Gov. Jerry Brown has tucked provisions into his budget that would limit payouts in wildfire liability cases, potentially saving timber companies and other major California landowners hundreds of millions of dollars as federal prosecutors pursue record-high damages in court. The Democratic governor also has asked lawmakers to impose a 1 percent lumber tax to fund forestry oversight while reducing industry costs. And he wants to reduce the frequency with which California reviews tree-cutting plans for environmental impacts. Brown has pitched the ideas as ways to help the state's timber industry provide jobs in the wake of a construction downturn and fierce competition with lumber producers from the Pacific Northwest. He also highlights $30 million in new lumber tax funding for environmental reviews that have gone ... Continue reading →
Heal the Bay released its annual “report card” that ranks more than 650 California beaches. The report rates cleanliness on an A to F scale based on weekly levels of bacterial pollution tracked from April to October 2011. The better the grade, the less likely you are to get sick from taking a dip in the ocean. The good news: San Francisco County beaches received passing grades and even improved from last year. The bad news: Other Bay Area beaches didn’t fare as well. In fact, some were dinged for their “high levels of fecal indicator bacteria.” Fecal bacteria often finds its way to ocean waters via urban runoff, or water that goes down storm drains. Last year, San Francisco’s Baker Beach scored an F, ... Continue reading →
Yeah, #1 is wrong for a few reasons, most I believe becuause of the threatening "from above" posture. Bending over the dog reaching out to him is threatening, squared up to the dog is threatening, staring/looking at him too. When a dog is ...near, I was taught to get that hand low, stand/kneel/3-point crouch but always sideways, fingers down/away/closed away from dog, hand low even touching the ground, so he can sniff you at his comfortable height/level is basically what I was taught. Avoid looking at (eye contact with) the dog too. The other thing I was always taught was to do the best you can at reading the dog, keeping in mind you cannot really ever know you are right. I think I do ... Continue reading →
Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway infograph Continue reading →
Whales in the water updated: May 22, 2012, 4:31 PM Source: NOAA NOAA Advises: Blue and Humpback Whales Return to the South Coast Whales Feeding in Nutrient-Rich Waters of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: Area Boaters Asked to Watch Out for Whales Blue and humpback whales started showing up this month in large numbers to feed in the nutrient-rich waters of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA is asking area boaters to follow whale watch guidelines for their own safety, and for the safety of the whales. NOAA is concerned about large whale injury and death from vessel strikes along the West Coast. Each year, thousands of ships and smaller vessels pass through the Santa Barbara Channel and collisions ... Continue reading →
First positive West Nile virus samples in Sacramento, Yolo this year confirmed By Bill Lindelof The Sacramento Bee Last modified: 2012-05-24T18:37:15Z Published: Thursday, May. 24, 2012 - 11:35 am The first positive samples this year of West Nile virus in mosquitoes in Sacramento and Yolo counties have been confirmed - signaling what may be a very busy mosquito season.The five positive mosquito samples and two new dead birds infected with West Nile virus were found in the city of Davis and near Gerber and Bradshaw roads in southern Sacramento County.Officials with the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District note that birds had already tested positive for the disease in recent weeks. However, the positive mosquito samples just found are coming about a month earlier than ... Continue reading →
