State Parks Celebrates Earth Week and California State Park Adventure Pass
Story from: Lydia Stinson, Interpretation and Education Division
 Next week is Earth Day, on Friday, April 22, and the California State Parks’ Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS) Program will offer a variety of ways to celebrate the day. However, we're not just celebrating Earth Day—but Earth Week!
Are you a fourth grader who wants to get out and explore California's state parks? Or have you ever wanted to learn about the tallest trees in the world? Or are you eager to discover how climate change is affecting our California shores? If the answer is “yes,” then join us during Earth Week, from Monday, April 18, to Friday, April 22, as we learn virtually from interpreters across California about the importance of preserving and protecting our beautiful planet.
The PORTS Program will be offering multiple home learning programs (interpretive programs via Zoom) this Earth Week from eight of the 19 participating state parks of the California State Park Adventure Pass Program. This pass for fourth graders and their families waives day-use and entry fees, providing the opportunity to explore the great outdoors, historic sites and unique museums FREE for a year.
On Monday, April 18, State Parks Director Armando Quintero will be joining us on Zoom to help kick off these incredible programs. We hope you will join us in celebrating Earth Week and the California State Park Adventure Pass! Click here to register.
Don’t have Zoom? Our Earth Day (Friday, April 22) programs will be broadcast live from the department's Facebook page. Follow us on Facebook for more details at @CaliforniaStateParks.
Ranger Saves Bird Nest From Hungry Snake at Sonoma State Historic Park
Story and photos from: Denise Fowler-Horsfall, Bay Area District
 Visitors Emily Chenowith, Eliza and Josephine Raymond get an up-close look at the gopher snake held by Ranger Rob Pickett.
The Raymond family recently visited the Vallejo Home at Sonoma State Historic Park, where daughter Eliza was delighted to encounter a gopher snake making its way across the path. As we watched the snake cross and then slither up the gate post, we became aware of a fretful titmouse bird anxiously drawing attention in the adjacent tree. It became clear that the gopher snake was headed for the little bird nest inside the gatepost. The bird’s anxiety became our human anxiety as we dreaded the outcome.
State Park Peace Officer (Ranger) Rob Pickett was on hand and saved the day. He cautiously extracted the gopher snake from the gatepost before any harm could be done. In good State Parks spirit, Ranger Pickett allowed the visiting family to view the snake up close and assist him in relocating the snake.
 Ranger Rob Pickett carefully removes the gopher snake from the gatepost/birdhouse as Emily Chenoweth, Eliza, Josephine and Jon Raymond look on.
Gold Fields District Celebrates Staff at All Hands Meeting
Story and photo from: Holly Thane, Gold Fields District
 Gold Fields District staff attendees of the All Hands Meeting.
On Wednesday, April 6, Gold Fields District Management hosted an All Hands Meeting at the Granite Bay Conference Center at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area for employees. This was the first such event in a number of years, and it was a smashing success, with over 100 employees from throughout Gold Fields District in attendance.
The meeting kicked off with an icebreaker to determine how long staff members have worked within the district. Many employees have worked for the district for 15 or more years. The true district veteran has been with the district since 1996!
Supervisors from each of the park units spoke about the many projects that have been and are still being accomplished in their parks. It was interesting to hear about these exciting and major plans:
- Auburn State Recreation Area (SRA) just completed its General Plan.
- Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Program and continues work on revegetation projects.
- Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park (SHP) completed in February a new connector trail that runs between the Monroe Ridge Trail in the park and the county park on the other side of the ridge.
- Folsom Lake SRA is working on a new Roads and Trails Management Plan.
- Folsom Powerhouse SHP installed a new rope in the Lower Powerhouse to better demonstrate the original process used to make electricity at the powerhouse.
At the conclusion of the meeting, awards were presented to several outstanding district employees. Employees from all the park units nominated coworkers for three different awards, and the winners were chosen by the All Hands Meeting Planning Committee. An additional award was created for the team member, Susan Okey, nominated for all three awards. The winners were:
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Tim Guardino Award for Dedication: Steve Barnett
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Gil Entao Award for Inspiration: Holly Thane
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Tom Ferris Award for Quality: Cynthia Flewelling
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All In One Award for being nominated in all categories: Susan Okey
Following the meeting, staff members ventured outside to enjoy a tasty barbecue and get to know their counterparts from other parks in the district. It was wonderful to see staff from all the park units catching up with old friends and making new ones. The more we can all work together and support one another across classifications and park units, the more we can achieve.
Thank you to Gold Fields District management for a lovely day and delicious food. Thank you to Pat Metcalf for running the barbecue and to Carissa Barnett for coordinating the planning committee and planning the event. Thank you also to Gold Fields District staff at all the park units and the district office for everything you do on a daily basis to make this the best district ever!
State Parks Teams Up With CAL FIRE and Tolowa Dee-ni Nation on Brush Clearance Project at Pelican State Beach
Story from: Simone DuRand, North Coast Redwoods District
 Top left: Group viewing area, where invasive plant brush clearance will occur. Top right: CAL FIRE gets instructions from Elena Sisneros (Tolowa Dee-ni Nation) of which plants to avoid during brush clearance. Bottom (left to right): State Park Peace Officer (Ranger) Simone DuRand, CAL FIRE crew, Habitat and Wildlife Program Tribal Resource Specialist with Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation Elena Sisneros and Acting Deputy Superintendent, North Coast Redwoods District and Redwood National and State Parks, Erin Gates.
Sometimes, it can seem impossible to change. Up here in the North Coast Redwoods District (NCRD), where the trees are thousands of years old, it can be even more overwhelming to find new ways to preserve and protect our state parks without uprooting tradition. Thankfully, there are other resources available to all of us out there. All we need is a little bit of humility in knowing when to ask for help. I started this journey at Pelican State Beach (SB), the northernmost beach in the California State Park System, with a dream of a park I would be proud to protect.
At just a tad over 7 acres, Pelican SB is the first California park that out-of-state visitors see, and yet it is overgrown with invasive species. Knowing that something could be done, I made the first move and contacted a local CAL FIRE fuels crew with the help of a seasonal National Park Service Ranger Zach Friewald to see if they may be interested in assisting us with some brush clearance. After learning about the process for embarking on a new project, I was encouraged by leadership to take ownership of this project and contacted other NCRD program managers to assist. In early March, we had a site meeting that included Natural Resources, Cultural Resources, Maintenance, and Interpretation and Education Divisions, and, of course, our district planner to keep me in check, Rosalind Litzky. This visit also brought in members of the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, including fuel crews and Natural and Cultural Resources teams, because their direct connection to this beach and their traditional ecological knowledge are essential components to include in any site plans.
After a very productive and inspiring meeting, I invited Justin, Jon and Chuck with CAL FIRE to come evaluate the area and see what they would be able to accomplish. Elena Sisneros, the Habitat and Wildlife Program tribal resource specialist with Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, was also able to come out and advise on the significant native plant species in the area to avoid during invasive brush removal.
After only a few weeks and two meetings, a basic fuels reduction was able to take place, thanks to CAL FIRE, the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, the National Park Service and California State Parks. This project has a long way to go, but together, we were able to get things started. The moral of this story? Get creative! You never know who is willing, able and excited to help.
Note from NCRD Deputy Superintendent (Acting), Redwood National and State Parks, Erin Gates: Because of the relationship Simone DuRand has built with the Tolowa Dee-ni Nation, the tribe recently asked for both she and Ian Jones (the two recent graduate cadets who started their career in the Redwood Coast Sector of NCRD) to share a headshot and short article to include in the Tolowa Dee-ni Nation Tribal newsletter, as a way of introducing them to tribal members. The ambition, passion and motivation that Simone has demonstrated showcases that a California State Parks employee is so much more than whatever title they have. We are all capable of being the change we wish to see in our parks, by being creative problem-solvers, reaching out for help and being willing to step up and offer our ideas for improvement. Go, Simone! We are proud to have you on the NCRD team!
Multiagency Collaboration and Effective Communication Key to Aquatic Rescues on North Coast
Story and photos from: Dillon Cleavenger, North Coast Redwoods District
 North Coast Redwoods District lifeguard staff during a cross training with the U.S. Coast Guard on Humboldt Bay.
When I first came up to the North Coast Redwoods District (NCRD), I was the only one wearing a lifeguard uniform. Supervising State Park Peace Officer Keven Harder had already been patrolling for a number of years as an aquatic ranger and had obviously garnered a ton of respect from his local community. However, there was little known about actual lifeguards, let alone a California State Parks lifeguard program.
From my years spent on the Sonoma Coast out of Salt Point State Park, I knew the importance of training with the local helicopter crews, so I worked hard to get the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to train with us on our boat (which was also a program in development but thanks to district support, we got it outfitted quickly).
It was during these initial training sessions that we learned how to communicate with the helicopter, specifically the U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin (classic orange coastie chopper). We also have the ability to complete a "duck" training program here locally, which allows lifeguards to go get trained at the local USCG air base and eventually participate in actual training operations where we can go up and down on the hoist and enter the helicopter with the USCG air survival team.
Training together with regularity allows rescue operations to work much more seamlessly, and now we have a large team of lifeguards familiar with the operations of the MH 65 Dolphin. This familiarity allows them to gather information on calls and provide vital information from the ground to the air with extreme efficiency. Having this knowledge of how our allied agencies' helicopters work is not only important for helping to get the best level of care to our victims, but it is also essential for the safety of the lifeguard swimming or paddling and the helicopter crew flying, oftentimes in very treacherous conditions.
The importance of the collaborative work was highlighted last week during a potential rescue incident at Big Lagoon, part of Humboldt Lagoons State Park, the NCRD Lifeguard Program. Keven received a very complimentary email from Graham McGinnis of the U.S. Coast Guard:
I just wanted to reach out on behalf of our crew and extend a huge thank you for your assistance from the ground during the case last Wednesday (30MAR22) at Big Lagoon. You wouldn’t believe how often we arrive on calls with other agencies where they gather all of the pertinent information on the ground and it never gets up to us in the air. I’ve even seen ground resources determine that no emergency actually exists and depart the scene without ever thinking to tell the big noisy helicopter!
When you relayed to us that you had been able to account for all the persons that belonged to all the vehicles in the parking lot, it assisted us more than you know in helping our command center to determine that there was no distress. That is much appreciated! For as fancy as helicopters are, it will never replace the value of having a resource on the ground (or in the water!) that can sift through the facts and pass the important stuff to the people making decisions!
Thank you for taking the time to keep us in the loop. This is a perfect example of why our agencies’ partnership is so valuable up here on the Lost Coast and reflects highly on the consummate professional that you are. Glad to know you!!! BZ!
This regular collaboration and communication together have been essential steps in establishing State Parks lifeguards on Humboldt's north coast as a water rescue entity. I have no doubt we will continue to train and respond with the Coast Guard, our esteemed park rangers and local fire and emergency medical services here on the north coast for years to come.
 Top: Lifeguard II Ben Bagg waving goodbye to the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after a long and rugged training west of Trinidad, California, about 3 miles. Bottom right: Seasonal I Lifeguards Zaca Leatherwood and Austin Costello on State Parks inflatable rescue boat (IRB). Bottom left: State Parks Lifeguard Dillon Cleavenger and Lifeguard II Michael Porter facing Trinidad Head on our State Parks IRB. Coast Guard Mh 65 Dolphin in the background.
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