Near Record Temperatures in SoCal (and the entire southwest)

Maximum Temperatures for 5/29/13 in the Southwest
Courtesy of the National Weather Service

Near record temperatures are expected today and for the remainder of the weekend (possibly lingering until the 4th of July), thanks to a strong high pressure system that has parked itself over the Southwest.  Excessive Heat Warnings have been issued throughout much of the Southwest including pretty-much almost all of SoCal (except for coastal locations). The National Weather Service has predicted that temperatures will be well into the triple-digits, with low temperatures in many areas not dropping below 70 degrees.

For more information visit: The National Weather Service

Rim of the Valley Corridor Study

The Tierra Rejada Endangered Species Preserve that has been recently bisected by Urban Sprawl

The Vernal Pool toward the left of the picture is the home of the Endangered "Riverside Fairy Shrimp"

Underwood Farms can be seen toward the background
(Image property of SoCal Earth Science Blog)

The Study

I recently stumbled upon the "Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Recourse Study" by the National Park Service, which can be seen here: http://www.nps.gov/pwro/rimofthevalley/Newsletter3EnglishWEB.pdf

To sum the document up, there are four alternatives:
Alternative A - No Action

Alternative B - Cooperative Conservation Partnership
-SMNRA partners with other land owners and managers to protect and expand open spaces

Alternative C - Connecting Urban Communities 
-Adds more of the eastern study region to the SMNRA
Pros:
-Includes the Verdugo Hills
-Includes open space close to urban Los Angeles
-Provides corridors to nearby Angeles National Forest
Cons:
-Does not provide corridors to the Los Padres National Forest
-Does not include most or all of the Santa Susana Mountains and Simi Hills
-Does not include land in Ventura County that is/will be subjected to urban sprawl near Moorpark and Thousand Oaks

Alternative D - Connecting Natural Habitat 
-Adds more of the western study region to the SMNRA
Pros:
-Includes the Santa Susana Mountains and more of the Simi Hills
-Provides corridors to the nearby Los Padres and Angeles National Forests.
-Includes areas that are at risk to habitat fragmentation
Cons:
-Does not include the Verdugo Hills
-Does not include connections to urban Los Angeles

My Stance

I feel that an alternative that is a hybrid of C and D, would be adequate. One that includes natural areas and corridors, as in alternative D, but also protects the Verdugo Hills, as in alternative C.

If I had to choose between the two, although many may argue that Alternative D would not bring as much parkland into the Los Angeles Area, Alternative D would prevent habitat fragmentation and include the almost completely unprotected Santa Susana Mountains and Simi Hills. Thus, I would go with alternative D.

I have experienced the horrible fragmentation every time I visit my friends in Moorpark. Much of Moorpark was once open space and farmland. However in recent years, developers have developed even ecologically sensitive regions. This can be seen in a relatively recent development that bisects a small watershed that drains into a vernal pool (home of the endangered Riverside Fairy Shrimp). Although developers have stated that they have minimized their impact, by not destroying the vernal pool, they have destroyed much of the watershed that provides the pool with water every few years, and created a system of concrete ditches that artificially transport water around the development and to the pool. This can be seen in the image at the top of the page.

To prevent such atrocities from destroying more natural areas in Ventura County, I would support Alternative D to protect vulnerable areas that are at a significant risk.

Playa Vista Phase 2- Littering by Construction Company and Non-Cutoff Light Fixtures

Full-Cutoff
Light Fixture in Del Rey

Non-Cutoff
Light Fixture in Playa Vista

I was just walking along the "Playa Vista Riparian Corridor"a rerouted version of the original Centinela Creek. I noticed that construction workers that were restoring a former hanger that was once owned by Howard Hughes that was adjacent to the Riparian Corridor did not pick up their trash. The trash was allowed it to drift into the Corridor as well as a neighboring park. Hopefully, it will be picked up.

Another story, I have been annoyed for a long period of time by the fact that Playa Vista has installed street lights that produce heavy light pollution (see image). This is going against what the city of LA has been trying to do for the past few years-- use full cut-off LED light fixtures to help conserve energy and to reduce light pollution. The developers have been continuously stating the idea that Playa Vista is a "green development." However, they are being anti-green by using the light polluting, non-cutoff, and energy wasting sodium vapor light fixtures not only in the older Phase 1, but in the new Phase 2 as
well.

California's Earthquake Early Warning System is Passed by the Senate

This video was created by "EHSUCBerkley"and includes Peggy Hellweg, a geophysicist at UC Berkley discussing the Shakealert System.
(Courtesy of EHSUCBerkley)

On May 28, 2013, the California State Senate voted unanimously (39-0) to pass "State Bill 135," which will create a comprehensive state-wide earthquake early warning system form the state of California. 

The bill states that the bill, if passed by the assembly and signed by the governor, will require:

"(1) Installation of field sensors.(2) Improvement of field telemetry.(3) Construction and testing of central processing and notification centers.(4) Establishment of warning notification distribution paths to the public.(5) Integration of earthquake early warning education with general earthquake preparedness efforts."

The bill will most likely be up for signing by the governor this fall.

In the mean-time... here are some posts on earthquake early warning in order by date:

Earthquake Early Warning Receives 5 Million (4/22/13)

California's Earthquake Early Warning System Clears First Major Hurdle (3/30/13)

Earthquake Early Warning Finally Gets Some Publicity (2/1/13)

Earthquake in Yorba Linda with Reflection on EEW (8/8/12)

In-depth Post on Earthquake Early Warning (7/20/12)