Chinook salmon, decimated over the years by overfishing, damming, and other factors, are slowly making their way back to local waters. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report submitted to Congress on Monday shows that Chinook salmon along the Northern California coast are among six fish populations restored to healthy levels in 2011. The more robust numbers can be attributed to improved ocean conditions and conservative management policy, according to ......

A so-called electric expressway of vehicle charging stations is planned across populated swaths of California, with the help of $100 million secured by the state under a legal settlement that dates back more than a decade to the energy crisis. Under the settlement agreement, announced Friday, NRG Energy Inc. will pay for the installation of 10,000 subscription-based electric vehicle chargers near hospitals, offices, multi-home buildings and other places. Additionally, 200 ......

San Francisco police and San Francisco International Airport employees will begin enforcing no trespassing laws Monday on airport property to protect an endangered species' habitat. In a letter sent to nearby residents, airport officials said the West of Bayshore area adjacent to U.S. Highway 101 is a sensitive habitat for the San Francisco garter snake, an endangered species, and the California red-legged frog, a threatened species. SFO is legally required ......

At least one gray whale was spotted in San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island again today, and the U.S. Coast Guard is alerting boaters of the location of whales so that mariners can steer clear, a Coast Guard officer said. There have been several whale sightings in the Bay over the last several days, including a mother and a young calf, as whales are migrating from breeding areas near Mexico ......

President Barack Obama’s senior advisors say they will urge him veto a controversial water bill — if it reaches his desk. The bill would end many environmental protections for Northern Californian rivers. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act (H.R. 1837), by a 246 to 175 vote, with Republicans supporting the legislation and Democrats opposed. The bill now moves on to the U.S. Senate. The legislation ......