Hello Friends – We hope this email finds you doing well!
The big news around the forest this week has been additional reductions to fire restrictions across the Los Padres. Under the current reduced restrictions, campfires are now allowed in all areas of the Forest. This is good news for those of us backcountry wanderers who have spent long freezing nights under the stars over the past few months. That being said, you will need a California Campfire Permit, which takes just a few mins, click here. You can read specifics of the current fire restrictions in the attached PDF. Please note that target shooting remains prohibited in all areas of the Los Padres other than Winchester Gun Club and Rose Valley Gun Club. That is a change from previous years. Enjoy the warmth of your campfire and please remember to keep a safe campfire, clear a safe space around your campfire and always extinguish your fire before leaving camp. February is a terrific time to explore your forest, go get it!
Let us know if your company is interested in a trail maintenance service day.
FOREST 411
• Remember, the LPFA will be welcoming the Friends of the California Condors Wild and Free to the Balboa Building in Santa Barbara this coming Wednesday (February 6) to share with us the latest and greatest California Condor news. They’ll be talking about condors across the Los Padres with a special emphasis on the recent successes in the Santa Barbara Backcountry. You can learn more on our Facebook page or see the attached flier. We’ll also be sharing an update on some exciting upcoming trail projects that you’ll certainly want to hear about. It’ll be a fun night, hope to see you there……
• NEWS FLASH: We’re going to be getting some rain over the coming days. Predictions across the Los Padres are showing 3-5″+ of rain between Friday and Tuesday with Saturday bringing the most precipitation. Most volunteer projects around the forest have been cancelled due to the rain and if you have plans to travel around the forest, be prepared to encounter potential road closures. Hwy 1 should be closed at Mud Creek in anticipation of the storms and we are expecting Hwy 33 to close over the weekend as well. There are also evacuation warnings in areas downstream of the recent burn scars. Be safe everyone……
• Earlier this week the Amgen Tour of California released their 2019 stage routes and two of the stages will pass through the Los Padres. Stage 4, which is May 15, will pass along the Big Sur Coast from Laguna Seca to Morro Bay and Stage 5, May 16, goes from Pismo to Ventura over San Marcos Pass. The Tour of California is exciting to watch both in person as well on the screen.
• The LPFA is excited to announce that we’ll be once again hosting our 6th Annual Fundamentals of Backpacking course starting March 6. The Backpacking Fundamentals is a 5-week course designed to teach backpacking tricks and techniques to everyone from a first timer to a seasoned thru-hiker. We have a lot of fun with it and we always learn so much. If you are interested, click this link or email INFO@LPForest.org for more information.
