Columns Archives

The Big Fire

November 1, 2020November 14, 2020 slvpost.comfire, SanLorenzoValley, the big fire0 comment

By Randall Brown The summer of 1904 in California was hot and dry. Labor Day marchers in Santa Cruz sweltered under record high temperatures and the following day was hotter. Then, early Wednesday morning, the town’s electric system shut down. “All street cars were stopped,” reported the Sentinel, “and an almost weird quiet as of some impending calamity reigned throughout… Read More

Columnists Columns Welcome

Abundance

November 1, 2020March 18, 2021 slvpost.com0 comment

By Julie Horner Live music has made a cautious comeback in Santa Cruz County and evenings are full to brimming. Felton Music Hall and Michael’s on Main have flung their doors wide to offer distanced dining with a show weekend nights. Other venues with outdoor spaces like the Summit House on Highway 17, Redwood Pizzeria in Felton, and Davenport Roadhouse… Read More

Columnists Columns Fire History

IOOF Cemetery: Boulder Creek’s Overlooked Treasure

November 1, 2020March 18, 2021 slvpost.combouldercreek, cemetery0 comment

The Boulder Creek IOOF Cemetery By Julie Horner, Lisa Robinson, and Nick Morris Tucked quietly into Ben Lomond Mountain where few know to tread, the CZU Lightning Complex fire paid a visit to the Boulder Creek Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Cemetery. The lush woods behind the cemetery are burned to the gates, and the undergrowth of ivy, huckleberry,… Read More

Columns Fire

Winter Worry: Post-fire Debris Flows

November 1, 2020December 8, 2020 slvpost.comdebrisflow0 comment

According to Kent Edler, assistant director of the county public works department, the fire burned the upper soil layers, creating water-repellent soil. Steep, burned, and denuded slopes deposit rocks, soil, and trees into drainages. Water will pocket and pond in areas where tree roots burned out. Water that used to flow underground might now flow overland. Debris can alter stream… Read More

Real Estate News San Lorenzo Valley Santa Cruz Mountains

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Real Estate

Real Estate: Moving into Recovery

November 1, 2020September 28, 2023 slvpost.comreal estate0 comment

Market Review: 3rd Quarter 2020 By M.C. Dwyer Average home prices rose again across our region during the third quarter (July 1st to September 30th). Several communities recorded all-time highs, including Boulder Creek, Felton, and the City of Santa Cruz. There simply aren’t enough homes for sale compared to the number of people who want to buy. Fueled by historically… Read More

MC Dwyer Boulder Creek CZU Lightning Complex Fire

Column: MC Dwyer Columns Fire Local News Real Estate

An Impossible Reality

October 15, 2020September 28, 2023 slvpost.com0 comment

By M.C. Dwyer On August 16th, we woke up at 3:00 am and went outside to watch a bizarre dry summer lightning storm. As lightning zig zagged across the skies overhead, booming thunder quickly followed. We went back to sleep. By Tuesday afternoon, Boulder Creek was shrouded in smoke and stifling hot. The evacuation warning for our home came at 8:00… Read More

Jane Mulcaster Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Columns Environment

Why Trees (and Human Spirits) Endure

October 15, 2020November 9, 2020 slvpost.comBig Basin, bigbasin, climate0 comment

Nature builds resilience into our bark By Jane Mulcaster Girl Scouts Meg Mulcaster, Narya Bower, and Maggie Fry from Campbell troop 62301 explore fire-scarred redwoods outside the Big Basin Visitor Center in April, 2018. As the sun sank behind the trees at the upper campground in Big Basin State Park in early April 2018, the mercury dipped into the 40s,… Read More

Column: Josh Reilly Columns Gardening

Focus on Fall

October 1, 2020June 7, 2023 slvpost.comautumn, gardening0 comment

The Ben Lomond Gardener By Uncle Skip Early Fall is a critical season for garden planning and renovation. Bulbs must be planted or lifted and divided. Perennials, herbs, and shrubs are best planted in advance of Fall rains (oh please, dear goddess). Next year’s sweet peas, garlic, chives, and onions should be started now (or soon). Now’s the time to… Read More

Astrology Columns

THE COSMIC WEATHER REPORT FROM CATIE CADGE, PHD

October 1, 2020December 30, 2020 slvpost.comastrology0 comment

Welcome to the Santa Cruz Cosmic Weather Report – Evolutionary Astrology of the moment, your moment in time, our collective moment of change! This is my first day back to the writing desk since the terrible CZU fire hit our local community and forest. I wish, with all my heart, that everyone receives the grace and hope they need to… Read More

Columns Fire Valley People

Home by Dr Juko Holiday

September 17, 2020December 30, 2020 slvpost.comben lomond, czulightningcomplex0 comment

Home is something I can’t lose, it’s a place inside of me that I’ve worked hard to find. Read More