skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal inquiry traces payments from Gaetz to women; a new Florida-Puerto Rico partnership poised to transform higher-ed landscape; MT joins Tribes to target Canadian mining pollution; Heart health plummets in rural SD and nationwide; CO working families would pay more under Trump tax proposals.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transgender rights in Congress, a historic win for Utah's youngest elected official, scrutiny of Democratic Party leadership, and the economic impact of Trump's tax proposals highlight America's shifting political and social landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Ocean Protection Council refines plans to protect CA coastal waters

play audio
Play

Monday, October 7, 2024   

California has set a goal to protect 30% of its land and waters by the year 2030, so the Ocean Protection Council is working on which waters should count as protected and is identifying new conservation measures.

A public comment period on its draft framework just ended.

Drew Talley, professor of environmental and ocean sciences at the University of San Diego, said the proposal is on the right track but needs a little more work when it comes to estuaries, where the rivers meet the sea.

"It doesn't look at some of the main threats those systems are facing," Talley explained. "Including sea level rise, degraded water quality and ongoing effects of historical alterations like dams and diking and urban runoff."

The Ocean Protection Council is expected to release its final proposal Dec. 9. Estuaries are crucial habitat for many species. They also buffer communities from floods during a storm, reduce ocean acidification and help fight climate change, since marine plants store a great deal of carbon.

Kerstin Wasson, research coordinator for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve near Monterey, said the contours of protected areas need to be widened, to account for the effects of climate change.

"With accelerated sea level rise, they're going to need a lot of space to migrate upwards," Wasson urged. "If we were to draw a circle around an estuary to say what's protected, it needs to be 10 feet above where the marsh is today."

More than 90% of California's historic wetlands have been lost to development.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Since its founding, the CCA program has generated more than $2 billion for transportation and infrastructure upgrades, clean air and water initiatives, utility bill rebates, community solar, indoor air quality improvements and more. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

On Election Day, a broad coalition of conservationists, labor, and others helped defeat a ballot initiative to repeal Washington State's Climate …


Social Issues

play sound

In the wake of Donald Trump's re-election, teachers nationwide are bracing for more censorship battles. Currently, more than 40 laws in 22 states …

Social Issues

play sound

A new annual report shows New York City has more than 146,000 homeless students. The Advocates for Children of New York report finds this is an …


More than 3,000 Maine apprentices were actively working on industry-recognized skill certification in 2022, according to the Maine Department of Labor. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

State officials in Maine said they are working to expand the number of registered apprenticeship programs to help counter a persistent worker shortage…

Social Issues

play sound

School boards are nonpartisan, but a recent trend in Wyoming shows far-right candidates are bringing national politics to local elections. Public …

In 2020, roughly 9.9% of all U-S adults over age 20 were, or 28.6 million people, were affected by cardiovascular disease, according to a review article from the American Heart Association. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

It is National Rural Health Day and experts are flagging research showing increasing health disparities between urban and rural places, including in …

Social Issues

play sound

President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have promised to pass a new tax bill, and a new report breaks down the expected winners and …

Social Issues

play sound

Recent surveys show a majority of North Dakotans want housing that allows them to live independently as they age. But there aren't a lot of suitable …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021