Environment


	Coastsiders make pitch for Big Wave development Proponents of a mixed-use project that could transform the Midcoast worked hard to convince the county Planning Commission of its merits this week at a public hearing. Balloon ban tethered in Berkeley Half Moon Bay will let horse riders continue to use Poplar Beach Flood zoning costing Pittsburg residents money Lafayette open space fund could shut down Despite $300,000 tax charge, Belmont approves hefty open space purchase Tom Graff, California environmental water pioneer, dies at 65 Plan for La Honda Creek preserve spells out public use Government says brown pelicans are no longer endangered Science panel to weigh in on Delta Open space east of Half Moon Bay adds to preservation portfolio Judge in tree-sitting case apparently died of natural causes, preliminary autopsy reveals Wildlife returns to abandoned Contra Costa County subdivisions Winners and losers in water deal Debate begins on proposed bridge toll increases in Bay Area Gulls winning wetlands battle Bay Bridge closure takes a toll on region

Green


	Coastsiders make pitch for Big Wave development Half Moon Bay will let horse riders continue to use Poplar Beach Cargill Salt awarded most of tax break it sought in 2003 salt ponds deal More Lafayette farmers markets looking likely

Life in the wild

Follow the seasons at the SF wildlife refuge with photo slide shows and more on our ongoing interactive map.

Times Watchdog

BOATING A PERILOUS PASTIME

Narrow, curving rivers and sloughs, faster boats, reckless behavior and the lack of mandatory boater education combine to make California's inland waterways more dangerous than the Pacific Ocean.

Science News from AP


	U. of Neb. board votes down stem-cell rule changes LINCOLN, Neb.—The University of Nebraska's governing board on Friday voted down a proposal to restrict the school's rules governing embryonic stem-cell research beyond what the federal government allows. Full Story Ask AP: Shuttle complexity, credit union agency Astronauts await word of baby girl on Earth Formerly conjoined twins to need years of care Correction: Vaccine Revolution story 3 new ancient crocodile species fossils found Astronauts get extra work done in 1st spacewalk 1 conjoined twin talking after separation surgery UN: Fight climate change with free condoms Vaccines on horizon for AIDS, Alzheimer's, herpes Rare crocs found hiding in plain sight in Cambodia Shuttle docks at space station, unloads parts