"The first peoples found what is now the southern Santa Clara County landscape provided plenty of resources and a good climate." By Mike Monroe Mike Monroe Understanding our local landscapes and history has always been [...]
High fuel loads are evident in all of the park's landscape zones Families enjoy a hike on a Mt. Madonna trail. By Mike Monroe Mike Monroe It's been a while! My enthusiasm for [...]
Several purchases and annexations make up the popular park By Mike Monroe Mike Monroe The parklands of Mt. Madonna did not come about through one large purchase of land from the heirs of the Miller [...]
The camp was strategically placed and tasked with several vital projects Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Natural Resources RecordsCalifornia Conservation Corps workers stayed in tents while working on developing Mt. Madonna in 1933. This federal program [...]
Old growth redwoods have bark of up to 18 inches or more at the base, making them resilient to fire By Mike Monroe Mike Monroe It was early August when I wrote a light and [...]
Redwood forest once covered about 160,000 acres across Santa Cruz Mountains By Mike Monroe Mike Monroe My favorite spot to displace the turmoil and tragedy of our times is under the shade of the [...]
While many of us now forced to stay at home, let's get outside and enjoy the natural world, too Kindergartners plant a tree on Earth Day in 2015 at San Martin Gwinn Elementary School. Photo by [...]
Join Mike at Cutrignelli Fattoria for a conversation about pollinators and habitat gardening EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS HIKE HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS SITUATION. NO ALTERNATE DATE HAS YET BEEN SET. Photo courtesy Cutrignelli Fattoria [...]
The vast majority of olive oils produced in California are from Spanish varieties By Mike Monroe Mike Monroe Just prior to Thanksgiving, my wife and I were anticipating our travel to Southern California for [...]
When Monterey Road was U.S. 101 there was a gauntlet of fruit stands along this busy thoroughfare By Mike Monroe About 10 years ago, Donna Brodsky wrote a book, "San Martin — Then & Now," featuring sketches [...]