Alastair Bland

Alastair Bland

 

Alastair Bland is a journalist based in San Francisco who writes about the environment, agriculture, science and food.

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The Equinox: See It for Yourself This Weekend

There are many great spots around the globe to observe the celestial phenomena, from Machu Picchu to the Yorkshire moors

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Six Things to Do and Places to See Before Climate Change Swamps the Party

Get out and view a wild polar bear and visit Tuvalu and other low-lying islands while you have a chance

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Will Hound Hunting in California Be Banned?

Hunters say that the practice brings to life a natural drama between predators. But to many others, the practice is little more than wildlife harassment

In Mendocino County’s backwoods redwood country, litterbugs drink both Bud Light as well as the locally brewed, locally loved beers of Anderson Valley Brewing Company.

An Unofficial Guide to the Breweries of California’s North Coast

From the Anderson Valley Brewing Company to the irreverent Lagunitas brewpub, in Petaluma, here are several breweries worth pedaling for

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The Best Backroad Bike Rides of the California North Coast

Cycling the West Coast is easy, whether you're riding from Canada to Mexico or Portland to San Francisco

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Wolves Are Returning to Oregon–but Not All Locals Want Them

In 1947, the last wolf in Oregon was killed for a bounty fee of $5 just outside of Crater Lake National Park. Now, the animals are staging a comeback

Sunset just south of Humbug Mountain, where Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino laid the first European eyes in 1603.

At a Glance: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Oregon Coast

The coastal Highway 101 route, through rainforest and redwoods, is as beautiful as it is popular

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Your Unofficial Guide to Portland, Oregon’s Many Brewpubs and Breweries

In parts of Portland, Oregon, one must hardly walk three blocks before running into another bar that pours its very own beer. Locally brewed?

Simple but safe: An elaborately painted bike lane in Portland marks among the few places on America’s roadway system where cars are not allowed.

Is Portland, Oregon the Best City for Bikes in the Country?

With dedicated bike lanes and businesses catering to cyclists, the Oregon city is a true pedaler's paradise

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Where Has the Heat Been Most Oppressive This Summer?

This year is shaping up to be among the warmest on record—not only in the United States but worldwide. Here are a few of the hottest hotspots

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Shark Week Proves We Are Fascinated by Sharks, So Why Do We Kill So Many of Them?

Around the world, these animals command a strange sort of fascination in their human admirers—an urge to see, learn and encounter, but also to kill

Heirloom tomatoes will star at the Sonoma Heirloom Tomato Festival this September at Kendall-Jackson Winery.

Great Food Festivals of the World

To sample the best foods and flavors of a region, head for a festival

Desolate wilderness surrounds the giant Lake Baikal, the deepest, oldest and most voluminous lake on earth.

Lake Baikal and More of the Weirdest Lakes of the World

Set deep within the Russian subcontinent, Baikal is the deepest, oldest and most voluminous of all lakes

Hot, handmade corn tortillas may be among the simplest and tastiest staple food items of the world. Here, the author presses out a batch.

Best Vegetarian Foods of the World

Traveling and eating abroad, many diners discover that the world is a vegetarian's oyster

Seemingly benign bovines and other livestock eat soybeans from the deforested tropics, emit clouds of methane, pollute streams and gobble up 30 percent of the world’s grain production. It makes one wonder whether the world might taste better without them.

Is the Livestock Industry Destroying the Planet?

For the earth's sake, maybe it's time we take a good, hard look at our dietary habits

A list of more great books to read while traveling

More Great Books and Where Best to Read Them

A continuation of last week's list of the author's favorite reads

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Why the Idea of Killing Sharks to Make Waters Safer Is Absurd

The recent fatal shark attack off Western Australia has ignited a debate there over whether the fish should continue to be protected

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Great Books—and the Best Places to Read Them

Reading while traveling can serve as a sensory supplement to one's surrounding environment. Here are some of my favorite books and where to read them

A pack of street dogs naps on a traffic island in Bucharest, Romania. In spite of a culling program, the animals swarm the streets—and occasionally maul residents and tourists.

Man’s Best Friend or the World’s Number-One Pest?

With perhaps 600 million strays skirmishing for food on the fringe of the human world, street dogs are a common element of travel just about everywhere

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Return of the King Salmon

In the ocean waters just off California's Central Coast, the fish are swarming this summer like they haven't in years

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