Monterey Peninsula: Difference between revisions

In addition, many California "firsts" occurred in Monterey. These include California'sthe first[[First theater in California]], brick house, publicly funded school, public building, public library, and printing press, which printed [[The Californian (1840s newspaper)|''The Californian'']], the first newspaper. [[Colton Hall]],<ref>[http://www.historicmonterey.org/?p=colton_hall Colton Hall web page.] Retrieved on 2008-03-14.</ref> built in 1849 by [[Walter Colton]], was originally a public school and government meeting place. It also hosted California's first constitutional convention. Today it houses a museum, while adjacent buildings serve as the seat of local government. The Monterey post office opened in 1849. Monterey incorporated in 1889.

Due in part to its geography and climate, the Monterey Peninsula has not only a high degree of species [[endemism]], but also presents a unique combination of non-endemic species due to overlap of species with more northerly versus more southerly ranges. Some taxa, such as the coastal closed-cone pines (which include [[Pinus radiata|Monterey Pine]]) and the [[Cupressus macrocarpa|Monterey Cypress]] are [[Relict (biology)|relict]] stands, i.e. species that once extended more widely in the [[Mesic habitat|mesic]] climate of the late [[Pleistocene]] epoch, but then retreated to small pockets of cooler and moister conditions along the coast ranges during the hotter, drier early and middle [[Holocene]] epoch between 6000 and 2000 BC.<ref>C.I. Millar, ''Reconsidering the Conservation of Monterey Pine''. Fremontia 26(3):12–16 (1998)</ref>

[[Soquel Canyon State Marine Conservation Area]], [[Portuguese Ledge State Marine Conservation Area]], [[Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area]], [[Lovers Point State Marine Reserve]], [[Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation Area]] and [[Asilomar State Marine Reserve]] are [[marine protected areasarea]]s in Monterey Bay. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.

The proposed [[Monterey Peninsula Water Project|Monterey Peninsula Supply Water Project]] includes a [[Desalination|desalination facility]] and additional [[Aquifer storage and recovery|aquifer storage]] capacity that is intended to provide a reliable, long-term water supply. The project will use subsurface slant wells that draw from a brackish aquifer that consists mostly of seawater located just behind the coast line. Since the intake does not reach into the ocean, potential harm to sealife can be avoided.<ref name=MPWSP>{{cite web|url=http://www.watersupplyproject.org/|title=Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project|access-date=October 11, 2015|publisher=[[California American Water]]}}</ref> The wells drawing the water for desalination must not access the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/20150227/ian-crooks-cal-am-test-slant-well-to-deliver-key-data|title= Cal Am test slant well to deliver key data|work=[[Monterey Herald]]|date=February 27, 2015|first=Ian |last=Crooks}}</ref> The California state water board originally set a deadline of December 31, 2016 to reduce pumping from the [[Carmel River (California)|Carmel River]] by 70%.<ref name=MPWSP/> The project has the support of Peninsula mayors water authority together with local business and community leaders. The Marina Coast Water District and Ag Land Trust have concerns about the test well pumping impacts on the area's groundwater supply and would prefer a full environmental impact report be prepared for the project.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.montereyherald.com/environment-and-nature/20151007/cal-am-desal-test-well-to-resume-pumping|title=Cal Am desal test well to resume pumping|first= Jim |last=Johnson |work=[[Monterey Herald]]|date=October 7, 2015}}</ref>

{{Monterey PeninsulaBay GolfArea|state=collapsed}}