Reference and Resource Information
You'll find a surprising number of web sites listed in these ODP categories:
Coloma
Lotus
El Dorado County and its communities
Sierra Nevada Region
Home & Garden Resources
El Dorado County Department of Agriculture
Look here for information regarding the commodities grown in El Dorado county, the growers who produce them, upcoming special events and festivals, agricultural organizations and their area maps, and a harvest calendar. You will also find useful information about the functions and activities of the Department of Agriculture, such as crop statistics, biological control programs, pesticide registration and regulation, organic production, current issues, and their consumer protection role as a function of the department's Weights and Measures program.
Burn Information
For a recorded message on when it's okay to burn those brush piles: (530) 621-5897.
Are you craving fresh produce?
See the Harvest Calendar for what fruits and vegetables are in season.
El Dorado County Recycling
Find useful information about recycling issues and why it's so important. You'll also find a listing of local recycling sites for various materials, including hazardous waste.
Not our Favorite Plants...
Poison Oak (Toxicodendron)
"Leaves of three, let it be." Most Coloma Valley residents are all too aware of what poison oak looks like -- and how the rash it causes feels on their skin. But for those of you who are not familiar with this plant, see the photograph at the right. (Note that new leaves appear more reddish in color.) For more information on poison oak, its symptoms and treatment, see this ODP category.
Invasive Plants
The Coloma Valley is home to many non-native species. Most, like garden vegetables, eucalyptus trees and marigolds, are harmless to the ecosystem. A few visitors, however, have found the habitat to be all too hospitable and have tried to take over. You'll find more information in the ODP about two of the most serious troublemakers: tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis).
Local Government
Official El Dorado County web site
Elected officials representing Coloma, Lotus, and the rest of El Dorado County
County Supervisor Charlie Paine representing Coloma, Lotus, and the rest of El Dorado County's District Four
Local Media
KCRA Channel 3 Online
Offers northern California news and information.
Mountain Democrat
California's oldest newspaper. Published in Placerville, Ca. since 1851.
Sacramento Bee
Local, state, national and global headlines, updated throughout the day.
Entertainment
Signature Theatres in Placerville
Information on movies and times showing. Also includes links to movie summaries and reviews.
The Open Directory (ODP)
You will see references to the "Open Directory" or "ODP" sprinkled throughout the Coloma Valley site. What is it? The Open Directory Project, ODP for short, is a vast, organized directory of web sites. Similar to Yahoo! in intent, it is actually larger (over 2.5 million listings) and generally more up to date. This is due to the army of volunteer editors (currently numbering over 35,000) who seek out and review sites and generally maintain the directory.
Your webmaster is one of those thousands of editors. See my editor profile for a list of some of the categories that I've worked on. Sound interesting to you? You too can be an ODP editor. There are many pockets of the Directory that would appreciate some loving attention. See http://dmoz.org/about.html for more information about the project, pick out your favorite category and apply. It's best to start small -- you'll have a better chance of getting approved.
