Watch those backyard burns
HOLLISTER
– Crews from the San Benito and Monterey County units of Cal
Fire report responding to several escaped control burns in recent
days.
Watch those backyard burns
HOLLISTER – Crews from the San Benito and Monterey County units of Cal Fire report responding to several escaped control burns in recent days.
The fires charred more than 50 acres of grass and brush.
Cal Fire asked people to use extreme caution when conducting control burns, including following all the rules listed on burning permits.
Cal Fire attributed the fires to unseasonably dry conditions and windy days.
Escaped control burns may mean a citation for the responsible person, who can also be held financially liable for the cost of dousing the fire.
Pinnacles price may go up
PINNACLES – The National Park Service is proposing an entrance fee increase at Pinnacles National Monument.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, entrance fees are expected to increase from $5 to $10 per vehicle and from $3 to $5 per person for those entering on foot, bicycle, motorcycle or other means.
Entry permits are valid for seven days. A Pinnacles Annual Pass will go from $15 to $20.
The good news is that the money will stay at home, since Pinnacles is one of the National Park Service areas selected to participate in a program that returns fees directly to the park in which they are collected.
“Eighty percent of the user fees collected are being returned to the parks where they are collected and they provide direct benefits to our visitors,” said park Superintendent Eric Brunnemann. “The proposed user fee increase will provide needed revenue which will be applied to our highest priority visitor needs.”
User fee income already has gone to replacing picnic tables, improving trail accessibility, upgraded restrooms and educational displays.
Pinnacles celebrates its 100th year in 2008.
Further information on the park is available by visiting www.nps.gov/pinn or by calling 389-4485, ext. 0.
Watch the (really big) birdie
PINNACLES – More California condors will fly free at Pinnacles National Monument soon.
Saturday, April 21, as many as three California condors will be released into the wilds of the monument 32 miles south of Hollister.
The public is invited to witness the spectacle starting at 9:30 a.m. and to watch the first free flights of the enormous birds. The release is scheduled to take place from the east side of the park off Highway 25. Shuttles will take visitors to within a mile of the viewing area.
Spotting scopes, binoculars, water, layered clothing and sturdy hiking shoes are recommended.
Parking is limited and no reserved spots are available.
Park Superintendent Eric Brunnemann has ordered entrance fees waived for the day.
A total of five young condors, two female and three male, will be set free this spring, joining the 13 birds already calling the park home.
The reintroduction of California condors to Pinnacles is a cooperative effort between the Pinnacles Partnership, the Ventana Wildlife Society and the National Park Service in partnership with the California Condor Recovery Team.
Free Wheelers get game on
HOLLISTER – The Hollister Free Wheelers, a team of soccer players who are in wheelchairs, will have a home game at Marguerite Maze Middle School, 900 Meridian Ave, in Hollister. The game is Saturday, April 14 from noon to 1 p.m. Admission is free. The team has been Division I National Champions from 2002-2006.
For more information, call 636-3271.
Daddy-daughter dance
HOLLISTER – A daddy-daughter dance, dubbed “Love Notes,” will be hosted at Marguerite Maze Middle School, 900 Meridian Ave., in Hollister Sat. April 28. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and photos begin at 6:45 p.m. Dancing and music from 7 to 9 p.m.
Tickets are $30 in advance per couple or $35 at the door. Each additional person is $10. Proceeds will benefit the Hollister Free Wheelers, a soccer team for members in wheelchairs. For more information, call 636-3271.
Immunization hours trimmed
HOLLISTER – Due to a public health nursing shortage, San Benito County Public Health Services can no longer staff weekly walk-in immunization clinics. Beginning Tuesday, April 10, immunization clinics will be held bimonthly on the second and fourth Tuesdays, mornings and afternoons by appointment only, for children up to the third birthday.
Special immunization clinics for vaccination against such conditions as meningococcal meningitis, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), or influenza may be scheduled in the future and will be announced to physicians and the public.
