Recreation
The Cowbell Enduro, starting and finishing from Middle Creek Campground on the Upper Lake Ranger District, will be held Saturday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The event is being conducted under a special use permit issued by the Forest Service to the Hayward Motorcycle Club.
Additional enduro events are planned for the Fouts Springs area on the Grindstone Ranger District.
These events are scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 13, by the Valley Climbers and Sunday, Nov. 20, by the Richmond Ramblers.
The motorcycle enduro events are being held on designated roads and off-highway vehicle trails.
The courses are not closed, meaning the routes will remain open for public use.
However, forest visitors are encouraged to be aware of the following if they are recreating in the Fouts Springs area:
Pay close attention to signs in the event area indicating the route and the direction of travel – the event consists of one-way loops. If you are using part of an enduro route, you are encouraged to travel in the same direction, going with the flow of traffic.
Listen for traffic and, if driving in an enclosed vehicle, open the driver side window enough to be able to hear engine noise from approaching vehicles.
If you are driving, avoid cutting corners and stay to the right on the roads. For other recreational uses, avoid lingering on roads and watch for traffic.
These events typically draw hundreds of motorcycle riders and spectators to the area. Campgrounds near the event location are likely to fill up quickly.
The water for the Fouts Springs Recreation Area is currently shut off until further notice. Forest visitors in this area will need to bring water with them for drinking and any other needs.
For more information, please contact the Forest at 530-934-3316.
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The Department of Fish and Game reminds sport crabbers that traps and nets for Dungeness crab may not be set before 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 5.
"Crab populations appear to be robust this year, especially in Central California, coming off a record harvest during the 2010-11 season,” said DFG Senior Environmental Scientist Pete Kalvass, who oversees the Invertebrate Management Project. “This could mean another great season for recreational crabbers.”
Crab pots (or traps), loop traps and hoop nets are all popular methods for catching the tasty crustacean. New regulations this year require hoop netters to raise their nets to the surface to inspect the contents of the net at least every two hours. Any undersize crabs and incidentally caught fish and invertebrates can then be more quickly released.
The main purpose of the new regulation is to ensure that each fisherman closely monitors his or her gear and does not allow any equipment to be abandoned in state waters.
Trap fishermen should also closely monitor their traps because lost trap gear can continue to fish and adversely impact the fishery by becoming a self-baiting crab killer.
Recreational crabbers may keep up to 10 Dungeness crabs per day, or six crabs if fishing from a party boat south of Mendocino County.
Dungeness crab may not be taken within San Francisco or San Pablo bays, which are important crab nursery areas.
The recreational size limit for Dungeness crab is five and three-quarter inches measured across the shell, directly in front of and excluding the lateral spines. Crab taken from party boats must measure at least six inches across. For a measurement diagram, see the DFG Web site at http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=36325.
Dungeness crabs generally prefer cooler northern and central California waters and are uncommon south of Point Conception.
They are usually found on sandy or sand-mud bottoms at depths of less than 300 feet, although they can be found in almost any sea floor habitat, and have been documented at depths of 750 feet or more.
For more information regarding recreational Dungeness crab fishing regulations and other crab species, please visit the DFG Marine Region website at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/crabs.asp.
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