Eco News

The Great Land & Trail Campaign

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County wants to build 45 miles of trail in the next five years. Paul Zaretsky photo.

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County’s biggest fundraising campaign ever aims to raise $43 million to protect farmland and wildlife and build new trails.

Decoding the Bee Networks of Santa Cruz County

A yellow-faced bumblebee on a seaside daisy. Photo by JKehoe_Photos on Flickr.

The complex plant-bee networks that sustain the local environment could be radically disrupted by climate change, according to new research at UC–Santa Cruz.

The Great Box in the Sky

The radar tower in its current condition. © Copyright Basim Jaber - Almaden AFS Archives – AlmadenAFS.org

The Ohlone named it for hummingbirds, the Air Force built a radar station on its peak, and now MidPen is turning Mt. Ununhum into a park.

Google Trekker Shows the Way to Living Memorials

Amanda Krauss and Paul Davis study a Big Basin map before hitting the trail with Trekker. Hilltromper photo.

Sempervirens Fund maps 60 miles of hiking trails in Big Basin, enabling those who've dedicated redwood trees and groves to virtually visit the park.

Fake Halloween Cobwebs Pose Real Threat to Birds

This Western screech owl didn't think it was so funny when it got tangled in fake cobwebs. Photo by Dave Stapp, Marin Humane Society.

It’s no trick to treat birds to a safe Halloween.

The Bats of Big Sur

A UC Santa Cruz researcher holds onto a Western Red Bat. Photo credit: Samantha Chavez

A few hours on a bat capture-and-release operation in Big Sur reveals new information about the flying mammals of UC’s Big Creek Reserve.

School District Switches to Solar

SolarCity helped the Woodland school district switch to solar in 2012. The Temecula School District announced last week that it is switching too.

by Eric Johnson

Welcome Back Monarchs Day 2015

A warm autumn sun shines on monarch butterflies overwintering at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. Photo by Alpha Geek on Flickr.

The monarch butterflies are back once again to overwinter at Natural Bridges State Beach, and their loyal fans have planned a party.

National Monument on Capitol Hill

Rick Cooper of BLM welcomes a CCC crew made up of young veterans to a trail-building event at Coast Dairies on Saturday, Oct. 3. Photo courtesy Conservation Lands Foundation

Cotoni-Coast Dairies gets first Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday, Oct. 8

Life and Death in The Intertidal Zone

A healthy purple ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus). Photo courtesy Monica Moritsch

As the mysterious sea star wasting syndrome shows, life ebbs and flows in the tide pools around Santa Cruz.

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