Category Archives: Wildlife

Bike Trail, safety, Water, Wildlife

Proposal to build flood control center along American River Parkway draws fire

A large new government office building, filled with 600 skilled wage earners, would seem to be a blessing for the economically depressed Sacramento region.

But some are treating a proposal to build one alongside the American River Parkway as a curse.

State and federal agencies want to build a high-security, 200,000-square-foot nerve center for California flood protection on a 25-acre parcel next to the state-operated Nimbus Fish Hatchery in Rancho Cordova.

Critics, who range from the area’s congressman to nearby homeowners, condemn the project as inappropriate for the American River Parkway, the region’s most treasured and scenic recreational asset.

There are looming questions about whether it makes sense to park a flood-control headquarters next to a flood-prone river downstream of Folsom Dam, the region’s largest.

More at SacBee.com >>

safety, Wildlife

Game warden holds out hope for troublesome bear family

After calls poured into the Placer County Sheriff’s Office as a family of wayward bears wandered into Roseville over the weekend, Fish and Game officials now hope they’ll stay out of trouble.

“I’m not sure of the outcome,” Placer Game Warden Brian Moore told the Fish and Game Commission Wednesday night.

Moore said right now a trap has been set for the bears if they return to Granite Bay. If caught there, they would be put down.

“It was requested by the homeowner,” Moore said. “A landowner that has property damage due to wildlife can request the depredation (kill) permit and we can’t refuse them.”

The four bears were last spotted Wednesday near Horseshoe Bar Road and Auburn Folsom Road.

Moore said the bears have been known to frequent the unsecured garbage of a restaurant near the I-80 and Foresthill exit in Auburn and for some unknown reason started the trek to Roseville.

The unusual location for bears spurred about 40 calls into the Sheriff’s Office reporting the black bear sow and her triplet cubs as they made it down to Granite Bay through Loomis and back again.

Rocklin resident Greg Janda’s wife Julie discovered the suburban spectacle Saturday morning – bears going house to house off Scarborough Drive in Roseville.

“They followed the greenbelt into our neighborhoods,” Janda said.

He told the commission he supported the bears and didn’t want them killed.

“They are not interested in you, they are looking for food,” Janda said. “Don’t invite them by having food around for them.”

Moore believes bear-proof trash cans are a great deterrent but doesn’t believe Roseville residents need to go out and get one.

“No, this is isolated,” Moore said. “I think over the weekend the bears were scared pretty bad. People were seeing them and they were scattering. I hope they come back up here go back in that American River Canyon and start eating grubs, berries and grass and be bears.”

More at the Roseville Press Tribune >>

Water, Wildlife

Conservation nonprofits squeezed as economy shrinks budgets

Nonprofit conservation groups have preserved tens of thousands of acres of land in California – wild places where both hikers and animals roam. Now, some of them say the economic slump could force them to scale back.

Others say lean budgets make it harder for them to scrutinize land use proposals for environmental effects – a key role such groups play in the state’s push-pull development process.

Most groups don’t like to talk about their financial difficulties, but one, the American River Conservancy, recently took the unusual step of going public. In an email to members and supporters, the group confessed that “times are hard” and it needs to raise $250,000 by year-end or it will be forced to cut programs in 2012.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Video, Wildlife

Effie Yeaw Nature Center assisted by non-profit group

The Effie Yeaw Nature Center was in rough shape last summer when Sacramento County relinquished control of it because of budget problems.

The nature center was left on its own to find funding, but a non-profit group, the American River Natural History Association, stepped up to the plate.

Through a grassroots fundraising effort, the association was able to raise the money needed to help rescue the center and rehire about 60 percent of the staff that was laid off last year.  Part of that effort included designing and selling guide books for the American River Parkway.

More at News10.net >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Hundreds Voice Outrage Over Possible Plan For New Flood Operation Center

The building could be built on the American River next to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery.The federal and state government is studying three different locations for a new flood operation center that would house three state and federal agencies, the Department of Water Resources, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Weather Service.

The proposed site is the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and two alternative sites are Mather Airport and near the intersection of Sunrise and Killgore in Rancho Cordova.

The size of the proposed center is 200,000 square feet.

Hundreds of concerned residents are angry the government would even consider building such a large structure so close to the river and the bike trail.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fish, Salmon, Wildlife

Sacramento foodie’s cookbook will drive locavores wild

Are you the type of person who fishes shad out of the Sacramento River and who treks along the American River to forage for blackberries, fennel, miner’s lettuce and all sorts of other goodies? Do you go down to Napa to shoot wild turkeys grown fat on thieved grapes from the vineyards or crawl into Dixon to blow away a few quail for dinner?

Local food writer Hank Shaw is best known for his food blog Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (http://honest-food.net), where he chronicles his gourmet approach to wild food. Shaw has recently come out with a new book. Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast (Rodale, $25.99) is the must read for the hunter/fisher/forager and all-around foodie.

More at NewsReview.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fire, safety, Wildlife

Officials ask for help in identifying parkway arsonist

Fire officials are asking the public to help identify the person responsible for a series of arson fires along the American River Parkway in recent days.

A total of 15 fires were deliberately set — nine on Sept. 10 and six on Wednesday, said Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

The arson occurred near River Bend Park, in an area of heavy vegetation that could fuel a major fire, Cockrum said.

“In this area there are no homes, but there is dense brush, with trees, shrubs and a lot of dead stuff,” he said.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fire, safety, Wildlife

American River Parkway arsons, no suspect yet

Arson investigators said the grass fires along the American River Saturday morning were set intentionally.

“Having somebody coming through here and start these fires is really concerning that this was an intentional act to have a huge fire run through the American River Parkway,” Sacramento Metro Fire Assist. Chief Scott Cockrum said.

Sacramento Metro Fire crews fought seven to nine grass fires along the American River around 6 a.m. Saturday, Cockrum said.

The grass fires were spotted from River Bend Park to Hagan Park and burned 19 acres of land.

More at News10.net >>>

Fish, safety, Water

Two bodies found in American River

The body of a missing Sacramento-area fisherman was recovered from the American River late Friday afternoon, just a few hours after another man was found unresponsive further upstream.

Search crews found the body in the river near the Harrington Way river access, downstream of Riverbend Park, where park rangers found the fisherman’s truck parked Thursday night.

Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said a fire district helicopter and boat crew were assisting law enforcement in the search and recovered the body.

The name of the 54-year-old fisherman was not released pending notification of family.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Fish, safety, Water

Amercan River searched for missing fisherman

A local man who left home Wednesday afternoon to fish on the American River by River Bend Park hasn’t been seen since.

The man’s wife reported him missing to authorities on Thursday.

The 54-year-old man’s truck with fishing equipment inside was located by Sacramento County rangers about 10 Thursday night, said Deputy Jason Ramos with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

More at News10.net >>>