Category Archives: Bike Trail

Bike Trail, Boating, Fish, Wildlife

Bald Eagles Spotted in Sacramento County

A couple of bald eagles have been seen recently near Lake Natoma, just about 20 miles east of Sacramento off Highway 50.

During a visit to the lake on Wednesday, FOX40 spoke with several people who reported recent bald eagle sightings.

“I was shocked that we even have them here,” remarked Mary Ann Williams, who captured iPhone images of the birds perched high up in a tree while she was hiking with a friend a few weeks ago.

“I don’t know why, but I looked up, and I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Williams said.

Wildlife experts say bald eagles are thriving due to conservation efforts.

“For the last 40 years or so, every wildlife agency has worked to bring them back,” explained Andrew Hughan of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Lake Natoma, surrounded by high dense trees, is a suitable habitat.

More at Fox40.com >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Events, History, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

California’s outdoor writers flock to Auburn, Placer County

They came. They saw. They were conquered – by Placer County’s outdoor attractions.

That was the consensus of local tourism industry spokespeople after 58 writers and photographers with the Outdoor Writers Association of California were treated to a variety of opportunities to explore and learn about Placer County’s outdoor amenities as part of the group’s conference Sunday and Monday in Auburn.

Bob Semerau, association president emeritus, had praise Tuesday for organizers and Auburn attractions.

“Experiencing the broad spectrum of outdoor adventure opportunities to be found in Placer County has given the membership a real appreciation for this lovely part of California,” Semerau said. “Fly fishing the middle fork of the American River with Grady Garlough of Rise Up River Trips highlighted the pristine and wild natural beauty to be found throughout the region. And the fishing was awesome.”

Mora Rowe, Placer County Visitors Bureau executive director, said Tuesday that many facets of the county’s outdoor tourism-based industry were presented to the organization in tours and recreational opportunities.

They included bass fishing on Folsom Lake, a tour of ancient geology and watersheds in the Foresthill area and target practice at the Auburn Trap Shooting Club. At the Auburn Quarry near Cool, experienced rock climbers were offered the opportunity to climb a cliff.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Snowpack melting quickly in Sierra causes faster rapids

With temperatures in the 90s Tuesday, the water was raging along the North Fork of the American River thanks to fast-melting snow.

The raging waters are good news not only for rafters and boaters, but also for Northern California reservoirs, which are filling up fast.

Lake Shasta is 93 percent full Tuesday, thanks to a healthy snowpack. Lake Oroville is 96 percent full while Folsom Lake is 86 percent full.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fish, safety, Water, Wildlife

New American River bridge near Auburn gains traction

A new pedestrian bridge across the American River is still a big, bright bold idea.

And nearly 15 years after initial funding of $500,000 was pledged, the idea of spanning the river belowAuburn is gaining some renewed momentum.

Auburn’s environmental group Protect American River Canyons (PARC) is taking a lead.

A letter-writing campaign to State Parks officials has generated hundreds of pleas for consideration of a bridge and improved public access to the China Bar area.

Located off Auburn’s Maidu Drive, the China Bar area is in the Auburn State Recreation Area on land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and operated by State Parks.

It’s part of the site of the long-delayed Auburn dam and was once a river crossing, when the stretch of the waterway was underground, flowing through a diversion tunnel built during construction in the 1960s.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fish, History, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Levee ‘armoring’ along the American River Parkway draws concerns

Years of rumbling dump trucks and backhoes placing 2.75 million tons of rock “armor” along nearly a dozen miles of riverbank is an unpleasant thought for many who bike, jog, fish, bird-watch, golf, boat and swim along the lower American River Parkway.

But to demonstrate why officials currently are planning for some version of that scenario, Rick Johnson, the executive director of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, points to a striking aerial photo taken after one of the worst deluges ever recorded in this region.

The photo was snapped in February 1986 after an extraordinary Pineapple Express storm filled reservoirs and rivers and pushed Sacramento’s flood infrastructure to its limits. The image shows an area near where the Capital City Freeway crosses the American River; it looks as if several giant bites had been taken out of the massive levee there.

Just on the other side of the levee sits the River Park neighborhood. If the rushing river – which at one point was surging with more than a million gallons per second – had eaten away just a few more feet of the barrier, Sacramento would have been awash in floodwater that would have rivaled what swamped New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Tens of thousands of homes could have been flooded.

But it wasn’t until the American River receded that anyone knew how close the city had come to disaster.

“The scary part is you couldn’t see (the damage to the levee). It was all underwater,” Johnson said. “We didn’t even know that was happening until after the water came down. They should have evacuated, quite frankly.”

Prompted by recent changes in state and federal flood control policy – largely in reaction to Katrina – local officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are in the initial phases of planning a $375 million project that would add a layer of rocky erosion protection along up to 11 miles of the lower American River.

The levees under consideration stretch along segments of the American River, starting where it meets the Sacramento River near downtown and ending upstream near the Butterfield neighborhood, which is about 4 miles east of the Watt Avenue bridge.

The project has presented flood control officials with a major challenge: How do they balance the need to armor the levees against erosion while at the same time protecting – or restoring after construction – the stream-side riparian habitat, as well as the trails and river access that make the lower American River Parkway a local treasure?

More at SacBee.com >>>

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

Rising rivers creating headaches for cyclists and boaters

Cyclists are finding it difficult to navigate the American River Bike Trail thanks to road blocks created by mother nature and flooding from rising rivers.

“I see the sign that says detour, but we didn’t know it was going to be like this,” said cyclist Pros Hang.

The section of trail that travels along Northgate Boulevard and underneath Highway 160 remains flooded in two areas, and the flooding continues through most of Discovery Park.

The flooding has left those who commute back and forth to work on two wheels choosing to either brave the standing water or find a different way home.

“One cyclist told me, ‘don’t go that way you are not going to make it through there,'” said cyclist Michael Goldstein. “They better take a different route if they are coming through Discovery Park, because I don’t think so.”

While cyclists try to navigate the trails, boaters will find it dangerous navigating the waterways. Along the Sacramento and American Rivers debris of trees and logs continue to flow with the swift moving currents.

More at News10.net >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Sacramento County officials: American River is running fast so use caution

The American River is running higher than it has in years from Folsom to Sacramento, resulting in closed access points and encroachment on beaches.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation increased water releases from Folsom Dam to 15,000 cubic feet per second this week to make room for rain expected to begin on Thursday and continue through the weekend.

The increase flow from Folsom Lake has produced a faster-running river and led to cautions from Sacramento County officials. Sacramento County Regional Parks officials are discouraging boating, rafting and swimming in the American River.

Access points at Howe and Watt avenues on the American River Parkway are closed to vehicle traffic. A detour near Sailor Bar, mile 21.5 on the bike trail, is in place for bicyclists and pedestrians. Boat launches at Upper Sunrise and Sailor Bar are closed due to the increased flow.

At the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers in downtown Sacramento, Discovery Park beaches – where a week ago anglers tried their luck from shore – were inundated on Wednesday. Along the bank, cautionary signs warned “HIGH FLOWS: Raft, swim, or boat at your own risk.”

More at SacBee.com >>>
Bike Trail, Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Police Urge Caution Near American River As Folsom Dam Releases Increase

Police are urging people near the American River in the Cal Expo area to seek higher ground.

A Sacramento Police helicopter could be heard flying over the area Monday, broadcasting a recorded precautionary message urging people near the river to move to higher ground.

The recent storm has prompted the Bureau of Water Reclamation to increase the rate of water being released from Folsom Lake. A powerful storm brought heavy amounts of rain and snow to the foothills and Sierra, which sharply increased water levels.

More at CBSLocal.com >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Residents Caught Off Guard by Increased Flows into American River

The American River looked very different Tuesday – higher and faster than the days prior – because of increased flows from the Folsom and Nimbus dams.

Some along the river think the sudden, higher, faster combination could be trouble.

“The water is moving faster, there are drop offs, the bottom of that river is not even,” angler Rich Dyba said. “Unless you really know the area and you know where you can wade, it can be real dangerous real quick.”

The Bureau of Reclamation says the releases, which haven’t seen this level since 2012, are necessary.

“Right now, we are releasing 7,000 cubic feet per second of water down the lower American River. That’s about twice what we were releasing about this time yesterday,” bureau spokesperson Shane Hunt said.

More at Fox40.com >>>