San Francisco Bay is considered the most invaded estuary in the world, in part due to its heavy ship traffic that transports species from other places. One unassuming but costly invader that has hitchhiked into San Francisco Bay is the European green crab (Carcinus maenas). Considered one of the world’s worst invasive species, these crabs feed voraciously on native invertebrates such as young...
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I had fished the same stretch of beach twice already over the past six days and yet I return a third time.  I’m not at Ocean Beach, my usual haunt, but 5-10 miles south, somewhere along the San Mateo County coastline. Dozens of boats are being regularly seen offshore around here--most, if not all, are trying to catch salmon (zoom...
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This spring, the National Park Service welcomed two former BLMers to its Yosemite National Park law enforcement team – a pair of geldings known as Sandman and Drifter. Just a few years ago, they were two of the more than 70,000 wild horses on America’s public lands.  Their story began in June 2014 during another California drought. A herd of wild...
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[In Humboldt County, a conservation group is suing the government, arguing that a new ordinance regulating the local marijuana industry doesn’t adequately address the environmental impact of an estimated 15,000 cannabis grow operations.] When Californians voted to legalize recreational cannabis in 2016, the new law left room for municipalities to decide if, and how much, of the industry they wanted in their...
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My brother Don and I enjoyed great salmon fishing earlier on June 4 when over 80 percent of our fish fell for anchovies trolled behind chartreuse Bechhold baitholders. This was not a competition. We were trolling two different rigs and alternated picking up a rod when we got a strike. However, when it was all over, both of us knew...
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