William Selby
@willselby1.bsky.social
Author, Professor Emeritus, Earth Science, Weather and Climate, Geography, Natural History, California Sky Watcher. I'm sharing my passion, research, and experiences in my writing, public speaking, and workshops that reconnect us to our natural world.
If you're in SoCal later on Dec. 6, I will be doing another encore presentation at the Theodore Payne Foundation from 1:30-4:30 that will include a walk with the plants. Scroll down their page to December 6 to find tickets for Selby's weather extremes and plants:
theodorepayne.org/learn/classe...
theodorepayne.org/learn/classe...
Classes & Workshops | Theodore Payne Foundation
theodorepayne.org
November 22, 2025 at 5:07 AM
If you're in SoCal later on Dec. 6, I will be doing another encore presentation at the Theodore Payne Foundation from 1:30-4:30 that will include a walk with the plants. Scroll down their page to December 6 to find tickets for Selby's weather extremes and plants:
theodorepayne.org/learn/classe...
theodorepayne.org/learn/classe...
Hey friends of nature and our coast: Join us and other organizations and guest presenters for CASM's Annual King Tides Celebration on Sat, December 6th 8am-10am at Santa Monica Pier! We'll start with a brief tour of Heal the Bay's Aquarium plus light breakfast! www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-moni...
Santa Monica Annual King Tides Celebration
Join us for a groovy gathering of ocean enthusiasts as we explore the fascinating world of King Tides and celebrate their majestic beauty!
www.eventbrite.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Hey friends of nature and our coast: Join us and other organizations and guest presenters for CASM's Annual King Tides Celebration on Sat, December 6th 8am-10am at Santa Monica Pier! We'll start with a brief tour of Heal the Bay's Aquarium plus light breakfast! www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-moni...
...cont. "Beaver dams and ponds widen water courses and raise water tables to irrigate larger, lusher, more diverse and productive riparian habitats and gallery forests." Just one of our website stories incl. beavers & assisted natural regeneration: rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com/fire-in-the-...
Fire in the Redwoods - Rediscovering the Golden State
They’ve lived for thousands of years. They’re the tallest and largest trees on Earth. And now these majestic giants are burning. Follow me as I guide you through California’s endemic redwood forests t...
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:13 AM
...cont. "Beaver dams and ponds widen water courses and raise water tables to irrigate larger, lusher, more diverse and productive riparian habitats and gallery forests." Just one of our website stories incl. beavers & assisted natural regeneration: rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com/fire-in-the-...
More Beaver Sci: Wildlife officials are working to reintroduce the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) into waterways across the state. This keystone species is now considered an ecosystem engineer that expands diverse habitats that then increase and improve nature-based ecosystem services.
November 19, 2025 at 6:01 AM
More Beaver Sci: Wildlife officials are working to reintroduce the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) into waterways across the state. This keystone species is now considered an ecosystem engineer that expands diverse habitats that then increase and improve nature-based ecosystem services.
Regarding beavers: Goldfarb, Ben. 2025. Could beavers be the secret to winning the fight against wildfires? National Geographic. May 13, 2025.
Fairfax, E.,and A. Whittle. 2020. Smokey the Beaver: beaver-dammed riparian corridors stay green... Ecological Applications 30(8):e02225. 10.1002/eap.2225.
Fairfax, E.,and A. Whittle. 2020. Smokey the Beaver: beaver-dammed riparian corridors stay green... Ecological Applications 30(8):e02225. 10.1002/eap.2225.
November 19, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Regarding beavers: Goldfarb, Ben. 2025. Could beavers be the secret to winning the fight against wildfires? National Geographic. May 13, 2025.
Fairfax, E.,and A. Whittle. 2020. Smokey the Beaver: beaver-dammed riparian corridors stay green... Ecological Applications 30(8):e02225. 10.1002/eap.2225.
Fairfax, E.,and A. Whittle. 2020. Smokey the Beaver: beaver-dammed riparian corridors stay green... Ecological Applications 30(8):e02225. 10.1002/eap.2225.
A wetter-than-normal November proves what a difference a year can make in California, especially following last year’s catastrophic drought and wildfires. I discuss these wild weather pattern swings and related topics in my recent interview with Nancy Pearlman: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJru...
ED 2482 Bill Selby -- The California Sky Watcher
YouTube video by ENVIRONMENTAL DIRECTIONS with Nancy Pearlman
www.youtube.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:39 AM
A wetter-than-normal November proves what a difference a year can make in California, especially following last year’s catastrophic drought and wildfires. I discuss these wild weather pattern swings and related topics in my recent interview with Nancy Pearlman: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJru...
Celebrate autumn' arrival by checking out my end-of-summer story about thunderstorms and lightning. I've included some good tutorials and other informative links, but this story includes awesome images and links to breathtaking haboob videos.
wselby@smc.edu
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
wselby@smc.edu
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Rediscovering the Golden State - California Geography
California Geography
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
September 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Celebrate autumn' arrival by checking out my end-of-summer story about thunderstorms and lightning. I've included some good tutorials and other informative links, but this story includes awesome images and links to breathtaking haboob videos.
wselby@smc.edu
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
wselby@smc.edu
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Geoengineering/weather modification/weather intervention: jet trails, radar, cloud seeding ... basic science clears up misconceptions that continue to spread, fueled by social media and political extremists. Get the facts about such climate change in this story: www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
July 22, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Geoengineering/weather modification/weather intervention: jet trails, radar, cloud seeding ... basic science clears up misconceptions that continue to spread, fueled by social media and political extremists. Get the facts about such climate change in this story: www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Lessons from Texas: could similar flash floods impact California? Cal’s history and landscapes have been shaped by such disasters and they are likely to revisit sooner rather than later. Check out our latest story with links to recent research and dramatic videos:
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Rediscovering the Golden State - California Geography
California Geography
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
July 17, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Lessons from Texas: could similar flash floods impact California? Cal’s history and landscapes have been shaped by such disasters and they are likely to revisit sooner rather than later. Check out our latest story with links to recent research and dramatic videos:
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Heat waves, droughts, atmospheric rivers, floods, and other weather weirdness: How are California's weather patterns and climates changing and what can we do about it? Join me and Climate Action Santa Monica this Monday June 30, 6:30pm for a review and update: www.eventbrite.com/e/understand...
June 26, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Heat waves, droughts, atmospheric rivers, floods, and other weather weirdness: How are California's weather patterns and climates changing and what can we do about it? Join me and Climate Action Santa Monica this Monday June 30, 6:30pm for a review and update: www.eventbrite.com/e/understand...
Didn't sign up for this weekend's Chautauqua and our field events in the eastern Sierra Nevada? You can always look toward next year. Meanwhile, keep up to date by supporting Mono Lake Committee's stories of success throughout the seasons. Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua: www.birdchautauqua.org
.
.
June 17, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Didn't sign up for this weekend's Chautauqua and our field events in the eastern Sierra Nevada? You can always look toward next year. Meanwhile, keep up to date by supporting Mono Lake Committee's stories of success throughout the seasons. Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua: www.birdchautauqua.org
.
.
Mono Lake Committee celebrates the solstice weekend again this year (June 19-22) with their Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua, a series of natural science events for nature lovers. You can join me (events 209, 319, & 424) in the eastern Sierra Nevada, but there are dozens of options: www.birdchautauqua.org
June 17, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Mono Lake Committee celebrates the solstice weekend again this year (June 19-22) with their Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua, a series of natural science events for nature lovers. You can join me (events 209, 319, & 424) in the eastern Sierra Nevada, but there are dozens of options: www.birdchautauqua.org
How are our plants and landscapes adapting to accelerating climate change? Are you in SoCal this weekend? Join us to support the Theodore Payne Foundation, unveil the science, and learn how there is always hope as long as we are here to hope. Garden walk included
www.eventbrite.com/e/understand...
www.eventbrite.com/e/understand...
Understanding and Adapting to Climate Change with William Selby
A comprehensive look at how Southern California's changing climates are impacting our plants and native landscapes.
www.eventbrite.com
May 20, 2025 at 5:21 AM
How are our plants and landscapes adapting to accelerating climate change? Are you in SoCal this weekend? Join us to support the Theodore Payne Foundation, unveil the science, and learn how there is always hope as long as we are here to hope. Garden walk included
www.eventbrite.com/e/understand...
www.eventbrite.com/e/understand...
Following a mostly dreary and cool April that kept me busy, spring is finally performing with brilliant sunshine and colorful flowers! Join me for my program with the Cal Native Plant Society, Tues. May 13 at 7pm: Following our Changing Weather Patterns and Climates
chapters.cnps.org/lasmm/events/
chapters.cnps.org/lasmm/events/
Chapter Events - LA Santa Monica Mtns - CNPS
chapters.cnps.org
May 10, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Following a mostly dreary and cool April that kept me busy, spring is finally performing with brilliant sunshine and colorful flowers! Join me for my program with the Cal Native Plant Society, Tues. May 13 at 7pm: Following our Changing Weather Patterns and Climates
chapters.cnps.org/lasmm/events/
chapters.cnps.org/lasmm/events/
Interested in a fun week this April in Yosemite, studying (with daily field work) to be a Certified California Naturalist? I'll be helping out, time is running out, so... check it out: www.natureupclose.com/calnat-april...
Also look for our natural history updates at
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Also look for our natural history updates at
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
CalNat Yosemite | Nature Up Close
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore Yosemite, earn your certification, and make a lasting impact on California’s natural resources.
www.natureupclose.com
March 11, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Interested in a fun week this April in Yosemite, studying (with daily field work) to be a Certified California Naturalist? I'll be helping out, time is running out, so... check it out: www.natureupclose.com/calnat-april...
Also look for our natural history updates at
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Also look for our natural history updates at
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
After our decades of hard work, the FEDS are now threatening Cal's cherished coastlines. Our best beaches were open to all of you until now; Steve Lopez explains how that could change. Also reserve time for this new evocative doc:
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQNo...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQNo...
To Save Our Coast: Proposition 20 and the Creation of the California Coastal Commission
YouTube video by Teidi Productions
www.youtube.com
March 11, 2025 at 5:38 AM
After our decades of hard work, the FEDS are now threatening Cal's cherished coastlines. Our best beaches were open to all of you until now; Steve Lopez explains how that could change. Also reserve time for this new evocative doc:
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQNo...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQNo...
Cutting NOAA and NWS is penny wise and pound foolish on a 1 to 10 ratio: as if we stop changing our engine oil to save money. Such bad science is also bad business. Instead, we make investments to understand the complicated moving variables that help define our world: rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Rediscovering the Golden State - California Geography
California Geography
rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
February 25, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Cutting NOAA and NWS is penny wise and pound foolish on a 1 to 10 ratio: as if we stop changing our engine oil to save money. Such bad science is also bad business. Instead, we make investments to understand the complicated moving variables that help define our world: rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
That was a beautiful essay about Karl the Fog that Marthine Satris posted. How might higher temps AND vapor content affect Cal's coastal fog??? This mystery is part of the larger global experiment we have never run before, but will impact all of us. Stay tuned: splitlipthemag.com/flash/0624/v...
Forecast — Split Lip Magazine
After the weather turned, so did we. For many, the end of fog led to the end of patience. Though we’d heard the cool grey city might become sun-bleached as Seville by the end of the century, someday h...
splitlipthemag.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:44 AM
That was a beautiful essay about Karl the Fog that Marthine Satris posted. How might higher temps AND vapor content affect Cal's coastal fog??? This mystery is part of the larger global experiment we have never run before, but will impact all of us. Stay tuned: splitlipthemag.com/flash/0624/v...
How are recent winds, fires, & our changing weather patterns impacting our native plants, gardens, & ecosystems? If you are in SoCal on Feb 22, join us for this timely and lively event at Theodore Payne Foundation. Bring your curiosity, questions, & walking shoes: www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-ana-...
Santa Ana Winds and our Ecosystem with William Selby
Discover how Southern California's plant communities adapt to life during and after the Santa Ana winds.
www.eventbrite.com
February 14, 2025 at 5:39 PM
How are recent winds, fires, & our changing weather patterns impacting our native plants, gardens, & ecosystems? If you are in SoCal on Feb 22, join us for this timely and lively event at Theodore Payne Foundation. Bring your curiosity, questions, & walking shoes: www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-ana-...
I have completed the final of three stories that cover our firestorms: before, during, and after. They explain how we backed ourselves into this corner, some natural history behind the heartbreaking scenes, and what to expect next. Please share our stories:
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Rediscovering the Golden State - California Geography
California Geography
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
February 13, 2025 at 5:35 AM
I have completed the final of three stories that cover our firestorms: before, during, and after. They explain how we backed ourselves into this corner, some natural history behind the heartbreaking scenes, and what to expect next. Please share our stories:
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Join me at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont for their Biodiversity Science Seminar Series. On this Thursday, Feb 6, I focus on how weather and climate shape our diversity of plant communities and landscapes. Arrive BEFORE 4pm to enter. It’s free to the public! www.calbg.org/biodiversity...
Seminar Series
www.calbg.org
February 5, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Join me at the California Botanic Garden in Claremont for their Biodiversity Science Seminar Series. On this Thursday, Feb 6, I focus on how weather and climate shape our diversity of plant communities and landscapes. Arrive BEFORE 4pm to enter. It’s free to the public! www.calbg.org/biodiversity...
Looking toward February and March, almost ANY atmospheric river will be capable of generating destructive mud and debris flows down SoCal's recently exposed burn scars. Check out the feature article I wrote about ARs in the latest edition of Weatherwise Magazine: www.tandfonline.com/toc/vwws20/7...
Weatherwise
Volume 78, Issue 1 of Weatherwise
www.tandfonline.com
January 26, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Looking toward February and March, almost ANY atmospheric river will be capable of generating destructive mud and debris flows down SoCal's recently exposed burn scars. Check out the feature article I wrote about ARs in the latest edition of Weatherwise Magazine: www.tandfonline.com/toc/vwws20/7...
Relentless fires are likely to be doused this Sunday with a cold compact storm system focussed over SoCal. See the map and discussion I added to the epilogue of our latest story that explains how our fire weather was connected to your deep freezes farther east: www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
January 24, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Relentless fires are likely to be doused this Sunday with a cold compact storm system focussed over SoCal. See the map and discussion I added to the epilogue of our latest story that explains how our fire weather was connected to your deep freezes farther east: www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
UCLA’s Park Williams & other researchers have teamed up to learn how our catastrophic wildfires might be connected to the bigger climate change puzzle. Click here for their most recent article sustainablela.ucla.edu/2025lawildfi... , which I added to my story: www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
Climate Change A Factor In Unprecedented LA Fires
sustainablela.ucla.edu
January 19, 2025 at 6:10 PM
UCLA’s Park Williams & other researchers have teamed up to learn how our catastrophic wildfires might be connected to the bigger climate change puzzle. Click here for their most recent article sustainablela.ucla.edu/2025lawildfi... , which I added to my story: www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
The ashes have settled, so ... check out the quotes and images I added to update my story explaining SoCal's firestorms, such as Patzert's "what we are living through now is human carelessness and ignoring the natural climate forces of Southern California." www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com
January 17, 2025 at 6:26 PM
The ashes have settled, so ... check out the quotes and images I added to update my story explaining SoCal's firestorms, such as Patzert's "what we are living through now is human carelessness and ignoring the natural climate forces of Southern California." www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com