Monthly Archives: May 2008

Calling all Bigfoot buffs

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 31, 2008 | Comments closed
You’re invited on an expedition in search of the hard-to-find hominid, somewhere in the central Sierra Nevada. The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization is planning the research trip for Aug. 21-24. They won’t, of course, say exactly where they’re going. The fee, $300 per person for first-time participants, goes to covering overhead costs, the group reports. These types of expeditions are [...]
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EPA is better than a bad baseball team

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 29, 2008 | Comments closed
Didn’t really have a chance to blog today. So I’ll do what I do best: I’ll plug someone else’s blog. No, seriously, this is interesting. Did you know the Environmental Protection Agency has its own official blog? The EPA, of course, is public enemy No. 1 right now with enviros and the state of California, thanks [...]
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Angry over flood insurance?

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 28, 2008 | Comments closed
The state agency that hands out permits for boat docks and other structures on levees – “improvements” which may soon lead to mandatory flood insurance for thousands of Stockton residents — will be in town Friday for a meeting that includes field trips to the levees in question. And you’re invited to tag along. The Central Valley Flood [...]
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It’s weird out there

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 26, 2008 | Comments closed
In one week’s time, we went from temperatures 20 degrees above normal — read, 103 degrees — to 20 degrees below normal. And it might be screwing up people’s holiday weekend plans. After months of gorgeous weather, things have clouded up just when we finally get a cherished three days off. This morning, according to the California [...]
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From the inbox

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 23, 2008 | Comments closed
One of the great pleasures of being a reporter is receiving press releases such as this: Eco-Friendly Bathroom Accessory Helps Reduce Toilet Paper Consumption BOULDER CITY, NV — With an estimated 20,000 sheets of toilet paper consumed per person per year in the United States, many environmental advocates are pushing for alternatives such as recycled paper [...]
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Hold onto your hats

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 22, 2008 | Comments closed
Woke up this morning at 6 a.m. The house was shaking. In a dreamlike state, I thought it might be an earthquake. But it went on, and on, and on. I thought it might be a really big earthquake. Three hours later, I’ve decided it’s not an earthquake. It’s just really windy out there. The National Weather Service is [...]
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Tailpipe Troubles II

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 21, 2008 | Comments closed
This just in from AP: WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate panel has narrowly voted to overturn the EPA’s decision to block California and more than a dozen other states from limiting greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The bill by Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California passed the Environment and Public Works committee by a 10-9 vote [...]
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Now that’s a rich fish

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 21, 2008 | Comments closed
Citizens Against Government Waste reports that bringing salmon back to a restored San Joaquin River would cost $22 million per fish. Ouch. The watchdog group comes up with that figure by taking the upper-end estimate on the cost to restore the river — $1.1 billion — and adding that to an estimated $10 billion hit on the local economy, i.e. [...]
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Tailpipe troubles

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 19, 2008 | Comments closed
We’re learning more today about the federal government’s decision to refuse California’s request to regulate emissions from vehicles. In two words: White House. Read on, courtesy AP: WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency initially supported giving California full or partial permission to limit tailpipe emissions — but reversed himself after hearing from the [...]
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No, NOT dead

By Alex Breitler | Published: May 17, 2008 | Comments closed
(Photo courtesy UC Berkeley) The folks at UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension noted today that the leaves of many oak trees in the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range are missing leaves or turning brown. This year’s early spring is probably to blame, said natural resources specialist Douglas McCreary. All those baby leaves emerged just when the nighttime temperatures [...]
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