Bike Trail, Rafting, safety, Water

Boy Scouts will sell campground in Sacramento

Camp Pollock, the historic Sacramento campground where generations of Northern California boys have practiced their Scouting skills, is soon to be on the sales block, officials have confirmed.

One potential buyer? SafeGround, the nonprofit group that is seeking to establish a place in Sacramento where homeless people can live in small cottages with basic services.

“The executive board has made a decision to sell the camp,” said Paul Helman, president of the Golden Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

He said the council, which oversees the activities of 20,000 Scouts from Vacaville to Redding, has outgrown the Sacramento property, which stretches over 10 acres off Northgate Boulevard along the American River. Members, he said, are concerned about encroaching development and traffic.

More at Sacbee.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety

Dead body found at Discovery Park

A dead body was found at Discovery Park early Tuesday morning.

Police said a cyclist was riding through the park when they noticed burning leaves.  The cyclist called the fire department who came out and extinguished the fire.  After putting out the flames, firefighters discovered the burned body of what they believed to be a female.

More at News10.net >>>

Fish, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Auburn Ravine salmon restoration effort aims for Auburn

The goal is clear: To allow salmon to move upstream along the Auburn Ravine to spawn at two Auburn city parks.

But for Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead President Jack Sanchez, what looks like a quixotic quest to some can be done with determination and cooperation.

Sanchez outlined the organization’s movement toward the ultimate goal of spawning salmon turning the Auburn Ravine shades of gold and red on a future fall day.

The Nevada Irrigation District has been working to retrofit two dams – Hemphill and Gold Hill – before salmon can reach Wise Powerhouse, at the corner of Ophir and Wise roads in Ophir, just outside Auburn city limits.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

safety, Water, Wildlife

Deer Trapped In Frigid Canal Waters Pulled To Safety

Sacramento Metro fire crews had to use their skills and training to rescue a helpless deer trapped Tuesday in the frigid waters of a canal near the American River.

Just before noon, the deer somehow became trapped in the drainage canal in the area of White Rock and International Drive. The powerful current forced the deer north down the canal.

When fire crews arrived at the scene, they found the deer unsuccessfully making an effort to get out of the canal. The deer — believed to be a couple of years old — kept sliding back into the water because of the slippery slopes of the canal.It was unknown how long the deer was trapped in the canal before fire crews arrived at the scene.

Firefighters decided to make a rescue attempt and got a raft into the canal. A crew in the raft was able to lasso the animal and pull it ashore.

More at KCRA.com >>>

safety, Water

Body found below Foresthill Bridge identified

The Placer County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office has identified the man found in the American River Tuesday morning as Peter Matthew Wynters, 30, from Newport Oregon.

An autopsy revealed that Wynters died from injuries consistent with jumping from the Foresthill Bridge. His body was found by a hiker in the water at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, directly under the span. The man’s body was recovered with the assistance of the sheriff’s dive team and helicopter.

More at AburnJournal.com >>>

safety, Water

Body found in American River below Foresthill Bridge near Auburn still not ID’d

A man whose body was found in the American River below Foresthill Bridge near Auburn remained unidentified Thursday.

The Placer County coroner said the man’s body was spotted by a hiker late Tuesday morning floating in the North Fork of the American River. The location was just below the 730-foot-high bridge.

Lt. Mark Reed said Thursday that despite a call out to the public for help in identifying the body, no information had been received to match a name to the corpse.

An autopsy was being performed to determine the cause of death, Reed added.

The man is described as a white male, in his late 20s to early 40s. He is 5-feet, 5-inches tall and weighs 169 pounds. He has brown hair with a receding hairline, hazel eyes and a full beard.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety

American River Parkway crimes decline, despite cuts in ranger staffing

Despite budget cuts and reductions in the number of park rangers, crime along the American River Parkway dropped dramatically last year, new figures from Sacramento County indicate.

Car break-ins, violent crime and misdemeanors all dropped in 2011 compared to the previous year, according to a ranger report released this week.

The only segment that saw an appreciable increase in activity was in the number of citations issued for illegal camping, an outgrowth of efforts by officials to stem the influx of homeless camping along the lower end of the parkway near Discovery Park.

Some attribute the decrease to the overall drop in the crime rate, a phenomenon that has been seen in jurisdictions nationwide.

More at SacBee.com >>>

safety, Water

Identity Sought Of Man Pulled From American River

The Placer County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Office is seeking the public’s help in identifying a man whose body was found in the American River Tuesday morning directly underneath the Foresthill Bridge.

A hiker called the sheriff’s office Tuesday at around 11 a.m. to report that she saw a body floating in the water. The man’s body was recovered with the assistance of the sheriff’s dive team and helicopter.

More at Sacramento.cbslocal.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety

Sheriff’s detectives arrest suspect in Monday’s fatal shooting in Rancho Cordova park

Sacramento County sheriff’s detectives have arrested a 47-year-old man they suspect in Monday’s shooting death of a Rancho Cordova parks district supervisor, according to authorities.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, was arrested this morning on suspicion of murder and is being questioned by homicide detectives, said sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

Ramos said he will release the suspect’s name after he is booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. However, Ramos did confirm that the suspect is a former employee of the parks district.

The man is suspected of fatally shooting 59-year-old Steve Ebert, superintendent of the Cordova Recreation & Parks District, as he arrived for work at the district offices in Hagan Community Park early Monday.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety

Parks superintendent fatally shot while driving in Haggin Community Park; no arrests

Police are investigating the shooting death of a parks superintendent whose body was found in his bullet-riddled car in a Northern California park that runs along the American River Parkway.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Ramos said a park employee came upon 59-year-old Steve Ebert’s car around 6 a.m. Monday in Hagan Community Park in Rancho Cordova, an eastern suburb of Sacramento.

Ebert was the superintendent of Cordova Recreation and Park District who oversaw maintenance of 38 parks.

Hagan Community Park abuts the 23-mile American River Parkway, a well-known jogging, hiking and bike trail that attracts some 5 million visitors each year.

More at WashingtonPost.com >>>