Big Rain Coming?

February 14, 2009

So far, we’ve been lucky. We’ve gotten through November, December, January and half of February without a single major storm. The rain has come in such small doses, in fact, that we’ve been wondering whether we shouldn’t be more worried about drought than about the much feared post-fire floods and mudslides. Read the rest of this entry »


2002 Pico Blanco Boy Scout Camp Steelhead Massacre Back in the News

February 1, 2009

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A large steelhead summers over in the Little Sur River downstream of the Pico Blanco Boy Scout Camp. Dozens of endangered fish like this one were killed in 2002 (and quite probably in other years as well) by camp operators who apparently felt that getting their lake filled quickly was more important than keeping the fish alive. Read the rest of this entry »


Ventana Wilderness Trail Report

January 30, 2009

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A well-scorched trail

In the absence of serious rain and the law-abiding public, Forest Service BAER crews have remained hard at work on the Ventana Wilderness trails. Read the rest of this entry »


State Budget Mess Halting Post-Fire Erosion Control Projects?

January 23, 2009

The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that among the thousands of projects stopped by the budget roadblock in Sacramento are “a dozen projects to prevent erosion after last year’s wildfires along the Carmel and Big Sur watersheds …” We’re not sure which projects they’re referring to, but the bottom line is this: the state budget crisis is now creating real problems for all of us – and the situation is becoming more and more serious every day. Read the rest of this entry »


More Than $1 Billion Spent Fighting California Fires in 2008

January 21, 2009

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Burned Home, Big Sur

We highly recommend this LA Times report on the high cost of fighting last year’s fires Read the rest of this entry »


MLK Day Parade

January 19, 2009

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Big crowds at today’s Martin Luther King Parade in Seaside Read the rest of this entry »


Finally: A Genuinely Informative, Fact-Based Article on Fire in the Chaparral Environment

January 6, 2009

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Local luminaries inspect the remains of old-growth chaparral that burned during the first week of the Basin Complex Fire – not much regrowth yet in this spot (1-3-09) Read the rest of this entry »


“No Matter How Much Concrete They Pour, All those Seawalls and Houses will End Up in the Ocean”

January 4, 2009

– NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Climatologist Bill Patzert, as quoted in the LA Times

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Heavy equipment piles rocks onto the beach in front of Monterey’s Ocean House Condos 12-30-08 Read the rest of this entry »


2008 Year in Review

December 31, 2008

Well it’s been an interesting year, here at Xasáuan Today. We’ve looked at the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply problems and picked apart the county’s transportation dilemma. We’ve questioned development on eroding beaches and dissected the Light Brown Apple Moth. We’ve chimed in on local political issues. We’ve gone on some bike rides, examined some mushrooms, and even found time for a visit to Pat Springs.

But nothing gets attention quite like a fire. Read the rest of this entry »


MIRA Caretaker Charged with Battery & Interfering with a Firefighter during Basin Complex Fire

December 19, 2008

The Carmel Pine Cone is reporting that MIRA caretaker, Ivan Eberle (no fan of Xasauan Today), has been criminally charged with battery on a firefighter in the line of duty and interfering with a firefighter in the line of duty. Read the rest of this entry »