California Simplifies Annual Day Use Pass Program for CalWORKs Families
Story from: Communications and Marketing Division
 California State Parks and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) have made it easier for CalWORKs families to receive a free annual, vehicle day-use pass valid at 200+ state parks and beaches. Now, families receiving CalWORKs can complete the application on their smartphone in just minutes. By simplifying the application process, more Californians will have access to the outdoors, regardless of their zip code.
Four of every 10 Californians have no access to open space within walking distance of their home and six of every 10 Californians live in park-poor neighborhoods. The improvements to the Golden Bear Pass Program help advance the “Outdoor Access for All” initiative championed by Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and the recently launched “California Outdoors for All” initiative. This effort expands outdoor access to all Californians through focused investments in open space infrastructure, outdoor programming, and improvements to permit applications, with a priority to expanding access in underserved communities.
“Improving access to nature is a crucial public health tool to ensure Californians of all ages and backgrounds are healthy in mind and body,” said California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “Through the state’s renewed efforts to raise awareness of the Golden Bear Pass for eligible Californians, we are taking a significant step forward to advance equitable access to the great outdoors and California’s awe-inspiring and unparalleled state parks system.”
Additional information in the press release.
California State Railroad Museum and California State Railroad Museum Foundation Announce Season of Weekend Excursion Trains
Story from: Traci Rockefeller Cusack, California State Railroad Museum Foundation
 Take a train ride on the Sacramento Southern Railroad, the only train ride experience behind an authentic, historic locomotive in the Sacramento region. Photo from Kelly B. Huston, volunteer with California State Railroad Museum and California State Railroad Foundation.
The California State Railroad Museum and California State Railroad Museum Foundation are excited to announce a new season of popular weekend excursion train rides on the Sacramento Southern Railroad. While excursion train rides are available starting this weekend, March 5-6, the official opening weekend is April 2-3.
In the early 1900s and due in large part to competition spawned by the Delta’s early development with its rich soil, plentiful water and agricultural bounty, Southern Pacific made the decision to build a new railroad—the Sacramento Southern—to transport both freight and passengers.
Weekend excursion train ride guests can take in the sights, smells and sounds of an authentic, historic locomotive as it rolls along the levees of the Sacramento River for a 6-mile, 50-minute round-trip excursion. Appealing to all ages, the experience offers guests the chance to enjoy train travel from an earlier era. Train ride guests have the option to ride in open-air gondolas with bench seating or in comfortable and cushioned, enclosed coach cars.
Weekend excursion train ride tickets are limited, and interested riders are encouraged to book online in advance. If still available, train ride tickets can be purchased in person starting at 9 a.m. the day of the train ride. Weekend excursion trains depart from the Central Pacific Railroad Freight Depot every 90 minutes.
Operating in compliance with TSA’s (Transportation Security Administration) COVID-19 guidelines, masks are currently required on all excursion train rides.
For ticket pricing information and train schedule and to purchase weekend excursion train ride tickets, please visit www.CaliforniaRailroad.Museum.
rideATAXIA Bike Ride: From Bolsa Chica to Huntington State Beaches
Story from: Michelle Figueroa, Orange Coast District
 Top (left to right): State Park Special Event Assistant Coordinator Garrett Adriano, Senior Park Aide (SPA) Jakob Crawford and SPA Scott Huckabey. Bottom (left to right): State Parks Special Event Assistant Coordinator Natalie Nuñez, SPA Janda Chasse, Texas Huckabey (son of Scott Huckabey). Photo from Michelle Figueroa, Orange Coast District.
On the morning of Saturday, February 26, locals and visitors of all abilities gathered at Bolsa Chica State Beach (SB) to attend the 2022 rideATAXIA bike ride. Participants opted to bike a 12-mile, 6-mile or 1-mile course between Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beaches to fundraise research money to help treat and find a cure Fredreich’s Ataxia.
Fredreich’s Ataxia (FRDA) is a degenerative disease that impairs a person’s ability to coordinate fine muscle movements. This can lead to difficulty walking, slowed speech, foot abnormalities and spinal curvature. In most cases, symptoms begin to show around late childhood between the ages of 5 and 15.
rideATAXIA is an event that has come back to Bolsa Chica SB year after year, in large part thanks to the efforts of State Parks Senior Park Aide Scott Huckabey. It is a grand community effort that raises awareness and fosters support and camaraderie around this rare disease, and our state beach staff are proud to be a part of it. If you would like to learn more about this event, please visit https://curefa.org/ride-ataxia.
 Left: Participants gear up to bike the 6-mile course on the Huntington State Beach multiuse trail. Right: Isabella Martinez and her supportive dog Sadie attend their first rideATAXIA event. Photos from Michelle Figueroa, Orange Coast District.
Lead-Safety Training Class Held in Several Districts
Story from: Peter Stewart, Central Valley District
 Staff from Columbia and Railtown 1897 State Historic Parks on February 22 receiving lead training. All attendees passed the class and are now certified for Renovation, Repair and Painting of Lead Surfaces.
Central Valley District contracted with Zack Academy Inc. to put on a lead-safety class on February 22 and March 1 for renovation, repair and painting. Approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, this eight-hour class is required when working around lead paint and when working on interiors when the surface area to be disturbed is more than 6 square feet or 20 square feet for exterior surfaces or if any windows have lead paint exceeding the EPA limit of 1.0 milligram per square centimeter.
The class included information on personal protective equipment, public notification, containment, cleanup and disposal. Class also covered the types of tools that may be used, like scrapers or HEPA-filtered vacuum sanders. With the completion of this class, participating staff are now Lead-Safe Certified for Renovation, Repair and Painting of Lead Surfaces for the next five years. Note that this class was not a lead-abatement class, which is a 40-hour class and requires a different certification. Central Valley District has plans to send a few of its maintenance teams members to that class at a later date.
 Staff from Millerton State Recreation Area, Calaveras Big Trees State Park and San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area attended a lead-renovation class held in the San Luis Reservoir conference room on Tuesday, March 1.
Donner Memorial State Park Celebrates 175th Anniversary of Donner Relief Parties of 1847
Story from: Jeremy Lin, Sierra District
 Donner Relief Expedition ultra-distance runners leaving Johnson's Ranch toward Donner Memorial State Park. Left to right: Elke Reimer, Jennifer Hemmen, Bob Crowley and Tim Twietmeyer. Photo from Bill Oudegeest, Donner Summit Historical Society.
Four ultra-distance runners, from February 14-18, retraced the 100-mile trail through the deep Sierra snow taken by the rescuers of the entrapped Donner Party—exactly 175 years after the tragic Donner Party incident took place.
The precise route of the 1847 Donner relief parties has been lost to history; however, the endurance athletes have spent years crafting a historically accurate map of the initial Donner relief party and pinpointing the probable trail through the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada.
On February 14, the group departed historic Johnson’s Ranch located in modern-day Wheatland, California, donning period-era attire, with each of the snowshoers representing a heroic member of the original relief parties. Upon the runners’ arrival at Donner Memorial State Park on February 18, a great celebration of the heroism, pathos and the human spirit of the relief parties included live music, historic snowshoe demonstrations and an expert panel discussion.
This modern reprise of the historic Donner relief parties exemplifies the enduring and timeless themes of heroism, perseverance and determination that we celebrate today.
 Elke Reimer, one of the Donner relief expedition endurance athletes, preparing for the first leg of the journey on horseback. Photo from Bill Oudegeest, Donner Summit Historical Society.
 Group receives a celebratory reception, concluding their 100-mile reprise of the historic Donner relief party reprise expedition. Photo from Jeremy Lin, Sierra District.
Eagle Tours at Silverwood Lake Finished on High Note
Story from: Teri Pope, Inland Empire District
 A golden eagle sits perched on a rock atop Cedar Springs Dam, ignoring several ravens and crows just out of the shot. Photo from Hans Friedel, volunteer at Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area.
Winter in the San Bernardino Mountains is eagle season, and Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area, which sits amid these mountains, is home to several bald and golden eagles, as well as several other types of raptors and waterfowl. After a hiatus of a few years, Silverwood Lake’s interpretive staff were able to bring back the popular Eagle Tours this winter. Running two Saturdays a month December through February, these tours take visitors on an interpreter-led boat ride around the lake to learn about resident birdlife, the lake’s history and local habitats.
Our final tour on February 26 finished out the season with a truly grand finale. Visitors were treated to encounters with both bald and golden eagles, including watching a golden eagle drop from the sky to grab a bird from the lake. (Our staff and volunteers are still discussing whether it was a cormorant, a grebe or a duck.) It was an exciting moment as the bird swooped back up, prey in its talons to settle eventually on a tree, soon joined by a second golden eagle, perhaps looking to share the meal. Several other bird sightings, including an adult bald eagle flying overhead, pelicans, grebes, bufflehead and great blue herons in their rookery, added to the fun learning experience for visitors of all ages.
The weather was cold, but the sun was bright, and the birds were cooperative in making themselves visible, so everyone had a wonderful time. The eagles are getting ready to head back to their northern homes soon, but the Eagle Tours will pick up in December this year for another opportunity for our visitors.
 Top left: A large adult golden eagle swoops down to the water and grabs an unsuspecting waterfowl (perhaps a grebe or a cormorant), then carries it away. Top right: An American white pelican flying overhead. Bottom right: As the first golden eagle settles into a tree to enjoy its prey, they are joined by a second, perhaps looking for its share. Bottom left: A bald eagle flies above the boat, high in the sky. Photos from Hans Friedel, volunteer at Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area.
Santa Cruz and Monterey Districts Participate in February Fitness Challenge
Story from: Dan Kraft, Monterey District
 Lifeguard Cameron Weaver on a night foot patrol at The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. Photo from Trevor Morgan, Santa Cruz District.
Last month, a group of rangers and lifeguards from Santa Cruz and Monterey Districts challenged one another to walk or run as many miles as possible during the month. The friendly competition was the brainchild of Monterey District Ranger Briana Kennedy-Feldhaus and her fiancé, Santa Cruz District Supervising Ranger Peter Estes.
What began as a simple running and walking challenge evolved into a more complex mathematical “exercise,” which allowed participants to do a workout of their choice, with all efforts being converted from calories burned to miles. The final results were inspiring: Collectively, the 30 officers walked, ran, hiked and worked out to the tune of more than 3,300 miles during the month!
The exercises completed were as varied as the officers themselves. There were dog walks, family hikes, foot patrols of officer’s own parks, bike rides on road and trail, surf sessions, weightlifting, CrossFit routines and, of course, countless runs and hikes. During the month, a half-dozen participants completed half-marathons and one intrepid runner did a full marathon. Santa Cruz Ranger Josh Stone even took the competition internationally for a spell, logging miles while on vacation in Mexico including a 10-mile run through a crocodile-filled jungle.
Among the beneficiaries of the challenge were the officers themselves, whose fitness and motivation to get out of the office were piqued by the friendly competition. Visitors to parks also had more opportunities to interact with the parks’ guardians, and the parks themselves benefited from more-frequent visits to seldom-seen corners, as officers left the comfort of their vehicles to log miles for the competition. As Big Sur Supervising Ranger Matt Khalar noted: “I don’t think the parks in Monterey and Santa Cruz have ever seen this much foot patrol.”
The winner you ask? As the competition was a friendly one, let’s just say that it was a win for all of the parks, visitors and officers of Santa Cruz and Monterey Districts.
 Top left: Ranger Jake Williams geared up for bike patrol at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. Photo from Jake Williams, Monterey District. Top right: Supervising Ranger Jo-Ellen McMenamy on foot at San Jose Canyon, part of the Point Lobos Ranch property. Photo from Jake Williams, Monterey District. Bottom right: Ranger Briana Kennedy-Feldhaus, co-creator of the challenge, on foot patrol with K-9 partner Tyr at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Photo from Kelsey Kern, Monterey District. Bottom middle: Supervising Ranger Peter Estes, co-creator of the challenge, during a run with his companion Finn. Photo from Peter Estes, Santa Cruz District. Bottom left: Ranger Micah Moore hiking at Butano State Park with son Jed. Photo from Micah Moore.
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