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Off-leash dog harasses coyotes — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-05-16 09:13 AM

After "not getting the message" about how to behave around coyotes, San Francisco Animal Care and Control released this video of an off-leash rottweiler confronting coyotes in Golden Gate Park. The city has closed off sections of trails this year in an effort to avoid confrontation with coyotes during pup season, when they are protecting their dens.

Joan Hamilton on state parks' future — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-05-09 12:03 PM

Writer Joan Hamilton spoke with interviewer Henry Tenenbaum on KRON4 Sunday, May 6 about the state parks closures slated for July. Hamilton is the author of Bay Nature's April 2012 special coverage: The Parks and the People: Keeping State Parks Alive.

Sea lions return to open seas — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-05-03 09:51 AM

A month after he was found malnourished and disoriented in the middle of a dangerous ferry commuter crossing, Al Catraz and his pinneped friend PupTart were released into coastal waters near the Marine Mammal Center in Marin, where they were in rehab. The two look very happy to be "home."

Mission Blue Butterflies expanding range — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-04-25 11:46 AM

The endangered Mission Blue Butterfly is beginning to thrive in new areas of San Francisco, including Twin Peaks where restoration efforts are underway to bring the dazzling lepidoptera from San Bruno Mountain.

Freed eagle back home in the wild — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-04-12 10:54 AM

As we reported earlier, a golden eagle recently set to the skies over Las Trampas Regional Wilderness near San Ramon. For the last six months, it was in recovery at two area wildlife rehab centers for a fractured wing, likely the result of a collision with a car.

Lone wolf OR7 appears in California — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-03-08 08:59 AM

The lone, male wolf that's been making its mark on California history as the first to show in 88 years has been back and forth between Oregon and the Golden State. This is the only known video footage of 2 1/2-year-old OR7, so named because he's the seventh radio-collared wolf in Oregon.

The SF Bay vs. The Bag — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-02-17 10:19 AM

Each year, Bay Area residents discard the equivalent of 10,000 kitchen bags of trash into the San Francisco Bay. What would our Bay and beaches look like if we lose site of efforts to stem the tide of trash? Save the Bay presents the horror of horrors scenario.

National Geographic birding show launches — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-01-20 12:23 PM

And you thought birding was for introverted, solitary types. The premier of "Aerial Assassins" on Friday night on National Geographic WILD TV is an adrenaline-spiked adventure with the world's hottest birder at the helm. James Currie tracks Harris' Hawkes through the Sonoran Desert in the American Southwest. We'll leave it to you to decide whether this makes birding look like something your 15-year-old would get psyched about, or if it's just too hyped.

Audubon's Birds of America book — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-01-13 10:48 AM

Take a tour of legendary naturalist John Audubon's Birds of America book, which last sold for $11.5 million and is again up for auction. It's currently housed in the rare book library at Cornell University and depicts many bird species that are now lost forever due to human folly: the Great Auk, Labrador Duck, Heath Hen, Carolina Parakeet, Passenger Pigeon and the Eskimo Curlew. Are Audubon's drawings art or science?

Monitoring coho salmon — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-01-12 10:37 AM

Coho salmon once numbered in the tens of thousands but estimates now put them at fewer than 500. Dry weather this winter has been especially hard on the salmon, which are stuck in risky areas during their spawning because they can't reach further upstream. Fishery Biologist Mike Reichmuth and Intern Ben Atencio discuss endangered coho salmon and how they are monitored in the Bay Area National Parks.

California sea otter camped out on beach — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-01-11 11:52 AM

Sea otters spend most of their lives in the water, but come on shore to rest. This one probably spent a long morning foraging for food, likely their favorite prey -- sea urchins. Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal and a threatened species. There are about 2,700 left on the California coast, so it's a real treat to come across one.

Falcated Duck turns up at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2012-01-08 03:04 PM

Birders are flocking in from all over the country to view a male falcated duck far away from his Asian homeland.

An octopus walking on land — by Alison Hawkes — last modified 2011-12-21 05:19 PM

A Fitzgerald Marine Reserve cephalopod makes its way from one tide pool to another in this unusual daytime video. The nocturnal animal is likely looking for dinner, says an expert.

A Trip to the Headlands with Doris Sloan, Rock Star — by Dan Rademacher — last modified 2011-12-14 09:41 AM

Take a trip to the world-famous Marin Headlands, and back in time a few many million years, with Doris Sloan, the geologist who wrote the book on Bay Area geology and has taught thousands about the rocks beneath our feet.

LandPath's Bayer Farm, Santa Rosa — by Dan Rademacher — last modified 2011-10-13 06:52 PM

Join us for a tour of Bayer Farm, a small community farm in the Roseland neighborhood of Santa Rosa, CA. This farm was one of the three we featured in our 2011 special on Bay Area Food Landscapes.

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This Week's Events — by Dan Rademacher — last modified 2010-10-05 02:56 PM