Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: WILE.E COYOTE IN EAST COUNTY

Printer-friendly version   January 29, 2013 (Santee)–Van Collingsworth, Executive Director of Preserve Wild Santee, snapped this portrait of a coyote this week. “The Coyote had just finished drinking from Sycamore Creek near the boundary of Fanita Ranch, MCAS- Miramar, and a Mission Trails Expansion Area parcel of East Elliot,” he states. “Sycamore Creek is an important wildlife corridor and is the

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK: ALIEN INVASION?

Printer-friendly version   January 28, 2013 (Ocotillo) – A reader on our Facebook page posted that when she drove east over the Mountains into Ocotillo recently at night, she was startled to see an array of blinking lights that resembled an “alien invasion.” Ocotillo resident Jim Pelley sent us this photo of the “invaders” — nearly 100 wind turbines flashing

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PHOTOS OF THE MONTH: “BIRD HOLE ROCK” IN MCCAIN VALLEY

Printer-friendly version   January 24, 2013 (McCain Valley) – Charles and Laurie Baker enjoy hiking in McCain Valley and the rugged Carrizo Gorge.  They have submitted numerous photos of rocks containing large holes suitable for hawks and eagles to nest in, or perch on while scanning the valley below for prey.  This is an area close to the proposed Tule

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: SNOW FALLS IN JACUMBA

Printer-friendly versionJanuary 12, 2012 (Jacumba) — This week’s winter storm brought an unusual treat for residents of Jacumba, elevation 2850: snow!  Danielle Cook took these photos outside Jacumba Hot Springs, where a light dusting of snow blanketed the area.  Don’t rush out to visit, though — it’s already melting away in the mid-day sun. Printer-friendly version

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: ANZA BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK

Printer-friendly version   January 9, 2013 (Anza Borrego) – Daren Sefcik photographed these spectacular images in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park.  This endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep ram was spotted in a canyon between Potrero and Squaw canyons near Agua Caliente campground. “We were out backpacking for four days through there, “Sefcik says.  He also captured this beautiful sunrise over

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: FARMER’S DAY OFF

Printer-friendly versionJanuary 5, 2013 (Boulevard) – It’s clear they weren’t plowing fields at this ranch in Boulevard, where a heavy snowfall created these winter wonderland scenes on New Year’s Eve taken by Melody Ponchot.              Printer-friendly version

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK: TALKING TURKEY

Printer-friendly version January 4, 2013 (San Diego’s East County)–ECM editor Miriam Raftery photographed this healthy-looking flock of wild turkeys near Cuyamaca. There is some debate on whether turkeys are native or non-native in our region.  Thousands of wild turkeys present today in our backcountry are descendants of wild turkeys released in 1993 by hunting groups.  But it’s quite possible that

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PHOTOS OF THE YEAR 2012

Printer-friendly version December 31, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – A photo is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes. East County Magazine’s photographers and readers have compiled an impressive portfolio of dramatic images this year. These are our editor’s picks for the photos that create an emotional chord, from inspiration to anguish. We deeply appreciate our professional photojournalists

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: WHAT DOES AN ACTUAL GAS “PEAKER” PLANT LOOK LIKE?

Printer-friendly versionJanuary 2, 2013 (Otay)–“Look out, Santee, here’s your future,” Tom Lemon writes, referring to the Quail Brush gas-fired peaker power plant proposed just outside of Mission Trails Regional Park. Curious to see what a peaker plant actually looks like – not just in drawings prepared by the developer—Lemon ventured to Otay Mesa, where a gas-fired peaker plant recently opened.  Note: Peaker

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: WINTER WONDERLAND

Printer-friendly version   December 31, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) — A blanket of snow envelops our local mountains and rural areas this New Year’s Eve. Melody Ponchot arose early to snap sunrise photos as the morning’s first rays illuminate snow dusting trees across her ranch in Boulevard (left, right, and below, right) Julie Salmons also sent in an image

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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.

BEST PHOTOS FROM EAST COUNTY: NOVEMBER 29, 2010

Printer-friendly version November 29, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) — While residents in other parts of the country are shoveling snow, and even coastal residents are contending with foggy winter days, here in East County it’s been a week to savor some beautiful moments.  We hope you’ll enjoy a few of the best shots captured by our readers and staff this week in East

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VIDEO ADVENTURES IN EAST COUNTY: THE CUYAMACA FLUME

Printer-friendly version  By Billy Ortiz   Flume-riding was a popular East County sport in the late 1800s.  What was it like to travel via water flume from Cuyamaca to San Diego? November 23, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – For this video adventure, I took a boat ride on El Capitan Reservoir to locate the Conejos Creek diverting dam (South Fork

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VIDEO ADVENTURES IN EAST COUNTY: SKY HUNTERS’ RAPTOR HAVEN PROVES A RAPTUROUS EXPERIENCE

Printer-friendly version  Story, photos and video by Billy Ortiz   November 17, 2010 (Alpine)—Far off the beaten path in the back country of east San Diego County, nestled in a hidden glen, is a special rehabilitation center for injured and orphaned birds of prey. Sky Hunters is a raptor education facility geared toward public information, preservation and rehabilitation of birds

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VETERAN’S DAY TRIBUTE: NAVAL PILOT HONORED AT CRASH SITE IN LAKESIDE

Printer-friendly version  On a dark, cloudy night in 1961, Lt. J.G. Thomas Allen Ryan, 23, crashed a Navy jet fighter plane onto a mountainside in Lakeside. Four decades later, a group of Lakeside residents hiked to the crash site to pay homage to the military pilot’s memory.   By Betty McMillen   November 11, 2010 (Lakeside)–A Lakeside hiking group celebrated

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EAST COUNTY VIDEO ADVENTURE: REDISCOVERING LOS COCHES CREEK DAM–AND A TOWERING HIDDEN WATERFALL

Printer-friendly version By Billy Ortiz Adventurist/Historian November 11, 2010 (Lakeside) – This  video adventure  reveals an exciting discovery in my search for East County history. Reading about the history of the Lakeside Inn, I discovered that the innkeepers needed a water source, so a dam was built on Los Coches Creek back during pioneering days in the 1800s. An old black

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HALLOWEEN SIGHTINGS IN EAST COUNTY

Printer-friendly version   November 1, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) — Kids and the young at heart had some Halloween fun last night at parties and trick-or-treat events throughout East County. Photos by Trever Richardson and Miriam Raftery.           Printer-friendly version

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BEST EAST COUNTY PHOTOS

Printer-friendly version   October 22, 2010 No kidding! Youngsters had a great time at the San Miguel Fire open house in Spring Valley earlier this month, where this boy got a close-up look at goats owned by Johnny Gonzalez; the four-footed brush clearing team is used to create firebreaks in East County’s rural areas. Photo by Miriam Raftery. “My son grew

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SKY’S THE LIMIT!

Printer-friendly version  September 30, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) — Wild weather created the perfect storm for some spectacular skies over East County during the past couple of days. Here are a few of our favorites.                               Scroll down for more amazing images of skies over East County.  

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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.