Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Launches Pilot Permit Program at Gold Bluffs Beach Day-Use Area and Fern Canyon
Story from: Marnin Robbins, North Coast Redwoods District
 Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
Redwood National and State Parks will launch a new pilot permit program this summer for Gold Bluffs Beach day-use area, including Fern Canyon, within Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
From May 1 to September 30, 2022, permits will be required to enter all locations within the Gold Bluffs Beach day-use area, including the popular Fern Canyon parking area. Permits will not be required from October 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Permits will be free and will be available online only on the Redwood National and State Parks website. A day-use fee of $12 (cash or check only) will be charged upon entry, or visitors can also use their California State Parks or National Park Service day-use passes.
The Gold Bluffs Beach day-use area and Fern Canyon is one of the most visited areas within Redwood National and State Parks. Unrestricted access to this location during peak summer months has caused public safety concerns and an increase in resource damage. The implementation of a permit system will allow Redwood National and State Parks to provide a high-quality visitor experience by reducing overcrowding in parking lots and trail systems. In addition, a permit system during peak summer months will allow for the protection of natural resources while providing adequate access for Law Enforcement and Emergency Services to provide responses during emergencies.
On Wednesday, March 16, at 6 p.m., a virtual information session will be hosted by Redwood National and State Parks to provide the public an opportunity to learn more about this pilot program. To attend this virtual information session, click here to register.
To read press release, click here.
Humboldt County Conservation Legend Laura Perrott Mahan Made Woman of the Year
Story from: Ryan Spencer, North Coast Redwoods District
 Assemblymember Jim Wood, joined by North Coast Redwoods District Superintendent Victor Bjelajac, interpretive staff, and Mahan’s descendent, Michaele Whiteley. Left to right: Marnin Robbins, Victor Bjelajac, Jim Wood, Griff Griffith, Ryan Spencer, Michaele Whiteley, Erika Granadino. Photo from Ryan Spencer, North Coast Redwoods District.
Assemblymember Jim Wood issued a proclamation Friday, March 11, making Laura Perrott Mahan Woman of the Year for California Assembly District 2.
Mahan was president of the Humboldt Chapter of the Women’s Save the Redwoods League in the first decades of the 20th century. She led the effort of women’s groups across the country to protect over 30,000 acres of ancient redwoods, including physically placing herself between a caravan of loggers and old growth redwoods in 1918. The groves that she helped to protect would go on to become Humboldt Redwoods State Park, which contains the largest contiguous stand of old growth redwoods in the world. “This is very unique, and maybe the only time ever, that a Woman of the Year has been chosen as someone from history, more than 100 years ago,” said Wood.
North Coast Redwoods District Interpretive Manager Marnin Robbins encouraged staff to harness the power of social media to continue meaningful engagement with a public who was sheltering in place. What resulted was a consistent output of daily interpretive content on social media, reaching over 2.5 million viewers in 2020 alone. One recurring topic frequently covered by Humboldt Redwoods Interpreters Griff Griffith and Erika Granadino is the rich story of Laura Mahan. Assemblymember Wood had become a fan of the North Coast Redwoods’ livestream videos during the pandemic lockdown and prompted him to reach out to Griffith during a visit to Humboldt Redwoods.
“I was inspired to choose Ms. Mahan after hearing from [Griffith] … during a tour of the park late last year,” said Wood. “We stopped at her memorial and Griff, a masterful storyteller, shared her story and I knew immediately that she deserved to be honored for her advocacy and work.”
You can view a recording of Assemblymember Wood’s proclamation making Mahan Woman of the Year on the North Coast Redwoods District’s Facebook page.
Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students Program Delivers Relevancy in Real Time, Celebrating Women’s History Month
Story from: Brad Krey, Interpretation and Education Division
 State Park Interpreters Erika Granadino and Griff Griffith, and Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students Program Manager Brad Krey in foreground.
About ¼-mile off Avenue of the Giants, down a trail in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, there’s a plaque dedicated to one of the titans of conservation. The plaque, dedicated to Laura Perrot Mahan, tells the story of the beginning of what would become a globally recognized movement to save the world’s tallest trees. The story of Laura Mahan, who galvanized women's groups 100 years ago to protect ancient redwoods, had been largely forgotten. With the help of California State Parks interpreters and the latest in digital communication tools, the story is finally getting a new audience.
The plaque can be a bit difficult to find and has only a brief description of history-changing events that took place. The need to expand on the story of a female conservationist, told right from the location where she proclaimed “she’d rather be dead than have one more tree cut down,” is why North Coast Redwoods District collaborated with the Interpretation and Education Division’s Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS) Program to deliver two special, live broadcasts in honor of Women’s History Month.
I have been developing and testing a mobile system for live video production that utilizes a unique 180-degree immersive, trackable camera with presets, stage-quality microphones and a mobile wireless network to bring the untold stories of California’s state parks to a larger stage, including social media channels and through the vast PORTS K-12 learning network. The technology we brought into the sacred redwood grove was silent, self-powered, hand-carried and deployed multiple times throughout the week for testing and live program delivery.
North Coast Redwoods District Interpreters Erika Granadino and Griff Griffith provided two in-depth, informative and entertaining programs. Their focus was linking the conservation efforts of Laura Mahan and the other women’s groups 100 years ago with the women on the front lines today, standing up for forest protection across the world. This timeless story showcased the power of interpretation to make parks relevant to the next generation of park stewards.
The first program we delivered, marketed and developed for K-12 education, through PORTS Home Learning Programs, had over 100 registrants, almost all of whom were K-12 teachers, which means the total amount of viewers was likely in the thousands. Classes logged in from near and far, including the Bay Area, Southern California and even the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. The second program, a social media livestream, was simulcasted to six Facebook pages and the PORTS YouTube channel. This allowed maximum exposure for the live video which, at the time of this writing, has been viewed over 5,000 times.
Compelling interpreters with amazing stories to tell, combined with digital platforms and equipment, allows the department to push the limits of quality content delivery for heritage month observances and other important occasions. You can watch a recording of the “Women Who Saved the Redwoods” by clicking here.
 In back (left to right), State Park Interpreters Erika Granadino and Griff Griffith, North Coast District Interpretive Manager Marnin Robbins, State Park Interpreters Cleo Domingo and Jose Cabello, and in foreground, PORTS Program Manager Brad Krey.
Ice Plant Removal Effort at Mendocino Headlands State Park
Story from: Amelia Schall, Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District
 Forestry Aides Jacob Casey and Louis Reynolds, volunteer Winnie Pitrone, District Volunteer Coordinator Amelia Schall and Forestry Aide Antonio Maestas shoveling, raking and hauling piles of pulled-up ice plant to the road to be hauled away by Heavy Equipment Operator Mike Drake. Not pictured: Forestry Aide Marlene Padilla. Photo from Carrie Durkee, volunteer at Mendocino Headlands State Park.
In January 2021, California State Parks Volunteer Carrie Durkee noticed the invasion of ice plant at Mendocino Headlands State Park and decided to do something about it. Shortly thereafter, long-term volunteers Winnie Pitrone and Andy Mackey signed up to join the effort. Eventually they named themselves HEART, Headlands Eradication and Restoration Team. They have met weekly ever since, removing invasive plant species from specified areas approved by Senior Specialist Environmental Scientist Terra Fuller.
On Wednesday, March 2, a group of four members of HEART, including Carrie Durkee, the Natural Resources Vegetation Crew, Forestry Aide Taylor Groves, Heavy Equipment Operator Mike Drake, and myself met at the Mendocino Headlands in the morning with a plan. Mike brought the dump truck and the backhoe. We used tarps and wheelbarrows to move all of the ice plant to the road for Mike to scoop and dump into the dump truck and to be composted offsite.
We worked until late in the afternoon and completed our mission. Three dump truckloads full of ice plant were removed from the Mendocino Headlands, just in time for the upcoming whale festival that weekend. It was a great collaboration and a wonderful success.
 Volunteer Winnie Pitrone and Louis Reynolds carrying a tarp full of ice plant to dump in the bucket of the backhoe, operated by Heavy Equipment Operator Mike Drake, to be transported to the dump truck. Photo from Carrie Durkee, volunteer at Mendocino Headlands State Park.
 Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District Volunteer Coordinator Amelia Schall dragging a load of ice plant to the road to be picked up and hauled away. Photo from Carrie Durkee, volunteer at Mendocino Headlands State Park.
Mendocino Mermaids Host Cleanup at Big River Beach
Story from: Amelia Schall, Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District
 Top left: Mermaid Sierra Wooten. Top right: Booth on cleanup day at Big River Beach, part of Mendocino Headlands. Bottom left: Mermaid Carlie English and her shark dog, Draco. Bottom middle and right: Mermaid Erif Thunen. Photos from Sierra Wooten, Mendocino Mermaids.
The Mendocino Mermaids celebrated its third year as a nonprofit organization on Saturday, February 26, with a cleanup at Big River Beach, part of Mendocino Headlands State Park. That day, they collected 34 pounds of trash.
The Mendocino Mermaids started as a club at the local swimming pool. The founder, local author Davina Liberty, was looking for material for her third book. What began as a social club for people who like to swim and wear mermaid tails quickly became a means to raise awareness of microplastics and other trash on our beaches, and the need to be stewards of our local watersheds.
The Mendocino Mermaids typically host one beach cleanup per month in parks throughout the Mendocino Sector and bring awareness of their efforts by taking photos on the beach in their mermaid tails.
The Mendocino Mermaids welcome everybody to join their efforts. I am always astounded by the reported amount of trash they retrieve from our local beaches, and I’m full of gratitude for their efforts.
Click here to watch video of leader, Sierra Wooten, sorting the trash collected for disposal.
Central Valley District Staff Take Bald Eagle Tour at Millerton Lake State Recreation Area
Story from: Caleb Masquelier, Central Valley District
 Bald eagles sighted during tour at Millerton Lake State Recreation Area. Photo from Brian Baer, Communications and Marketing Division.
On an uncharacteristically warm and sunny day in February, Central Valley District employees from administrative and interpretive services were able to enjoy a team-building exercise while on a bald eagle tour at beautiful Millerton Lake State Recreation Area (SRA).
Park staff enjoyed the sights around Millerton, including Big Table Mountain, and were able to see one of the mated pairs of bald eagles in the park. Binoculars and hot chocolate were provided by Millerton Lake SRA staff.
Bald Eagle Tours at Millerton Lake SRA typically run from December till March when many migratory eagles overwinter at the lake. The lake is also a year-round home to a few breeding pairs of eagles. Over 2,000 visitors come annually on the Bald Eagle Tours. The tours last about three hours, with a restroom and hot chocolate break taken in the middle of the tour.
Park staff enjoyed this wonderful trip and the opportunity to connect, face-to-face, with other staff members whom we normally do not get to see.
 Top left: Bald eagles from a distance. Photo from Brian Baer, Communications and Marketing Division. Top right: Big Table Mountain. Photo from Caleb Masquelier, Central Valley District. Bottom photos: Bald eagles sighted by Central Valley District staff. Photos from Caleb Masquelier, Central Valley District.
Friends of the Elephant Seal Recruiting Volunteers for Piedras Blancas
Story from: San Luis Obispo Coast District
Friends of the Elephant Seal (FES) is recruiting new docents/guides to help visitors at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Viewing Area understand the life of the northern elephant seals that visit this beach. FES is a cooperating association with the California State Parks.
Piedras Blancas, located in the Central Coast, is the largest mainland rookery for these amazing animals. Seals visit the beach to give birth and breed, to rest and to molt. The rest of the year they migrate long distances, diving deep and long to find food. FES docents help visitors understand which seals are on the beach, why they are there and what is going on in their complicated and fascinating lives.
FES will offer spring training sessions to prepare new docents to meet the public as informal educators. Training will include virtual independent study, online as well as live sessions. Live training sessions are set for Saturdays, May 7 and 21, in Morro Bay, with in-person mentoring to be scheduled between and after those dates. Independent study will start in April; the application deadline is March 21, 2022.
Be part of the effort to help the general public enjoy wildlife and learn about the Central Coast’s amazing creatures. Go to www.elephantseal.org/become-a-docent/ and complete an application. For additional information, call the Friends of the Elephant Seal office at (805) 924-1628.
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