Exhibition Highlighting California Pioneer Women Opens at Montaña de Oro State Park
Story and photos from: Amy Heart, San Luis Obispo Coast District
 The exhibit, "Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women," at the Spooner Ranch House in Montaña de Oro State Park.
A new museum exhibition illuminating the hardships, joys and lives of female pioneers in 19th-century California opened at the Spooner Ranch House in Montaña de Oro State Park on Thursday, June 9.
The exhibition "Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women" was sponsored by the San Luis Obispo Coast District’s nonprofit partner, the Central Coast State Parks Association, and will be on display through October 9, 2022. The traveling exhibition features 30 first-person accounts collected from women who traveled by land or sea to settle throughout California during the mid-19th century.
While many historical accounts of 19th-century California highlight male homesteaders and Gold Rush miners, these stories do not provide a complete picture of life in the west. This exhibition aims to create a more balanced understanding of this history by highlighting firsthand accounts of women who made California their home in the years just before and after California statehood. The exhibit consists of written records, historical photographs and a series of portraits of pioneer women who remain unidentified. These portraits represent the thousands of female pioneers whose stories were lost to time and never recorded.
The exhibit "Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women" was developed by the Society of California Pioneers and is being toured by Exhibit Envoy. The exhibition can be viewed at the Spooner Ranch House during open hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week.
First-Ever State Park Peace Officers Certified as Conducted Energy Weapons Instructors
Story from: Daniel Kendall, Central Valley District
 Left to right: Supervising Ranger Alexis Pettigrew (McHenry), Inland Empire District; Ranger Daniel Kendall, Central Valley District; and Cadet Training Officer Lindsey Phillips from Butte Training Center participated in a weeklong Master Instructor School, along with over 350 instructors. Photo from Alexis Pettigrew, Inland Empire District.
Last month three state park peace officers (SPPOs) were chosen to attend a weeklong Master TASER Instructor Certification training in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with over 350 new and recertifying instructors from around the world.
This international training was hosted by AXON International, the corporation that developed and maintains the Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) SPPOs carry in the field. The training consisted of legal updates, smart use considerations, reality-based training and scenario course development, as well as training courses, including Low Light and Sight Alignment, Alternating Reactionary Drills, Managing Distance, Critical Thinking for Law Enforcement, and Courtroom Testimony.
Our three new Master TASER Instructors—Supervising Ranger Alexis Pettigrew, Cadet Training Officer Lindsey Phillips and myself—are the first instructors to reach this level of certification for the department. In conjunction with Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Division and the Training Section, we plan on bringing the knowledge and skills learned from the Master Instructor School to create a revamped CEW Instructor course for the department. All CEW instructors must recertify every two years and all users (SPPOs) must participate in a training and user update course every year.
As part of the CEW Improvement Team, our intention is to build a more consistent and beneficial user program for our officers statewide and to certify and recertify our own instructors going forward.
53rd Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic Event at Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area
Story from: Taylor Espenshade and Joleen Ossello, Gold Fields District
 Photo 1: A rider catches air on the track. Photo 2: Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area (PCSVRA) State Park Interpreter I Joleen Ossello (left) and PCSVRA Senior Maintenance Aide Melissa Tidwell in front of the competition track. Photo 3: PCSVRA State Park Interpreter I Joleen Ossello shows off the Tread Lightly! remote control jeep course. Photo 4: A rider rounds a turn on the competition track. Photo 5: Gold Fields District Senior Environmental Scientist Meghan Sullivan (left) and PCSVRA Environmental Scientist McKenzie Boring are all smiles as they assisted attendees in making their own buttons. Photo 6: Noel Lopez from the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division interacts with eventgoers interested in learning about the natural resources at PCSVRA. Photos from California State Parks.
Saturday, June 4, marked the 53rd Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic at Prairie City State Vehicular Recreation Area (PCSVRA). The national event, put on by the Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club (DDNMC), has been held at the park for over 40 years and attracts guests from all over the nation. This year, the event was televised to over 30 countries, with over 1 million local TV viewers and an estimated 20,000 people—including over 1,000 overnight campers—attending in person. It truly is a spectacular event that showcases what off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation and sports are all about.
Overall, 17 staff from PCSVRA, Gold Fields District, the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division, Carnegie SVRA, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area (SRA), Auburn SRA and the Safety Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA) worked together as a team to prepare and set up a 30-feet-by-20-feet State Parks OHV interpretation booth and interact with the public at the event. Approximately 1,200 eventgoers stopped by to ask questions, make their own buttons and feel the soft fur of Bob the Cat and Ranger Rabbit, along with the scales of Rocky Rattler. Some took selfies with #PrairieBear, shared stories about their own FatCat MX memories and inquired about SVIA’s OHV safety classes. Also, of course, the Tread Lightly! remote control jeep course was a consistent attraction to families with children.
Twenty-one rangers from Oceano Dunes, Russian River, Santa Cruz, San Luis Reservoir, Gold Fields District, the Law Enforcement and Emergency Services’ Training Division and the OHMVR Division participated in keeping event participants, spectators and staff safe. They were assisted by two fire management team members with a Type 6 fire rig from Santa Cruz to watch for grass fires and to help with landing zone operations of the REACH Air Ambulance on site. The event was managed by a unified command system, consisting of staff from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, Placer County Sheriff Search and Rescue OHV Unit, Alpha One Ambulance Service, Alpine Stars Mobile Medical Unit, DDNMC and California State Parks.
Maintenance staff and heavy equipment operators from PCSVRA, Gold Fields District and Carnegie SVRA played an integral part in preparing the park before the event and ensuring smooth operations during the event. Heavy equipment operators worked hard to prep the roads and access systems within the park for Dust-Off application to keep the dust down on the roads. Staff also worked to maintain facilities and water treatment plant operations, attended to various maintenance needs as they surfaced and cleaned up after the event.
A lot of hard work goes into making an event like this successful, and we could not have done it without the tireless efforts from all the staff and volunteers involved. A big thank you to all who helped with the event. We look forward to doing it again next year!
 Photo 1: A view of the competition track. Photo 2: Auburn SRA State Park Interpreter Joseph Shanahan (left) and OHMVR Division’s Parker Stewart showcase Bob the Cat. Photo 3: Huge California State Parks banners welcomed guests as they entered the event. Photo 4: A group of children navigate the Tread Lightly! remote control course as OHMVR Division volunteer Jake Feldheim supervises. Photo 5: Gold Fields District Skilled Laborer Jake Lujan (left), PCSVRA's Environmental Scientist Taylor Espenshade (middle) and Sector Manager Peter Jones pose with #PrairieBear in front of the PCSVRA interpretation booth. Photo 6: Gold Fields District State Park Interpreter II Devin Swartwood showcases his vintage Honda FatCat motorcycle. Photos from California State Parks.
PORTS Awarded Top Prize for Educational Innovation
Story from: Brad Krey, Interpretation and Education Division
Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS) was recognized this week as the Best Overall Educational Innovation for 2022 at the inaugural EDInnovate Showcase, a virtual showcase, networking and awards event hosted by the Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education-University of San Diego.
PORTS was accepted into the showcase earlier this year and created a video submission to highlight the exceptional resources and opportunities PORTS presents for K-12 classrooms, and delivered a live presentation for the event to demonstrate the powerful nature of live, interactive video programs.
Click here to watch the showcase video submission.
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Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Debuts 'The History Train' Over Memorial Day Weekend
Story from: Jackie Olavarria, Central Valley District
 Top: Volunteers Austin Castro, Ken Gilliam, Karen McMahon, Brian McMahon, Karen Eithier, Walt Pierson, Joe Sparegna and Richard Staley. Photo from Sam Stringer, Central Valley District volunteer. Bottom left: History Train cast Derek Sturke, Nancy Ide, Richard Staley and Walt Pierson. Middle: Engineer Matt Sagaser as Gus Swanson. Right: No. 28 train on Memorial Day. Photos from Mike Ninnema and Derek Sturke, Central Valley District volunteers.
Over Memorial Day weekend, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park debuted a new event, “The History Train.” Hundreds of visitors boarded the train on the Sierra Railway to take a trip back in time and hear the tales of historical figures from the area.
Passengers were able sit back and enjoy a train ride through the Sierra foothills while listening to colorful stories of the Motherlode region. On the return trip back to the Jamestown Depot, passengers were treated to some good ol’ fashioned sarsaparilla and had the opportunity to meet the cast and ask questions.
Railtown volunteers Brian McMahon and Dave Connery took the lead for the new interpretive event, carefully researching each historical figure, writing the script, coaching volunteer actors, seeing to appropriate costuming and planning rehearsals. Their hard work paid off as the event went off without a hitch. Many Railtown volunteers participated in the weekend activities, creating a special experience for visitors. Their dedication to the park to provide high-quality experiences for visitors is the backbone of the park.
The train was pulled by the historic steam engine Sierra No. 28, which turned 100 years old this year. The engine was decorated to have a 1920s appearance, including patriotic pinwheels in honor of Memorial Day. The depot was also decorated with red, white and blue for the weekend as a reminder of the holiday’s purpose, to honor fallen military members.
 Top left: Karen McMahon as school marm Prudence Adelaide. Bottom left: Richard Staley as Grizzly Adams. Right: Walt Pierson as Gary Cooper. Photos from Jackie Olavarria, Central Valley District.
North Coast Redwoods District Lifeguards Participate in Multiagency Kids Ocean Day Event
Story from: Keven Harder, North Coast Redwoods District
 On Wednesday, June 1, about 700 Humboldt County students spent their school day caring for the coast during the 17th Annual Kids Ocean Day event at the Mike Thompson Wildlife Area, South Spit of the Humboldt Bay.
After spending the day restoring dune habitat and picking up trash, students, teachers and volunteers formed three ochre sea stars with the message “Restore Joy.” A local pilot flew over and captured the image.
Friends of the Dunes and the Bureau of Land Management Arcata Field Office organized the Kids Ocean Day event locally, with help from the California Conservation Corps, California State Parks lifeguards and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Chino Hills State Park Finishes 2021-22 School Year Strong
Story and photos from: Ian Bernstein, Inland Empire District
 Two students identify plants in a bio-cube survey for an in-person biodiversity field trip at the park.
Like many other parks, Chino Hills State Park (SP) put all its programs on hold for a while due to important COVID-19 restrictions and precautions. Also, the interpreter for the park was reassigned to contract tracing, further challenging the park’s ability to provide much-needed quality programming for thousands of students in California who were learning from home.
However, when programming returned to the park last year, students and teachers alike were eager to get out and experience the park. What better way to do that than with a field trip?
Chino Hills SP offers two virtual Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Student (PORTS) programs: "Through a Rancher’s Eyes: Life on a California Cattle Ranch" and "Thinking Like a Scientist: Environmental Surveys at Chino Hills State Park." Both programs take place on site within the park and use the amazing resources and views available. They were booked in just a couple weeks after signups went live. We ran the numbers, and, after providing 116 programs, we had presented to over 4,000 students.
In addition to the two virtual PORTS programs offered, the park also provided three in-person programs for students to come out and visit the park: the "Exploring our Ranching Past" third grade history program, the "Discovering Biodiversity" fourth grade environmental program and a new program, "Seeing Nature Through Journaling," an all-grade level student-centered learning program. The parks’ "Discovering Biodiversity" program has been in place since 2017, with the "Exploring our Ranching Past" program being added in 2018. At the request of teachers wanting programs for all grade level students, we developed a nature journaling program in 2021 to address that need and it paid off.
Through these three in-person programs, the park has taught over 1,000 students. This includes a pilot test audience of 200 students for an assembly-style in-class presentation, which we will proudly offer as an alternative to schools who cannot secure funding or administrative support for students to visit our park in person for a program.
In addition to making the alternative classroom assembly program a permanent offering for the park, we hope to make the number of students served even higher by adding two more On-Demand PORTS programs: "Cameras and Collars: Wildlife Tracking in Chino Hills State Park" and "The Santa Ana River Watershed: Rivers and Channels." We will be adding a new webinar on the Home Learning Program platform as well called "Field Journal Fridays" on nature illustration and journaling. Lastly, we plan to offer two new in-person programs: "Santa Ana River Watershed Journey," an all-grade level watershed program, and "Investigating Urban Interfaces," a fifth and sixth grade engineering and design program.
We are so excited to continue to bring the natural and cultural resources of Chino Hills SP to scholars of all ages. Our interpreter will continue to find creative solutions to engage with our local and global communities with the help of PORTS. Look out 2022-2023 school year because here we come!
 Top: Interpreter Ian Bernstein holds up a cow horn to illustrate the parks history for their virtual PORTS ranching program. Bottom: Ian holds up an identification card during a virtual PORTS program to illustrate the different types of environmental surveys done in the park.
 Students hold up windows to the past, matching a historic photo to the background where the original photo was taken.
High School Students Help With Restoration Project in Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Story from: Katie Rian, North Coast Redwoods District
 South Fork High School student (Myles, on right) posing with a tray of the fescue seedlings beside two State Parks employees, Sarah Mason (left), an environmental services intern with the Natural Resources Program, and Environmental Scientist Katie Rian. Photo from Kathy Fraser, South Fork High School teacher.
The North Coast Redwoods District and South Fork High School in Miranda, California, recently partnered on a restoration project within Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
A life science class at the school raised native grass from seed as a botany project this past winter. The students observed growth in different soil types, measured root-to-leaf ratios and learned about the importance of native grass as a carbon sink, erosion control, a wildlife habitat and drought-tolerant landscape. California fescue (Festuca californica), which can send mature roots 20-feet deep into clay soil, is a resilient native grass sometimes referred to as “bunchgrass” for its basal tuft. Established, it can achieve “old growth” status as it stabilizes steep land and sequesters carbon deep in the earth. The class had hoped to find a way to connect those starts with any project to restore land that had been burned through fires last year.
Students wrote letters to various state and county agencies and organizations. When I reached out to the class, it seemed like a perfect fit. They were looking to source ground cover as locally as possible, and this was almost next door! My coworker Sarah Mason and I drove to the high school campus and took possession of the 90-plus plant starts, including a flat of native blue rye and 1 pound of more fescue seed.
The fescue seedlings will be used in an oak woodland restoration project near the Albee Creek Campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, where the park’s Forestry crew has been working hard to clear encroaching woody vegetation from around native hardwoods (primarily Oregon white oak and California black oak). Decades of fire suppression have allowed less fire-tolerant species, like Douglas-fir, to creep into areas that were historically open oak woodland or grassland. The fescue seedlings will be planted in newly created openings in the understory and along the edge of the woodland in areas cleared by pile-burning. This native bunchgrass tends to do well in partial shade and will provide a variety of benefits, including erosion control and wildlife forage.
Once the plants mature, California State Parks hopes to use the population as a seed source for future restoration projects in the park. The planted native grasses will also have a chance to establish on the site, making it harder for exotic plants to move into the area.
California State Parks is grateful to the students at South Fork High School for this fortuitous opportunity to revegetate with locally sourced material.
Birds of a Feather Flocked to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park for Ducky Derby
Story from Jerrie Beard, Gold Fields District
 As spectators look on, Supervising Ranger Craig Lorge and his son Asher wrangle the ducks down the ditch. Ducks were removed from the ditch and collected after the event was over. Photo from Tim McFadden, Gold Fields District.
Gold Discovery Park Association (GDPA), the cooperating association at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, held its First Annual Ducky Derby on Saturday, June 4, in partnership with the Coloma Lotus Ditch Users Association.
Visitors flocked to the park to take part in the inaugural racing of the ducks down the Coloma Lotus Ditch, an agricultural ditch established in 1852 to supply water to ranches and farms in the valley. Patrons were able to sponsor a rubber duck for a $5 donation to the GDPA. Amid a crowd of well-wishers, the numbered brood was then released behind St. John’s Church by GDPA President Mike Judd and volunteer Mary Knowles. A sea of yellow floated down the ditch, followed by our diligent duck herders, Supervising Ranger Craig Lorge and his son Asher.
The race was a quarter of a mile, and the crowd watched with eager anticipation for the first sign of rubber duckies rounding the bend and heading down the straightway toward the finish. Before the ducks could be seen, a cheer went up from those watching at a higher vantage point, and we knew the little quackers were not far behind.
The anticipation was great as the lead ducks made their way under the bridge, packed with spectators, and clamored to the finish line. The crowd cheered as Interpreter I Holly Thane corralled the leaders, and I plucked the first and second place ducks from the pack. I then waited to pick up the final straggler to cross the finish line to win the coveted last place prize. At end of the event, we checked to make sure all the rubber ducks were removed from the ditch.
In the tradition of the Kentucky Derby, visitors were encouraged to wear magnificent hats for the Ducky Derby. A hat contest completed the awards ceremony with prizes for the biggest, silliest and fanciest hats.
Rounding out the event, vendors lined the walkway behind the museum, offering handcrafted items, soaps, botanicals, cotton candy and more. The Coloma Lotus Ditch Users Association was selling beverages to raise funds for its nonprofit, and the GDPA barbecue wagon was out grilling up burgers and hot dogs.
All proceeds from the Ducky Derby and barbecue will go directly back into the park’s educational and interpretive programming.
 Gold Discovery Park Association President Mike Judd and Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park docent Mary Knowles dump the rubber ducks into the ditch at the start of the Ducky Derby. Photo from Tim McFadden, Gold Fields District.
Parks California Launches 2022-2023 Route to Parks Grants Cycle
Story from: Myrian Solis Coronel, Parks California
 2020 Route to Parks grantee, City Heights Community Development Corporation, San Diego, California. Photo from Parks California.
Parks California is proud to launch the third year of the Route to Parks Grants program. This program is made possible through a joint agreement between Parks California and California State Parks to improve park access for all Californians. Specifically, our goal is to help reduce transportation barriers for communities who may face financial challenges getting to or enjoying parks.
If you want to apply or have questions, sign up to attend our informational webinar Wednesday, June 15, and mark your calendars for the proposal due date, August 5! Click here to register for the webinar.
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