From the River Inn:

Tips for visiting the Sur with care:

We all love the rugged and wild beauty of Big Sur. It is something that after 85 years of being in business, even the River Inn is continually surprised at how dynamic and special each sunrise and sunset can be. With Earth Day approaching on the 22nd of this month we are putting out a reminder to make memories and take photos but
leave no trace…
What does that mean?

 1. Big Sur is beautiful and rugged. Big Sur is not littered with public restrooms, they are located at the major state parks. The drive can either seem wonderful and picturesque or stressful because you are looking for a restroom. Don’t make your poor planning a mess on the coast, the land in Big Sur is no place to defecate.

2. The wildflower blooms across the state have been fantastic but in many places folks have been ignoring trail signs and disrespecting the wildlife by leaving the trails and even laying on the plants themselves, which, besides ruining the view for folks this year it can also damage the plants to the extent that it hinders future spring blooms.

3. Though we have had a great rainy season, the fire danger is always present. There are plenty of places where you can enjoy a fire, make sure that whenever and wherever you light a fire it is an approved campfire spot.

From https://www.earthday.org/campaigns/endangered-species/earthday2019/

“In nature, nothing exists alone.”
— Rachel Carson, 1962

Nature’s gifts to our planet are the millions of species that we know and love, and many more that remain to be discovered. Unfortunately, human beings have irrevocably upset the balance of nature and, as a result, the world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago. But unlike the fate of the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world today is the result of human activity.

The unprecedented global destruction and rapid reduction of plant and wildlife populations are directly linked to causes driven by human activity: climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, trafficking and poaching, unsustainable agriculture, pollution and pesticides to name a few. The impacts are far reaching.

If we do not act now, extinction may be humanity’s most enduring legacy. Here are some quick facts on the current wave of extinction and additional information about this problem here.

All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life. We must work together to protect endangered and threatened species: bees, coral reefs, elephants, giraffes, insects, whales and more.

The good news is that the rate of extinctions can still be slowed, and many of our declining, threatened and endangered species can still recover if we work together now to build a united global movement of consumers, voters, educators, faith leaders, and scientists to demand immediate action.

Earth Day Network is asking people to join our Protect our Species campaign. Our goals are to:

• Educate and raise awareness about the accelerating rate of extinction of millions of species and the causes and consequences of this phenomenon.
• Achieve major policy victories that protect broad groups of species as well as individual species and their habitats.
• Build and activate a global movement that embraces nature and its values.
• Encourage individual actions such as adopting plant based diet and stopping pesticide and herbicide use.