Category Archives: California

State Parks

California State Parks Foundation Calling For Volunteers

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The California State Parks Foundation’s Park Champions Program is seeking volunteers for the Park Champions Program.  The Park Champions Program holds volunteer work days in state parks across California, and was created in response to the unprecedented budget cuts and closures that California State Parks have been facing. The Park Champions program provides consistent, sustainable volunteer support in the areas of park maintenance and beautification.

From the California State Parks Foundation website:

Park Champions projects improve the quality, safety and preservation of our state parks. Projects in the past year have included trail repair, invasive plant removal, habitat restoration, the rehabilitation of an historic orchard, fence construction, bridge construction, and re-painting park structures. If you enjoy volunteering outdoors, want to work with a fun group of people, and you want to make a difference in our state parks, then become a Park Champion and join us for the next work day happening near you!

You can find upcoming volunteer days on the CSPF website HERE.

Activities, National Parks

New Fire Restrictions at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Due to high fire danger, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are instituting fire restrictions inside the parks starting today.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of the San Joaquin Valley. Visitor activities vary by season and elevation (1,370 to 14,494 feet).

The restrictions are:

  • No wood or barbecue fires are permitted below 6,000 feet, except in designated campgrounds. This includes Ash Mountain Picnic Area, Hospital Rock Picnic Area and backcountry travel below 6,000 feet. Gas or propane stoves may be used at all elevations.
  • No smoking below 6,000 feet is permitted, except within a developed area, a campground, an enclosed vehicle, or a building that allows smoking.

You can see a list for park alerts HERE.

National Parks

Yosemite Conservancy’s Yosemite Falls LIVE Video Feed Is Up!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The Yosemite Conservancy has switched on a live streaming webcam of Yosemite Falls.

Yosemite Falls is, arguably, one of the most beautiful tall waterfalls in California. With a fall of 2,425 feet, it is the tallest waterfall in North America.

For the live stream, click HERE.

To view all the webcam options, click HERE.

To visit the Yosemite Conservancy website, click HERE.

To support the Yosemite Conservancy, click HERE.

(live cameras by Pixelcaster).

National Forests, News

Protecting the Cleveland National Forest – San Diego’s Planned Encroachment

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

According to the Sand Diego Union Tribune, San Diego County has just released a Draft Environmental Impact Report regarding the Cleveland National Forest.

In 1993 the voters of San Diego County by a two-thirds vote endorsed and passed the Forest Conservation Initiative, which protected the forest from what the U-T called a “Death Sentence” of development.

The new Draft Environmental Impact Report seeks to replace the riparian and rangeland habitat with urban sprawl. According to the DEI, the plan’s SIGNIFICANT impact in the forest is “unavoidable” because the county must put housing in San Diego’s last remaining wilderness area. Continue reading →

Conservation, National Parks

National Park Service removes trash cans from parks in an effort to shut down public lands

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

It’s already started back in D.C.

The National Park Service is REMOVING trash cans from national parks under a new “Trash Free Park” program that’s being instituted in some parks outside of California. According to the Question/Answer sheet found HERE, this is the idea behind the program:

“…Visitors are responsible for removing all refuse they generate in the park when they leave the park. Trash must be picked up and the area left in a clean condition before departure. Visitors are encouraged to come prepared when visiting the park. If they plan to picnic, barbecue, or in any way generate waste, they should plan ahead to provide the means to organize materials needed, and correctly package items and refuse, in order to efficiently remove it with them by the means in which they came -by walking, metro, bicycle, car, etc.. The park encourages visitors to consider how they package items. Using materials that can be recycled or composted when they return home is a positive way to help the environment…”

I don’t know about you, but my questions in no reflect the rainbows and unicorns questions dreamed up but the NPS flunky who wrote that sheet up.  My only question is this:

What fucking moron came up with this idiotic plan?

Continue reading →