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Monica Vaughan's blog posts

Engagement proves clutch in telling broader health story of California off-road park
posted 07/24/2019
In the midst of my reporting on the health effects of bad air quality downwind of an off-road park along the California coast, our newsroom was confronted with another pressing public health tragedy.
Secondhand sand: How a state park is putting kids’ health at risk
posted 03/14/2019
Sand dunes at a state recreation area popular with off-road vehicles on California's Central Coast is sending tiny dust particles miles inland, creating an ongoing crisis in air quality.

Monica Vaughan's Blog
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Engagement proves clutch in telling broader health story of California off-road park
In the midst of my reporting on the health effects of bad air quality downwind of an off-road... more »
posted 07/24/19
Secondhand sand: How a state park is putting kids’ health at risk
Sand dunes at a state recreation area popular with off-road vehicles on California's Central... more »
posted 03/14/19

Monica Vaughan's Work
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Lesson: How I used engagement journalism to report on local air pollution
Step one: listen to community questions before asking your own.
Project: This popular camping area at Oceano Dunes will be closed by the end of the year — here’s why
A section of a popular camping area in the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area will be closed off by the end of the year — and fencing is being installed this week under an emergency permit issued to protect public health.
Project: California is spending $437K on a ‘wild goose chase’ study. Is a state scientist to blame?
Faced with an order to reduce dust from the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, the State Department of Parks and Recreation is spending $437,506 to study whether ocean algae is to blame for air pollution downwind of the park.