Environment

Sick Baby Pelicans Showing Up on Local Beaches

Submitted by Ali Pfauser on Friday, July 6th, 11:00 pm

SANTA CRUZ, Calif - According to Central Coast wildlife group WildRescue a number of sick baby pelicans are showing up on local beaches.

The thin and weak birds are walking up to people and are distinguishable by their brown heads compared to the white heads of adults.

WildRescue believes the birds are a part of a natural die off of young birds. They believe it is unusual though because the brown pelican's population, once threatened to near extinction, have rebounded and scientists are now seeing a large annual mortality that, so far, is believe to be normal.

According to WildRescue, there is a limit to the amount of resources to care for pelicans.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Santa Cruz County Shoppers Weigh In On Plastic Bag Ban

Submitted by Central Coast News on Tuesday, July 3rd, 1:17 pm

By Jacqueline Tualla - email

APTOS – Santa Cruz County told merchants and shoppers no more plastic. And now Monterey County is on board with the ordinance.

Central Coast News reached out to shoppers in Santa Cruz county to see how they've been holding up after the ordinance was put in place.

Bill and Kathy Ross carry little pouches stuffed with re-usable bags.

"We're using these. They're so much more convenient. You can put it in your pocket, put it in your purse. Makes it so much easier," said Kathy Ross.

"We don't have as much trash in our home. We used to have this big bag of bags and we no longer have that," said Bill Ross.

Ed Burt said the plastic bag ban didn't affect him because he re-uses the brown bags he's already got.

View Comments | Post a Comment

WORLD SURFING RESERVES Santa Cruz Dedication ~ April 26th - 28th

Submitted by Gina Cavuoto, Owner

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012, 11:20am

Celebrate Santa Cruz 's official Dedication of becoming a World Surfing Reserve!

Kick it off with the Film Fest....

View Comments | Post a Comment

Santa Cruz Surfrider host's Waste to Waves

Submitted by Gina Cavuoto, Owner

Thursday, January 5th, 2012, 3:26pm

Santa Cruz Surfrider host's Waste to Waves

What: Leap into 2012 General Chapter Meeting

Who: Surfrider Foundation local Santa Cruz Chapter

What: Waste to Waves presented by Kevin Whilden co-founder of Substainable Surf hosted by Surfrider. Come hear from local surfboard shapers about their new leap into innovation and how they are recycling plastics into functioning usuable products.

When: Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 7pm

Where: Santa Cruz's Simpkins Swim Center 979 17th Ave. Santa Cruz, CA.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Lunar Eclipse Visible on Central Coast Saturday Morning

Submitted by Ali Pfauser on Saturday, December 10th, 12:25 am

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The last total lunar eclipse of the year is Saturday. And there won't be another one for three years.

Viewers in the western half of the United States will have the best views Saturday in the hours before dawn, the farther west the better.

On the Central Coast the eclipse will begin around 4:40 a.m. Saturday and will reach totality around 6 a.m. Totality will last 50 minutes, until shortly before moonset.

The National Weather Service is predicting clear skies in the early hours of Saturday.

The observatory deck at Chabot Space and Science Center in the Oakland Hills will be open from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. for free eclipse watching.

The scene from the Pacific -- Australia and parts of Asia -- will be prime.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Concerns Over Desal Plant in Santa Cruz

Submitted by Azenith Smith

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011, 8:34am

It's the fight over a long-term water source. You've heard about the controversy on the Monterey Peninsula. But, it's an issue in Santa Cruz too. Desalination would turn ocean water, into water we can use.

The City of Santa Cruz is talking about creating a desal plant somewhere in the west side. It will hold 2.5 million gallons of water from the ocean to help with the city's water supply. So far, the city said it will cost more than $100 million.

Paul Gratz isn't opposed to the idea of desalination, but he doesn't want a desal plant in Santa Cruz, not in this economy.

"There's high unemployment and such hardship in families right now," says Gratz. "It doesn't make sense to spend $140 million of scarce community capital to build a costly, energy intensive ocean desal plant."

What makes him mad is having to pay higher water rates for consulting and planning of this project he doesn't want. He's part of a group called Santa Cruz Desal Alternatives.

View Comments | Post a Comment

WORLDWIDE Annual Coastal Cleanup Day September 17, 2011

Submitted by Gina Cavuoto, Owner

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011, 2:42pm

Calling All Ocean Loving Volunteers come on out for WORLDWIDE Annual Coastal Cleanup Day September 17, 2011

(September 7th, 2011) Santa Cruz, CA – For the benefit of the marine environment, Save Our Shores (SOS), the leader in ocean advocacy and citizen action on the Central Coast, is rallying thousands of volunteers in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties for the largest beach cleanup of the year: Annual Coastal Cleanup Day Saturday this September 17, from 9 am – 12 noon.

Taking place at 50 cleanup sites in Santa Cruz County and 30 sites in Monterey County, Save Our Shores expects to coordinate over 6,000 volunteers on September 17.