Southern California was blessed with a very late summer sub tropical rain storm on Tuesday evening courtesy of Hurricane Paine. Although the rain did little to relieve our drought and expanding lake shoreline, it did give the forest and its residents a nice soaking. Later that evening we were treated with a spectacular sunset and the fresh smell of rain in the air....
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Big Bear, CA, September 9, 2016 – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 8, will close State Route 18 in the “Arctic Circle” Monday through Friday, October 3, to October 27, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. No closures are scheduled for Friday, October 14. The closure limits are between Snow Valley Mountain Resort and Big Bear Dam. The full closure will take place during daytime hours due to safety considerations and additional work. Caltrans will be completing annual routine maintenance in preparation for winter. Some of the work items that will be completed are: rock climbing and bank scaling, turnout clearance, drain cleaning, and...
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Big Bear City, CA, January 26, 2016 – Yesterday morning, while performing a daily inspection, Big Bear City Airport staff found a single engine, tail wheel aircraft that was lying upside down near the runway. Following standard procedures, the airport was temporarily closed and FAA, fire, and law enforcement personnel were contacted. There was no pilot present and the airport was told by FAA authorities not to disturb the scene. The pilot had mistakenly attempted a landing at approximately 7:30 Sunday evening on the infield area between the runway and taxiway and flipped over in the snow. The airport office was...
Read MoreBig Bear, CA, January 6, 2016 – Big Bear Valley offers many free snow play areas for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and sledding. Don’t let your winter fun be ruined – KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! Free areas for snow play are available on open forest service land and trails only. Snow play on private property (including vacant lots) is prohibited. Violators are subject to citation or arrest for trespassing. Make sure to park your vehicle in an authorized location so you don’t return from your day of fun to find a parking ticket or that your vehicle has been towed. Here are some safety tips for sledding in unmaintained areas: * Select a hill that is not too steep and has a long flat area at the bottom for you to glide to a stop. * Avoid hillsides that end near a street or parking lot. * Avoid hillsides that end near trees, boulders, fences or other hazards. * Make sure the hill is free of obstacles such as rocks, trees, fallen branches, or trash/other debris. * Choose hills that are snowy, rather than icy. An icy slope makes for a hard landing if you fall off your sled. * Sled during the daytime, when potential hazards are visible. Pay-to-Play tubing on maintained runs is also available at Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain and Big Bear Snow Play. DO NOT walk or play on the lake...
Read MoreBig Bear Lake, CA, April 2, 2015 – Yesterday, Big Bear Municipal Water District opened the Carol Morrison East Launch Ramp for the 2015 season. The public boat launch ramp, which has been closed for the winter, gives boat owners the opportunity to launch onto the lake for boating and fishing, and is especially good news for anglers that prefer trolling over shoreline fishing. In addition to the public launch ramp opening, five Big Bear Lake marinas are now open for the 2015 season. On May 8, the Duane Boyer West Launch Ramp will open offering even more public access to the lake. To celebrate Big Bear Lake’s opening day, Big Bear MWD planted approximately one million fingerling trout into the lake. This should help increase the trout population for years to come. In addition to the fresh load of fingerling trout, the MWD plans to plant two more truckloads of 250,000 larger trout that are approximately 10 to 12 inches within the next two weeks. In addition to the ‘pink-meat’ that Big Bear Lake is famous for, it also has both large mouth and small mouth bass, catfish, crappie, and...
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