Category Archives: Parks

Crescent City’s Front Street Gateway Project Proceeds Though El Niño May Cause Issues For Storm Drain Component

Thumbnail image: Crescent City Manager Eric Wier outlined what a change order to the Front Street Gateway Project would entail at Monday’s meeting. | Image courtesy of Crescent City

The Crescent City Council on Monday took a crucial step in the Front Street Gateway Project.

Councilors unanimously approved a change order that includes erecting nine banner poles, installing the gateway’s electrical system, widening the California Coastal Trail near the Cultural Center as well as ensuring the Point of Honor flags stay illuminated at night. But Tidewater Contractors’ primary focus this summer will be on the storm drain system underneath Front Street, City Manager Eric Wier said.

Still, acknowledging that the North Coast is facing an El Niño year, Wier said if the rains do hit before the street is repaved, hopefully the storm drain will do its job.

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Del Norte Hopes To Make Neighborly Relationship With U.S. Forest Service Official

District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard referred to a historical failure to secure resources for wildfire mitigation and recreation as a major reason a Good Neighbor Authority Agreement with the U.S. Forest Service would be good for Del Norte County.

In response to skepticism from county resident and frequent commenter Sam Strait, Howard said the county could use the agreement as a way to get funding to organizations spearheading projects focusing on fuel reduction, watershed and forest restoration as well as trail development. He mentioned the Del Norte Fire Safe Council and the Del Norte Resource Conservation District specifically.

“There are a lot of these Good Neighbor Authorities being put in place throughout the State of California and the Pacific Northwest right now,” Howard said Tuesday. “I’m incredibly encouraged by the open door we’ve seen now with the Six Rivers National Forest, in particular with the staff at the Gasquet Ranger district, in helping us shape what this document looks like.”

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Supervisors Side With Gateway Education Over Florence Keller Use, Reject County MOU Restricting Day Camp Program To Picnic Areas

Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte County

Florence Keller Regional Park is one of a handful of local spots ideal for teaching kids how to build a shelter in the wilderness, Ron Cole says.

For 25 years, Gateway Education of the Wild Rivers Coast, has used the 26-acre park with its redwood grove as an outdoor classroom to teach youngsters how to identify plants, move quietly through their environment and build the intuitive skills needed for survival, the organization’s board president said.

“All of these things are pretty quiet activities,” Cole told Redwood Voice Community News after appearing before the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. “Even the games that they do to practice those skills — the kids are moving as silently as they can because they don’t want to be caught — (so) the concerns about noise really weren’t justified.”

Three members of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a renewed memorandum of understanding with Gateway Education enabling the organization to continue to use three campsites and the former ropes course at Florence Keller for its Summer Day Camp program through 2031.

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Tolowa Salmon Ceremony Prompts Temporary Closure of Some State Park Access Points, Trails

Thumbnail photo by Tim Rochte via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons license

Portions of Tolowa Dunes State Park will be closed to the public to allow the region’s original inhabitants space to celebrate a cornerstone of their nutritional health and culture.

The Lhuk Rite Ceremony signifies the importance of salmon and celebrates its annual return, according to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation website. Occurring before any fishing takes place, Tolowa Dee-ni’ adults attended the ceremony to pray for a plentiful harvest.

The partial park closure will take place from 7 a.m. Saturday through 5 p.m. Sunday, according to a Superintendent Order from the North Coast Redwoods District of the California State Parks. It will impact access points at Pala Road, Silva Lane and the Kellogg Trailhead Road, according to the order. 

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