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”
Tag Archives: Southern California
Winter sunsets in SoCal…
…are the best. Someday I'll find out why. Promise. [pic courtesy of Lauren Coyne]
No good deed goes unpunished — this time, by mudsnails
A well-intentioned water quality team backed by a prominent environmental group may have inadvertently introduced an overwhelmingly pestilent invasive species to Southern California. That's at the heart of an excellent story from Jill Leovy at the Los Angeles Times yesterday. Mudsnails now infest the Malibu Creek, Trancas Creek, Ramirez Creek and Solstice Creek watersheds. They'veContinue reading “No good deed goes unpunished — this time, by mudsnails”
How was that El Nino for you, SoCal?
Emily Green's Chance of Rain posts on the rainy season we had, and our usual dry six months to come, going to Bill Patzert for the meteorolgical crux. In response to a question, the famous forecaster from JPL/NASA said: After the Vernal Equinox (lMarch 20th), the Northern Hemisphere begins to rapidly warm up. This expands theContinue reading “How was that El Nino for you, SoCal?”
DDT: The Chemical Disaster That Won’t Go Away
Not all herbicides and pesticides concentrate in the ecosystem, but some do, and among the prime offenders is DDT, which (contrary to right-wing propaganda) is still a problem in the United States today, decades after the corporation that made it in Southern California stopped manufacturing it. In a first-rate story from a week ago inContinue reading “DDT: The Chemical Disaster That Won’t Go Away”
Why DeSalination Is Not the Answer
A water manager for United Water Conservation District named Steve Bachman explains succinctly why desalination is not the answer, in a story I wrote in today's Ventura County Star (here): “People ask all the time about desalination,” he said. “And yes, we can do that, if you’re willing to pay two times or more whatContinue reading “Why DeSalination Is Not the Answer”
The Winter Skies of Southern California
…seem to me wilder and more beautiful than at any other time of the year (save perhaps fire season, which is scary as heck but also spectacular as all get out, let's be honest). But back to winter…here's an example from last week, between storms…
Experts Agree on Rain Forecast: It’ll Be Dry. Or Not.
If you talk to the National Weather Service, they will tell you (link) that we're in an "ENSO-neutral" condition, and for that reason they're unwilling to predict the upcoming rain season in our region. But according to this typically excellent story from Rob Krier at the San Diego Union-Tribune, many forecasters who spoke at aContinue reading “Experts Agree on Rain Forecast: It’ll Be Dry. Or Not.”
Kit Stolz 