Alex Breitler's Environment Blog

Friday, May 17: “Sky Tours” stargazing event. 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., San Joaquin Delta College Shima 2 parking lot. Come peer through the telescopes of Stockton Astronomical Society members. Free.

Saturday, May 18-Sunday, May 19: Woodbridge Wilderness Area open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The area is typically open the first and third weekends of each month. Explore a quarter-mile of Mokelumne River frontage. Free More detailshere.

Saturday, May 18: “Walk on the Wildside!” festival at Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge west of Elk Grove. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More details here.

Saturday, May 18: Search for jumping frogs in a kayak trip up Angels Creek inlet at New Melones Lake. 10 a.m., Angels Creek Boat Launch, Glory Hole Recreation Area. Expect to be out for three hours. Bring your own equipment. Pre-register by calling (209) 536-9094. More details here.

Sunday, May 19: Guided paddle trip. Cosumnes River Preserve. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the visitor parking area. Bring your own gear. More details here.

Tuesday, May 21: Stockton East Water District meeting. Noon. 6767 E. Main St. More details here.

Thursday, May 23: Delta Protection Commission meeting. 5:30 p.m. Learn about alternative plans to fix the Delta, including plans proposed by U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, engineer Robert Pyke, environmental groups and farm bureaus. 6:15 p.m., Courtland Auditorium, 146 Primasing Avenue. Agenda to be posted here.

Thursday, May 23: San Joaquin Master Gardeners workshop, “Raising Backyard Chickens.” 7 p.m., Lodi Public Library, 201 W. Locust St. Free. More details here.

Saturday, May 25: Guided photo walk. 9 a.m., Cosumnes River Preserve. Meet at the visitor center deck and bring a camera. More details here.

Tuesday, May 28: Stockton East Water District meeting. Noon. 6767 E. Main St. More details here.

Saturday, June 1-Sunday, June 2: Woodbridge Wilderness Area open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The area is typically open the first and third weekends of each month. Explore a quarter-mile of Mokelumne River frontage. Free More detailshere.

Friday, June 7: Presentation, “Water Bugs Live!” 7 p.m., Oak Grove Regional Park. Donnie Ratcliff with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will talk about insects native to the Mokelumne River and other streams and rivers. Plus you can pick up some fly fishing tips. Free with $5 vehicle entrance fee to the park. More details here.

Saturday, June 8: Electronic waste collection event. 9 a.m., San Joaquin Delta College Shima 2 parking lot. Free. Hosted by Onsite Electronics Recycling.

Saturday, June 15-Sunday, June 16: Woodbridge Wilderness Area open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The area is typically open the first and third weekends of each month. Explore a quarter-mile of Mokelumne River frontage. Free More detailshere.

Saturday, June 22-Sunday, June 23: Great American Backyard Campout. Mass camp-out at Oak Grove Regional Park. More details here.

As reported in this morning’s ink edition, Dino Cortopassi has lost his five-year fight to force the state to dredge the Mokelumne River near his Canal Ranch property.

Here is the ruling by Judge Linda Lofthus.

My “cost-benefit” earlier this week on taking the bus to Yosemite vs driving failed to take into consideration the $20 park entrance fee.

It’s a wonder I’m even allowed to write about this stuff.

So let’s try again. Adding the entrance fee onto what I figured earlier, it’d probably cost me about $43 to drive alone vs. $25 to take the bus from Sonora (round-trip).

Two adults would pay $50 for the bus. But… a family of four with two kids 12 years old or younger could also ride for $50, since there’s one free kid allowed for each paying adult.

And, if you’ll drive just a little further up the hill to Groveland before you hop on the bus, fares are cheaper.

So, depending on your car’s gas mileage (mine isn’t too great), and whether you’re toting teenagers ($18 each on the bus, which adds up quick), YARTS may well prove to be as cheap or even cheaper than driving in.

Thanks, Jeff Michael, for bailing me out.

Check out this series of of time lapse images from Google Earth, showing Stockton’s evolution over the past 30 years.

YARTS, the bus system linking Merced with Yosemite, is now offering service from Sonora.

The seasonal service starts on Thursday and runs through Sept. 15.

I’ve always wondered how well YARTS works, logistically. Anyone tried it?

Based on the YARTS website, it looks like you could catch a bus about 8 a.m. in Sonora and be on the Valley floor (Yosemite, that is) by about 10:40 a.m.

You’d have a little more than six hours before the trip home, with buses loading at 5:10 p.m. Back in Sonora by 8 p.m.

Long day? Yup. And you’ve got to leave the park a little earlier than you might like. (There’s a little more flexibility during the busiest time of year, from mid-June through mid-August.)

Now, let’s do a little cost-benefit. Where’s Jeff Michael when I need him?

YARTS round-trip from Sonora costs $25 for adults, $18 for seniors/children. My gross-polluting RAV4 gets about 23 miles to the gallon. Assuming the cheapest current gas available in Stockton, $3.78/gallon, it’d cost me about $23 to drive the 142 miles from Sonora to Yosemite and back, not including wear-and-tear.

So, if you’re going up there solo, the cost of driving vs. taking the bus might be a wash. If you’ve got a carload of friends or family members, it’ll cost a lot more to take YARTS.

But there may be less tangible benefits to the bus (perhaps Michael could quantify them). As the marketing folks up there like to say: “Watch the scenery, not the road.”

Schedule and rates here. Sonora-to-Yosemite bus stop map here.

Saturday, May 11: Friends of the Lower Calaveras River’s monthly river walk, “Spring on the Calaveras,” which will explore the old Budiselich Dam site. That location on the river east of Highway 99 was recently improved to allow for better fish passage. Meet at 10 a.m. behind the old 99 Club at the corner of Alpine and Wilson Way. The walk will total about three miles. Donnie Ratcliff, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will talk about removing barriers to help anadromous fish. Free.

Saturday, May 11: Electronic waste collection event. 9 a.m., San Joaquin Delta College Shima 2 parking lot. Free. Hosted by Onsite Electronics Recycling.

Saturday, May 11: Vernal pools guided walk, Cosumnes River Preserve. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Rancho Seco Howard Ranch trailhead. More details here.

Saturday, May 11: Hike on the Natural Bridges trail at New Melones. 10 a.m. Moderate to strenuous. Meet in the parking lot off Parrotts Ferry Road. More details here.

Saturday, May 11: ”Astronomy in the Park,” hosted by the Stockton Astronomical Society. Sunset, Oak Grove Regional Park. Come peer through the telescopes of club members. Free with admission to park.

Tuesday, May 14: Stockton East Water District meeting. Noon. 6767 E. Main St. More details here.

Wednesday, May 15: Bike To Work Day in Stockton. Groups will meet at 6:30 a.m. at these locations: Garlic Brothers, 6629 Embarcadero Drive; Kaiser, 7373 West Lane; David’s Pizza, 1744 Hammer Lane; Sara Lee Bakery, 2651 S. Airport Way; and Mountain Mike’s Pizza, 3526 Manthey Road. Bicyclists will meet at Janet Leigh Plaza where an event will be held from 6:30 a.m. to noon. Hosted by the San joaquin Council of Governments. More details here.

Wednesday, May 15: California Water Commission meeting. 9:30 a.m., Sacramento. Agenda includes discussion in subsidence reversal efforts in the Delta. Webcast available. More details here.

Thursday, May 16: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District meeting. Agenda and webcast to be availablehere.

Thursday, May 16-Friday, May 17: Water Education Foundation’s Flood Management Tour, beginning at the American River and traveling along the Bear, Feather and Sacramento rivers into the Delta, concluding with a look at Sacramento’s flood management system. $450 per person or $375 for two people sharing a room. More details and registration information here.

Friday, May 17: “Sky Tours” stargazing event. 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., San Joaquin Delta College Shima 2 parking lot. Come peer through the telescopes of Stockton Astronomical Society members. Free.

Saturday, May 18-Sunday, May 19: Woodbridge Wilderness Area open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The area is typically open the first and third weekends of each month. Explore a quarter-mile of Mokelumne River frontage. Free More detailshere.

Saturday, May 18: “Walk on the Wildside!” festival at Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge west of Elk Grove. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More details here.

Saturday, May 18: Search for jumping frogs in a kayak trip up Angels Creek inlet at New Melones Lake. 10 a.m., Angels Creek Boat Launch, Glory Hole Recreation Area. Expect to be out for three hours. Bring your own equipment. Pre-register by calling (209) 536-9094. More details here.

Sunday, May 19: Guided paddle trip. Cosumnes River Preserve. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the visitor parking area. Bring your own gear. More details here.

Tuesday, May 21: Stockton East Water District meeting. Noon. 6767 E. Main St. More details here.

Thursday, May 23: Delta Protection Commission meeting. 5:30 p.m. Location TBD. Agenda to be posted here.

Thursday, May 23: San Joaquin Master Gardeners workshop, “Raising Backyard Chickens.” 7 p.m., Lodi Public Library, 201 W. Locust St. Free. More details here.

Saturday, May 25: Guided photo walk. 9 a.m., Cosumnes River Preserve. Meet at the visitor center deck and bring a camera. More details here.

Tuesday, May 28: Stockton East Water District meeting. Noon. 6767 E. Main St. More details here.

Saturday, June 1-Sunday, June 2: Woodbridge Wilderness Area open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The area is typically open the first and third weekends of each month. Explore a quarter-mile of Mokelumne River frontage. Free More detailshere.

Friday, June 7: Presentation, “Water Bugs Live!” 7 p.m., Oak Grove Regional Park. Donnie Ratcliff with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will talk about insects native to the Mokelumne River and other streams and rivers. Plus you can pick up some fly fishing tips. Free with $5 vehicle entrance fee to the park. More details here.

Saturday, June 8: Electronic waste collection event. 9 a.m., San Joaquin Delta College Shima 2 parking lot. Free. Hosted by Onsite Electronics Recycling.

Saturday, June 15-Sunday, June 16: Woodbridge Wilderness Area open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The area is typically open the first and third weekends of each month. Explore a quarter-mile of Mokelumne River frontage. Free More detailshere.

Saturday, June 22-Sunday, June 23: Great American Backyard Campout. Mass camp-out at Oak Grove Regional Park. More details here.

A U.C. Davis researcher said today that the proposed twin tunnels could reduce the proliferation of hyacinth and other invasive aquatic weeds.

That’s because the Delta would likely grow saltier, said Shruti Khanna, a postdoctoral researcher with the Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing.

“There will be seasonality in the salinity,” she told the Senate Subcommittee on Invasive Species during a hearing in Stockton. “During high flows the water will be fresh, and in the low-water season more saline. That higher salinity will control the species…. One of the major reasons they’ve been able to invade the Delta so well is because it is so fresh, all throughout the year.”

Of course, local agriculture depends on keeping the Delta fresh, too. We won’t get into that just now.

Record photo by Craig Sanders

Almost two weeks ago,  CareerCast.com ranked newspaper reporter as the worst job of 2013.

Below lumberjacks, meter readers and mail carriers.

As it happens, that was the same day I spent a couple of hours tromping through the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, searching for endangered rabbits.

Birds sang as the sun cleared the eastern horizon. Tendrils of mist still clung to the ground. Our path wound through ancient forests of willow and cottonwood, thick patches of blackberry and coyote brush, and open grasslands.

While other folks were plunking themselves down in their chairs for another day in the office, I was watching U.S. Fish and Wildlife bunny guy Matt Lloyd measure the ears of a 1-month-old riparian brush rabbit, who seemed not to be afraid at all.

Look, I’ve got plenty of days when I’m stuck in the office, too. I’m not about to argue that this is the greatest job in the world, and I’m not going to attempt to demonstrate that lumberjacks, meter readers and mail carriers jobs’ are worse, because I’m not a lumberjack, a meter reader or a mail carrier. They can speak for themselves.

Heaven knows there are problems in this business that justify its inclusion on any “stay-away” list.

But I will say — and Stocktonians, of all people, should understand this — that some values cannot be quantified.

The folks at CareerCast.com aren’t counting the sunrises. I can’t tell you how many sunrises I’ve seen on this job.

They’re not considering that time we tagged along on a youth duck hunt in the Delta, or that time we wandered into the heart of the Stanislaus National Forest in search of the Capitol Christmas Tree. Or, earlier in my career, that time we climbed up Mt. Shasta to study its growing glaciers. Or the time we spent a revealing night with the Rainbow Family up in Modoc. Or the time I flew with the Blue Angels.

Or, or, or…

They’re not thinking about the people I’ve met, whether at a community festival or a crime scene. As a cops reporter I met with many grieving families, some of whom thanked me for listening and for putting a human face on their loved ones in what would otherwise be cold and stark newspaper accounts.

Many years ago, after I wrote about a fatal DUI collision involving teenagers, I got a call from a reader — a mom. She was moved by the story, and said she was going to make sure her young children read it.

That’s rewarding.

So go ahead, o ye maker of lists, and rank newspaper reporter wherever and however you will. Some days I will agree with you.

But not that day at the refuge.

I wonder how riparian brush rabbits, one of the most endangered species in the state, feel about lists. Is the brush rabbit the “worst species” of 2013?

I guess rabbits and reporters have something in common.

Just in case you haven’t heard about this Delta editorial smack-down.

Perhaps it was buried too deep in Sunday’s story about environmentally vulnerable Stockton ZIP codes, but the state’s new EnviroScreen tool could mean some much-needed state assistance.

New state law requires that 25 percent of the proceeds from the state’s carbon cap and trade program be used to benefit disadvantaged communities, with 10 percent of the money to be spent directly on projects within those communities.

And yes, Stockton appears to be heavily disadvantaged, with three local ZIP codes among the top 10 most vulnerable in California. (Search for yourself using these interactive maps).

Also perhaps lost in the bowels of that story was this interesting tidbit: Stockton’s vulnerability may be more an issue of its demographics than the actual amount of pollution.

The state issued scores based upon two categories: “pollution burden” (taking into account air pollution, number of industrial facilities, groundwater contamination, cleanup sites, etc.) and “population characteristics” (income, education, race, number of elderly or very young residents, etc.).

For all three of Stockton’s “most vulnerable” ZIP codes, the population characteristics score is higher (riskier) than the pollution burden score.

Not that pollution itself isn’t an issue. But the reason so many of our neighborhoods are judged among the riskiest in California is, in large part, a simple factor of who we are — not just how many smokestacks we can count from our front porch.