The race to protect Santa Rosa Island's rare, damaged Torrey pines

KCBX | By Kendra Hanna

Published September 29, 2026 at 5:09 PM EDT

In May, a fire damaged 80% of the trees one of the only two naturally-occurring groves of Torrey Pines in the world. The National Park Service is trying to help them recover.

Kendra Hanna

Support nonprofit, fact-based public service journalism

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

Investigating sexual abuse on campus

Elissa Nadworny

A lot has changed in the last decade when it comes to how college campuses handle sexual assaults.
New novel shows what can happen when a megachurch pastor's wife questions everything

Justine Kenin, Juana Summers, Kathryn Fink

NPR's Juana Summers talks with author Deesha Philyaw about her debut novel, "The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman."
How President Trump's memo on domestic terrorism has targeted left-leaning protests

Michelle Aslam, Mallory Yu, Sacha Pfeiffer

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with the Brennan Center's Faiza Patel about the year since President Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 7.
Trump hosts tech executives as administration doubles down on AI

Huo Jingnan

President Trump met with AI CEOs at the White House on Tuesday and promoted a new government AI tool even as concerns about the technology's risks grow.
Anger mounts over Cornell's response to student's sexual assault allegations

Brian Mann

Prosecutors have reopened an investigation into the alleged rape of a former Cornell University student in 2024. Now the governor of New York is calling for an independent investigation into Cornell.