Alameda County hopes to build wildlife crossings across I-580, I-680, and State Route 84.
Author Archives: Callie Rhoades
Callie Rhoades covers the environment for The Oaklandside as a 2023-2025 California Local News Fellow. She previously worked as a reporter for Oakland North at Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program. She has also worked as an intern for Estuary News Group, as an assistant producer for the Climate Break podcast, and as an editorial intern for SKI Magazine. Her writing has appeared in Sierra Magazine, Earth Island Journal, and KneeDeep Times, among others. She graduated from The University of California, Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism in 2023.
Posted inHealth & Environment
‘Oakland’s gift to itself’: The storied history—and uncertain future—of the Rotary Nature Center
A recent fire damaging Lake Merritt’s legendary educational institution is only the latest setback.
Posted inHealth & Environment
El Niño winter weather is here: What should Oakland residents know?
Scientists are predicting this year could see more rain than the last.
Posted inNosh
Oakland’s proposed reusable foodware ordinance could help keep our streets clean
The law would forbid food vendors from providing single-use plastic items to guests dining in, and ban packaged water at city events and facilities.
Posted inHealth & Environment
For 3 decades, kids at this Oakland school have been studying Lake Merritt’s birds
From brown pelicans to bufflehead ducks, third-graders at St. Paul’s Episcopal School are tracking them all.
Posted inHealth & Environment
How should Oakland tend its urban forest?
The city is looking for feedback on its plan to equitably plant and manage trees across the city.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Meet the ‘carbonator,’ a machine helping reduce fire hazards in Anthony Chabot Regional Park
The East Bay Regional Park District is turning excess and dead vegetation into ‘biochar’ that builds healthier soil.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Friends of Sausal Creek’s annual native plant sale marks a recovery
The environmental restoration group invites the public to celebrate its resilience in the wake of vandalism that damaged thousands of plants earlier this year.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Controversial rule could make installing solar panels costlier
Oakland Unified is opposing a policy change before the California Public Utilities Commission, saying it could disincentivize green energy projects.
Posted inNature
The beautiful and fraught lives of California’s mountain lions are depicted in a new graphic novel
Local conservation biologist Tiffany Yap’s book, ‘Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma’s Journey,’ explores the interface between humans and the wild.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Fall environmental events in Oakland and the East Bay
Help clean up your favorite park. Learn more about cool critters. Hike a new trail.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Gravel facility at Port of Oakland gets go ahead with lawsuit settlement
Eagle Rock Aggregates will make changes to its operations to address air pollution and other concerns.
Posted inHealth & Environment
3 rare raccoon babies were spotted at Lake Merritt
For years, locals have delighted in spotting ‘albino’ raccoons around the lake. This year, one mother is raising three leucistic kits.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Native plant gardens are reinvigorating Oakland wildlife—and residents
In backyards and along sidewalk strips locals are tending plants that boost ecosystems, save water, and green communities.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Oakland is getting $8M to plant trees across the city
The federal grant will allow the city and local nonprofits to green neighborhoods, clean air, combat heat, and build community.
