The Latest News
Prescribed Burn October 2024
ARNOLD — California State Parks plans to conduct prescribed burns in Calaveras Big Trees State Park (SP) with assistance from CAL FIRE, US Forest Service, and National Park Service. The treatments will cover approximately 1,300-acres in the South Grove area and an additional 247 acres in the vicinity of West Moran and Love Creek. Work may begin as soon as Oct. 21. All burning depends on weather and air quality conditions. If weather or vegetation conditions are not conducive for burning and smoke dispersal, State Parks will reschedule the treatment.
During the prescribed burning, visitors should expect park closures including the South Grove Trail, Beaver Creek area, Bradley Grove Trail, fire road around the South Grove, and the Walter W. Smith Memorial Parkway south of the Stanislaus River. Additional closures may be in place to accommodate operations in the other prescribed burn units. Closures will remain in effect until conditions favor reopening. Smoke will remain in the area for some time after active firing has stopped. For a current list of all park closures, visit parks.ca.gov/CalaverasBigTrees.
All prescribed burn units have been prepared for treatment. California State Parks, CAL FIRE, and contractors have spent several years preparing the South Grove Preserve for treatment. Crews have removed large fuels and masticated material along the fire road surrounding the South Grove to create a control line around the 1,300-acre unit. Additionally, crews have prepared large giant sequoias by removing heavy fuels and organic matter from their base to reduce the likelihood of negative impacts from fire.
The protection and stewardship of giant sequoia groves at Calaveras Big Tress SP has been a priority for State Parks since the park opened to the public in 1931. Prescribed burning is part of the department’s program for vegetation management to increase the resilience of the forest and promote new giant sequoia growth. Forest management and prescribed fire help restore and maintain a complex forest community, reduce hazardous fuel loads, improve wildlife habitat, restore nutrients to the soil, protect park infrastructure and reduce the chance of catastrophic wildfire.
The planned prescribed burn at Calaveras Big Trees SP is funded by the State of California through the Wildfire and Forest Resiliency Program (WFRP). WFRP expands on critical land management that State Parks has been carrying out for decades and supports increasing the pace and scale of fuels treatments so that California’s State Park System can become an example of resilient ecosystems maintained through active stewardship.
Communities near Calaveras Big Trees SP, including Arnold, Dorrington, Big Trees Village, White Pines, Blue Lake Springs, and Love Creek may experience smoke from the burning operations. Prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than wildfires. The department plans and coordinates these burns with the Tuolumne County Air District to minimize the smoke in surrounding communities.
For more information about prescribed burns at Calaveras Big Trees SP, visit parks.ca.gov/BigTreesPrescribedFire. Subscribe to California State Parks News online at parks.ca.gov/newsroom or click here.
October 2024
Big Trees Village Community,
Thank you to the members who attended our annual meeting on August 31st, we appreciate you taking the time to join the board and staff.
Membership Campaign
One of the topics discussed is the fact we face falling membership levels, in 2024 our income fell by 5% compared to 2023. The income from membership dues is used to cover costs (payroll, insurance, professional fees etc.) and also to invest in improvements to the facilities to enhance the member/guest experience.
The board will launch a campaign to attempt to reverse this trend and as part of this we will share the data we have been capturing since 2016, stay tuned to learn more about this initiative.
New Board Members
The new board is now in place with David, Matt and Robert joining effective September 1st, thank you to Shawn and Sirena who concluded their terms. Our first meeting as a new board will take place later this month, all members are welcome to join so please reach out if you need the details for the Zoom call.
Upcoming Investments
In terms of investments, we need to make decisions about some large infrastructure items. To tackle the large projects, we will launch a capital campaign to raise funds to preserve our strong financial position and achieve our goals in this area of the Rec Center.
• The tennis court is showing signs of wear and tear with cracks in the playing surface that present a safety risk. The cost of replacing the surface is anticipated to be $50,000 to $70,000 depending on the number of layers we choose for the new surface.
• The wooden deck near the snack shack needs to be replaced, we have two estimates from local contractors which are in the region of $50,000.
Summer Successes
The Summer season was largely successful, over 3,000 people came to the pools and enjoyed the facilities. We did invest in new lawn furniture, a foosball table, a table tennis table, and made a major investment in the pool equipment for the big pool. Our effort in the area of recruitment was largely a success and we had very positive feedback from owners and renters throughout the 14 weeks the facility was open.
Thank you to all the staff, members, and guests for the support.
Best wishes, Anita, Kim, Megan, Mary Ann, Melissa, Daniel, David, Mark, Matt, Graham, Robert and Travis