East County Magazine
COUNTY PARKS SERVICE TAKES ACTION TO SAVE MIGRATORY BIRDS AT LINDO LAKES
Printer-friendly version View a video by Billy Ortiz of water flowing into Lindo Lakes. View an earlier video of stilts in low water. View a Facebook page created by Ortiz with photos of wildlife at Lindo Lakes. June 22, 2013 (Lakeside) – Migratory shorebirds at risk for nesting areas drying out will be saved, thanks to an inquiry from Lakeside
ASSEMBLYMAN JONES AND EAST COUNTY MAGAZINE TO HOST EASTERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
Printer-friendly version June 20, 2013 (Santee) –– Assemblyman Jones (R-Santee) and East County Magazine announced today that they will host a photography contest that features photographs taken in San Diego’s East County. The winning photographs will be displayed in Assemblyman Brian Jones’ Capitol Office and featured in East County Magazine. “It’s an honor to be able to highlight the
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: SUMMER FUN
Printer-friendly version June 21, 2013 (Campo)–Mary Clark and her son, Jimmie, 3, enjoy an idyllic moment in the summer sun amid wildflowers next to their family’s vineyard. Miriam Raftery captured the moment on a visit to the Campo Creek Winery earlier this month. The photograph illustrates the joy of rural living–a lifestyle treasured by many people in East
RUNNING CATTLE: HOME ON THE RANGE
Printer-friendly version Campo Creek Ranch offers local delivery of all-natural grass-fed beef By Miram Raftery June 13, 2013(Campo)—Cattle come running when rancher John Clark arrives. It looks like a scene out of a California “happy cows” commercial. View video. These beef cattle are raised in open pastures, not crowded feed lots. They graze in green pastures at Campo Creek Ranch
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: WHAT’S MISSING?
Printer-friendly version May 27, 2013 (Ocotillo) — When Jim Pelley arose at sunrise and looked out over the desert from his home in Ocotillo, he noticed something missing. So he grabbed his camera to record the unusual sight. A Siemens wind turbine at Pattern Energy’s Ocotillo Express Wind Energy facility had hurled off a multi-ton blade onto a
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: BIGHORN SHEEP AT MOUNTAIN SPRINGS
Printer-friendly version May 24, 2013 (Mountain Springs) – Photographers Jim Pelley and Parke Ewing spotted a herd of endangered Peninsular Bighorn sheep preparing to cross I-8 in Mountain Springs, at the county line separating San Diego and Imperial Valley counties. Residents report that wildlife is returning to the area over the past week, since wind turbines at the adjacent
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: FIVE PEAKS IN MISSION TRAILS
Printer-friendly version By Greg Dunne April 28, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) — My friend, David Hart, and myself went on a long and strenuous six-hour but fun hike of all five peaks at Mission Trails Regional Park on Wednesday. We enjoyed seeing many of nature’s wild life. Mule Deer, Red Diamondback Rattlesnake (always be aware of rattlesnakes this time
SIGNS OF SPRING: WILD LILACS
Printer-friendly version April 24, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) — A sure sign of spring in East County is when you see wild lilacs (ceanothus) blooming, covering fields and hillsides in a tapestry of lavender and purple. ECM editor Miriam Raftery captured these beautiful blooms in Deerhorn Valley. Printer-friendly version
WINNERS OF 2013 LAKE JENNINGS PHOTO CONTEST ANNOUNCED
Printer-friendly versionApril 24, 2013 (La Mesa) – The Lake Jennings March Photo Contest garnered 83 spectacular entries from individuals throughout Southern California and Arizona, from age 8 and older. Photographers roamed the banks, paddled into the deep, hung out in Hermit Cove, watched the wild life, and clicked shutters. Winning entries were selected in both the Youth and Adult categories.
TOWN OF CAMPO TAKES ON MEXICAN BANDITOS IN HISTORICAL REENACTMENT
Printer-friendly version By Ariele Johannson April 9, 2013 (Campo)–Imagine the Old West back in the 1800s. Lawmen are few and far between. Desperadoes sometimes spread terror throughout the new state of California. And Campo, on the United States-Mexican border, is the site of a confrontation between law-abiding citizens and one such gang of outlaws. The Gaskill Brothers Gunfighters,
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

Photos of the Week: Crest Celebrates Independence Day
Printer-friendly version July 6, 2026 (Crest, CA) – Paul Levikow sent in these photos from the 79th Crest Fourth of July Parade near Nancy Jane County Park. Parade watchers lined La Cresta Blvd. and Suncrest Blvd., to watch motorcycles, offroad vehicles, bicycles, classic cars, floats, and equestrians. The community event also included a live band, crafts, venders, food,
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: RACCOONS IN SAN CARLOS
Printer-friendly version June 30, 2025 (San Diego) – Diana Rozenshteyn snapped this photos of masked intruders– a raccoon family– in the backyard of her San Carlos home near Cowles Mountain. You can view more of her work at her website, San Diego in Bloom | Nature Photography by Diana Rozenshteyn. Printer-friendly version

INTERVIEW WITH CAL FIRE CAPTAIN ON MONTE FIRE
Printer-friendly versionJune 22, 2025 (Lakeside) — Cal Fire Captain Robert Johnson discusses firefighting efforts in the Monte Fire in Lakeside, during an interview yesterday with Shiloh Ireland. View video. At the time of the interview, the fire had burned 1,051 acres of rugged terrain on El Capitan Mountain. El Monte County Park in Lakeside became the staging and command center for

VIDEO OF THE WEEK: LAKESIDE RESIDENTS THANK FIREFIGHTERS
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service June 23, 2025 — Photographer Shiloh Ireland provided this video of Lakeside residents Sarah Ann WIlson and BIlly Ortiz unfurling a banner to thank firefighters who worked tirelessly to protect homes and halt the Monte Fire in Lakeside’s El Monte Valley. View video: Monte Fire Appreciation to Firefighters- 06/21/2025 Also see Ireland’s drone video showing the
VIDEO OF THE WEEK: ELEPHANTS’ POOL PARTY!
Printer-friendly version East County News Service May 11, 2025 (Escondido) — Elephants at the the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park in Escondido found a cool way to beat the heat during this week’s heat wave–holidng their own pool party. In this video, you’ll see the herd’s matriarch, Swazi, playing in the water with the youngsters. When one elephant goes in,
ENGAGED COUPLE SEEKS PHOTOGRAPHER WHO SHOT THIS PHOTO IN BORREGO ON MARCH 16, 2024
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK: PLAYING POSSUM
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service April 4, 2025 (La Mesa) – Cailin Acosta spotted these playful opossums on the fence in her La Mesa yard. “I was super excited, but my 12 year old twins were not impressed, ha,” she writes. “I did reach out and touch its fur. It was crispy, like a Bristol scrub, so interesting!”

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: MARY’S DONUTS CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service Photos by Karen Pearlman March 29, 2025 (Santee) – Mary Hennessy, the 90-something owner of Mary’s Donuts, grabs a sweet treat during her business’s 40th anniversary bash Saturday morning, March 29. Hennessy, who plied the donut trade at a Winchell’s Donuts, bought the former Zona’s Donut Shop with her husband, and opened the original Mary’s Donuts

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: TREED!
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service March 28, 2025 (San Carlos) – San Carlos resident and ECM reporter Karen Pearlman snapped this photo of a pair of raccoons chased up a tree by her dog,Charlie. Printer-friendly version

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: BORDER 2 FIRE
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service January 28, 2025 (Jamul) — Robert Hobbs sent in these images of the Border 2 Fire, which burned over 6,500 acres after starting on Otay Mountain in San Diego County on Jan. 23. These photos were taken Jan. 23 and 24 from Jamul.
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.