Environment

The Green Flash

“…A green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette, a green of which neither the varied tints of vegetation nor the shades of the most limpid sea could ever produce…

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Malibu Creek State Park

Nearly half of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) was damaged by the Woolsey Fire, leaving many parks closed and limiting options for hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The damage assessment…

Zinke Resigns Under a Cloud of Scandal

An estimated 88 percent of the National Park Service’s parkland and nearly half of the SMMNRA were burned in the Woolsey fire. After two years as Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke resigned under…

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Nature Recovers Quickly

The mountains in the Woolsey Fire burn scar area may look as desolate as the dark side of the moon, but beneath the ashes new life is already stirring. The National Park…

Trippet Ranch Reforestation

The connection between fish and trees might not seem obvious but these organisms are mutually interdependent. Federally endangered Steelhead Trout are disappearing from Los Angeles watersheds at a rapid rate. Just 10…

Malibu Creek State Park Reopened

Above, the view from the old bridge looking towards Goat Buttes in the heart of Malibu Creek State Park reveals burned areas but also untouched oak trees. Photo by Suzanne Guldimann Malibu…

Fernwood Rain Report

The last three Wednesdays have brought us three storms that have finally put us “in the black” for rainfall for the first time in over a year. The water year runs from…

The Winter Solstice: Secrets of the Ecliptic

Last month The Backyard Astronomer explored The Wanderers: our Sun, our Moon, and the five naked-eye planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. While all the stars in the sky remained fixed…

Holiday Sale for Creeks & Coast

Do frogs and fish and turtles dance in your dreams? Is spending the day at the beach your idea of the best day ever?  Are you looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for…

Post-Fire Care and Cautions for Wildlife

Topanga was spared from wildfire damage during the Woolsey Fire, but the National Park Service (NPS) estimates that more than 50 percent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) burned,…