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By Eric Johnson
Published Sep 16, 2024

Loch Lomond, the reservoir that supplies the city of Santa Cruz with a significant portion of its drinking water, is also a beautiful recreational and natural resource. Loch Lomond, the reservoir that supplies the city of Santa Cruz with a significant portion of its drinking water, is also a beautiful recreational and natural resource.

Dams and Reservoirs: Up and Down

Before we get into a story that involves dams, reservoirs, and irony: A reminder that this edition of The Newsletter includes, as always, a carefully curated news digest that makes it easy for you to quickly find the most important stories happening in your community this week. Also: A brief intro to a nonprofit doing good work AND a seasonal recipe. It's an effortless scroll—but first:


California Dams Get Raised and Razed

As a lifelong sworn environmentalist, I have always felt a little bit guilty about the fact that I love reservoirs—and if I'm honest the dams that create them. As a kid growing up in New Jersey just outside Manhattan, the Oradell Reservoir was my refuge, and the place where I discovered nature. When I moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains soon after high school, the Loch Lomond reservoir was walking distance from my home and became another refuge.

I saw my first eagle at the Oradell Reservoir when I was 16, and my first mountain lion at Loch Lomond when I was 19. I mention this not out of pure nostalgia, but to pont out that beyond their intended benefit of storing water for human use, reservoirs can be inherently good, in that they support rich and healthy ecosystems. And yes: Dams throughout California and the West have massively disrupted fisheries and threaten keystone species such as Chinook salmon with extinction.

So this week, a nuanced look at some dams throughout the state that are going up and coming down.


The Ups and Downs of California Dams

Tens of thousands of truck loads of earth will be moved to raise the B.F. Sisk Dam by ten feet.
We check in on efforts to raise some dams in the state to store more water, and to raze some dams to to let water run free.


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Monterey County's Homepage

Direct your browser to https://monterey.californialocal.com/ to catch up on the latest news in California and Monterey County. Bookmark the link and visit often, there's a lot happening in your community!


Recipe of the Week

Our friends at Sacramento Digs Gardening publish a recipe from their gardens every Sunday, which we feature here so you can start your week with some yum.

See more recipes in their Taste Fall! cookbook.


Yes, Asian pears can be baked

Spices give Asian pears a subtle boost in flavor in this summer-into-fall cobbler.
New! A cobbler perfect for a seasonal transition


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Ecology Action logo Ecology Action

Ecology Action states its mission concisely: “Reduce emissions.” The nonprofit group advocates for innovative energy, water, and transportation solutions in communities across California.

→ Learn more

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Upcoming Community Ally Events

Arts Council of Monterey County logo Open Studios Art Tour
Saturday October 12 2024   All Day
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From Our Media Allies

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Monterey County Weekly logo Coastal Commission Approves MST SURF! Busway in 7-1 Vote.

In a 7-1 vote with two commissioners recusing on Thursday, Sept. 12, the California Coastal Commission approved Monterey-Salinas Transit’s controversial SURF! Busway project, an off-highway busway that is planned to span from Marina to Sand City west of Highway 1.

Monterey County Weekly logo The Pebble Beach Equestrian Center Is Demolished After Efforts to Save It Fail.

The efforts by a group of determined activists attempting to save the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center came to an abrupt end on Tuesday, Sept. 10, when the 100-year-old facility was demolished by the Pebble Beach Company.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo Touch-a-Truck Marks 10 Years of Community Support and Fun

Coastal Kids Home Care marked a significant milestone on Aug. 25, celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Touch-A-Truck event.

King City Rustler logo Fort Hunter Liggett Pioneers Army’s Renewable-Only Microgrid

Fort Hunter Liggett continues to lead the way in the Army’s energy resilience as the first-ever military installation with a microgrid implementation using only renewable sources, such as photovoltaic generation and battery storage.

Monterey County Weekly logo The Board of Supervisors Take Final Vote to Usher in Short-Term Rental Ordinances, but Not Without a Fight.

Two weeks after the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 in favor of a new short-term rental ordinance, the board split down the same lines on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in a final approval of amendments to the county’s code.

Monterey County Weekly logo Pajaro Farmworker Housing Project Gets the OK From Majority of Supervisors.

A farmworker housing project in Pajaro got the green light from a majority of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Monterey County Weekly logo Addresses Are Not Coming to Carmel Anytime Soon After a Council Majority Delays Decision.

In what is becoming an increasingly divisive issue in the village, a majority of the Carmel City Council members declined to make a decision on bringing street addresses to the village on Tuesday, Sept. 10, instead voting to let the …

Salinas Valley Tribune logo Gonzales Proposes Sales Tax Hike With Measure S on November Ballot

GONZALES — City of Gonzales has placed Measure S on the Nov. 5 Presidential General Election ballot.

Monterey County Weekly logo Candidates Aside, Local Voters Have Some Notable Ballot Measures to Consider.

As the November election nears and campaigns for elected office heat up, voters in nearly every jurisdiction in Monterey County will also have ballot measures to think about.

Monterey County Weekly logo MPC Is Exploring the Possibility of a Satellite Location in Downtown Seaside.

The Monterey campus of Monterey Peninsula College is a sprawling, tree-filled property just off Highway 1. MPC leadership is seeking not just to draw more students to its main campus, but also to meet students where they are.

Monterey County Weekly logo Roadwork Is Set to Begin as Amazon Prepares to Build a Warehouse in Salinas.

A construction fence surrounds a few bulldozers and concrete pipes on a formerly agricultural field in South Salinas. It’s the most visual representation to date of Amazon’s plans to move into Salinas, after years of starts and stops and closed-door …

Monterey County Weekly logo A Program That Prescribes Park Visits for Better Health Gets a Booster Shot.

Each day doctors write prescriptions for medications to combat diseases and conditions like diabetes, heart ailments and depression. What if, along with a prescription for medication, came a prescription to head to the park for some fresh air?

Salinas Valley Tribune logo Soledad Hosts First-Ever POW/MIA Flag Ceremony

City of Soledad recently hosted its first-ever ceremony to raise the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag, in partnership with local veterans.

Monterey County Weekly logo Rescued Killer Whale at Carmel River State Beach Dies in Transport.

A stranded killer whale rescued at Carmel River State Beach on Tuesday, Sept. 10, died while in transport to Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory.

King City Rustler logo Cal Fire Grants Boost Central Coast Fire Safety Efforts

In a significant boost to wildfire prevention efforts, the City of Greenfield has been awarded $189,263 in grant funding through Cal Fire’s Wildfire Prevention Grants Program as part of a larger initiative aimed at enhancing wildfire resilience across the Central …

Salinas Valley Tribune logo Community Can Track Progress of Gonzales Center With New EarthCam

Community members interested in following the construction of the Dennis & Janice Caprara Community Center project in Gonzales can now do so with the help of a live EarthCam installed at the site by Otto Construction.

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Recent Local News

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• Parking Banned at Bixby Bridge

Montery County is prohibiting parking at Bixby Bridge in Big Sur until further notice.

(09/13/2024) → Monterey Herald

• Board of Supervisors Approve Carmel Lagoon Project Environmental Review

In their September 10 meeting, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the environmental review of the Carmel Lagoon flood control project, in draft since 2016.

(09/11/2024) → Monterey Herald
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Recent Statewide News

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• Audit of Military Equipment Used By UC Police

In compliance of state law, the University of California Regents will be considering the attached audit of inventory and use of military equipment by UC police and a budget request for additional items.

(09/15/2024) → University of California

• Which Growing California Communities Will Get the Hottest?

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(09/13/2024) → CalMatters

• CA Cities Jump on Homeless Encampment Bans

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(09/13/2024) → CalMatters

• No Sleeping Bags, Keep Moving: California Cities Increase Crackdown on Homeless Encampments

More than two-dozen California cities passed, strengthened or are considering ordinances that penalize people for sleeping outside, after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed cities to crack down.

(09/11/2024) → CalMatters

• California Schools Face Twin Perils: Chronic Absenteeism and Declining Enrollment

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(09/11/2024) → CalMatters

• H5N1 Bird Flu Infects California Dairy Cows

H5N1 bird flu has been reported in three California dairy herds.

(09/11/2024) → Los Angeles Times

• CA Homeless Count Is Up 8% From 2022

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(09/10/2024) → CalMatters
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Government Announcements

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Image of City of Monterey seal. City of Monterey   (09/16/2024)

Firearm Arrest

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Gen. Jim Blvd, Sept 13th

On 09/13/24: Broadway Ave to Coe Ave, General Jim Blvd will have intermittent closures 9am - 2:45pm.
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Oaxaca By The Sea 2024

Join us in celebrating our sister city! | Acompanenos para celebrar a nuestra ciudad hermana!
Image of United States seal. United States   (09/12/2024)

Dearborn Sausage Company, Inc. Recalls Wiener Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens

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Robert Rivas CA Assembly 29:
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Robert Rivas CA Assembly 29:
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Monterey Sports Center and Montage Health Announce The Lifestyles Initiative

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Grand Hyatt Seaside Resort: Dedication Ceremony

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