The Monterey County District Attorney has dropped all charges against Ivan Eberle, the caretaker at the MIRA observatory on Chews Ridge. Eberle had been charged with battery on a firefighter and interference with a firefighter in the line of duty (see earlier post for details). Read the rest of this entry »
Charges Against MIRA Caretaker Dropped
April 17, 2009
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Courts, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse | 
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Posted by xasauan
Public Officials Endure Fort Ord Dunes State Park Grand Opening
April 15, 2009
The Ribbon Cutting – Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado tries to wipe the sand out of his eyes while Supervisors Dave Potter and Jane Parker grin and bear it. As a squadron of other dignitaries attempt to form a wind break, California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman and Representative Sam Farr attack the ribbon with scissors big and small. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Coastal Development/Erosion | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Debris Flow in Pfeiffer Creek Closes Highway
April 7, 200910:00PM April 7
Today’s rain set off a debris flow in Pfeiffer Creek. The flow may have put some water into the Big Sur Lodge. The highway is completely blocked and is expected to remain closed until sometime tomorrow. The Big Sur CATS site has posted some pictures. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by xasauan
Pinnacles Wildflowers
April 5, 2009The sun is out and the flowers are blooming at Pinnacles National Monument.
Here’s a little of what we saw today …
This is a field of Tufted Poppies (Eschscholzia caespitosa).
(For a closer look, click on a picture to bring up a higher resolution image, then use your browser to zoom in) Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Fungus, Gabilans, On Foot, Plants, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
9 Months After the Fire – Photos Taken When the Ground was Hot Compared to Photos Taken Yesterday
April 3, 2009
Stinging Lupine (Lupinus hirsutissimus) becomes the first plant to recolonize a severely burned slope. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Plants, Santa Lucias, Wildflowers | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Broad Coalition Backs Return to Early Silurian Conditions Along Big Sur Coast
April 1, 2009
Death Valley’s “Early Silurian” landscape attracts plenty of tourists
The Big Sur Property Owners Association announced today that they are asking the Forest Service and other agencies to manage public lands in the Big Sur area so as to return those properties to the natural conditions prevalent during the Early Silurian period, more than 425 million years ago.
3 Comments | Big Sur, Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Plants, Politics, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Forest Service Once Again Mistakes Itself for CIA
March 31, 2009
Ventana Wilderness, Los Padres National Forest
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus bill, provides $650 million to the Forest Service for “road maintenance and decommissioning, deferred maintenance work, abandoned mine cleanup, and other related critical habitat, forest improvement, and watershed enhancement projects.” Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Fire, Flood & Apocalypse, Santa Lucias | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Corn Snow Time
March 27, 2009
There’s nothing quite like the beauty, solitude and serenity of snow-covered mountains. And there’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of carving turns in a pristine backcountry bowl.
1 Comment | Skiing | Tagged: Avalanche Gulch, Big Trees, Black Butte, Bullfrog Lake, Charlotte Dome, High Sierra, Kearsarge Pass, Mt. Brewer, Mt. Shasta, Olmstead Point, Reed Flat, snow camping, Tenaya Lake, Trinity Alps, White Mountains | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Driver who Killed Daniel Vasquez Cops a Plea
March 20, 2009Just over two years ago, on February 9, 2007, our friend Daniel Vasquez was riding his bike home from work. He didn’t make it. Charles Seaborn, a man who’d been cited for drunk driving in the past, was once again driving drunk. Seaborn hit Daniel so hard that Daniel’s bike ended up embedded in the front of Seaborn’s Range Rover. But Seaborn didn’t stop. He left Daniel dying beside the road.
9 Comments | Courts, Cycling | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Who Owns the Rain?
March 18, 2009
Engorged with water pirated from its rightful human owners, a Coccora (Amanita calyptroderma) emerges from the forest floor
Just when we were thinking no one could be more dysfunctional than our community and state when it comes to dealing with limited water supplies, the LA Times publishes an article describing how water districts in Colorado are complaining that homeowners using rain barrels to capture run-off from their roofs are stealing water in violation of law. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Fungus, Water | Permalink
Posted by xasauan
Xasáuan Today 