This past month a cold snap drifted into the Bay, and, with its passing, came the winter rains and the end of 2025. It’s been a big year at Current, and while we’ve only been around for six months, it feels like we’ve been here the whole year, at least. We’ve published a ton, from interviews with local icons, to an exposé on the right-wing techie media machines of the Bay Area, and in-depth reporting on the struggles and successes of labor organizing, highlighting the collective fight for better lives for the working class.
But, as the writer of our native species column, I’ve also seen many other oddities, tragedies, and dramas unfold in the non-human world. That other world that lives beside us, between the buildings and streets we pass through, has been struggling and thriving in our midst, sometimes even catching our often unobservant eyes. As Rex Burress, late Oakland resident and naturalist, wrote, “Nature is not lost in the city’s maze.”
From the passing of beloved Bay Area animals, to the triumphs of a new family of bald eagles in Oakland, the Bay Area has seen its fair share of nature news. So, here’s the short list for our top local nature stories of 2025.
Squirrel Attacks Marin Moms
In September in the Lucas Valley neighborhood of San Rafael, a very suburban area north of the city, surrounded by oak grasslands, KQED reported that a squirrel was terrorizing neighbors, sending three people to the emergency room. Signs were posted in the area warning of the violent squirrel but that didn't seem to perturb the little critter. However, as Alison Hermance of WildCare in San Rafael said, it was likely raised by people and escaped or was released. After this, the squirrel, comfortable with people, grew angry that no one was feeding him and so was lashing out. It doesn't seem like the culprit was caught, and I’m here for his villain origin story.
RIP Claude
Claude, the beloved albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences, died at the beginning of December at the age of 30 from severe liver cancer. He was born in 1995 in a swamp in Louisiana and spent time in a Florida zoological park before coming to San Francisco, where he quickly became an icon of the Academy of Sciences and the city itself. In September, on his 30th birthday, thousands showed up to celebrate this enigmatic and charming apex predator. As the Academy of Sciences wrote in a press release following his passing, “Claude was celebrated as the unofficial mascot of the Academy and San Francisco itself, and regularly received fan mail, gifts, and artwork from adoring fans across the world who conveyed just how much he meant to them.” Rest easy, Claude.
We love you, Kit Kat. We hate you, Waymo.
Another loss of an iconic Bay Area animal. At the end of October, KitKat, a local bodega cat of The Mission, was killed by a Google-owned Waymo taxi. KitKat, tucked under the parked car as many cats do, couldn’t have expected it to move. This sparked outrage online and off, not just for the passing of a cherished local mascot, but because KitKat was killed by a machine made in an effort to create Google’s vision of a tech utopia, one where automation and efficiency take precedence over life.
New Management Plan for Point Reyes National Seashore
It might not sound that exciting, but this is huge news for North Bay residents. At the beginning of the year, it was announced that most of the operational ranches in Point Reyes National Seashore would begin closing in 18 months, and the park would instead focus its efforts toward conservation. Some claim that this will be a boon for the local tule elk conservation efforts, while others worry that without cattle, and other very large animals in the area, the lands will become fire hazards, as large megafauna in the area are severely depleted. Regardless, for many this is the tragic end of a long history of local ranching in the area. However, the tenants who live on those lands — many of whom work in the shops in town, helping maintain the local tourism economy — have been forced to leave the area for cheaper rents. This will likely have a drastic impact on the businesses in town, as these critical workers are left behind.
Bald Eagles In Oakland
I saw this nest in person, but by complete accident. Coming down from a hike in the Oakland Hills, I was meandering down a road near Piedmont, and spotted a crew of some twenty people, decked out in khaki vests, holding binoculars and telephoto lenses attached to their DSLRs. As a birder myself, I knew that there must be something interesting going on. I pulled over and asked what they were looking at, and a kind man lent me his binoculars and I watched as two mature bald eagles navigated each other atop their large, yet cozy nest. Later, I discovered that their nest successfully hatched, and because of this there is now an even greater likelihood it will happen again next year.
Bald eagles were nearly extinct in the contiguous United States, and hopeful stories of their return are becoming more common. As a conservation effort, it’s incredible. As a national seal, I’m skeptical: these birds steal fish from ospreys and are more commonly scavengers. I do think Benjamin Franklin’s argument for the turkey was a bit more on point — more of a collectivist mascot.
And that wraps up the nature recap of 2025. There were plenty of other stories and sights, from a coyote swimming out from Angel Island, to the ever consistent winter return of burrowing owls at the Berkeley Marina, to sightings of Chinook salmon in Lake Merritt, and even new spider monkeys at Oakland Zoo, saved during a drug-bust in Vallejo. Have a Happy New Year y’all, and keep your ears and eyes out for our other city neighbors, living within the maze.
Cole Hersey is a writer based in Oakland, California. His work focuses on environmental topics and the arts. His work has been featured in Bay Nature, Earth Island Journal, and elsewhere.
