Prescribed Burns Planned to Begin Week of October 21st at Calaveras Big Trees State Park Arnold, CA...California State Parks in cooperation with the California Department of Forestry and Fire protection (CAL FIRE) are planning to begin a series of prescribed burns beginning on or around the week of October 21, 2019 through the end of November in Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The goal is to complete 382 acres this fall (see maps below). Ignitions are expected to occur when weather conditions are favorable and adequate resources are available. Some of the units have been previously thinned to reduce the fuel loading, which allows for a safer and more controllable broadcast burn. Much of this work was funded through Propositions 84 and 1 grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an agency of the State of California.
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These burns are part of the prescribed fire program for vegetation management, hazardous fuel load reduction, wildlife habitat improvement, enhance the health of the forest by removing diseased materials, restoring essential nutrients to the soil, and reducing the chance of a catastrophic wildfire. Through forest thinning and prescribed fire, an ecologically healthy forest system can be restored and maintained. Additional benefits of these prescribed burns include protection for the Big Trees developments (Visitors Center, campground, etc.), and the North Grove of giant sequoias.
Pile burning will also take place throughout the fall, winter, and spring seasons within the North and South Grove and along the Big Trees Village and Blue Lake Spring park boundaries.
Prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than wildfires. The burns are planned and coordinated with the Calaveras and Tuolumne County Air Districts in order to minimize the smoke impacts on surrounding communities. All burning depends on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal. If the conditions, such as weather or vegetation are not conducive for burning, the burns will be rescheduled.
Communities near Calaveras Big Trees State Park, including Dorrington, Big Trees Village, White Pines, Blue Lake Spring and Arnold may experience smoke from the burning operations. California State Parks is working with the Calaveras and Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control Districts to limit impacts to smoke sensitive areas.
Both Highway 4 and the Walter W. Smith Parkway will remain open but may experience delays due to smoke and other hazards. The Parkway may experience short-term closures prior to the end of season closure. Some public campsites and dirt roads near the burn areas will be closed to public access during prescribed burn operations including the East and West Moran Roads, East and West 5000 Foot Roads, as well as the South Rim Road. Please obey all warning signs.
For questions or comments about the projects or about the prescribed burn program, contact Jackie Olavarria at (209) 984-8703.
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Tour Moaning Caverns in Halloween Costumes and Save!! Vallecito, CA...Break out the Halloween costumes! If your kids are between 6 and 11 years old and they wear their Halloween costume to Moaning Caverns between October 7th and 31st, their admission will be only $5 for a Spiral Tour! Now, that’s a treat! Walk in only, not available online. Only available on regular price tickets, cannot be combined with any other offer.
Moaning Caverns is a solution cave located in Calaveras County, California, near Vallecito, in the heart of the Gold Country. It was discovered in modern times by gold miners in 1851, but it has long been known by prehistoric peoples. It gets its name from the moaning sound that echoed out of the cave luring people to the entrance. Still today during certain times of the year sounds may be heard echoing up from the bottom of the cave. The most unique feature is the cavern’s main chamber with a vertical shaft 165 feet tall, which you may descend to the bottom of by a combination of stairs and a unique 100-foot high (30m) spiral staircase built in the early 1900s. Moaning Caverns is home to the largest single cave chamber in California. The massive room extends into the marble deposit of the Calaveras Formation over 180 feet before funneling into smaller passageways. With a 20-30 foot thick ceiling, the open area inside the chamber is, in fact, tall enough to hold the Statue of Liberty (pedestal excluded). There is only one natural entrance into the chamber in the form of a 30-foot vertical chimney dropping into the center of the room. Visitors may view the cavern’s main chamber by walking and climbing the narrow wooden staircase to a flat platform 65 feet underground. For the truly athletic and adventurous, from there, a ten-story spiral staircase leads down to a second platform at the base of the chamber.
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The 7th Annual Seasons in The Woods Craft Fair is October 26th & 27th Arnold, CA...The Seasons In The Woods 7th annual craft fair is October 26th from 10 a.m. to 5 pm & October 27th from 10am to 4pm. At the craft fair you will find floral designs, holiday crafts, jewelry, button art, photography art, glass blower, jams, breads, candy, hand-woven baskets, local artists, Independence Hall Quilters. hand-sewn items, crochet and knit items Pampered Chef, paper art, local authors, ceramics, gourd art, Master woodwork. Green Frog Soap, wreaths, doll clothes, olive oils, refreshments and food trucks.
It will be held at Independence Hall at 1445 Bladen Road in Arnold for more information you can call 209-795-2574
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Bistro Espresso Will Be Open During Planned PG&E PSPS Events Arnold, CA...Bistro will remain open for business during the planned outages and *may* stay open past 4:00. Arnold will likely be affected over weekend for 36-48 hours according to PG&E.
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PSPS Community Meeting at 10am in Utica Park & Angels Camp City Hall Open 8am - 5pm Sunday During PG Angels Camp, CA...The City of Angels Camp reminds our community that it is important to be prepared and have a plan for PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff program (PSPS). Prepare for an outage that may occur today and may last several days. City Hall will be open on Sunday, October 27 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm if the power is out on Sunday. City Hall will have information about the PSPS, City services, and where you can go to charge a device if you need to. A PSPS Community Meeting is planned for Sunday, October 27, 2019 at Utica Park at 10:00 am. City Staff will be available to answer questions and give out information about how to sign up for Calaveras Alert and Nixle.
The City of Angels Camp offers the following tips during a power outage:
• Lock and secure all residences, outbuildings, businesses, etc. Alarm systems may not work during power outages.
• Secure, lock, and remove all valuables from your vehicles, boats, trailers, etc.
• Be aware of your surroundings. Call 911 to report emergencies. Report any non-emergency suspicious activity to law enforcement at (209) 754-6500.
• Plan ahead for any medical needs. If you or someone you know relies upon electricity for a medical need, a power outage can be life-threatening. If you know of someone that is medically dependent upon electricity, remember to check on them during power outages.
• During a power outage, minimize water usage to only critical health and safety needs to help the City of Angels Camp maintain service to its customers and reduce potential backups. Keep an emergency supply of drinking water available for people and pets.
PG&E offers the following tips during a power outage:
• Unplug or turn off appliances, equipment and electronic to avoid damage caused by surges when power is restored
• Leave a single lamp on to alert you when the power returns. Then, turn your appliances on, one at a time.
• Typically, your refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours and a full freezer will keep its temperature for about 48 hours, as long as the refrigerator and freezer doors are kept closed. Consider using coolers with ice to keep food cold and safe.
• Be sure to use generators, camp stoves, or charcoal grills outdoors only. Do not use a gas stove for heat.
• Check on your neighbors.
PG&E’s outages will occur in response to localized weather conditions and may not be fully known until the day of the event. The decision to turn off the power and the speed at which it is restored is planned and managed solely by PG&E. Citizens need to prepare for being without power for several days. PG&E will attempt to notify customers of PSPS outages through calls, texts, and emails using the contact information that PG&E has on file. Be sure your contact information is up-to-date with PG&E at pge.com/mywildfirealerts.
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ANGELS CAMP RESOURCES
• Call 911 for emergencies.
• Call (209) 754-6500 to report non-emergency incidents to the Police Department or Fire Department.
• Call (209)736-2541to report non-emergency water or sewer related incidents to the City of Angels Camp
• If unable to use a phone to request medical, fire, or assistance with a City service, respond to Angels Camp Fire Department at 1404 Vallecito Rd, Angels Camp for assistance.
• If you are able, respond to your local hospital for medical assistance.
PG&E RESOURCES
Go to pge.com for:
• Public Safety Power Shutoff Program
• Wildfire Safety
• Sign up for PG&E Wildfire Alerts
• Emergency Preparedness Kit
• Prepare for a Power Outage
• Public Safety Power Shutoff Fact Sheet
• PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Policies and Procedures
ADDITIONAL PREPAREDNESS RESOURCES
• ready.gov – Disaster preparedness information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• readyforwildfire.org – CAL FIRE’s wildfire preparedness website
• cpuc.ca.gov/wildfiresinfo – Information on the CPUC’s wildfire safety efforts
• caloes.ca.gov – California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services website
• cafiresafecouncil.org – California Fire Safe Council website
On January 16, 2019 the Oliveto Family purchased the former location of Irish Vineyards in Vallecito, CA. This is the now the location of the Stevenot Winery production facility as well as a second Tasting Room currently opened every Saturday and Sunday. “We are excited to have this opportunity to move the production facility back to Calaveras County and to be close to Murphys.” stated Jon Oliveto, President and Production Manager for Stevenot Winery. With everyone in the company living in Murphys it made sense to pursue the opportunity. Over the past few months the Oliveto family has started on the complete remodeling to include the winery and tasting room as well as the historic Batten House. “We have so many plans including more parties and bringing live music to this venue. On weekends we will have winery and vineyard tours including barrel tastings.” said Lorraine Oliveto, Tasting Room Manager for both locations. Stevenot will be doing their crush in the new location and then begin production shortly after that working with Stevenot’s Winemaker, Nancy Steel. Stay tuned and look for more information on events and the Grand Opening!
More about the history of Stevenot Winery and the Oliveto Family . . . . .
Wine, gold, history, and heritage are all part of the rich and colorful tradition that is Stevenot Winery. With a new Winery Property and Tasting Room located in Vallecito and the Tasting Room on Main Street located in downtown Murphys, in the heart of the Sierra Foothills of Calaveras County, Stevenot’s beginnings hark back long before their first release of wine in 1979.
The first Stevenots came to the area during the great Gold Rush of the mid 1800’s. During that time vineyards began cropping up throughout the region as miners from France, Germany, and Italy were creating a demand for wine on an unprecedented scale. At one time the Sierra Foothills rivaled the areas of Napa and Sonoma combined in vineyard acreage with over 100 wineries established.
Although the industry eventually declined with the advent of prohibition, it wasn’t long before a fifth generation member of the Stevenot family took up where his family had left off and established the winery in the late 1970’s. Recognized as one of the pioneers of the rebirth of wine production in the Sierra Foothills, Stevenot Winery quickly secured its reputation for producing world class wines and for their innovative and award winning style.
A New Generation
On February 10, 2010 Oliveto Distributing, Inc. became the proud new owner of Stevenot Wines, operating the Stevenot Tasting Room on Murphys’ Main Street, as well as the Stevenot Wine Club. Brothers Jon Oliveto and David Oliveto are the Owners of the well-respected and long-standing distribution company previously based out of Sutter Creek and now located in Vallecito. “We are very honored and excited to have this opportunity!” exclaims David Oliveto, Vice President of Stevenot Winery. “We want to carry on the tradition of Barden Stevenot and grow the business. Stevenot has always been a quality brand, well respected in the community and has always sold very well. This compliments the wine in the bottle.” The Oliveto family has distributed Stevenot wines since the early 1980’s, when White Zinfandel was their best seller. “It’s all about quality.” adds Jon. “We have been in the distribution business our whole lives and will continue to focus on wine making.”
Oliveto Family History
Born and raised in Jackson, Jon and David began working at very early ages, with their father Ross Oliveto’s milk distributing business which opened in the late 1960’s. With close to 50 years in the industry serving the region, the Oliveto family knows the business and the community well.
In 1979 the milk distribution company was sold and the Oliveto family went into the beer and soft drink distribution business serving Calaveras, Amador and Tuolumne counties. In the early 1980’s a wine division was added. The company was honored with the Miller Masters award in the early 1990’s, placing them in the top seven distributors in the United States. They were also awarded the High Life Achievement by Miller Brewing Company in 2002 and 2003, given to the top 40 distributors out of a roster of 450 companies.
The community has embraced Jon and David with open arms. “It surprises us how excited people are about our new venture.” Jon said. “We are receiving overwhelming support.”
Jon and his wife Lori now live in Murphys. David has lived in Calaveras County for 20 years and resides in Murphys with his wife, Lorraine. Daughters Elizabeth and Brooke (with her husband Robert and newborn son Cashton) are also residents of Murphys.
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Ride The Rails Into History at Railtown 1897 Jamestown, CA...Ride behind a historic steam or diesel locomotive on a train trip through California’s scenic Gold Country. Your 6-mile, 45-minute roundtrip train ride will take you past the water tower from Petticoat Junction, and transport you from the backyards of Jamestown to the rugged hillsides of California’s Mother Lode country. At the end of the line (Rock Spur), your train will pause as the locomotive uncouples, runs around your car on a side track, then re-couples to the train’s opposite end for the return trip to Railtown.
Train Ride Days: Saturdays & Sundays, April-October (weather permitting)
Departure Times: 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Prices: Adults $15, Youth (ages 6-17) $10, Children (5 and under) Free
Members ride free
All prices include park admission
Departure Location: Depot platform at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
Tickets: During the operating season, weekends April-October, tickets for excursion train rides are available to purchase online during the week or on a first-come, first-served basis at the ticket office on the day of the train ride.
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Spend the Summer at Big Trees State Park. Guided Hikes Every Weekend Arnold, CA...Calaveras became a State Park in 1931 to preserve the North Grove of giant sequoias. This grove includes the "Discovery Tree", also known as the "Big Stump", the first Sierra redwood noted by Augustus T. Dowd in 1852. This area has been a major tourist attraction ever since, and is considered the longest continuously operated tourist facility in California.
Over the years, other parcels of mixed conifer forests have been added to the park. This amazing park has a huge variety of habitats and recreational opportunities to explore. Click Below for Latest Activity Guide
