About California Curated

California Curated is an independent publication about California's natural world: marine biology, geology, wildlife, climate, and the people studying it. Written and edited by Los Angeles–based journalist Erik Olsen.

Stories that help readers see California with fresh eyes.

What this is

California Curated is an independent publication about California's natural world: the science, the landscapes, and the people working to understand and protect them. I cover the things that make this state geologically and ecologically singular: the kelp forests off the Channel Islands, the San Andreas Fault, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, the slow ecology of the Mojave Desert, the comeback of California condors, the redwoods up north, and the long-running questions about drought, fire ecology, and a warming ocean.

I write about marine biology and oceanography, geology and earthquakes, wildlife and habitat, climate and water, and the institutions that have made California a global center of environmental science: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, MBARI, the UC system, Caltech, the California Academy of Sciences, and the state and federal agencies that manage everything from the Delta to the deep sea.

Who's behind it

I'm Erik Olsen, a journalist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. I spent more than a decade as a Senior Video Journalist at The New York Times, reporting from New York and Berlin, and later covered the West Coast as a correspondent for Quartz. My work has appeared in National Geographic, the BBC, Scientific American, Popular Science, CNN's Great Big Story, MSNBC, and PBS NOVA, where I've directed science documentaries. I've worked with aerial drones, dived in submersibles more than 2,000 feet below the surface, and spent a lot of time reporting in the field with scientists.

I started California Curated because California's natural-history beat deserves more careful, patient coverage than it usually gets, and because, after years of reporting on this state, I wanted a place to do that kind of work on my own terms.

What you'll find here

Original reporting, longer features, photo essays, and a curated daily rail of California science and nature news drawn from sources I trust: the Los Angeles Times, KQED, Bay Nature, NPR, Mongabay, Eos, Caltech, UC Berkeley, MBARI, and others. The news rail updates every few hours; the features take longer.

Stay in touch

The best way to follow the work is to subscribe to the Substack. New pieces and the occasional newsletter land there first. If you'd like to help keep this going, you can also make a small donation. Tips, story ideas, and corrections are always welcome.