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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A rough section of a bike trail between the Rainbow Bridge and the state parks headquarters below Folsom Dam will be smoothed over once the weather improves.
Repair of the bumpy bike path was supposed to begin this week, but a rainy forecast has temporarily stalled the project. On the bumpiest section, crews will have to pull up about 20-30 feet of pavement, remove some tree roots and re-pave.
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On Saturday afternoon, two men and a dog were found dead inside of their tent by the American River, east of the Highway 160 bridge.
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A group of Sacramento-area property owners and land managers has threatened to sue the federal government if it does not remove a native beetle from the endangered species list.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing the valley elderberry longhorn beetle from the endangered species list in 2006. But the process dragged and the beetle is still protected.
The Pacific Legal Foundation, a Sacramento nonprofit law firm, claims the delay may have cost its clients millions of dollars. Those clients include landowners, levee maintenance districts and farm organizations required to protect beetle habitat.
There are signs that the beetle population has improved, and its habitat is relatively abundant. The valley elderberry bush, the beetle’s specific host plant, is hardy and commonplace. But because the beetle remains protected, construction projects are often required to relocate or replant the bushes at great expense.
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Sightings of a mountain lion along the American River have prompted state parks to post warning signs.
There have been four sightings of the mammals this month.
Two of the sightings have been confirmed by employees of the Department of Fish & Game, which has offices at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery.
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A showdown appears to be brewing as Sacramento police officers evict 150 homeless people from an illegal campground along the American River.
While most of the homeless appear to be complying with orders to pack up their tents and move somewhere else, some say they will stand their ground and face arrest because they have no place else to go.
The confrontation started about 8 a.m. Wednesday when around 40 police officers arrived at the site near the intersection of North 10th Street and the American River. The campers were warned earlier this month that eviction was imminent.
“They asked me what I’m going to do,” said “Brother” Eli, a camp elder. “I said ‘I don’t have anywhere to go.’
“Recent efforts by city officials have added nearly 60 additional shelter beds for homeless men and women, but more than that number are camping at the American River site.
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The Effie Yeaw Nature Center along the American River is launching a new speaker series in January to illuminate the region’s natural wonders.The six-speaker series begins Jan. 20 with a presentation on venomous bites and stings.
Each event costs $5 per person, or $25 for all six. Space is limited and registration is required.
The first speaker is Mike Cardwell, an expert on venomous snakes and bite treatment. He’ll discuss California’s only dangerous native snake, the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, how to avoid bites, appropriate first-aid, and common myths about venomous snakes.
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