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Everyone, rural and urban alike, has a reason to care about conservation of California's Sierra Nevada. This magnificent mountain range offers an experience of nature to over 100 million visitors each year. It's also provides 2/3 of every drop of water used in the state. With the population of the Sierra Nevada estimated to triple by 2040, rural life, working landscapes, and community identities are bound to change. Let's talk about how to conserve the environment, economy and culture of the Sierra. And your place, too, wherever you live.

Fire, climate and thinning

My recent article about the Moonlight Fire in Plumas County - and how scientists now believe climate change is helping to spark more destructive wildfires  - drew

Forests of the Future

If you want a close-up look at what's happening to the forests of the Sierra Nevada and western United States, check out the work of

Up in Smoke - Climate Change, Ecosystems and Fire

A new study has found that wildfires are inflicting increasingly severe  damage to forest ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada - and climate change is a

Climate change on the web @ KQED

If you care about California's climate, bookmark this site -- http://www.kqed.org/news/specialcoverage/climatewatch/ A production of KQED, the Bay Area public radio and televison station, the Climate Watch web

Feeling the Heat - New report says West warming rapidly

A report released today by the non-profit group Environment California says that 2007 was the 10th warmest year on record in the United States and

Sierra Nevada glaciers - going, going, gone?

Recently, I spent a few days in the field with Greg Stock, geologist for Yosemite National Park, checking on the health of the Lyell glacier,

Dry times, downed trees and climate change

Not many people spend more time outdoors in northeast California than Jay Fair. An 84-year-old fishing guide, he knows just about every back road -

Forests and climate change

You won't find the Journal of Forestry for sale on your supermarket shelf, but if you care about trees, you might want to visit your

In Yosemite, old notes yield new insights on climate

Joseph Grinnell, the founding director of U.C. Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, was a fanatic about taking notes. Put it all down, he would say.