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Environment - page 15

Water, energy, conservation, wildlife and environmental issues.

‘Scariest Tree Pathogen in the World’ Spreading Rapidly in California

in Environment

Sudden Oak Death (SOD), a deadly disease for oak trees, is on the rise in California. According to a survey conducted by UC Berkeley scientists, the number of infected trees has almost doubled since 2018.

Matteo Garbelotto, the director of the UC Berkeley Forest Pathology and Mycology Laboratory, has been involved in conducting the survey of 14 California counties (stretching from Humboldt to Monterey) for the past 12 years. This year, two aspects of the results stood out to him.

“We found this year the most sharp increase ever in the number of trees affected,” said Garbelotto. However, this was expected due to the wet winters we’ve had in California for the past two years — the spores spread faster with significant rainfall.

Continue Reading on SF Gate

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Swarms of Small Earthquakes Hits the California-Mexico Border

in Environment

A swarm of small earthquakes has struck near the California-Mexico border underneath the town of El Centro in Imperial County.

Scientists are closely watching the cluster, which began at 6:07 p.m. Monday with a magnitude 2.8 quake, followed six minutes later by the largest quake so far, a magnitude 4. There were 18 aftershocks within the first two hours, Caltech seismologist Egill Hauksson said.

By Tuesday morning there had been dozens of aftershocks.

No damage was reported in El Centro, which has a population of about 44,000. El Centro is the seat of Imperial County, one of the nation’s most important agricultural regions. The region has been hit hard in past quakes, most recently during the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck south of the California-Mexico border on Easter Sunday in 2010, killing two people in Mexicali and damaging buildings on both sides of the border.

Continue Reading on LA Times

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Flames Return to Where California’s Largest Wildfire Started

in Environment

Monday: For a second time, a blaze narrowly missed the home of the rancher who inadvertently sparked the Ranch fire. Also: Meet Col. Charles Young.

Five months ago, we brought you the story of the rancher in Mendocino County who inadvertently started the largest wildfire in California history when he hammered a stake into a wasp’s nest.

I was surprised to learn last week that his home nearly burned — again — in the latest round of wind-driven fires in Northern California. Flames from the Burris fire, which was extinguished Nov. 3, scorched the sloping fields around the rancher’s wood-shingled home, coming very close to engulfing the wraparound porch.

Continue Reading on New York Times

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Pair of Weekend Fires

There were a couple of fires of note in the region as temperatures are rising this season. There was a

California Wildfires Are Mostly Under Control, but Fire Risk Remains High

in Environment

The California wildfires that scorched thousands of acres and prompted mass evacuations across the state in recent weeks are largely under control, but experts warn that hot and dry conditions will continue to elevate fire risk throughout the week.

The Maria fire, which broke out atop South Mountain just south of Santa Paula in Ventura County on Thursday night and spread to nearly 10,000 acres, was 70% contained as of Sunday evening, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. All mandatory evacuation orders were lifted Saturday.

“We’re pretty much in the mop-up stage,” fire Capt. Steve Kaufmann said.

Continue Reading on Los Angeles Times

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At Least 14 Wildfires Are Burning in California

in Environment

(CNN)Firefighters in California have been batting numerous blazes nonstop, trying to save millions of people and homes from the flames.

The biggest fire, the Kincade Fire, has incinerated parts of the wine country in Sonoma County since last week. Further south, multiple wildfires continue spreading near Los Angeles and surrounding counties.
Here are all the wildfires currently threatening the state, from the most active to those nearing full containment:
Continue Reading on CNN

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PG&E Says 605,000 Customers to Lose Power in 29 Northern California Counties Starting Early Tuesday

in Environment

Pacific Gas & Electric says it will go forward with another round of power shut-offs in 29 Northern California counties to prevent powerful winds from damaging equipment and sparking fires.

PG&E says the latest planned blackout will affect 605,000 customers — about 1.5 million people — starting early Tuesday.

It’s unclear how many of the more than 2 million still without power amid the current shut-off will have it restored before the next round of outages.

The announcement comes as crews battle a huge wildfire in Sonoma County wine country that has destroyed 96 buildings.

Continue Reading on CNBC

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Wildfire Fueled by Monster Winds Races Through Sonoma County, Leveling Buildings

in Environment

(CNN)A raging wildfire that forced massive evacuations in Northern California scorched thousands of acres in hours — and is expected to keep growing.

The Kincade Fire ignited Wednesday night in Sonoma County, and burned 16,000 acres by Thursday night. It was fueled in part by high winds that had already prompted California electric utilities to intentionally cut power to thousands of residents.
The blaze had claimed 49 structures by Thursday afternoon, Cal Fire said. It was unclear how many of those lost were homes.
Continue Reading on CNN

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PG&E Power Outage Shut Off: List of Counties, Cities Affected by PG&E Power Outage in Bay Area, Rest of California

in Environment

Here’s a list of all the counties and cities that could be impacted by outages:

AMADOR (13,131 customers)
Amador City, Fiddletown, Jackson, Martell, Pine Grove, Pioneer, Plymouth, River Pines, Sutter Creek, Volcano

BUTTE (23,452 customers)
Bangor, Berry Creek, Brush Creek, Butte Meadows, Butte Valley, Chico, Clipper Mills, Cohasset, Feather Falls, Forbestown, Forest Ranch, Hurleton, Magalia, Oroville, Palermo, Paradise, Paradise Pines, Rackerby, Stirling City, Yankee Hill

CALAVERAS (14,586 customers)
Angels Camp, Arnold, Avery, Camp Connell, Dorrington, Douglas Flat, Glencoe, Hathaway Pines, Mokelumne Hill, Mountain Ranch, Murphys, Rail Road Flat, San Andreas, Sheep Ranch, Vallecito, Valley Springs, West Point, White Pines, Wilseyville

EL DORADO (39,786 customers)
Aukum, Cameron Park, Canyon, Camino, Coloma, Cool, Diamond Springs, El Dorado, Fair Play, Garden Valley, Georgetown, Greenwood, Grizzly Flats, Kelsey, Kyburz, Lotus, Mount Aukum, Omo Ranch, Pacific House, Pilot Hill, Placerville, Pollock Pines, Rescue, Shingle Springs, Silver Fork, Somerset, Twin Bridges

Continue Reading on ABC 7

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They Lived Through California’s Two Worst Fires — And Now Face a Future of Blackouts

in Environment

A windy day isn’t just a windy day anymore.

Not in Northern California, where strong gusts and tinder-dry land have fueled two of the deadliest fires in state history in the past two years.

“You just don’t look at wind the same way,” said Melissa Boutelle, whose home in Paradise burned in last year’s Camp Fire. “Now, wind says so much more.”

The winds carry words of warning — for Boutelle, who was forced from her community after living there 13 years, and also for the power company responsible for starting the blaze that tore through her town, California’s deadliest wildfire ever.

Continue Reading on Washington Post

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California’s Trump-Blocking Environmental Bill May Be Delayed in Fight over Water

in Environment

It started out as a bold effort by the California Legislature to prevent the Trump administration from rolling back protections for the environment and labor.

The bill, proposed by one of the state’s most powerful Democrats, would attempt to negate every environmental regulation proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration for the duration of his term or terms. It has a clause that would expire the day he leaves office in 2025 if he wins a second term.

Now, in the waning days of the legislative year, the debate over Senate Bill 1 has become a classic fight over California water. Facing fierce lobbying from well-financed water districts, the bill’s author, Senate President Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, acknowledged Tuesday that the bill might get pulled from consideration until next year.

Continue Reading on McClatchy DC Bureau

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