May 17, 2010 at 8:06 pm
by bruce
· Filed under eats, general, history, museums, parks
Melinda Ellis Cakes Created the Excellent Desserts for the Progressive Dinner!
The evening serving ladies worked hard, but were happy to clean up at the end!Finding money for California State Parks is increasingly difficult and requires some creative thinking. As a result, the Mendocino Area Parks Association, a volunteer organization that supports State Parks on the Mendocino Coast and mans the visitor centers at Mendocino Headlands State Park (The Ford House) and at MacKerricher State Park, held a progressive dinner: Navarro Vineyards champagne and hors d’ouerves at the Ford House in Mendocino Village, then dinner at the Mendocino Hotel with GoldenEye Migration (a great red), right across the street, and finally, dessert and a nice port at the historic Kelley House next door.
About 40 people attended the May 7 event at $75 / person. The atmosphere was upbeat, participants in a good mood and a lot of good conversations going on between the small group. Everyone I spoke to thought it was a great event and can’t wait for next year. The proceeds go to help restoration projects for the Ford House.
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October 28, 2009 at 12:24 pm
by bruce
· Filed under State Parks, attractions, ecotourism, family fun, parks
MendocinoFun.com just received this news release from the local office of State Parks:
In keeping with Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan for keeping parks open, California State Parks is today announcing the implementation of service reductions at parks across the State. The goal is to achieve the required cost savings while minimizing the disruption to park visitors as much as possible.
All of the service reductions are consistent with the Governor’s September 25 announcement of the kinds of service reductions the public could anticipate in order to achieve the budget savings necessary to meet severe budget restrictions.
The reductions are designed to minimize disruptions for park visitors, while keeping parks open and achieving the $14.2 million in budget savings to help close the State’s budget deficit.
To achieve savings as quickly as possible, State Parks will begin implementing these cost saving measures all across the State in the next few days.
The service reductions came about through a process wherein each of the State Parks’ District Superintendents designed a plan for specific reductions tailored for each park within their respective districts. A summary of some of the most common service reductions across the State include:
- Reduce days of operation by two or three weekdays at selected parks. Other parks will close a portion of a campground or outlying day-use areas.
- Close and consolidate some park offices and/or reduce hours of operation.
- Reduce off-season lifeguard levels at some beaches.
- Remove some trash cans and fire rings from the beach and close roughly half of the restrooms at some beaches.
- Close many park visitor centers two or more days every week.
- Reduce the numbers of school tours and interpretive programs at many parks.
These service reductions are intended to ensure that California State Parks achieves its required cost savings while maintaining revenues at the highest level possible for the remainder of this fiscal year and while minimizing disruptions to visitors.
Some visitors may be inconvenienced by these service reductions; however, it is hoped that park visitors will understand and appreciate that their parks are remaining open, despite the severe budget reductions. The public can assist in several ways, including by hauling out their trash and helping to keep facilities as clean as possible for the next park visitor.
For the Mendocino District, all park units will have a reduction in public safety patrols, trash services, maintenance of facilities including restrooms, exotic weed removal and wildlife monitoring. Specific service reductions for the parks within the District are as follows:
Greenwood State Beach:
- Closure of vault toilet near the beach.
Hendy Woods State Park:
- Seasonal closure of campground – December 2nd through March 25th.
Jug Handle State Natural Reserve:
- Closure of Jug Handle office. Relocate office to open facilities.
MacKerricher State Park:
- Reduction in Visitor Center hours. Closed Monday – Thursday.
Mendocino Headlands State Park:
- Closure of the restroom facility on Main Street. Replace with portable toilet from Big River Beach.
- Reduction in Ford House Visitor Center hours. Closed Tuesday – Thursday.
Navarro River Redwoods State Park:
- Removal of two portable toilets from the Navarro Beach campground and one at the Mill House.
Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park:
- Closure of the Visitor Center including restrooms. Relocate offices to open facilities.
- Installation of portable restroom at the Visitor Center.
- Closure of one restroom at the Light Station.
Russian Gulch State Park
- Reduction in camping season – Closed until May 14th
Schooner Gulch State Park:
- Closure of one vault toilet.
Van Damme State Park:
- Reduction in campsites. Reduce to 20 sites from Nov 1st – March 25th. Only 1 restroom remains open.
- Seasonal closure of Visitor Center from November 1st – March 25th.
The reductions above include combining offices, reducing the number of phone lines, reducing internet connections, lowering thermostat settings, reducing seasonal staff and not filling 9 vacant full time positions. Further reductions may be necessary if unexpected facility failures occur.
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August 11, 2009 at 4:54 pm
by bruce
· Filed under attractions, family fun, general, parks
This is an official news release from California State Parks:
California State Parks day-use and camping fees will increase and begin to help offset recent budget reductions and help keep more parks open. Partners in the public and private sectors are still being sought, as the fee increase will help keep some parks open, but not all.
“In these dire economic times, we can no longer afford to keep our fees at their current levels,” said State Parks Director Ruth Coleman. “The people of California understand that by charging more, we will be able to keep more parks open and preserved for these and future generations.”
Beginning Aug. 17, day-use parking fees will increase by $2 to $5, and camping fees will increase by $10 – $21 a night. Camping reservations made prior to that date will be honored at the lower price. Read the rest of this entry »
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June 19, 2009 at 8:38 pm
by nancy
· Filed under attractions, birding, ecotourism, events, family fun, hikes, parks, pet-friendly, picnics, walks
Docent Led Hikes at Jug Handle State Reserve
Join California State Parks for guided Ecological Staircase hikes every other Thursday this summer. Hikes are scheduled for June 18, July 2, July 16, July 30, August 13 and August 27. All hikes start at 10:00 a.m. and end at 2:00 p.m. Meet at the Jug Handle State Natural Reserve parking lot on the west side of Highway 1, about 3 miles south of Fort Bragg.
Summer Programs at MacKerricher State Park
California State Parks announces free, guided interpretive programs at MacKerricher State Park. These programs will be presented every week through September 6, 2009. All programs are led by park staff or volunteers.
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May 24, 2009 at 6:02 pm
by bruce
· Filed under attractions, history, museums, parks
The village of Mendocino has been a national preservation district for decades and the Historic Preservation Board, dedicated to keeping things they way they were, is the closest thing to a governing body. So Mendocino stays fairly pristine with the entire village a window on the past. But a series of events this year is putting a new spotlight on Mendocino, a town founded by lumber barons in 1852. Read the rest of this entry »
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Finding money for California State Parks is increasingly difficult and requires some creative thinking. As a result, the Mendocino Area Parks Association, a volunteer organization that supports State Parks on the Mendocino Coast and mans the visitor centers at Mendocino Headlands State Park (The Ford House) and at MacKerricher State Park, held a progressive dinner: Navarro Vineyards champagne and hors d’ouerves at the Ford House in Mendocino Village, then dinner at the Mendocino Hotel with GoldenEye Migration (a great red), right across the street, and finally, dessert and a nice port at the historic Kelley House next door.