Here's a story in the Reporter I wrote on local fav Julie Christensen, who just brought out an excellent new record, despite not having the backing or the money. No small feat. It's a triumph, sez me, and I knew I wanted to write about Julie and her new record when I heard her singContinue reading “Julie Christensen sings the hell out of Weeds Like Us”
Category Archives: Ventura County
The Southern California resurgence of backpacking
Too long ago our local master of the backcountry Bill Slaughter and his rock and roller partner Rain Perry led a group of mostly Ojains into the wilderness to a popular camp by the Sespe, Bear Creek, an easy but pleasant walk, well documented by Modern Hiker. We had a great time and, having sent scouts aheadContinue reading “The Southern California resurgence of backpacking”
Could one consultant mislead two SoCal water districts?
At its best, journalism is surely a joint enterprise. It's not a reporter that makes democracy workable, it's the press. Quotes from Thomas Jefferson come to mind. So it's very exciting to yours truly to see another reporter pick up and run with a crucial detail from a long story I wrote a few weeksContinue reading “Could one consultant mislead two SoCal water districts?”
Winner of Ventura county climate action award: 2012
Yours truly doesn't often win awards — it's been since college, actually — so when I won an award for my climate reporting (cited was Drought-Proofing Ventura County) it's news worth posting here. I was up against fellow reporter and friend Zeke Barlow, who unfortunately for the county has taken a job in Virginia,Continue reading “Winner of Ventura county climate action award: 2012”
Condors recover, feast on roadkill near Ojai
In an Earth Day editorial this past Sunday, the Star noted that the captive breeding program that brought the California Condor back from near extinction has become so successful that condors in Ventura County are no longer even newsworthy: It was 25 years ago this month that the last free-flying California condor was plucked fromContinue reading “Condors recover, feast on roadkill near Ojai”
Drought-Proofing Ventura County
How a water district is trying to shelter 600,000 people in Ventura county from the potential for drought or disaster; how the first attempt went awry, and how the second one will work — we hope. (Climate change is in the background of this story, but I didn't get into the projections — no time.) Continue reading “Drought-Proofing Ventura County”
World’s largest seal rookery found in Ventura County
For the Ventura County Star, Zeke Barlow reports from the world's largest seal rookery, on San Miguel Island far off the Ventura County coast. The sea lions, some weighing as much as 6,000 pounds, where nearly driven to extinction a hundred years ago, but have rebounded wondrously: "We first saw two pups here in 1986,"Continue reading “World’s largest seal rookery found in Ventura County”
Bert Collins: I paint every day
Had the pleasure this weekend of interviewing one of my favorite artists, Bert Collins, and writing about her for the Star. Here's my lead (or "lede," to use the newspaper spelling): Admirers of pastel artist Alberta "Bert" Collins began lining up outside her Ojai studio at 5:30 on Saturday morning, eager to buy one of theContinue reading “Bert Collins: I paint every day”
Birds, otters and whales: a week in the SoCal Bight
Had a busy week last week covering the ocean (by chance) for the Ventura County Star, I'm happy to say. On otters: fishermen not happy with prospect of being regulated by endangered species laws. On whales: CA air regulations may have saved whales from collisions with ships, but that could end. On birds: On theContinue reading “Birds, otters and whales: a week in the SoCal Bight”
How Healthy are Our Oceans?
My cover story, this week in the VCReporter. I especially liked that both a commercial fisherman and a devout sports fisherman praised government regulators for maintaining the fisheries in SoCal: Both commercial fishermen and sport fishermen agree [that the fisheries are in decent shape]. “I think it’s doing pretty good,” said Pete DuPuy, who hasContinue reading “How Healthy are Our Oceans?”
Kit Stolz 