumps Millions of Gallons of Sewage During Big Storms. Surfers Say That Needs to Stop",
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"headTitle": "SF Dumps Millions of Gallons of Sewage During Big Storms. Surfers Say That Needs to Stop | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Nina Atkind loves surfing, but she’s also a detective of sorts. During storms — like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025572/storm-stalls-over-bay-area-raising-risk-flooding-potential-tornado-warning\">massive systems that recently rocked the Bay Area\u003c/a> — she cloaks herself in an apple-red rain jacket and pulls up her tan gaiters before wading out into the swirling water at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During one recent storm in mid-December, Atkind dips a glass jar into the ocean as angry waves crash against the beach, frothy brown rollers pushing up towards the dunes at Vicente Street. The jar fills with the cloudy water, and she screws on a black cap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks yucky with a bunch of debris,” Atkind said. “I see microplastic in there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atkind manages the Surfrider Foundation’s San Francisco chapter and delivers the water to a lab where it will be analyzed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re testing for poop in the water,” Atkind said. “The water is everything. It’s so important that those who want to go in the water can and not get sick from it. You don’t want to get sick from doing what you love.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996159\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996159 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A man stands at a table, next to a seated man and woman, with a blue banner that says 'Surfrider Foundation' on the wall behind him.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Madsen (right), lead of the Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer water quality testing group, works with Justin James and Nina Atkind at the Surfrider Foundation’s lab in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood on Feb. 6, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>An overwhelmed system\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Surfrider publishes the results to alert local surfers of pollution problems. The reporting also serves as a backstop to official tests conducted by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which found that the microorganism enterococcus, a bacteria indicating fecal matter, was\u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\"> above the state’s posting threshold\u003c/a> in coastal waters on Dec. 14, 2024 — making water recreation that day inadvisable. Those levels subsided the following day, the agency noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atmospheric rivers almost guarantee one thing for San Francisco: millions of gallons of stormwater and raw sewage will get poured into the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, sewage and stormwater flow through the same pipes as part of a combined system. The problem is that large enough storms cause the system to overflow, which the city said typically happens less than 10 times a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at her car, Atkind wipes the rain off her face before pulling her phone out to check if sewage water is spewing into waterways in any other spots. The SFPUC and the city’s Department of Public Health sample from more than 20 sites each week and monitor discharges from the sewer during storms. The results are posted on \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">a map on its website\u003c/a> — if sewage is discharged at any site, it’s indicated with a blinking triangle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996158\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996158 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An overflow pipe near the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant, also known as the Oceanside Treatment Plant, at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2025. Erosion is damaging the overflow pipes along Ocean Beach. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Every single spot on the map is now flashing red with the little triangle,” Atkind said. “It’s definitely alarming to see this happen so many times per year, especially on the east side where the water doesn’t move as much as it does on the west side.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups and the state of California argue that the city is discharging too frequently and at such high volumes that it taints the waterways with bacteria that can cause illness if people come into contact with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When their system is operating properly, it’s a very well-working system,” said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper. “The problem is when we have heavy rains, their system is not built to hold all those flows. That means the system gets overwhelmed, creating contaminated spots that are harmful for public access.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996153\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1075px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996153 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png\" alt=\"A map of SF showing sewage/wastewater discharge locations.\" width=\"1075\" height=\"744\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png 1075w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-800x554.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-1020x706.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1075px) 100vw, 1075px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A screenshot of an \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">SFPUC map\u003c/a> from Feb. 5, 2025, showing stormwater discharges that happened over the previous 72 hours. \u003ccite>(SFPUC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ryan Seelbach, who has surfed Ocean Beach for three decades, said he actively avoids the beach during and right after storms to prevent himself from getting sick, even though the curling waves he sees from the shore taunt him. He said surfers often develop cold symptoms and ear infections after swimming in the polluted water.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘It gets funky’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“Where the water comes out during storm events, it gets funky and has a musty smell,” he said, wrinkling his nose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seelbach wants San Francisco to reduce the number of discharges so he can enjoy the more than 3-mile stretch of water that surfers worldwide flock to in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think every human deserves to be able to access and use a clean ocean,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not just surfers upset about water quality. The federal Environmental Protection Agency and California State Water Resources Control Board filed a civil complaint in federal court against San Francisco last May, \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ca/city-and-county-san-francisco-complaint\">alleging numerous Clean Water Act violations\u003c/a> over the last decade. The agencies are seeking “financial penalties and improvements to remedy San Francisco’s repeated and widespread failures” in operating its sewer systems and water treatment plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit claims that since 2016, the city has annually discharged more than 1.8 billion gallons of untreated sewage into local waterways. That tainted water can contain pathogens like E. coli and cause severe illness if ingested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A related but separate lawsuit recently reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in October. \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-753.html\">San Francisco sued the federal EPA\u003c/a>, claiming its discharge regulations were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1993067/amid-long-and-costly-legal-battles-sf-urged-to-update-wastewater-system-fix-sewage-discharges\">too vague\u003c/a> — an argument that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected. The Supreme Court could issue its decision by June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter to the city last September, environmentalists urged San Francisco to drop the case. They accused the city of trying to dismantle the Clean Water Act, which they argued would “permanently stain the city’s reputation as a protector of the public and the environment” if their effort was successful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996157\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996157 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A surfer in a full-body wetsuit surfs a wave in the ocean.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A surfer catches a wave at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wastewater experts believe a decision in San Francisco’s favor could have huge repercussions beyond the city’s borders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The folks who work for the city of San Francisco would tell you they’re just as committed to the environment as they ever were,” said David Sedlak, a water quality expert and professor of environmental engineering at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But certainly to the outside world, if the case ends up overturning a lot of the approaches that are used now to protect our waters, people will wonder about San Francisco’s role in making that happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"wastewater\"]San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu pushed back on the criticism, arguing the permits don’t limit the number of discharges that can take place in a year. “This case was never about challenging or seeking any change to the Clean Water Act, nor disputing EPA’s ability to enforce environmental protections,” Chiu said in a statement. “I am confident we made the right choice to protect San Franciscans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFPUC argues that the exact amount of sewage that ends up in waterways varies based on each storm, and some of the pollution could come from other sources. Officials maintain that only a small percentage — less than 10% — of water discharged during storms is partially treated sewage. Most of the year, the system dispenses clean water, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I liken it to drinking a martini,” said Joel Prather, the SFPUC’s assistant general manager for wastewater enterprise. “I’m drinking the mixture of whatever alcohol I choose and the vermouth. And so, by the same token, there is a mix in there, but it’s designed to settle the solids out. And as it’s being discharged, it is primarily stormwater being discharged.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘The problem has definitely grown worse’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During last week’s storms, at least 20 sites discharged polluted water near Ocean Beach, Crissy Field, the Financial District, Mission Creek and Hunters Point, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">SFPUC’s beach water quality map\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SF Baykeeper captured images of dirty water containing fecal matter and trash overflowing into Mission Creek on Feb. 4.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Choksi-Chugh said these areas are “sacrifice zones” where the city has nowhere else to release polluted water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem has definitely grown worse,” she said. “They’re not allowed to be discharging this much bacteria and pollution into the bay, yet they are doing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue is deepening because storms are often more intense than they used to be and can easily overwhelm the system first established more than a century ago. Scientists predict storms could become up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212094722000275\">37% wetter by the end of the century\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are seeing significant storms, and we’re not alone here; the entire world is seeing stronger storms and having to deal with them,” Prather said. “We’re a combined system, so it’s designed to discharge before it floods on the street. But these large storms are overcoming everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Entirely revamping the city’s aging sewage and stormwater infrastructure would cost San Francisco ratepayers well over $10 billion on the bayside alone, which “would require major increases to wastewater bills,” according to the SFPUC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996155\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996155 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Madsen, the head of Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer-run water quality testing program, holds water samples taken from India Basin at the Surfrider Foundation’s lab in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. The samples are mixed with a reagent, which gives them a yellow color and reacts with bacteria, causing the samples to glow under UV light. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chicago significantly reduced its discharges by digging giant tunnels underground to catch stormwater in the days after a storm. However, Prather said digging under densely populated San Francisco is unrealistic and would not pencil out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re talking tens of billions of dollars. You’re also talking about ripping up every street in San Francisco and putting new plumbing in,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco has invested $2 billion to reduce discharges by 80% of the 7.6 billion gallons it released annually half a century ago, Prather said. The agency has planned for nearly $4.9 billion in wastewater projects in its \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/sites/default/files/about-us/policies-reports/10yrCapBudget_FY2023-24_FY2032-33.pdf\">10-year capital plan\u003c/a>, approved in 2023, including sewer system improvements, treatment facility updates and a Treasure Island treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Best we can with the resources we have’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, it’s just doing the best we can with the resources we have right now to be prepared for those storms,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During regular rain storms, the city collects rainwater at its two plants. Collection boxes can hold 200 million gallons of water before spilling. The agency aims to capture a billion gallons of stormwater annually using green infrastructure by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Rainwater or street runoff hits the green infrastructure and percolates into the ground before going on to either groundwater or our treatment facilities,” Prather said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also offers a grant program for \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/programs/grants/floodwater-management-grant-program\">residents experiencing flooding\u003c/a> on their properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not sitting on our hands doing nothing,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sedlak, of UC Berkeley, said San Francisco needs to prioritize its combined sewer overflow problem. “At this point, I’m not seeing the combined sewer overflow challenge as their highest priority,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that storms would only worsen with human-caused climate change, making hydroclimate whiplash — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995420/climate-scientists-warn-of-growing-whiplash-effect-on-weather-patterns\">fast swings between alarmingly wet and seriously dry weather\u003c/a> — more intense, and said San Francisco would have to make some sort of compromise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The real question for San Franciscans and people who enjoy the bay is what are we willing to pay to reduce the number of combined sewer overflows?” he said. “Is it just the people who live in San Francisco who pay the water and sewer bills there? Or is it something the whole state is interested in taking care of?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Nina Atkind loves surfing, but she’s also a detective of sorts. During storms — like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12025572/storm-stalls-over-bay-area-raising-risk-flooding-potential-tornado-warning\">massive systems that recently rocked the Bay Area\u003c/a> — she cloaks herself in an apple-red rain jacket and pulls up her tan gaiters before wading out into the swirling water at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During one recent storm in mid-December, Atkind dips a glass jar into the ocean as angry waves crash against the beach, frothy brown rollers pushing up towards the dunes at Vicente Street. The jar fills with the cloudy water, and she screws on a black cap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks yucky with a bunch of debris,” Atkind said. “I see microplastic in there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atkind manages the Surfrider Foundation’s San Francisco chapter and delivers the water to a lab where it will be analyzed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re testing for poop in the water,” Atkind said. “The water is everything. It’s so important that those who want to go in the water can and not get sick from it. You don’t want to get sick from doing what you love.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996159\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996159 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A man stands at a table, next to a seated man and woman, with a blue banner that says 'Surfrider Foundation' on the wall behind him.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-18-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Madsen (right), lead of the Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer water quality testing group, works with Justin James and Nina Atkind at the Surfrider Foundation’s lab in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood on Feb. 6, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>An overwhelmed system\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Surfrider publishes the results to alert local surfers of pollution problems. The reporting also serves as a backstop to official tests conducted by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which found that the microorganism enterococcus, a bacteria indicating fecal matter, was\u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\"> above the state’s posting threshold\u003c/a> in coastal waters on Dec. 14, 2024 — making water recreation that day inadvisable. Those levels subsided the following day, the agency noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Atmospheric rivers almost guarantee one thing for San Francisco: millions of gallons of stormwater and raw sewage will get poured into the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, sewage and stormwater flow through the same pipes as part of a combined system. The problem is that large enough storms cause the system to overflow, which the city said typically happens less than 10 times a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at her car, Atkind wipes the rain off her face before pulling her phone out to check if sewage water is spewing into waterways in any other spots. The SFPUC and the city’s Department of Public Health sample from more than 20 sites each week and monitor discharges from the sewer during storms. The results are posted on \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">a map on its website\u003c/a> — if sewage is discharged at any site, it’s indicated with a blinking triangle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996158\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996158 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-32-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An overflow pipe near the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant, also known as the Oceanside Treatment Plant, at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2025. Erosion is damaging the overflow pipes along Ocean Beach. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Every single spot on the map is now flashing red with the little triangle,” Atkind said. “It’s definitely alarming to see this happen so many times per year, especially on the east side where the water doesn’t move as much as it does on the west side.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmental groups and the state of California argue that the city is discharging too frequently and at such high volumes that it taints the waterways with bacteria that can cause illness if people come into contact with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When their system is operating properly, it’s a very well-working system,” said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper. “The problem is when we have heavy rains, their system is not built to hold all those flows. That means the system gets overwhelmed, creating contaminated spots that are harmful for public access.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996153\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1075px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996153 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png\" alt=\"A map of SF showing sewage/wastewater discharge locations.\" width=\"1075\" height=\"744\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges.png 1075w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-800x554.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-1020x706.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/Discharges-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1075px) 100vw, 1075px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A screenshot of an \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">SFPUC map\u003c/a> from Feb. 5, 2025, showing stormwater discharges that happened over the previous 72 hours. \u003ccite>(SFPUC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ryan Seelbach, who has surfed Ocean Beach for three decades, said he actively avoids the beach during and right after storms to prevent himself from getting sick, even though the curling waves he sees from the shore taunt him. He said surfers often develop cold symptoms and ear infections after swimming in the polluted water.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘It gets funky’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“Where the water comes out during storm events, it gets funky and has a musty smell,” he said, wrinkling his nose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seelbach wants San Francisco to reduce the number of discharges so he can enjoy the more than 3-mile stretch of water that surfers worldwide flock to in the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think every human deserves to be able to access and use a clean ocean,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s not just surfers upset about water quality. The federal Environmental Protection Agency and California State Water Resources Control Board filed a civil complaint in federal court against San Francisco last May, \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ca/city-and-county-san-francisco-complaint\">alleging numerous Clean Water Act violations\u003c/a> over the last decade. The agencies are seeking “financial penalties and improvements to remedy San Francisco’s repeated and widespread failures” in operating its sewer systems and water treatment plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit claims that since 2016, the city has annually discharged more than 1.8 billion gallons of untreated sewage into local waterways. That tainted water can contain pathogens like E. coli and cause severe illness if ingested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A related but separate lawsuit recently reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in October. \u003ca href=\"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-753.html\">San Francisco sued the federal EPA\u003c/a>, claiming its discharge regulations were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1993067/amid-long-and-costly-legal-battles-sf-urged-to-update-wastewater-system-fix-sewage-discharges\">too vague\u003c/a> — an argument that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected. The Supreme Court could issue its decision by June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a letter to the city last September, environmentalists urged San Francisco to drop the case. They accused the city of trying to dismantle the Clean Water Act, which they argued would “permanently stain the city’s reputation as a protector of the public and the environment” if their effort was successful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996157\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996157 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A surfer in a full-body wetsuit surfs a wave in the ocean.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250210-SurferSewage-16-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A surfer catches a wave at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on Feb. 10, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wastewater experts believe a decision in San Francisco’s favor could have huge repercussions beyond the city’s borders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The folks who work for the city of San Francisco would tell you they’re just as committed to the environment as they ever were,” said David Sedlak, a water quality expert and professor of environmental engineering at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But certainly to the outside world, if the case ends up overturning a lot of the approaches that are used now to protect our waters, people will wonder about San Francisco’s role in making that happen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu pushed back on the criticism, arguing the permits don’t limit the number of discharges that can take place in a year. “This case was never about challenging or seeking any change to the Clean Water Act, nor disputing EPA’s ability to enforce environmental protections,” Chiu said in a statement. “I am confident we made the right choice to protect San Franciscans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SFPUC argues that the exact amount of sewage that ends up in waterways varies based on each storm, and some of the pollution could come from other sources. Officials maintain that only a small percentage — less than 10% — of water discharged during storms is partially treated sewage. Most of the year, the system dispenses clean water, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I liken it to drinking a martini,” said Joel Prather, the SFPUC’s assistant general manager for wastewater enterprise. “I’m drinking the mixture of whatever alcohol I choose and the vermouth. And so, by the same token, there is a mix in there, but it’s designed to settle the solids out. And as it’s being discharged, it is primarily stormwater being discharged.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>‘The problem has definitely grown worse’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During last week’s storms, at least 20 sites discharged polluted water near Ocean Beach, Crissy Field, the Financial District, Mission Creek and Hunters Point, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://webapps.sfpuc.org/sapps/beachesandbay.html\">SFPUC’s beach water quality map\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SF Baykeeper captured images of dirty water containing fecal matter and trash overflowing into Mission Creek on Feb. 4.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Choksi-Chugh said these areas are “sacrifice zones” where the city has nowhere else to release polluted water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The problem has definitely grown worse,” she said. “They’re not allowed to be discharging this much bacteria and pollution into the bay, yet they are doing it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue is deepening because storms are often more intense than they used to be and can easily overwhelm the system first established more than a century ago. Scientists predict storms could become up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212094722000275\">37% wetter by the end of the century\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are seeing significant storms, and we’re not alone here; the entire world is seeing stronger storms and having to deal with them,” Prather said. “We’re a combined system, so it’s designed to discharge before it floods on the street. But these large storms are overcoming everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Entirely revamping the city’s aging sewage and stormwater infrastructure would cost San Francisco ratepayers well over $10 billion on the bayside alone, which “would require major increases to wastewater bills,” according to the SFPUC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996155\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1996155 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/250206-SurferSewage-01-BL-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drew Madsen, the head of Blue Water Task Force, a volunteer-run water quality testing program, holds water samples taken from India Basin at the Surfrider Foundation’s lab in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. The samples are mixed with a reagent, which gives them a yellow color and reacts with bacteria, causing the samples to glow under UV light. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Chicago significantly reduced its discharges by digging giant tunnels underground to catch stormwater in the days after a storm. However, Prather said digging under densely populated San Francisco is unrealistic and would not pencil out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re talking tens of billions of dollars. You’re also talking about ripping up every street in San Francisco and putting new plumbing in,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco has invested $2 billion to reduce discharges by 80% of the 7.6 billion gallons it released annually half a century ago, Prather said. The agency has planned for nearly $4.9 billion in wastewater projects in its \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/sites/default/files/about-us/policies-reports/10yrCapBudget_FY2023-24_FY2032-33.pdf\">10-year capital plan\u003c/a>, approved in 2023, including sewer system improvements, treatment facility updates and a Treasure Island treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Best we can with the resources we have’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“At the end of the day, it’s just doing the best we can with the resources we have right now to be prepared for those storms,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During regular rain storms, the city collects rainwater at its two plants. Collection boxes can hold 200 million gallons of water before spilling. The agency aims to capture a billion gallons of stormwater annually using green infrastructure by 2050.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Rainwater or street runoff hits the green infrastructure and percolates into the ground before going on to either groundwater or our treatment facilities,” Prather said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also offers a grant program for \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/programs/grants/floodwater-management-grant-program\">residents experiencing flooding\u003c/a> on their properties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not sitting on our hands doing nothing,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sedlak, of UC Berkeley, said San Francisco needs to prioritize its combined sewer overflow problem. “At this point, I’m not seeing the combined sewer overflow challenge as their highest priority,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that storms would only worsen with human-caused climate change, making hydroclimate whiplash — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995420/climate-scientists-warn-of-growing-whiplash-effect-on-weather-patterns\">fast swings between alarmingly wet and seriously dry weather\u003c/a> — more intense, and said San Francisco would have to make some sort of compromise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The real question for San Franciscans and people who enjoy the bay is what are we willing to pay to reduce the number of combined sewer overflows?” he said. “Is it just the people who live in San Francisco who pay the water and sewer bills there? Or is it something the whole state is interested in taking care of?”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "best-bay-area-hikes-for-spotting-banana-slugs-newts-and-ladybugs-after-the-rain",
"title": "Top Bay Area Trails to Spot Banana Slugs, Newts & Ladybugs",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Bay Area has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026524/california-rain-return-with-one-of-years-strongest-storms-on-the-way\">drenched with rain from multiple atmospheric river storms\u003c/a> these past few weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But once we get a break from this rainy weather — \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?format=ci&glossary=1&issuedby=mtr&product=afd&site=mtr&version=1\">as the National Weather Service forecasts this weekend\u003c/a> — there’s a big upside: After rainfall is one of the best times to see colorful creepy crawlies out in nature. And right in time for Valentine’s Day, this is when they’re on the hunt for mates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for the best hiking trails in the Bay Area to hit after a wet spell to spot banana slugs, California newts and ladybugs. Just be sure to watch your step as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Banana slugs on wet trails\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Banana slugs are mostly water, relying on moist environments to stay alive. In dry conditions, these striking yellow molluscs retreat to cool and shaded areas. But right after the rain, you’ll find them gliding along on wet soil in California’s damp forests — powered along by the slime produced by cells in their skin that helps them move over dirt and leaves. This slime allows banana slugs not only to retain their moisture but also to defend themselves by producing mucus that numbs the mouth and tongues of any predators trying to nibble on them. The chemicals left behind in their slime trails also allow banana slugs to more easily find each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banana slugs are scavengers that feed on dead leaves, mushrooms and animals, but they’re also decomposers that help recycle nutrients into the forest floor. They also play a key ecological role by dispersing seeds and spores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These slugs are hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. And while they mate all year round, they’re most active after the rain. \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUIAKtcCMaU\">Mating is a lengthy process\u003c/a> that sometimes results in \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/blog/banana-slug/\">one slug biting off its mate’s reproductive organ\u003c/a> — a process scientifically known as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYr-_Mvqc9k\">apophallation\u003c/a>.” They lay eggs under logs or leaves, but they’re not attentive parents: Banana slug hatchlings must fend for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see banana slugs in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Woods, Marin\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Armstrong Redwoods, Sonoma\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Purisima Creek Redwoods, Half Moon Bay\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The Bear Valley Visitor Center, Point Reyes\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHvCQSGanJg\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>California newts, looking for dates\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the winter rainy season, thousands of orange-brown California newts cross Bay Area roads, migrating from burrows to mating ponds. Like banana slugs, newts need moisture to survive — especially during this mini-migration season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the breeding season, male newts go through a dramatic change. Once in the water of the mating pond, they become bulkier, their tails flatten into fins to swim better, and they develop pads on their feet to allow them to clamp onto a female newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After mating, the newts produce clusters of eggs, which they sometimes munch on for extra protein. The eggs that survive grow into larvae and, after a few months, will leave the pond as adults — only to return when they themselves are ready to mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see California newts in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Sunol Regional Wilderness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Las Trampas Regional Wilderness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In ponds and small lakes\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbaywildlife.info/species/california_newt.htm\">Get more tips on spotting newts in the wild\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m37QR_4XNY\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ladybugs in loving clusters\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In winter, when their food source is low, ladybugs cluster together in the millions to stay warm, conserve energy and protect themselves from predators. This is also an excellent time for them to find a mate — and for you to spot them in such numbers, called “aggregations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The species more commonly found in the Bay — for example, at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park — are convergent ladybugs, one of 175 species native to California. The red color on their bodies is a defense mechanism against predators — a warning sign that they’re toxic. Over 5,000 species of ladybugs exist worldwide and come in different colors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see ladybugs in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stream trails at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland are a reliable spot to see ladybug aggregation. Hikers have also spotted aggregations at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DE3ag9kqduW/\">Santa Cruz Mountains State Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you plan to see these colorful clusters, be sure to respect them by watching from a short distance. Collecting ladybugs from these aggregations is prohibited, as they might not survive their relocation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Z6xRexbIU\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "When the Bay Area weather turns to rain, there's a silver lining after: You'll be able to see these crawlers from the hiking trail.",
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"title": "Best Bay Area Hikes to Spot Slugs, Newts & Ladybugs | KQED",
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"headline": "Top Bay Area Trails to Spot Banana Slugs, Newts & Ladybugs",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Bay Area has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026524/california-rain-return-with-one-of-years-strongest-storms-on-the-way\">drenched with rain from multiple atmospheric river storms\u003c/a> these past few weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But once we get a break from this rainy weather — \u003ca href=\"https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?format=ci&glossary=1&issuedby=mtr&product=afd&site=mtr&version=1\">as the National Weather Service forecasts this weekend\u003c/a> — there’s a big upside: After rainfall is one of the best times to see colorful creepy crawlies out in nature. And right in time for Valentine’s Day, this is when they’re on the hunt for mates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for the best hiking trails in the Bay Area to hit after a wet spell to spot banana slugs, California newts and ladybugs. Just be sure to watch your step as you go.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Banana slugs on wet trails\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Banana slugs are mostly water, relying on moist environments to stay alive. In dry conditions, these striking yellow molluscs retreat to cool and shaded areas. But right after the rain, you’ll find them gliding along on wet soil in California’s damp forests — powered along by the slime produced by cells in their skin that helps them move over dirt and leaves. This slime allows banana slugs not only to retain their moisture but also to defend themselves by producing mucus that numbs the mouth and tongues of any predators trying to nibble on them. The chemicals left behind in their slime trails also allow banana slugs to more easily find each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Banana slugs are scavengers that feed on dead leaves, mushrooms and animals, but they’re also decomposers that help recycle nutrients into the forest floor. They also play a key ecological role by dispersing seeds and spores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These slugs are hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. And while they mate all year round, they’re most active after the rain. \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUIAKtcCMaU\">Mating is a lengthy process\u003c/a> that sometimes results in \u003ca href=\"https://openspacetrust.org/blog/banana-slug/\">one slug biting off its mate’s reproductive organ\u003c/a> — a process scientifically known as “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYr-_Mvqc9k\">apophallation\u003c/a>.” They lay eggs under logs or leaves, but they’re not attentive parents: Banana slug hatchlings must fend for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see banana slugs in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Woods, Marin\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Santa Cruz\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Armstrong Redwoods, Sonoma\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Purisima Creek Redwoods, Half Moon Bay\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The Bear Valley Visitor Center, Point Reyes\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/mHvCQSGanJg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/mHvCQSGanJg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>California newts, looking for dates\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the winter rainy season, thousands of orange-brown California newts cross Bay Area roads, migrating from burrows to mating ponds. Like banana slugs, newts need moisture to survive — especially during this mini-migration season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the breeding season, male newts go through a dramatic change. Once in the water of the mating pond, they become bulkier, their tails flatten into fins to swim better, and they develop pads on their feet to allow them to clamp onto a female newt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After mating, the newts produce clusters of eggs, which they sometimes munch on for extra protein. The eggs that survive grow into larvae and, after a few months, will leave the pond as adults — only to return when they themselves are ready to mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see California newts in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Sunol Regional Wilderness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Las Trampas Regional Wilderness\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>In ponds and small lakes\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbaywildlife.info/species/california_newt.htm\">Get more tips on spotting newts in the wild\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/5m37QR_4XNY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/5m37QR_4XNY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch2>Ladybugs in loving clusters\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In winter, when their food source is low, ladybugs cluster together in the millions to stay warm, conserve energy and protect themselves from predators. This is also an excellent time for them to find a mate — and for you to spot them in such numbers, called “aggregations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The species more commonly found in the Bay — for example, at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park — are convergent ladybugs, one of 175 species native to California. The red color on their bodies is a defense mechanism against predators — a warning sign that they’re toxic. Over 5,000 species of ladybugs exist worldwide and come in different colors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where to see ladybugs in the Bay Area after the rain\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Stream trails at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland are a reliable spot to see ladybug aggregation. Hikers have also spotted aggregations at \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DE3ag9kqduW/\">Santa Cruz Mountains State Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you plan to see these colorful clusters, be sure to respect them by watching from a short distance. Collecting ladybugs from these aggregations is prohibited, as they might not survive their relocation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/c-Z6xRexbIU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/c-Z6xRexbIU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "at-hidden-tahoe-lab-scientists-learn-the-art-of-measuring-snow",
"title": "At Hidden Tahoe Lab, Scientists Learn the Art of Measuring Snow",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]A[/dropcap]nyone riding the gondola lift at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort one bright day in January might have seen something unexpected in the glade below them: A series of figures energetically digging pits in the snow by hand — deep enough for them to then jump inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These pit diggers intently studied the walls of their newly carved chambers before pressing bright yellow sensors into the ice. They were, in fact, student scientists receiving training from the Central Sierra Snow Lab close by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while most visitors to the Sierra would never have a reason to come across this stocky, unassuming 1940s cabin nestled on a nearby backroad, the Snow Lab has been at the forefront of snow science for almost 80 years, maintaining the data that has huge implications for California’s water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995844\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995844\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-2048x676.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1920x634.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Measuring implements to gauge the layers and depth of the Sierra snowpack (left) in use at the Snow Science School. Anne Nolin (right), professor of geography at the University of Nevada, Reno and a snow school attendee, marks the edge of where to dig a pit in the snowpack. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, this event, its first-ever Snow Science School, saw the Snow Lab open its doors to teach a new generation the tools of their trade — almost 7,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Tahoe National Forest.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hidden history on Donner Summit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Though now managed by UC Berkeley, the Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs began life in 1946 as a collaboration between the Army Corps of Engineers and what’s now known as the National Weather Service. But while the Snow Lab’s own snowfall and snow depth measurements date back to its birth, this cabin beneath towering pine trees near Donner Summit also maintains much older records from the area going back to 1878 documenting the Central Pacific Railroad’s own efforts — making these the longest such climatological records in the world when it comes to snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for the scientists working up here in 2025, the job is essentially “to play in the snow and learn more about it,” said Andrew Schwartz, its director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995851\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995851\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1585\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1020x632.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1536x951.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-2048x1268.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1920x1189.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Schwartz, director of UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, holds a decades-old printout of snow measurements (left) and a black-and-white photograph (right) in the lab’s archives. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the three days in January that saw 20 students from across the U.S. arrive at the Snow Science School, Tahoe was in the middle of a sunny, dry spell, with the snowpack at Donner Summit at 94% of the average for this time of year. But at an elevation of over 6,700 feet, the Snow Lab has seen its share of wild winters and momentous snowfall — making it an apt place to study snow science any time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schwartz, who took over the Snow Lab in 2021 and lived inside the building for his first two years, recalled how, in 2023, the snow was so deep that he and his colleagues could “walk directly into the third-floor windows.” That year, the Snow Lab received a total of 63 feet of snow, its second-biggest winter accumulation on record — precipitation that would eventually become the snowmelt that’s crucial for California’s water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995837\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995837\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants listen during a morning lecture at the Clair Tappan Lodge during the Snow Science School organized by UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Schwartz, his “number one” hope for the Snow Lab’s inaugural school is that the students leave “with an appreciation of snow and a better understanding of how it works, really — because it’s so important to the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Roughly two billion people [around the world] use water obtained from snowpack. And we tend to take it for granted,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school’s student body included a large handful of people from the California Department of Water Resources — one of the Snow Lab’s partners in this work — but also graduate students, researchers, snow modelers and teachers, as well as folks sent by the National Parks Service and the National Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995836\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995836\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants gather for a morning lecture during Snow Science School. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The breadth of experience and background among the Snow Science School’s students is a testimony to the wide range of applications this work can have — and to the disciplines that snow brings together. “It’s a very close-knit community,” said Preetika Kaur, a Snow Lab student attending from the University of Wyoming. “I love to meet people who are pros.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>All work and no play? Not at the Snow Lab\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After climbing up the steep hill to the Snow Lab on their first day, students were shown past the bright red snowcat — the exact same model that’s featured in the movie \u003cem>The Shining\u003c/em>, noted Schwartz approvingly — and into the warren-like building. Above their heads, the top floor holds sleeping quarters for the scientists who board overnight to conduct research or who’ve been trapped inside by an impenetrable Sierra storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1104\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-800x345.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1020x440.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-160x69.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-768x331.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1536x662.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-2048x883.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1920x828.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995839\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995839\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, based in Soda Springs near Donner Summit. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The first floor and basement, where the lab’s scientists work throughout the day, was full not just of computer screens and boxes full of measuring tools but also handwritten logs, archive photography depicting their Snow Lab predecessors out on the job, vintage road signs and instruments saved from the building’s past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s even an oscilloscope — an instrument that once measured voltage — with a large “NASA AMES” sticker on it, and even though Schwartz admits they “have no clue” what the Snow Lab scientists of previous years used it for up here, “I’d be lying if I still don’t like to play with the knobs on it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995849\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995849\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Type 555 Dual-beam Oscilloscope, circa 1960s, at the Central Sierra Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995848\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995848\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-800x344.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1020x439.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-160x69.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-768x330.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1536x661.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-2048x881.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1920x826.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spatulas and rulers (right) are some of the tools used to measure snowfall at the Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Outside, the students tour Snow Lab’s network of remote snow equipment, like the fluid-filled “snow pillow” that detects the weight of the snow falling on it and the sensors submerged in the creek behind the lab that will gauge the height of the icy water as it starts to rise with spring snowmelt. Other remote sensors constantly assess solar radiation — in a region where sunlight can contribute to up to 95% of snowmelt — and soil temperature to get an idea of just how fast the snowpack could melt this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as this data collection hums in the background, Schwartz still maintains the lab’s twice-daily manual measurement tradition, which sees him and his colleagues crunch out onto the snow with “our very fancy ruler” — work that on some days, depending on conditions, can feel more like a polar expedition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995840\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gaby May Lagunes, a Ph.D. student in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department at UC Berkeley, puts on her snowshoes to head into the field. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/UCB_CSSL\">the Snow Lab’s social media presence\u003c/a> has gained in popularity in the last few years, the snow measurements that Schwartz and his team make public are also watched eagerly by a different group of California enthusiasts: skiers and snowboarders desperate to know when to hit the Tahoe slopes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the different uses of our data in our information,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The impact of the snowpack on water supply\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The snowpack can contain clues of the past as well as the future — which is why the snow analysis techniques being taught at the Snow Science School go way beyond just assessing depth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key concept hydrology students are taught about is “snow water equivalent,” or SWE (usually pronounced “swee” by snow scientists): A measurement that tells scientists just how much water is contained in an area of snow versus the air it also contains alongside its ice crystals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995841\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995841\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Schwartz, right, director of the Central Sierra Snow Lab, leads instructors and participants of the Snow Science School into the field. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of the water in California originally falls as snow, and it’s really valuable to humans because there’s a lot of it and because it stores itself for free in places where it’s cold and then melts in the spring, which is when we need it for agriculture,” said Marianne Cowherd, research associate at the Snow Lab and one of the instructors. “Having a good understanding of how much water we have available upstream lets us do things like manage our reservoir levels — so we still have enough water, but we don’t have dangerous operations or overflow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next piece of the snow science puzzle is working out when and how the state can expect that snow to melt. At the school, the students learn more about how energy from the sun and from the warm temperatures of the air and from the ground melts the snowpack and how the water flows into California’s soils and streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The thing that I’m trying to do is understand the effect of human changes in the landscape, specifically with irrigation on future precipitation patterns and precipitation extremes,” said Gaby May Lagunes, a snow lab student and UC Berkeley graduate researcher. “How the way people change the environment has an impact on the water cycle, not only locally, regionally and globally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So “if I want to understand water from a data-driven perspective, I need to have an idea of what snow people know,” she said. “We need to work together a lot because we cannot know everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995845\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995845\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Preetika Kaur, left, a Ph.D. student at the University of Wyoming, and Joe Ammatelli, an assistant research scientist with the Desert Research Institute, dig a pit in the snowpack during Snow Science School. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Up close in the snow pits\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For students, the real action came when the school decamped closer to Donner Summit for the field measurement portion of their studies. After suiting up in thermal layers, bibs and beanies — plus lab-supplied polarized sunglasses that read “No Biz Like Snow Biz” on the side — the students strap on snowshoes to make the hike along a snow-covered trail to a secluded woods, sandwiched between Sugar Bowl and Donner Ski Ranch. Here, they began to dig out a series of 4-foot-deep snow pits using shovels, low enough to strike soil and complete with steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The snowpack can be far larger, sometimes as deep as 20 feet, and scientists “have to build literal levels down to measure the whole thing,” Schwartz said — “so you don’t have to Spider-Man your way out every time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Ammatelli was sent by the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, where he carries out snow modeling, which needs to be validated by field observations. “It’s really valuable as a modeler to get out here and see how it’s done,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995846\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995846\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-2048x676.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1920x634.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow crystals lay on a measuring device during a field outing with the Snow Science School in January. Chris Northart, right, with the Department of Water Resources Statewide Monitoring Network Unit and a participant of the Snow Science School, uses a magnification lens to measure the size of snow granules. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995847\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995847\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A participant of the Snow School weighs a wedge of snow collected from the snowpack in a field outing. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And for all the technological developments in snow science, it remains deeply tactile for its practitioners. Down in the pits, the students measured the snow’s temperature and observed how it changed the deeper the pit went. Then, using specialized shovels, the students scooped out and leveled off snow before weighing it on a scale — a method of measuring density and snow water equivalent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They examined physical changes in the different layers in the smooth white walls of the snow pits, like studying rings in a tree trunk. These kinds of measurements are an exercise in time travel, explained instructor Cowherd, given the different qualities of snowflakes that fall at different times and how the ever-accumulating snowpack ages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the air heats and cools, the snow melts and compresses under its own weight — all of which “tells us about the history of what’s happened there,” Cowherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Every day in the snow is a good day’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The observations that the instructors taught its snow students in the pits are the kind that stretches back almost a century and a half in the Snow Lab’s own archives — and this volume of information is invaluable for assessing the impact of climate change, Schwartz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see the same amount of precipitation coming in, but it’s shifting from snow terrain in all the months — so we’re seeing warming,” he said. “Our rain-snow line is going up in elevation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The almost 150 years of data can also aid forecasters in looking for variables that smaller data sets just can’t encompass, he said — like the Sierra’s dry spells that are followed by big years for rain and snowfall, a swing that’s seen in “five year periods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995850\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995850\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign to alert the public of a snow survey shelter structure from the Department of Water Resources is one of the objects in the archive at the Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The school’s emphasis on continuing the tradition of meticulous data collection is shot through with the deep enthusiasm that marks the people in its orbit. Even in the chill of the field, when digging out feet of snow, the students remain upbeat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow people are really fun people for the most part,” said instructor Micah Johnson, as he demonstrated an invention he’d been working on for a decade — showing the students how to stab his Bluetooth-enabled “penetrometer-reflectometer” stick into the snow and call up data from its sensors. “I have yet to meet an indifferent snow scientist of sorts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or, as Ammatelli from the Desert Research Institute said, “Every day in the snow is a good day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Joe Ammatelli’s name.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Scientists Learn the Art of Measuring Snow at Hidden Tahoe Lab | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">A\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>nyone riding the gondola lift at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort one bright day in January might have seen something unexpected in the glade below them: A series of figures energetically digging pits in the snow by hand — deep enough for them to then jump inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These pit diggers intently studied the walls of their newly carved chambers before pressing bright yellow sensors into the ice. They were, in fact, student scientists receiving training from the Central Sierra Snow Lab close by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while most visitors to the Sierra would never have a reason to come across this stocky, unassuming 1940s cabin nestled on a nearby backroad, the Snow Lab has been at the forefront of snow science for almost 80 years, maintaining the data that has huge implications for California’s water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995844\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995844\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-2048x676.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01549_duo-1920x634.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Measuring implements to gauge the layers and depth of the Sierra snowpack (left) in use at the Snow Science School. Anne Nolin (right), professor of geography at the University of Nevada, Reno and a snow school attendee, marks the edge of where to dig a pit in the snowpack. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, this event, its first-ever Snow Science School, saw the Snow Lab open its doors to teach a new generation the tools of their trade — almost 7,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Tahoe National Forest.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hidden history on Donner Summit\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Though now managed by UC Berkeley, the Central Sierra Snow Lab in Soda Springs began life in 1946 as a collaboration between the Army Corps of Engineers and what’s now known as the National Weather Service. But while the Snow Lab’s own snowfall and snow depth measurements date back to its birth, this cabin beneath towering pine trees near Donner Summit also maintains much older records from the area going back to 1878 documenting the Central Pacific Railroad’s own efforts — making these the longest such climatological records in the world when it comes to snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for the scientists working up here in 2025, the job is essentially “to play in the snow and learn more about it,” said Andrew Schwartz, its director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995851\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995851\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1585\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-800x495.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1020x632.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-768x476.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1536x951.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-2048x1268.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04876_duo-1920x1189.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Schwartz, director of UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, holds a decades-old printout of snow measurements (left) and a black-and-white photograph (right) in the lab’s archives. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the three days in January that saw 20 students from across the U.S. arrive at the Snow Science School, Tahoe was in the middle of a sunny, dry spell, with the snowpack at Donner Summit at 94% of the average for this time of year. But at an elevation of over 6,700 feet, the Snow Lab has seen its share of wild winters and momentous snowfall — making it an apt place to study snow science any time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schwartz, who took over the Snow Lab in 2021 and lived inside the building for his first two years, recalled how, in 2023, the snow was so deep that he and his colleagues could “walk directly into the third-floor windows.” That year, the Snow Lab received a total of 63 feet of snow, its second-biggest winter accumulation on record — precipitation that would eventually become the snowmelt that’s crucial for California’s water supply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995837\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995837\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00729-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants listen during a morning lecture at the Clair Tappan Lodge during the Snow Science School organized by UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Schwartz, his “number one” hope for the Snow Lab’s inaugural school is that the students leave “with an appreciation of snow and a better understanding of how it works, really — because it’s so important to the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Roughly two billion people [around the world] use water obtained from snowpack. And we tend to take it for granted,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The school’s student body included a large handful of people from the California Department of Water Resources — one of the Snow Lab’s partners in this work — but also graduate students, researchers, snow modelers and teachers, as well as folks sent by the National Parks Service and the National Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995836\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995836\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00032-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Participants gather for a morning lecture during Snow Science School. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The breadth of experience and background among the Snow Science School’s students is a testimony to the wide range of applications this work can have — and to the disciplines that snow brings together. “It’s a very close-knit community,” said Preetika Kaur, a Snow Lab student attending from the University of Wyoming. “I love to meet people who are pros.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>All work and no play? Not at the Snow Lab\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After climbing up the steep hill to the Snow Lab on their first day, students were shown past the bright red snowcat — the exact same model that’s featured in the movie \u003cem>The Shining\u003c/em>, noted Schwartz approvingly — and into the warren-like building. Above their heads, the top floor holds sleeping quarters for the scientists who board overnight to conduct research or who’ve been trapped inside by an impenetrable Sierra storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1104\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-800x345.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1020x440.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-160x69.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-768x331.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1536x662.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-2048x883.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00955_duo-1920x828.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995839\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995839\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_00964-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">UC Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, based in Soda Springs near Donner Summit. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The first floor and basement, where the lab’s scientists work throughout the day, was full not just of computer screens and boxes full of measuring tools but also handwritten logs, archive photography depicting their Snow Lab predecessors out on the job, vintage road signs and instruments saved from the building’s past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s even an oscilloscope — an instrument that once measured voltage — with a large “NASA AMES” sticker on it, and even though Schwartz admits they “have no clue” what the Snow Lab scientists of previous years used it for up here, “I’d be lying if I still don’t like to play with the knobs on it,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995849\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995849\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04870-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Type 555 Dual-beam Oscilloscope, circa 1960s, at the Central Sierra Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995848\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995848\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1102\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-800x344.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1020x439.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-160x69.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-768x330.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1536x661.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-2048x881.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04694_duo-1920x826.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spatulas and rulers (right) are some of the tools used to measure snowfall at the Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Outside, the students tour Snow Lab’s network of remote snow equipment, like the fluid-filled “snow pillow” that detects the weight of the snow falling on it and the sensors submerged in the creek behind the lab that will gauge the height of the icy water as it starts to rise with spring snowmelt. Other remote sensors constantly assess solar radiation — in a region where sunlight can contribute to up to 95% of snowmelt — and soil temperature to get an idea of just how fast the snowpack could melt this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as this data collection hums in the background, Schwartz still maintains the lab’s twice-daily manual measurement tradition, which sees him and his colleagues crunch out onto the snow with “our very fancy ruler” — work that on some days, depending on conditions, can feel more like a polar expedition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995840\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01055-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gaby May Lagunes, a Ph.D. student in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department at UC Berkeley, puts on her snowshoes to head into the field. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/UCB_CSSL\">the Snow Lab’s social media presence\u003c/a> has gained in popularity in the last few years, the snow measurements that Schwartz and his team make public are also watched eagerly by a different group of California enthusiasts: skiers and snowboarders desperate to know when to hit the Tahoe slopes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the different uses of our data in our information,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The impact of the snowpack on water supply\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The snowpack can contain clues of the past as well as the future — which is why the snow analysis techniques being taught at the Snow Science School go way beyond just assessing depth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A key concept hydrology students are taught about is “snow water equivalent,” or SWE (usually pronounced “swee” by snow scientists): A measurement that tells scientists just how much water is contained in an area of snow versus the air it also contains alongside its ice crystals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995841\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995841\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_01224-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Schwartz, right, director of the Central Sierra Snow Lab, leads instructors and participants of the Snow Science School into the field. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“A lot of the water in California originally falls as snow, and it’s really valuable to humans because there’s a lot of it and because it stores itself for free in places where it’s cold and then melts in the spring, which is when we need it for agriculture,” said Marianne Cowherd, research associate at the Snow Lab and one of the instructors. “Having a good understanding of how much water we have available upstream lets us do things like manage our reservoir levels — so we still have enough water, but we don’t have dangerous operations or overflow.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next piece of the snow science puzzle is working out when and how the state can expect that snow to melt. At the school, the students learn more about how energy from the sun and from the warm temperatures of the air and from the ground melts the snowpack and how the water flows into California’s soils and streams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The thing that I’m trying to do is understand the effect of human changes in the landscape, specifically with irrigation on future precipitation patterns and precipitation extremes,” said Gaby May Lagunes, a snow lab student and UC Berkeley graduate researcher. “How the way people change the environment has an impact on the water cycle, not only locally, regionally and globally.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So “if I want to understand water from a data-driven perspective, I need to have an idea of what snow people know,” she said. “We need to work together a lot because we cannot know everything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995845\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995845\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02033-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Preetika Kaur, left, a Ph.D. student at the University of Wyoming, and Joe Ammatelli, an assistant research scientist with the Desert Research Institute, dig a pit in the snowpack during Snow Science School. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Up close in the snow pits\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For students, the real action came when the school decamped closer to Donner Summit for the field measurement portion of their studies. After suiting up in thermal layers, bibs and beanies — plus lab-supplied polarized sunglasses that read “No Biz Like Snow Biz” on the side — the students strap on snowshoes to make the hike along a snow-covered trail to a secluded woods, sandwiched between Sugar Bowl and Donner Ski Ranch. Here, they began to dig out a series of 4-foot-deep snow pits using shovels, low enough to strike soil and complete with steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The snowpack can be far larger, sometimes as deep as 20 feet, and scientists “have to build literal levels down to measure the whole thing,” Schwartz said — “so you don’t have to Spider-Man your way out every time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joe Ammatelli was sent by the Desert Research Institute in Nevada, where he carries out snow modeling, which needs to be validated by field observations. “It’s really valuable as a modeler to get out here and see how it’s done,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995846\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995846\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-800x264.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1020x337.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-768x253.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-2048x676.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_02943_duo-1920x634.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow crystals lay on a measuring device during a field outing with the Snow Science School in January. Chris Northart, right, with the Department of Water Resources Statewide Monitoring Network Unit and a participant of the Snow Science School, uses a magnification lens to measure the size of snow granules. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995847\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995847\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_03173-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A participant of the Snow School weighs a wedge of snow collected from the snowpack in a field outing. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And for all the technological developments in snow science, it remains deeply tactile for its practitioners. Down in the pits, the students measured the snow’s temperature and observed how it changed the deeper the pit went. Then, using specialized shovels, the students scooped out and leveled off snow before weighing it on a scale — a method of measuring density and snow water equivalent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They examined physical changes in the different layers in the smooth white walls of the snow pits, like studying rings in a tree trunk. These kinds of measurements are an exercise in time travel, explained instructor Cowherd, given the different qualities of snowflakes that fall at different times and how the ever-accumulating snowpack ages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the air heats and cools, the snow melts and compresses under its own weight — all of which “tells us about the history of what’s happened there,” Cowherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Every day in the snow is a good day’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The observations that the instructors taught its snow students in the pits are the kind that stretches back almost a century and a half in the Snow Lab’s own archives — and this volume of information is invaluable for assessing the impact of climate change, Schwartz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see the same amount of precipitation coming in, but it’s shifting from snow terrain in all the months — so we’re seeing warming,” he said. “Our rain-snow line is going up in elevation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The almost 150 years of data can also aid forecasters in looking for variables that smaller data sets just can’t encompass, he said — like the Sierra’s dry spells that are followed by big years for rain and snowfall, a swing that’s seen in “five year periods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995850\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995850\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-800x1200.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-1020x1530.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/02/20250116_Snow-School_DMB_04872-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign to alert the public of a snow survey shelter structure from the Department of Water Resources is one of the objects in the archive at the Snow Lab. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The school’s emphasis on continuing the tradition of meticulous data collection is shot through with the deep enthusiasm that marks the people in its orbit. Even in the chill of the field, when digging out feet of snow, the students remain upbeat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow people are really fun people for the most part,” said instructor Micah Johnson, as he demonstrated an invention he’d been working on for a decade — showing the students how to stab his Bluetooth-enabled “penetrometer-reflectometer” stick into the snow and call up data from its sensors. “I have yet to meet an indifferent snow scientist of sorts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or, as Ammatelli from the Desert Research Institute said, “Every day in the snow is a good day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Joe Ammatelli’s name.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>California’s iconic monarch butterfly population saw a sharp decline this year, which biologists attribute to the hot summer and fall temperatures across the state affecting the species’ migratory path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest Western Monarch Count by Xerces Society recorded 9,119 overwintering monarch butterflies — those that travel to warmer climates in the winter — in California, marking the second-lowest population since tracking began in 1997. This sharp decline follows three consecutive years of over 200,000 monarchs and remains well below the \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/the-current-status-of-western-monarch-butterflies-by-the-numbers/\">millions observed in the 1980s\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The specific drop we saw this year largely attributed to the really hot temperatures and the drought that we saw across the West in July, somewhat into August and again in September and October, when that migratory generation should be making its way to the overwintering sites,” said Emma Pelton, an endangered species biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz County had the most overwintering monarch clusters this year, with Lighthouse Field State Park reporting 1,406 butterflies, Natural Bridges State Park counting 1,400, and Moran Lake recording 645. The fourth-largest site was Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove in San Luis Obispo County, with 556 monarchs recorded in late November. Skywest Golf Course in Hayward ranked fifth with 477 butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other locations with higher densities of monarchs include the Pacific Grove Butterfly Sanctuary in Monterey County, which had 228, and UC Gill Tract Community Farm in Alameda, which recorded 196 and was one of the few sites to see a population increase this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, some historically significant sites experienced drastic declines. The Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa had almost no clusters, with only three monarchs spotted across multiple locations. A privately-owned Santa Barbara site managed by The Nature Conservancy, which hosted 33,200 monarchs last winter, dramatically dropped to 198 this season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the decline is caused by habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate change. Record-high temperatures and drought throughout the summer and fall months last year likely also contributed to the drop. In January, fires in Los Angeles County burned tree groves where monarchs overwinter, including a site in Lower Topanga Canyon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The western monarch population, which migrates separately from eastern monarchs overwintering in Mexico, relies on California’s coastal tree groves for shelter. Experts say voluntary efforts like pollinator gardens have helped prevent even steeper declines but that broader policy changes are needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='science']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a huge number of people that care about monarchs and are planting habitat or trying to protect the species. But the evidence points to how we need this work done at a much higher level,” Pelton said, referring to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-12/monarch-butterfly-proposed-endangered-species-act-protection\">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal\u003c/a> to list monarchs as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If approved, the proposal would provide improved protection for monarch overwintering habitat in California and more incentives for habitat restoration. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/save-monarch\">public comment period on the listing is open\u003c/a> until March 12, and Xerces Society is asking individuals \u003ca href=\"https://win.newmode.net/xerces-fws-monarch\">to sign on to support the listing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s iconic monarch butterfly population saw a sharp decline this year, which biologists attribute to the hot summer and fall temperatures across the state affecting the species’ migratory path.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest Western Monarch Count by Xerces Society recorded 9,119 overwintering monarch butterflies — those that travel to warmer climates in the winter — in California, marking the second-lowest population since tracking began in 1997. This sharp decline follows three consecutive years of over 200,000 monarchs and remains well below the \u003ca href=\"https://westernmonarchcount.org/the-current-status-of-western-monarch-butterflies-by-the-numbers/\">millions observed in the 1980s\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The specific drop we saw this year largely attributed to the really hot temperatures and the drought that we saw across the West in July, somewhat into August and again in September and October, when that migratory generation should be making its way to the overwintering sites,” said Emma Pelton, an endangered species biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz County had the most overwintering monarch clusters this year, with Lighthouse Field State Park reporting 1,406 butterflies, Natural Bridges State Park counting 1,400, and Moran Lake recording 645. The fourth-largest site was Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove in San Luis Obispo County, with 556 monarchs recorded in late November. Skywest Golf Course in Hayward ranked fifth with 477 butterflies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other locations with higher densities of monarchs include the Pacific Grove Butterfly Sanctuary in Monterey County, which had 228, and UC Gill Tract Community Farm in Alameda, which recorded 196 and was one of the few sites to see a population increase this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, some historically significant sites experienced drastic declines. The Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa had almost no clusters, with only three monarchs spotted across multiple locations. A privately-owned Santa Barbara site managed by The Nature Conservancy, which hosted 33,200 monarchs last winter, dramatically dropped to 198 this season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Experts say the decline is caused by habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and climate change. Record-high temperatures and drought throughout the summer and fall months last year likely also contributed to the drop. In January, fires in Los Angeles County burned tree groves where monarchs overwinter, including a site in Lower Topanga Canyon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The western monarch population, which migrates separately from eastern monarchs overwintering in Mexico, relies on California’s coastal tree groves for shelter. Experts say voluntary efforts like pollinator gardens have helped prevent even steeper declines but that broader policy changes are needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s a huge number of people that care about monarchs and are planting habitat or trying to protect the species. But the evidence points to how we need this work done at a much higher level,” Pelton said, referring to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-12/monarch-butterfly-proposed-endangered-species-act-protection\">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal\u003c/a> to list monarchs as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If approved, the proposal would provide improved protection for monarch overwintering habitat in California and more incentives for habitat restoration. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/save-monarch\">public comment period on the listing is open\u003c/a> until March 12, and Xerces Society is asking individuals \u003ca href=\"https://win.newmode.net/xerces-fws-monarch\">to sign on to support the listing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe] \u003cem> Watch turret spiders, wormlions, assassin bugs and dragonfly babies use stealth, speed and lethal weapons to dispatch their prey. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No one said life in the wild would be easy. Yikes!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These four miniature hunters use stealth, speed and lethal weapons to dispatch their prey in the most creative of ways. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up, check out these mysterious little towers poking up from the forest floor. A cunning, patient and ruthless surprise lurks inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Turret Spiders Launch Sneak Attacks From Tiny Towers\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The world is a very different place when darkness falls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of us head for home … for cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because as the shadows creep in, they hide things … Frightful things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is that? That little tower? Look, there’s another one. They blend in so well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was a California turret spider. Its lair is like the turret of a castle, rising above the forest floor. It’s lined the inside with pearly white silk. And coated the outside with mud, moss or leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The turret leads down to the spider’s burrow, that can descend six inches underground. The spider spends its days down there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the last rays of the sun die out, it rises … to wait, motionless. Until some unsuspecting creature happens by, like this pill bug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every step it takes creates tiny tremors, betraying its location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whew! That was close.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turret spiders actually have pretty poor vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, they rely on feel, bursting out in whichever direction the vibrations seem to come from. So, sometimes they miss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They belong to a group of spiders called mygalomorphs – along with their more famous cousins: tarantulas and trapdoor spiders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They pack oversized fangs that swing down like a pair of pickaxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were hunting this way long before spiders started building intricate aerial webs, like this orb weaver spider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, a female turret spider might live for 16 years and never stray from her turret.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She only ventures into the world for a split second. Just long enough to drag her next victim down to its demise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our next creature is straight out of science fiction. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wormlion ambushes its prey from the bottom of its tidy – and terrifying – sand pit.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Meeting a Wormlion Is the Pits\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You never really know where trouble is lurking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When one wayward step … means disaster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This small hole in the sand is really the lair of a wormlion. And it’s ferocious. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You find them in dry, dusty soil in the mountains of Northern California. The ground is cratered with danger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sure, it’s a tiny little wriggly thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But wormlions set a fearsome trap that’s straight out of science fiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To build it, they slink below the surface, pushing through dirt, sand and rocks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll fling them out of the way as they get settled into their shallow pit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oops, try again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then … it just lies in wait.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s almost invisible, camouflaged by the sand stuck to its body. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ant is totally clueless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wormlion strikes like a cobra, injecting venom into its prey to paralyze it. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It constricts the ant, dragging it under, until … it’s all over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wormlion is done feeding on the juicy innards, it flicks the empty carcass away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And tidies up its pit for its next meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ehhh, careful!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a couple of years of the good life, this wormlion will leave this dusty ditch behind and take to the skies. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because really, it’s not a worm at all. It’s a fly larva.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’ll turn into this: a fly that lives for less than a week. Its only job is to mate and lay eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for most of its life, it’s sitting pretty in its pit, waiting for lunch to fall right in its lap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assassin bug kills its victim by stabbing it over and over. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But does this perpetrator have an accomplice? Sticky droplets at the scene of the crime could be a clue.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>You Can’t Unsee the Assassin Bug’s Dirty Work\n\u003ch2>\u003c/h2>\n\u003c/h2>\u003cp>Just beneath the petals of this flower, a brutal murder is in progress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was the victim, a few minutes earlier: a caterpillar. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before it got whacked, it was on its way to becoming an owlet moth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this is the perpetrator. \u003cem>Pselliopus spinicollis\u003c/em>, aka the assassin bug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It dispatches its victims with this sharp weapon. When it’s not using it, it keeps it folded up, like a switchblade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s review that crime footage again, shall we?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yep, the assassin bug is definitely the hit man. But did it have an accomplice? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scene of the crime is this tarweed. Pretty, right? But what are these glossy droplets all over the place?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few nights back, this midge got trapped in them. So did this other tiny fly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, the tarweed lured them with these sweet, lemony droplets. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This plant is an insect graveyard. Those bodies are a bribe for the assassin bugs, so they’ll take care of the plant’s caterpillar problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See, the caterpillars eat its flowers. No flowers, no pollen. No pollen, no reproduction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that they’re on the tarweed, the assassin bugs mate and lay an egg or two right next to the cadavers, so their offspring have something to eat when they hatch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then they get to work on that job for the tarweeds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bigger caterpillars put up a fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The little ones, they’ll try to make themselves scarce, dangling down on a line of silk. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But plenty of them end up like our murder victim. Sucked dry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the caterpillars out of the way, the tarweed mastermind can hang onto its flowers – and spread its pollen – for one more day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dragonflies are masters of the aerial attack. But their babies grow up underwater, where they use a lightning-fast killer lip to nab their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Baby Dragonfly’s Mouth Will Give You Nightmares\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For over 300 million years, these lethal hunters have ruled the skies. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re the order Odonata. That’s dragonflies and damselflies to most of us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the dinosaurs even existed, they had a two-foot wingspan, like a small hawk. Today they’re more modest in scale, but no less deadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take their eyes. Each tiny hexagonal cell picks up light from a different direction, which gives dragonflies an almost-360-degree range of vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four wings help them hover, or turn on a dime. That means this hunter rarely misses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The weird thing is Odonata spend most of their lives in a place where these killer piloting skills don’t help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is where their mothers lay their eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch, the babies – called larvae or nymphs – spend months or years underwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their wings are still growing, so they aren’t any help in scoring a meal … like this tasty mosquito larva.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a larva-eat-larva world down here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Did you see that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s slow it down. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nymph has a killer lip, called a labium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remind you of this creepy thing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this skimmer nymph it’s shaped like a spork. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only dragonfly and damselfly nymphs have this special lip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This kind of dragonfly nymph, a darner, has an extra surprise. There’s a pair of pincers right at the end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all happens in a fraction of a second.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Think of the lip as a knife, fork and plate all rolled into one. When the meal is over, it folds up neatly, ready for the next occasion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These baby skeeters don’t stand a chance. And that’s good for us. Let’s hope it stays this way for a few million more years.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of us head for home … for cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because as the shadows creep in, they hide things … Frightful things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is that? That little tower? Look, there’s another one. They blend in so well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was a California turret spider. Its lair is like the turret of a castle, rising above the forest floor. It’s lined the inside with pearly white silk. And coated the outside with mud, moss or leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The turret leads down to the spider’s burrow, that can descend six inches underground. The spider spends its days down there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the last rays of the sun die out, it rises … to wait, motionless. Until some unsuspecting creature happens by, like this pill bug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every step it takes creates tiny tremors, betraying its location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whew! That was close.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turret spiders actually have pretty poor vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, they rely on feel, bursting out in whichever direction the vibrations seem to come from. So, sometimes they miss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They belong to a group of spiders called mygalomorphs – along with their more famous cousins: tarantulas and trapdoor spiders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They pack oversized fangs that swing down like a pair of pickaxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were hunting this way long before spiders started building intricate aerial webs, like this orb weaver spider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, a female turret spider might live for 16 years and never stray from her turret.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She only ventures into the world for a split second. Just long enough to drag her next victim down to its demise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our next creature is straight out of science fiction. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wormlion ambushes its prey from the bottom of its tidy – and terrifying – sand pit.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Meeting a Wormlion Is the Pits\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You never really know where trouble is lurking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When one wayward step … means disaster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This small hole in the sand is really the lair of a wormlion. And it’s ferocious. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You find them in dry, dusty soil in the mountains of Northern California. The ground is cratered with danger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sure, it’s a tiny little wriggly thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But wormlions set a fearsome trap that’s straight out of science fiction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To build it, they slink below the surface, pushing through dirt, sand and rocks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll fling them out of the way as they get settled into their shallow pit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oops, try again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then … it just lies in wait.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s almost invisible, camouflaged by the sand stuck to its body. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ant is totally clueless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wormlion strikes like a cobra, injecting venom into its prey to paralyze it. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It constricts the ant, dragging it under, until … it’s all over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wormlion is done feeding on the juicy innards, it flicks the empty carcass away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And tidies up its pit for its next meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ehhh, careful!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a couple of years of the good life, this wormlion will leave this dusty ditch behind and take to the skies. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because really, it’s not a worm at all. It’s a fly larva.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’ll turn into this: a fly that lives for less than a week. Its only job is to mate and lay eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for most of its life, it’s sitting pretty in its pit, waiting for lunch to fall right in its lap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assassin bug kills its victim by stabbing it over and over. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But does this perpetrator have an accomplice? Sticky droplets at the scene of the crime could be a clue.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>You Can’t Unsee the Assassin Bug’s Dirty Work\n\u003ch2>\u003c/h2>\n\u003c/h2>\u003cp>Just beneath the petals of this flower, a brutal murder is in progress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was the victim, a few minutes earlier: a caterpillar. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before it got whacked, it was on its way to becoming an owlet moth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this is the perpetrator. \u003cem>Pselliopus spinicollis\u003c/em>, aka the assassin bug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It dispatches its victims with this sharp weapon. When it’s not using it, it keeps it folded up, like a switchblade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s review that crime footage again, shall we?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yep, the assassin bug is definitely the hit man. But did it have an accomplice? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scene of the crime is this tarweed. Pretty, right? But what are these glossy droplets all over the place?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few nights back, this midge got trapped in them. So did this other tiny fly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turns out, the tarweed lured them with these sweet, lemony droplets. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This plant is an insect graveyard. Those bodies are a bribe for the assassin bugs, so they’ll take care of the plant’s caterpillar problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See, the caterpillars eat its flowers. No flowers, no pollen. No pollen, no reproduction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that they’re on the tarweed, the assassin bugs mate and lay an egg or two right next to the cadavers, so their offspring have something to eat when they hatch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then they get to work on that job for the tarweeds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bigger caterpillars put up a fight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The little ones, they’ll try to make themselves scarce, dangling down on a line of silk. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But plenty of them end up like our murder victim. Sucked dry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the caterpillars out of the way, the tarweed mastermind can hang onto its flowers – and spread its pollen – for one more day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dragonflies are masters of the aerial attack. But their babies grow up underwater, where they use a lightning-fast killer lip to nab their prey.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Baby Dragonfly’s Mouth Will Give You Nightmares\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>For over 300 million years, these lethal hunters have ruled the skies. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re the order Odonata. That’s dragonflies and damselflies to most of us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the dinosaurs even existed, they had a two-foot wingspan, like a small hawk. Today they’re more modest in scale, but no less deadly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take their eyes. Each tiny hexagonal cell picks up light from a different direction, which gives dragonflies an almost-360-degree range of vision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four wings help them hover, or turn on a dime. That means this hunter rarely misses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The weird thing is Odonata spend most of their lives in a place where these killer piloting skills don’t help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is where their mothers lay their eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When they hatch, the babies – called larvae or nymphs – spend months or years underwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their wings are still growing, so they aren’t any help in scoring a meal … like this tasty mosquito larva.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a larva-eat-larva world down here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Did you see that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let’s slow it down. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nymph has a killer lip, called a labium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remind you of this creepy thing?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this skimmer nymph it’s shaped like a spork. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only dragonfly and damselfly nymphs have this special lip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This kind of dragonfly nymph, a darner, has an extra surprise. There’s a pair of pincers right at the end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It all happens in a fraction of a second.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Think of the lip as a knife, fork and plate all rolled into one. When the meal is over, it folds up neatly, ready for the next occasion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These baby skeeters don’t stand a chance. And that’s good for us. Let’s hope it stays this way for a few million more years.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Ray López-Chang stays with his grandma in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of Pasadena, for now. The tall, bubbly 30-year-old with glowing skin hushed his dog, Cielo, from barking when we met at this temporary home: a one-story house on a hill. He lived here off and on when he was younger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>López-Chang evacuated his family from their home in Altadena at 3 a.m. on Jan. 8. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022057/the-california-wildfires-could-be-leaving-deeper-inequality-in-their-wake\">Eaton Fire roared\u003c/a>, forcing evacuations across the town. Six hours later, he briefly returned to grab clothes, medications and valuables they didn’t want to lose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It felt very chaotic and perilous inside with cars snaking through small streets, folks running through sidewalks,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also spent precious time spraying down their house with water in hopes of preventing wind-whipped embers from igniting the house. Before they left, López-Chang said his mom grabbed a figurine of a Catholic saint. But then placed the icon back “to protect the home,” López-Chang said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995448\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995448\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ray López-Chang at his grandmother’s house in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of Pasadena, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Salomón Huerta rents a small home in Altadena several blocks away. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/salomonhuerta/?hl=en\">figurative painter\u003c/a> was on his way home from work when his wife called nervously as the fire approached. “She goes: ‘You better hurry up because I can see the fire,’” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fires burning in Southern California have consumed more than 40,000 acres and more than 10,700 structures, as well as the lives of 25 people, at least. The Eaton Fire ripped through Altadena and is still not contained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>López-Chang and Huerta are two of the thousands of residents within that evacuation zone who cannot return, many who have yet to find out if their homes are still standing. KQED sent me to report on the fires, and friends connected me to them. The families tried to reach their homes multiple times after the wind and flames moderated, but the National Guard turned them around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995450\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995450\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Salomón Huerta in his sister’s house in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire and Los Angeles County created \u003ca href=\"https://recovery.lacounty.gov/eaton-fire/\">a website where families can check on the status of their homes. \u003c/a>When I checked, López-Chang’s home was not yet listed. On my next trip to the fire zone, I drove by to see for myself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turn off the 210 Freeway onto Lincoln Avenue and move toward the San Gabriel Mountains, and all along the road, you’ll find shops and groups of people collecting donations — boxes of clothes, stacks of bottled water and mountains of food — for fire victims, many of whom were still waiting to see what remains, if anything, of their homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I flashed my press pass to a public information officer at a National Guard station. When I arrived at López-Chang’s home, I found his one-story white house with bright green grass and a palm tree still standing, without scorch marks or piles of ash surrounding it. Later, I’d show him a photo of it, and he couldn’t stop staring at the phone, virtually expressionless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m just locking eyes with it,” López-Chang said. “It’s like seeing someone you haven’t seen in a long time, and I just don’t want to lose that image.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995449\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1218\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-800x487.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-1020x621.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-768x468.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-1536x935.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-1920x1169.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">López-Chang’s house still standing in Altadena, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>López-Chang said his mom made the right decision to leave the figurine of a Catholic saint to watch over their home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Maybe the saints helped,” he said, noting that it was originally his grandmother’s figurine. “We tried as much as we could, but her hand was over the home as much as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said his parents would be so relieved to learn that the house they bought about a decade ago after immigrating from Nicaragua in the 1970s is still standing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This helps clarify a lot for us about what the next several weeks look like,” López-Chang said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the house did not burn, the smoke that enveloped the house could have rendered it uninhabitable. “At minimum, we’ll be able to access some of our belongings and memories,” he said.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"science_1995420,news_12022532,news_12022375\"]But not all residents were so lucky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huerta and his wife, Ana Morales-Huerta, rented a small home several blocks east of López-Chang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huerta said he had five minutes to pack his belongings, selecting items he could resell in case he needed the cash. “I grabbed a large sketchbook with a David Bowie’s \u003cem>Diamond Dogs\u003c/em> album in it that’s worth a lot of money,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the evacuation frenzy, he did not even have time to think about grabbing his archives — mainly transparencies and photos of his previous work — dating back to 1992.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I drove down Huerta’s street, all the homes on the block had burned. Only a pile of rubble remained of his house, surrounded by a charred hedge and a tall tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t recognize it,” Huerta said, leaning back in his chair, his face pressed into lines of confusion when I showed him photos of the burned mess. “I don’t know what I’m looking at because it doesn’t look like what I remember it to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fire destroyed not only his home but also his favorite cafe, the diner where he met art collectors and his gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know anything about construction, but I don’t see how they’re going to rebuild for a very long time because the damage is just too massive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995451\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995451\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The burnt-out home that Salomón Huerta had rented with his wife Ana Morales-Huerta in Altadena on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Huerta is looking for a new home but doesn’t have renters insurance. His art dealer started a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-salomon-and-ana-recover-after-fire\">GoFundMe\u003c/a> to help with relocation costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even if we get 50% of what we had, we’d be really happy,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though López-Chang’s home is still standing, as a young person in Los Angeles living with the effects of human-caused climate change in real time, he wasn’t too surprised the fire grew out of control. Scientists believe human-caused \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995420/climate-scientists-warn-of-growing-whiplash-effect-on-weather-patterns\">climate change exacerbated the dry conditions\u003c/a> that made the area easy to burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this isn’t a perfect example of what the outcome of fast climate change looks like, I don’t know what is,” López-Chang said. “This affected people’s homes, businesses, livelihoods and memories.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Ray López-Chang stays with his grandma in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of Pasadena, for now. The tall, bubbly 30-year-old with glowing skin hushed his dog, Cielo, from barking when we met at this temporary home: a one-story house on a hill. He lived here off and on when he was younger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>López-Chang evacuated his family from their home in Altadena at 3 a.m. on Jan. 8. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022057/the-california-wildfires-could-be-leaving-deeper-inequality-in-their-wake\">Eaton Fire roared\u003c/a>, forcing evacuations across the town. Six hours later, he briefly returned to grab clothes, medications and valuables they didn’t want to lose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It felt very chaotic and perilous inside with cars snaking through small streets, folks running through sidewalks,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also spent precious time spraying down their house with water in hopes of preventing wind-whipped embers from igniting the house. Before they left, López-Chang said his mom grabbed a figurine of a Catholic saint. But then placed the icon back “to protect the home,” López-Chang said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995448\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995448\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_4641-1-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ray López-Chang at his grandmother’s house in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of Pasadena, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Salomón Huerta rents a small home in Altadena several blocks away. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/salomonhuerta/?hl=en\">figurative painter\u003c/a> was on his way home from work when his wife called nervously as the fire approached. “She goes: ‘You better hurry up because I can see the fire,’” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fires burning in Southern California have consumed more than 40,000 acres and more than 10,700 structures, as well as the lives of 25 people, at least. The Eaton Fire ripped through Altadena and is still not contained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>López-Chang and Huerta are two of the thousands of residents within that evacuation zone who cannot return, many who have yet to find out if their homes are still standing. KQED sent me to report on the fires, and friends connected me to them. The families tried to reach their homes multiple times after the wind and flames moderated, but the National Guard turned them around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995450\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995450\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1819-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Salomón Huerta in his sister’s house in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Cal Fire and Los Angeles County created \u003ca href=\"https://recovery.lacounty.gov/eaton-fire/\">a website where families can check on the status of their homes. \u003c/a>When I checked, López-Chang’s home was not yet listed. On my next trip to the fire zone, I drove by to see for myself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Turn off the 210 Freeway onto Lincoln Avenue and move toward the San Gabriel Mountains, and all along the road, you’ll find shops and groups of people collecting donations — boxes of clothes, stacks of bottled water and mountains of food — for fire victims, many of whom were still waiting to see what remains, if anything, of their homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I flashed my press pass to a public information officer at a National Guard station. When I arrived at López-Chang’s home, I found his one-story white house with bright green grass and a palm tree still standing, without scorch marks or piles of ash surrounding it. Later, I’d show him a photo of it, and he couldn’t stop staring at the phone, virtually expressionless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m just locking eyes with it,” López-Chang said. “It’s like seeing someone you haven’t seen in a long time, and I just don’t want to lose that image.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995449\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1218\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-800x487.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-1020x621.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-160x97.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-768x468.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-1536x935.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1667-1920x1169.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">López-Chang’s house still standing in Altadena, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>López-Chang said his mom made the right decision to leave the figurine of a Catholic saint to watch over their home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Maybe the saints helped,” he said, noting that it was originally his grandmother’s figurine. “We tried as much as we could, but her hand was over the home as much as possible.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said his parents would be so relieved to learn that the house they bought about a decade ago after immigrating from Nicaragua in the 1970s is still standing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This helps clarify a lot for us about what the next several weeks look like,” López-Chang said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the house did not burn, the smoke that enveloped the house could have rendered it uninhabitable. “At minimum, we’ll be able to access some of our belongings and memories,” he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But not all residents were so lucky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huerta and his wife, Ana Morales-Huerta, rented a small home several blocks east of López-Chang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huerta said he had five minutes to pack his belongings, selecting items he could resell in case he needed the cash. “I grabbed a large sketchbook with a David Bowie’s \u003cem>Diamond Dogs\u003c/em> album in it that’s worth a lot of money,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the evacuation frenzy, he did not even have time to think about grabbing his archives — mainly transparencies and photos of his previous work — dating back to 1992.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I drove down Huerta’s street, all the homes on the block had burned. Only a pile of rubble remained of his house, surrounded by a charred hedge and a tall tree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t recognize it,” Huerta said, leaning back in his chair, his face pressed into lines of confusion when I showed him photos of the burned mess. “I don’t know what I’m looking at because it doesn’t look like what I remember it to be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fire destroyed not only his home but also his favorite cafe, the diner where he met art collectors and his gym.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know anything about construction, but I don’t see how they’re going to rebuild for a very long time because the damage is just too massive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995451\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995451\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/IMG_1723-1-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The burnt-out home that Salomón Huerta had rented with his wife Ana Morales-Huerta in Altadena on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Huerta is looking for a new home but doesn’t have renters insurance. His art dealer started a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-salomon-and-ana-recover-after-fire\">GoFundMe\u003c/a> to help with relocation costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even if we get 50% of what we had, we’d be really happy,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though López-Chang’s home is still standing, as a young person in Los Angeles living with the effects of human-caused climate change in real time, he wasn’t too surprised the fire grew out of control. Scientists believe human-caused \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995420/climate-scientists-warn-of-growing-whiplash-effect-on-weather-patterns\">climate change exacerbated the dry conditions\u003c/a> that made the area easy to burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If this isn’t a perfect example of what the outcome of fast climate change looks like, I don’t know what is,” López-Chang said. “This affected people’s homes, businesses, livelihoods and memories.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Californians are all too familiar with flip-flopping weather extremes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020835/southern-california-fires-could-be-most-expensive-us-history\">massive wildfires currently burning in Southern California\u003c/a> followed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12015534/bay-area-record-breaking-rainfall-deluge-surprises-forecasters\">two years of excessive rainfall\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994538/3-bay-area-cities-had-hottest-summer-in-history-as-climate-change-pushes-temps-up\">hottest summer on record\u003c/a>, major \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1982460/southern-central-valley-counties-brace-for-flooding-as-heat-wave-melts-sierra-snowpack\">flooding that re-filled a historic lake in the Central Valley\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/24515/study-california-drought-most-severe-dry-spell-in-at-least-1200-years\">most severe drought in recorded history,\u003c/a> and so on, all in the last decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New research cements the idea that California’s weather whiplash is increasing as the atmosphere warms due to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I see the last decade as a preview of what we should expect to see more of,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and UCLA. Except that “the wettest wets and the driest dries we’ve seen recently are not the wettest wets and the driest dries we will see in the coming decades.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of climate scientists, led by Swain, published a \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/3TN5CrkYKnfnGW2jfjtWS4lsyf?domain=ucla.us10.list-manage.com\">study on Thursday in the journal \u003cem>Nature Reviews\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that found what they call “hydroclimate whiplash” — fast swings between alarmingly wet and seriously dry weather — is expanding globally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The phenomenon has grown up to 66% since the mid-20th century, and the authors expect it to nearly double at 3 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels. Average global temperatures \u003ca href=\"https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/global-temperature-likely-exceed-15degc-above-pre-industrial-level-temporarily-next-5-years\">could surpass a 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in the next five years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m still hoping we won’t get there at all, but we are right now still on a path to essentially double the amount of warming we’ve already seen,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team found that a warmer atmosphere has a greater capacity to hold water vapor and store that moisture for longer before it bursts out of clouds as rain and snow. This can create longer dry periods and more intense precipitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, global warming deepens droughts, increases storms or a season’s flood potential, and exacerbates wildfire risk, which is a big deal for California, which is already characterized by a boom-and-bust water cycle. The team describes this phenomenon as hydroclimate whiplash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It means that California’s already volatile hydroclimate is likely to become even more so, which makes water management even more difficult,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Whiplash increases fire risk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The wildfires burning in Southern California are a prime example of how the changing climate can exacerbate the impact of a swing between wet and dry conditions, according to study coauthor and UC Merced climatologist \u003ca href=\"https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/john-abatzoglou\">John Abatzoglou\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wet conditions encourage the growth of grasses and shrubs, and if a dry period follows, wildfires can flourish. An errant spark and strong winds can light up a mountainside or neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Warmer air can basically pull more water out of plants and the soil, and that’s one ingredient that sets the stage for fire in our forests,” Abatzoglou said. “We’re essentially adding fuel to the fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much of Southern California experienced its driest start to the water year following a period of record warmth and two back-to-back wet years. Grasses and chaparral have grown to nearly double their regular rate. The preexisting conditions and strong winds caused the fires to explode out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the study’s indicators would have categorized Southern California as unusually wet earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now, like nine months later, they’re unusually dry,” he said. “They’ve got a pretty significant Santa Ana wind bearing down on them, and they’ve already had several significant fires this fall.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swain notes that climate change has deepened fire seasons into the winter months in Southern California. This is problematic because natural offshore winds usually occur during this period. When strong winds overlap with dry vegetation, “dangerous wildfire conditions can develop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This, ultimately, is the key climate change connection to Southern California wildfires,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995427\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995427\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Palisades Fire blows smoke over Santa Monica Beach on Jan. 8, 2025, in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 2,900 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second major fire has emerged near Eaton Canyon and Altadena. \u003ccite>(Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Defining hydroclimate whiplash\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The scientists reviewed 202 peer-reviewed climate studies, and Swain said they went “beyond what’s in the existing literature by formalizing the term hydroclimate whiplash, defining the phrase in two ways: subseasonal and interannual. The first describes rapid transitions between dry and wet conditions within a three-month season, and the second describes whiplash on a year-to-year scale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team, which included scientists from two countries and across the U.S., found that three-month-scale observations of hydroclimate whiplash are increasing on the high end of the climate model range and that longer-term episodes of hydroclimate whiplash are falling within what climate models have predicted so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That might tell us something about why it feels like we are just getting this unrelenting sequence of wet and dry extremes alternating back and forth,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The authors also coined a new term: expanding atmospheric sponge, referring to the growing ability of the atmosphere to absorb water and later release it as precipitation. Scientists found that for every degree Celsius the planet warms, the atmosphere can hold 7% more water.[aside label=\"More Climate News\" postID=\"news_12020765,science_1935067,news_12020768\"]\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995286/stanford-ai-predicts-scorching-future-even-greenhouse-gas-goals-met\">Noah Diffenbaugh\u003c/a>, a Stanford climate scientist and coauthor, said the atmosphere is like a yellow kitchen sponge that increases in size as it warms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you wring the sponge out, it’s going to have more water getting wrung out of it,” he said. “But at the same time, it will take more water to fill that sponge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some sense, he said anthropogenic climate change creates “a more thirsty” atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s kind of this paradox that as the atmosphere gets warmer, both the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere can increase, and the deficit of water vapor in the atmosphere can also increase exponentially,” Diffenbaugh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You don’t have to look too far in the past to see an example of how a super wet period broke up a severe drought. California’s stormy winter of 2022–23 dismantled a three-year drought and is an example of interannual hydroclimate whiplash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The silver lining is that we will still get those wet years,” Swain said. “The water did come. It just didn’t come in a nice, gentle, convenient way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>No more chasing average water years\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Abatzoglou said human-caused climate change will increase extremes, but average precipitation totals may not change “a heck of a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Abatzologu suggests that the state’s leaders plan for “changes in extremes” from wet to dry or vice versa instead of average precipitation totals. While the study shows “a little bit of a shift more toward potentially wetter periods in the future,” he said the extremes are dangerous, as they can cause flooding or drying out issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All the study authors, including Abatzolgou, Diffenbaugh, and Swain, have experienced extreme weather whiplash in recent years. Swain hosts weekly YouTube office hours dissecting hydroclimate whiplash, primarily along the West Coast. He discusses sudden changes in weather patterns, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018477/why-did-sf-get-tornado-warning-but-not-scotts-valley-where-twister-hit\">like tornados\u003c/a>, and has detailed how the state moved from drought to deluge in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, Swain describes hydroclimate whiplash, which Californians live with year in and year out, “as the flavor of climate change in California” that residents must endure unless the world reduces global emissions that cause atmospheric warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Californians are all too familiar with flip-flopping weather extremes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020835/southern-california-fires-could-be-most-expensive-us-history\">massive wildfires currently burning in Southern California\u003c/a> followed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12015534/bay-area-record-breaking-rainfall-deluge-surprises-forecasters\">two years of excessive rainfall\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994538/3-bay-area-cities-had-hottest-summer-in-history-as-climate-change-pushes-temps-up\">hottest summer on record\u003c/a>, major \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1982460/southern-central-valley-counties-brace-for-flooding-as-heat-wave-melts-sierra-snowpack\">flooding that re-filled a historic lake in the Central Valley\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/24515/study-california-drought-most-severe-dry-spell-in-at-least-1200-years\">most severe drought in recorded history,\u003c/a> and so on, all in the last decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New research cements the idea that California’s weather whiplash is increasing as the atmosphere warms due to human-caused climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I see the last decade as a preview of what we should expect to see more of,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and UCLA. Except that “the wettest wets and the driest dries we’ve seen recently are not the wettest wets and the driest dries we will see in the coming decades.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of climate scientists, led by Swain, published a \u003ca href=\"https://url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/3TN5CrkYKnfnGW2jfjtWS4lsyf?domain=ucla.us10.list-manage.com\">study on Thursday in the journal \u003cem>Nature Reviews\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that found what they call “hydroclimate whiplash” — fast swings between alarmingly wet and seriously dry weather — is expanding globally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The phenomenon has grown up to 66% since the mid-20th century, and the authors expect it to nearly double at 3 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels. Average global temperatures \u003ca href=\"https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/global-temperature-likely-exceed-15degc-above-pre-industrial-level-temporarily-next-5-years\">could surpass a 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in the next five years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m still hoping we won’t get there at all, but we are right now still on a path to essentially double the amount of warming we’ve already seen,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team found that a warmer atmosphere has a greater capacity to hold water vapor and store that moisture for longer before it bursts out of clouds as rain and snow. This can create longer dry periods and more intense precipitation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, global warming deepens droughts, increases storms or a season’s flood potential, and exacerbates wildfire risk, which is a big deal for California, which is already characterized by a boom-and-bust water cycle. The team describes this phenomenon as hydroclimate whiplash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It means that California’s already volatile hydroclimate is likely to become even more so, which makes water management even more difficult,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Whiplash increases fire risk\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The wildfires burning in Southern California are a prime example of how the changing climate can exacerbate the impact of a swing between wet and dry conditions, according to study coauthor and UC Merced climatologist \u003ca href=\"https://engineering.ucmerced.edu/content/john-abatzoglou\">John Abatzoglou\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wet conditions encourage the growth of grasses and shrubs, and if a dry period follows, wildfires can flourish. An errant spark and strong winds can light up a mountainside or neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Warmer air can basically pull more water out of plants and the soil, and that’s one ingredient that sets the stage for fire in our forests,” Abatzoglou said. “We’re essentially adding fuel to the fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much of Southern California experienced its driest start to the water year following a period of record warmth and two back-to-back wet years. Grasses and chaparral have grown to nearly double their regular rate. The preexisting conditions and strong winds caused the fires to explode out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the study’s indicators would have categorized Southern California as unusually wet earlier this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now, like nine months later, they’re unusually dry,” he said. “They’ve got a pretty significant Santa Ana wind bearing down on them, and they’ve already had several significant fires this fall.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swain notes that climate change has deepened fire seasons into the winter months in Southern California. This is problematic because natural offshore winds usually occur during this period. When strong winds overlap with dry vegetation, “dangerous wildfire conditions can develop.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This, ultimately, is the key climate change connection to Southern California wildfires,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1995427\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1995427\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/01/GettyImages-2193001120-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Palisades Fire blows smoke over Santa Monica Beach on Jan. 8, 2025, in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 2,900 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second major fire has emerged near Eaton Canyon and Altadena. \u003ccite>(Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Defining hydroclimate whiplash\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The scientists reviewed 202 peer-reviewed climate studies, and Swain said they went “beyond what’s in the existing literature by formalizing the term hydroclimate whiplash, defining the phrase in two ways: subseasonal and interannual. The first describes rapid transitions between dry and wet conditions within a three-month season, and the second describes whiplash on a year-to-year scale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The team, which included scientists from two countries and across the U.S., found that three-month-scale observations of hydroclimate whiplash are increasing on the high end of the climate model range and that longer-term episodes of hydroclimate whiplash are falling within what climate models have predicted so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That might tell us something about why it feels like we are just getting this unrelenting sequence of wet and dry extremes alternating back and forth,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The authors also coined a new term: expanding atmospheric sponge, referring to the growing ability of the atmosphere to absorb water and later release it as precipitation. Scientists found that for every degree Celsius the planet warms, the atmosphere can hold 7% more water.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1995286/stanford-ai-predicts-scorching-future-even-greenhouse-gas-goals-met\">Noah Diffenbaugh\u003c/a>, a Stanford climate scientist and coauthor, said the atmosphere is like a yellow kitchen sponge that increases in size as it warms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you wring the sponge out, it’s going to have more water getting wrung out of it,” he said. “But at the same time, it will take more water to fill that sponge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some sense, he said anthropogenic climate change creates “a more thirsty” atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s kind of this paradox that as the atmosphere gets warmer, both the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere can increase, and the deficit of water vapor in the atmosphere can also increase exponentially,” Diffenbaugh said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You don’t have to look too far in the past to see an example of how a super wet period broke up a severe drought. California’s stormy winter of 2022–23 dismantled a three-year drought and is an example of interannual hydroclimate whiplash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The silver lining is that we will still get those wet years,” Swain said. “The water did come. It just didn’t come in a nice, gentle, convenient way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>No more chasing average water years\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Abatzoglou said human-caused climate change will increase extremes, but average precipitation totals may not change “a heck of a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Abatzologu suggests that the state’s leaders plan for “changes in extremes” from wet to dry or vice versa instead of average precipitation totals. While the study shows “a little bit of a shift more toward potentially wetter periods in the future,” he said the extremes are dangerous, as they can cause flooding or drying out issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All the study authors, including Abatzolgou, Diffenbaugh, and Swain, have experienced extreme weather whiplash in recent years. Swain hosts weekly YouTube office hours dissecting hydroclimate whiplash, primarily along the West Coast. He discusses sudden changes in weather patterns, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018477/why-did-sf-get-tornado-warning-but-not-scotts-valley-where-twister-hit\">like tornados\u003c/a>, and has detailed how the state moved from drought to deluge in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, Swain describes hydroclimate whiplash, which Californians live with year in and year out, “as the flavor of climate change in California” that residents must endure unless the world reduces global emissions that cause atmospheric warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>As a caterpillar, a grass skipper butterfly is an architect. It builds its home by weaving skeins of silk, which the caterpillar uses to fold shut a blade of grass. After growing up inside this “grass taco,” it emerges as a fuzzy butterfly that woos a mate with flirty courtship dances.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>With each sway of its head, this caterpillar lays a strand of silk. It’s weaving to survive. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the silk dries, it shrinks, pulling the edges of this blade of grass together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In just a few minutes, this butterfly babe has made its very own grass taco … a safe place to call home. And now, it’s time for its first nap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it grows up, it’ll get its wings. It’s a kind of butterfly called a skipper.\u003cbr>\nLook close enough and you might find one of these caterpillar homes in your backyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grass skipper caterpillars build with grass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other skipper species use leaves, cutting and folding them to make tiny houses.\u003cbr>\nAnd a banana skipper rolls up banana leaves into little “cigars.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A grass skipper caterpillar tucks into its shelter to hide from weather, parasites and predators … like paper wasps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it’s hungry, it ventures out for some fresh grass … like a nearby blade or even the end of its own house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yum, house!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And don’t worry, it keeps its place clean. Time to take out the trash!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the caterpillar grows, it builds itself new homes. It’s making a silk pad so it won’t slip. The silk comes out of this pointy mouthpart called the spinneret.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A skipper caterpillar’s skinny neck gives it plenty of room to sway its head back and forth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over a few weeks, the caterpillar fills out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ugh, this belt is tight!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns into a pupa. And within weeks, an adult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skippers look fuzzier than your average butterfly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might mistake one for a moth. But most moths fly at night, and skippers fly during the day, some at dawn or dusk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check out their wings. See how the two sets spread out at different angles?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It makes them look like a tiny jet plane. It’s known as the bombardier position … even though skippers always come in peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most butterflies keep their two sets of wings on the same plane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skippers’ chonky bodies are made up of strong flying muscles. They’re some of the speediest butterflies out there, skipping away from predators like birds. Yes, that is how they got their name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also fan their wings in flirty courtship dances. By fluttering, they spread their pheromones to attract a mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Males release their pheromones from a gland on their front wings – see that big splotch? It’s called a brand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She has a gland on her backside. Maybe that’s why he keeps nudging her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These dances can be truly acrobatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male is trying to lure her with his scent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But her fluttering is telling him he’s not her type. Literally. He’s the wrong species of grass skipper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After she does find “the one,” she lays pinhead-sized white eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillars eat through them to break free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’ll go on to make a fresh batch of their very own grass tacos.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grass skipper caterpillars build with grass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other skipper species use leaves, cutting and folding them to make tiny houses.\u003cbr>\nAnd a banana skipper rolls up banana leaves into little “cigars.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A grass skipper caterpillar tucks into its shelter to hide from weather, parasites and predators … like paper wasps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it’s hungry, it ventures out for some fresh grass … like a nearby blade or even the end of its own house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yum, house!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And don’t worry, it keeps its place clean. Time to take out the trash!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the caterpillar grows, it builds itself new homes. It’s making a silk pad so it won’t slip. The silk comes out of this pointy mouthpart called the spinneret.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A skipper caterpillar’s skinny neck gives it plenty of room to sway its head back and forth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over a few weeks, the caterpillar fills out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ugh, this belt is tight!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turns into a pupa. And within weeks, an adult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skippers look fuzzier than your average butterfly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You might mistake one for a moth. But most moths fly at night, and skippers fly during the day, some at dawn or dusk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check out their wings. See how the two sets spread out at different angles?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It makes them look like a tiny jet plane. It’s known as the bombardier position … even though skippers always come in peace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most butterflies keep their two sets of wings on the same plane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Skippers’ chonky bodies are made up of strong flying muscles. They’re some of the speediest butterflies out there, skipping away from predators like birds. Yes, that is how they got their name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also fan their wings in flirty courtship dances. By fluttering, they spread their pheromones to attract a mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Males release their pheromones from a gland on their front wings – see that big splotch? It’s called a brand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She has a gland on her backside. Maybe that’s why he keeps nudging her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These dances can be truly acrobatic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The male is trying to lure her with his scent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But her fluttering is telling him he’s not her type. Literally. He’s the wrong species of grass skipper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After she does find “the one,” she lays pinhead-sized white eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillars eat through them to break free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’ll go on to make a fresh batch of their very own grass tacos.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"id": "baycurious",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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},
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
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"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"title": "Forum",
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"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
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"meta": {
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"source": "WNYC"
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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