Category Archives: safety

Bike Trail, Rafting, safety

Man rescued after falling 40 feet in Rancho Cordova

A man was seriously injured Monday after falling from a tree and landing some 40 feet onto the shore of the American River in Rancho Cordova.

When rescuers arrived, they found the man badly injured near the Clay Banks, said Michelle Eidam, a captain with Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, which patrols the river in the Rancho Cordova, Sunrise and Watt Avenue areas.

As they considered a so-called “vertical rescue,” either via a rope system or helicopter, Eidam said ground rescuers secured the man to a backboard and flagged down a passing raft. Commandeering the raft, the fire officials then paddled the man about 200 feet down the river.

He was taken to UC Davis Medical Center with unknown injuries, Eidam said.

More at  SacBee.com >>>

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

PRESERVE THE PARKWAY

Saturday, September 19, is the date for the annual “Great American River Clean Up.”  During the hours of 9 a.m. to noon, please consider donating some time to help clean the American River Parkway.

The American River Parkway Foundation sponsors the annual event as one way to maintain the natural habitat that comprises this 23 mile stretch along the American River.

Volunteers can register online and many students use the event as a way to earn community service credits for school.  Staging sites where you can check-in include Alumni Grove at CSUS, Ancil Hoffman Park, and William Pond Park.   More information can be obtained online at the American River Parkway Foundation website. 

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

Flows cut at Folsom Lake to conserve Sacramento water supply

Federal officials plan to make a significant cut to flows from Folsom Lake, which is a primary water source for Sacramento suburbs, as water levels at the reservoir near historic lows.

The Sacramento Bee reports (http://bit.ly/1O4XUGy ) the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will cut flows out of Folsom Lake in half by the end of the week.

As of Monday, the lake held about 20 percent of its capacity at 196,000 acre-feet of water. Reclamation officials have pledged not to let Folsom Lake drop below 120,000 acre-feet.

More at ktvn.com >>>

Boating, Rafting, safety, Water

Drowned man recovered from south fork of American River identified as Colorado man

A swimmer who drowned in the south fork of the American River last week has been identified as a Colorado man.

The body of Luke Matson, 33, of Vail, Colo., was recovered in the river on Tuesday, the day after he went missing.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said that Matson was swimming Aug. 24 in the area of the Marshall gold discovery site. His friends last saw him floating downstream from Sutter’s Mill.

More at SacBee.com >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Rafting, safety, Water

Drought May Be Responsible For Rise In Sacramento, American River Deaths

More people are drowning in two of Sacramento’s rivers, and the drought may be partially responsible.

The Sacramento Bee reports there have been six drownings on the Sacramento River in 2015 where typically there are between one and two annually. Data from the Sacramento County coroner shows drownings on the American River are two times higher than average years in the last decade.

More at CBSLocal.com >>>

Rafting, safety, Water

Official: 25-year-old drowns in American River

Law enforcement officials told KCRA 3 that a 25-year-old man found floating in the American River has died following a rescue attempt Sunday.
At about 2 p.m. the Sacramento Metro Fire Department was called to Rossmore Bar after a helicopter and boating units discovered a body floating in the American River.
“At that point, they located him,” said Metro battalion chief Chris Quinn. “He was submerged and they were able to take him up to the medic units and transport him to Mercy San Juan Hospital. At this point his condition was still undetermined.”
But a well-placed law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the situation told KCRA 3 the young man did not survive.
Kyle Pierce, a rafting friend of the victim, said he knew his friend was in trouble.
“I was trying to yell with them to follow me to go to the shore, before they got lost in the rapids,” Pierce said.
The American River deserves more respect than often given, fire crews said.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Rafting, safety, Water

Woman swept downstream at confluence drowns

A woman was caught in the American Rivercurrent and drowned Friday between the Highway 49 and Mountain Quarries Railroad bridges.

The woman was observed by a firefighter attempting to cross the American River at the confluence by foot shortly after 11 a.m. But the crossing went tragically wrong as he watched her slip and struggle in the fast-moving river.

A fire crew had been dispatched on a wildland fire reported in the confluence area and the firefighter could see from a vantage point above the river on Highway 49 as the woman and two other people made their way into the river upstream from the Highway 49 bridge, Auburn State Recreation Area Superintendent Mike Schneider said.

The stretch of river is just past where the middle and north forks of the river meet in the AmericanRiver canyon below Auburn, increasing the force of the current.

“They were in shallow water and trying to cross the river,” Schneider said.

While the woman’s death was still under investigation, indications were that she slipped on rocks and was carried downstream by the current, he said.

More at AuburnJournal.com >>>

Fire, safety, Wildlife

Fire burns in steep terrain near Blue Canyon airport

A wildland fire burning two miles southwest ofBlue Canyon was holding steady at five acres.

Cal Fire reported the fire, first called in late Tuesday, was located in steep terrain along the north fork of the north fork of the American River.

Dubbed the Burnett Fire, the blaze was being controlled by water drops from aircraft as Cal Fire attempted to get ground crews. Containment lines were being set up along ridges and other more easily accessible areas.

The nearest structures threatened were in the airport area. Blue Canyon is about 35 miles northeast of Auburn.

More at Auburn Journal.com >>>