![The proposed but never built Auburn Dam was supposed to be 700 feet high and able to store 2 million acre-feet of water. (Photos by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/dji_20231114105527_0013_d_fg.png?1702354172)
Whatever Became of the Auburn Dam?
One of the largest flood control projects in the country was never built
The Auburn Dam could well be the most talked about water storage and flood control facility in the country that simply doesn’t exist — no matter how much it’s been argued about, advocated for and against, legislatively proposed and architecturally rendered.
![(Illustration by Kelly Barr)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/cbm1223-innovation-bees-final.png?1702074641)
Give Bees a Chance
Farmers restore habitat for native pollinators
As California grew into a vast agricultural region during the early 20th century, native grasslands, forests and riparian habitats were gradually replaced by farmlands and orchards. Though green things thrive on farms as a matter of business, there’s very little biodiversity on a traditional farm — and not much room for pollen specialists.
![Meteorologist Mark Finan has been forecasting the weather for KCRA for more than 30 years. (Photo by Wes Davis)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1223_dept_twww.png?1701902578)
The Way We Work: KCRA Chief Meteorologist Mark Finan
A glimpse into his daily life of monitoring the weather for the Capital Region
Will it rain this weekend? For over 30 years, the man Sacramento trusts for that answer is Mark Finan, chief meteorologist at KCRA.
Sponsored
![Pictured [L-R]: Eric Oddo, Program Manager; Emily Hoffman, Public Information Officer; Will Scheffler, Operations Superintendent](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mac0010.jpg?1701721721)
Western Placer Waste Management Authority
CREATING A LOCAL CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR PLACER COUNTY’S FUTURE
Western Placer Waste Management Authority (WPWMA) has been creating solutions and transforming waste into a resource since 1978.
![Chairwoman Regina Cuellar and Tribal Administrator Dustin Murray celebrate the groundbreaking of tribal member housing. (PHOTO COURTESY OF Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_h151248_.png?1700256579)
Protectors of an Honored Heritage
How Indigenous tribes are using business revenues to maintain and celebrate their cultures
“When you talk about business, ours has allowed us to bring our culture back,” Tayaba notes. “Building our dance arbor, having our ceremonies — obtaining eagle feathers, abalone, clam shells, pine nuts, items that aren’t easily foraged today — it all costs money. Now we hold workshops, classes, dance practices. We’re trying to rebirth weavers, because our grandmothers were weavers.”
![Sara Keeler, center, a scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, participates in the first-ever California State Scientists’ Union employee strike in front of the CalEPA Headquarters in Sacramento on Nov. 15, 2023. (Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/111523_calepa-strike_fg_cm_02-1.jpeg?1700171787)
California State Scientists Strike, Demand Equal Pay
CalMatters: Hundreds of scientists working for the state of California to protect water supplies, respond to oil spills, study wildlife and track foodborne outbreaks marched in Sacramento Nov. 15 in what’s being called the first-ever strike by state civil servants.
Sponsored
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/canon_0247-edit.jpg?1696356638)
Morrow Surveying
Over 40 Years of Dedication to Customer Service and Professionalism
Since 1983, Morrow Surveying, Inc. has been family-owned and operated, providing high-quality land surveying and mapping services for engineers, architects and building professionals throughout California and western Nevada.
![The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta on June 22, 2023. (Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/screenshot_20230929-172503.png?1696001306)
The Bay-Delta Ecosystem Is Collapsing. California Just Unveiled Rival Rescue Plans
CalMatters: With the Bay-Delta watershed in the throes of an ecological crisis, California’s water regulators Thursday unveiled several controversial options for managing the heart of the state’s water supply.
![Researchers credit the lake’s native zooplankton. (Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0923_feat_environment_sidebar_shutterstock.png?1694201521)
Lake Tahoe Is Enjoying Its Best Clarity in 40 Years
While the leaders of the Lake Tahoe region deal with the impact of millions of visitors each year and the trash they leave behind, the lake itself is currently the clearest it has been since the 1980s.
![The shocking day after a July 4th celebration at Zephyr Cove. The once beautiful beach is covered with trash as far as the eye can see. (Photos by Kayla Bruni, League to Save Lake Tahoe)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/dsc04813.png?1694200332)
Saving Lake Tahoe
Tourists and the litter they leave behind are threatening the beautiful alpine lake region
Some of the 15 million tourists that visit Lake Tahoe each year are threatening its natural beauty, along with some unruly residents. Now, a new plan is being launched to protect this gem.