Category Archives: Wildlife

Fish, safety, Water, Wildlife

Low Water Levels Forcing Boats Out Of Folsom Lake

The people who dock their boats at Folsom Lake, about 25 miles east of Sacramento, keep track of how dry the reservoir is by how many steps it takes to get from the parking lot to the floating dock.

In the spring, when melting snow and rainfall fill the lake’s basin, less than ten steps peek out from above the water. Last week, the number was 80. Jeff Gomez said he made sure to count as he trekked up and down the stairs eight different times. “I came down to refuel the boat,” Gomez said as he caught his breath after dragging a cooler down the 80 steps. “That took two trips. Now this was two trips.”

Gomez and his family were getting ready for one of their final boat rides of the year. Folsom Lake is at half its capacity, and low water levels will force Gomez and everyone else who docks their boats in the lake to remove their crafts from the water by Sunday, August 11.

It’s not unusual for Folsom Lake to lose water over the course of the summer, but the boat-removal order typically comes in the fall, not early August. “It’s not shocking, because we expected it. Lack of snow, lack of rain” said Gomez as he prepped his speedboat for an afternoon of tubing. “It’s kind of sad, though.”

More at KQED.org >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Water, Wildlife

Progress Towards New American River Bridge

The City of Sacramento wants to take a closer look at three proposed American River bridge projects connecting Natomas and Downtown Sacramento.

One of the proposals would add walking and biking access along Interstate 5.  A second rebuilds the Highway 160 crossing and would add biking and walking paths.  The third would build a new bridge connecting Sequoia Pacific Boulevard to Truxel Road.   The city’s Public Works Department says any project will require significant state and federal contributions.

“The difference being that Regional Transit has already started analyzing the Truxel bridge,” says Sparky Harris with the City.  “This is something that we can kind of piggyback on their efforts and hopefully move forward in a coordinated way.  Whereas both the I-5 and the 160 are new concepts”

Estimated costs for the projects are $15 million for the I-5 expansion, $54 million for the new Truxel bridge and $188 million for the Highway 160 crossing and the raising of Northgate Boulevard.  The City Council is expected on Thursday to approve further talks on the projects.

More at CapRadio.org >>>

Bike Trail, Fire, safety, Wildlife

$30K Raised For American River Parkway Rebuild After Fires

Efforts to repair burned out parts of the American River Parkway made a splash Saturday.

The American River Parkway Foundation’s Down River Day raised about $30,000. Sponsored rafts cruised down the river to raise the cash.

“The funds from this event this year are going to be earmarked for restoration and reforestation of the areas that have burned over the last few weeks. There have been over 160 acres that have burned over the last few weeks,” said Christina Neifer, American River Parkway Foundation.

Four fires over a five day period have left parts of the parkway scorched.

Police arrested a woman for arson Thursday, accused of starting a 100-acre fire along the river near Highway 160.

More at CBSLocal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fire, safety, Wildlife

Investigators Say Woman May Be Linked To Other American River Parkway Fires

nvestigators say a woman arrested after a Thursday fire on the American River Parkway may be linked to three other arson cases from last week.

Today’s fire broke out along North 16th Street in Sacramento. The trio of fire last week were intentionally set along the American River Parkway.

People living along the American River Parkway are relieved an accused arsonist is behind bars.

“Well, I thought of all the embers coming over—you know, the flaming pieces of wood—and I thought, oh my god, if it hits my porch, my porch is going to go up.”

Thick smoke from last week’s blaze near Highway 150 filled Cindi Beard’s mobile home park. That blaze burned 100 acres before being brought under control.

And on Thursday, another suspicious fire was set nearby. This time, a witness waved down police, saying he saw the suspect standing over the flames just after it started.

Sacramento Police arrested 42-year-old Evangeline Deutsch for arson. Investigators say she could be a suspect in other parkway fires this summer, including several in Rancho Cordova.

“The person says she was possibly bragging about previous fires,” said Scott Williams with Sacramento Fire.

More at CBSLocal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fire, safety, Wildlife

Woman arrested in fire along American River Parkway

A 42-year-old woman was arrested this afternoon on suspicion of arson in connection with a brush fire in the 500 block of North 16th Street.

Police said the woman, identified as Evangeline Deutsch (pictured), is homeless and was known to officers. She was booked into Sacramento County Jail.

 

Although today’s fire, which began about 2:30 p.m., burned approximately an acre, a second alarm was issued because it was near businesses and an area of the American River Parkway where a fire last week burned 100 acres, fire officials said.

Assistant Chief Niko King of the Sacramento Fire Department said investigators have questioned Deutsch and are trying to determine whether she is linked to last week’s fire. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials also have been notified of the arrest, he said, in light of a string of grass fires that burned a total of 46 acres along the American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova last week.

More at MercedSunStar.com >>>

 

Bike Trail, safety, Wildlife

Disease-ridden coyote wandering by American River at Arden not dangerous, officials say

A small, mangy coyote is wandering residential streets of Arden by the American River, but he’s not dangerous, according to Sacramento Animal Care Services.

“Without a clear shot, we are resistant to kill these animals unless they’re a danger to residents,” said Gina Nepp with the Front Street Animal Shelter. “It’s a safety risk to try to kill them in populated areas.”

But residents are worried. The coyote – sick with unusually dark skin – has been spotted in the area for more than three months.

“He walks around unsteady, like he’s delirious,” said resident Enrique Hernandez, 75. “I’m scared he’s got rabies.”

Hernandez and many others have called Animal Care and the State Department of Fish & Wildlife with concerns. Nepp said they’re fully aware of the coyote

“We’ll go after him if he becomes a threat – if he starts chasing small children or something – but he’s not getting near people,” Nepp said. “He’s keeping to himself.”

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Folsom Lake, American River levels to hit 5-year lows

Water levels in Folsom Lake and the American River this fall will drop to levels not seen in five years as California verges on another extended drought period.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Folsom Dam, estimates the lake will fall to a storage level of 241,000 acre-feet by December. That is about one-fourth of total capacity.

The lake has not reached such lows since December 2008, the last extended drought period, when it fell to as low as 199,000 acre-feet.

Already, boat owners at Folsom Lake Marina face an Aug. 3 deadline to vacate their berths. The floating docks will be resting on the lake bed by then, when the storage level reaches 412,000 acre-feet, said the marina’s manager, Ken Christensen.

It won’t be long after that, he added, that a lakewide 5 mph speed limit will be imposed for safety. Though not unprecedented, these early restrictions on the lake are a convincing sign that dry times are at hand.

In an average water year, boats don’t have to be hauled out of slips at the marina until Oct. 1.

More at SacBee.com >>>

 

safety, Wildlife

Tahoe daredevil ordered to pay for canyon cable removal

A federal court judge has ordered a Squaw Valley daredevil to pay $4,000 to cover the cost of removing a mile-long steel cable across the north fork of the American River.

Mike Wilson, 27, is described by some as an action sports superstar.  In one popular YouTube video, he performs a quadruple back flip from a 99-foot cable swing over Lake Tahoe.

Although Wilson thrives on risky behavior, the federal government said his cable over the canyon could have killed somebody else.  The quarter-inch cable is virtually invisible to a pilot.

More at News10.net >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Water, Wildlife

Environmental group sues Folsom over lake access plan

An environmental group that was instrumental in developing the American River Parkway is suing the city of Folsom over a plan to improve access to Lake Natoma.

The $1.2 million project approved by the city council last month would pave dirt trails, add lighting and replace a rugged stairway made from railroad ties.

The project would also add a boat launch under the Lake Natoma Crossing Bridge and remove non-native vegetation.

The new path near the foot of Gold Lake Drive would comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

“There’s not going to be anybody excluded,” Folsom Parks and Recreation Director Robert Goss said. “Everybody’s going to be invited, young and old.”

But a group formed in 1961 to help establish the 23-mile parkway claims the Lake Natoma Waterfront and Trail Access Enhancement Project will destroy the area’s scenic nature.

The Save the American River Association (SARA) has filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court claiming the city failed to adequately consider the environmental impact of improved parkway access.

More at News10.net >>>

Fire, Fish, safety, Wildlife

Crews contain Foresthill Bridge fire that threatened homes

Fire crews from multiple agencies fully contained the four-acre fire that threatened structures on the Auburn side of the Foresthill Bridge at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, said Daniel Berlant, Cal Fire public information officer.

“This whole canyon, once it gets racing in a canyon like this, it could take several days to stop it,” Berlant said. “Fortunately where we stopped it was right below these homes. It was a real good save.”

The fire that started just before 2 p.m. originated at the bottom of the American River Canyon and crawled up the hillside toward Auburn, headed for a neighborhood with dozens of homes, but crews were able to halt its progress and no evacuations had been ordered, Berlant said.

Of those in the neighborhood, only two buildings were immediately threatened by the fire, he said.

One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, Berlant said.

More than a dozen fire engines, a couple water tenders, three hand crews, two air tankers, a helicopter and a bulldozer had been dispatched to battle the blaze, Berlant said. Cal Fire, Placer County Fire, Auburn City Fire, Newcastle Fire, Placer Hills Fire and the U.S. Forest Service all responded to the scene.

“This is an incredibly steep hillside, so trying to get our firefighters down there to actually … build a containment line is very difficult,” he said. “That’s why we do so much work in here to actually clear it up.”

The blaze spread under the bridge, burning either side of the Auburn slope. The cause of the vegetation fire is under investigation.

“If we hadn’t been able to jump on it quickly this fire had a lot of potential to make its way all the way up the hillside to Auburn,” Berlant said. “Fortunately our station is less than a mile away, Auburn City Fire is less than a mile away, and we were able to bring engines out of Foresthill, so a lot of different agencies were able to get there quickly and that helped us, obviously.”

A spot fire broke out away from the main area of the blaze, but a U.S. Forest Service helicopter quickly attacked it and stopped it from spreading, Berlant said.

Work to reduce fuels on either side of the canyon had been performed recently, and this fire emphasizes to homeowners there how important it is to create defensible space, because a blaze naturally is going to spread up the hillside, he said.

“It’s a beautiful view, right? But they’ve got to make sure they’ve got the clearance, because the fire is going to race right up,” Berlant said. “And if you’ve got good clearance around it, it helps us stop the fire.”

The area near the bridge is a “hot spot” for fires, and a blaze two or three years ago burned 30 acres on the Foresthill side, Berlant said.

Foresthill Road traffic was stopped on either side of the bridge, and was expected to resume around 5:30 p.m. Traffic was also significantly backed up on Highway 49 near the confluence, Berlant said.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>