Category Archives: Events

Events, Wildlife

Spend ‘A Day on the Farm’ with Soil Born on Sunday

Take the family to the farm in the city Sunday during Soil Born Farms’ annual “A Day on the Farm.”

With something for every member of the family, this kid-friendly event features cooking classes, workshops, nature walks, local arts and crafts, children’s activities, music, food, native plant sale, farm stand and more.

Among the workshop topics are raising chickens and beekeeping.

Soil Born Farms’ American River Ranch is located at 2140 Chase Drive, Rancho Cordova. The fun starts at 10 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5.

For more details, click on www.soilborn.org or call (916) 363-9685.

Events, safety, Water, Wildlife

Saturday demonstrations highlighting climate change planned for Sacramento region

Activists plan to stage two demonstrations on Saturday to highlight the potential for climate change to increase flood risk in the Sacramento region.

In Sacramento, participants are being asked to meet on the Guy West Bridge over the American River near Sacramento State University at 10 a.m. Saturday and wear blue-colored swim, snorkeling or dive gear. In Davis, organizers plan to converge with umbrellas on the levee overlooking the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, alongside Interstate 80, at 9 a.m.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, safety, Wildlife

Text Campaign Aids American River Parkway

Help preserve the American River Parkway via text donation.

The program is being implemented in conjunction with the running of the Parkway Half Marathon on April 28 in Sacramento. So in lieu of running 13.1 miles to raise money for the American River Parkway Foundation, all it takes is a little thumb action to text a donation.

Sacfit (Sacramento Friends in Training) is spearheading the text donation campaign. To make a donation, type in “Parkway”, a space, “donation amount” then send to 27138.

Bike Trail, Events, safety

Just try it: May is Bike Month in Sacramento region

May is Bike Month in the Sacramento region, an invitation to try bicycling one day.

The annual effort to get people out of their cars and try pedaling is scheduled during May, in part, because it is one of the best months to bicycle in Sacramento — after the winter rains and before the summer heat.

April is also a pretty good month to bicylce. To that end, rest stops will be in place this month to promote biking in May.

Bicyclists are urged to look for “Energizer Stations” along key commuting routes in the Sacramento area. Most of the stations will be set up along the American River Bike Trail.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, Fish, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Auburn State Recreation Area cleanup tackles trashed canyon sites

Hundreds of volunteers will be taking out the trash in the American River Canyon on Saturday.

The Earth Week cleanup brings volunteers together with several organizations in a major annual spring effort to remove litter and spruce up the canyon near Auburn.

Eric Peach, a Protect American River Canyons (PARC) board member, said Thursday that volunteers will fan out along both the middle and north forks of the American River from the confluence near the city to not only collect discarded garbage.

“Work will also include minor trail maintenance, removal of invasive non-native plant species and graffiti removal,” Peach said.

The Auburn-based PARC will be working with the California State Parks Foundation, which is holding its 15th annual Earth Day restoration and cleanup around the state. Among the projects are cleanups at both the Auburn State Recreation Area in Placer County and at the Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park in Folsom.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, safety, Water, Wildlife

Sacramento Area Creeks Council expects random trash trophies in annual cleanup

A lawn Santa, a blow dart, a wig, a flat-screen TV and a rocking horse are some of the dubious trophies volunteers have hauled out of Sacramento-area creeks during annual cleanups.

The Sacramento Area Creeks Council spotlights each year’s quirkiest finds to call attention to human activities that are harmful to dozens of urban creeks and their tributaries. The perils to creeks include roadside litter, illegal dumping, invasive plants and development- related storm runoff.

The 22nd annual Creek Week will get under way today with a Splash Off from 11 a.m. to noon at the William Pond Recreation Area on the American River. The big event will take place April 14, when about 2,000 volunteers will fan out across the county to remove trash from waterways.

More at The Modest Bee >>>

Events, Fish, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Outbound Escapes: A fly fishing talk; a salmon watching spot

Fish fanciers take note: The salmon ladder at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery opened Nov. 1, signaling the official start of the spawning season on the Sacramento River.

Nimbus is one of three state-run hatcheries in the Central Valley that will take approximately 38 million eggs from salmon over the next two months in order to produce 24 million Chinook salmon for release next spring.

Nimbus has a viewing area where visitors may watch the spawning process and a playground where kids and adults may enjoy replicas of giant salmon.

The center, located at 2001 Nimbus Road, Suite F, Gold River, is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends every day except Christmas. Raceways (fish-rearing ponds) are open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Opening time may vary during spawning season.

For more information, go to www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Hatcheries/Nimbus.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, safety, Water

Bike trail closed near Watt Avenue

A project to repair levee erosion along the American River has closed a portion of the bike and walking path in the parkway near Watt Avenue.

The repairs, overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of engineers, are part of the previously authorized Sacramento River Bank Protection Project, which addresses levee erosion on the Sacramento River and its tributaries.

The latest phase involves placing large rock, called rip-rap, along the waterline of the south bank of the American River at two locations between Watt Avenue and Larchmont Park. A section of public path atop the levee about three-quarters of a mile long will be closed until the expected completion of the work on Nov. 30. Foot and bike traffic are being detoured through the neighborhood south of the levee.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Events, safety, Water, Wildlife

Parkway volunteers clean up trash at abandoned homeless camps

Volunteers for the American River Parkway Foundation are cleaning up trash left at abandoned homeless encampments along the parkway this morning.

About 150 volunteers hit the parkway shortly before 10 a.m., leaving from the Northgate parking lot of the recreation area.

“We want people to come enjoy the parkway,” said Dianna Poggetto, executive director of the foundation.

That’s hard to do when there’s a lot of trash, so the volunteers go out periodically to clean up what’s left behind by campers along the river.

More at SacBee.com >>