Family Junior Ranger Day at the New Visitor Contact Station at West Pinnacles (1/13/2012)
This Saturday, January 14th join a ranger for a Junior Ranger Program the whole family can enjoy. Get to know Pinnacles National Monument, the national park in your back yard! Special Junior Ranger Programs will be held at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 2:00pm. You can also come into the new Visitor Contact Station and ask for a Junior Ranger Book to explore Pinnacles on your own. Sign out an Adventure Pack, a back pack filled with great tools like guide books and hand lenses to explore the great outdoors! The Junior Ranger programs, Junior Ranger Books and Adventure Packs are all free.
This weekend (January 14, 15 and 16) is a Fee Free Weekend, there is no entrance fee to enter the park. January 14th is the first day the new Pinnacles National Monument West Side Visitor Contact Station will be open to the public.
Highway 146 on the east side and west side of Pinnacles National Monument do not connect, there is no direct route through the park. To attend these special programs make sure you enter the park from the west side, near King City, CA.
Visitor Contact Station at Pinnacles National Monument is Now Open (1/13/2012)
The new Visitor Contact Station in Pinnacles National Monument, on the west side, is now open. Get to know Pinnacles National Monument, the national park in your back yard! Special Junior Ranger Programs will be held at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 2:00pm, bring the family. The Junior Ranger programs are free. Look around the new visitor contact station to learn more about the natural and cultural feature of Pinnacles National Monument. Look for the life size sculptures of the endangered California Condor! Enjoy a picnic lunch on the patio, or watch for song birds. Checkout a free Adventure pack to take with you on a hike to explore the park. This weekend (January 14, 15 and 16) is a Fee Free Weekend, there is no entrance fee to enter the park.
Highway 146 on the east side and west side of Pinnacles National Monument do not connect, there is no direct route through the park. To attend these special programs make sure you enter the park from the west side, near Soledad, CA.
For additional information go to the Pinnacles National Park Web site.
Man Rescued After Being Pinned Under Boulder (12/8/2011)
Pinnacles Press Release
Release Date: 12/06/2011
On a sunny day perfect for hiking and climbing, rangers at Pinnacles National Monument were informed that a climber was pinned under a boulder and in need of assistance. When National Park Service (NPS) personnel arrived on scene the trapped climber was free from the boulder after his climbing partner dug out the talus from under him, allowing him to scramble out.
Soon after the climber’s condition deteriorated and he was nearly unresponsive when NPS personnel reached him. The climber was on a steep talus (loose rock) slope with thick shrubby vegetation, making reaching the climber difficult. NPS personnel hiked a mile to reach the climber with a litter and other medical equipment. A Calstar helicopter was able to respond and touched down on a nearby ridge, about a 20 minute scramble over the talus, to drop off a medic and flight nurse to assist with the rescue.
Once the climber was secured for movement the NPS set up a belay system and NPS and Calfire personnel lowered the climber approximately 50 feet down a steep slope to a place where California Highway Patrol (CHP) could hoist the hiker up to their helicopter. The Calstar crew and helicopter met the CHP helicopter in the parking area to transfer the climber to Calstar for transport to a bay area hospital.
The rescue took just under three hours. Cooperation from park partners, including Calfire, Soledad Fire, California Highway Patrol, AMR Ambulance and Calstar, resulted in a quick, safe response to evacuate the hiker.
For additional information, please contact Nichole Andler (Interpretation Division) at (831) 389–4486 ext. 265
FOP Board Member Assists in Rescue Operation (12/8/2011)
For those of you who have not heard, Brad Young (Friends of Pinnacles Board member) contributed significantly to the rescue described in our News article: Man Rescued After Being Pinned Under Boulder.
For complete details see this article from The Californian.
For more up-to-date information on Lars condition see this thread on the Mud 'N Crud forum.
Our best wishes to Lars for a speedy recovery and kudos to all of those involved in the rescue effort (NPS, Calfire, Soledad Fire, California Highway Patrol, AMR Ambulance and Calstar), with a special nod to Brad and Josh for their quick action.
Pinnacles West Side Visitor Contact Station Nears Completion (12/7/2011)
ARRA Funded West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station Nears Completion
A new West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station at Pinnacles National Monument is slated for completion just after the new year, replacing the existing flood prone Chaparral Ranger Station. The state-of-the-art contact station is one of 800 National Park Service projects receiving funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Approximately 150 local construction jobs were created as a result of ARRA stimulus funding.
Commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act,ARRA is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama .
The West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station is among several other improvements set to open on the west side of the Pinnacles National Monument. Additional facility upgrades include housing for park staff, a maintenance building with an emergency operations center and an entrance station.
Anderson-Burton Construction, Inc. was awarded the contract to build the west side facilities using “green” designs. The monument expects the new facilities to earn a platinum rating, the highest rating from the U.S. green building council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED)program.
The design of the visitor contact station answers National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis’s latest initiative,A Call to Action. First, by Going Green in an eco-friendly building that is expected to reduce the Pinnacles carbon footprint through the use of renewable energy sources and Out with the Old,installing interpretive media that can offer interactive experiences and are accessible to the broadest range of the public.
Pinnacles will be making the transition into the new facilities throughout the month of December and into the new year, with the West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station opening to the public on January6, 2012. In the interim, a temporary visitor contact station will be provided at the Chaparral parking lot beginning December 5, 2011. The monument plans a public dedication ceremony for the new facilities in mid-April.
For complete details on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.
For more information on new West Pinnacles facilities and improvements go to the Pinnacles Park Web Site
or contact BG Horvat at (831) 389 –4486 x267.
Prescribed Fire at Pinnacles Renews Traditional Practice (11/25/2011)
Pinnacles National Monument is planning to conduct a small prescribed fire during the week after Thanksgiving as part of an interagency research project to learn about the traditional use of fire in central California. National Park Service Fire Management staff will complete the burn operations with cooperators from the Cal Fire San Benito-Monterey Unit, in consultation with the Amah Mutsan tribal band. The burn will be approximately two acres in size and is scheduled for Wednesday, November 30, but the date could change based on weather conditions. Smoke may be visible in Paicines and vicinity, or from trails within the Monument. Caution is advised if smoke is present, but no roads or trails will be closed.
The burn is located on the east side of Pinnacles in an area rich in two culturally important plants – deergrass (Mulenbergia rigens), and white root sedge (Carex barbarae), both highly valued by California Indian tribes. Pinnacles has initiated research for the purpose of restoring traditional land management techniques to these plant communities. The central research questions are, “How did the use of fire and other practices by California Indians influence the vegetation of central California, and what techniques best achieve cultural goals for plant use?”
The effects of burning deergrass will be compared with mechanical clipping to stimulate the growth of flower stalks which are used in the foundation of coiled baskets. Fire temperature will be measured during the burn and silica particles known as “phytoliths” (or plant stones) will be collected from the ash to learn about the fire history of the site. Fire scars in tree rings will also be studied at two other sites -- the Quiroste Valley, a cultural preserve in Ano Nuevo State Park, 65 miles south of San Francisco, and another site yet to be determined. Additional research at Pinnacles National Monument will determine what techniques promote longer, straighter rhizomes in the white root sedge, characteristics which enhance their use for basket-making.
The native plant populations at Pinnacles National Monument will also be a propagation source for development of the Amah Mutsun Relearning Garden at the University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum. The Relearning Garden is part of a 55-acre area known as the California Native Gardens that is owned by the University and will provide plant material for research, cultural use and education. The Relearning Garden has begun a series of “Work and Learn Parties” which have included demonstrations of fire-making, pine needle basket-weaving and herbalism. Three events are planned at the Relearning Garden for 2012. Several research tours will also be offered next year at Pinnacles National Monument. For information about these educational opportunities contact:
- Rich Flores, Curator of California Native Plant Collection
- Brent Johnson, Botanist, Pinnacles National Monument,
To be notified when the burn date is confirmed for the upcoming prescribed fire at Pinnacles National Monument, contact: Denise Louie, Chief of Research and Resource Management at 831-389-4486 ext. 222 or by email.
West Pinnacles Amidst Transition To New Location (11/18/2011)
A new West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station at Pinnacles National Monument is slated for completion just after the new year, replacing the existing flood prone Chaparral Ranger Station. The new contact station is one of 800 National Park Service projects receiving funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act(ARRA).
The West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station is among several other improvements set to open on the west side of the Pinnacles National Monument. Additional facility upgrades include housing for park staff, a maintenance building withan emergency operations center and an entrance station.
On Tuesday, November 22, 2011, from10:00AM –5:00PM, beginning at the west entrance to the Pinnacles, Chaparral Road will be closed as the road is repaved and heavy construction equipment will be present. The park will remain open and visitors may access the park from the temporary road closure by foot.
Beginning December 5, 2011, a temporary contact station providing visitor information will reside at the Chaparral parking lot until final completion of the new West Pinnacles Visitor Contact Station in January,2012. Visitors should remember to bring water, snacks, and flashlights when visiting as Western National Parks Association (WNPA) sales will not be available during this period of transition.
For more information on new West Pinnacles facilities and improvements visit the Park Web site.
