Journal of Alta California

Featuring great stories, in-depth reporting, beautiful photography, smart thinking — Alta is the magazine and website that bring you everything California.

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JOURNAL OF ALTA CALIFORNIA

Imagine a Wilder Future

THE NEXT WEST • How do we build a better, more sustainable future together? First, we have to design it. And no place in the world can match the West when it comes to imagination. In this issue, we celebrate the people and ideas shaping the best of what comes next—by air, land, or scene. And my, are we impressed.

AIR Come Fly with Me • Soaring condors… 1,000,000 trees… Revived butterflies… Clean energy… And flying cars?

On a Wing and a Prayer • With punk rocker audacity and aerospace bona fides, Dezso Molnár is out to build a street-legal flying car. The materials? Four wings, three wheels, a lipstick-red propeller, and duct tape—lots and lots of duct tape. Oh, and a little Jesus juice, too.

Hail an Air Taxi!

Creating Living Walls of Plants

The Marks We Make • Michael Light’s aerial photography finds beauty in the traces we leave on the western landscape.

Helping the Desert Go Green

Flight of the Condors • In 1987, North America’s largest bird became extinct in the wild. Today, more than 300 free-flying condors have been reintroduced into areas of California, Arizona, and Utah. Sighting one remains a rare and awe-inspiring event.

Empowering Farmworkers with Knowledge

The Butterfly Effect • Striking a blow against climate change, San Francisco scientists are working to return the iconic Xerces blue from extinction.

Promoting Sustainable-Energy Policy

LAND A Better Terra Firma • Pedestrian-first cities… Woke winemaking… Smart housing… Regenerative ranching… And mountain lion bridges?

Tackling Climate Change on the Home Front • A superefficient, all-electric house is not only better for the environment but also a much better environment to live in. Here’s how architects on the West Coast are building for the future.

Landline!

Something’s Afoot in the Big City • The pandemic has ushered in pedestrian-friendly designs that may outlive the virus—but California can still do better.

Guilt-Free Goods • Recommendations for the best of California and the West

I’ll Drink to That! • Let’s take a sip of some bold new California spirits.

Fighting for Her Community and a River

California’s White Wine Problem • An open letter to an industry long rooted in racism speaks volumes about its writers and leads to a BIPOC scholarship.

Taking on Oil Companies—and Cancer

This Must Be the Place • Andrea Zittel’s rectangular forms are right at home in the wide-open Mojave Desert.

What’s Good for Grass Is Good for the Earth • Kent Reeves is part of a movement to fight climate change by repairing California’s grasslands—which pull carbon from the atmosphere. Its success depends on ranchers and their cattle.

Pushing the Boundaries of Design

How Did the Mountain Lion Cross the Road? • Breaking ground in L.A. on the world’s largest, and most ambitious, wild-animal crossing.

SCENE On the Happy Horizon • Virtual theater… Mobile offices… Artful tech… Gender-free fashion… And fake waves?

The Show Did Go On • Seats may be empty, but performing arts organizations are figuring out innovative ways to attract audiences nonetheless.

Making Clothes Suited for Any Gender

The Great Reset • The pandemic launched a global experiment in working from home. A year later, three prominent designers are inspired by what they see ahead.

Imagining an Over-the-Top Life

No Ocean, No Problem • Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch promises perfect waves—anytime, over and...