Earlier this week, Yosemite National Park closed all campgrounds and visitor centers. The park’s entrance and hiking trails remained open.
After the governor issued his ridiculous ‘shelter in place’ nonsense, however, Yosemite has now been shuttered to all visitors for an indefinite period of time due to the Chinese Coronavirus. No one is allowed into the park except for residents who live within the boundaries of the park or at Yosemite West who have to use NPS roads to get to their homes, and authorized National Park Service personnel.
The U.S. Forest Service has announced that they’re going to postpone all new prescribed burns until further notice due to the Coronavirus. The canceled fire ignitions in California include burns in Six Rivers and Mendocino National Forests.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, and Society for Conservation of Bighorn Sheep (SCBS) are looking for volunteers to assist biologists with a bighorn sheep count in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties at the end of February (February 29 through March 1st). It’s the last weekend of the month, and the event will go on Saturday evening and all day Sunday.
As we’re coming up on the feathered tailend of California’s general waterfowl season (the California waterfowl season reopens after the general closure just for young hunters in early February), hunters can look forward to some fantastic duck and goose harvesting with the arrival of cold and stormy weather. Dress appropriately and get out in those fields and marshes today!
One of the great opportunities that the United States Forest Service offers in California’s National Forests is the opportunity to rent Fire Lookouts for overnight and multi-day stays. The Fire Lookouts offer some of the greatest views you can hope to get – and you can rent these lookouts for virtually nothing!