Santa Cruz County Local Environment News Articles and Digest

Environment Parks & Recreation Water

BLM Installs New Manager of Coastal Lands

02/28/2023
Leisyka Parrott will oversee the management of more than 7,900 acres of public land in six onshore units in the California Coastal National Monument.

From CalMatters...

Environment Water Sustainability State of California

Why Is Sites Reservoir Still on the Drawing Board?

02/26/2023
A $4.4 billion project on the Sacramento River to add dams and store more water that will be sent south, the Sites Reservoir is still years away from completion. The final environmental report is expected this year.

From San Lorenzo Valley Post...

Environment Resilience

Eyes Skyward: Hobbyist Chuck Winser Manages His Backyard Weather Station

02/24/2023
Image for display with article titled Eyes Skyward: Hobbyist Chuck Winser’s Backyard Weather Station

With his system, Chuck Winser monitors rainfall and rate, windchill and heat index, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and much more.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Water

Is It Snow or Is It Graupel?

02/23/2023
The unusually cold weather hitting California has introduced a new word to many.

From YubaNet...

Environment Sustainability

Study Reveals Climate-Related Crisis for Conifer Forests

02/22/2023
A new Stanford-led study shows that about a fifth of all Sierra Nevada conifer forests are a “mismatch” for their regions’ warming weather. These “zombie forests” are likely to be replaced other tree species after one of California’s increasingly frequent catastrophic wildfires.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Water

Tracking Microplastic ‘Fingerprints’ in Monterey Bay

02/19/2023
Scientists recently published an open-access library of the chemical fingerprints of microplastics and other particles that are commonly found in and around the ocean.

From San Lorenzo Valley Post...

Environment

Vegetation to Be Removed From the San Lorenzo River Levee

02/17/2023
Image for display with article titled Vegetation to be Removed from the San Lorenzo River Levee

The city of Santa Cruz Public Works has announced plans to remove vegetation from the 2.2-mile urban stretch of the San Lorenzo River—from the Highway 1 bridge to the mouth of the river.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Parks & Recreation

Bay Area’s Largest State Park Targeted for Off-Road Activity

02/16/2023
Henry W. Coe State Park was named as a possible location as California attempts to find new places where people can ride dirt bikes, dune buggies and ATVs.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Water Animals

Newsom Suspends Environmental Laws to Store More Delta Water

02/14/2023
The governor asked the water board to waive rules designed to protect endangered fish. Environmentalists call it "a breakdown of law and order," while growers laud it as a way to ensure more water is delivered this year.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Land Use & Development

The Fight Over Olympic Valley’s Future

02/02/2023
A proposed development, featured a large indoor recreation center, would be the valley’s biggest overhaul since the 1960 Winter Olympics.

From Monterey Herald...

Environment Animals

Monarch Butterfly Numbers Rise for Second Year

01/31/2023
“This is great compared to three years ago; this is not great compared to three decades ago.”

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Water Environment Resilience History

Flowing Through History

01/26/2023
Image for display with article titled The Power of the San Lorenzo River ... A Short History

Professor Dustin Mulvaney chronicles the Santa Cruz County waterway’s destructive power

From Santa Cruz Local...

Public Safety Environment Sustainability

Plan Advances to Reduce Natural-Gas Use in Santa Cruz

01/24/2023
Image for display with article titled Plan Advances to Reduce Natural-Gas Use in Santa Cruz

The planned rules stem from the city’s Climate Action Plan 2030, which aims to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Land Use & Development Peninsula Open Space Trust

Santa Cruz Mountains: Land Trust Preserves 839-Acre Property

01/22/2023
A scenic ranch with redwoods and panoramic ocean views adjacent to Mount Madonna County Park near the Santa Clara-Santa Cruz border is protected.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Animals

Group Seeks Reintroduction of Sea Otters Along West Coast

01/18/2023
A nonprofit group that aims to protect endangered species has asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reintroduce sea otters from Northern California to Oregon.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Environment Water

Is California’s Drought Over?

01/12/2023
Image for display with article titled Is California’s Drought Over? Here’s What You Need To Know About Rain, Snow, Reservoirs and Drought.

A dozen days of wet and wild weather haven’t ended the drought, and won't cure the driest period in the West in the past 1,200 years.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Environment Government

As Storm Batters California, Newsom Calls for Climate Cuts

01/11/2023
Image for display with article titled As Historic Storm Batters California, Newsom Calls for Cuts in Climate Spending

Coming budget shortfall may claim some climate change programs as victims.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Animals Crime & Justice Economy & Jobs Environment Government Health History Homelessness Housing Public Safety

Explaining California in 2022: Our 10 Best Explainers of the Year

12/30/2022
Image for display with article titled Explaining California in 2022: Our 10 Most Important Explanatory Journalism Pieces of the Year

From immigration to crypto, 2022 was a year that took a lot of explaining and 'California Local' was there.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Animals Environment Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Exploring Wintertide

12/21/2022
Image for display with article titled Natural Wonders of Santa Cruz ... Winter Edition

Long nights, short days—what to watch for during the darkest season

From Good Times...

Water Environment

Seymour Center Director Shares New Vision

12/20/2022
Image for display with article titled Seymour Center Director Shares New Vision

The marine discovery center could soon become a hub for scientists and activists.

Santa Cruz County Local News: Environment