My favorite thing to do in August is to hike up to the top of Fresno Dome in Eastern Madera County and lay back to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower.  The night sky will be filled with grazers and shooting stars.  There can be up to 60 shooting stars per hour.  They are best viewed at pre-dawn but can be seen all night long.  Fresno Dome is a perfect place because it is quiet and peaceful, away from any lights, and just a short drive up Sierra Sky Ranch Road.  This meteor shower takes place every year in mid August.  I look forward to this annual event and can’t wait to share it with my children.

The Beauty that Surrounds us

Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.  We are so fortunate to have it in our own backyards.  Any day of the year we can visit the valley and enjoy many of the wonderful activities it has to offer.  Just a short drive from Oakhurst, Bass Lake, Coarsegold, Mariposa, Fresno, Merced, or anywhere in the Central, San Joaquin Valley and you can be surrounded by some of the most amazing scenery you will ever experience.  While in the valley you can enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, horseback riding, rock climbing, swimming in or floating down the Merced River, backpacking, bird watching, camping and much more.  Take a day, get out of the heat, and enjoy what we are so fortunate to have in our backyard. 

Sierra Vista Scenic Byway We wake up every day to breathtaking views of the Sierras.  But who of us has ever experienced the hidden beauty that lies in the mountains we see every day?  The Sierra Vista Scenic Byway is just over 65 miles and takes you to nine stops of breathtaking scenery.  These stops include: Redinger Overlook, Jesse Ross Cabin, Mile High Vista, Arch Rock, Jackass Meadow, The Balls/Portuguese Overlook, Globe Rock, Cold Springs Summit, and Fresno Dome, my personal favorite.  This scenic byway takes you through beautiful countryside where you can enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, swimming, bird watching and so much more.  On your way you will pass through North Fork, the exact center of California.  Take a day and truly enjoy what is around us hiding in our picturesque mountains.  A great reference sight for more information is http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2300/itinerary/58139.   

We know that picking up trash and keeping our local trails clean is not the most glamorous occupation in the world. Although, keeping our natural resources clean does add a certain glamour to the area. With this in mind, this weekend you will be able to help our area sparkle and have a little fun in the process.

This Saturday, June 13 is the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day. Participants will meet starting at 9 am to spruce up the 3 and half mile trail along with Fresno River, China Creek and Oak Creek. The event, held with the help of the Oakhurst River Parkway committee, starts at the Oakhurst Library parking lot and trash bags, water and tools will be provided. You will need to bring your own gloves, though.

To thank you for your efforts, there will be prizes given to those who attend and a prize for the most unusual item retrieved from the river. Plus, there will be an extra-special prize for people willing to do weed-eating.

You can help solo or bring a long a group. Call Sandy Brinley at 559-683-7027 to learn more.

The Mariposa Master Gardeners’ walk-in hotline is slated to open in May.

What is a walk-in hotline, you ask? Aren’t hotlines connected to telephones?

Well, yes, normally, a person wouldn’t visit a hotline because they would be taking to a hotline volunteer or employee on the telephone. However, the Mariposa Master Gardeners’ walk-in hotline is special. Because it is difficult to diagnose and solve questions about plant life over the phone, the University of California Cooperative Extension started a “walk-in” hotline. That way, gardeners can show volunteers the plant samples or bring pictures in and get help with their gardening questions.

Since it is never too early to plan for next year, experienced gardeners who want to help will be able to take a class from January-April 2009 so that they can be ready to assist with next year’s walk-in hotline.

Starting next month, a master gardener hotline operator will (literally) be standing by the take your “call” every Saturday from 1-3pm in the back of the Village Realty Office at 6340 Greeley Hill Road.

You can also call (209) 966-2417 or (209) 966-7078 to learn more.

The Friends of the Oakhurst Public Library are sponsoring a Book Sale that will take place this weekend, April 19 and 20. Proceeds will benefit the library expansion project.

Our public library system is an amazing gift that our forebears gave us. In the early days of our country there was debate over whether or not to have this system. At that time, some people in Europe and America belonged to libraries by subscription, meaning they had to pay for the privilege of borrowing books.

If you are a bibliophile, you will not want to miss this sale. It is a great opportunity to pick up some books for your own collection and to help out the Oakhurst library. You’ll get books and the library gets the resources it needs to continue as a source of learning and recreation for the community. Some of the books that will be available for purchase are actually out of print, so this is a chance to get books that will be hard to find elsewhere. There will be classic literature, children’s books, travel books and arts and crafts books among the items for sale. Call 658-5639 or 683-3562 for more details.

Oakhurst Public Library
Civic Circle
Oakhurst, CA 93644

The Planning Department has the enviable task of helping to shape and plan out our area, both present and future. This department also has the unenviable task of investigating and enforcing code violations.

If you know of a code violation and you report it to the Planning Department, you should know that they will not inform the violator that you made them aware of the issue. When the situation is not life-threatening is can take at least a month to get the ball rolling. This is because someone from the department has to verify the violation before the property owner is notified. And then they have to give the property owner some time to make amends.

If you are someone who has received notice of a code violation on your property, please know that the department is willing to work with you. They will visit you to and talk with you so you understand exactly why you were given such a notice. A Code Enforcement Officer will also inform you of steps you can take to rectify the situation. In other words, you won’t be expected to automatically know how to resolve the issue.

Some of you may wonder—what exactly does a planning department do? What is it that they are planning? Sometimes it seems as if everything in an area has already been earmarked for something, so what is there left to plan?

This department serves to map out what happens in the unincorporated part of Madera County. They oversee land use to ensure that is falls within zoning regulations. This means that a huge superstore cannot just come in to build their next location in an area that has been slated from residential use only.

Not only do they have to look at zoning, they must consider traffic flow and other factors that will affect the area once a new structure is built or whenever an element is added or taken away from a neighborhood.

When someone needs a building permit—this is where they do because the planning department reviews and approves these permits.

They issue zoning and conditional use permits and they are the ones who call people to task when they misuse these permits.

The planning department has charge over are programs that have been adopted at the state level. These programs cover areas like affordable housing, surface mining and land conservation.

Plan to return on Thursday to read more about the work of this department.

There have been some concerns in Madera lately regarding the water supply.  What exactly is in the water anyways?

All residents are urged to have their water tested for contaminants.  They are asked to drink only bottled water until testing is complete.

Understandably so, some residents are hesitant to have their water tested.   The old adage “What you don’t know, won’t hurt you”, CAN actually hurt you.  Uranium, radon and arsenic have been found in many wells and even in faucets that are on public water.  Residents should have their water tested at least three times per year.  Some have found it best to do so even more frequently.  Many have found significant jumps in contaminants each time they test their water.

The good news is that some residents have installed commercial reverse osmosis systems that have returned their water to safe levels.  The system is expensive, but important when you think of the health of your family and pets.

Water testing is being conducted for $101 at the Madera County Public Health Department.  Water samples are accepted on Monday’s from 8 a.m. until noon.  They are located at 40169 Highway 49, between Capitol Pipe and The Oakhurst Living Center.   For more information on testing your water, contact (559) 658-7456.

In continuation from Friday’s post.

Would you like to visit an outdoor ice rink that was rated as one of the top 10 rinks in the United States?  You don’t need to look very far because it’s in our own back yard.  The ice rink at Curry Village in Yosemite is the perfect setting for winter fun.  The rink is tucked below the beauty of Glacier Point and Half Dome.  Warm your cold bones with hot chocolate or coffee inside the store or over the blazing outdoor fire pit.  The cost is $6 for children, $8 for adults and $3 skate rental.  Each skating session is for 2 ½ hours.  For more information call (209) 372-8319.

The Yosemite evening programs are designed for the entire family and are free of charge.   No pre-registration is required.  This one hour program will cover a wide range of topics on the cultural and natural history of the park.  During the winter months, they are hosted at The Ahwahnee and the Yosemite Lodge at the Falls.  Locations of the program will vary, so visit Yosemite Today for more information on times and locations.

The Yosemite Fireside Storytelling is sure to be a fun time for the entire family.  Meeting at the beautiful Ahwahnee Great Lounge fireplace, guests will experience stories of the Yosemite places, people and history.  No pre-registration is necessary.  Participants should allow 1 hour for the storytelling and visit Yosemite Today for daily information updates.

There is so much fun to be had by both locals and visitors alike.