Recreation
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KELSEYVILLE – Part two of the popular “Joy of Birding” lecture is planned this month at Clear Lake State Park.
The event will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19, in the park's Visitor Center.
Docent Leona Butts will share her lifelong interest in birds through dialog and slides in this continuation of the “Joy of Birding,” which took place March 31.
Butts will help identify birds and share where specific types of birds are likely to be seen in the county. There are 308 bird species that have been identified in Lake County.
There will be a break in the lecture to view birds outdoors, and a question-and-answer session will be offered.
There is no admission fee to the park for this program.
Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville. The park can be reached at 279-4293.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
CACHE CREEK – More than 40 whitewater boaters from throughout the Western United States gathered at Cache Creek this past weekend to participate in the Sierra Club’s 10th annual Downriver and Slalom Races.
The kayak and canoe competition was held over two days, mostly in a short section of whitewater that wraps around the Yolo County Campground about five miles east of Lake County.
Organizer Sharon Schumacher said the event is growing in size but retains a friendly atmosphere.
Winners were announced by first name only during an award ceremony interrupted by a paddler’s tent that flew past in a strong wind.
The 18-gate course set up over a class 2+ rapid had paddlers stretching the limits of their skills.
Participants from age 11 up participated in races that ranged from single paddlers in inflatable kayaks –or “Iks” – to tandem fiberglass or plastic canoes.
Boaters, who were clocked and monitored at a series of stations along the river, had to pass through numbered gates, poles hanging from lines strung across the river. The gates are either green (downstream) or red (upstream), indicating the direction they must be negotiated.
Upstream gates are placed in eddies, where the water is flat or moving slightly upstream; the paddler makes the “breakout” and paddles upstream through the gate
Touching the gate incurs a two-second penalty. If the competitor misses a gate completely, displaces it by more than 45 degrees, goes through the gate upside-down, or goes through it in the wrong order, a 50 second penalty is given, according to Olympic standards.
Boaters were classified as cadet (age 14 and under), novice, intermediate, master, expert B and expert A, according to the individual’s winning history.
Several Olympic hopefuls participated in the Cache Creek event, including Jessica Subido of Rocklin. The 16-year-old rising star is a two-time Junior Olympic champion whitewater slalom kayaker and canoeist.
Subido placed third in this "Expert A" class kayak race on Cache Creek Sunday.
Subido said she is not deterred from the International Olympic standard that does not separate men and women in her canoeing event, instead noting that progress is being made.
“It was kind of disappointing,” she said. “Sure, men have upper body strength, but we have more finesse.”
The 2012 summer Olympics will be the first to host the same number of whitewater kayak and canoe events for both men and women, but in the meantime, Subido is content to compete with anyone who shows up for a race.
“I’m definitely going to go for it,” she said of the upcoming 2008 Olympic trials.
Subido, who also took a blue ribbon with her father in Sunday’s first event, the parent-child team slalom, credited her father for initially teaching her the sport.
“What first attracted me was the people,” she said.
Subido has competed in China, Australia, Canada and Slovenia.
E-mail Maile Field at
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LAKEPORT – If you're interested in helping with a world class sporting event coming to Lakeport this summer, be sure to attend one of two meetings planned for this week.
Organizers of Triathlon One O One will hold an informational meeting for volunteers from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, and 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 10. The meetings will be held in the Mendo Lake Credit Union conference room, located in the Willow Tree Plaza on 11th Street in Lakeport.
This is a triathlon race with athletes swimming, cycling, and running a total of 101 miles in and around the Lakeport area. Expected to draw participants, spectators and media from around the country, this race is a community based event requiring a number of volunteer teams to assist in the event production.
Organizers are recruiting both individuals and groups for these volunteer teams. The race activities will begin on Thursday, June 7, and continue through the end of race day on Sunday, June 10. The majority of the volunteer needs will be for the race on June 10.
Fundraising opportunities are available for volunteer teams representing local groups such as churches, school clubs, sports teams, scout troops, car clubs and similar community groups.
The event's organizers are beginning a series of orientation meetings to let everyone know about the specific areas to volunteer and all the related details. If you are interested, let them know and plan on having someone from your group attend one of these meetings.
If you have any questions, call Triathlon One O One at 349-2369.
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- Written by: Editor
MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST – The Mendocino National Forest has completed the analysis for a proposed five-year program of work for the 64 developed recreation sites on the forest. This has been completed through a national process called “Recreation Site Facility Master Planning” (RS-FMP).
The process involves seven steps to help identify the developed recreation sites that are best suited for the forest.
A primary reason for the plan is to eliminate the backlog of deferred maintenance at recreation sites by focusing limited resources on the recreation sites that meet changing public demands and desires.
Before the plan is finalized, the RS-FMP must be approved by the Pacific Southwest Regional Forester and any changes in fees would need to be approved by the California Recreation Resource Advisory Committee, a federal advisory body for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in California.
“Out of the 64 developed sites on the Mendocino National Forest, changes are proposed for only 17 sites,”said Forest Supervisor Tom Contreras.
Proposed changes include:
– Two of the currently designated developed campgrounds, Lower Nye and Surveyor, are proposed to have the few remaining developed facilities removed. This proposal would change the developed campgrounds to dispersed recreation sites that can still be used by the public; they just would not
have picnic tables, toilets, or fire rings.
– Thirteen other campgrounds, mostly in the off highway vehicle (OHV) use areas, would start charging a nominal camping fee for the use of those facilities. In the past, California State OHV grant funds have helped pay for maintainance and operation of those campgrounds, but those funds were
cut in half over the last three years.
– The two boat ramps at Red Bluff Recreation Area would start charging a nominal fee for boat launching on the Sacramento River below the Diversion dam and at the Lake Red Bluff launch ramp above the Diversion dam.
There would be No Changes at 47 recreation sites. The public will not see any changes in services at the other 47 recreation sites on the forest, except campground fees at 12 family campgrounds, the 3 group campgrounds, and one lookout would be increased after October 1, 2007.
“This would be the first increase in fees for our campgrounds since 1999,” said Contreras. “Those fees will help us provide better service at our campgrounds and allow us to repair or replace facilities that have become worn out.”
Most of the fees collected now stay on forest for use at these sites under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Eighty percent of the campground fees will go to the operation and maintenance of those campgrounds. Fifteen percent of the fees will go to the collection and enforcement of the fees at those campgrounds. The remaining 5 percent goes into a fund that the Forest Service can apply for in grants to improve the resources in or adjacent to those campgrounds, such as trails around a lake, interpretive signing, or dealing with soil erosion at recreation sites.
Fees at the following locations would change under the proposed plan.
– Grindstone Ranger District: Main Letts Campground (CG) $12, Mill Valley CG $10, Plaskett CG $10, Saddle Camp CG $12, Spillway CG $12, Stirrup CG $12, Sycamore Grove CG $16, Camp Discovery Group CG $175, Gray Pine Group CG $75, and Masterson Group CG $75.
– Upper Lake Ranger District: Middle Creek CG $8. Covelo Ranger District: Eel River CG $8 and Hammerhorn CG $8.
The Mendocino National Forest would also be adding other recreation sites to the fee system after October 1, 2007.
Grindstone Ranger District would start charging fees at the following recreation sites: Davis Flat Campground (CG) $5, Dixie Glade Horse CG $5, Fouts CG $5, Little Stony CG $5, Mill Creek CG $5, North Fork CG $5, South Fork CG $5, Lake Red Bluff Boat Launch $6, and Sacramento River Boat Launch $6.
Upper Lake Ranger District would start charging fees at the following recreation sites: Deer Valley CG $6, Penny Pines CG $6, Oak Flat CG $5, Fuller Grove Boat Launch $6, and Pillsbury Pines Boat Launch $6.
Covelo Ranger District would start charging fees at the following recreation sites: Howard Lake CG $6, Howard Meadows CG $6, and Little Doe CG $6.
To make comments or for further information on forest recreation sites please contact Forest Recreation Officer Jack Horner, 530-934-3316, or visit the forest Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino to view the proposed five-year program of work and comment on the results.
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