Calendar – Page 2 – Los Padres Forest Association

Get Your Los Padres Forest Update

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Bryan Conant

Romero Trail Thomas Fire Damage, Before & After, Compliments of Multi-Use Trails Coalition

Hello Friends,

We were fortunate last week to have an early season storm roll across the Los Padres bringing with it precipitation ranging from around a tenth of an inch in the inland areas to over an inch along the coastal mountains. That’s a great start for the season and if nothing else should bring some green color to some of our hills soon. Depending on what happens from here on out we could enjoy a nice long green season, which we haven’t had very much of over the past decade. Fingers crossed for a nice series of slow and steady storms ahead…….

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Poplar Trail, in Need of a Shave, photo Aaron Songer, October 2018

BLUFF – POPLAR WORKING VACATION

The LPFA will be hosting our next Working Vacation starting next week from October 19-28. We’ll be base-camping at the Bluff Administrative Cabin and working down the Poplar Trail in the Dick Smith Wilderness along the upper Indian Creek drainage. Due to fire related road closures and poor access, the Poplar Trail has become extremely overgrow in recent years with some people calling it the “worst trail in the Santa Barbara Backcountry”. Our focus over the Working Vacation will be to clear downed trees, remove choked brush and attempt to push the “worst trail” moniker to someplace else. If you have some free time between the 19th and 28th and are interested in volunteering on the trail we’d love to have your help. We are asking that people volunteer for at least 4 days. This is a car-camping style project since we have the luxory of driving the 90-min dirt road in to Bluff Camp. If you don’t have a dirt road worthy vehicle, don’t worry, we should have plenty of space in other trucks for you to carpool along. As usual, all food, tools and PPE will be provided for the volunteers. For more information or to sign up please email project leader Mike Smith at TrailSmith@LPForest.org. Hope to see you out there…..

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Morning Moment of Truth, How Hot is it Gonna be? photo AQuinn

FOREST 411

• The LPFA will be putting on our 4th Annual Used Gear Sale on Sunday November 4 at Tucker’s Grove in Goleta. As usual, we’ll have literally hundreds of gently used camping gear supplies, tents and other odds and ends highlighted by dozens of Gossamer Gear backpacks. If you have any used camping gear you’d like to donate, we’d be happy to take it off your hands in exchange for a donation receipt and a high five. Proceeds from the sale go to the LPFA Trail Care program. For more information or to donate your camping gear email: INFO@LPForest.org.

• General hunting season ended a few weeks ago for most of the Los Padres (A Zone South) but general deer season opens this weekend for Zone D13, which covers most of the Mt Pinos Ranger District and a large portion of the Ojai District. Click here for a map of D13. D13 opens October 13 and lasts through November 11.

• A coalition of local Southern Los Padres trail organizations, including the LPFA, have combined forces to raise needed funds to restore the trails impacted by the Thomas Fire. You’ll be hearing A LOT more about the Thomas Fire Trail Fund in the coming weeks/months but we have released a PDF update on the Thomas Fire trail restoration efforts, check it out here.

• Two California Condors have been found dead in recent months as a result of gunshot wounds. One condor was found near Porterville and the other in Kern County, just outside the Los Padres. Currently there is a $15,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for these tragic deaths.

• The LPFA will once again be printing 2019 Los Padres calendars just in time for the holidays. We’re looking for any great photos you might have of the Los Padres that we could include in the calendar. Email us (INFO@LPForest.org) for more information.

• The Ogilvy Fire was declared 100% contained. The fire chewed up 172 acres and burned from September 1-4 in the Mono drainage in the Santa Barbara Backcountry.

• Sycamore Canyon Road, which is used to access Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, is closed to the public Monday – Friday lasting through November 30. The road is currently being repaired after sustaining major damage in the 2016-2017 atmospheric river storms.

• Don’t forget to check HikeLosPadres.com before your next adventure into the Los Padres. Great place to read about water and trail conditions. And don’t forget to share your findings when you get back…..

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The Wander-Full Southern Views Across the Chumash

1st Thursday Holiday Party and Pritchett Success

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Bryan Conant

The Ojai Pink Moment, Cara Blanca, photo Humphrey

Hello Friends,

We hope this email finds you doing well and hopefully a little sore after a great weekend on the trails! The LPFA is a little sore as well after having over 70 volunteers on the trails this weekend doing trail maintenance and enjoying their time outside. The one positive to not having much early season rain is that we’ve been able to host our regularly scheduled trail projects without being shutdown by rain. That’s the good, the bad is that most of the Los Padres has received very very little rain so far. It’s early but Santa Barbara County is only at 16% of normal rainfall for the season (Sep-Aug). The lack of precipitation means that fuel moisture levels have remained low across the LP and as a result the Forest Service has not been able to change the fire restriction level. Even with the cold/freezing nights we remain in Level III Fire Restrictions. You can learn more about Level III here. The fire restrictions were lifted by this time last year but it appears we’ll have to wait a few more weeks this time around. We’ll keep you posted if anything changes, be patient and you might want to start dusting off the rain dance attire just in case……

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Susan Guy Giving New Light to Some of Our Favorite Los Padres Settings, Recognize Them?

SUSAN GUY 1st THURSDAY LPFA HOLIDAY OPENING

Local artist, LP explorer and Ojai Search and Rescue alum Susan Guy will be sharing her artwork at The Press Room in Santa Barbara on Thursday December 7 as part of the SB 1st Thursday art events. 1st Thursday has become a monthly tradition where galleries and art-related venues across SB feature visual and performing art within their regular social environment. They are a lot of fun. What’s even more fun about this event at The Press Room is that Susan will be donating a portion of all her art sales from the night to the LPFA Trail Care program – awesome, right? You’ll certainly notice a lot of local Los Padres vistas and landscapes in her paintings. And, as if it couldn’t get any better, we’re going to try to turn the Press Room into a LPFA holiday party that night as well. So come on down Thursday around 7pm, have a drink, lets talk trails and favorite camp sites, mingle while admiring some amazing art, leave with some of that art, wear that holiday sweater or Los Padres themed attire and keep your eyes peeled for that mistletoe. It’s going to be a lot of fun, hope you can make it!

1st Thursday, Featuring Artist Susan Guy
The Press Room
15 East Ortega St.– Santa Barbara
Thursday December 7
7-10 pm

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Don Jack along the Pritchett Trail, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

PRITCHETT TRAIL SUCCESS

Last episode of the LPFA Email Newsletter we talked a little about some of the great partnerships that have developed around the forest. Along those lines we wanted to share a success story from the Pritchett Trail at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden (SBBG). Earlier this year the LPFA was approached by the Botanic Garden about some trail damage they were dealing with along some of their over 5 miles of trails, in particular the more remote Pritchett Trail. The trail was sustaining some major erosion damage and had one section near the bottom that was losing its battle with gravity and needed some serious work. The LPFA does a lot of work in the deeper parts of the backcountry where we really don’t get a chance to visit and see our work during the storms that cause all the damage. The idea of working on a trail just outside town where we could come and watch the water control structures do their thing right in the middle of a storm was very appealing. So we reached out to longtime LPFA volunteer and nearby resident Don Jack to see if he’d be interested in helping the Botanic Garden with some trail restoration. He was all about it and got started immediately working with the SBBG staff on plans and designs to fix the trail. Fast forward a few months and Don had completed building water control along the entire stretch of trail in addition to constructing a rather complicated retaining wall at the bottom of the trail. We recently took a tour of the trail with Don and the work he’s done in partnership with the Botanic Garden is amazing! It will be really valuable for Don to visit the trail throughout the winter months and see how the water structures hold up. And then we really can’t wait for him to apply that knowledge to the Los Padres on the next Working Vacation as well…………

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2018 Los Padres Calendars are Ready

The 2018 LPFA Los Padres Calendars have been sent to the printers! Thanks to everyone who submitted well over 200 photos for the calendar! We had a tough choice paring that down to the best 50 photos but we got it done. The calendars are currently at the printers and should be ready in the next week. There is a limited quantity available so if you’d like one be sure to place your order ASAP. Calendars are $10 each with any proceeds going to the LPFA Trail Care program. For more information or to order, click the link here!

Thankful Los Padres Givings

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Bryan Conant

Kids + Trail + Forest + Time to Explore = Next Generation of Los Padres Lovers

Hello Friends – Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Throughout the year we hear so much negative noise circulating around the forest. The media regularly shares articles about what is not working in the Los Padres, the latest forest-related lawsuits, illegal pot grows, destructive wildfires, closures and photos of damaged forest land. While it’s critically important to stay aware of all these ‘negatives’ and work to prevent unwanted change, it’s just as critically important to revisit why we love the Los Padres and what ‘positives’ are happening around the forest. It can’t all be negative. In fact, for every negative we hear, there are dozens of positives across the forest that are most likely not being heard. It’s easy to leave negative feedback or write a bad review, lets flip that script and instead focus on some of the really cool, helpful and inspiring people, organizations and programs that are working to benefit the forest. What better time of the year to focus on the positives than Thanksgiving and the Holidays, right?

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FRANKLIN TRAIL

A group of mainly Carpinteria based trail-lovers have been working the past decade to reopen, construct and restore the historic/new Franklin Trail in the hills above Carpinteria. Unfortunately, here in the Los Padres we don’t hear the words ‘construct’, ‘new’ and ‘trail’ in the same sentence too often. The idea of bringing the Franklin Trail back from the dead must have seemed farfetched but that didn’t stop the Carp trail community from making it happen. They got organized, formed an organization called Friends of Franklin Trail, raised funds and worked with the Forest Service to get their dream off the ground. The Santa Barbara County Trails Council with the guidance of Ray Ford took the lead on the trail design and with the help of countless volunteers and trail stewards they were successful in getting the Franklin Trail back on the map. If you’ve not explored the Franklin Trail, put it on your list, do it this week if you can – it’s spectacular! And even more spectacular is how the community of Carpinteria has embraced the trail. Franklin has become a source of pride for Carpinteria and the local trail-users actively work to keep the trail maintained and improved. A great example is the 3rd Annual Franklin Trail Turkey Trot where trail-users are sponsored and get donations for each time they use the trail in November which has raised thousands of dollars to continue work on their beloved Franklin Trail. If you’re interested, the Turkey Trot Celebration is this Friday 12/1 at Island Brewing in Carpinteria. This example of a community dreaming of more trails, organizing, working with the Forest Service, successfully reestablishing a trail and staying engaged to maintain that trail is an incredible accomplishment. Big thanks to everyone involved and lets hope other communities can follow this Franklin Trail blueprint in order to build new trails in their neck of the forest as well.

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Recently Restored Tinta Trail

VOLUNTEER TRAIL WORK

Trails are the main artery used by people to access and enjoy the Los Padres Forest. It doesn’t matter if you’re a birdwatcher, a mountain biker, a hunter or a backpacker; you’ll be using some of the over 1,200 miles of Los Padres trails to get where you want to be. Unfortunately, Los Padres trails are some of the most difficult to maintain. Chaparral grows so fast, needing to be worked every year or two. Trees fall across the trails and fires can alter the trail landscape for the better part of a decade. So how are the trails kept open? The Forest Service oversees trail maintenance but most of the boots on the ground efforts come from the numerous Los Padres non-profit trail organizations and the the volunteers who work with these groups. If you’ve not taken a day or a weekend to volunteer on a trail project, you have to find a way to make that happen. You’d be surprised at how much fun a day of hard work along the trails can be. It’s a chance to meet like-minded friends, get outside in the forest and the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel on your way out is what keeps people coming back for more. The LPFA alone accounted for over 12,000 volunteer hours this past year and there are many other great trail groups up and down the Los Padres who host regular trail projects as well. Get involved if you can, volunteer, give back to the trails you use and love, you won’t be disappointed. Check the calendar of projects below and sign up for a project near you.

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HPS Sierra Club Volunteers, photo Mark Allen – Patagonia Volunteers, photo Aanjelae Rhoads

VOLUNTEER GROUP WORK

Another great way to get out and volunteer in the Los Padres is by organizing your company, organization and/or friends to maintain or adopt a Los Padres trail. There are fantastic examples of companies providing an option for their employees to spend a “service day” working on a trail. Sort of like a Habitat For Humanity but instead of building homes they’re maintaining trails. It’s a great way to get outside, often times your company will pay for your service day and trail work is a fantastic team-building exercise as well. This format also works for groups or organizations who use the forest but aren’t trained in trail maintenance. Student organizations from university’s and High Schools have also come together to help the forest. A great example is the Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai which sends students out each year to help for a weekend around Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center. The VWA has also had great success getting school groups involved with their programs. There are great examples of groups and companies up and down the forest partnering with all the usual Los Padres volunteer organizations. Get involved. Sign up your company, your church group, your friends – you’ll have a great time and will be helping the forest with a smile on your face. For more information check with your local Los Padres Ranger District of email INFO@LPForest.org.

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Just Another Cuyama Peak Sunrise

SCOUT PROJECTS

There have been some really great scout projects across the Los Padres over the past year or two. While the forest has benefited from just about all levels of scouting, the most popular service project is an Eagle Project where the scout performs a larger scale project for the benefit of the community, or in this case the Los Padres Forest. We’ve seen scouts restore and replace forest signs, rebuild and clean damaged forest structures, maintain campsites and create educational material designed to teach forest-users how to properly recreate in the forest. The LPFA has had the pleasure of working with a few of these scouts and it’s so refreshing seeing a teenager take a concept, formulate an idea, develop a plan and then execute on that plan. Scouting projects are a great way to get younger people involved with the forest while at the same time providing a tangible outcome that benefits the forest. Very cool program! If you know any scouts who might want to tackle a forest-related project, contact your local Ranger District or email INFO@LPForest.org for ideas and assistance.

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Three Concrete Crossings along Davy Brown & Munch Creeks

FOREST 411

• The Forest Service announced last week that longtime Los Padres employee Tony Martinez has been appointed the new Mt Pinos District Ranger. Welcome and congratulations Ranger Martinez! For more information click here.

• The Los Padres National Forest, in conjunction with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is working on a proposal to improve aquatic organism passage along Munch and Davy Brown Creeks by removing three concrete water crossings and replacing two of them with bridges. If you’ve ever driven Sunset Valley Road to NIRA, the two main crossings are between Davy Brown Campground and the lower Manzana Trailhead. See attached document for specifics. The Forest Service will be hosting an open house to discuss this proposal on November 30, 4-6pm at the Santa Lucia District Office in Santa Maria.

• The LPFA 2018 Los Padres wall calendars are going to the printer later this week. They cost only $15 but will provide you a years worth of priceless Los Padres vistas, scenery, wildlife and stoke! Get em while you can, you can order them here.

• Brookshire, La Panza and Miranda Pine Campgrounds are currently closed as older pit toilets are removed and replaced with new vault toilets. See here for more information, they are expected to be closed for 3-4 more weeks.

• Condors continue their remarkable recovery as four new juvenile condors will be released into the San Simeon flock by the end of the year.

• There was an interesting article posted in the SLO New Times earlier this month discussing recent wildlife population trends and how those trends relate to drought, agriculture and changes in hunting restrictions. It’s a good read.

• Due to potential storm related closures, camping at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park will become first-come first-serve only starting December 1, 2017 and lasting through April 30, 2018.

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The Epic Thorn Point View, and getting there is more than half the fun!

Opening Soberanes – Get Your 2018 Calendar!

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Bryan Conant

Mid-Fall Colors, Mono Jungle, November 2017

Hello Friends,

It is fall and the weather is changing. These past few weeks we’ve seen our Los Padres autumn colors coming in, temps are cooling quickly and we’ve even had a few early season storms knock back the summer dust and in some places ash from the 2017 wildfire season. While we haven’t seen a whole lot of rain up and down the forest, most of the Northern Los Padres has received over an inch of rain with select locations closing in on 2 inches. Many of the creeks are starting to flow again as the riparian trees settle into their winter dormancy cycle and the trails are ripe for exploring. Hope you get out there soon and be sure to check the latest conditions of your favorite trail or camp at HikeLosPadres and share your experiences after you get back.

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Highway 1 at Carmel River, Sign Slightly Modified

BIG SUR & MONTEREY OPENING UP

In case you’ve missed the last few episodes, there have been some recent developments in the never-ending epic saga: The Sometimes Island of Big Sur. As you should know, access to Big Sur and the Monterey Backcountry has been severely limited over the past 17 months due to the 2016 Soberanes Fire followed by 2017 winter storm damage. After many months of being isolated and/or closed, the area is slowly opening back up:

THE ROADS

• The first domino to fall was the October reopening of the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge, which amazingly reopened after only 7 months of being closed (BIG round of applause to all involved). The reopening of the Pfeiffer Bridge once again allowed vehicles to travel between Big Sur and Monterey along Hwy 1.
• Unfortunately, Hwy 1 still doesn’t connect with San Luis Obispo due to the Mud Creek slide in Southern Monterey County. Mud Creek remains closed between Gorda and the Salmon Creek Guard Station. Crews continue to work on the slide but Hwy 1 at Mud Creek is expected to remain closed throughout the winter and most likely until summer 2018.
• Access to Bottcher’s Gap Campground and trailhead remains closed as work continues along Palo Colorado Road.
• All other normal public forest access roads should be open across the Monterey Ranger District. This includes Nacimiento Fergusson, Tassajara, Sycamore Canyon and South Coast Ridge Road. That being said, this time of year storm closures should be expected so be sure to contact the FS if you have any questions or need clarification.

Western Pine Ridge Trail Remains Closed

THE FOREST

• Effective November 9, the Soberanes Fire closure was adjusted re-opening most of the Monterey Ranger District and Ventana Wilderness areas. This is good news!
• That being said, it’s not all rainbows and moonbeams just yet. There was substantial fire damage along the very popular Pine Ridge Trail and as a result the Pine Ridge Trail between Big Sur Station and Redwood Camp remains closed indefinitely. This includes Sykes, Barlow Flat, Terrace Creek, Ventana Camp, Redwood Camp, Ventana Camp Trail and the Terrace Creek Trail. There is no established timeframe as to when these camps/trails will reopen. Patience is the word of the day and hopefully more information on a reopening date will surface in the coming weeks.
• You can view the closer order here and a map of the closure here.
• There are likely quite a few trails within the Soberanes Fire perimeter that have not been properly surveyed. Be careful if you’re out there and please take photos of any trail slides or downed trees and share them with either the Forest Service, Ventana Wilderness Alliance or post on HikeLosPadres.com. The more information that is shared, the sooner the trail issues can be resolved. Thanks…..

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2018 LOS PADRES WALL CALENDAR

For the 3rd year in a row the LPFA will be putting together a Los Padres themed wall calendar! They’ve been a huge hit and we’re excited to work again this year to collect and compile great photos from across the LP featuring vistas, favorite trails, waterfalls, wildlife, camps and more…… And we can use your help!

Once again, if you have a great LP photo you’d like to share that you think would make a good addition to the calendar, please send it our way and if we use it we’ll send you a free calendar. All photos will only be used for the calendar and your name will be credited on the month that the photo is used. We’ve done this the past two years and it’s been a lot of fun seeing the great photos submitted by you and incorporating them into the themed calendar.

Photos should be sent to INFO@LPForest.org and feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.

You can also pre-order the calendar for $15.00 at the following link: https://lpforest.org/2018-los-padres-calendar/ We plan on having the calendar printed and shipped by mid-December, just in time to stuff the stocking of your favorite Los Padres adventurer! Happy Holidays…….

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“Has anyone seen the bridge?” – Newly re-built Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge

2018 Los Padres Calendar

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Bryan Conant

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2018 – The LPFA is once again producing a Los Padres wall calendar featuring spectacular sights from around the Los Padres Forest. We’ve got themes for each month ranging from the Ventana to Mt. Pinos and Sespe to the San Luis backcountry. The calendar will feature waterfalls, mountain ranges, trail vistas, LP wildlife and much more…..

Each calendar (8.5″ x 13″) is printed on high quality stock with full color photos and special date information within the calendar dates. It’s great as a gift for the LP lover in your life or for yourself to help inspire your next Los Padres adventure.

The Los Padres Calendar will be printed in early-December and shipped as soon as they are available. Each calendar is $10.00 + tax, shipping is included. Any proceeds will go to the LPFA Trail Care Program. You can purchase the calendars one of three ways:

1) online at the PayPal link below

2) send a check to the address mentioned below

3) they will be available at Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers across the Los Padres.

Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays!

– Los Padres Forest Association –

6750 Navigator Way #150 – Goleta, CA 93117

Fire Openings Across the Los Padres

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Bryan Conant

FIRE OPENINGS & RESTRICTIONS

Hello Los Padres & Happy Holidays – It’s been a monumental day in the LP with quite a few shakeups that most of you will be happy to hear about. Lets get to it!

Earlier today the Forest Service lifted the fire closures on the REY FIRE, SHERPA FIRE and PINE FIRE. All regular recreational activities are now permitted within these fire perimeters. This includes hiking, camping, riding and biking & OHV where applicable and legal.

In addition, the Forest Service reduced the closure of the Soberanes Fire and opened up most of the southern portion of the Monterey Ranger District. The heart of the Soberanes burn area remains closed and will most likely stay closed through next spring. For more information on all the fire openings and adjusted closures, check this link here and see the attached map showing the current Soberanes Fire closure.

Want more? On November 29 the Forest Service downgraded the fire restrictions from Level IV to Level II. Level II allows portable stoves across the forest, campfires at Designated Campfire Use Sites and target shooting at designated locations. Check the links for more details.

The changing of these closures is somewhat unexpected but it is good news, at least for most of us. Please remember that the hillsides and trails within the burn areas are still settling. Be careful, tread lightly, avoid during rain, listen to your internal ‘common sense meter’ and have a backup plan in case the trail you’d like to explore is impassable. Otherwise, have at it!

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2017 LOS PADRES CALENDAR

The 2017 LPFA wall calendars are done, they’ve been sent to the printers and we should have them in-hand and ready to distribute by December 15! Thank you to everyone who contributed photos for the calendar. We had over 125 photos submitted by almost 30 different photographers. It was hard work paring down the photos and selecting the final pictures that would appear in the calendar but we think the calendar turned out really nice. We’ve got a good collection of photos from across the forest and covering themes from wildlife to wildfire, flowers to trailwork and sea level to almost 9,000ft. If you like the Los Padres, we think you’ll love the calendar. If you’d like to purchase a calendar, pre-sale is still available at the following link. Thanks so much again to everyone who helped out and have a great 2017!

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Cottonwood Fallburst, photo Heidi Anderson

UPCOMING EVENTS

We spent some time this past week scheduling the 2017 LPFA volunteer trail projects. 2017 will hopefully be highlighted by a Working Vacation based at Manzana Schoolhouse in April and a second Working Vacation at Madulce in May – we’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, our next backcountry trail project is December 16-18 working down the Judell Trail in the San Rafael Wilderness. We’ll be car-camping at the trailhead and working down from the top removing fallen trees and brush from the trail corridor. We’re also working on some sort of holiday theme for the weekend, so you might want to get your ugly Xmas sweaters out of the closet and primed for action. If you’re interested in helping that weekend, email us at INFO@LPForest.org or email project leader Mike Smith at TrailSmith@LPForest.org.

And lastly, if you enjoy these email updates and appreciate the information we provide, become a LPFA member and support the cause. We’ll send you a sticker and perhaps a few other goodies but more than anything else your membership helps drive the ship and keep us doing what we do best – working the trails, educating the public and helping the forest along the way. You can click here for the membership page and thank you for reading this far along – perhaps we should become members of you……

Los Padres Thanksgiving & New Years Calendars

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Bryan Conant

Wild Turkey in Paradise; Paradise Rd, Los Padres – photo Humphrey
turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving weekend is literally hours away and there is lots to be thankful for here in the Los Padres. It might not seem like it at times with wildfires, closures, drought, etc but you gotta look past that and focus on the positives. Positives like ocean fog through redwoods, finding new trails, freezing mornings sipping coffee, that final cut with the crosscut saw or driving to the trailhead. We’re not going to get too sappy but wanted to thank you all for your support and help over the years. Be sure to take some time this weekend in between eating, football, family and cooking to think about what you are thankful for and try to do something to show your gratitude. Sounds easy enough but sometimes time gets in the way. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Now go eat, be merry and spend time with loved ones…….

2017 LOS PADRES CALENDARS

Back again by popular demand, the LPFA will be producing a 2017 wall calendar featuring spectacular sights from across the Los Padres Forest. And just like last year, WE COULD USE YOUR HELP! If you have a great photo or two that are worthy of being included within the calendar, we’d love to see them! If we use your photo in the calendar, we’ll credit you and send you a complimentary calendar. We’re looking for anything Los Padres related. If could be an epic sunset, a shot of local LP wildlife, a trail work project, a view from your favorite trail, your favorite creek or waterfall – anything LP’centric and awesome. Please send to INFO@LPForest.org. We won’t disclose locations, so don’t worry about spoiling your favorite spots. All photos need to be submitted by the end of the month, we are hoping to send the calendar to the printers on December 1. We won’t use your photos for anything other than the calendar without your permission.

And if you’d like to pre-order a 2017 calendar, you can order online here. Thanks everyone, looking forward to seeing your photos and I’m already looking forward to National Lemon Meringue Pie Day – which of course is August 15, 2017!

One of 25+ Downed Trees on Lower Manzana, photo Curt Cragg

LOWER MANZANA TREE CLEARING

REI started a really cool program last year called ‘Opt Outside’ where they are closing their doors on perhaps the busiest shopping day of the year (Black Friday) and instead encouraging their employees to get outside and enjoy nature. While Opt Outside might have started as a publicity campaign, it’s turned into a movement with other retailers following suit or donating sales revenue from Black Friday to non-profits or environmental organizations. Good stuff for sure – well done REI.

Anyway, the LPFA tried hard to get on board and lead an Opt Outside Black Friday event this year but for one reason or another we just couldn’t get it to work. BUT, instead of Friday, we’ll be leading a Sunday 11/27 one-day trail maintenance project working to remove fallen trees along the Lower Manzana Trail downstream from NIRA Campground. Curt Cragg will be the trail leader and has reported over 25 downed trees of varying complexity and size. If you’re looking for an excuse to get out and work off that tryptophan, this is a great trip for you! For more information check out the link here and we hope to see you on Sunday 11/27 along the Lower Manzana. And maybe you’ll even get a photo to contribute to the calendar…….!!??!!

Giving Thanks for the Los Padres

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Bryan Conant

A Thankful Los Padres Ursus
BearBear

Most of us will celebrate Thanksgiving this week. While historically Thanksgiving was a day to give thanks for a successful harvest, today it is used to celebrate anything and everything we are thankful for – which is great. Turkey Day is a fantastic excuse to take some time and reflect on all you have to be thankful for. Then after that, stuff your face and watch football….. Kidding aside, we all have much to be thankful for. The above photo was sent to us earlier this month showing a Los Padres black bear traipsing across a small meadow during his/her daily rounds. It got me thinking how thankful we all should be to have wild spaces and enough room in the Los Padres for great animals to roam. Be it the condor, elk, fish, bear or humans; we’re very fortunate to have vast spaces to wander and explore in the LP. There’s a billion other reasons to be thankful, almost all of them are more important than this one, but it’s really cool thinking of that bear and all his neighbors doing their thing out there right now.

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FOREST 411

Couple tidbits from across the Forest, if you have anything to add, please send our way:

• The 20th Annual Volunteer Wilderness Ranger Training will be January 23-24 at the Los Prietos Compound, Santa Barbara Ranger District. Much more information to come but we wanted to make sure you all get it on your calendars. 20 years is certainly reason to celebrate.

• The Mt. Pinos Ranger District has announced their seasonal closures which start today. See attached document for specifics.

• Franklin Trail Fundraiser on December 2. The Santa Barbara Trails Council is hosting a Happy Hour to help raise funds for the Franklin Trail and thank the Sierra Club for their contributions to the trail. More information here.

• A cold front is crossing the LP over the coming days. Freezing temps are expected across most of the forest. While rain is expected in the northern LP, not much is expected to fall south of the Santa Ynez Valley and Sespe Creek.

• In October, the Ventana Wilderness Alliance headed up an effort to bring Leave No Trace to the Pine Ridge Trail in order to evaluate the impact along the trail and recommend a course of action to help alleviate the impacts. While out there, LNT came across Flyin’ Brian Robinson, the famous thru-hiker. He gave a nice short interview on LNT and why it’s important. Worth checking out here.

• Yeti Coolers released a great short video talking about the Los Padres Outfitters and some of their history between Tony Alvis and Graham. You can view it here.

• While the Los Padres Charter Sierra Club Condor Call has been out now for a few weeks old, if you haven’t checked it out, it’s certainly worth a read as well. Click here.
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Yes, it’s Calendar Season

Back by popular demand, the LPFA will be producing 2016 calendars featuring pictures of the spectacular sights from around the Los Padres Forest. AND WE COULD USE YOUR HELP. If you have a great photo or two that you think is worthy of being included within the calendar, please send it to INFO@LPForest.org. We’ll need your name and what month you think it best represents – no need to include the location, we don’t want to spoil your secrets. If we use your photo, we’ll credit you and send you a calendar. Sound okay?

The LPFA produced 4 years of calendars from 2008-2011 highlighting waterfalls. This time around we’re opening it up to anything Los Padres related. Could be an epic sunset, a photo of wildlife, a view from your favorite trail or even a waterfall. If you have something great to share, we’d love to see it. All photos need to be sent and finalized by December 10. We won’t use your photos for anything other than the calendar without your permission. We’ll have information on how to get a calendar by mid-December, just in time for the holidays. If you have any other questions, let us know……. Thanks, looking forward to seeing some great photos.

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The window, barely open….. photo Slattery

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and hope you find some trail time over the long weekend………