Category Archives: California

News, State Parks

New Reservation System Coming to California State Parks This Summer

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

California State Parks News Release, Sacramento, CA — Starting this August, Californians will make their state parks camping and tour reservations through a new, faster, easier to use reservation system that features more open access to data.

ReserveCalifornia will go live for all parks on August 1. A variety of features will be phased in between then and March 1, 2018. Below is a breakdown of the features:

Starting August 1, the new reservation system will provide more user-friendly and intuitive web services, including:

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County Parks, News

OC Parks longer summer hours schedule starts March 13th!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Daylight Saving Time brings longer spring-summer operating hours to Regional and Wilderness parks.

The clocks spring forward early March 13, marking the beginning of Daylight Saving Time and OC Parks’ spring-summer operating schedule.

Starting Sunday, March 13, the spring-summer hours for regional parks are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. That includes Carbon Canyon, Clark, Craig, Laguna Niguel, Mason, Mile Square and Yorba regional parks. Irvine Regional Park opens at 6 a.m. and will close at 9 p.m.

Santiago Oaks, Peters Canyon, O’Neill and Talbert regional parks operate on wilderness park hours, as do the outlying trails around Irvine Regional Park. Wilderness parks are open at 7 a.m. and close at sunset year round. OC Parks’ wilderness parks are: Aliso and Wood Canyons, Caspers, Laguna Coast, Whiting Ranch and Riley wilderness parks, as well as Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve.

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News

Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

From the BlueRibbon Coalition: Earlier this year, California Reps. David G. Valadao (CA-21), Sam Farr (CA-21), and Jeff Denham (CA-10) introduced H.R. 1838, the Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act, to direct the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to reopen the 75,000 acre Clear Creek Management Area in San Benito and Fresno counties for recreational use, including access for off-road vehicles. Additionally, the legislation would protect approximately 21,000 acres of BLM land adjacent to Clear Creek as the Joaquin Rocks Wilderness.

Once considered a premier off-road vehicle recreation site, Clear Creek was temporarily closed in 2008 to the public after an Environmental Protection Agency analysis about the risk created by naturally occurring asbestos.

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News, Wildlife

BLM Plans Meetings on Cow Mountain Recreation Management Plan

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

From The BlueRibbon Coalition:

The Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office will hold public scoping meetings in September to gather comments for a recreation management plan for North and South Cow Mountain.

BRC strongly supports the managed OHV recreation program at the Cow Mountain National Recreation Area (NRA). The NRA provides important OHV opportunities for both casual riders and competitors in motorized events.

BRC urges its members to attend the following meetings to show support for the current program and to offer comments on ways to enhance the OHV program. Here are just a couple of ideas: Continue reading →

Big Bear Lake, National Forests, Wildfire, Wildlife

Summit Fire burning south of Big Bear Lake

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

A fire now named the Summit Fire is burning in the San Bernardino National Forest near Forest Service Road 2N08 (to the south of the city of Big Bear Lake and west of the Snow Summit ski resort).

The fire appears to have started near Pine Knot Avenue and Knickerbocker Road around 12:30 p.m. Within an hour, the fire had grown to more than 10 acres, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. At last report, it had grown again to between 20 and 25 acres.  It has a moderate rate of spread, and is being fueled by moderate to heavy forest growth.

There are mandatory evacuations for the area from Knickerbocker Road east to Georgia Road and south of Pennsylvania Road to the forest boundary.

08/24/15 Update (from InciWeb):

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