The following is the July 22 edition of the Abridged by PBS KVIE Yolo County email newsletter, by reporter Daniel Hennessy and the team at Yolo Local. Want it sent directly to your inbox? Sign up here.
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Stay in-the-know on all things Yolo! Weekly email with stories and insights from Yolo County reporter Daniel Hennessy.
Hey, it’s Daniel! Let’s dive in.
One of the truths about being a local reporter is that work can easily bleed into everyday life.
Sometimes that can be disruptive, like when I wake up in the middle of the night thinking, “did I spell that person’s name right in the story that’s running in a few hours?” Mostly, though, the work makes me feel more connected to the region I live in.
That was clear to me on a recent evening when I was standing in my backyard looking at my fenceline. My wife and I recently moved into a new house, and we’re starting to think about how to personalize the landscaping.
As I was considering what kinds of plants to put into an empty space along the fence, I couldn’t help but think about a handful of conversations I’ve had with a local farmer about the native hedgerows she’d planted on her farm to attract and protect pollinators.
Not all of that information will go into a story, but I’m thinking it will help me make my house feel a little bit more like home.
This week, we’ll head up to Tahoe, where a team of UC Davis researchers studies the lake’s famous water clarity.
Then we’ll go to West Sacramento, where freelancer Alexis Frost shares some tips on how to spend a day in the growing city.
And if you’re headed to the airport, don’t hang out at the curb too long.
We’ve teamed up with Yolo Local, a civic media initiative of Davis Media Access, to bring you this weekly newsletter. Here’s what you need to know today:
STORY OF THE WEEK
How a dinner plate-like disk tracks Lake Tahoe’s quintessential blue water
In the Tahoe Basin, the lake’s crystal blue water has taken on importance that goes beyond science.
BY DANIEL HENNESSY | dhennessy@kvie.org
In short: Each year, UC Davis researchers board a beloved boat and set out on Lake Tahoe to measure its clarity, a key indicator of the lake’s environmental health. From the Research Vessel John LeConte, they drop a 10-inch white disk, not much different than a dinner plate, into the water. In this year’s report, they recorded a relatively consistent water clarity level compared to recent years.
A bit more: After half a century of service in which it carried presidents and conducted thousands of trips, the John LeConte is retiring. Over the decades, it has seen the clarity of Lake Tahoe cloud and clear — recently plateauing and still far from where it was in 1960.
NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Bowling, beer and baseball: How to spend a great day in West Sacramento
New AI-backed tech monitors Sacramento airport curb time — but it won’t issue tickets
Tomato trucks are a sign of Sacramento summer. Where are they heading?
DISPATCHES FROM THE FARM
Agriculture is a central part of life in Yolo County, so I’ll be checking in each week with a farmer, rancher or other industry player for the latest ag updates. What are the people who help produce our food thinking about?
This week, Rachael Long in Zamora is keeping us in the loop:
Tomato harvest has started in Yolo County, but Rachael’s crop is still about three weeks away from being harvested. The staggered schedule makes sure the canneries don’t get overwhelmed.
Almond harvest is starting with field preparation and scraping and cleaning of orchard floors. When they’re ready to be harvested, trees are mechanically shaken and nuts fall to the ground where they’re left to dry. Once dry, they’re swept into rows and vacuumed up and brought to processing plants. The hulls are used to feed cows all over the western United States.
Rachael has seen a lot more vine seed, like squash and melons, being grown in Yolo County than in previous years. The county has a lot of seed companies that breed varieties that are adapted to climates all over the world.
Alfalfa harvest continues, with most of the crop going to dairies to be used as feed.
“A thorny issue for us this year is puncturevine, a wicked weed, also known as goathead, that’s a main culprit in causing flat tires in bicycles,” Rachael said.
The weed is usually controlled by a seed weevil bug released by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, but late rain caused a boom of puncturevine. Rachael has been doing a lot of weed-pulling along roadsides at her farm.
HEARING FROM YOU
The best way to learn about a place is to listen to the people who know and love it. Each week, we’ll feature a quote or tip from a community member that captures a slice of life in our county. Write to me with something interesting, ask a question about Yolo County or tell me where I need to go next!
In her updates from the farm, Rachael Long also sent along a training video that she put together about how to protect pollinators in hedgerow establishment. Rachael received a grant from CDFA to put in hedgerows on her farm and is a trained entomologist!
I’ll be using some of these tips in my own yard.
Thank you, Rachael!
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
It can be hard to keep up with local government and community events, so we’ll continuously feature a few below. Have something you think we should highlight? Email me.
- The city of Davis is collecting submissions and proposals for a new piece of public art at the skate park in Community Park. The installment will be permanent and a budget of up to $28,000 is available. To apply, applicants should submit proposals here by Oct. 1.
- The Cache Creek Watershed Stewardship Group Project is forming a community advisory team to guide quarterly meetings. Those interested in the group’s work should attend the first quarterly meeting at 4 p.m. July 30. RSVP and learn more here.
- The Mary L Stephens Davis Branch Library is hosting a book talk with the authors of “Exploring the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Region” at 2 p.m. July 25. More information can be found here.
Want to discover more events across the Sacramento region, in Yolo County and beyond? Check out Abridged by PBS KVIE’s new searchable events calendar with things to do across the four-county area.
BEFORE I GO,
Thanks for coming back (and signing up) for this newsletter. Remember: I’m accountable to you. If you read a story and think there’s an angle I’m missing, I want to hear about it! Please reach out with your feedback and know that I take it seriously.
Daniel Hennessy is a reporter covering Yolo County for Abridged by PBS KVIE. He joined Abridged through the California Local News Fellowship.