The Santa Clara County Water District is faced with fines for oil spills in several local reservoirs. The timing is terrible for the water district as they are preparing a measure for a $52-per-year parcel tax for the next 15 years. According to the Water District, no environmental damage has happened as the spills have been minimal. The article blends in opinions and statements form both the SCCWD as well as several environmentalist who wonder why the water district is not currently working to repair the old dams. If the dams are not upgraded relatively soon, the environmental damage could become a greater concern.

This article discusses the current debate of whether there is such a thing as chronic Lyme disease and what methods should be used to treat it. This is a very relevant topic to the Bay Area as more than 100 cases are reported all over California and particularly in Northern California. The Infectious Diseases Society of America are opponents of "chronic Lyme disease" saying that it is just another anti-science movement, while LymeDisease.org argues that the health industry is not always able to diagnose Lyme disease and alternative methods are needed. There is still a lot of uncertainty within this debate. The author uses many health experts and activists to have a balance of opinions in this piece.

This articles discusses measures taken to hinder environmental destruction caused by off-roading. These incidents have taken place in Wavecrest, which is protected land near Half Moon Bay. The article mentions that the area where off roading took place is home to the endangered California red-legged frog as well as several endangered plants. The article also discusses the controversy surrounding the placing of logs as deterrents without the proper permits.

This article discusses the arguments for and against the use of antibiotics for animals as well as the FDA's new voluntary measures. The author uses science and statistics to back up the arguments of each side as well as the dangers of "super bugs", but never gives any direct evidence of his or her opinion on the issue. Additionally, the author uses quotes from many different people including heads of various non profits and scientists. It is a well written article that leaves the reader more informed on the topic of antibiotic resistant bacteria in our food industry.

Yes, this article discusses how our desire and happiness when running helped us survive in the evolutionary timeline. The results were that endocannabinoid levels were much in humans and dogs after they had run and the level of endocannabinoids did not change after ferrets had slept. They concluded that we get pleasure from running because of this. The subject of evolution has been debated for many decades and is a current topic of interest in our society because many people believe that intelligent design should be taught along side evolution. The implications of this study could prove to be very important in understanding how humans have survived as a species. The only thing that could have been done differently is that the ... More »

The city of Mountain View ruled to set aside 300 acres of habitat with healthy populations of ground squirrels to strengthen Burrowing owl populations. Since the Shoreline is home to one of the largest Western burrowing owl populations in Santa Clara County, it is important to ensure the protection of their habitat because they help to keep rodent populations at healthy levels.

There is a complex predator prey relationship between squirrels and rattlesnakes. Many people do not realize that snakes play a very important ecological role in maintaining healthy rodent populations that may carry various diseases. It is important to better our understanding of the complex predator prey relationship between rattlesnakes and squirrels so that we can ensure healthy populations of both of these animal species.

This article discusses the new plan regarding the California High Speed Train. The author details many of the details listed in the proposal, specifically that the new plan can cut nearly 30 billion dollars. Environmentally, the High-Speed Rail would reduce carbon emissions by three million tons. The high speed rail affects many Californians, especially people living in Silicon Valley. There are many people who are for and against this proposal. Opponents argue that it is too expensive and won't be paid for, while proponents say that it will benefit the environment as well as traffic. The article should have included the sources of the speculated environmental benefits as well as how those projections were derived. The author ... More »

The article explains the details of a new report that was published ranking the healthiest counties in California. Santa Clara County received the honor of being the second healthiest county. The article explains some of the data for unclear categories listed in the data table. This article reaches its constituency as Campbell is part of Santa Clara County and it compares the health of Santa Clara County against the California and National Averages. The article details public health of the counties in California, which is a very important topic in the United States. It is interesting to see that Santa Clara County received a "Physical Environment" ranking of 22nd in the state of California and still managed to have an overall ... More »