Environment

Santa Clara County suffered an estimated $15.4 million in damage to local roadways during the winter storms that doused the West Coast in the first three months of the year, according to county officials. The initial storms during the end of December 2022 and throughout...

California State Parks has released its recovery plan for Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the oldest one in California. Nearly five years on from the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, which torched over 90% of the park and destroyed more than 900 homes in the area,...

A homeowner who sought an exception to new fire-safe rules recently rolled out by the State won over Planning Commissioners and was granted development approval. Despite Santa Clara County Fire Department representatives appearing in the special Zoom meeting on Nov. 21 to argue against allowing...

Home gardens and landscapes should be compatible with their respective climates. For local chaparral climates, plants that do not need much watering through the long and dry summers are appropriate. Aquatic plants are the extreme opposite. They require regular replenishment of the ponds that...

Santa Clara County is reminding residents about a six-month-old website where people can report illegal dumping.  The site, www.cleanupscc.org, was launched last November using a $2 million grant from CalRecycle, the state agency that oversees waste management and recycling. Since its inception, citizen reports to the...

Heather Kelley counted 15 days the power was out last August, up at her place that’s perched atop the Santa Cruz Mountains along Skyline Boulevard. “It makes our life just a living hell up here,” she said. “It’s absolutely terrifying.” Kelley says it’s not just the...

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...

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...

A San Jose recycling company has been ordered by a Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge to pay $25,000 in civil penalties for causing dangerous fires to start in the back of garbage trucks in Campbell.   The company, iDiskk, LLC, its principal Yue Zou,...

“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...