Articles

The way water gets to Santa Cruz’s taps could change soon — and with it, the chances that steelhead trout and coho salmon can survive and thrive in the San Lorenzo River. Changes to the city’s water rules, a culmination of 25 years of work at the city’s water department, aim to provide a stable […]

Reports that a surfboard‑snatching otter is back at Steamer Lane aren’t just another quirky Santa Cruz oddity, they’re warnings, researchers say, about how our obsession with otter cuteness is reshaping the animals’ behavior. The enduring popularity of otters might come as no surprise: the furry and playful marine mammals inspire a devoted fandom, from Otter

A new rideshare program is launching in the Pajaro Valley later this month that aims to help farmworkers and other low-income residents without a means of transportation get to medical appointments. For fast-food worker Jason Brannon, 42, making it to health care appointments is hard. Due to chronic pain from nerve damage, he needs to

Two years after first detecting yellow fever mosquitoes in 2022, Santa Cruz County workers successfully eradicated the species. Now, less than a month before voters decide whether to increase funding for the program, the mosquitoes are back. Santa Cruz County Mosquito and Vector Control this week confirmed the presence of the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito in

Since the age of Taíno civilization, the vibrant call of the coquí has been a symbol of Puerto Rican culture. But beyond being emblematic, the call carries an important warning about the health of the island’s wild ecosystems. Now, Puerto Rican researchers are using it to monitor local forests and contribute to conservation efforts. As

Even though their populations have recuperated from the harmful effects of Hurricane María in 2017, the Puerto Rican parrot is now experiencing a worrying genetic challenge: mutations created by the use of just a few birds to increase their population have resulted in abnormally weak eggshells. Now, boricuan scientists investigate the issue to find the

After hurricane María, Puerto Ricans had to adjust to sudden and dramatic changes in their environment—but they weren’t the only ones. A new study published in June in the journal Science uncovered that the macaque monkeys on cayo Santiago, close to Humacao, have been adapting to the impacts of the devastating cyclone. The research shows

In response to a recent string of encounters with large exotic snakes, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DRNA in Spanish) has issued a new administrative order. To mitigate the potential impacts to Puerto Rico’s ecological and public safety, the department has declared six species of snake as “damaging and dangerous” and now permits

The Puerto Rican Manatee has received a new name. In a new study- led by scientists from the Caribbean Center for Manitee Conservation-, new terminology has been suggested for the Antillean mammals, a change that hopes to improve communication and conservation in countries of the region. Read more here.