On the 100th anniversay of the Farallon Island National Wildlife Refuge, the islands are full of life, reports the County Times.

The islands were created 10,000 years ago as the Ice Age ended. The Pacific Ocean, fed by melting glaciers, spread eastward by 35 miles and turned foothills on the continent’s edge into islands at sea.

In the early 19th century, Americans and then Russians came to the islands, hunting northern fur seals, prized for their pelts. By 1838, hunters had killed the last fur seal on the islands. Northern elephant seals, hunted for their blubber, met the same fate in the 1880s throughout California waters, according to the book, "Farallon Islands; Sentinels of the Golden Gate." Then the 1849 Gold Rush, which drew hoards to San Francisco, spurred demand for common murre eggs from the Farallon Islands and elsewhere to feed the exploding population, as the eggs were considered as good as hens’ eggs. By the time the practice was banned in 1896, the population of common murres on the islands had plummeted to several thousand.

But since 1909, wildlife has slowly rebounded. Most management has been hands-off, said Gerry McChesney, acting manager of the 211-acre Farallon National Wildlife Refuge, letting the wildlife return on its own. The effort is helped along by restoring native plants, creating boardwalks for the handful of researchers working on the largest island, Southeast Farallon Island, as well as building blinds so they don’t disturb wildlife while studying them. They are also trying to eradicate the non-native house mice that arrived after years of human habitation by military personnel and lighthouse keepers on the southern island.

Northern elephant seals returned to the islands in 1959, and to scientists’ delight, northern fur seals reappeared in 1996. Common murres rebounded, and now 350,000 seabirds representing 13 species crowd the island, creating a cacophony that greets visitors.

Visitors aren’t allowed on the islands, but boat tours circle the site. And the California Academy of Sciences has set up a web cam on the tallest hill on the southern island.

Pacifica city council members Julie Lancelle, Sue Digre and Jim Vreeland (and two other candidates) have been nominated for the seat currently occupied by Dave Potter, a member of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. Potter received a pro-conservation voting score of 24 percent in an annual ranking of the votes cast by coastal commissioners in 2008, reports Julia Scott in the County Times.

Julie Lancelle, Sue Digre and Jim Vreeland were all nominated in late May by both the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the San Mateo Council of Cities. If appointed, the lucky candidate would serve a four-year term on the commission, replacing Dave Potter, a member of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors who has served on the commission since 1997. He represents Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. ...

The fact that the seat is open at all is unusual. After being appointed in 1997 by then-Speaker Fabian Nuñez, Potter was reappointed twice without opposition. Potter is again running for reappointment, but a campaign by environmental groups across the state took issue with Potter’s environmental record and persuaded Bass to consider other candidates, according to Burlingame City Councilwoman Terry Nagel, chair of the San Mateo County City Selection Committee. Other people are simply pushing for more local representation.

What follows is a letter from the California State Parks Foundation.

June 12, 2009 5:58:18 PM PDT

Dear Friends,
 
As you know, the Budget Conference Committee took up the issue of the state parks budget on Thursday, June 11, but did not take action and held the item "open" until next week.  At this time, we believe they will be revisiting the issue and possibly taking the item up for a vote on Monday.
 
WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Please send a message to the budget conference committee members, urging them to take actions to provide funding that will save our state parks.  I realize this is crunch time, and late notice, but hope you can help contact the Conference Committee members.  Please visit http://ga3.org/campaign/budget_june09 to send a message directly to all conference committee members, and spread the word to your members, networks, and friends.  
 
To keep the drumbeat of action going, the SOS campaign (along with the help of many organizations throughout the state) is also hosting the SOS Weekend of Action, next weekend, June 20-21.  Please check out our web site athttp://www.calparks.org/takeaction/sos-weekend.html for information about park events in your area or ways to get involved online.  If you’re hosting an event that you’d like included on our site, please email the information and we’ll post it up on our site.
 
Thank you for your continued hard work and participation with the Save Our State Parks campaign.  
 
Traci Verardo-Torres
Vice President, Government Affairs
California State Parks Foundation 

Pacifica is considering dropping its contract in 2012 with Coastside Scavenger which owes the city up to $450,000 in fees, reports the County Times.  Coastside shares ownership and facilities with Seacoast Disposal, which collects trash in the Montara Water and Sanitary District.

According to the city’s calculation, Coastside Scavenger Co. — along with its sister trash hauler, Sea Coast Disposal — owes the city up to $450,000 in monthly franchise fees, late fees and other fees dating back to August 2008. The city has sent a series of letters to Coastside Scavenger’s president and owner, Louis Picardo, in recent weeks with demands including payment of $648,341 in outstanding fees and immediate submittal of audited financial statements from the company, for which two years were overdue.  ...

Pacifica residents pay the highest rates for garbage collection in San Mateo County. Coastside Scavenger has raised its rates almost every year since 2000, and the City Council approved another rate increase of 7.8 percent in 2007 (the company had asked for a 12 percent increase). At the time of the audit, many city officials admitted they had approved the rate increases without conducting a thorough financial review. ...

Coastside Scavenger declared a net loss of $325,000 for the fiscal year ending July 2008. It declared $847,249 in franchise fee expenses owed to the city. It has borrowed substantial sums of money from its employees and from its "stockholder," presumably the company owner, Picardo. And it is waiting for payment of more than $2.5 million by Sea Coast Disposal, with which it shares a recycling yard and maintenance crew. Sea Coast never submits its financials to the city.

Workshop: 1 to 2:30pm

Back by popular demand after his previously sold-out event, Alvaro Jaramillo will present an entertaining workshop on the seabirds and songbirds found on the Coastside. Learn about their behavior, field marks, ecology, and migratory patterns. Light refreshments will be served.

Cost: Suggested donation is $15. Seniors $5. Under 18 years old free.

Location: Ocean Shore Train Depot at the foot of the Johnston House, 110 Higgins Canyon Rd, Half Moon Bay

Bird Walk: 3 to 5pm

Participants will walk through beautiful bluff top open space looking for birds and applying the knowledge learned in the workshop. Dress in layers, wear sturdy shoes and bring binoculars or scopes if desired. Snacks and beverages will be served after the walk.

Cost: Free

Location: Meet at Smith Field, Wavecrest Road, Half Moon Bay.

Both the Workshop and Walk are suitable for beginning to expert birders, as well as families.

Click to donate to CLT.

If you’re curious about the new Maverick’s Roadhouse in Montara, there will be a grand opening Sunday with live music, raffle, and more from noon to 8 pm.

Mark Hamilton, who ran the Montara Bistro on the site, is running the new Roadhouse, which is an extension of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Co.

The 17th La Honda Fair is this weekend. The fair is a local music, arts & crafts event that benefits the La Honda Elementary School.

There will be two days of bands and performers from 11am to 7pm, featuring mostly local artists with lots of original music. Volunteers will be there selling raffle tickets and all the little things it takes to make the Fair a success.

The La Honda Fair is nestled among the towering redwoods in La Honda canyon just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. It can be quite warm during the day, but once the Sun goes down, plan to get out that sweater or light jacket you brought along, just in case!

Renowned walkable communities expert, author and photographer Dan Burden is helping Midcoast residents of San Mateo County take a fresh look at Highway 1 from Princeton by the Sea to the City of Half Moon Bay. In a concentrated and fun series of public planning events, Dan and a professional design team organized by the Local Government Commission, a Sacramento-based nonprofit, will translate citizen input into a new vision – a vision that will create an environment that is safer and friendlier for children and adults to walk, bike and ride the bus, and that will reinforce the qualities that define the area’s natural beauty and historic neighborhoods.

Download the flyer in English or Spanish.

With Highway 1 serving as the only continuous north-south route for Midcoast residents, tourists and travelers to and from the Bay Area, residents have few if any safe transportation options to reach schools, parks, and other destinations. High speeds and high traffic volumes bisect the Midcoast with few safe points for pedestrians to cross Highway 1. Bicyclists traveling along Highway 1 are also faced with a safety issue, as there are no clear bike lanes or adequate shoulders along the roadway. Portions of separate paths and trails exist for recreation and commuting, but much work needs to be done to plan and create a viable alternative transportation network to improve safety, calm traffic, reduce congestion, and build stronger connections between the communities of the Midcoast.

Using a Caltrans community planning grant, the County of San Mateo and the Local Government Commission are conducting a community design "charrette," a visually engaging, interactive series of public workshops, meetings and design sessions between the public and a skilled design team to create a shared vision or a plan. Activities will focus on identifying issues and design solutions for better driving, walking, biking and transit conditions, creating off-street path and trail connections, and providing stronger linkages between the communities.

At the Thursday night kickoff meeting, Dan will deliver a visually-rich and entertaining presentation with illustrative photos from his work and travels around the country. It will be followed by a group brainstorming and prioritizing session.

The Saturday events will start with a walking tour to review walking, biking, transit and driving conditions from the point of view of people of all ages and abilities. A presentation will follow, training participants on techniques the community can use to address issues raised at the Thursday kickoff event and walking tour. Working in small groups, participants will draw their design solutions on large maps of the Midcoast area.

Following the Saturday session, the charrette team will prepare design concepts with computer images to represent the vision for improvements identified through the activities. Tuesday evening, June 30, the charrette team leaders will present the design concepts. Participants are invited to provide additional input before the concepts are developed into a final plan.

Complementary food and beverages will be provided at all events. Businesses, property owners, residents and their families are encouraged to participate in this visioning effort. Spanish interpretation will be available.

El Granada Elementary School, 400 Santiago Street, Multipurpose Room 

• Thursday June 25, 7 - 9 p.m.: Community Kick-off Meeting
• Saturday, June 27, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Community Design Workshop
• Tuesday, June 30, 7 - 9 p.m.: Concept Plan Presentation 

Coastside Mothers’ Club to host local Alex’s Lemonade Stand

The Coastside Mothers Club (CMC) will host an Alex’s Lemonade Stand as part of the National Lemonade Days weekend on Saturday, June 13, 2009 from 9am-1pm, at the Saturday Farmer’s Market at Shoreline Station, at the intersection of Highway 1 and Kelly Ave. 

Lemonade Days is a three day national event that grew out of pediatric cancer patient Alexandra "Alex" Scott’s front yard lemonade stand, and is held every year over the same June weekend. During Lemonade Days, dedicated volunteers host thousands of Alex’s Lemonade Stands across the country, raising over $1 million for childhood cancer research in one weekend.

Saturday, June 13, 2009
Saturday Farmers Market
Shoreline Station
Intersection of Hwy 1 and Kelly Ave.
Half Moon Bay
9am – 1 pm

Volunteer members of the CMC will read from the inspirational book "Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand" at the Farmer’s Market at the beginning of each hour from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.  Anyone who donates $5 or more will receive a fresh lemonade kit to take home and make real lemonade the old fashioned way!  Each donation also enters a child’s name in a raffle for a special lemonade gift basket with a copy of the book Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand and Alex’s Greatest Hits CD. 

June 12th - 14th 2009 will mark the 6th Annual Lemonade Days with an estimated 10,000 volunteers at over 2,000 Alex’s Lemonade Stands around the nation. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $25 million towards fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure for all childhood cancer, funding over 100 research projects nationally.

The Coastside Mothers’ Club was founded in 1992 by a community of families with young children.  Celebrating our 17 year anniversary, we have grown to approximately 300 members who live on the coast between Montara and Pescadero.  Our club offers Coastside mothers, fathers and caregivers support, education and a chance for socialization, friendship and fun.  We also serve as an advocate for mothers, children and families within the Coastside community at large. 

For anyone interested in joining the club or for additional information about our organization, please visit our website at www.coastsidemothersclub.org

Two of the most important issues affecting life in the unincorporated Midcoast are the overdue update of the Local Coastal Program (LCP) and the groundwater situation.  Both of these issues will be addressed at the June 10 meeting of the Midcoast Community Council (MCC).  There will be two guest speakers:  a staff member from the California Coastal Commission (CCC), and the County’s long range planner.

The meeting agenda is available on the "Agendas" page on the MCC’s web site.  Links to the CCC staff report and to the just-released Groundwater Study are on the "LCP Update" page.

Leonard Woren
Member, Midcoast Community Council