Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Friendly reminder that the park is closed. This includes bikes, pedestrians, and cars.

Six months ago today, the story of Big Basin changed foreverbut it was not the end. The CZU Lightning Complex Fire destroyed many structures and damaged the landscape, but Nature and the people of California State Parksstaff, partners, volunteers and all of youare resilient. The next chapter has already begun, with shoots of green appearing throughout the park and State Parks staff diligently working on assessment, removing hazards, access, clean-up and, ultimately, reco...very. Big Basin has been a special place for so many people over its long history. It will take years to rebuild and recover completely, but we are committed to this process and to keeping you informed on our progress. Thank you for your continued support. Updates: * Damaged structures survey completed * Hazmat clean-up areas surveyed * Hazardous trees along Highway 236 corridor have been removed; second phase of tree removal being planned * CalTrans continues work on repairing Highway 236 * CCC crews are doing brush and road clearance * State Parks is preparing for the planning phase Please continue to follow us here and at www.parks.ca.gov/bigbasinrecovery for regular updates.

Just spreading the love here@calparks and @mountainparks are two of our long-time cooperating partners and we would be their Valentine any time! In addition to the recent grant to MPF, in 2020 @calparks provided grants to @friendsofscstateparks to distribute to State Parks staff who lost their homes in the CZU Lightning Complex Fire and another grant to State Parks to replace equipment from Big Basin! Thank you all, we couldn’t do it without you!

Join us virtually for the 34th annual Migration Festival hosted by Natural Bridges State Beach. We’ll be exploring the amazing animals that migrate through the central California coast and Monterey Bay. Visit @naturalbridgesstatebeach on Facebook on Saturday, February 13, 2021 from 11AM to 1PM as we travel from park to park, viewing incredible animals while we learn about their journeys! A new, brief video will premier every 15 minutes, followed by activities and links to exp...lore deeper. 11:00 AM - Welcome to Migration Festival! 11:15 AM - Monarch Butterflies - Natural Bridge State Beach 11:30 AM - Elephant Seals - Año Nuevo State Park 11:45 AM - Gray Whales - Pigeon Point Lightstation SHP 12:00 PM - Sooty Shearwaters - Seacliff State Beach 12:15 PM - Zooplankton - Natural Bridges State Beach 12:30 PM - Marbled Murrelets - Portola Redwoods State Park 12:45 PM - Steelhead Trout - Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 1:00 PM - A Message from the Manager of Interpretation & Education and Migration Festival’s Founder

With ICU capacity below 15% for the Bay Area Region, state campgrounds within this region continue to be temporarily closed in accordance with the Regional Stay at Home Order. Affected reservation holders will be contacted by ReserveCalifornia via email and provided with a refund. Thanks for your understanding as we protect you and our employees from exposure to #COVID19. ICUs are filling up and we need to do our part to prevent California from experiencing a surge on top of a surge. #StopTheSurge

Message from Año Nuevo State Park: The pandemic has caused us to close our preserve to visitors this year. But that does not mean that this winter will be devoid of Elephant seal love at Año Nuevo State Park. We will be bringing the seals into your homes this winter. To be a part of all the seal fun, consider joining our Patreon. For the price of a tour ticket, you get access to weekly video blogs of rookery updates, seal spotlights and more! Join in at Patreon.com/anonuevosp

Due to the critical need to stop the #COVID19 surge, campground sites in Napa, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Solano Counties will temporarily be closed starting December 17 as ICU capacity has fallen below 15%. Affected reservation holders will be contacted by ReserveCalifornia via email. Cancellations & refunds will be automatic. Day use areas in park units currently open to the public will remain OPEN. Remember to stay local, plan ahead, wear a face covering, practice physical distancing and avoid gatherings with people outside the immediate household. Learn more at http://parks.ca.gov/FlattenTheCurve.

Check out the amazing Home Learning Programs line-up being offered by PORTS this week! Partner programs with Monterey Bay Aquarium and REI and a visit to the Temple of the Forest Beneath the Clouds, wow! All free and available to any school-age children and their families. Registration is required and spots are sure to fill up quickly, so visit www.ports-ca.us to reserve your space now!

We appreciate that many kindhearted people are concerned about how the #CZULightningFire has affected wildlife. We want to reassure everyone that Nature is resilient and fire is a natural part of California’s forests. The animals that live there have a number of ways to escape from fire and to survive the changes in their habitat, so they do not need human handouts. In fact, leaving food or water out for wildlife can hurt them in several ways. It can encourage animals to gath...er in groups, making it easier for diseases to spread. Availability of human food could reduce an animal’s ability to survive in the wild when that food source disappears. And in some cases, human food can favor predators at the expense of sensitive wildlife species. Please keep in mind that within California State Parks, leaving out food or water for wildlife is not allowed, even after a wildfire. Closure orders are in effect for Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Butano State Park, and the Fall Creek portion of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park until further notice due to wildfire damage. Help support their natural recoverystay out of the burn areas and #keepwildlifewild!

Did you miss the Hispanic Heritage Month video premiere on Henry Cowell RSP's page? No worries, we've got it here for you! Hispanic Access Foundation’s short film, #IAmCheo, will inspire you to fight climate change and pollution and Henry Cowell RSP’s State Park Interpreter Leslie Reyes shares her love of redwoods and why it’s so important to protect them.

This Hispanic Heritage Month we want to highlight an amazing Mexican-American interpreter at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park! Meet State Parks Interpreter Leslie Reyes! She has been a PORTS interpreter for two years, doing virtual programs before it was cool to Zoom. She has worked with California State Parks since 2013. She loves being outside and connecting students and visitors from all over California and the world to the animals that live in parks in Santa Cruz. Please join her Thursday, October 15 at noon for a Facebook Premiere on Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park’s Facebook page to learn more about her story and view Hispanic Access Foundation’s short film, #IAmCheo. You’ll be as inspired as Leslie to protect our environment and fight climate change after watching! #HispanicHeritageMonth #LatinxHeritageMonth

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, State Parks Director Armando Quintero visited one of our local parks, Castro Adobe State Historic Park, to discuss equity and heritage in our State Parks.

In honor of Hispanic heritage month, meet Martin Rizzo. He recently joined State Parks as the Historian for the Santa Cruz District. His grandfather, Santiago Jim Martinez, was born in Gallup, New Mexico, where he raised goats and traded with the local Diné (Navajo) families before moving to California in the 1920s. Their family’s Martinez and Chavez ancestors trace back to the initial Spanish colonial settlement of Santa Fe in the early 1600s. Martin grew up hearing storie...s about the Spanish borderlands of New Mexico, about his grandfather’s mixed blood heritage, and their ancestors participation in the Spanish and Mexican military. His father gave him his name, Martin, in honor of their Martinez family roots. In fact, it was Martin’s fascination with these family stories that inspired him to study history, and to focus on Spanish colonial and Indigenous history as themes for his dissertation and publications. #HispanicHeritageMonth #LatinxHeritageMonth See more

Meet California State Parks’ new director, Armando Quintero.He has been a life-long student of State and National Parks. Throughout his career he has engaged with public lands as a park ranger, personnel specialist, volunteer, science professional, fundraiser, resource manager, elected official, avid park visitor, dad and more. He loves parks, public lands, and waters and feels there could be no greater privilege in his life than to serve parks and the public. Please join us on Monday, October 12 at 10:45 a.m.on California State Parks (@CaliforniaStateParks)Facebook for an interview with the new director to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from Castro Adobe State Historic Park! #HispanicHeritageMonth #LatinxHeritageMonth

Juan shares his experience in the Big Basin fire and his message of hope for the park's future. http://parks.ca.gov/BigBasinRecovery

Happy #NationalPublicLandsDay! Let's celebrate the day by looking on the bright side with a fun art project! Draw, paint, or collage on a unique Dear Planet Earth postcard. Share what gives you hope for our public lands in a message and send it via mail or upload to be included in Stanford University’s Dear Planet Earth initiative. What will you do to make your hopes come true? Now’s your chance to tell everyone! Download a postcard at www.dearplanetearth.org. #NPLD

Happy #NationalPublicLandsDay! Celebrate the day with a fun art project that will help scientists understand how to better protect our public lands! Draw, paint, or collage on a unique Dear Planet Earth postcard like this one. Write a message and either mail it or upload it to be included in Stanford University’s Dear Planet Earth initiative. What do you wish you could tell our amazing planet? Now’s your chance! Download a postcard at www.dearplanetearth.org.

Just because Labor Day is over, doesn’t mean summer fun has to end! Our virtual Junior Ranger programs are now available on YouTube! This fun program is designed especially for 7 to 12 year olds. For each program, junior rangers can earn a unique stamp to put in their logbook. Participate in multiple programs and they can earn some very cool rewards! Catch up on missed programs or watch the whole series from the beginning at www.tinyurl.com/VirtualJuniorRangers

Interpreter Julie shares her thoughts on the historical significance of Big Basin and imagines a vision for what rebuilding the park may look like. We are grateful for the outpouring of support and the many requests we’ve received to assist with the restoration of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. You can support the recovery of Big Basin by donating to our partner organizations at www.parks.ca.gov/BigBasinRecovery Thank You!

A reflection on community, resilience, and hope from Interpreter Samuel. We deeply appreciate the many requests we’ve received to assist with the restoration of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. You can support the recovery of Big Basin by donating to our partner organizations at parks.ca.gov/BigBasinRecovery Thank you! #bigbasinstrong... #czulightningcomplex See more

Thank you all for filling our hearts with your #BigBasinMemories. We deeply appreciate the many requests we’ve received to assist with the restoration of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. You can support the recovery of Big Basin by donating to our partner organizations at parks.ca.gov/BigBasinRecovery #czulightningcomplex