In choosing a "Wildlife Wednesday" photo for today, besides the fact that tomorrow (9/24) is World Gorilla Day, this photo grabbed our attention. We feel like we can relate a little bit to how this gorilla looks like he feels - tired of the shelter in place. After many months of sheltering in place to slow this virus, we feel a little better (and we hope you do too) just seeing this gorilla and hoping he's doing okay. While probably ALL of us are feeling the "pandemic fatigue," we know, both individually and as a community, we are strong, resilient, patient, and hopeful. Just like this gorilla. Photo credit via Instagram @savinggorillas - World Gorilla Day creates the opportunity for people all over the world to come together in celebrating the gorilla, and more importantly, taking action to protect gorillas in the wild.

Update from CalFire from this morning: Yesterday, firefighters gained full containment on the CZU Lightning Complex in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. Crews continue to battle 26 remaining major wildfires in California. Today there are over 18,200 firefighters on the front lines. Firefighters continue to make progress on the over two dozen major wildfires, as well as the 22 new initial attack wildfires that were sparked across the State yesterday.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been well over 8,000 wildfires that have burned over 3.6 million acres in California. Since August 15, when California’s fire activity elevated, there have been 26 fatalities and over 6,600 structures destroyed.

Our hearts go out to all those impacted and especially those who have lost a loved one.

Tomorrow, September 24, 2:00 - 3:15 p.m. - “Natural and Cultural History of Cannery Row” - Greg Cailliet and Susan Shillinglaw - Focus on chapters 6-12. The full schedule is available at monterey.org/Portals/0/News/Cannery-Row-Days-A-Novel-Celebration.pdf, including the grand finale, CANNERY ROW DAY, November 7.

The City of Monterey is working to provide local resources and support every day to help us get past the pandemic. Here's a look at the past six months: MONTEREY RESPONDS

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