Posted on March 1 at 9:01 p.m.

I ran across some mountain bikers whilst hiking today on the Santa Cruz Trail out of Upper Oso. I must declare, they were the most polite bunch of riders that I've ever encountered. Kudos to them. The trail should be shared with everyone.

On Trail Organization Slammed For Supporting Multi-Use

Posted on March 1 at 8:32 p.m.

i have heard the swirling rumors of close calls and rumors with Great White Sharks in Northern Santa Barbara County... You'd have to ask yourself, is it really worth it up there? Head to the Southern County breaks where it's a lot safer.

On The Fear Beneath

Posted on January 16 at 8:09 a.m.

mickrussom is the same troll that posts the same comment about the police every time they're mentioned in a story.

He's obviously crossed the law and remains bitter. It's definitely not the first time I've seen the "guess all the ... are solved" line out of him.

On Home Depot Employee Busted for Embezzlement

Posted on January 11 at 8:34 a.m.

What about crowd idiocy? It sounds like the police were trying to get medical assistance to a man who was unconscious on the ground, when a bunch of alcohol-intoxicated jerks started to interfere.

I'd like to see you perform the job of a police officer with a shred of the fiber of being that they did that evening, mickrussom. Your comment reads like the uninformed opinions of a whining hippie.

On Police Take Stand in Cooney’s Assault Case

Posted on August 23 at 3:44 p.m.

panzumo,

i grew up in and have lived in the santa barbara area for most of my life. i have backpacked and traveled extensively throughout the santa barbara backcountry. how simple and presumptuous of you to assume otherwise.

oh, i suggest that you look up the definition of the word "riparian," seeing as how it has no application to this conversation.

your alarmist perception of the "burning alive of ten's of thousands of creatures" is in all likeliness inaccurate and more worthy of Fox News than The Independent. while much of it is displaced, i guess wildlife isn't perceptive enough to move away from the fire, in your eyes... (?) there certainly aren't thousands of creatures "burning alive," unless you mean insects and micro-organisms.

really, you should be more informed before you go spewing misinformation and making grandiose analogies to the iraq war and "the burning of ghettoes during riots."

On Zaca Fire May Be Contained Behind Santa Barbara Today

Posted on August 22 at 9:41 p.m.

ray -

thanks for your phenomenal reporting! your articles are a wonderful source of information and rationality. :) big fan of all your trail-related publishing as well, keep up the great work.

panzumo -

i'd be interested to see what evidence you have to support the fire's ability to "signifgantly impact our already poor water quality. "

forest fires can be and have been extremely beneficial to ecosystems, releasing minerals and nutrients into the soil to provide for new growth. some species have seed pods will not open unless subjected to the extreme temperatures of a wildfire event. it is the way of the forest, and native americans understood this better than the federal government seems to.

the century-old policy of wildland firefighting is what causes massive fuel buildup and leads to out-of-control fires, similar to the Zaca fire. the perceived protection of forest aesthetics lead to dangerous situations. i don't disagree that we need to protect valuable/ historic structures and life as much as possible, but i do disagree with your contention that this is an ecological disaster.

fire ecology information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ecolog...

On Zaca Fire May Be Contained Behind Santa Barbara Today