Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1323931
WILLIAM DUNCAN — SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL Aaron "Chip" Keup, 37, picks hachiya persimmons from a private orchard in Santa Cruz. Keup uses the fruit to make hoshigaki, a labor intensive method of preserving persimmons popularized in Japan. OUTDOORS Picking persimmons for preserves By Hannah Hagemann hhagemann@santacruzsenti- nel.com SANTA CRUZ For the first time in a decade, Santa Cruz's iconic Cowell Beach was not on environmental watchdog group Heal the Bay's "Beach Bummer" list in June of this year. After a year of environ- mental hazards and im- pacts from the CZU August Lightning Complex fire, the step toward a healthier Santa Cruz shoreline is wel- come news. No Santa Cruz County beach was included on the list in 2020, which ranks beaches on their relative levels of water pollution. Cowell Beach had previ- ously been on the list for 12 years straight and various other years, as well. Cowell Beach has long suffered from high shore- line bacterial counts. But the communitybanded to- gether to clean up the beach. Citizen-science Cowell's Working Group and the City of Santa Cruz partnered in 2014 to investigate where the bacteria hotspots were on the shoreline. One major issue the groups found to be im- pacting water quality was the number of birds nesting near the Munici- pal Wharf. The group in- stalled metal bird screens in 2016 to try and prevent the mass-nesting from oc- curring. Save The Waves Exec- utive Director and Cow- ell's Working Group fa- cilitator Nik Strong- C vetich said those actions made a differ- ence in improving shore- line conditions. "The real success is that we already knew that we were doing better, and now we've got a stamp to sort of approve that," Strong- Cvetich told the Sentinel in June. Still, there isn't one is- sue at play, and Strong- Cvetich said the group's work will need to continue into 2021. "It doesn't mean next year we might not be on the list. We have to keep work- ing. It's really important that we keep this group to- gether and we continue to process any progress we've made over the six years, since this started." ENVIRONMENT Cowell removed from annual 'Beach Bummer' list DaveDawson ListingSpecialist Superior Marketing Superior Results Goto: dave-dawson.net to view all listings 841.426.4100x443 OfficesIn:SantaCruz,Aptos,ScottsValley Cal DRE: 01491117 TM THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 SANTACRUZSENTINEL.COM | | 13 D