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El Dorado County Environment Digest



As Salmon Are Released Into the Klamath River, Tribal Leaders See a 'Symbol of Hope'

04/20/2024

California has released 500,000 salmon into the Klamath River. As dams are removed, the fish will be some of the first to return to a free-flowing river.

A Plan to Change Your Utility Rates Is Dividing California Environmentalists. Here’s Why

04/18/2024

The California Public Utilities Commission will consider on May 9 a new proposal that would change how Californians pay for electricity.

Electric School Bus Fleet Now in Service

04/17/2024

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District has begun operating an initial 5 electric school buses and charging stations, with 15 more expected to be funded through an upcoming grant.

California Sets Nation’s First Water Standard for Cancer-Causing Contaminant

04/17/2024

Water suppliers say the costs will be massive, with rates increasing for many consumers. Known as the “Erin Brockovich” chemical, hexavalent chromium is found statewide.

PG&E Hit With $225-Million Lawsuit for 2021 Dixie Fire Damages

04/14/2024

A coalition of timber businesses filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the embattled Pacific Gas & Electric Co., alleging $225 million in damages caused by the 2021 Dixie Fire.

California Requires New Homes to Have Solar Panels. Should Wildfire Victims Get a Break?

04/11/2024

A California Republican’s bill would exempt low and middle income wildfire victims from solar panels requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down.

California's Largest Reservoir Is Close to Full

04/11/2024

California's reservoirs are brimming with water, and even Shasta Lake could fill up.

LTCC to Host Earth Day Event

04/08/2024

An Earth Day celebration is taking place at Lake Tahoe Community College on Saturday, April 27 10AM - to 3PM.

Tahoe Prosperity Researching Economic Drivers

04/06/2024

The Tahoe Prosperity Center is calling for submissions to its Project Inventory Form of projects driving innovation in sectors such as Environmental Innovation, Health and Wellness, Outdoor/Sustainable Recreation and others.

Meeks Bay Restoration Project EIR Finalized

04/05/2024

A plan to restore Meeks Creek while continuing to support sustainable recreation opportunities has been released by the Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management and is available for public review and comment.

Part of Highway 1 Near Big Sur Crumbles as New Landslide Closes More of Historic Roadway

03/30/2024

Highway 1 is closed indefinitely from Palo Colorado Road to Rocky Creek Bridge, the California Department of Transportation said on social media after a new landslide eroded part of the roadway.

Salmon Populations Are Struggling, Bringing Economic Woes for California's Fishing Fleet

03/30/2024

Captains of fishing boats on the California coast are bracing for salmon fishing to be severely restricted — or possibly canceled for a second year.

Tahoe Stewardship Council Names New Director

03/29/2024

The Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Council announced the hiring of Meyers resident Nettie Pardue as its first managing director, tasked with coordinating 30 parters to implement the Destination Stewardship Plan.

Pine Hill Preserve Tours Offered in April and May

03/29/2024

The Bureau of Land Management and the El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society are leading free guided bird and plant tours April 13 through May 26 at the Pine Hill Preserve.

Sandhill Cranes Return to Lake Tahoe

03/28/2024

The annual migration of Sandhill Cranes is taking place, and more are choosing to nest in the Lake Tahoe region after nearly vanishing from the area.

Feds Propose Killing Nearly 500,000 'Invasive' Owls to Save Calif. Native Owls

03/27/2024

The goal is to eliminate habitat competition between "invasive" owls and native owls.

California Tahoe Conservancy Acquires Motel 6 Property

03/19/2024

The buildings and parking lot on the 31 acre South Lake Tahoe Motel 6 property on the upper Truckee River will be removed and the land restored.

Alan G. Sieroty, Former State Senator Who Helped Create the Coastal Commission, Dies at 93

03/17/2024

Sieroty, of Beverly Hills, served as a state Assembly member and senator, championing disability rights and efforts to protect California's coast.

California Unlikely to Meet Landmark Goals for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

03/15/2024

California will miss its goals unless it can increase emission reductions threefold, according to a new study.

Proper E-Waste Disposal

03/15/2024

El Dorado Disposal requests customers to not dispose of e-waste in the trash, and provides free curbside battery pick-up upon request. There are also drop-off locations in Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills and Placerville.

American River Bridge Debris to be Cleaned Up

03/14/2024

Highway 49 bridge debris left over from a washout in 1964 are in the early planning stages of a removal project.

Grant Supports Tribal Recycling Efforts

03/11/2024

The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians announced a $653,120 grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling program for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia program.

EPA Announces New Superfund Cleanup Projects in California

02/27/2024

Part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the projects include California’s Lava Cap Mine in Nevada City, Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine in Clearlake Oaks, and Southern Avenue Industrial Area in South Gate.

Wildfires Are Killing California’s Ancient Giants. Can Seedlings Save the Species?

02/26/2024

Ecologists estimate that up to 14,000 sequoias have been killed in recent wildfires. The National Park Service for the first time has begun replanting some severely burned areas.

After Heavy Storms, Death Valley Is Now Open to Kayakers

02/20/2024

A temporary lake in Death Valley National Park doubled after recent rains and is now deep enough to launch a kayak. Prior to August, ghostly Lake Manly hadn’t appeared in 19 years.

Frosty Flakes

02/07/2024

Gary Ellrod, retired NOAA Meteorologist and current senior meteorologist at Weather Extreme, explains the basics of frost, and how it forms.

Some Experts Are Proposing a Category 6 Storm Rating

02/05/2024

A handful of super powerful tropical storms in the last decade and the prospect of more to come has a couple of experts proposing a new category of whopper hurricanes: Category 6.

The Terrifying Forces That Created a California Monster Storm

02/05/2024

The storm fed off of unusually warm waters as it grew. It also reached “bomb cyclone” status as it neared California.

Imperiled Monarch Butterflies Cling to Survival in California

01/30/2024

Monarch butterflies have a long way to go before reaching stable population numbers.

A Fire Burning Inside an L.A. County Landfill is Raising Alarms Over Toxic Air

01/29/2024

As an underground fire burns deep within Chiquita Canyon Landfill, air regulators are raising alarms over the possible spread of toxic vapors.

Scientists Debunk California Biblical-Storm Hysteria Swirling on Internet

01/29/2024

What is an ARkStorm and why is everyone talking about it on social media right now?

‘Hot Droughts’ Are Becoming More Common in the Arid West, New Study Finds

01/28/2024

Take a period of limited rainfall. Add heat. And you have what scientists call a “hot drought”—dry conditions made more intense by the evaporative power of hotter temperatures.

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From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
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Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
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The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.
The Pajaro River levee broke during the 2023 atmospheric river storms, flooding the town of Pajaro.
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Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
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