Waterways Newsroom
Each piece is labeled: Reporting, Analysis, Opinion, Advocacy, or Imaginative Narration. We distinguish what we know from what we think from what we imagine.
The southern sea otter population has crossed 3,000 individuals for the first time in decades. This is significant. It is not sufficient. Here is what the number actually tells us about kelp forest recovery.
Agricultural runoff from the Salinas Valley reaches Monterey Bay within 48 hours of a significant rain event. We followed the water.
The Klamath River dam removal is the largest in US history. The question of what legal rights the river now holds — and who would enforce them — is not yet settled.
In the absence of sufficient otter predation, manual urchin removal has shown measurable results in kelp recovery. The evidence is promising. The scale required is sobering.
Elkhorn Slough is one of the most studied estuaries in California. It is also one of the most impaired. A year of monitoring data tells a complicated story.
The proposed expansion of recreational access along the central coast does not mention wildlife viewing guidelines, carrying capacity, or pupping season restrictions. This is not an oversight.
Commercial kelp harvesting at scale is not compatible with otter population recovery without careful management. The current permit proposal does not include the review process that would make it safe.
This is not a news story. It is an attempt to describe what it is like to be inside a functioning kelp forest — the light, the pressure, the relationships. Labeled as imaginative narration.