Rachel Becker
CalMatters-
A fast-moving blaze near Yosemite is testing California’s quiet fire season as new research shows heat waves drive nearly half of summer wildfire acreage. -
California’s wildfires are destroying forests faster than the state can replant them, and federal cuts are making the gap worse. One expert says the crisis is barely known — even though it could reshape half the state’s forests by 2071. -
Destructive golden mussels are wreaking havoc in California waterways. So why are California water managers ending precautions for a vital reservoir in Butte County? -
Three years of cancelled salmon seasons have devastated the industry. Now, salmon fishing is expected to finally reopen. Will it be enough for the industry to survive? -
Newsom promised to help a Native tribe restore sacred salmon to their ancestral river. Now California is ending the funding. -
With reservoirs brimming — but snowpack abysmal — experts warn of a potentially early fire season. -
A record-shattering heat wave is rapidly melting California’s snowpack. The early melt means less water when the state needs it most. -
The funding could send more Sacramento River water to farmers in California's Central Valley, but opponents warn the project could harm rivers, fish and sacred sites. -
Even after legalization, illicit cannabis grows continue to pollute California’s public lands. And the contamination, new research shows, lingers. -
Social Security and Medicare benefits will keep flowing in a government shutdown, but federal employees will be working without pay and delays likely will occur across many services. -
When lightning strikes are abundant, so are wildfires – some in remote places across the state. Scientists warn there may be more in the future. -
Major changes to the California Environmental Quality Act include an exemption for high-tech industrial plants and other projects. The move, fast-tracked under pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom, sparked fierce pushback from environmental, community and labor groups.
