Opposition from neighboring farmers is holding up the building of coastal trails on State Parks property at Whaler’s Cove, near Pigeon Point Lighthouse, according to the Examiner.

The Peninsula Open Space Trust bought the land for $2.6 million in 2000 from a hotel developer.  After tearing down the partially-built hotel, they gave the land to the state Parks Department with the agreement that POST would build four trails, including one to the beach.

The construction of the trails has been held up by neighboring farmers who are concerned that public access could mean exposure to chemicals for hikers, trespass, and theft of produce.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has given farmers and conservationists 90 days to come to agreement. But that could be appealed to the Coastal Commission.

Solar Photovoltaics working group meet Saturday July 9, at 229 Correas Ave in Half Moon Bay. It will start at 9:00 am and run for about 2 hours. This meeting is designed for people who are considering whether a solar system is right for them.

Dan Pellegrini, President & CEO of CCEnergy, a solar design and installation cooperative, will talk on current solar legislation at the state and federal level.

Mark Fallin, with Bay Solar Power Design, will talk about how to make your home more energy efficient. Mark lives in Pacifica, so he knows all about our local weather.

Dennis Paull will speak briefly on the performance of his recently installed solar system. He has 18 Sharp 165 Watt panels and a 2500 Watt SunnyBoy inverter. His system will have been running for just over two foggy weeks. He will also show off the system for those who are interested.

Click “read more” for directions and phone number.

The otter population is holding its own, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  Between Half Moon Bay and Santa Barbara, the population is down slightly from last year, but the more significant three-year average population is still rising.

This year, researchers counted 2,375 otters, down a little from 2,825 last year.  The count in 1983 was 1,277, according to the Chronicle.

“It’s too early to tell whether or not the decrease this year marks the beginning of a new downward trend,” Hatfield said, “and it will take fresh counts next year and the year after before we know what the state of the animals really is.”

The target three-year average is 3,090 for removing southern sea otters from “threatened” designation under the Endangered Species Act.

In writing the earlier story of live Web pictures of the common murres at Devil’s Slide Rock, I found this picture at Jim Rosso’s Birdcentral site. I just got his permission to use the photo and wanted to share it with you.

You can observe the murres on Devil’s Slide Rock without risking your life on Highway 1. Video cameras are no beaming images of the murres to a monitor at Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel, and to a web page.  You can also visit the project’s home page.

The Chronicle also tells the story of the penguin-like murres, ravaged by human populations and by fishing and wiped off of the rock by a 1986 oil spill. Scientists lured new birds with decoys and mirrors until the population grew from six nesting pairs to 190 last year. 

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) voted to buy the 676-acre Miramontes Ridge property from Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) as an addition to the District’s Mills Creek Open Space Preserve. Miramontes Ridge is located in the foothills west of Skyline Boulevard and north of Burleigh Murray State Park.

“Miramontes Ridge is important because the property’s roads and trails may provide future opportunities to establish a regional trail connection between the Bay Area Ridge Trail and the Coastal Trail,” said Craig Britton, the District’s General Manager in the District’s press release.

Click “read more” to see the press release.

This afternoon, a prescient friend sent me a link to a Santa Cruz Sentinel story about Steven Ward, a UC Santa Cruz researcher who models tsunamis caused both by earthquakes and by meteorites. Ward researches possible tsunamis in Asia as well, but he has been modeling earthquake-induced tsunamis on the coast of California. Ward says a 7.5 magnitude quake could send a 15-foot tsunami to the Santa Cruz shoreline in minutes.

In 1946 an elderly man was killed by a wave while walking around the point from Cowell Beach from a 7.5-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Alaska. A Santa Cruz restaurant located at the entrance of the Municipal Wharf reported that water levels rose up to its floorboards.

There’s a ton of information, simulations, and presentations at Steven Ward’s Web site.

UPDATE: The warning was cancelled at 9:09pm.

A tsunami warning is in effect for the coastal areas from the California-Mexico border to the north tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Estimated time of arrival in the San Francisco area is approximately 9:23pm.

There has been an earthquake of magnitude 7.4, 90 miles NW of Eureka and 300 miles NW of San Francisco at 7:51pm.

It is not known if a tsunami exists. But a tsunami may have been generated.  Therefore persons in low lying coastal areas should be alert to instructions from their local emergency officials. Persons on the beach should move to higher ground if in a warned area. Tsunamis may be a series of waves which could be dangerous for several hours after the initial wave arrival.

Source:

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
830 PM PDT TUE JUN 14 2005

The Midpeninsula Open Space District (MROSD) has agreed to manage Rapley Ranch, a 151-acre property owned by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). The ranch is adjacent to MROSD’s 1,827-acre Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve.

This is the first POST property that MROSD has agreed to manage on the Coastside and this announcement follows last week’s that the District is looking to buy two other POST properties on the coast.

For two year license the District will patrol, manage, clean, and secure the property—and plan for future use of the property as part of Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. MROSD will seek grant funds to purchase the property from POST. 

The property be closed to public access, except for neighbors and docent-led activities with special permits.

Click “read more” to see the press release.