West Nile Virus in Birds of OC, and Lyme Disease Killers (Western Fence Lizard)

The OC Register has reported the first documented case of the West Nile virus in Orange County in a bird this season - in a crow - found dead in Irvine at the end of February 2009.
The find seems to be "ringing in [the] West Nile season" in Southern California, as the article mentions, however, there is good news to be told - "Vector Control, which tracks animal diseases that can jump to humans, is finding more West Nile antibodies in the blood of wild birds." Conclusion: be aware of any insect bites you may get while outdoors, but don't let this phenomenon scare you from being outside.
Read the entire article HERE.

On a somewhat related note, I thought I'd share that on a recent hike with some naturalists, I was also told that the common western fence lizards found in our natural surroundings produce a canceling effect on the Lyme disease bacteria that our OC ticks can sometimes hold and transmit. According to Berkeley scientists, "ticks who feast on the blood of the common western fence lizard are purged of any Lyme disease bacteria hiding in their gut," leaving them disease-free and incapable of transmitting the disease to their next contact. (See the article posted HERE for more details - it's rather fascinating!).

No Fishing Zones off Orange County - New Marine Protected Areas

I came across an interesting article on the OC Register Online today, entitled, "No-fishing zones off OC? A first look at rough maps," written by Pat Brennan, green living & environment editor for the OC Register. It discusses the recent sketching out of proposals to establish new Marine Protected Areas off the coast of Orange County, which would prohibit sportfishing and other activities from certain marine zones.

The article opens up like this:

The question: Should some parts of the Southern California coast, including Orange County’s, be declared off limits to sportfishing to protect marine habitat and wildlife?

The answer: Perhaps, but it’s going to be a fight.

Read the OC Register's full article HERE ... and let us know what you think by commenting to this post!

If you want to keep living in OC, stop breathing???

This article dates back to November 12th, but it has a lot of good information that we should be aware of EVERY SINGLE DAY...
The headline says it all:

Air pollution kills more people than car accidents in Southern California, OC researchers say

Yikes...

"Green OC - Living Green in Orange County"

For those of you who haven't checked out the OC Register's "Green OC" section online, the link is HERE: (http://greenoc.freedomblogging.com).

There's a lot of neat stuff & articles on there! So hurry up and click, already! :)

OC Parks Still Closed

With all the rain that Orange County recently got, most Orange County parks are still closed. Check up with www.ocparks.com for more information.

And, if you're in the mood for an OC Register article on the same news, read HERE.

Month's worth of Rain in 6 Hours

Take a look at the amount of rain that poured onto Orange County from 9 pm on 25 November to 5 am 26 November, as seen in THIS ARTICLE:

Yorba Linda: 1.93 inches

Huntington Beach: 1.81 inches

Corona del Mar: 1.81 inches

Costa Mesa: 1.85 inches

Westminster: 1.69 inches

Newport Coast: 1.65 inches

Brea-Olinda: 1.57 inches

Laguna Canyon: 1.57 inches

Laguna Beach: 1.54 inches

Irvine: 1.38 inches

Laguna Niguel Lake: 1.38 inches

Villa Park Dam: 1.34 inches

Garden Grove: 1.26 inches

Santa Ana: 1.28 inches

Anaheim: 1.22 inches

San Juan Capistrano: 1.22 inches

El Toro: 1.22 inches

Upper Oso Creek: 1.22 inches

Upper Harding Canyon: 01.10 inches

Upper Silverado Canyon: 1.02 inches

Coto de Caza: 0.91 inches

---> Keep in mind that OC's November Rainfall Average is 1.31 inches!

OC Parks Are Closed Due to Muddy Conditions today.


Also from the OC Register:
What Are Mudslides and What Are Debris Flows?
How to Prepare for Mudslides and Debris Flows After a Fire
How to Stabilize Your Soil and Prevent Erosion