Skip to main content
Donate

Where's Huell? Deep Underground, Exploring California's Buried Treasures!

By Drew Mackie
September 10, 2012
Support Provided By
huell-poppies-64

What's a week without the continued adventures of KCET's Golden State-trotting hero, Huell Howser? It's like a summer without sunshine, that's what. Find out where Huell is headed this week. Hint: It involves some literal digging.

Monday @ 7:30PM -- "John Muir"

Huell Howser heads to Yosemite to meet John Muir... inasmuch as one can meet Mr. Muir nowadays. Did you know that in addition to offering instrumental advocacy in getting Yosemite and Sequoia declared national parks, Muir also founded the Sierra Club?

Tuesday @ 7:30PM - "Buried Treasures"

Did you know that beneath the shifting sands of Santa Barbara County's Guadalupe Dunes lies an Egyptian temple? Kind of? It's the set of the Cecil B. De Mille epic "The Ten Commandments," and Huell heads out into the heat to search for these "ruins."

Wednesday @ 7:30PM -- "Under California"

And the Egyptian temple isn't the only thing buried beneath the surface of California. In this episode, Huell explores two more hidden treasures: first, the amazing underground gardens of Baldassare Forestiere, and then on to the Burro Schmidt Tunnel, the product of one man's 38-year effort to dig through a mountain.

Get a preview of tis episode here.

Thursday @ 7:30PM -- "Oil Islands"

Can oil drilling be beautiful? That's probably going to be a widely argued topic, but the people of Long Beach have done their best to gussy up a oil-drilling platform that exists right in the heart of the city's tourist sector. In fact, you may have seen it and not even realized what it truly is.

Friday @ 7:30PM -- "Upper Newport Bay"

Huell visits the Upper Newport Bay to see what is being done to keep this part of Orange County green and ready for everyone to enjoy.

Saturday @ 5PM -- "Straw Bale House"

It may sound a little Three Little Pigs-ish, but straw bales allow for surprisingly durable, energy efficient homes. Just make sure don't live in wolf territory, you know?

Sunday @ 7PM -- "Reagan Ranch"

Huell checks out Rancho del Cielo, where he learns hears about what life was like for Ron and Nancy in this corner of Santa Barbara County.

Support Provided By
Read More
An oil pump painted white with red accents stands mid-pump on a dirt road under a blue, cloudy sky with a green, grassy slope in the background.

California’s First Carbon Capture Project: Vital Climate Tool or License to Pollute?

California’s first attempt to capture and sequester carbon involves California Resources Corp. collecting emissions at its Elk Hills Oil and Gas Field, and then inject the gases more than a mile deep into a depleted oil reservoir. The goal is to keep carbon underground and out of the atmosphere, where it traps heat and contributes to climate change. But some argue polluting industries need to cease altogether.
By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
By Emma Foehringer Merchant, Inside Climate News
blue themed graphic including electric vehicles are charging stations, wind turbines and trees, 2023 in reference to year

A Look Back at Climate Solutions In 2023

The U.S. may have a long way to go in its decarbonization goals, but these stories show signs of progress in climate solutions.
By Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Grist