Community

I hike in the Bonny Doon Ecological reserve quite often but had never seen the waterfall. Since the Martin fire in 2008 I have written several columns about the remarkable comeback nature can make after a natural catastrophe. Each spring I eagerly await the new growth of manzanita, chinquapin, pine and the spring flower display. Recently I joined a group led by botanist and revegetation specialist Val Haley, who has been a volunteer at the reserve since 1993 and knows just about everything there is to know about this unique place on the planet.

The definition of a poem is, “A piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter, rhyme, and stanzaic structure.” Remove the stuffiness of the wording...

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) has announced the inaugural MAH 5 Minute Film Fest, with the screening taking place on Thursday Jan. 15, at the MAH from 6-7:30pm. More than 50 qualified films were submitted, and the jurors selected the top 15...

The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau’s 46th Annual Apple Pie Baking Contest was held at the Santa Cruz County Fair on Sept. 13. There were almost 40 apple pie entries, and winners were selected for each of the three divisions—Youth, Adult and Masters. Rowena Bacher, of...

As we wind our way through the new reality that the coronavirus pandemic has created, some community members have expressed concern about the safety of the water in San Lorenzo Valley. Well, fear not: SLVWD's Environmental Planner Carly Blanchard and District Manager Rick Rogers are there to keep you safe and hydrated. Read on, fellow aqua lovers.

On paper, the numbers are staggering. Thirty-four consecutive victories over two seasons. More than 4,200 points scored. A trip to the Junior Roller Derby Association Championships in Chicago. One of the nation’s most dominant junior roller derby teams. But ask the young women of the...

The death of George Floyd was an event that traumatized our whole nation.  We were shocked by the arrest of a man by an officer who exercised his authority in a callous, brutal and almost cruel fashion.  The act was universally condemned and not just by citizens, but by police officers who felt betrayed by this officer’s egregious disregard towards another human being.