Nature and wildlife

Sunday was a beautiful morning for fishing or running or pretty much anything at Lake Chesbro.  The weather forecast for the coming week calls for temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above average. Read more » about A beautiful Chesbro morning

A Rancho Murieta Association Maintenance Department crew removes a 40-foot oak tree after it fell on a car Friday afternoon on Orilla, a cul-de-sac off Camino Del Lago on the North. Carol Corbett said a half hour after her mother arrived to visit, a neighbor came to the house to tell them the tree had fallen on the mother's car. "We didn't hear a thing," Corbett said.

Earlier, when the tree fell, burying the car, it was clear the tree's trunk was rotted, something that wasn't apparent until it toppled. Damage to the Toyota Camry was limited to scratches and dents on the roof and trunk. (Photo: Carol Corbett) Read more » about Tree falls and buries car on North

At their home Tuesday, Ken and Barbara Quinn chatted with neighbors who stopped by to ask about Ken’s recovery from the two rattlesnake bites he received on his right hand last week.

Information about dealing with rattlesnakes

Ken Quinn knows about rattlesnakes.

"I've lived in California all my life and I've been in areas where there have been snakes. ...  I've been especially careful to avoid them as much as I can. I generally look very carefully where I walk ... and I don't put my hands underneath shrubs or areas that I can't see that it's clear," said Quinn, a lean and fit man of 80. Read more » about Careful, but still bitten by a rattler

A De La Cruz Drive resident was bitten by a rattlesnake Wednesday evening and apparently is doing well. A Security log entry lists the time of the incident as 6:08 p.m. and says Station 59 responded to the bite, but it provides few details. The entry reads: STATION 59 ADVISED A RESIDENT WAS BITTEN IN THE HAND / RESIDENT WAS TRANSPORTED TO FOLSOM / RESIDENT DOING WELL / SNAKE STILL AT LARGE. Security would not release the name of the victim. Read more » about De La Cruz Drive resident bitten by rattlesnake

There's something timeless about kids filling a beautiful spring day. These boys were riding Saturday afternoon on the path that leads to the south side of the new bridge. Read more » about If Tom Sawyer had ridden a bike...

Residents are advised to be aware and cautious after a couple reported seeing a large mountain lion on Venado Drive in Murieta North Wednesday night.  They may have smelled the lion before they saw it. Read more » about North residents report seeing mountain lion outside homes

The good news about the fall salmon run on the Cosumnes River is there was one, according to the Fishery Foundation of California. Read more » about Cosumnes salmon run falls sharply, but it's still going on

Green plastic bait boxes marked “poison” aren’t what residents expect to see on the slopes of the dams at Calero and Chesbro lakes. When people started asking questions about the rodent traps, the answers came from the Community Services District. Read more » about 'Poison' boxes near dams are to control destructive rodents

In the forums, neighbor Jeff Birchard shares photos of the bald eagle that has been sighted around the community. Click here to take a look. Be alert for the eagle as you're walking around the open areas. (And if you see the eagle or take a photo, please share here!) Read more » about Photos of the Murieta bald eagle