Welcome to Monitor Notes, a weekly roundup of news items, event announcements, and updates on past Bay Area Monitor articles.
High-Speed Rail Review
Last week, the California High-Speed Rail Authority released a set of environmental documents pertaining to the San Francisco-San Jose section of the planned statewide train system. The draft documents evaluate the section’s impacts and benefits, and are available for review as part of a virtual open house that includes videos, maps, and other informative materials. The Authority is accepting public comments on the draft documents until August 24, and will host related Q&A webinars with staff on July 20, July 30, and August 5. Learn more here.
Walking Watersheds: Lake Temescal
Greenbelt Alliance and Wholly H2O are presenting another installment in their Walking Watersheds series on Thursday, July 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. The online tour will feature Oakland’s Lake Temescal and the nearby headwaters of Temescal Creek; guides will cover its role as an early drinking-water supply and recreation area, as well as provide information about some of the species living there, and the impact of transportation on the health and management of Temescal Creek. Register for the tour and view previous Walking Watersheds events here.
You Otter Know
The California Coastal Conservancy is now accepting applications for its 2021 Sea Otter Recovery Grants, which award funding to public agencies and nonprofit organizations conducting research, science, protection, projects, or programs related to the Federal Sea Otter Recovery Plan or improving the nearshore ocean ecosystem. Applications are due September 1, 2020. Learn more and download the proposal solicitation here, and also check out the Monitor‘s recent coverage about the prospects for bringing sea otters back to San Francisco Bay.
Legacies of Decades Past
Commemorations of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage continue online with “Voting Rights, Equity, and the Political Process” on Thursday, July 23 at 5 p.m. Co-sponsored by LWV San Francisco and the Mechanics’ Institute, the event features journalist Ari Berman (pictured) and Ann Ravel, former Chair of the Federal Election Commission, discussing the legacy of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and other topics. Register here, and then jump a decade forward in history as we bring you the second article in Leslie Stewart’s history of the Monitor (we’re revisiting Leslie’s four-part series in Monitor Notes all this month; for part one, click here).
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