74.6 F
Scotts Valley
July 3, 2025

Nature friendly: Tracking mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains

What does it feel like to be alone at night in the woods just a few feet away from a sleeping mountain lion?

Wine Lover: Exploring the Santa Cruz Region: Soquel Foothills District

There are a variety of ways to lump wineries into districts. Proximity, terroir (growing conditions) and varietals are some of the factors, perhaps even the most important, that go into the districting process. Over the next several weeks, I will define how I think Santa Cruz County’s districts should be defined.

Talk about Money: News flash: George Hamilton helps pay for new health care legislation

Back on March 23, President Obama signed the much-debated law that mandates universal health insurance coverage. Aspects of the new law continue to emerge, but what we know is that while the 10 percent tax on tanning salons might take a significant bite out of the ever-bronzed George Hamilton’s wallet (ditto for our friends at Scotts Valley’s Tanners Cove), it doesn’t exactly cover all the new costs of this bill. A slew of tax modifications and penalties will follow.

It’s the Law: Law discourages Good Samaritans

I was riding one evening with four buddies just out of high school when the car went “bump” in the night. We all yelled, “What was that?” Jake, the driver, screamed, “It was a body.”

Mountain Gardener: Attract butterflies to your garden

Have you noticed how many butterflies are visiting your garden lately? I see California sisters, common buckeyes and western tiger swallowtails everywhere I look.

Off Hours: Caution – road work ahead

Commercial aviation has been instrumental in making the world more accessible, and a relative nosedive in air fares makes it even easier for Americans to travel long distances in a short time. The Air Transport Association estimates that during the summer months, 2.2 million Americans will travel on a commercial airplane every day. Lots of those will be vacation trips.

New Faces

Layla Nevaeh Nichole Rodrigues was born at 9:47 p.m. May 25, 2010, to Chantel A. Bex and Anthony M. Rodrigues of Scotts Valley. She weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces, at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center in Santa Cruz.

The Mountain Gardener: Cool your garden with a tropical makeover

Summer weather is finally here, and I find myself thinking of ways to stay cool. We know there is a cooling effect under the canopy of our forest trees. Extremes in air and soil temperatures are lessened. But any combination of perennials, shrubs and trees will help keep your garden cool, while also providing habitat for wildlife, decreasing energy use, absorbing carbon dioxide and supplying fresh oxygen.

Treasures Galore

Let’s go fishin’: Young salmon released in Santa Cruz

Sixty-five thousand salmon in Santa Cruz Harbor?

SOCIAL MEDIA

2,479FansLike
6FollowersFollow
762FollowersFollow

$7M boost ignites forest resilience in Santa Cruz Mountains

Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Santa Cruz County has secured a $7 million Forest Health Grant from Cal Fire to implement an ambitious, regionally...