Becki Robins is a California native who loves exploring her state’s hidden places, and occasionally the more obvious places, too. She usually drags semi-reluctant kids along, which makes for endlessly interesting experiences. Her favorite writing combines science with history, travel, and humor. She lives in California’s gold country, where natural beauty, history, and the local people are a constant source of creative inspiration.
By this person
Give Bees a Chance
Farmers restore habitat for native pollinators
As California grew into a vast agricultural region during the early 20th century, native grasslands, forests and riparian habitats were gradually replaced by farmlands and orchards. Though green things thrive on farms as a matter of business, there’s very little biodiversity on a traditional farm — and not much room for pollen specialists.
Farming to Save Water
Water experts seek new ways to capture groundwater
During a typical year, aquifers provide around 40 percent of the water the state uses; in drought years, that percentage soars to 60 percent or more. The state’s aquifers can hold a lot of water, but that number isn’t infinite, and California’s current rate of overdraft isn’t sustainable.
Saving the Rain
Flooding our fields helps store water in belowground aquifers
California’s shrinking aquifers represent both an opportunity and a problem.