Environment

There was no waiting for the steady stream of vehicles bringing paint, fluorescent bulbs, pool chemicals and other items to the Rancho Murieta Community Services District's household hazardous waste event Saturday morning at the FAA parking lot on Cantova Way. After CSD personnel checked residents in, vehicles were unloaded by hazardous waste technicians. Hold on to those old TVs and computers -- electronic waste was not accepted Saturday, but CSD plans curb-side e-waste collection early next month.

The thought of losing the redwood tree that shades their deck and provides protection against bombarding golf balls prompted Bob and Janet Nicholson to post an appeal for help on RanchoMurieta.com Thursday morning.  Throughout the day, the forum post generated e-mails and phone calls to the Nicholsons from neighbors in Rancho Murieta and community officials.

According to the CSD, the tree must be removed because it caused a sewer overflow last December. Read more »

New signs at the gates inform residents when they can use wood-burning fireplaces, stoves and fire pits without violating Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District requirements and risking a $50 fine. Read more »

That old computer in the closet?  The TV set in the garage?  Get them to the street.  A free curbside e-waste pickup will be held Oct. 5 by the Rancho Murieta Community Services District. Read more »

The Sacramento Valley Conservancy is holding its first mountain bike tour of Deer Creek Hills Saturday, June 27, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Mountain bike docents will escort riders on single track, cattle paths and ranch roads. Read more »

Plenty of volunteers kept things moving and made it easy to do the right thing Saturday at the e-waste recycling and paper shredding events held in the FAA Building parking lot on Cantova Way. The e-waste event is a fundraiser for Sacramento Sheriff's Crime Prevention, and donations from the paper shredding event go to Cops for Kids. The events were sponsored by Walnut Grove Rotary Foundation and Sacramento County Sheriff's Crime Prevention. Local members of Volunteers in Partnership with the Sheriff assisted the effort.

The Sacramento Valley Conservancy will host a hike highlighting the geology of Deer Creek Hills from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. And here's the list of all of this season's hikes and other activities.  Read more »

Boy Scout Steve Voss of Troop 633 conducted a water conservation fair Sunday afternoon at the Rancho Murieta Association Building for his Eagle Scout project. Knowing that more than half of Murieta's water use occurs outside the home, Steve focused on how we can landscape and irrigate to reduce water use. He recruited representatives of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, the Community Services District and others to provide information, and presented a multimedia program for about 35 attendees.

After years of legal wrangling, on Aug. 15 Sacramento County will begin cutting down more than 100 trees at Rancho Murieta Airport to comply with a court order.  Read more »