Erin Rode

1 week ago | sfgate.com | Erin Rode

Goffredi and other researchers were tasked with exploring ecosystems surrounding methane seeps, an underwater area where methane gas emerges from below the ocean floor and bubbles out into the ocean. The U.S. Geological Survey describes methane seeps as the “occasional streams of bubbles coming up from the seafloor” in films set at the bottom of the sea. On research dives in 2021, Goffredi’s team collected a bunch of different species from these underwater habitats.

2 weeks ago | sfgate.com | Erin Rode

Last July, Los Angeles County park officials hosted a pool party to celebrate a decision to extend the county’s public pool season from just 10 weeks to a full five months, with pools open from June through October. The decision to expand the availability of public pools, a valuable resource for Angelenos looking to cool off, came as Southern California grapples with increasing temperatures due to climate change that can extend well into the fall.

2 weeks ago | kcra.com | Erin Rode

AS SUMMER APPROACHES. FIRE SEASON IS HERE. WE’RE THERE FOR FIRES AND ESPECIALLY GRASS FIRES. WE’RE SEEING A BIG UPTICK IN THEM. AND ONCE AGAIN, FIRE CREWS ARE WARNING PEOPLE ABOUT THE DANGERS. ALL IT TAKES IS A SIMPLE SPARK FROM A LAWN MOWER OR SOMEONE BEING CARELESS WITH PUTTING FIRE ON THE GROUND SOMEWHERE. A SIMPLE SPARK ALONG WITH THESE KEY ELEMENTS, THE DRY FUELS. IT’S THE WINDS. IT’S THE LOW HUMIDITIES CAN START A RAPIDLY GROWING EMERGENCY, EVEN WITH A LITTLE BIT OF WIND.

2 weeks ago | sfgate.com | Erin Rode

Cal Fire is slated to close six “hazardous hiking areas” June 15. The closures will “remain in effect until further notice,” according to a news release from Cal Fire. “In the interest of public safety and wildfire prevention, access to these hiking areas is temporarily restricted to protect nearby communities and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fire events,” stated Riverside County Fire Department Chief Bill Weiser in the release.

3 weeks ago | sfgate.com | Erin Rode

The vast majority of Joshua Tree National Park visitors never reach Covington Flats, which isn’t near any of the park’s main entrances and is only accessible via bumpy dirt roads or treks on foot through the desert. The region contains some of the highest-elevation landscapes in the park, ranging from 4,800 to 5,600 feet, and some of the region’s biggest Joshua trees.