By Miriam Raftery

Chart courtesy of NASA: Temperature data from four international science institutions all show rapid warming in past few decades-- and the last decade has been the warmest on record.

April 24, 2017 (Santee) – Santee’s City Council took a step toward establishing a “Sustainable Santee” climate action plan, but only under pressure from the state to do so. 

By a 4-1 vote on April 12, with Mayor John Minto opposed, the Council voted to hire LSA Associates to complete the city’s climate action plan and an environmental impact report, as required by California law. Council authorized paying up to $133,000 to the consulting company.

By Miriam Raftery

April 23, 2017 (La Mesa) – At the Helix Water Board meeting on Wednesday, the board will discuss funding for Harry Griffen Park in La Mesa, at the request of director Mark Gracyk.  For the past five years, Helix has contributed 35 percent of the park’s operation and maintenance costs. Last year, that amounted to $158,629 donated by Helix.

By Yvette Urrea Moe, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  The trail out to and back from Three Sisters Falls is steep and often slippery.

April 19, 2017 (San Diego's East County) - San Diego County’s bountiful rainy season led to a wildflower super bloom in the deserts and cascading waterfalls in our mountains, each drawing a flood of visitors. Some of these hikers have been unprepared for the strenuous activity and became sick or injured. That’s resulted in a slight uptick in rescues or medical assistance, CAL FIRE and the San Diego Sheriff’s Department report.

East County News Service

April 19, 2017 (San Diego) -- Husband and wife musical duo Jon and Sabine Sherman will be presenting the world premiere of their eco-folk musical play “Dryad: an Eco-Folk Musical in One Magical Act” at the beautiful Mission Trails Regional Park Amphitheater on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 at 3:00 p.m.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Oroville Spillway, Calif. Dept. of Water Resources

April 7, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – It’s official:  Governor Jerry Brown today declared an end to California’s statewide drought, thanks to heavy winter precipitation.

But groundwater levels in some areas remain low, so the state will maintain some restrictions on water use to encourage conservation. Brown did not lift the drought order for Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne Counties, where wells went dry and some residents continue to rely on trucked-in emergency water supplies.

Residents are asked to continue avoiding wasting water by hosing off sidewalks or watering lawns during or shortly after a rainstorm.

By Miriam Raftery

April 4, 2017 (San Diego) – A lawsuit filed against the California Coastal Commission (CCC) by Citizens Oversight, a citizens’ watchdog group based in El Cajon, heads to trial beginning Friday, April 14 at 2 p.m. in San Diego Superior Court, Dept. C68 (330 West Broadway, San Diego).

By Miriam Raftery

To hear the full interview, originally aired on February 20, 2017 on KNSJ, click the  audio link , and scroll down for highlights.

March 2, 2017 (San Diego) – Walter Oechel, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert for his pioneering research on ecosystems and global climate change.  Oechel is Director of the Global Change Research Group at San Diego State University, where he is also a distinguished professor of biology.

In a recent  interview on KNSJ,  East County Magazine spoke with Professor Oechel about his pioneering work, which revealed  that the Arctic tundra is now releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, instead of storing  CO2, a major greenhouse gas.

By Miriam Raftery

March 29, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- The California State Parks Foundation invites you to volunteer to help a local state park get ready for the summer season this Earth Day,  April 22^nd from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Spring flowers have brought splashes of color across the sunny slopes and green pastures of parks around California. After a record-breaking season of winter rains, California’s state parks are flush with wildflowers and wildlife. Winter has transitioned to spring and that means it’s also time for some spring cleaning.  This year marks the 19^th year of Earth Day spring cleaning in our state parks.

By Miriam Raftery

March 27, 2017 (San Diego) – April 22^nd in Earth Day. This year, it will also be marked by a March for Science, as scientists nationwide emerge out of the lab and take to the streets from Washington D.C. to here in San Diego. 

Updated March 28 with a response from Michael Beck at the Endangered Habitats Conservancy and Supervisor Dianne Jacob's office.

By Miriam Raftery

March 27, 2017 (Lakeside) - A big mess in Lakeside just got worse.  Someone has dumped debris illegally over the weekend along a waste heap from a former sand mining site that residents in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley were already fighting to get cleaned up.

By Miriam Raftery

File photo: sewage line

March 22, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The County is asking the public to help report suspected sewage spills by calling 619-660-2007.

A recent sewage spill at Los Coches Creek found during a recent inspection resulted in over 900,000 gallons of raw sewage flowing into the waterway, which remains closed pending results of water testing.  It was contained the day it was discovered and is believed to have been flowing for more than two weeks.  But it could have been far worse, since many sewer lines are cleaned and inspected only once a year.

Source:  Sullivan Solar Power

March 21, 2017 (San Diego) – Over 17 families are showcasing their homes for the San Diego Solar Home Tour this Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The self-guided tours will take place in La Mesa, Scripps Ranch and Rancho Santa Fe. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Los Angeles smog in 1972, before the current standards; photo by Gene Daniels, public domain via Wikimedia.

March 18, 2017 (Washington D.C.) — California has threatened legal action after President Donald Trump ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to abandon strict fuel efficiency standards for vehicles and rules that limit emission of greenhouse gasses.

View a video on the San Diego River Conservancy’s report to the Legislature

March 18, 2017 (Sacramento) -- This week, two bills authored by Sen. Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) cleared key policy committees and moved on to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration. One wil help enhance portions of the San Diego River in East County. The other provides funding to build affordable housing.

By Miriam Raftery

March 14, 2017 (San Francisco) – In a victory for consumers, a Superior Judge has blocked a constitutional challenge that Monsanto filed against the state of California.  The state has proposed to add glyphosate to the list of chemicals known to cause cancer, as required b Proposition 65. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, an herbicide manufactured by Monsanto.