In a recent project, environmental journalist Tim De Chant finds a surprising direct correlation between the number of trees a neighborhood has and its monetary wealth. The project, entitled "Income Inequality, As Seen From Space," looks at two neighborhoods from selected cities by comparing satellite images from Google Earth. Public response towards the project has been so positive many have begun applying it to their own cities and neighborhoods. More images and an interview with De Chant can be found here.  

The Bureau of Reclamation has estimated that the Sierra snowpack could be reduced by half as soon as a decade from now which could result in a loss of hydropower for the state of California. This could have dramatic effects on California residents as utilities are forced to switch some of the load to natural gas-fired plants to make up the difference. Estimates show that the cost to electricity consumers could be up to $1.7 billion dollars. Robert Shibatani, a hydrologist and consultant to numerous government agencies, says that the depleted snow pack comes as a result of warming temperatures creating rain at higher elevations, not just less precipitation. For more information on water and power, click here.   

Several hospital and higher education programs have been working hard to attract and retain doctors and medical professionals in the San Joaquin Valley. These programs include the San Joaquin General Hospital post-graduate physician program which offers students experience in general surgery, internal medicine and family practice. Also, the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education, sponsored by the University of California, Merced, recently welcomed its first class of six medical students who began taking classes at the UC Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento. Projects like these aim to "grow their own" professionals who can address this long-time underserved region where the standard is one practitioner for every 2,000 residents, 31 percent lower than the rest of the state. For more information highlighting these programs, click here.