Winter Trails Day: Enjoy the Wilderness in the Winter!

Big Bear, Ca, January 2, 2012 - This Saturday, celebrate the great outdoors at Winter Trails Day at the Big Bear Discovery Center.  Local organizations, the Big Bear Valley Trails Foundation, Open Air Big Bear, City of Big Bear Lake, Rim Nordic, North Shore Trading Co, and the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association will partner with the National Forest Association and REI to host a day dedicated to Winter Trails, and winter outdoor activities.  The event which will start at 10:00am will feature Snowshoe Demos, a presentation by the City of Big Bear Lake on the Master Plan of Trails Process, a snowshoe hike, animal tracking, a 100 yard Snowshoe Dash, and nature walks.  The event is free to attend, and is great for families.  If you haven’t tried snowshoeing yet, and are interested in finding out more information about the growing sport, this event is the perfect place to find out more information.  Snowshoeing is an excellent form of low-risk, low impact aerobic exercise that can help improve or maintain cardiovascular fitness as well as burn calories. REI will also host “A Leave No Trace Plan Ahead and Prepare” presentation geared for outdoor winter sports; winter backpack campsite demo, and host prizes for games such as “guess the weight of the backpack”.  For more information go to www.NationalForestAssociation.org.

BVUSD Budget Advisory Commitee Talks Finances

Big Bear, Ca, December 21, 2011, 12:00pm - At last week’s Bear Valley Unified School District’s Budget Advisory Committee meeting, Walter Con, Assistant Superintendent of Business, delivered the first Interim Financial Report Budget Update to the committee that consists of teachers, parents and school administration representatives.  As expected, the California Department of Finance has released its financial forecast stating that revenues will fall short $2.2 billion for the current year.  Therefore, additional cuts will need to be made to the BVUSD’s budget at a total estimated cut to be approximately $456,000 which includes a $13.00 cut to the ADA or average daily attendance.  It had previously been estimated that the cuts would have been in the realm of approximately $1.1 million dollars so although the budget cuts, for now, are expected to be less than half that amount, it is also predicted that these mid-year cuts are only the beginning.  The Department of Finance states that more cuts for 2012/2013 will be forthcoming when California Governor, Jerry Brown, releases his proposed budget for next year on January 10^th.  Foreseeing this forecast, recommendations have already been made to the Bear Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees for possible budget reduction items.  Walter Con stated that, in his opinion, salary roll backs, furlough days or a combination of both, will need to be implemented for the school district to meet their budget limits, however, these steps would need to be negotiated with the district’s respective unions.  Teacher, Debbie Burton, stated at the meeting that the public needs to know that, as a community, when we don’t vote for school taxes, it really hurts our kids.  Ms. Burton added, “We’re down to bear bones”.  The next meeting of the Budget Advisory Committee will be on January 26^th and are open to the public.

1st Goldsmith’s Race Results

Big Bear, Ca, December 20, 2011, 8:00am - The first Goldsmith’s Ski race of the season took place this past Sunday, and despite cold weather conditions and low visibility, many local children and even a few adults braved the temperatures and participated in the slalom race.  The harsh conditions made for an icy course, resulting in quite a few racers skiing off course, or not finishing.  Stand out performances of the day went to John Micheal Fabrizi with the fastest combined time of the day with one minute and 19 seconds for both runs, Nationally ranked Stephanie Lebby, who with total combined time of one minute and twenty three seconds was the fastest lady of the day, and was only beat by three boys.  In the Masters division Susan Kendall laid down the fastest masters time for both men and women with a time of one minute and 33 seconds. Forty Six year old Kendall raced in the collegiate league in her twenties, and has proven that she still remembers her college race training.  Other winners for the race team and masters in their respective categories include:  Johann Auer, Emerson Warren, Sean Murphy, Elle Williams, Alec Burton, Kelly Kai Tokunaga, Delany Warren, McKinley Warren, John Boucher, Alex Baroian, and Marcelle Howard- Goodsell.  Winners in the Dteam categories include: Ryan Dosa, Callie Brzenzski, Devon Garber, Haley Hoskins, Jonas Simko, Annaliese Myers, Brooke Baldwin, Hayden Schooler, Isabelle Trentchev, Nate Williams, and Simona Tretchev.  The next race in the Goldsmith’s series will take place on January 15^th.

Goldsmith’s Race Series Kicks Off This Weekend!

Big Bear, Ca, December 16, 2011, 4:00pm - The Goldsmiths Race Series will kick off this Sunday, December 18^th at Snow Summit.   Children and adults of all skiing abilities can participate in the race series that will occur each month through March.  The series has been around for a long time, and was previously known as the Alpine Race Series and is for members of the race team, development team, master’s team, and general public to participate in. Proceeds from the race go towards purchasing training equipment for the race team.  Interested skiers can register in the clubhouse on Sunday, the 18th before the race, which will at 10:00am, with course inspection starting at 8:30am.  The race will be a slalom format, and will take place in the Jim Bollingmo Race Arena, located at the bottom of Miracle Mile, and is a great area for spectators.  The series will continue with the second race taking place on Janaury 15^th, and additional races on February 12^th, March 4^th and culminating on March 25^th.

Team Jordan Waits For Good Weather To Take Off

Big Bear, Ca, December 16, 2011, 12:30pm - Team Jordan touched down in Chile after an anticipated 20 hour travel period from California turned into 50 hours of travel after delayed flights caused other flights to be missed. Luckily the team arrived at the southern most part of Chile with all of their gear in tact.  The team met with Antarctica officials and were given a pre climb debriefing.  Currently the team is waiting for the airline taking them to Antarctica to give the all clear for take off.  Take off has been delayed due to weather, however a possible departure could occur this afternoon.  The team is anxious and excited, and Paul Romero told KBHR “We can’t wait to get on the ice, and start pulling a sled and start climbing. and get cold and miserable. Honestly, can’t wait.”  While Team Jordan is in Antarctica climbing Mount Vincent Massif, they are challenging everyone to eat and drink healthy while they are gone.  Jordan is asking everyone to stop drinking soda, and stop eating junk food, and to see how it improves your health during the weeks the team is in Antarctica.  Take Jordan’s Challenge, and follow Team Jordan’s progress by going to our website and clicking on the Jordan Tracker.  Team Jordan will also be calling into KBHR during their journey, so stay tuned and listen for updates.

Volunteers Needed For Bald Eagle Spotting

Big Bear, Ca, December 14, 2011, 3:00pm - The Forest Service is looking for volunteers to help count bald eagles this Saturday.  This is the 34^th Season in which winter bald eagle counts have taken place in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountain areas. Volunteer’s will be stationed at vantage points around Big Bear Lake, in which they will map and note any eagle observations during a 1-hour period on Saturday Morning.  “Through this method, the Forest Service has acquired information about areas eagles use and fluctuations in population numbers,” said Forest Service wildlife biologist Marc Stamer. “There’s no experience needed for volunteers and this is a wonderful opportunity to catch a glimpse of our breath-taking national symbol.” In addition to Saturday mornings eagle count, there will be counts on January 14, February 11, and March 10. Volunteers will meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Big Bear Discovery Center on North Shore Drive. Contact Robin Eliason 909-382-2832 for more information.

Bill Jahn Remains City Mayor

Big Bear, Ca, December 13, 2011, 12:00pm - The City of Big Bear Lake City Council has reorganized for the 2012 year, as they held elections for council positions at their meeting last night.  Bill Jahn will remain as the Mayor of the City of Big Bear Lake with Jay Obernolte stepping in as the new Mayor Pro Tem.  This will be Jahn’s fourth year serving as Mayor, with two years of service in 2006 and 2007, and his time as Mayor this year in 2011.  David Carretto was elected as the Fire Protection District Board Chairman, with Jay Obernolte as the Vice Chairman.  For the Improvement Agency, Liz Harris was elected as the Chairwoman, and Rick Herrick as the Vice Chairman.  The Council seats held by Mayor Bill Jahn, and Liz Harris will be up for election in 2012, and Jahn has stated that he is running for State Assembly in the new 33^rd District, in which Big Bear is a part of.  Elections will take place in the fall of next year.

Property Taxes Due December 12th

Big Bear, Ca, December 7, 2011, 4:00pm - The County of San Bernardino is reminding residents that the first property tax installment must be paid by Monday, December 12^th.  San Bernardino County Tax Collector Larry Walker has announced that property owners have payment options to choose from.  While the deadline of December 12^th is approaching, there are multiple options that property owners can choose from so that they pay on time.  Go online at www.MyTaxCollector.com and choose the online payment option by paying by E-Check or by credit card, pay by phone at (909) 387-8308, or postmark your payment on or before December 12^th.  Remember pay ontime to avoid a 10% penalty fee.

Career Center In The Works For Big Bear Valley

Big Bear, Ca, December 7, 2011, 1:00pm - The Big Bear Valley may soon have a Career Center of its own, thanks to a group of community members who are working hard to create a place for people to receive job training.  The purpose of the Career Center would be to provide community members, 16 and older, an opportunity to utilize personalized and computerized on-line resources for career, education and job advancement.  According to the Career Center Committee, the services of the center will be organized around three processes: assessment and advisement, to help clients discover how they can be served by the center, choosing of on-line resources to assist in the career, education and job advancement process, and assistance with job search, education training and career development.  The groups current goals are to find a location for the career center, to find computers for a computer lab, and finding community partners. For information on how to get involved call 909 362-1159.

Big Bear Lake Ranked 4th In Trip Advisors Top Winter Vacation Getaways!

Big Bear, Ca, December 7, 2011, 9:00am - Big Bear Lake has been ranked on Trip Advisors “Top Winter Vacation Rental Getaway Destinations” for 2011.  The ranking was based on TripAdvisor’s vacation rental inquiry data for the winter months. Big Bear Lake ranked 4^th in the top 10 list of winter vacation desitnations. Trip Advisor stated that the draw for Big Bear is that it is situated within a two-hour drive from Los Angeles, and stated that our valley  is a scenic winter wonderland.   Also in the top 10 were the cities of South Lake Tahoe, Breckenridge and Vail Colorado, and Park City Utah.  Rick Shoup, President and CEO of the Big Bear Lake Resort Association told KBHR that the Resort Association is thrilled to be in the top 10. In a recent online search of basic phrases such as ski vacation packages, and ski vacation, nationally Big Bear searched in the top 10 each time, even being placed as the third place spot nationally.  Shoup also told KBHR that one of the reasons Big Bear is ranked so high is that it is affordable, close to many large cities, and that the Resort Association offers ski and lodging packages.  For more information on lift and lodging packages, go online at www.BigBear.com.

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