National Children's Forest

A volunteer captured this beautiful photo of a western tiger swallowtail resting on a snow plant near Rathbun Creek trail. This species is fond of riparian areas like the creek where they can drink from the mud and water, getting both moisture and minerals. Photo: M. Mills

Who's ready for National Trails Day this Saturday? Join our Trail Hosts at a variety of kiosks in the San Bernardino National Forest: Cushenberry Summit at PCT, Cougar Crest Trail, Woodland Trail, and Aspen Glen picnic area. Pick up your compostable trash bag and hit the trail. Bring back your trash and win a prize! You can also #postwithahost for additional chances to win. It's a good day to get outside!

Prescribed burning alert for Saturday in Big Bear! With the cold weather continuing to hold, we are still a go for prescribed burning to the southwest of Big Be...ar Lake on Saturday, May 22. We anticipate beginning ignitions mid-morning. Smoke will be visible; please do not call 911. 52 acres are targeted, which represents the left half of the pink-colored area on this map (we burned the righthand side a few weeks ago). The unit is directly south of Kidd Creek Road (2N86) and near the upper end of the Castle Rock Trail. For those curious, the x-slashed area on the map denotes where prescribed burning occurred last year. The area with a single slash may be targeted for burning on a future date.

The dogwood are in bloom in the Lake Arrowhead area. Check out Heap's Peak Arboretum for beautiful dogwood blossoms. This photo was taken by Lisa Underwood from our Restoration program.

Happy Earth Day!

Did you know that making your own trail can cause damage that lasts for years and requires extensive restoration efforts? It just takes one person to start a well worn trail off the designated route. Please do not walk through meadows or cut trail sections to get to your destination faster. Please enjoy the beautiful surroundings that your public lands have to offer and stay on the designated routes.

If you are a young adult, ages 18-25, the Urban Conservation Corps of the Inland Empire is hiring now. Please contact Andrew Goodman for more information at 909-890-0400.

TONIGHT AT 6:00PM, PLEASE JOIN US FOR YOUR PUBLIC INPUT ON OHV STATE GRANTS The Southern California Mountains Foundation will be seeking public input for their upcoming State of California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVRD) preliminary grant that will be submitted on March 1, 2021 with the final grant applications due June 7, 2021. California state regulations require public input prior to the preliminary application deadline for this fund allocation proc...ess. This grant supports Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) education and restoration activities on the San Bernardino National Forest. The State of California Department of Parks and Recreation, the San Bernardino National Forest, and the Southern California Mountains Foundation have maintained a successful partnership for more than 18 years and have granted the Foundation funding to produce quality safety and education programs and completion of several successful restoration projects. We are encouraging the public to provide suggestions for our grant that will improve our OHV safety and education program. Public meetings will be held virtually on the following dates: February 11, 2021 6:00 to 8:00pm (SCMF Grants Public Meeting) Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/99017610068 Or Call in with no video: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 990 1761 0068 February 16, 2020 10:00am (SCMF/USFS OHV Stakeholder Meeting) Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92027742034 Or Call in with no video: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 920 2774 2034 February 17, 2021 6:00 to 8:00pm (SCMF OHV General Meeting) Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/95694712859 Or Call in with no video: 1-669-900-6833 Meeting ID: 956 9471 2859 If you are unable to attend these meetings, or have any questions, the Southern California Mountains Foundation would still like to receive your input to these proposed applications. The preference for receiving comments is by email. Please send comments to: [email protected] by February 19, 2021 with the words OHV Grant Comments in the subject line. If you are unable to send comments electronically, you may send them to the following address: OHV Grant Comments Linda Stamer 1355 W. 26th Street San Bernardino, CA 92405 If you have questions about our proposed application, please email Linda Stamer at [email protected] See more