Hope for Big Basin: Santa Cruz scientist documents the rebirth of our fire-ravaged forests

Professor Dustin Mulvaney explored the damage within the CZU Complex’s burn scars and found just what he’d expected: regrowth. “Coast redwoods sprout back above Gold Gulch, Empire Grade, three months after #CZULightningComplex” (Photos via Dustin Mulvaney on Twitter) It’s 2021—the world can’t help but be on the lookout for good news. For many Californians, Dustin Mulvaney’s photographs were just that. In late November, the professor of Environmental Studies at San Jose State went ...

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Particulates matter: 10 questions for a Stanford researcher on the health hazards of wildfire smoke

Discussing health, wildfires and how unprecedented smoke is affecting us long term A view from Twin Peaks in San Francisco—at 8a.m. on September 9, 2020—the day the skies turned orange over the Bay Area. (Photo by Charles Russo) For the past four years, autumn in California has become synonymous with wildfire season. Each year has brought new fires, traumas and complications to the state with far-reaching consequences. This has culminated with 2020 ...

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Evacuation zone aid: A restaurant owner’s quest to feed left-behind locals

Andy Kerr of Alice’s Restaurant in Woodside makes daily deliveries to firefighters and holdouts in the wildfire zone Andy Kerr, co-owner of Alice’s Restaurant, drives behind a San Mateo County Sheriff vehicle through the CZU August Lightning Complex fires evacuation zone on August 25th. (Photo by Magali Gauthier) Andy Kerr of Alice’s Restaurant in Woodside makes daily deliveries to firefighters and holdouts in the wildfire zone With wildfire smoke blanketing the Santa Cruz ...

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Wildfires in the 6–5–0: how to help and where to donate locally

Donate a meal, shelter an animal, offer up lodgings….and many more ways to pitch in. The La Honda Fire Station, home to a volunteer fire brigade, is situated near the northern part of the CZU August Lightning Complex. (Photo by Kate Bradshaw) Fire season has returned and with a vengeance, as an assortment of different wildfires continue to burn around the state. Here in the 6–5–0 area code, the south coast area ...

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