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Alex Breitler
A native of Benicia, he lives in Stockton with his wife, Ann (a Record copyeditor who fixes all of his mistakes). He has been writing mostly about natural resources since 2003, first in Redding and now in Stockton. He is on the lookout for a giant ... Read FullCategories
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Monthly Archives: April 2009
Do you trust him?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says a canal to convey water around the Delta rather than through it is critically needed.
Trouble is, folks just don’t trust the governor on water issues.
A survey by the Association of California Water Agencies — which also supports a canal — found that 17 percent of respondents consider the governor to be [...]
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Did you know…
… that it’s legal in California to shoot bullfrogs with a bow and arrow?
With some restrictions, you can also test your skill on the following fish species: carp, goldfish, western sucker, Sacramento blackfish, hardhead, Sacramento pike minnow and lamprey.
This interesting insight has been brought to you by the state Department of Fish and Game’s weekly Q&A feature. [...]
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Fishermen casting light on bill
Delta fishermen are mobilizing for next Tuesday’s committee hearing on AB 1253, a bill by a Bakersfield assemblywoman that would delist the striped bass as a game fish and, fishermen contend, eliminate them from the estuary.
The claim is that nonnative stripers eat threatened and endangered Delta smelt and salmon, though it’s disputed whether that predation is a [...]
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Fish vs. farmers? Not exactly….
It’s at best misleading to say that the Endangered Species Act and its protections for Delta smelt are the primary cause for low water deliveries to farms and cities south of the Delta this year.
While rallyers at last Friday’s March for Water at San Luis Reservoir repeatedly cried, “Turn on the pumps! Turn on the [...]
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Ewwwww
The state Department of Pesticide Regulation released a list of “Top Pesticide Blunders,” and some of them are downright nauseating.
Thankfully, no incident from San Joaquin County is on the list. If nothing else, however, this should illustrate how pesticides are best avoided unless there is no other choice.
DPR reports:
In Butte County, a man used [...]
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Earth Day oxymoron:
Green cruise ships.
Cluttering up my inbox this morning is some PR from the Cruise Lines International Association. Sound like a bit of Earth Day greenwashing?
Read on:
CRUISE LINES COMMEMORATE EARTH DAY
FORT LAUDERDALE, April 22, 2009 – Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) President and CEO Terry Dale today marked Earth Day 2009 by taking note of the industry’s [...]
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Nunes v Schwarzenegger
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told a crowd of farmers and laborers at a rally today that a canal should be built around the Delta to reroute water from the Sacramento River to San Joaquin Valley farms.
That wasn’t enough for U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, who a few hours later called for Schwarzenegger to resign because the [...]
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Care to interpret?
I was not present for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s visit to the Delta yesterday, but according to Fish Sniffer’s Dan Bacher, a reporter afterward asked Salazar about his position on a peripheral canal.
The secretary’s response, as quoted by Bacher:
“You know, the reality of it is that there is a set of issues here that we need [...]
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Presidential lichen
This interesting tidbit from the University of California, Riverside:
A researcher at UC Riverside has discovered a new species of lichen – a plant-like growth that looks like moss or a dry leaf – and named it after President Barack Obama.
“I discovered the new species in 2007 while doing a survey for lichen diversity on Santa [...]
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Another take