Santa Cruz County Environment Articles

By Julie Horner with Chuck Winser  Chuck Winser has been living in Boulder Creek since December of 1989, a refugee from the Loma Prieta Quake. Because he was working with manufacturing data collection at Seagate Technology at the time and …

By Julie Horner 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, where it …

For over 200 years, ships at sea have used colorful flags to communicate with passing vessels or a nearby shoreline. Monterey City Manager Hans Uslar flew his own flag to the cruise ship industry, signaling his belief the city should…

During January’s destructive storms, environmental studies professor Dustin Mulvaney created a concise, riveting timeline of the San Lorenzo River.

Ten-month outreach tour kicks off.

Kevin McCarthy has reached the top position in the U.S. House, but has still fallen short in addressing the ongoing water crisis in his owndistrict, a new CNN.com report says.

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.

With a projected $25 billion deficit, Newsom proposes slashing $6 billion from climate change programs even as a historic storm likely driven by climate change batters the state.

2022 was a year that needed a lot of explaining. And California Local was there. Here are our 10 most important explanatory journalism stories from the year gone by, from immigration to cryptocurrency to wealth inequality and more.

We asked the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History to throw a spotlight on the most intriguing natural phenomena during the darkest time of the year.

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

Despite December storms, water supplies remain low in many areas. Some managers expect to impose severe restrictions on their customers.

Pam Marino here, writing after taking a brisk morning walk to see the overwintering monarchs at the Pacific Grove Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. Mornings are the best time to see the clusters of butterflies in the trees, huddled together against the…

Lanting and partner Chris Eckstrom turn their sights on showcasing the Monterey Bay in photographs and stories

One of Santa Cruz's iconic natural spots transformed forever in one night

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel, yet it is the source of 40 percent of the world's energy. California remains an exception to coal industry dominance, using and producing less coal that almost any other state.

Oil aka petroleum holds a tighter grip on California than any other energy source. Here's how Big Oil came to dominate the state and world economy, and some hints at how oil's grip may finally loosen.

Natural gas is sometimes called a 'clean' fossil fuel, but it comes with considerable risks to the environment in both its use and how it is extracted. Here's how natural gas is a major cause of climate change.

How does extracting and burning fossil fuels cause the planet to heat up, leading to catastrophic climate change? Here's a brief explanation.

Note: reporter Todd Guild contributed to this report SALINAS—The pesticide Telone–also known as 1,3-D–is thought to be so dangerous that it is banned in 34 countries. And yet, despite having been disallowed in California from 1990-94, it is still used …