In California, dissipating “June gloom” could bring a dismal future for some of the state’s iconic redwoods and other plants, animals and humans that depend on the water coastal fog brings.
Mallory Pickett
Follow Mallory Pickett on: Twitter. Mallory brings deep expertise in environmental issues to Lookout, as well as national reporting experience that she will now apply in her hometown of Santa Cruz. She began her career as a chemist, studying ocean acidification at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, before being drawn to journalism.As a freelance journalist she’s written about science, the environment, and politics for a variety of publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Wired, and Slate. Her work has been included in several anthologies, including “What Future,” in 2017, and “The Craft of Science Writing,” in 2020. Her investigation into gender discrimination at a research institute in San Diego was included as a notable work in the “Best Science and Nature Writing of 2019.”“I care passionately about the well-being of the people and the environment of Santa Cruz County,” she says. “I can think of no better way to contribute to my hometown than to provide rigorous coverage of the parks, ocean, and farmlands that make this place so special.”
Posted inEnvironment
Capitola Beach bummer: After popular spot gets unhealthy F, is it safe to swim there?
With Capitola Beach ranking third-worst in the state in terms of water quality ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, here’s what you need to know about swimming at a spot long popular with visitors from Santa Cruz County and beyond.
Posted inEnvironment
WATCH: Explore the depths of the ocean as MBARI researchers undertake expedition
Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute took people on an exploration of the ocean floor Wednesday as they piloted a remote-control vehicle two-thirds of a mile below the surface off Big Sur in search of ancient sponges, deep-sea corals and other rare creatures.
Posted inEnvironment
Pleasure Point saboteurs strike Portola Drive bike safety pop-up
The nonprofit partnering with Santa Cruz County said it has “never had such unfriendly and aggressive behavior from the community” on such a project but, as one resident countered, “Pleasure Point is a different animal … people are very protective of their neighborhood.”
Posted inCOVID 2022
First Delta case confirmed in Santa Cruz with more ‘very likely’; officials renew vax calls
With undetected cases of the contagious COVID-19 variant “very likely” in Santa Cruz County, officials again reminded that being fully vaccinated provides strong protection against serious illness from the Delta and other variants.
Posted inVaccine Watch
Vax rates lagging in San Lorenzo Valley, or data glitch? Health brass try to head off troubling trend
Santa Cruz County data shows lower COVID vaccination rates in Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek, but a data issue could be at least partly to blame. Either way, with the Delta variant raising the threat level, health officials are looking to rev up outreach in the San Lorenzo Valley.
Posted inEnvironment
Open trails at Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument by next summer? What to know on BLM’s latest move
The Bureau of Land Management finalized its use plan Wednesday for the 5,800-acre area north of Santa Cruz, and the head of the local nonprofit that’s partnering with the agency to build trails on the property hopes it could be open for hiking, biking and more by next summer.
Posted inEnvironment
Lockdown-emboldened mountain lions ventured farther into urban areas, UCSC researchers say
UCSC researchers who have tracked pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains for years saw that the big cats started moving closer to, or even into, more densely populated areas within days of shelter-in-place orders taking effect last year.
Posted inLatest News
‘Way better than humans’: Santa Cruz Gardens neighborhood turns to goats for fire safety
Goats go anywhere, eat anything, make little noise and leave little trace — and make for a local attraction in the bargain. “(It) could not have made the neighborhood happier,” said a Santa Cruz Gardens resident whose environs are now better prepared for fire season.
Posted inEnvironment
Ticked-off scientists: Santa Cruzans need not worry about blood-sucking arachnids crawling our beaches
The scientist behind a recent study that found ticks — some carrying Lyme disease — in California’s “coastal areas” would like to set some things straight. For starters, ticks do not hang out in the sand.