Valerie Cassity - Special to the Sun

Kern River Valley Revitalization (KRVR) held their monthly Steering Committee meeting Wednesday, April 2, at the Kernville Chamber of Commerce Community Building to discuss local current events and topics. KRVR is a collaboration of local agencies, business owners, and concerned citizens working to facilitate the social, natural, and financial health of the KRV for this and future generations. Everyone in the Kern Valley is invited to come share their ideas at the Steering Committee meetings, as everyone who lives here is a stakeholder in our community’s future.

Forest Service Unveils Plan for Annual Recreation Pass

Kern County’s First 5 Commission held its regular monthly meeting for the first time at Wallace School April 2. Left to right: Commissioners Mimi Audelo, Karen Goh, Mary Barlow, Chairman Roland Maier, Commissioner Ester Brandon, Alternate Commissioner John Nilon, County Counsel Martin Lee, Executive Director Larry Rhoads is not pictured.

Brenda Ehmann, Sequoia National Forest Kern River District Assistant Ranger, announced that the Forest Service has created a new fee program called the Southern Sierra Pass, which will cost $50 for one vehicle, $10 for a second vehicle, for access to the Kern Valley’s three highest use recreation areas: Auxiliary Dam, Old Isabella, and South Fork Recreation Area. Day passes will be $10 per vehicle. The program will go into effect on Aug. 1, and passes will be available through various vendors to be determined. Businesses wishing to carry the passes can purchase them through the local Forest Service Ranger Stations at a 10 percent reduced cost. The fees will be used for maintenance of the high use sites, as well as purchasing more porta-potties and installing a new fish cleaning station. Ehmann said that the Forest Service will continue to hold meetings about this program over the next two months, and welcomes the public to attend and give their input.

Kern County Parks Department Seeking Fee Assessment for New Development

Bob Lerude, Director of Kern County Parks and Recreation Department (KCPRD), gave an update on the Department’s newest endeavor; getting a fee assessment on all new development so that parks can be created as Bakersfield and outlying areas expand their residential areas. California requires that there are 2.5 acres of parkland minimum, and 5 acres maximum, per every 1,000 residents in this state. While that requirement is met in Kern County, a large portion of park land is taken by the larger recreational parks, such as baseball and soccer fields, and this is allowing developers to create large swaths of tract housing without adding parks for residents to enjoy. The new assessment would force developers to include parks in their housing tract plans. KCPRD currently has approval from the Kern County Board of Supervisors to create a master plan for the assessment, and plans to hold community meetings and focus groups to learn what the people in the areas being served would like to see in regards to parks and recreation.

Fire Safe Council Announces New Projects for 2009

Lloyd Smith, President of the Kern Valley Fire Safe Council, announced that the group has received all of the funding they requested for their 2009 proposed projects. The $290,000 will be used next year for three crucial fire hazard reduction projects located on Bodfish Canyon Road, as well as Tillie Creek and Piute Meadows. Smith reminded everyone that wildfire awareness week begins on May 6, and the new 'Living with Wildfire' newspaper insert has been updated to include pictures from the Kern Valley.

BLM Holds Public Meeting Tomorrow

Gregg Wilkerson announced that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be holding a meeting tomorrow, April 10, at 6 p.m. the Moose Lodge in Mountain Mesa to discuss the future of the agency’s management. The meeting will cover BLM administered lands from the crest of the Sierras to the coast, but will focus on a special plan they are creating for the Keyesville area. They are requesting that the public attend and let them know what direction they would like the agency take with their local lands.

Lake Isabella Freecycle Group Discussed

Richard Rowe, KRVR Website Adminstrator, announced that the Kern Valley has a Freecycle group, and encouraged everyone to participate. Begun on June 21, 2005, the Lake Isabella Freecycle group is a branch of an incredibly fast-growing international Freecycle movement, which began in Tucson, AZ on May 1st, 2003 and now boasts thousands of groups all over the world. The Freecycle group matches people who have things they need to get rid of with people who can use them.¬Ý Their goal is to keep usable items out of the landfill.¬Ý By using what we already have on this earth, they reduce consumerism, manufacture fewer goods, and lessen the impact on the earth. Another benefit of using Freecycle is that it encourages people to get rid of junk that they no longer need and promote community involvement in the process.¬ÝTo sign up and see what is available, or to post items you would like to get rid of, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleLakeIsabella/.

Jet Ski Races are Coming

Debbie Hess of Southern California Edison said that the company will once again be sponsoring the annual jet ski races at Auxiliary Dam on July 26-27, and they are seeking non-profit organizations to have booths there. If your organization is interested in being a vendor or having an information table, contact Debbie at (760) 709-1188.

Kern County Increases Tourism Income

Annie Hess from the Kern County Board of Trade reported that they recently received the California Travel and Tourism Department report card that measures visitorship and tourism dollars in each of California’s 58 counties, and Kern County is #6. The report, which evaluated 2006 income and tourism, showed that our county brought in $1.15 billion that year, up from $1.05 billion in 2005.

All Valley Art Tour Coming Soon

Jeanette Rogers announced that the Kern River Valley Art Association will be holding their third annual all valley art tour for two weekends this year. April 19-20 will have open house gallery showings in Lake Isabella, Bodfish, Mt. Mesa, and Weldon; and the following weekend, April 26-27, will continue with open houses in Kernville, Wofford Heights, and Riverkern. Tour books are available now for $10 per couple, which shows the location of the different galleries participating as well as brief synopses of the artists who will be showing their works.

Cancer Awareness Luncheon to Take Place

Rogers also announced that the Kern Valley Hospital Foundation in collaboration with the Kern Comprehensive Cancer Awareness Partnership will be hosting a cancer awareness luncheon at the Family Life Center gymnasium in Wofford Heights on Tuesday, May 13, from 11-1. The event is free to the public, but a $5 donation is suggested and would be appreciated. Businesses, organizations, and individuals also have the opportunity to sponsor a table of eight for $40. Limited childcare is available by appointment only. For more information, or to RSVP to the event, call Jeanette at 376-4419.

Antique Car Show Coming to Kernville

Rogers also informed the group that the Kern Valley Rotary Club will be holding their ninth annual 'Down by the River Side' car show in Riverside Park on Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. The event is open to all cars, trucks, street rods, stock or custom, 1975 or older, and will include a lake cruise, vendors, giant raffle, 50’s and 60’s music, a chili cook-off, pet parade, and more. For more information call 378-3888 or email cwild@mchsi.com.

Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival is Coming

Alison Sheehey, Outreach Director for Audubon California’s Kern River Preserve reminded everyone that the annual Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival will be taking place from April 30 - May 6, 2008, at their headquarters in Weldon and Circle Park in Kernville. The festival celebrates the biodiversity of the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada, which is home to more than 200 nesting species of birds, 100 species of mammals, 130 species of butterflies, and 2000 species of plants. So far, Audubon has received over 102 paid registrations for field trips from people coming from out of the area to enjoy the festivities.

This year, the festival will boast over 30 quality field trips coordinated by Bob Barnes as well as children’s activities, information tables, wildlife displays, nature-related vendors, and workshops at the Preserve which will start every hour on the hour. There will be dinners on Friday and Saturday night at South Fork School, featuring keynote speaker Bob Steele on Friday, who will give a themed presentation about "Warblers: nesting, migrant, and vagrant of the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada, plus bonus regional specialty birds". Saturday night's keynote speaker will be John Muir Laws who will give a presentation on "An Evening Exploring the Natural World of the Sierra Nevada."

To learn more about the Kern Valley Spring Nature Festival, visit the festival website at http://kern.audubon.org/bioregion.htm.

KRVR meets the first Wednesday of every month, and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 7, at 9 a.m. at the Kernville Chamber Building. For more information, visit www.krvr.org.