Visitors to the Loch Lomond Recreation Area, which is nestled up in a narrow canyon in the Santa Cruz Mountains accessed by a windy road up from Lompico, find it odd it is owned and managed by the City of Santa Cruz Water Department. Especially when the city limit line is a good ten miles down the valley.

 Our most common local stinging insects are yellow jackets and bees. Yellow jackets are attracted to our delicious picnic food and are more aggressive than bees. They sting defensively when they feel that their nests are threatened. They also sting when stepped on, sat upon, or have in some way been provoked.  If one is being attacked by many bees or yellow jackets, it is best to vacate the area and run away as fast as possible.  These insects are capable of flying up to 15 miles per hour and pursuing for distances of 50 to 100 yards.  So don’t run too slow or stop too soon!  

Getting kids out of the classroom and into nature has long been held by teachers and parents as the best approach to teaching the fundamentals environmental science. The planning for a Nature Discovery Park for children directly adjacent to the new community library in Felton takes this approach to another level- kids can use the park and the library without needing a ride between them, and will have access to both traditional educational materials and outdoor education at the same place.

Sam Martin is not your average high school student. At 16, Martin, who grew up in Ben Lomond, has qualified for Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Motocross Championship. After placing first in several amateur youth competitions, Martin, 16, received an invitation to the National Championship. Sam will participate in the 125cc and 250cc in his age group during the races from July 30 to August 4 in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

I’m helping my friend Colly, the food columnist for the Press Banner, with her cooking class at the new Boys & Girls Club in Scotts Valley. Colly has planned a summer program filled with delicious recipes and I’m looking forward to learning along with the kids in the class. The first week was all about eggs. I’m sure we’ll be using herbs in a future recipe so I’m getting my own herb garden ready. Whether you grow herbs in pots or in the ground here are some tips.

Private well owners made their interests clear at a “stakeholders” meeting for the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency.  In a standing-room only meeting on May 31, nearly all of the 60 people at the meeting raised their hands when asked if they were representing private well owners.  

Some internships are more demanding than others – and more than one proud parent of a San Lorenzo Valley High School student graduating from the Boulder Creek Fire Department’s Internship Program said the program often sent their kid home exhausted.

In view of the “fiscal cliff” lying ahead for the City of Scotts Valley, the city council is keeping its promise of looking for every possible way to improve the city’s fiscal situation.  At last week’s city council meeting, these efforts included a workshop on city fees, aimed at getting closer to cost recovery for some city services, and a discussion about raising the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) or “local hotel room tax” from 10 percent of hotel room charges to 12 percent.  

After being denied in March, Nicky Ramos-Beban, executive director of Integrative Leadership Academy, with the support of several parents and teachers, submitted a revised proposal to build a new independent charter middle school as part of the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District. The SLVUSD board of trustees heard public comments on the petition at a board meeting on June 13.

At a special meeting of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) Board of Directors convened at 3:30 in the afternoon last Friday, June 1, the board formally accepted the resignation of Director Eric Hammer, submitted by email on May 23 that was effective immediately. At the meeting, the board approved a schedule for applications, interviews and appointment of Hammer’s successor.