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.

East County News Service

March 13, 2017 (Lakeside)  - Lakeside's River Park Conservancy will hold the 10th annual San Diego River Run 5k on Saturday, May 6 from  8 a.m. to 11 a.m.at the Lakeside River Park trail.

The San Diego River Run 5k will be held in the morning this year, with on-site registration beginning at 7:00 am and the race starting at 8:00 am. The event will take place at Lakeside's River Park located at 10398 Channel Road, Lakeside.

By Miriam Raftery

Image:  Interactive Map Shows if Your Drinking Water Is at Risk from Trump's Executive Order

 Source: Environmental Working Group, from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Geographic Information Systems Analysis of the Surface Drinking Water Provided by Intermittent, Ephemeral and Headwater Streams in the U.S.

March 5, 2017 (San Diego) — President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to rescind Clean Water Rule protections for small streams and replace it with a new rule allowing more pollution.  That action threatens drinking water supplies for millions of Americans – including 679,769 residents in San Diego County, according to data obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

By Mark Hughes, SanDiego350

March 5, 2017 (San Diego) -- On the evening of March 1, the organization Stay Cool 4 Grandkids hosted speakers who presented on two climate change topics. Representatives from Kids 4 Planet Earth spoke about their goal to have school children send one million letters to President Trump by Earth Day, telling him how important it is to them that he address climate change. Please help their request to go viral by sharing this goal on Facebook and other social media outlets.

East County News Service

February 27, 2017 (Lakeside) – There is a big dig going on at the River Park, where excavation is underway to build a foundation for the San Diego River Science Field Station.

According to the Lakeside River Park Conservancy, the San Diego River Science Field Station will become a hub for science education and research, allowing students, citizen scientists and PhDs to “rub shoulders and cross pollinate our knowledge and investigations of the San Diego River.”

East County News Service

New facility, built in partnership with AES Energy Storage, will enhance regional energy reliability while maximizing renewable energy use,

February 24, 2017 (San Diego) -- Today, SDG&E is showcasing the world’s largest lithium-ion battery energy storage facility in partnership with AES Energy Storage, which will enhance regional energy reliability while maximizing renewable energy use. The 30 megawatt (MW) energy storage facility is capable of storing up to 120 megawatt hours of energy, the energy equivalent of serving 20,000 customers for four hours.

By Bill Wellhouse, SanDiego350

Photo, left: Rally stage. Photo by Bill Wellhouse

The local affiliate of The Climate Mobilization, led by Derek and Nancy Cassady, held a rally Tuesday evening, February 21, 2017 at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building on Front Street in downtown San Diego. An energetic crowd gathered at 6:00 p.m.to protest the Trump administration’s national climate policy and to promote The Climate Mobilization’s solution to the climate crisis. The group’s primary mission is to induce the federal government to adopt a World War II-style mobilization to bring the nation to zero greenhouse gas emissions within a decade. This effort, they state, will revitalize American jobs and boost the economy.

East County News Service

February 22, 2017 (Lakeside) – From a 5K run/walk to the ever popular Boars and Brew fest, classes, hikes, a gala and a haunted trail, Lakeside  River Park Conservancy has a wealth of fascinating events coming up this year.