I have always kept my politics off my blog and confined it to my facebook or twitter posts, but this day, after this week, I cannot. This is not something I can stand quietly by and watch. I must speak out, and loudly, in every platform I can. thus, todays photos are not the beautiful ones of my beloved Big Sur coast, but of women who have and are speaking out. On this day, I want to say that no one, NO ONE should be forced to become a mother by government entities — against her will. Happy Mother’s Day to all who gladly assume this heavy mantle.

”We must link arms in this fight. I invite all people to join us,” she said. “If you stand for freedom, for self-determination, for the right to privacy — if you stand for these principles, stand with us.” She added that “women’s issues are America’s issues. And democracies — democracies cannot be strong if the rights of women are under attack.” (Kamala Harris, 5/3/2022, at the annual gathering for Emily’s List.)

NORTHBOUND HIGHWAY 1 IN CARMEL

SET FOR LANE CLOSURES NEXT WEEK

MONTEREY COUNTY – Tree trimming operations on northbound Hwy. 1 in Carmel will result in lane closures Monday thru Thursday next week. 

Travelers will encounter a closure of the #2 (right) lane on Northbound Hwy. 1 on the following schedule:

Monday         May 9           Northbound Hwy. 1 at Flanders Drive

Tuesday        May 10         Northbound Hwy. 1 at Third Avenue

Wednesday   May 11         Northbound Hwy. 1 at Handley Drive

Thursday      May 12         Northbound Hwy. 1 at Carpenter Street

These lane closures will be in effect from 8:30 am to 2 pm.

CHP will be on hand to help direct traffic.

Message and directional signs will be in place to alert travelers.

Travelers can expect delays of up to five minutes.

Please allow extra time for your commute through the area.

Two separate and different surveys are being distributed regarding managing the visitors to the National Forest portion of Big Sur. Both the VWA and the CABS information about these surveys is below. Both surveys require you to email the organization to get a link to the survey. (Probably since the survey was designed through mail chimp for their email lists.)

To receive a link to take the survey, send an email to survey@ventanawild.org

CABS, Community Association of Big Sur has also issued a survey. The informational portion of their email is:

Dear Big Sur Neighbors and Friends,
 
As a result of Big Sur community concerns over growing visitor impacts on Big Sur federal lands, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has initiated an in-depth, collaborative, multi-year process called Visitor Use Management (VUM) to determine what changes, if any, need to be made to improve and reduce visitor impacts.
 
Community Input Meeting June 8th
Please put June 8th, 2022 on your calendar to participate in an all day discussion with the USFS to provide input regarding current conditions and future desired conditions in the use of federal lands by visitors and residents.  This will be an in-person meeting at the Big Sur Lodge from 10 am to 3 pm. An agenda and logistical details will be sent one week prior to the meeting. The success of the VUM process will rely on input from our community.
 
Important Survey Input Requested by Friday, May 27th
It is important to this process to hear from as many residents as possible. However, we understand that not everyone can attend a full day meeting. To provide an additional way to provide input, we have designed a brief survey that you can complete, whether you attend the meeting or not. CLICK HERE for this brief survey. The more responses we receive, the more clarity our community and the US Forest Service team will have to craft the best solutions possible.
 

And there are the culprits. Copies of all these photos (with license visible) and B’s statement was sent to the USFS Law Enforcement Officer. Will let you know if he says or does anything. (LEO says he was up Saturday night around 8 pm and was issuing tickets.)

Note the event on Wednesday, May 4th at the Colorado Fire Helibase. It will be streamed live on Vimeo for those, like me, who can’t attend. Mark your calendars!