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

A ROARING GOOD TIME: EAST COUNTY CHAMBER MEMBERS GET UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH BIG CATS AT LIONS, TIGERS & BEARS

Printer-friendly version   Story by Miriam Raftery; Photos by Mark and Miriam Raftery   August 2, 2011 (Alpine) — "Oh, you’re beautiful!" San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce President Scott Alevy exclaimed as his wife, Joanne, dished up a forkful of chicken.  But he wasn’t complimenting her cooking. Instead, Alevy was admiring Raja–a 500-pound Bengal tiger that Joanne was feeding after winning a drawing at Lions,

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: SNAKES ALIVE!

Printer-friendly version      August 2, 2011 (Ramona) — ECM intern Elena Luz Pena snapped these "striking" close-ups of an unusually colorful rattlesnake at the home of her fiance’s father in Ramona.    This two-foot-long critter’s message is crystal clear: don’t tread on me!   Unlike some rattlers, Pacific Rattlesnakes are active both by day and night–often coming out at dusk to hunt

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK: SPLISH-SPLASH, I WAS TAKING A BATH….

Printer-friendly version July 29, 2011 (Lakeside) –Thanks to Mike and Cathy Sears for sending in this photo of a surprising visitor in the birdbath outside their home on Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside.   “It’s one of two red shouldered hawks in the area,” Mike said. “The hawks will even in get in and splash around in the bird bath.”

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK: WILDCAT!

Printer-friendly version  July 29, 2011 (Anza Borrego) — Daren Sefcik captured this rare image of a bobcat peering out of a rocky cave at Potrero Canyon in Anza-Borrego, a remote location accessible only by foot or by horse.      "I went out hiking the canyon to try and reach the base of Stephenson Peak," Sefcik said. "About a mile from the base

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: WILDFIRE AT JACUMBA

Printer-friendly version                   July 16, 2011 (Jacumba) — Wayne Brammer captured these two images of a Cal-Fire crew and a San Diego Sheriff’s helicopter in action battling a brush fire near Jacumba this week.   "With all  the power lines running all over this area, my hat goes off to all of these

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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: MIDSUMMER BLOOMS

Printer-friendly version   July 9, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) — Joan McIntosh captured the fragile beauty of these night-blooming cereus at her backyard in Lakeside.               The ghostly cactus flowers blossom just once in the warmth of a mid-summer’s night, then wither and perish.  Printer-friendly version

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FAMILY FUN AT SANTEE SALUTES 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION

Printer-friendly version  Photos by Mark and Miriam Raftery   July 6, 2011 (Santee) — The City of Santee hosted its annual "Santee Salutes" patriotic celebration on July 4th, drawing families from across East County for this major event.   Scroll down to view photos of participants enjoying fun in the sun, followed by fireworks in the park after dark.  

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MISSED THE FIREWORKS? WATCH FINALE HERE FROM SANTEE SALUTES!

Printer-friendly version    July 4, 2011 (Santee) – An estimated 7,000 people turned out for Santee Salutes, including families from throughout East County as well as local dignitaries including Assemblyman Brian Jones and Mayor Randy Voepel.  Live music, patriotic presentations, carnival rides and a spectacular fireworks show were all part of the festivities.   Printer-friendly version

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ALL ABOARD! STEAM TRAIN RIDES, SQUARE DANCING & DIXIELAND JAZZ AT OLD POWAY PARK’S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

Printer-friendly version     July 4, 2011 (Poway) –Decked out with red and blue bunting on wooden railway bridges, water tower and gazebo/bandstand, Old Poway Park today looked like a scene straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The Old West-themed park exemplifies the best of Americana this 4th of July, compete with rides on the Baldwin steam train (watch

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EXPLORING CEDAR CREEK FALLS’ NEW TRAIL

Printer-friendly version   Story, photos and video by Elena Peña June 29, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)–Nestled in between slopes in the Cleveland National Forest lies a gem known as Cedar Creek Falls, often referred to as The Devil’s Punch Bowl. A wondrous waterfall is the picturesque background to the swimming hole at the end of this approximately four-mile hike. 

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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.