Bird walks, guided wildflower walks and a lap around Point Defiance Loop are all on tap in the coming weeks at the South Yuba River State Park.

Bird Walks
Spring at the park is the time of the year when a large number of birds arrive to nest and raise their young or, in some cases to just rest and then continue their migration.
Some of the more notable arrivals include: bullock's oriole, yellow-breasted chat, ash-throated flycatcher, black-headed grosbeak, yellow warbler and several varieties of swallows. Resident western bluebirds, spotted towhee, California quail, and several species of woodpeckers are also often seen this time of year.
It may also be possible to see our annual pair of nesting bald eagles and their young as well as the elusive American dipper, John Muir's favorite bird.

Bird walks with park docents are offered at South Yuba River State Park's Bridgeport location the second Saturday of each month (April 14, May 19 and June 9).

There is also a walk at the same location on May 4. Typically, folks can expect to see 20 to 30 species. All of the walks will begin at 8 a.m. except for June which will begin at 7:30 a.m. The walks last about two hours over mostly flat terrain.
Meet at the Bridgeport north parking lot (where the Buttermilk Bend trail starts). Bring binoculars and good walking shoes. For more information contact South Yuba River State Park at (530) 432-2546.
Visit http://www.southyubariverstatepark.org website for more information and brochures.

Wildflower Update
Join the docents on a guided walk on the Buttermilk Bend Trail on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. through Mother's Day, May 13.
Flowers expected to be seen on the walk: poppies, hill lotus, lupin, larkspur, pipevine, lace pods, pretty faces, bird's eye gilia, bulb iris, silver puff, redbud, miner's lettuce, fiddle-neck, buttercups, popcorn flower, and caterpillar facilia.
Bridgeport Visitor Center (open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) has free copies of the plant list or booklets with photos of the most common flowers available for purchase. There is also an expanded book with wildflower photos and more details about the flowers. The wildflower season starts at Bridgeport, but consider walking the trails upstream to follow the bloom at higher elevations.

Point Defiance Loop hikes
Come join us on a guided hike to Point Defiance, a three-mile loop trail that requires moderate hiking skills as it passes through varied habitats.
The Point Defiance Loop Trail begins across from the North Parking Lot and ascends through Blue Oak Woodland, with wildflowers such as western buttercup, blue dicks and pacific sanicle. Continuing through mixed forest canopy, the hike crosses over a saddle to a gated, dirt road to descend the shady, north slope above the Middle Fork of the Yuba River.
Big leaf maples, madrone trees, ponderosa pines and shrubs line the road in this Lower Conifer Forest. Here hikers will hope to see flowers different from those found on the Buttermilk Bend Trail. Fairy lanterns and fawn lilies plus ferns and mosses might be seen, as well as bowl-tubed iris, grand hound's tongue and hanging gardens of Indian pinks.
About two miles into the hike, the road ends at Point Defiance at the confluence of the Middle and South Forks of the Yuba River, where there is a Bureau of Land Management campground that is only reached by hiking or boating. Turning east, the trail narrows and goes up-and-down over rocks through a Riparian Forest.
There are a number of wildflowers among the trees and flowering shrubs as the trail winds back toward the covered bridge. Along with views of the South Yuba River, it may be possible to see resident bald eagles in or near their nest. The hike typically takes three to four hours, but walkers can forge ahead to return to the parking lot at will.
These hikes are set for April 19 and May 17 both starting at 9:30 a.m.

More info
Walkers are advised to bring drinking water, sunscreen, and a hat for all of these activities.
Walks start from the north parking lot at Bridgeport.
Visit http://www.southyubariverstatepark.org website for more information and brochures.

CLICK HERE to see the original article and photos in The Union newspaper.

Canyon Keepers is currently recruiting new members to serve as volunteers in support of State Parks in the Auburn State Recreation Area. Canyon Keepers is also now inviting nature loving youngsters to sign up for its upcoming Junior Rangers Program.

Any adult who is interested in helping to protect, maintain and assist visitors to the canyons of the American River is invited to join Canyon Keepers. New volunteers training will be held on Saturday, April 7 at the Auburn State Recreation Area headquarters. There the trainees will meet State Parks rangers and other Canyon Keepers, who will instruct them in the responsibilities of a park docent and the various programs and activities where volunteers can help. They include meeting and assisting visitors at popular ASRA destinations, leading public hikes, canyon cleanups, Junior Rangers, creating and maintaining native gardens, making public presentations, and working on interpretive projects to share educational and entertaining interpretive information on topics such as flora and fauna, geology, history, Native American history and culture, river hydrology and visitor hazards and safety procedures in the canyons.

For more information and to sign up for the April 7 training, contact Jim LoBue at: senorbogus@sbcglobal.net or call 530-887-8335.

The Junior Rangers Program gives youngsters the opportunity to experience the natural wonders of local river canyons while learning about how nature works and how to play a role in protecting and preserving those wonders. Any youth from age 5 through 12 is invited to sign up for the fun, educational and free program, which will take place on five successive Saturday mornings in June at the ASRA headquarters. Junior Rangers will find out what creatures are living in the river canyons and learn how to identify them by their furs, their tracks, even their scat and their skulls. Look under a magnifying glass to see what tiny creatures are swimming in the river. Learn how to protect from poison oak, insect bites and wild animals and how to help protect all from the dangers of wildfire. The sessions are broken up between Cubs – ages 5 and 6, and the standard Junior Rangers – ages 7 through 12.

For more information and to sign up for Junior Rangers, contact Sue and Roger Groghan at: suewithjrrangers@gmail.com or call 530-878-6008.

To see the original article and more photos in the Auburn Journal newspaper, CLICK HERE.

Apply for National Forest Trail Stewardship funding between March 1 and April 15, 2018.
The National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance is pleased to announce the second round of a trail grant program, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, for the 2018 field season (May 2018 through December 2018). The application period is open March 1 to April 15.
The Trail Stewardship Funding Program will award funds to trails and stewardship organizations for increasing trail maintenance and reducing deferred maintenance (trail backlog) on National Forest System trails. Funding will be available for all types of "terra" trails (summer-use), both motorized and non-motorized uses.
Any current nonprofit organization in good standing with the IRS may apply for this funding. Organizations should have a sponsored volunteer or other agreement with their local Forest Service office for work performed under these grants.
Approximately $400,000 is available during this round of Trail Stewardship Funding for work to be performed from May through December 2018.

The Trail Stewardship Funding application period will run from March 1 to April 15, 2018. Applications should be mailed to TrailGrants@wildernessalliance.org no later than April 15, 2018, to be considered.

Questions about the Trail Stewardship Funding program may be addressed to Randy Welsh, Executive Director, National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance at 801-808-2167 or randy@wildernessalliance.org.

“The National Forest Trails Stewardship Partnership Funding Program is an opportunity for the entire trails community to come together to maintain the amazing trail resource on the National Forests. These grants will encourage an increase in the number of volunteers and general public involved with National Forest trails to help accomplish the Forest Service National Trail Strategy," said Randy Welsh, executive director of the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance and manager of this Funding Program.

This program is offered in collaboration with the International Mountain Bicycling Association, American Trails, the American Hiking Society, Back Country Horsemen of America, the Blue Ribbon Coalition, and the American Motorcyclist Association.

Go here for more information and forms:
https://www.imba.com/2018-usfs-trail-stewardship-funding

Thank you, Gold Country Trails Council, for cancelling your ride when the trails are wet and fragile. Jamie Canon, the Trail Rides Coordinator for GCTC, emailed us this morning advising everyone that the annual March 24 ride is cancelled. Even though it might not be raining on Saturday, the trails are so wet and fragile the horse club is going to wait until the soil dries out.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BIKE OR RIDE WET TRAILS?
If you ride your horse or bike, you are damaging the very trail that volunteers have worked so hard to keep in sustainable condition. This time of year, some of our weekend days may not be actually raining, but solid rains during the week have left our trails in very delicate condition. Horses hooves sink in, bike tires create V-shaped ruts that the rain runs down and erodes the trail.

HIKE WHEN TRAILS ARE WET
The answer is simple. Get off your horse and bike and enjoy the hike. Human feet make very little impact on damp trails. Just stay ON the trail bed and enjoy the green!

GOLD COUNTRY TRAILS COUNCIL is a very active group of over 400 equestrians, based in western Nevada County. To find out about this nonprofit that was started in 1981 and the work they do on the trails, go to their website HERE.

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. – Approximately 700 sheep will be arriving around mid-March at the Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park along the South Fork of the American River near Pilot Hill. The Bureau of Land Management Mother Lode Field Office utilize the sheep as an environmentally-friendly weed control measure.“The sheep are very effective at controlling yellow starthistle, which is a nasty, invasive weed. They are able to eat the leaves and young plants, despite the spiky thorns on the branches,” says BLM Mother Lode Field Manager William Haigh. “The sheep are cost-effective and help the BLM meet our commitment to keeping public landscapes healthy and productive.”

The sheep at Cronan Ranch will be grazing in areas surrounded by temporary electric fences, but outdoor enthusiasts are advised to keep an eye out for the possibility of animals on the roads, trails and pathways. Cyclists should slow down and use caution to avoid frightening the sheep, and visitors should keep dogs and horses under control. The sheep will be used to control weeds at the recreation area until the end of August.

In California, robust yellow star thistle plants can grow to shoulder height and form massive, briar patches, which can block popular trails. Reducing invasive weeds helps native plants grow.

Cronan Ranch offers 12 miles of trails from gently-sloped terrain to challenging hills through oak woodlands and riverfront vistas for non-motorized recreational activities such as hiking, biking and horseback riding; fishing; bird watching and other outdoor recreation. Portions of the trail system borders private property, so please stay on designated routes. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset year round.
For more information, please contact the BLM Mother Lode Field Office at 916-941-3101.

March 8 - Online reservations are now being accepted for Placer County’s Bear River Campground family campsites for the 2018 camping season, which begins April 1. Placer County began accepting group reservations on Jan. 2.

The park’s prior method of reserving a campsite over the phone has been discontinued and walk-in reservations will not be available. Family campsites 1 - 23 are no longer first come, first serve and require advanced reservation. Under the new system, you can make reservations for any time during the 2018 camping season April 1 - October 31, and your reservation will hold your campsite until you arrive.

“Our new reservation system adds a layer to keeping the area family friendly as the county will better monitor who’s staying at the campground,” said Placer County Parks Administrator Andy Fisher. “Additionally, county park rangers will continue to patrol the park and campground."

“Camp preparations can take a lot of time and energy,” said Fisher. “Knowing your reservation is secure before you go is a great reassurance that your campsite will be waiting for you when you arrive – a great start to a fun experience."

Located in Colfax on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, Bear River Park and Campground also offers many hiking trails and fishing along the Bear River.

The park’s day-use area is open to the public at no charge and available every day, from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset.

The new online reservation system is available on the Bear River Park and Campground website: www.placer.ca.gov/departments/facility/parks/parks-content/parks/bear-river-park-campground.