Category Archives: Water

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 >>>

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, Water, Wildlife

Legal fight looms over valley elderberry longhorn beetle

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.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Water

Folsom Lake is deceivingly dry

Folsom Lake looks low this time of year.

The dry month may be partly to blame. But, in reality, the lake is only slightly lower than it was this time last year, and holds 88 percent of its average capacity for December.

In winter, the lake must be kept about half-full to provide adequate storage to protect Sacramento from floods.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Water, Wildlife

Some homeless say they won’t leave illegal camp site

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.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Water, Wildlife

Prime North Fork riverfront land near Auburn saved from development

A 40-acre swathe of undeveloped canyon land on the North Fork of the American River near Auburn is now under the protective wing of the Placer Land Trust.

The non-profit, Auburn-based land conservation organization closed escrow on the property last week. It’s located between Lake Clementine and Ponderosa Bridge.

Jeff Darlington, land trust executive director, said that in addition to its value as recreation land, the protection of the property benefits water quality, wildlife habitat and the scenic beauty of the American River canyon.

“This is a beautiful riverfront property in one of our strategic conservation focus areas – Lake Clementine,” Darlington said.

Auburn’s Emigrant Trails Greenway Trust, which has aided the Auburn School Park Preserve preservation efforts, among others, donated the 40-acre property to the land trust, along with a $50,000 cash contribution for property upkeep.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

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

Effie Yeaw to hold speaker series on Sacramento’s natural wonders

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.

More at SacBee.com >>>

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

50 years of protecting the American River Parkway

The Save the American River Parkway Association celebrated its 50th anniversary this month and received a resolution from the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors honoring its accomplishments over the past five decades.

“We commend the work that a whole host of folks (at the association) have done in providing a strong voice for a precious resource,” Supervisor Don Nottoli said Tuesday as he presented the resolution.

The Save the American River Association is a volunteer, nonprofit group of more than 600 members and a Board of Directors that started in 1961 to develop the American River Parkway and to create a plan to maintain it.

The 23-mile American River Parkway hosts more than 5 million visitors each year for fishing, boating and rafting on the water – and picnicking, golfing and paved walking and bicycling trails for land lovers.

More at SacramentoPress.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Water

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson commits to finding ‘safe ground’ site

Mayor Kevin Johnson on Tuesday pledged his commitment for creating a sanctioned “safe ground” for as many as 100 homeless campers in Sacramento, calling it a final piece of the area’s mosaic of programs to shelter needy people.

“I believe we have waited too long” to create a place where homeless people can legally sleep outside with basic services and access to programs that can help them become more stable, he said at his weekly news conference. “We’ve studied this for three years. This is not that complicated.”

Currently, about 100 campers have pitched tents on the south side of the American River near 10th Street, and the City Council was scheduled to take up the controversial matter for the first time Tuesday night.

Johnson urged some of the campers to join the “nomadic shelter” program, in which homeless men and women sleep in rotating houses of worship on cold winter nights.

Wells Fargo salvaged that program this week by contributing $75,000 to keep it running through March.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, safety, Water

Drilling begins on American River Parkway levees

A contractor hired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is drilling into levees along the American River Parkway through January to collect soil samples.

Visitors to the parkway are advised to watch out for the equipment and give the crew working room.

This week, the truck-mounted drilling rigs and an equipment staging area are located along the river’s south bank, at Paradise Beach west of J Street in Sacramento. The work will continue eastward to Watt Avenue, on both sides of the river, through January.

More at SacBee.com >>>