Cal Fire is planning the first of five meetings to discuss recreation in the Jackson State Demonstration Forest. The forest recreation task force will get together on December 13th, for a gathering that includes a hike into the forest for a first-hand look at spots in the Jughandle Pygmy Preserve that could see changes–including boardwalk replacement and road to trail conversion. The meeting starts at 9 AM on December 13th in the JDSF on Mitchell Creek Drive. Info on the Cal Fire website.
Area state parks are asking you to be on the lookout for sea stars next time you’re at the beach. The parks are part of a statewide effort called the Solstice Sea Star Search to document and save the endangered marine life. They’ll work with the website iNaturalist, where beachgoers can record their observations. The Sea Stars are in trouble and nearly extinct. A wasting disease hit the population in 2014, and the stars have never recovered. By counting their number and locations, biologists hope to understand and restore sea star populations. This is an especially good time of year to spot them in tidepools as the water recedes.
The first big snow of the winter is blanketing the Northeast, with several inches already in the usually snowy areas. Here in the West, it’s a different story. The snow season has gotten off to a slow start. The snowpack was far below normal across most of the West as of this week. The Sierras and Rockies haven’t seen any significant snowfall, and that’s raising questions about the snowpack and eventual groundwater supplies. Water managers say they aren’t necessarily worried –yet–but they say they’ll be keeping an eye on conditions as the season goes along. Winter snow accounts for about a third of California’s annual water supply.
One less democratic candidate for Governor. Businessman Stephen Clooback has dropped out–less than half of one percent of voters had ever even heard of him. There are still at least ten names in the running to replace Governor Newsom in next fall’s election. You’re not alone if you can’t name any of them–surveys show almost half of voters have no idea who they’d vote for, and none of the contenders get more than 15 percent of those with a preference., leaving a wide open field.
