Vista Hermosa is an L.A. park like no other: Say what you want about the new Grand Park downtown; the most astounding public space in the city is Vista Hermosa Natural Park, a paradoxical patch of meadows and native plantings in Temple-Beaudry.

[I concur! One of my favorite L.A. parks. —S.]

Photo: Families roast marshmallows at Vista Hermosa Natural Park west of downtown Los Angeles. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

New park in downtown Los Angeles inspires grand hopes: Officials envision the renovated space stretching from the Music Center to City Hall as a draw for both nearby residents and the region. Experts says it’s an open question whether Grand Park will be widely embraced.

Downtown’s other open space about a mile south offers a cautionary tale for Grand Park. Pershing Square was redesigned with much fanfare more than two decades ago in an effort to attract more users with a dramatic tower fountain and other amenities. But the park is generally considered a dud, and the city has been talking about another redesign.

Officials said they’ve learned their lesson from Pershing Square — Grand Park has more grass and green space, and it can host a wider variety of events.

Photo: Grand Park, as seen from the top of City Hall, has been likened to a “green room” in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Salton Sea’s star has fallen: With an average area of roughly 525 square miles, the Salton Sea is the largest lake in California. It was created in 1905 by flooding from the Colorado River. Once a playground for celebrities, more recently for anglers and birders, the Salton Sea recreation area is likely to become a victim of California’s budget crisis.

Photo: A couple fish in triple-digit heat at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

motherjones:

barackobama:

americasgreatoutdoors:

Arches National Park in Utah preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, like the world-famous Delicate Arch, as well as many other unusual rock formations. In some areas, the forces of nature have exposed millions of years of geologic history. The extraordinary features of the park create a landscape of contrasting colors, landforms and textures that is unlike any other in the world. 

What’s better than parks, and Tumblr? Parks on Tumblr.

Welcome to Tumblr, US Department of the Interior. Don’t forget the .gifs.

test reblogged from motherjones

11 state parks temporarily out of the woods: Private donors, foundations and other entities have come forward to help keep 11 of 70 parks threatened with closure open for one to three years, McGrath State Beach among them.

Photo: Canoeists paddle near tufa formations on Mono Lake. The Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve will remain open under an agreement with the nonprofit Bodie Foundation, which plans to start charging parking fees at the reserve. Credit: Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times

A big FYI to hiking fans: Yosemite Half Dome’s new lottery permit system begins soon. The process, which gives would-be hikers until March 31 to apply for a reservation, is intended to eliminate scalping.

Photo: Half Dome attracts flocks of climbers, who will be able to try to reserve a spot via lottery through the end of this month. Credit: Michael Maloney / San Francisco Chronicle

Forest Service to drop fees at most national forests: Following a review, the agency will eliminate the unpopular Adventure Pass for most forest areas. In addition, the U.S. 9th Circuit has ruled that the government went too far in charging for access.

Photo: The Angeles National Forest is one of the areas where visitors must currently display an Adventure Pass. Credit: Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times

publicradiointernational:

Canyon de Chelly, within the Navajo Nation in Arizona, is one of the small number of national parks or national landmarks that recognize the cultural or historical contributions of Native Americans in the U.S.

There are thousands of national landmarks in the United States, but less than 3 percent of them are dedicated to members of minority groups, such as Native Americans, African-Americans and women. An effort is underway by the Obama administration to broaden that historical reach, and include more locations important to Americans from diverse backgrounds.

More.

(Photo: Canyon de Chelly in 1904 by Edward S. Curtis, Wikipedia)

test reblogged from publicradiointernational

Shuttered California state parks may be vulnerable to vandalism: Above, Kevin Forrester, a superintendent with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, walks inside Mitchell Caverns at Providence Mountains State Recreation Area. Since the remote park’s closure, intruders have cut fences, kicked doors off of hinges and shattered windows and display cases at the visitors center. Critics say it might be a harbinger of what’s to come when 70 more state parks are closed because of budget cuts.

Photo credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Restoring a sanctuary in Griffith Park: The once-exotic Fern Dell has deteriorated into a tangled, neglected patch of L.A.’s large urban park. Now a nonprofit group has pledged to restore its past glory.

Photo: (top) A walk on the trail at Fern Dell turns into playtime for Julian Martel, 3, who finds a branch to entertain himself and a dog during a stroll with his dad. Neglect and vandalism have left the area in poor shape. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times. (bottom) 1937 postcard of Fern Dell.

The Forest Service has decided to construct an elevated boardwalk, connecting the severed ends of the loop, maintaining access for the disabled and providing visitors with a close-up of the fallen giants without disturbing them. Read more on latimes.com.

latimes:

Giant sequoia falls, raising questions about what to do next: The Forest Service must decide what to do with the ancient tree, which is blocking a path. Build over it? Dig under? Or do nothing at all?

Photo: The giant sequoia lies across the popular Trail of 100 Giants at Sequoia National Forest, Calif. No one was hurt when it fell. Credit: Sequoia National Forest

test reblogged from latimes

Giant sequoia falls, raising questions about what to do next: The Forest Service must decide what to do with the ancient tree, which is blocking a path. Build over it? Dig under? Or do nothing at all?

Photo: The giant sequoia lies across the popular Trail of 100 Giants at Sequoia National Forest, Calif. No one was hurt when it fell. Credit: Sequoia National Forest

Cudahy park project languishes 7 years after state grant awarded: No land has been acquired for the expansion. The state has seldom gotten a response to questions; an audit found little of the advance on the $2.5-million grant went to legitimate expenses. 

Photo: Brandon Rodriguez-Sanchez gets a boost from his father, Jose, as they play at Clara Street park in densely populated Cudahy. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

Closing the gates to Eden to save money: Volunteers and corporate donors are hoping to pitch in to keep budget cuts from closing state parks. Many fear that without oversight, poachers and pot farmers will take over.

Quoted in the story is Fernando Zavala, 19, a Coe State Park visitor:

“People think of California and they think of San Francisco and L.A., but this is the real California,” the 19-year-old said before heading out on a day hike with two co-workers. “It’s a totally different experience being out here instead of those urban areas. People need to be able to escape.”

Photos: Henry W. Coe State Park, the second-largest park in the state. View more photos on Framework. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Tiny parks are on a roll in San Francisco: Two dumpsters full of greenery, with four more to come, add a bit of nature to the streets of a paved-over downtown neighborhood. Some scoff, but others are willing to give the “parkmobiles” a go.

Photo: Dave Vetrano takes a coffee break at a parkmobile in San Francisco’s South of Market district. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times