Feature Archives

The UC Santa Cruz Long Range Development Plan is a blueprint for expanding the physical campus to accommodate approximately 4,500 new students by 2020. On November 1st, UCSC Writing Lecturer Jeff Arnett gave a presentation on the "Unnatural History of UCSC." The presentation covered special sites on the UCSC campus and the story of Elfland. Other presenters provided an overview of campus expansion plans and the impacts on biodiverse habitat.

Nick Oliva writes, "Big Sur. A place of great beauty and drama. A Wonder of the World, an international treasure taken for granted stands waiting mindless of humanity. The sheer cliffs that drop a thousand feet or more to the violent sea thrashing and pounding at the granite below. The dichotomy of danger and great beauty can only be watched from a distance, less one be swallowed up and taken by the forces of nature."

Suterra LLC, a manufacturer of "biorational" pest control products based in Bend, Oregon, has issued a cease and desist letter to Indybay demanding that information about a "secret" ingredient in the CheckMate OLR-F mating disruption pheromone be removed from the site.

Helping Our Peninsula's Environment (HOPE), an organization dedicated to protecting the natural environment, sued the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) because they violated California's Environmental Quality Act. CDFA refused to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) claiming they are exempt because it is an emergency. CDFA plans to aerially re-spray the Monterey Peninsula with Suterra's Checkmate pesticide (a moth pheromone) starting October 9th.

For just a couple of hours on the last Friday of each month, hundreds of cyclists informally ride together to claim the streets which are normally ruled by automobiles. The gathering is part celebration and part peaceful protest. The messages of the event: that we still have a choice to live our lives in a way that is more thoughtful of the world's resources, to live in a way that is more socially nurturing of life and health, and to live our lives with more joy. The ride on September 28th marked the spontaneous demonstration's 15th year.

The San Francisco Mime Troupe performed Making a Killing, Building A New Iraq on September 23rd, but the topic of questionable government contracting reaches all the way from Afghanistan to Santa Cruz, in the form of city contractor Camp Dresser Mckee.

On September 19th, after more than two full days of deliberation, a 12-person jury informed Judge Jeffrey Miller they were hopelessly deadlocked and determined that further deliberation would not deliver unanimity. Outside the courtroom, attorneys were informed that the majority was voting for acquittal of the environmental and animal rights activist on trial for a speech he gave in San Diego in 2003.