Feature Archives

In the Klamath River Basin these days environmental news is dominated by talk about dam removal and, occasionally, new restrictions on fishing. But now another issue is poised to compete for the headlines.

Last month's outbreak of E. Coli in fresh spinach which killed three people and sickened 199 others in the US, has many consumers on edge about food born pathogens. It was the ninth deadly E. Coli outbreak from leafy greens that originated in California's Salinas Valley over the last decade. Another E.Coli scare occurred this week when Salinas-based Nunes Co. recalled some 8,500 cartons of its Foxy-brand 'Green Leaf Lettuce' from seven states.

Anyone who lives in California for any length of time realizes that the water supply for our state is a contentious issue. Along the Central Coast, the most recent issue is the use of desalination – an energy-intensive process that removes salt from seawater. The technology in use is called reverse osmosis and involves using powerful pumps to force water through specialized membranes which exclude charged ions (salt, for example) but allow water and other neutral species to pass through.

The City Council of Santa Cruz and the Water Department have moved forward with a proposal to build a trial desalination project plant on the Westside of Santa Cruz at the Long Marine Lab site. In November of 2005, the City Council approved a contract with the global engineering firm Camp Dresser and Mckee, INC (CDM) in the amount of $3.2 million. No construction has yet taken place, but the proposal is moving forward.

While most proposals on the table for desalination in the Monterey Bay area involve the construction of ‘research pilot plants’ in Santa Cruz and Moss Landing, this may simply be a deceptive maneuver whose real intent is to use the permits for the ‘research plants’ as a gateway to building large-scale desalination systems. Read more

The Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) was in San Francisco from September 28th through 30th. The weekend opened on Thursday night with a "Bikes Rock" Party at Boca. Films were shown on Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening at the Victoria Theatre in the Mission. One of the highlights of the weekend was Saturday's 5pm screening of "Caravan/Prague," which tells the story of a bike caravan that went across Europe to join the protests against the IMF and World Bank. The weekend coincided with the 14th anniversary San Francisco Critical Mass bikeride: Photos and Report

On September 14th, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert to consumers about an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in multiple states. The FDA has warned that people should not eat any fresh spinach, or salad mixes that were grown in Monterey County, San Benito County, or Santa Clara County. 171 people are reported to have been sickened, and two deaths seem to be linked to the E-coli. The cause of the contamination has not been determined, but it appears not to be linked to organic farming practices.

On Thursday, September 14th, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in a legal battle that, many believe, could decide the future of American Indian religious freedom and the ecological integrity of the San Francisco Peaks. The mountain in question is located in Northern Arizona, and is held sacred by some 13 Native American nations. Tribes and environmental groups have united to halt development plans to expand a Ski Resort and to use treated sewage effluent to make artificial snow on the sacred peaks. A caravan from Flagstaff, Arizona was welcomed to SF on Wednesday, September 13th, and several events were held that day and the next. Video and Audio

Californians for GE-Free Agriculture reports that SB1056, the bill that would have preempted local restrictions on genetically engineered organisms, failed to make it through the California Senate, and has died with the close of the legislative year. This is seen as a major victory. The Monsanto-backed bill was introduced last year after the passage of four county and two city bans on GE crops.