John Jacobs
Feb 7, 2021, 5:24:09 PM
to Pine Crest Neighborhood Watch, Brown, Kyla
Anthony-
Can you provide an update on accessibility and supervision status at
Idyllwild County Park?
The last two months have seen extremely high levels of use at the Park-
over the weekend of January 30-31, cars were lined up from the entrance
station all the way to Pine Crest Ave (one resident counted 32 cars on
Saturday morning). This level of use begs questions about current policy
for use in the Park.
Between the time the Stay at Home order was declared in early December,
and the lifting order on January 25, all camping was apparently closed
with the reason given of the Stay at Home order. However, during that
time, day use was very much allowed, though this was also very
confusing. The attending ranger said that the directive in early
December was that Snow Play was not allowed because the Park could not
manage the levels of use…but that Day Use was allowed (as long as
there was parking available). The attending Ranger said that this
directive had come down from Kyla. How an attending Ranger would
discriminate between the two uses is quite confusing.
The rationale for not allowing camping has been that it conflicts with
the Stay at Home order. Yet extreme levels of Day Use are not a problem?
Last spring, when COVID levels were spiking at very high levels, and a
clear Stay at Home order was in place, Idyllwild County Park continued
to allow camping. But during December-January, RivCo parks management
felt that the Stay at Home order should result in closing of camping?
This is very confusing and conflicting.
Regarding Park Supervision- it appears that Larry, the caretaker at the
Park, has left due to some kind of personal reasons. This means that
once the attending Ranger leaves the booth, there is no-one available
while camping is allowed? What’s the status of replacing him?
What is the status of the hiring for the additional Ranger position?
Higher risk fire conditions will be upon us very shortly, as will the
busier camping season- improved supervision will once again be critical.
Given the long term process of budgeting and hiring for positions like
this, one would hope this is well underway, to be adequately prepared
for the coming season. Can you update?
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
Idyllwild, California 92549
888-522-9001
www.pinecrestwatch.org
Miller, Anthony
Feb 10, 2021, 12:04:30 PM
to Pine Crest Neighborhood Watch, Brown, Kyla
Good afternoon John,
I’m happy to offer some clarification. During the Stay-At-Home order, outdoor activities continued to be encouraged by the State so day use was still permitted for hiking and outdoor activities. You are correct in the difficulty of distinguishing between snow play and normal day use visitation- they are both outdoor activities and thus permitted under the Stay-at-Home order. However, given we know the levels of visitation this mountain receives and our messaging was intended to discourage more people from coming up and adding to the anticipated congestion. We put out several messages out via social media and coordinated with local partners to get that message out.
During the Spring/Summer tiered restrictions allowed for camping activities within households. The Regional Stay-at-home order included camping restrictions specifically thru December/January until it was lifted on January 25. We are back to purple tier, allowing camping/day use/snow play and discouraging gatherings between separate households. Fire restrictions were lifted on January 8, 2021 in our area by the USFS for developed campgrounds. Given the regional stay-at-home order we felt it would be confusing to put out a message of allowing campfires while campgrounds are closed (and with the wind events forecast in the weeks following) so we kept our restrictions in place until the re-opening on January 25.
As far as Park Supervision goes, unfortunately Larry had a family emergency and needed to resign from camp hosting at this time. We are recruiting continuously and are resuming advertising for recruitment for volunteer positions. We are completing some much needed renovations on the house and have a caretaker selected they are cleared and ready to move in as soon as the repairs completed. We will have on site personnel for the Spring/Summer from that position in addition to our other recruitments are being pursued as well.
As far as hiring for the additional Ranger position, that remains ongoing, Due to the stay-at-home orders, campground closures, and low camping activity the recruited Ranger was temporarily reassigned to take care of other District Responsibilities at another site while camping sites were closed however now we are re-opened as our demand increases that is something we are planning for. Dustin and Kyla remain supportive in Spring/Summer for additional supervision as our needs increase.
| Anthony MillerPark Ranger Supervisor RivCoParks (Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District) 4600 Crestmore Road, Jurupa Valley, CA 92509anmi…@rivco.org | (951)-529-5620www.RivCoParks.org #RivCoParks | Facebook | Twitter | Upcoming Events | ||
John Jacobs
Feb 16, 2021, 5:02:56 PM
Anthony-
It appears the fire restrictions have been lifted at the Park- the red tape has been removed from BBQ’s and fireplaces.
There is a LOT of trash throughout the Park right now- especially below campsites- clearly related to the high traffic related to recent snows. Trash is a longstanding problem at the Park- are there any plans to try and clean it up?
This illegal fire ring was found today:
This was found near the creek, below Campsites 48-49. There were also several tent stakes, a tent stake bag, and a wrapper for a camp-style hammock. This may actually be on Idyllwild Pines property- I frequent this area, and this ring (and other items) are relatively recent. The small waterfall in this area (and lack of fencing) regularly attracts campers from County Park. (I dismantled this ring and removed the trash.)
Though current fire risk conditions are relatively low, any kind of illegal fire ring is always greatly concerning. As has been noted, this is only the most recent of many such fire activity that has been found in and around the Park.
Supervision, supervision, supervision. One would hope that the Park would be doing all that is possible to add the Ranger position that has been in discussion for many months now. The high risk fire season will be shortly upon us- and once again, supervision will be the issue.
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
Idyllwild, California 92549
888-522-9001
Dawn Papaila
Hi Kyla and Anthony,
The core concern I have had about “County Park” for the past few years is insufficient staffing levels to ensure safety and good stewardship. It seems that there are likely a number of people in Idyllwild and Pine Cove who need work. How can we help you attract qualified “locals?”
Dawn Papaila
Miller, Anthony
Feb 18, 2021, 12:08:58 PM
Thank you John and Dawn,
Clean-up is ongoing and progressing. We are still cleaning up all the branches, pine needles, and other debris from the storms in addition to the litter. Our staff and work crews are spending a lot of time raking, cleaning, and picking up litter as we continue thawing out I know we have a lot of work ahead of us. We increased dumpster service beyond normal seasonal levels given the visitation from the snow play and other visitors who are seeking outdoor recreation at this time and surely to increase as weather improves into this Spring.
I verified the spot you pointed out under campsites 48-49, it does appear to be Idyllwild Pines Camp. I am suspecting homeless activity given the strange location and the descriptions of the items left behind are pretty consistent with whats left behind in other camps we discover and clean up. There is a gentleman several neighbors have noticed along lower Pinecrest cutting across the trails and heading up the campground towards the hillside trail through that location (among others). We all need to continue keeping our eyes open as illegal fires such as the one you discovered are absolutely a shared concern. I’ve been in touch with Ranger Perez up at the Idyllwild Nature Center as well on this given he’s had the most recent clean up activity along those trails recently. Let’s keep talking and coordinating hopefully we can track them down. Unfortunately I still have not located them but we’ve cleaned up several staging areas in recent months where he is either farther along the road, is moving frequently, or is particularly well hidden. We will coordinate with RSO if we have any encounters with illegal campfires in our area.
I’m not sure if Kyla’s response to Dawn was able to be shared with the group. A Park Attendant recruitment for this park is currently ongoing as well I have copied and pasted below to share with the group if they know anyone who may be a good fit for the position.
| Anthony MillerPark Ranger Supervisor RivCoParks (Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District) 4600 Crestmore Road, Jurupa Valley, CA 92509anmi…@rivco.org | (951)-529-5620www.RivCoParks.org #RivCoParks | Facebook | Twitter | Upcoming Events | ||
Miller, Anthony
Feb 18, 2021, 12:11:27 PM
From Kyla Brown:
Dawn,
I appreciate your willingness to help advertise positions we have open for our Mountain Parks. Local residents are ideal for working in the mountain locations as they know the community well. Any help your group can provide in getting the word out is appreciated.
Below is the information for our current opening for Park Attendant. Please feel free to share. If we don’t receive sufficient applications by the closing date (Feb 22), the recruitment will be extended.
The Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District
has an opening for:
Park Attendant – PARKS (Idyllwild)
Closing day, Monday, February 22, 2021 at 11:59 P.M. (PST)
To Apply:
All applicants must apply for this position using the County’s new recruitment system. Since this recruitment is open to all candidates, they will need to go to the following website to apply.
Please review the following link Park Attendant – PARKS for full recruiting guidelines.
For questions regarding this recruitment or the online application process, please contact Amanda Campos at aca…@rivco.org.
Postings may close at any time without notice
Kyla Brown, CPRE
GENERAL MANAGER/PARKS DIRECTOR
www.RivCoParks.org | Facebook | Twitter | Upcoming Events
John Jacobs
Apr 25, 2021, 11:05:27 AM
to pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com, Miller, Anthony, Brown, Kyla, Whitaker, Dayna, McLain, Dustin
Anthony-
It’s been another winter with relatively low total precipitation- the San Jacinto mountains (and Idyllwild County Park) are already showing the signs of low precipitation. Fire season is already upon us, and the risks will no doubt be at least as extreme as last year.
It would be reasonable to expect that Riverside County Parks management are well aware of this, and have already begun taking steps towards mitigation of these risks on the lands that they manage. Public land use is at an all-time high- since literally ~95% of wildland fires are human-caused, management and supervision of these lands is a logical priority. Can you provide an update on the staffing levels that are currently in effect, and will be implemented as the fire season progresses (along with any other relevant fire management strategies)?
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
Idyllwild, California 92549
888-522-9001
www.pinecrestwatch.org
Miller, Anthony
Apr 29, 2021, 5:30:37 PM
to pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com, John Jacobs, Brown, Kyla, Whitaker, Dayna, McLain, Dustin
Mr. Jacobs,
Our staff have been in “summer” schedule mode since early March to provide increased supervision levels with the increasing amount of guests with the season. We are still on track for filling open staff positions, including the temporary Ranger at this time. The candidate is processing at the moment and hopefully we will have a start date identified shortly.
Staff continue efforts mowing, weed whipping, and raking campgrounds and day use areas to keep weeds, brush, and accumulated leaf/needle debris down. Guests are advised of regulations at check in and patrolled throughout the day and into the nights on the weekends.
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
From: John Jacobs <>
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2021 11:05:18 AM
To:pc-rcpr-neighbo…@googlegroups.com <pc-rcpr-neighbo…@googlegroups.com>; Miller, Anthony <AnMi…@RIVCO.ORG>
Cc: Brown, Kyla <kyla…@RIVCO.ORG>; Whitaker, Dayna <dwhi…@RIVCO.ORG>; McLain, Dustin <DMc…@RIVCO.ORG>
John Jacobs
Jul 16, 2021, 9:05:19 AM
to Miller, Anthony, pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com, Brown, Kyla, Whitaker, Dayna, McLain, Dustin
Anthony-
Can you provide an update of the supervision status at Idyllwild Park? Was the temporary Ranger position ever filled? What is the status of a campground host?
Also- what is the status of fire restrictions at the Park?
Both the 2013 Mountain Fire and the 2018 Cranston Fire occurred in July, and it has been an unusually warm summer thus far. Attentive supervision at this time is of particular priority.
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
Idyllwild, California 92549
Miller, Anthony
Jul 20, 2021, 1:24:26 PM
to pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com, Brown, Kyla, Whitaker, Dayna, McLain, Dustin
John,
The temporary Ranger position was filled effective 5-11-21 and the Park Attendant position was filled 6-16-21. We also moved in a caretaker into the residence last month. Camp host recruitment is currently ongoing, I have a candidate processing but none currently in the park.
Fire restrictions were implemented at Idyllwild Park on June 23, 2021 in line with the USFS restricting campfires within unhosted campgrounds. At that time all fire pits and BBQs were taped up.
Currently we allow propane BBQs and equipment, including propane fire rings, provided they have an on/off switch. This is in line with current USFS restrictions for developed campgrounds/picnic areas as seen here. We continue to be in conversation with other developed campgrounds in the area in efforts to be aligned with other developed campgrounds.
| Anthony MillerPark Ranger Supervisor RivCoParks (Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District) 4600 Crestmore Road, Jurupa Valley, CA 92509anmi…@rivco.org | (951)-529-5620www.RivCoParks.org #RivCoParks | Facebook | Twitter | Upcoming Events | ||
John Jacobs
Jul 22, 2021, 9:05:10 AM
to pc-rcpr-neighborhood-watch-info@googlegroups.com, Miller, Anthony, Brown, Kyla, Whitaker, Dayna, McLain, Dustin
Anthony-
Thank you for the update. Given the inability to have consistent supervision present at the Park (via a full time campground host), implementing the fire ban seems quite appropriate, and is appreciated by residents in the area.
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
Idyllwild, California 92549
888-522-9001
www.pinecrestwatch.org
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