A number of divers are currently being trained to reduce the population of Purple Urchins that are decimating the Kelp Forests off the coast of California. Since 2013, when the Sunflower Sea Stars (that feed on the Purple Urchins), started suffering a wasting disease that's been killing them, the number of purple urchins has bloomed. In fact, the number of those urchins has doubled since 2019. That's not only bad for the Kelp Forests, but for all the marine life that live in and around the Kelp Forests....such as the endangered Southern Sea Otter.
The kelp, which can remove several times more carbon greenhouse gas than trees can, is like an underwater rainforest (which has several tiers and a canopy, providing food and shelter for the animals of the coastline ecosystem).
Kelp also dampens wave action, which then decreases coastal erosion.
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Pacific Grove city officials have filed a lawsuit against the state of California. The complaint is because the state refused to implement a voter-approved sales tax increase. The state agency involved has refused because of a typo in Measure L (that has since been fixed) that referenced the wrong municipal code. City officials say that not implementing the tax increase will cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars each fiscal year....which (along with losses from the pandemic) will cause the continued curtailment of some city services.
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Due to damages done last summer by the CZU Lightning Fire, and the current drought, the folks at the King Fisher Flats Hatchery in Davenport have started releasing young Coho Salmon early....with the plan of releasing all 12-thousand of the 4-6 inch long hatchlings by next week. That's in part because last summer's fire melted piping that fed water to the ponds where the stock are kept until they are big enough to be released. Along with repairing fire damage to the hatchery, the surrounding infrastructure (that also suffered fire damage) needs to be repaired as well.
Coho Salmon are on the Endangered Species List.
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A 15 year-old has been arrested in connection with a killing that took place last month in King City. The teen faces a murder charge in the shooting death of 31 year-old Miguel Angel Aviles. Anyone with information about the shooting that took place just after 1 a.m. March 31st on Broadway Circle is encouraged to contact the King City Police Department.
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