The Land

Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and San Luis Obispo Counties

Paul Beckett selected to Hall of Fame

Supervisors push water district process ahead County staff will petition LAFCO to form new district

By DEBORAH MILLS Of the Land

STAFF REPORT SAN LUIS OBISPO — The county Board of Supervisors are moving forward with the process of forming a water district for the Paso Robles groundwater basin.

October’s vote was 4-1 in favor of directing the county Public Works Department to begin petitioning the Local Agency Formation Commission to form a Paso Robles water basin district. Supervisor Debbie Arnold cast the lone no vote.

“Clearly we have many, many people opposed to forming a new district and we have many people that are adamantly about that,” Arnold said. “But that being said, I don’t think this is the role of the county to apply for a new water district.”

The petition process would cost the county an estimated $350,000 and be paid through the county Flood Control and Water Conservation District.

“I worry about the expense of creating a new district,” Arnold said. “The taxpayers already pay for a large county staff to do this kind of thing. I have a lot of confidence in our flood control district.”

Arnold would like to see the basin landowners petition LAFCO. The public hearing lasted nearly two hours and about 30 people spoke. Neither side had a clear majority.

The move comes on the heels of a September signing of AB 2453 allowing the formation of such a district. It was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 16.

The supervisor’s decision came out of a water summit during the board’s Tuesday afternoon session and included updates on current drought conditions and state and local water legislation.

The bill allows either the board or 10 percent of the property owners of the basin to petition to form the district. Developing

December 2014

Charles Paull, senior scientist at MBARI shows where researchers discovered the sunken ship on a map of the Monterey Bay. Tarmo Hannula/The Land

A surprising discovery

Marine researchers discover long-lost shipwreck

By TODD GUILD Of the Land

MOSS LANDING — A barge that has languished for more than three decades 1,700 meters below the water’s surface in Monterey Bay was recently discovered by a team of researchers studying oceanic fault lines.

The researchers, from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, announced their discovery Nov. 5.

But the discovery was a fluke. They were on a weeklong research cruise to study the San Gregorio Fault, an active earthquake fault that crosses Monterey Bay. That task is infinitely more difficult than it sounds. Thanks to the complexity of peering through hundreds of feet of water, researchers estimate they have mapped less than five percent of the ocean’s floor.

“We know more about the surface of Mars than we do the sea floor,” said

MBARI geologist Charlie Paull.

The discovered barge, named the Umpqua II, was built in 1970. It set sail in 1982 out of its Reedsport, Ore. home and was carrying a load of dredge spoils when it ran aground near Moss Landing.

It was towed offshore and scuttled, coming to rest in Monterey Canyon, a largely unexplored place that can reach depths up to 13,000 feet.

The barge has since become home for a handful of sea stars, anemones, and fish, but has been mostly kept free of life and corrosion thanks to the low oxygen concentration of the deep water.

The Umpqua II well may have gone undiscovered indefinitely, were it not for MBARI and its Autonomous Underwater Vehicle called the D. Allen B. Some 30 feet long, the device is torpedo-shaped and packed full of monitors, sensors and batteries. Once

SOUTH COUNTY — Every year the Western Fairs Association (WFA) selects one or two individuals to be in their Hall of Fame, and this year, Paul Beckett and Sandy Woods were selected for their dedicated efforts that have enriched the tradition of fairs and encouraged the professionalism of the industry as a whole.

“I was in shock when I got the telephone call that I was selected,” said Beckett. “I am still in shock.”

On Jan. 14, Beckett will attend the annual convention in Reno where he will be honored at the Industry Awards celebration where WFA presents not only the Hall of Fame recipients but they also present the Merrill Award for innovation and vision in fair management and the Barham Award for outstanding entrepreneurship.

WFA is also awarding Woods, who is the manager of the Nevada County Fair in Grass Valley, the Hall of Fame award.

Beckett has served for 40 years on the Board of Directors for the Salinas Valley Fair (SVF) where this year he retired from the board but is still as active as ever with the fair.

Beckett’s life in South County started in the ‘60s when he worked for PGE where they had a cooking booth at the fair yearly. Shortly after his arrival he helped out with the booth and he noticed in his down time that there were Please turn to Page 4

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Adelaida Cellars celebrates 50 years of pinot noir, breaks ground on addition New hospitality center slated to grace winery’s hilltop ranch property 2015

By HAYLEY THOMAS For the Land

PASO ROBLES — It was a bright and sunny morning on Thursday, Oct. 16, as local dignitaries and the wine community gathered together for a celebration 50 years in the making. Veteran Paso Robles winery Adelaida Cellars celebrated the milestone birthday of its HMR Pinot Noir Vineyard, then subsequently broke ground on its new hospitality center, set to open in 2015.

Several shuttles transported the group— From left, Dr. Liam Duggan and Elizabeth and Brett Van Steenwyk break ground on which included SLO County Supervisor Frank Adelaida Cellars’ new hospitality center, slated to open next year. The groundbreaking Mecham, Adelaida Winery Owners Elizabeth took place on Thursday, Oct. 16 and also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the winery’s HMR Pinot Noir Vineyard, planted in 1964. Photo by Hayley Thomas

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This year Paul Beckett received the honor of being on the cover of this year’s Salinas Valley Fair auction cover for his commitment of serving 40 years on the board of directors and on Friday it was announced that he is the recipient of the Western Fairs Association Hall of Fame award, which is the highest honor to receive in the industry.

Inside ...

Paso man travels for bugs

2

Research vessel retired

3

Water warriors honored

5

Paso Robles on board with tourism

6

Charles Paddock Zoo welcomes birth of red pandas

7

2 The Land - December 2014

For this traveler, roaches in a lodge are definitely a plus

By NATASHA DALTON For the Land

PASO ROBLES — John Hutchings sounds like ‘a pretty regular guy’.

“I am a red-white-and-blue American,” he says. “I eat pizza, go to the movies and watch TV. And I travel. That’s normal, right?”

Right. But for Hutchings, who is a science teacher in Paso Robles, traveling is an extreme sport. Not just because he would certainly pick volcano boarding over traditional sightseeing, but also because the main reason for his travels is a bug called the tiger beetle.

If you’re thinking of becoming a collector, tiger beetles are a rewarding choice: with so many different kinds of them in the world, you’ll always have something to pine for. And if you’re like Hutchings, you could add to the fun by catching the new members for your collection personally.

Hutchings “caught the beetle bug” 30 years ago from a professor at CSU Long Beach, and by now his son, Christian, 21, has also become an avid entomologist.

Tiger beetles are the world’s fastest land animals, and they can fly, too — which makes catching them pretty tricky., Paso Robles teacher John Hutchings is a regular guy with an unusual hobby: tiger beetles.

Photo by Sasha Dalton/for The Land

PUBLISHER John Bartlett publisher@register-pajaronian.com

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Williams editor@register-pajaronian.com

EDITORIAL STAFF Tarmo Hannula, Todd Guild, Deborah Mills, Luke Phillips, Allyson Oken, Roxy Ozuna, Erik Chalhoub and Hayley Thomas

“They’re so fast that they have to stop to let their eyes catch up with them,” Hutchings explains. “They’re so funny: they stop and go, and you have to stalk them with your net.”

This summer John and his son were beetle hunting in Ecuador — first, in the cloud forest on the Pacific side of the Andes, and then in the Amazon. The trip was a big success.

“We caught thousands and thousands of insects,” John says.

The hunting had to be done at night, at the risk of being swept away in the dark by the brisk waters of the region’s rivers. But

Hutchings enjoyed the results. All 12 tiger beetles caught on the boulders in the rivers of the Amazon Jungle turned out to be new species for his collection.

For an explorer, knowing whether a particular insect has been already discovered is not always easy.

“When I find something in this country, I know if they’re new, because I know the group,” Hutchings explains. “But if I go somewhere else, I don’t know those groups.”

He remembers the excitement he felt when he found an unusual black beetle in the forests of Texas. Hutchings caught the

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John Hutchings’ no-frills accommodations on his trips inspire him to be proactive when it comes to mealtime: here’s John Hutchings in Pantanal, Brazil, catching Piranha for dinner.

Photo Courtesy of Christian Hutchings/for The Land

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beetle at twilight, and knowing that the daytime beetles usually aren’t black, he thought that maybe it was something yet unknown to science. He even had a name “I wanted to name it Cicindela arleni, after my mom, Arlene.” he says. But it turned out that the beetle, although “pretty obscure,” had already been catalogued.

Still, Hutchings thinks that he might have some species new to science — but the process of identifying them takes time and effort.

Hutchings began traveling with his son when Christian was little, and many of their fondest memories have to do with catching bugs — running after tiger beetles in Fontainebleau, Paris, finding the prettiest American beetle, Plusiotos Gloriosa, on the mountaintops of Central America, or bagging “the biggest roach in my life,” as Hutchings put it, in the cloud forests of Ecuador.

Last summer in Borneo, where father and son spent afternoons snorkeling, before going insect-hunting at night, they spotted some amazing stock-eye flies, monkeys and orangutans. But the most memorable creatures on that trip were leaches.

“What a wild place Borneo is,” Hutchings says. “There’re so many leaches, even in daytime.”

Every night, John and Christian would stop in the middle of the forest to do a leach check. First they did it every 30 minutes, then every 15, then every 10, but the moment they pried one off, another immediately crawled in its place. So, the checks were abandoned as ineffectual, and removing leaches became the nightly ritual back at the lodge.

“When they get on you, you cannot take them off. I’d take my boot off, and there would be blood there from leaches gnawing on me for hours, “John says. “And if you flush them down the toilet, they crawl out.”

For most, this would be reason enough to leave, and never come back, but Hutchings and his son do not get freaked out.

“If we want to catch bugs, we have to go where they are,” they reason.

On the other hand, the signs of globalization are affecting even the most remote areas.

“These days, the Internet is all over the Amazon, and even in small communities teenagers have cellphones,” Hutchings says.

Places that just 50 years ago were almost inaccessible to most foreigners have become popular tourist destinations. Still, “you have to know when to travel. I’d hate to go to Africa in the wrong season,” Hutchings says.

He remembers his trip to Pantanal, Brazil — the best wildlife-viewing area in this hemisphere.

“We saw giant anteaters, 6-foot otters that looked like humans, thousands of crocodiles,” Hutchings says, “but it wasB the wrong season for insects.”

O To see them he has to go back in the rainy season. Another place on Hutching’s bucket list is Tanzania. Apparently, in thev campgrounds there “they zip up your tent,h and warn you not to open it at night,” heo says. To Hutchings, all this sounds like fun.

“Africa would be the ultimate trip for me,”p he says.

O That’s the beauty of collecting bugs.r They are as good an excuse for travelings as any, he says. And to people like JohnH Hutchings, even “roach motels” are justt another name for adventure.

C p t v T s t a

s M L

v a

Dynastes granti is the largest known beetle.

John Hutchings caught it in Arizona and s brought to his classroom to show to his a students. “I knew they’d love it,” he says. “ Photo by Sasha Dalton/for The Land

The Land - Decemberr 2014 3

Moss Landing research vessel retired

By TARMO HANNULA Of the Land

MOSS LANDING — After 1,100 cruises and about 350 class cruises for an estimated 10,000 students and teachers, the Moss Landing Marine Lab’s Research Vessel Point Sur was retired Nov. 10.

Dozens of researchers, crewmembers and students gathered in Moss Landing for a dockside farewell bash.

“We are all very, very sad about it,” said Jim Harvey, director of the Moss Landing Marine Lab. “But funding for research cruises has significantly dropped. We had some incredible journeys aboard Point Sur.” For the past 28 years the 135-foot, regional class research vessel has been a key instrument for MLML for a host of research cruises that gathered data in umpteen fields including climate change, coral life, mineral amounts in the water, sea otter life, whale and fish research and more.

“The National Science Foundation owns Point Sur and they got a reduction in funding for research cruises,” Harvey said.

“And our Congress is not as supportive of science as they once were.”

Harvey said that more and more research is being done on computers and in labs and not at sea, thus reducing the budget for Point Sur and similar research vessels.

“It’s a pretty good size vessel and if the seas are calm you’d never know you were on the ocean,” Harvey said. “However, if you are in rough seas you do feel it. I always felt it was a very comfortable ship.

It ran very well and we were very happy with it.”

Noteworthy missions for Point Sur include an unprecedented three-month journey in 2013 to Antarctica to research whales and geology productivity along the Arctic, cruises along the coast of South America, Central America and along the coast of Mexico. The ship has also been to Hawaii and Alaska.

Most recently professor of biogeochemistry Kenneth Cole used Point Sur to have a look at the transport of mercury onto land from the ocean via fog. The last long voyage was headed up by Harvey’s wife, Mary Yoklavich, a fishery scientist at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to study

The Research Vessel Point Sur, which is part of the Moss Landing Marine Lab, is dressed up in marine flags Monday hours before it was retired at the Moss Landing Harbor. Tarmo Hannula/The Land

rockfish and deep-sea coral using an underwater robot.

Harvey said typical missions involve about 15 to 20 people, which include crew and scientists.

“It is like its own little floating city once you are out to sea,” Harvey said. “You have all the things you need — food, a bed, the Internet, work space and your research tools. A typical research trip can last anywhere from a couple days up to 30 to 45 days.”

Harvey said the ship will most likely be sold for about $1 million, once they put it up for sale.

“Who buys it is up in the air,” Harvey said. “It could be another research group,

Talk addresses rise in farm worker abuse

By ERIK CHALHOUB Of the Land

WATSONVILLE — A rise in sexual violence in the farm worker community has prompted organizations to focus efforts on providing justice for those victimized.

On Oct. 17, Monarch Services, in partnership with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, hosted a regional training session for health and social service providers titled “Sexual Harassment and Violence in the Fields” at the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust.

In 2012, Monarch Services created Campos Seguros (Safe Fields), a violence prevention program that aims to address the number of sexual and domestic violence incidents among farm workers.

The program, funded by a grant from the state, allows social service workers to visit the fields and raise awareness of the issue and provide support.

“It’s really geared toward changing the social norm around sexual violence,” said Monarch Services Executive Director Laura Segura.

While there is not a lot of data on sexual violence in the fields, that is changing, according to Segura.

“We know it exists and how severe it is,” she said. “Women are being raped at an alarming rate.”

Segura pointed to a 2012 study titled “Cultivating Fear,” which is based on

interviews with more than 160 farm workers, attorneys, members of the agricultural industry, service providers, police and others. More than 50 women were interviewed who work with a variety of crops in California, North Carolina and New York.

Most of the women interviewed said they had experienced some sort of sexual violence, and many said they had not reported the incident, fearing retaliation, according to the study.

What brought the issue further to light was the documentary “Rape in the Fields,” which investigated rape on the job for immigrant women working in the agriculture fields, Segura said.

Friday’s training featured guest speaker William Tamayo, regional attorney with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Working for 19 years with EEOC, Tamayo has represented four dozen battered immigrant women.

Tamayo discussed how investigators prove harassment by gathering small details through talking with the victim and potential witnesses.

“We get bits and pieces of the story so we can get a finding of whether sexual harassment occurred or not,” he said.

Monarch Services is the only confidential domestic violence shelter and rape crisis center in Santa Cruz County and Pajaro Valley, according to the organization.

or a private group. We were always hoping for a benefactor, but that hasn’t happened.

The doors are still open to that possibility and we’d certainly welcome it. We have always felt very privileged to be able to use Point Sur, so this is sort of bittersweet.

The vessel has been very iconic for us. A lot of people from around the world have sailed on it.”

One of the biggest breakthroughs in science made aboard Point Sur, Harvey said, was the discovery of low levels of iron in certain spots in the sea.

“River systems typically wash lots of iron out to sea,” Harvey said. “So we eventually found areas where iron levels were significantly low, which started a new wave of research.”

4 The Land - December 2014

Surprising Discovery programed and launched, it is capable of operating on its own for 16 hours and going as deep as 19,000 feet.

Using SONAR, it is also capable of detecting objects as small as a few

Continued from page 1

centimeters across.

Using the device, MBARI researchers have discovered new geological features, including two hydrothermal vent areas in the Gulf of California.

It has also helped map wrecks such as the Montebello, an oil tanker that sank off Central California during World War II. Researchers have long relied on satellite photos and those taken from boats to map the sea floor, but neither has offered much detail.

Using the underwater research vehicles, the researchers are starting to put together a high-resolution map of the ocean floor that will in part help paint a picture of how fault lines behave.

“This is yet another level of detail,” Paull said.

The ship was discovered after a geologist examining the images taken by D. Allen B noticed an unusual, rectangular object.

Researchers immediately believed the object was man-made, and used a remotely

operated vehicle to explore the wreckage, circling it several times to determine its name and condition.

“Obviously it’s exhilarating,” said MBARI geologist Charlie Paull. “I’ve spent most of my career exploring the sea floor.”

Paull said MBARI has no immediate plans to return to the sunken barge. But he added that it could be used by other researchers to study how wrecks affect the ocean, and how the ocean affects them.

“It’s always exhilarating to see these things,” Paull said. “This is a testimony to the technology that MBARI has developed.

It’s absolutely state of the art, and if it’s not the finest mapping vehicle in the world it’s one of the top three.”

A photo, taken by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, shows the name of a sunken ship, Umpqua II, that they discovered in the Monterey Bay last week. contributed

Water District

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the petition could take six to eight months and would require several hearings. It would include district boundaries as well as outlining its powers and authorities.

The board will still need to formally ask LAFCO to form the district once the petition is ready.

Landowners will also have to approve the district.

“We need to get this before LAFCO,” said Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Bruce Gibson, “and they need to get it

before the voters.”

The Paso Robles groundwater basin covers 800 square miles and is in the midst of three consecutive years of extreme drought. Some areas of the basin have reported water levels dropping by more than 70 feet, leading to hundreds of dry wells.

“Doing nothing is absolutely unacceptable,” said Supervisor Frank Mecham. “I am going to support sending the district to LAFCO.”

Kim Fulton-Bennett, public information specialist at MBARI ,shows an autonomous underwater vehicle that is undergoing maintenance. Tarmo Hannula/The Land

Paul Beckett

Tillage • Trellising • Macro Bins • Totes • Bearings Spray • Winemaking & Vineyard Supplies

“Everything For The Grower” 831-675-2000 Gloria Rd at Hwy 101, Gonzales Ca. Servicing Northern/Central Ca. to L.A

Continued from page 1

many different gates into the fair grounds and they were getting backed up. Soon after SVF Manager Mel Simas saw how Beckett took action and helped alleviate the situation, the next thing he knew he was a cashier.

How he became a director was pretty much the same by getting a phone call in 1974 from Marcel Layous.

“He (Layous) called me up one night and asked if I was sitting down,” said Beckett.

“I said ‘no,’ and he said ‘you better, you are on the fair board.’”

Beckett continued, “I was quite honored because I thought you had to be around for about 40 years before they would even think of having me be on the board.”

Over the years he has been the director of Photography, Arts and Crafts, Industrial Education and Entertainment. Beckett is known for his “hands on” approach and has always worked behind the scenes from early in the morning until the fair closes at night.

Beckett takes great joy in stocking and serving in the Directors Patio and does the same for the grounds acts. On auction day he makes sure there are plenty of cold refreshments for the bidders throughout the day.

Since the forming of the nonprofit SVF Heritage Foundation in 2001, Beckett

became a charter member, one of the first 140 people to join.

The foundation is dedicated to supporting and improving the SVF and the specific purpose “is to preserve and enrich the heritage of the Salinas Valley Fair and showcase agricultural industries to the community. It will offer support to the 4-H and FFA programs, create agricultural education opportunities, promote public awareness and support for ongoing projects sponsored by the Salinas Valley Fair in maintaining and improving the current facility to further service the needs of the community.”

One of Beckett’s recent accomplishments is he has been on the Leadership Development Committee for the WFA that has developed a training curriculum for directors and leaders in the fair industry.

He will continue to represent the fair at industry functions.

“Service is his religion,” said his wife Anne of 47 years.

Beckett has been on the board and also he is a past president of the King City Chamber of Commerce, King City Rotary Club, where he has had perfect attendance for 46 years, Mee Memorial Hospital, SoMoCo Center for the Performing Arts, Monterey County Fire Board and many other service type organizations.

The Land - Decemberr 2014 5

King City FFA members attend Regional Leadership Conference

By ROXY OZUNA For the Land

KING CITY — FFA members from the King City FFA chapter attended a Regional Leadership conference where more than 275 other students, all involved in FFA, united at the 2014 South Coast Region FFA, Chapter Officer Conference in Hollister on Oct. 11 and 12.

“The FFA is an organization that promotes premier leadership, personal growth, and career success, and this is just what everybody who attended this two-day conference gained,” said Roxy Ozuna. “At this annual event, students attended various workshops, which serve to encourage and motivate these leaders to return to their schools with a new outlook on life and a positive attitude with their ideas.”

All in attendance also had the opportunity to listen to various keynote speakers such as Leah Gibson, the past State FFA Vice President from Paso Robles FFA who is California’s National FFA Officer candidate. Gibson joined the State

Adelaida Cellars

and Regional FFA leaders in making the conference one to remember. However, the conference wouldn’t be complete without the Saturday night program where the different schools had a chance to perform a lip sync routine, and a dance to help liven up the crowd.

The many workshops and activities taught the elected leaders to have a positive attitude and influence as well as to stay away from negative aspects of society, such as drug abuse, low self-esteem and racism.

“This conference was truly a unique experience where people from different communities and backgrounds were able to come together not only to learn, but to have a good time,” said Joelle Lewis, regional FFA president.

Without the knowledge gained from this conference, FFA members gained a new outlook on life, which will make an impact on their lives and society around them.

The local FFA advisors also participated in a professional development meeting on Oct. 12.

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Adelaida Cellars Winemaker Jeremy Weintraub talks about the merits of the old pinot noir vines that Dr. Stanley Hoffman planted in 1964, and are now owned by the longe Paso Robles winery. The HMR Vineyard celebrated 50 years during a media event held by the winery on Thursday, Oct. 16. Photo by Hayley Thomas

and Brett Van Steenwyk and original vineyard planter and founder Dr. Stanly Hoffman—to the historic HMR vineyard, located at an elevation of more than 2,000 ofeet.

The pinot noir grapes were planted hin 1964 by Hoffman and are widely dconsidered the oldest producing pinot noir evineyard on the Central Coast. Surrounded by golden-tinged, recently-harvested vines, several speakers, including Adelaida cWinemaker Jeremy Weintraub, talked about the landmark’s remarkable history.

“It is every winemaker’s dream to work with old vines, which are more subtle, nuanced and complex. They inspire and conjure and make us look deeper into our sglasses,” Weintraub said. “Great vineyards don’t happen by accident. It takes visionary, and we have Dr. Hoffman to thank here and his amazing planning.”

Mecham presented a Proclamation of Historical Vineyard to the Van Steenwyks and National Sales Manager Paul Sowerby and Dr. Liam Dugan of the Van Steenwyk family shared his thoughts. o “In the 1970s, pinot noir from this yvineyard took top honors in France,” noted yDugan—a breakthrough that foreshadowed efuture success for then the only pinot noir ,vineyard in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

The Van Steenwyk family purchased 419 acres of the original Hoffman Mountain

Ranch in 1994 and restored it to good health for its growing wine program, according to Dugan. Located in the west hills of Paso Robles in the Adelaida district, Dr. Hoffman planted gamay noir, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay vineyards that now belong to Adelaida Cellars.

According to the family, a new hospitality center is slated to stand adjacent to the existing winery on its hilltop ranch property, which showcases panoramic views of the Santa Lucia mountains and walnut groves. The new building, designed

by Caron Architecture, will feature a lower level that offers additional barrel storage.

Adelaida Cellars General Manager Jessica Kollhoff said the hilltop ranch location is “incredibly special.”

“The long drive in, the hills with the walnut trees; there is a certain serenity and peacefulness here that we are all lucky enough to escape into,” Kollhoff said. “Our guests also feel that when they come to the winery.”

Elizabeth Van Steenwyk echoed that sentiment.

“We thought the 50th anniversary would be the perfect time to break ground on the new tasting room; two perfect milestones with one representing our history and the other representing our future,” she said.

For more information, visit adelaida.com or visit the winery at 5805 Adelaida Road in Paso Robles.

‘Water warriors’ honored at barbecue

Leonard Villanueva (right) and David Parra of the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency keep the chicken and tortillas coming Friday during a celebration of the top 50 water savers in the first ever Great Drought Contest. Tarmo Hannula/The Land

By ERIK CHALHOUB Of the Land

WATSONVILLE — WIth more than 700 million gallons of water saved, the top 50 water savers in the Pajaro Valley were honored by the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency with a barbecue Friday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.

Called the “Great Drought Contest,” Kirk Schmidt, executive director of Central Coast Water Quality Preservation, asked PVWMA to research water use amongst its approximately 850 agricultural wells and help determine who took water savings to heart.

PVWMA hydrologist Brian Lockwood then ran the numbers to determine the top 50 water savers, and combined, the top 50 saved 2,200 acre feet, which translates to more than 700 million gallons.

General Manager Mary Bannister said the numbers were tabulated from June to September, and were compared with the

same period last year.

“We thought it was important to acknowledge each of these users,” Bannister said.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the Pajaro Valley is suffering from “Exceptional Drought” as a result from three straight years of below average rainfall.

In addition to lunch, the “water warriors” were given a gift bag and a PV Water Warrior hat.

“Agriculture accounts for about 80 percent of water use here in the Pajaro Valley so the fact that one of the wells saw savings of over 60 percent is quite remarkable,” Bannister said.

The award ceremony is planned to be an annual event, Bannister said, hoping to encourage other users to conserve water, which PVWMA board member Dave Cavanaugh echoed.

“We have to make sure we keep on supporting them so they continue in the future,” he said.

6 The Land - December 2014

City onboard with county tourism district

Visit SLO would manage new entity if formed by 2015

By BRIAN WILLIAMS Of the Land PASO ROBLES — The city became the first in the county to join the proposed San Luis Obispo County Tourism Marketing District.

The SLO County Board of Supervisors are attempting to create the district as a way of pooling resources and looking for other cities to do the same. The district is seeking to assess an additional 1 percent tax on all short-term room rentals in the county. If formed the local transient occupancy tax could increase to 13 percent for lodgings in Paso Robles.

The Paso Robles City Council voted 5-0 in October and will be included in the new county tourism and marketing district if formed.

The county marketing district would be managed by nonprofit Visit SLO County.

Visit SLO County currently promotes the county through advertising, marketing and public relations. Visit SLO is funded through business memberships and annual contributions from local agencies. Once in place, a 15-person board of directors made up entirely of people from the lodging industry would be formed.

Paso Robles’ contribution to Visit SLO for fiscal year 2014/15 was $71,000 and was fully funded through Travel Paso Robles Association funds. The proposed 1 percent assessment would replace the need for the local contribution.

The new district would bring the county line with its neighbors to the north and south — Monterey and Santa Barbara, respectively — who have similar districts in place.

“The assessment is an additional 1 percent tax on lodging,” Visit SLO County Senior Director Chuck Davison said. “This is not coming out of the city’s

tax coffers. This is business owners of properties who have stood up and said we are not competing with the bookend counties on either side.”

If formed, Visit SLO is projecting a first-year budget of $2.8 million. The initial tax assessment would last 5 years and then be re-evaluated. The overall goal of the new district would be to promote the county and encourage people to return more frequently and stay longer when they visit.

“What we’ve missed is the countywide identity,” Visit SLO County CEO Stacie Jacob said to the council on Tuesday, Oct. 21. “We believe we can do a better job connecting all the [opportunities] in the county.”

Visit SLO is in the process of asking each city in the county to follow Paso Robles and be included in the new district.

After this, Visit SLO will return to the SLO County Board of Supervisors, who will ultimately form the district.

Lodging owners within the county will then vote with 50 percent plus one needed to form the district. These votes are weighted based on the size of the properties.

Visit SLO said the new assessments could begin Jan. 1, 2015. Thirty-five percent of the initial budget, nearly $1 million, is project to go toward advertising and promotions with another 32 percent marked for marketing.

Advertising and promotions will include seasonal and event-related promotions and event guides; digital media advertisement and promotions; development and production of a visitors’ guide; and radio, print and tv advertising.

“The goal here is to already leverage the things we have in place,” Jacob said. “We know we have a great deal of fans that want to keep coming back to the area.”

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Fifteen cited for contractor license, workers compensation violations STAFF REPORT APTOS — Fifteen building contractors were cited in an undercover sting operation Nov. 5 and 6 for alleged contractor license violations, worker compensation violations and other charges.

The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, in partnership with investigators from the California Contractors State Licensing Board and detectives from the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division, conducted the operation. Investigators posed as homeowners looking for exterior construction work on a residence.

Suspects were previously identified by investigators for advertising as a licensed contractor or failing to properly identify themselves as unlicensed contractors, the D.A.’s office said. Those subjects were contacted and scheduled to conduct an estimate. If the estimate exceeds the lawful amount mandated by law, they were detained and given a citation.

Also, any subject who reported having any employees and did not have proper Workers Compensation Insurance, was also cited.

During the two-day investigation, a total of 17 subjects were contacted. Other charges included various Contractors State License Board violations, contracting without a license and fraudulent use of a contractor’s license and improper advertising.

All of the citations were for misdemeanor violations.

The action was conducted as part of an ongoing effort by the District Attorney’s Office and the State of California to maintain a safe and lawful construction industry in Santa Cruz County. By ensuring that contractors are properly licensed and bonded, it helps to protect the residents of Santa Cruz County from substandard construction and fraud, the D.A.’s office said. It was also an effort to minimize the underground economy that often undermines legitimate, licensed contractors that struggle to compete in an unfair playing field.

Anyone who would like to report any employers who are not properly ensuring their employees or unlicensed contractors work may contact the District Attorney’s Office at 454-2400 or email DAO@ co.santa-cruz.ca.us.

Local homeless project joins national effort

By TODD GUILD Of the Land

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — In 2012, a local man tasked himself with housing 180 of Santa Cruz County’s chronic homeless

by July 2014.

That man, Phil Kramer, dubbed his project 180/180, which was so successful that it completed its goal two months before its deadline. In fact, it has housed more than 200 people since its inception.

Organizers have now renamed the organization 180/2020 an eponymous moniker and a much more ambitious goal: housing all of the county’s 900 chronically homeless by the year 2020.

Now, 180/2020 has been selected to participate in the 100,000 homes campaign, which in July completed its goal of housing that number of homeless people.

Now the group’s umbrella organization Community Solutions has launched Zero: 2016, a national effort with a much more ambitious goal: ending chronic and veteran homelessness in two years.

To do that, the New York-based organization has partnered with 68 other organizations and communities throughout the U.S. “I’m thrilled we made the cut,” Kramer said. “It’s thanks to the commitment of our

community partners who expressed their support. Clearly momentum is building to make big strides to end chronic veteran homelessness in Santa Cruz County.”

Zero: 2016 director Beth Sandor said that the 68 groups selected for the project represent a “potential tipping point” in their efforts to help homeless communities.

“If they can show that getting to zero is possible, we think it will become untenable for other communities not to follow suit,” Sandor said.

Organizers say dealing with the problem is critical. The 2013 Santa Cruz County Homeless Census, some 3,536 people were considered homeless here, with 395 of them veterans.

To further help in this regard, government leaders across Santa Cruz County, including Watsonville, Santa Cruz and the county Board of Supervisors, this week signed the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, a project that will dovetail with 180/2020 and Zero: 2016.

100,000 Homes is an outgrowth of a 2003 project in New York City called Common Ground, which provided permanent housing for 55 chronically homeless people in Times Square.

For information, visit 180santacruz.org or cmtysolutions.org/zero2016.

Monterey County Parks and MCARLM launch Common Ground Garden at San Lorenzo Park SUBMITTED ARTICLE KING CITY — The Monterey County Parks Department in partnership with the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum (MCARLM) and the Casa K’inich Children’s Museum in Copan, Honduras, have started their Common Ground Gardens, funded through a Museum Connect grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, a program administered by the American Alliance of Museums.

Both museums have selected their student participants which range in age from 9 to 11. At MCARLM, students attend the Oak Avenue School in Greenfield and were recruited through project partner the Greenfield Community Science Workshop (GCSW). In Honduras, students were recruited through the Casitas Copan Children’s Home and the Mayatan School.

A total of 30 children are now signed up and ready “to get their hands dirty.”

This month, Greenfield students built

raised garden beds at the GCSW and transported them to the garden at San Lorenzo Park. Fifteen students worked hard to fill the beds with soil, install a drip irrigation system and plant winter vegetables donated by the Monterey County Cooperative Extension, a Common Ground project partner.

In Honduras, the Casa K’inich Common Ground garden is located at Macaw Mountain Bird Park and Nature Reserve.

The garden area has been cleared, terraced and is ready to be planted. Children will gather at the end of October to start planting vegetables and a living fence of papaya trees which will help feed the endangered macaws and cut dust from the nearby road.

In the coming months students will connect through shared lesson plans, as pen pals and through online chats. In May, Casa K’inich representatives will visit MCARLM to continue the dialogue between the organizations and student participants.

The Land - Decemberr 2014 7

Building an education Renaissance High School teacher bolsters wood shop program

Paddock Zoo welcomes birth of Red Panda cubs

The Charles Paddock Zoo in Atascadero welcomed the birth of two red pandas. Contributed

By LUKE PHILLIPS Of the Land

Janessa Garibay sands a small table that she made out of recycled redwood that was once a plank fence. Tarmo Hannula/The Land

By TODD GUILD nd TARMO HANNULA Of the Land

WATSONVILLE — Renaissance High School wood shop teacher Kevin Miske is adept at cobbling treasure from discarded objects, at creating useful items from things once thought obsolete.

Since he started at the school last year, he has among other things taught his students to make polished, gleaming furniture pieces from weather-beaten slats of wooden fence that were stored at his house since they were taken down three decades ago.

“By using those fence boards we turned out some beautiful stuff,” he said.

Now, he has performed a similar feat with the school’s wood shop program.

When he arrived at the school, the shop was an after-school occupational program that utilized dilapidated equipment, some of which dated back to the late 60s and was largely unusable.

Knowing he could do more for his students, he began reaching out to the community. With the help of fellow surfer Robert “Wingnut” Weaver and his wife Janice, Miske held a barbecue fundraiser last year that raised more than $12,000 and a collection of donated tools.

He has since built the program into a daily class with new equipment and several students who have gone on to careers in the construction field.

“I hit up about 150 people when I found out I was coming here,” Miske said.

Thanks to the donations, students every day use drill presses, a chop saw, a planer, a table saw and cabinets full of hand tools. Shelves and tables are piled with finished pieces, all perfectly fitted and a testament to the care the students put into them.

More than that, Miske said the class gives students the hands-on experience they will need to eventually secure careers in fields such as industrial arts, construction, contracting, and engineering.

“These students are going to have the skills that allow them to get a job,” he said. “Building million-dollar homes near the ocean could be a career for them.”

The activities even support the students’ classroom academic endeavors as they draw up their plans, then measure and cut, Miske said.

“Here’s where math actually counts,” he said. “It’s not just a problem on a piece of paper. It’s something they can make work.”

The class uses wood donated by

friends and community members and by companies such as San Lorenzo Lumber.

Testorff Construction donated $1,500 in tools, he said.

And it is those donations that will keep the class going into the future, Miske said.

“People to this day drop wood outside my house,” he said. “It’s been wonderful, it’s been overwhelming. People have been super-generous.”

Miske said his career was inspired by his high school shop teacher.

“He inspired me so much. I wanted to do the same for other students,” he said.

“He gave me something to look forward to.”

After graduating with a degree in industrial arts, he went to work at Shoreline Middle School. He came to Renaissance last year hoping to inspire older students.

Manuel Melgoza, 16, said he enjoys the challenges of working through problems he encounters in the class. That isn’t always the case with other subjects, he said.

“I like this class a lot more than my other classes,” he said. “When I’m struggling with something I don’t understand, I don’t get frustrated. This is more relaxing.”

Marco Calderon, 18, he hopes to make a career out of industrial arts after discovering how much he enjoys working with wood.

Junior Issac Peña said he gets a lot of satisfaction from the class as he put the finishing touches on a pine bookshelf for his bedroom. Last year, he made a folding chair.

“I always look forward to coming here and building things,” he said. “I think most people in this class really enjoy it.”

Janessa Garibay, a senior, was working on a small redwood table Thursday. It was her first time taking a wood shop class, but she said she learned many of the techniques from her grandfather.

“It’s nice to be able to make something that turns out nice,” she said. “It’s a good class and I think it is interesting working with wood.”

•••

The Renaissance High School wood shop program is always in need of donations of wood and other construction supplies, in addition to cash. To make a donation, call the school at 728 6344 or email Kevin_Miske@pvusd.net.

ATASCADERO — The Charles Paddock Zoo announced the birth of two new Red Panda cubs in October.

The cubs were born at the zoo on June 26, but they were kept secret until zoo staff was sure that they would survive.

However, zoo director Alan Baker says the cubs are doing great so far.

“We have a nice looking pair of cubs, they’re doing well and we’re very excited,” Baker said.

The cubs, which haven’t been named yet are both female. They’re currently being weaned from their mothers and are starting to eat solid food, a critical milestone according to a statement released by the zoo. Zoo staff will continue to monitor their weight to make sure they are successfully making the transition to solid food.

Baker says the cubs are starting to venture outside of their nest boxes and explore their enclosure and the public may soon be able to catch a glimpse of them, but they’re still fairly shy and weary of people.

“That’s nature’s way of protecting them,” Baker said. “They don’t know what’s up. They’ve spent their whole life in a nest box. But now they’re starting to poke their heads out.”

The cubs were born to female panda Damini, who was born in 2011, and male

panda Ruskan, who was born in 2009.

Both parents were born in other accredited zoos participating in the Red Panda breeding program. The cubs will remain in Atascadero for approximately a year before moving on to other zoos in order to continue the breeding program, which was designed to save the unique species from extinction.

Damini and Ruskan had two cubs previously that died mysteriously last year.

The zoo was not able to find a cause of death for the two cubs, which were found dead in their nest boxes, but Baker says that’s not all that unusual in the animal world.

“In nature, 85 percent of the cubs don’t make it,” he said. “It’s not an unusual thing.

It’s not like human babies. Sometimes the babies just don’t make it. It’s not a cause and effect kind of thing. But our focus now is that’s kind of the past and we’re moving forward and we have two great looking cubs.”

Red Pandas, also known as the “lesser panda” or “red cat-bear”, are native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. They have been classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the wild population is estimated to be less than 10,000 mature adults. Their numbers continue to decline due mostly to habitat loss and poaching.

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