Nature and the Environment

Cooking Squirrels Good: Uncle Russ Chittenden's Varmint Cookbook

Peking Duck-Style Squirrel Pancakes: Is The World Ready?

Cooking Squirrels Good: Uncle Russ Chittenden's Varmint Cookbook

Tiger Beat: Clever Letter Contrasting Lethal Zoo Cat, 9x Muni Bus Brightens Everyone's Day

RUN!!! Giant Pythons Attack San Francisco

This Just In: Ants No Longer Morally Superior to Humans

DARPA Creates Cyborg Spy Moths, Girls' Locker Rooms Everywhere Compromised

Monterey Bay Aquarium Sharks are Total Party Animals

Give me Liberty or give me Compost!

Last Night: Cal Academy of Sciences Press Preview

SF Weekly Celebrates Sea Otter Week!

SF Weekly Birdwatching: Blue Heron Sighting at Mission Creek

SF Weekly Birdwatching: Today on Mission Creek

Who Would Possibly Complain About San Francisco's Lovely Weather? Our Plants -- If They Could

"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason." -- Jack HandeyNo, Virginia, plants cannot talk. But, if they could, San Francisco's would ape our human population -- and protest. The unseasonably hot weather induc ... More >>

Ant Farm at the Tavern

"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason." -- Jack HandeyNo, Virginia, plants cannot talk. But, if they could, San Francisco's would ape our human population -- and protest. The unseasonably hot weather induc ... More >>

Environmental reports waste tons of paper

"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason." -- Jack HandeyNo, Virginia, plants cannot talk. But, if they could, San Francisco's would ape our human population -- and protest. The unseasonably hot weather induc ... More >>

In Defense of Creepy Crawlies

"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason." -- Jack HandeyNo, Virginia, plants cannot talk. But, if they could, San Francisco's would ape our human population -- and protest. The unseasonably hot weather induc ... More >>

An Inconvenient Plant

One of the world's rarest plants grows in the Presidio. Plans are under way to save it — and ax thousands of trees in the process.

The Naked Ape: Body Image and Baboons at Retox Lounge

One of the world's rarest plants grows in the Presidio. Plans are under way to save it — and ax thousands of trees in the process.

Capacitor Gets It Right

One of the world's rarest plants grows in the Presidio. Plans are under way to save it — and ax thousands of trees in the process.

Cute Overload

One of the world's rarest plants grows in the Presidio. Plans are under way to save it — and ax thousands of trees in the process.

Gavin Newsom Can Help Cure Global Warming's Effects ... with High-Rises

One of the world's rarest plants grows in the Presidio. Plans are under way to save it — and ax thousands of trees in the process.

The Urban Jungle: City Offers Tips for Harmonious Coexistence with Skunks, Raccoons, and Squirrels

Just walk away, manIf you're anything like the inhabitants of most American cities, there's a question that has probably not been on your mind as you try to make sense of the national economy's death spiral, and that is this: How do I coexist with local wildlife? But if you live in San Francisco, ... More >>

The Big 4's Wild Game Week, May 12-16 (or DIY)

Hoisin- and Scotch-glazed wild boar crispy tacos, anyone?

Urban Cat Hunting: Out Trapping Feral Felines For the SPCA

Joe EskenaziThe trap is baited...The sun was starting to dip beneath the horizon when the call came in. It was supposed to be a relatively easy job -- we were to finish cleaning up a colony out by Ocean Beach. Four kitties had already been bagged and, tonight, our mission was to snare the lone holdo ... More >>

Suit Alleges Environmental Protection Agency Not Doing Enough Environmental Protecting

Smoke 'em if you got 'em...It was the Roman satirist Juvenal who pondered quis custodiet ipsos custodes? -- Who watches the watchmen? If we gave him the answer "The WildEarth Guardians" we don't think it'd satisfy his query (and, honestly, the man's been dead 1,800 years) -- but it wouldn't be wrong ... More >>

The Cove expertly exposes the horrific treatment of dolphins

Smoke 'em if you got 'em...It was the Roman satirist Juvenal who pondered quis custodiet ipsos custodes? -- Who watches the watchmen? If we gave him the answer "The WildEarth Guardians" we don't think it'd satisfy his query (and, honestly, the man's been dead 1,800 years) -- but it wouldn't be wrong ... More >>

Penguins Defy Arranged Couplings at the California Academy of Sciences

The illicit love of Howard and Safara​Last night at the California Academy of Sciences, a group of spectators gathered around the African penguin exhibit squealed and cooed as twenty blackfoot penguins bopped around their rocky enclosure like so many wind-up toys. These parti ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

The illicit love of Howard and Safara​Last night at the California Academy of Sciences, a group of spectators gathered around the African penguin exhibit squealed and cooed as twenty blackfoot penguins bopped around their rocky enclosure like so many wind-up toys. These parti ... More >>

How Hyde Street Pier eliminated its sea lion problem

The illicit love of Howard and Safara​Last night at the California Academy of Sciences, a group of spectators gathered around the African penguin exhibit squealed and cooed as twenty blackfoot penguins bopped around their rocky enclosure like so many wind-up toys. These parti ... More >>

Cirque du Soleil: Ovo

The illicit love of Howard and Safara​Last night at the California Academy of Sciences, a group of spectators gathered around the African penguin exhibit squealed and cooed as twenty blackfoot penguins bopped around their rocky enclosure like so many wind-up toys. These parti ... More >>

Have the Sea Lions of Pier 39 Left Earth for Space?

Few local news stories in recent memory have attracted as much international attention as the abrupt vanishing act pulled by the popular sea lions of Pier 39, who this fall deserted the docks where for decades they were wont to haul out and bask in the attention of tourists.Yearning for yet more dis ... More >>

New City Program Helps Homeowners Slash PG&E Bill

Look! Green! Green!​But Some Consumers May Be Better Off Looking Elsewhere To Fund Green Home Improvements, Program's Architect AcknowledgesMayor Gavin Newsom this evening will hold an "Internet town hall" to tout a new program helping property owners pay for energy-saving improvements. Dubbed Gre ... More >>

Military Dolphins, Sea Lions Save San Francisco From Terror

Brien Aho/U.S. NavySmile! You're on Dolphin Camera.​Trained journalists cover trained beasts The opportunity to watch Gavin Newsom watch Navy sea lions and dolphins in a terror-fighting exercise was just too good. Scores of creatures, meticulously trained via rote exercises, were on display in Mis ... More >>

Returning sea lions could be in for a shock

Brien Aho/U.S. NavySmile! You're on Dolphin Camera.​Trained journalists cover trained beasts The opportunity to watch Gavin Newsom watch Navy sea lions and dolphins in a terror-fighting exercise was just too good. Scores of creatures, meticulously trained via rote exercises, were on display in Mis ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Brien Aho/U.S. NavySmile! You're on Dolphin Camera.​Trained journalists cover trained beasts The opportunity to watch Gavin Newsom watch Navy sea lions and dolphins in a terror-fighting exercise was just too good. Scores of creatures, meticulously trained via rote exercises, were on display in Mis ... More >>

The Narwhal, Commonwealth's Liquid Nitrogen Slushie

Tamara Palmer​Molecular gastronomy pops up sparingly at Commonwealth, like in a light cocktail frozen with the assistance of liquid nitrogen. The Narwhal is a lovely slushie made with ambrosia melon and lime, filtered sake, mint, and Floc de Gascogne, a French aperitif fortified with Armagnac. ... More >>

Mount Sutro battle pits tree lovers against native-plant lovers

Tamara Palmer​Molecular gastronomy pops up sparingly at Commonwealth, like in a light cocktail frozen with the assistance of liquid nitrogen. The Narwhal is a lovely slushie made with ambrosia melon and lime, filtered sake, mint, and Floc de Gascogne, a French aperitif fortified with Armagnac. ... More >>

Watching the Act of Watching

Tamara Palmer​Molecular gastronomy pops up sparingly at Commonwealth, like in a light cocktail frozen with the assistance of liquid nitrogen. The Narwhal is a lovely slushie made with ambrosia melon and lime, filtered sake, mint, and Floc de Gascogne, a French aperitif fortified with Armagnac. ... More >>

Owl Kick Your Ass

Tamara Palmer​Molecular gastronomy pops up sparingly at Commonwealth, like in a light cocktail frozen with the assistance of liquid nitrogen. The Narwhal is a lovely slushie made with ambrosia melon and lime, filtered sake, mint, and Floc de Gascogne, a French aperitif fortified with Armagnac. ... More >>

Erosion at Ocean Beach could send sewage into the sea

Tamara Palmer​Molecular gastronomy pops up sparingly at Commonwealth, like in a light cocktail frozen with the assistance of liquid nitrogen. The Narwhal is a lovely slushie made with ambrosia melon and lime, filtered sake, mint, and Floc de Gascogne, a French aperitif fortified with Armagnac. ... More >>

San Francisco Environmentalists Sue EPA Over Clean Air Act

Sparing Polluters​It's Spare the Air Day, and here is why we should refrain from air-polluting behaviors. The San Francisco-based Sierra Club has joined WildEarth Guardians in a legal battle to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to hold more than two dozen states accountable for protec ... More >>

Man Busted For Smuggling Whale Teeth

What a smile​Here is a story that involve both sperm and teeth -- and it's still G rated.James Saunders was convicted yesterday in a San Francisco courtroom for scheming to illegally buy, sell, and smuggle sperm whale teeth from the far away country of Ukraine. The conviction was a crack in an nat ... More >>

Junk Food Ban Weighed -- For Seagulls

Gross​Since seagulls are mysteriously dying by the dozens at Pier 94 rendering plant after feasting on offal, the Board of Supervisors has been urged to enforce a larine version of a junk food ban.At its Feb. 10 meeting, the city's Animal Care & Control Commission introduced a drafted letter t ... More >>

Go Fish: S.F.'s Coastal Foraging King Shows How to Fish (and Eat) Locally

Gross​Since seagulls are mysteriously dying by the dozens at Pier 94 rendering plant after feasting on offal, the Board of Supervisors has been urged to enforce a larine version of a junk food ban.At its Feb. 10 meeting, the city's Animal Care & Control Commission introduced a drafted letter t ... More >>

Spotting Birds at a Record Pace, with a Camera and a Bike

Gross​Since seagulls are mysteriously dying by the dozens at Pier 94 rendering plant after feasting on offal, the Board of Supervisors has been urged to enforce a larine version of a junk food ban.At its Feb. 10 meeting, the city's Animal Care & Control Commission introduced a drafted letter t ... More >>

Sea Lions Found in S.F. With Wires Wrapped Around Their Necks

Inquiring minds​Marine rescuers are attempting to save the lives of two young sea lions who were found on San Francisco's Pier 39 with wires draped around their necks -- which could easily kill them. The wired mammals first came to the attention of rescuers after tourists spotted the two sea anima ... More >>

Environmental Groups Fight to Put Gray Wolf Back on Endangered Species List

Gary Kramer, US Fish and Wildlife Service​Environmental groups appealed to the Ninth Circuit to reinstate the northern rocky mountain gray wolf on the Endangered Species List, after Montana judge Donald Molley reluctantly upheld Congress' move directing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist ... More >>

It's Too Late to Stop Wild Horse Round Ups in California

flickr/David Reese​Horse-lovers were disappointed this week when the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco rejected a motion for a restraining order and injunction to halt the round-up of over 2,000 wild horses and wild burros along the California-Nevada border. The court said that the motion was moot as ... More >>

"Big Miracle": Saving the Whales Doesn't Save Any Laughs

flickr/David Reese​Horse-lovers were disappointed this week when the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco rejected a motion for a restraining order and injunction to halt the round-up of over 2,000 wild horses and wild burros along the California-Nevada border. The court said that the motion was moot as ... More >>