National Park Service to Re-Open Some Santa Monica Mountains Trails on May 14th

Now that the 24,000-acre Springs Fire is officially controlled, the National Park Service has announced it will re-open some trails on the western side of the Santa Monica Mountains on Tuesday morning, May 14th, with restrictions.  

Before and after Spring fire view from bench at Upper Sycamore Canyon Overlook at the boundary of California State Parks and National Park Service land in Pt Mugu State Park (photo on right courtesy of National Park Service).

Rancho Sierra Vista in Newbury Park will partially re-open, but some trails will remain off-limits and the park will close from sunset to sunrise. Due to ongoing safety concerns and trail damage, visitors will not be able to travel into Sycamore Canyon, but will be able to reach the overlook at the boundary with Point Mugu State Park.  

The Sandstone Peak and Mishe Mokwa trailheads will also re-open, as will the Backbone Trail east of the Point Mugu State Park boundary. California State Parks land sustained severe fire damage and all backcountry trails in the area remain closed. 

According to the NPS map, the public will not initially be able to access the windmill trail in Rancho Sierra Vista or Danielson Road trail to the Waterfall and Danielson Monument.

Click image for link to larger, pdf version of trail map closures on NPS site.

"We know the public is anxious to return to their neighborhood national park," said David Szymanski, superintendent of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. "We're working as hard as we can to balance that enthusiasm with visitor safety and protection of our natural and cultural resources." 

Visitors are encouraged to help nature recover from the fire by respecting trail closures and staying on the trail in areas that are open. Foot and bike traffic tramples sensitive soil, vegetation, burrows and nests. 

Park officials estimate 70% of Rancho Sierra Vista's 1170 acres burned during the fire, though the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center and all other structures were protected. More information is available at 805-370-2301. 

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park System, it comprises a seamless network of local, state, and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.

POWERBALL® Lottery Coming to California Beginning April 8, 2013

The California Lottery Commission voted on November 29, 2012 to adopt the multi-state mega-jackpot lottery game, POWERBALL. POWERBALL sales will begin in California on April 8, 2013 and the first draw will take place on April 10th.

This vote came the day after POWERBALL's largest jackpot ever, $587.5 million, won by two players (one from Missouri and the other in Arizona).

POWERBALL is expected to add anywhere between $50 to $100 million in additional dollars to supplement public education funding in California.

The $2 POWERBALL game is played much like the $1 MEGA Millions®. Players choose five numbers from 1 to 59 and one red POWERBALL number from 1 to 35. Players can choose their own numbers or opt for a Quick Pick. Draws are held every Wednesday and Saturday at 7:59 p.m. PST.

Unlike MEGA Millions and SuperLotto Plus®, POWERBALL’s pool closure occurs promptly at 7 p.m. PST each draw day. Besides the jackpot, there are eight additional ways to win prizes. The amounts vary due to the State’s pari-mutuel rules. The POWERBALL draws take place in Tallahassee, Florida.

The POWERBALL jackpot begins at $40 million and increases by at least $10 million every roll. In comparision, the MEGA Millions jackpot starts at $12 million.

The odds of winning the POWERBALL jackpot are 1 in 176 million and about 1 in 32 of winning any prize. In comparison, the odds of winning the MEGA Millions jackpot is also 1 in 176 million and about 1 in 40 of winning any prize in the semi-weekly drawing.  So basically the odds are very similar. The main difference is the price of the tickets; $1 for MEGA Millions vs $2 for POWERBALL.

CLICK HERE for information about other CA Lottery games.

The mission of the California Lottery is to provide supplemental funding to California schools while simultaneously supporting local communities. More than 94 cents of every dollar spent by our players goes back to local communities in the form of contributions to public schools and colleges, prizes and retail compensation. Since 2000, Lottery players have contributed $1 billion to public schools each year, and, since we began in 1985, Lottery players have contributed a total of more than $24 billion to education. The California Lottery urges its customers to play responsibly and within their budgets. If you feel you have a gambling problem, or know someone who does, you can get help at 1-800-GAMBLER.

Visit www.calottery.com for more information.

The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce Supports Local Business

The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce is a member-driven, professionally-staffed nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the region's business community in the communities of Thousand Oaks (including Newbury Park), Westlake Village and Agoura Hills.

There are approximately 1,400 business and professional firm memberships in the Chamber, making it one of the largest chambers in California. It provides a range of opportunities, services, benefits and resources to local businesses looking to network and grow in the community. There are networking groups, committees, mixers, brown bag educational sessions, promotional opportunities and more.

To learn more about the chamber, visit www.conejochamber.org or call 805.370.0035. The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce is located at 600 Hampshire Road, Suite 200, Westlake Village (at the Townsgate intersection).

Thousand Oaks Named to BICYCLING Magazine List of Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities

BICYCLING Magazine recently published a list of the top 50 bike-friendly cities in the United States for 2012. The list was completed based on cities with populations of 95,000 or more (roughly 300 U.S. cities are in this category) based on input from various sources, including the League of American Bicyclists. To make the list, BICYCLING indicates the city must also possess a robust cycling infrastructure and vibrant bike culture.

Congratulations goes out to the City of Thousand Oaks for placing 38th on this list! Thousand Oaks was one of only 3 Southern California cities to make the list, which included Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The top 10 cities named on the list were: Portland, Oregon, Minneapolis, Boulder, Colorado, Washington, DC, Chicago, Madison, Wisconsin, New York City, San Francisco, Eugene, Oregon and Seattle.

BICYCLING noted the 2011 addition of the 1.2 mile Conejo Creek Bike Path and the Conejo Valley Cyclists' recruitment of 300 cyclists for the 2011 Ride of Silence as factors in the City's ranking. The Conejo Creek Path connects Gainborough Road to Conejo Creek Park, Thousand Oaks Library and Thousand Oaks Teen Center.

Conejo Creek Bike Path

The City of Thousand Oaks maintains approximately 80 miles of bikeways, including about 3 miles of bike paths, roughly 54 miles of bike lanes and other 20 miles or so of bike routes. The City takes bicycling very seriously...the City Council adopted a comprehensive Bicycle Facilities Master Plan in November 2010 to help prioritize future improvement projects around town.

Conejo Valley Cyclists is a popular local bicycling club offering beginning to advanced recreational rides as well as race paced training rides. The club organizes the extremely popular annual Cruisin' the Conejo bike ride in the spring of each year. Visit www.cvcbike.org to learn more.

Other local cycling clubs/groups in and around Ventura County at THIS LINK.

And of course, since its launch in 2006, the Amgen Tour of California is the biggest bike race in the United States. Learn more at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com. In 2011, the final stage of the tour was right here in Thousand Oaks.

Amgen Tour of California 2011 (Photo Credit: Marcella Ketelhut of Thousand Oaks)

And finally, check out the City of Thousand Oaks "Bikesafe" website at www.toaks.org/government/depts/public_works/streets/bicycle/home.asp for tips and information to ensure safe bicycling around town.