Conservation, National Forests, News

Public Officials raise concerns about fast-tracked National Monument plan

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Congresswoman Judy Chu currently has a bill, HR4858, being reviewed by a Congressional committee to designate the San Gabriel Mountains as a National Recreation Area, however she hopes to bypass the legislative process and have President Obama declare the mountains a National Monument with an executive order as early as this month without proper studies or public input.

San Bernardino County supervisors unanimously expressed serious concern for the impact of Rep. Chu’s plan on their county. Several Los Angeles County supervisors have also expressed concern over Chu’s legislation. Residents and public officials have created a grassroots movement against Chu’s campaign for further federalization of local lands.

Elected officials independently opposing the National Monument designation are City Council members from the municipalities of Arcadia, Bradbury, Claremont, Diamond Bar, Glendora, La Verne, Monrovia, Rosemead and West Covina.

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National Forests, National Parks

2015 National Park Free Entrance Days

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Mark your calendar for these entrance fee waived* dates in 2015:

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day – January 19
  • Presidents Day weekend – February 14-16
  • Opening weekend of National Park Week – April 18-19
  • National Park Service Birthday – August 25
  • National Public Lands Day – September 26
  • Veterans Day – November 11

Remember: out of 401 national parks only 133 of them charge an entrance fee.  Get outside!

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise (per NPS).

News, Wildlife

Brown signs bill to fix fire fee provisions

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

From Capital Press:

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that reduces penalties for late payments of rural fire prevention fees and waives the fees for landowners who’ve lost their residences to fire.

SACRAMENTO — The more than 800,000 rural California residents charged $150 per structure for fire prevention will get some relief in certain cases.

Gov. Jerry Brown this week signed legislation that reduces the penalty for late payments from 20 percent to 10 percent per month and waives the fee for homeowners who lose their residence to a wildfire or other natural disaster.

Assembly Bill 2042 was authored by Assemblyman Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, and passed unanimously in both legislative chambers.

“Like most north state residents, I’d rather see the fee simply repealed,” Dahle said in a statement. “In the meantime, this bill reforms some of the worst aspects of the fee. In particular, it was egregious that the law taxed homeowners who’d lost their homes to fire.”

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National Parks, Wildlife

Meadow Fire grows to 700 acres

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

ABC News is reporting that the week old Meadow Fire has grown to 700 acres.

From a smaller 100-acre blaze, the fire has suddenly flared up, jumping to 300 acres yesterday and igniting an additional 400 acres overnight.

From their website:

A wildfire in Yosemite National Park grew to 700 acres Sunday, with about 100 visitors rescued by helicopter, park officials said.

Sunday’s strong winds and high temperatures fueled the fire, park spokeswoman Kari Cobb told ABC News.

Hikers were airlifted from Half Dome peak, a popular rock formation, as well as nearby campgrounds and hiking trails, Cobb said.

“We actually had a number of helicopters here in the park that were able to airlift these individuals back to Yosemite Valley so that they could be out of the way of the fire,” Cobb said.

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