Category: 2015-2016 El Niño

Fracking in Monterey County

What the Frack ? Fracturing our County

Big Sur Grange
Tuesday February 9th, 6-8 pm.
A soup, salad and cornbread supper will begin at 6
Free but donations gratefully accepted
Please bring a place setting

Big Sur Advocates for a Green Environment (B-SAGE) voted fracking as our most pressing environmental issue, so we decided to host an event on this topic. Fracking has been banned in Scotland, Bulgaria, Germany and France. Here in the United States, New York State, and the state of Vermont have also instituted bans. In California, three counties and the city of Los Angeles have passed bans. Currently, Monterey County is one of the 10 counties in California where fracking is known to have occurred. Over half of the frack-able oil in the U.S. is in the state of California.

Fracking is
a. a petrochemical extraction process using water to flush energy-rich components out of shale
b. an excellent way to cause earthquakes!
c. the key to U.S. energy independence
d. an obscenity
e. profitable
f. a painful procedure, much like a lumbar puncture, performed upon a planetary body
g. an issue that can be discussed cordially
h. a process that pollutes huge amounts of water, even during an historic drought

B-Sage invites everyone who agrees with “g” to our upcoming event on fracking, whatever your other answers might be. Members of Protect Monterey County (protectmontereycounty.org)plan to attend.
with speakers and inclusive discussion of this divisive issue to follow. In the next few elections to come, voters will be asked to make critical decisions on this issue. Email Jessica at winterkoning@gmail.com if you would like to speak at this event, need directions, etc.

Big Sur Snow Photos, 1/31/16

imageimageBy popular demand, here are a couple shots from this afternoon. The clouds dissipated, the sun came out to play, and Cone and Twin Peaks finally displayed their winter clothes. Thank you, Big Sur.

These snow photos preempted  my intended 1/31/98-1/31/16 comparison post, so I will post that tomorrow. Still hoping for a spectacular sunset shot, too.

Snow storm, 1/31/16

Big, big flakes started about 8:15 this am. Soft, drifting 1/2 dollar size flakes, some silver dollar-sized. If it continues and sticks, I will have photos. Right now, I need to build a fire, have a second cup of coffee and watch with amazement. Later, I will have a 1/31/98 journal entry to compare to today’s totals (hint: we are seriously behind the 1998 totals.) Oh, my, this is so beautiful! BTW, Cone Peak shots are unlikely, as we are shrouded in the clouds.

From SLO Meterologist: “Total rainfall amounts will range between 0.75 and 1.75 inches with higher amounts in the Santa Lucia Mountains. Snow levels will fall as colder air filters into California. Snowfall will range between 12 and 18 inches for the southern Sierra & 6 and10 inches across the Tehachapi Range.

Snow levels will continue to drop to around 2,500 and 3,000 feet by tonight with a chance for some snow accumulation to reach down into the higher mountains of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.”

Rainfall Amounts, 1/30/16

As of 7 am, I have received .54″ since midnight. NOAA Monterey says:

“SYNOPSIS…LIGHT RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF TODAY AS THE
TAIL END OF A SYSTEM MOVES TO THE EAST. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL
SPREAD RAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA ON
SUNDAY…WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE ALONG THE BIG SUR COAST
AND IN THE SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS….

.DISCUSSION…AS OF 3:25 AM PST SATURDAY…KMUX RADAR IS
CURRENTLY OUT OF SERVICE…AWAITING PARTS TO REPAIR IT. EARLIEST
IT COULD BE REPAIRED WOULD BE THIS AFTERNOON.”

Foto Friday, 1/29/16

This is one I took from the conference I attended during last weekend’s storms. I am caught up momentarily, so will be back keeping an eye on all things Big Sur.

image

Reminder: Highway One closed tonight between 10 pm and 6 am tomorrow

All businesses north and south of the slide will be open as usual, but best to be past the closure and nearing your destination in plenty of time to avoid any inconvenience.

“Cow Cliffs [just north of Big Creek] will have its first overnight full closure on Thursday, Jan. 28 from 10 pm until 6 am (Friday morning from PM28-PM29) to place girders on the viaduct. Electronic message boards will be activated to inform motorists of this hard closure. The CHP will assist with traffic control. Motorists are advised to reach their destination by 10 pm on Thursday, Jan. 28.”

Warm, clear weather … Then another round

I have been out of town for a while, but keeping an eye on the storms and road conditions. I, like many of you, will be preparing for the upcoming storm, restocking, getting laundry done and dried with the sun to make it easier, and catching up on making up for my absence to my dogs. Blogging is likely to be sporadic this week as a result.

It looks to be a warmer, clear week, with another storm building. Meterologist John Lindsey has this to say:  “Current longer-range forecast models suggest a stormy weather pattern starting Saturday afternoon and continuing through the following week. The models are indicating a particularly strong low-pressure system developing off the California Coast on Sunday with moderate gale-force to fresh gale-force (32 to 46 mph) southeasterly winds, heavy rain and high seas. These are long-range models; consequently, the timing and intensity of this predicted storm will probably change as the week progresses.”