Environment

A dead rat was spotted Downtown Los Gatos on Monday morning, at North Santa Cruz Avenue and Main Street. It was unclear what killed the animal, however, it lay next to a black animal control box containing poison. Per the label, the bait station contains desmethyl...

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has settled a consumer protection lawsuit against popular sunscreen company Sun Bum for advertising claims that misstated its actual impact on the ocean. The judgment is the first obtained by any prosecutor against a major sunscreen manufacturer for...

“April showers bring May flowers” —A proverb meaning unpleasant things can ultimately lead to a positive outcome. One very nice thing about living in “these parts” is the changing of the seasons. And by the way, Los Gatos and Saratoga are designated “tree cities.” Well, OK, a...

Before you pull up any more “weeds” in your garden, you may want to consider what Alrie Middlebrook has to share about native edible plants and trees. This past Saturday and Sunday, 50 or so gardens around the San Francisco Bay participated in the...

Edward Hume, a Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote that the average American throws out three times more trash now than in 1960: “Rethinking waste as our arch-villain isn’t just a word game – it’s the secret sauce that turns anxiety and inertia into hope and...

“One man’s rubbish may be another man’s treasure.” —Hector Urquhart West Valley Recycles (WVR) has an outreach team to help us learn to recycle correctly. Forget what you knew about recycling guidelines. Things have changed, and we have new laws to ensure we recycle in the most...

The inventor and artist Robert Seals has spent the majority of his almost-80 years on Earth transforming junk into desirable objects. His invention (and company) Klean Kanteen became famous for its metallic water bottle. But his finely crafted recycled-metal sculptures are almost invisible. You have...

In Dec. 2022, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District agreed to a $100,000+ deal with Nomad Ecology of Martinez, Calif., to study the population of the “critically imperiled Santa Cruz Kangaroo Rat,” which had just reappeared on the Santa Clara County side of the Santa...

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk Giant Dipper has drawn over 60 million thrill-seekers to scream while careening around the roller coaster’s hairpin turns. But more than 65,000 motorists a day know that roller coaster ride pales compared to the high-speed, white-knuckle turns it takes to...

On Aug. 12, Daniel Alpert, a software engineer at Afresh, headed towards Sausalito, with friends, snacks, tents and sleeping bags in tow. Their destination? Haypress Campground, near Mill Valley. Their mission? Taking in the Perseids light display in the skies above. “I had never seen...