Audubon International, a third-party organization that certifies golf courses, allows the killing of nuisance birds. It has no ties to the bird-friendly National Audubon Society, which often opposes the very developments that Audubon International approves
Rachael Bale
Reporter / researcher
Rachael Bale is a reporter and researcher for The Center for Investigative Reporting. Previously, she worked at KQED in San Francisco and The Center for Public Integrity, an investigative journalism nonprofit in Washington, D.C., where she covered campaign finance in the 2012 election. A California native, she has a bachelor's degree in political science from Reed College and a master's degree in journalism from American University.
Posted inEnvironment
Shot and gassed: Thousands of protected birds killed annually
More than 300 species of migratory birds have been killed legally across the U.S. since 2011 to protect a wide range of business activities and public facilities under what’s called the “depredation permit” program, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health Care
13 deaths blamed on abuse and neglect at California state-run homes
Abuse, neglect and lack of supervision at California’s state-run homes for the developmentally disabled have directly caused the deaths of 13 people s
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Posted inEnvironment, Pesticides
Use of Monsanto pesticide linked to cancer has boomed in California
Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, is one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. Recent studies found that the chemical probably causes cancer, in addition to other health risks, and may contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday
The problems with the state movement to take federal land
A handful of state legislators in the West are pushing for local control of public land, which may lead to lucrative mining and drilling operations, but financial and constitutional issues could hinder the effort.
Posted inEnvironment, Pesticides
Everything you wanted to know about the bee die-off
For years, honeybees were dying mysteriously. There have been some glimmers of hope recently, but a simple fact remains: Bees still are on the decline, and no one’s sure why.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health Care, Inside the Newsroom, Law Enforcement
State abuse records will be public after Supreme Court sides with CIR
The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Department of Public Health must release records relating to violations at state-run facilities for people with developmental disabilities after CIR’s three-and-a-half-year effort to make the information public.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday, Oil and Mining
Obama wants to end the mining industry’s free ride on public land
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has proposed a host of new fees for mining on public land as part of President Barack Obama’s 2016 budget.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday, Oil and Mining
FRONTLINE/CIR exposed how public lands are still ruled by 1872 mining law
In 1994, The Center for Investigative Reporting teamed up with FRONTLINE to produce the documentary, “Public Lands, Private Profits.” Eleven years later, it’s clear that not much about the 19th century mining law has changed.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday
Though threatened, grizzly bears can be killed to protect livestock
Environmental groups say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act when it signed off on actions that would allow the killing of up to 11 grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region during a three-year period.