The 2011 California King Tides Initiative encourages members of the public to document the highest seasonal tides (or king tides) that occur along the state’s coast. These photos were taken at 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 21. See the King Tides Initiative page for more dramatic photos.

On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority voted for two ordinances that will require mandatory recycling for businesses and multi-family properties and prohibit stores that sell packaged food from giving out single-use bags. Both ordinances are supposed to help reduce waste in Alameda County.

Every year, winter rains like the recent storms that have soaked the Bay Area help fill reservoirs and perk up lawns. But they also carry an ugly downside, causing aging sewage systems to back up, overflow and malfunction, endangering human health and polluting San Francisco Bay.

Last year, a staggering 17.5 million gallons of raw or partially treated sewage spilled in the nine Bay Area counties -- enough to fill 26 Olympic-size swimming pools -- and 95 percent of it flowed to the bay, lakes or streams.

But with little fanfare, a small nonprofit group is steadily turning the tide.

Concerns are growing that an invasive water weed that has long frustrated Delta boaters and swimmers could return in force this year after an aggressive state effort to control it.

An unusually dry weather pattern that has settled over the region is wreaking havoc on Marin's endangered coho salmon which need rain to survive.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a Redwood City metal recycling company to stop discharging toxic pollutants into the bay.

An all-but-forgotten island in the northwest corner of Richardson Bay has become a testing ground for the notion that a functioning ecosystem can be built out of human excavation refuse.

Special Issue, Part 1: Ecology of Tidal Wetlands in the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

An invasive weed just now taking hold in the Delta could clog water delivery pumps and marinas on a scale never seen here, and state officials say they are nearly hamstrung in trying to deal with it.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's top man in the region shook his head after tromping through a restored Napa River floodplain and then motoring on a boat through one of the nation's premier riparian revitalization projects. "Why," asked Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA's regional administrator, "do we not hear more about this?"

Harbor porpoises haven't been seen in San Francisco Bay for more than 60 years. But now, they're coming back through the Golden Gate in growing numbers and researchers are trying to understand why they’re returning.

Alameda County shoppers will have to bring their own shopping bags or pay for them under a plan being considered by the Waste Management Authority.

Marine scientists are trying to find out why previously unknown blooms of toxic algae are suddenly proliferating along the California coast, killing wildlife and increasing the risk of human sickness.

The newest restored wetland in San Francisco was little more than a mound of mud surrounded by water Tuesday, but the messy quagmire was like gold to Elizabeth Goldstein. The 7-acre site at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area was officially reclaimed as a wetland by the incoming high tide Tuesday, and the hawk and crow were the first wildlife visitors.

Rapidly rising seas could wipe out nearly all of San Francisco Bay's remaining tidal marshes, the most important wetlands on the West Coast for shorebirds and a buffer against flooding of highways and property.

If I were to tell you one thing about the nature of the San Francisco Bay, it is this: The bay is strange. And it is getting stranger.

Get used to it, says Emma Marris. Not only that, she says: Embrace it. Celebrate it. Help create this new bay nature. Call it Bay Nature 2.0.

The critical tidal marshes of San Francisco Bay - habitat for tens of thousands of birds and other animals - will virtually disappear within a century if the sea rises as high as some scientists predict it will as a result of global warming.

October's issue includes articles on the concepts of carbon credits for freshwater marshes, phytoplankton bloom increases in the Bay, the new pipeline being constructed beneath the Bay as part of SFPUC's water delivery system overhaul, and takeaway messages from this year's State of the Estuary conference.

Like a patient out of intensive care yet still suffering aches, pains and the need for a lot of rehabilitation, San Francisco Bay is on the mend but far from enjoying a clean bill of health. That's the conclusion of a new report released Monday by a team of scientists studying Northern California's signature natural feature and a broad range of its issues -- from wetlands to wildlife, toxic pollution to trail access.

"The bay's health is definitely getting better. We're making progress," said Andrew Gunther, an environmental scientist and chief author of "The State of San Francisco Bay 2011." "But we still have a way to go. Starting with the Gold Rush, we had a century of degrading the bay. And we've only been restoring it since the early 1970s."

With the crunch of a bulldozer Tuesday afternoon, the oldest salt flat in the Bay Area became the region's newest wetland.

A new report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute (July 2011) summarizes recent reports on wetlands restoration and finance in the San Francisco Bay Area, identifies options for financing wetlands restoration, and assesses which option or options appear most feasible. It is presented as a framing document for policymakers and other Bay Area leaders in considering legislation or other initiatives to meet regional wetlands objectives. Download the report.

How healthy is San Francisco Bay? The latest scientific findings about the health of San Francisco Bay were also presented at the 10^th Biennial State of the Estuary Conference September 20-21, 2011. Watch this page for links to videos of the plenary sessions--coming soon! To see the full conference program, go to http://sfestuary.org/soe2011/

"Dog Doogity", the new music video created by the Seattle-based Puget Sound Starts Here is a fresh approach to persuade people to pick up after their pets. Despite campaigns that have passed out pamphlets and placed boxes of plastic bags in public parks, area residents still find themselves dodging doodies on sidewalks, lawns and trails.

Herman Diaz and Jeff Norris pulled up the grate on a storm drain on Parrott Street last week and Norris climbed down inside. The first thing he did was to pull out a plastic cup and a whiskey bottle.“Look, there’s still a good shot of whiskey left,” he joked. But Diaz and Norris had work to do. They’re installing screens in 250 storm drains around town to catch litter before it goes down the storm drain and into the bay. Anything that goes down storm drain winds up in the water--plastic bottles, styrofoam containers, aluminum cans, you name it. One way to keep a lot of junk out of the bay is to nip it at the bud.

Summertime is ant season for much of the Bay Area. And, many residents get so frustrated by the new visitors coming in the house that they opt to get professional pest control companies to spray the perimeter of their home. The Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association wants to help residents make the best less-toxic choice possible when hiring a professional. Read about a new grant the state awarded the Estuary Partnership to work on educating people about less toxic ant control.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced the San Francisco Bay Restoration Act, which would authorize 10 years of funding for the Environmental Protection Agency to continue wetlands restoration projects and improve water quality in the San Francisco Bay and its watershed. Senator Feinstein was joined in introducing the bill by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Read the bill here.

Learn how to handle stormwater on your property by slowing, spread, and sinking it. See the Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District's new publication, A Homeowner's and Landowner's Guide to Beneficial Stormwater Management, at http://www.sscrd.org/rainwater.php.