Tourist Tuesday — Big Sur can take a lesson from Kauai

“The idea is to create a better experience for the residents and the visitors and then lessen the impact on the place,” said Joel Guy, executive director of The Hanalei Initiative, a nonprofit launching the North Shore Shuttle. “I think it’s a pretty unique model that can hopefully be used in other places.”

June 20, 2019, 2:31 AM PDT By Michelle Broder Van Dyke

HĀʻENA, Hawaii — To reach the northeastern corner of the island of Kauai requires driving or biking on a winding two-lane highway flanked by the mountains and the sea, where rocky outposts are interlaced with strips of sandy beach protected by fringe reefs.

A two-mile stretch of Kūhiō Highway reopened this week after being closed since April 2018 because of landslides triggered by record-breaking rainfall. Now, parts of the mountainside are held back with wire mesh that climbs 40 feet in a highway repair project estimated to cost at least $85 million. Three narrow bridges built in 1912 were wiped out and only one has been completely repaired; the other two are partially complete, with makeshift wooden guardrails and cones blocking cars from crashing into the Pacific Ocean.

Without tourists to disturb the wildlife, native plants and animals rebounded, and even the local community grew stronger. The highway leads to Hāʻena State Park, which once drew more than 2,000 visitors a day. Although tourism is the main economic driver in Hawaii, officials are reconsidering its position as host to nearly 10 million tourists a year across the six islands accessible to visitors. To maintain its unique natural and cultural resources, Hawaii is attempting to shift from encouraging to limiting tourists. With the reopening of Kūhiō Highway, new regulations will aim to cut the park’s number of visitors in half, a goal some locals say is not enough.

See the rest of this article here: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-year-without-tourists-kauai-s-rugged-coast-reopens-n1019551

“A popular sentiment among born-and-raised locals is that the flood was a divine declaration from Mother Nature that she had had enough.” 

From another article on what it is like since it reopened with some controls over tourist numbers in place:

Kauai’s Newly Reopened Park Is A Case Study In Controlling Tourism

“There are people who have been born and raised there and all they know is crowds of people,” said Curt Cottrell, the administrator of the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of State Parks. “And then … they looked up and saw their community as it once was 70 years ago. Even the fish started looking up and recognizing that there was room now for them to come back and swim.”

For the rest of this wonderful article see: https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/06/kauis-newly-reopened-park-is-a-case-study-in-controlling-tourism/

As Lisa Kleissner says, ”What will our story be?”

Fire in north SLO Co.

From twitter: “Fully involved structure @ 9892 River Rd, extension to 1/4 acre of veg.” in response to my post from fire scanner.

This is north of Paso Robles. Camp Roberts and San Miguel are responding. No further at this time.

Incident: 00120 Type: Report of Fire Location: San Pablo Ln / Mission St Loc Desc:   Lat/Lon: 35.747341 -120.681965 

Detail Information
3:37 PM1[1] XFER CAL FIRE

Photo Sunday, 6/23/19

Last year, there was only one pink delphinium among the blue. This year, there are two. This year there are at least twice the number of flower spikes as there were in the past. It is a small patch that is getting healthier and that brings me joy.

Delphinium

Campsite & Trail Closures Update

ALERTS IN EFFECT for the Big Sur Area
Updated June 19, 2019

ROAD CLOSURES
Palo Colorado Road
Closed to Bottchers Gap

TRAIL CLOSURES
GARRAPATA State Park: Trails west of Highway 1 are open. Soberanes Canyon Trail is partially open from the main, gated trailhead across from Gate 8 of the Garrapata coastal trail. Hikers will be able to proceed to the back of the canyon along the 1.25 mile length of the trail. It will be an out and back hike as the Rocky Ridge portion of the trail will remain closed pending repair.

ANDREW MOLERA State Park: CLOSED TRAILS: River, Twin Cottonwoods, Hidden and Trail Camp/Headlands. OPEN TRAILS: Creamery Meadow, Ridge, Bluffs, Panorama, Spring, East Molera, Bobcat and Coyote Flat trails. NOTE: On June 17, 2019 the seasonal footbridge crossing the Big Sur River was installed for the season. Hikers wishing to access the beach, Creamery Meadow, Ridge, Bluffs, Panorama and Spring trails may do so without wading across the Big Sur River. The footbridge is expected to be removed in late October 2019.
More trail information at Andrew Molera

PFEIFFER BIG SUR State Park: CLOSED TRAILS: Pfeiffer Falls, Oak Grove and Pine Ridge. OPEN TRAILS: Gorge, Mount Manuel, Buzzard’s Roost, Valley View, Liewald Flats, Redwood Deck, Nature Trail, River Path and Warden’s Path.
More trail information at Pfeiffer Big Sur

JULIA PFEIFFER BURNS State Park: CLOSED TRAILS:JULIA PFEIFFER BURNS State Park: CLOSED TRAILS: Canyon, Ewoldsen and Waters. OPEN TRAILS: Partington Cove, Tan Bark, Tin House. The Waterfall Overlook Trail is damaged about 1/3 of a mile from the parking lot and closed beyond that point. McWay Falls can also be viewed from the pullout just north of the park entrance.
More trail information at Julia Pfeiffer Burns

CAMPGROUND CLOSURES: ANDREW MOLERA STATE PARK Trail Camp Closed until further notice. PFEIFFER BIG SUR Group Camp Closed and not available for reservation until further notice.

U.S. FOREST SERVICE LANDS
PINE RIDGE TRAIL and SYKES HOT SPRINGS are closed indefinitely. Call the USFS Monterey District office in King City (831) 385-5434 or visit their web page for more information regarding the Pine Ridge Trail and Sykes Hot Springs.

Transportation Demand Management Plan meeting

Dear Big Sur Community,

Caltrans will be holding a public meeting next Wednesday evening to get input on their Sustainable Transportation Demand Management Planning for the Big Sur coast.

Please see the meeting information below:

Wednesday, June 26th

North Corridor Public Meeting Event from 5:30 to 7:00

Rancho Canada Club – Wedgewood Meeting Center – Merienda Ballroom

(follow ‘Wedgewood’ signs)

4860 Carmel Valley Road

Carmel, CA  93923

What is TDM? 

Sustainable Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Strategies that encourage a shift from single occupant vehicle (SOV) trips to transit, biking, walking, or other forms of transportation; or shift trips out of peak periods. TDM seeks to reduce auto trips – and hopefully vehicle miles traveled – by offering a variety of transportation option tools and management strategies.

More information about this effort can be found here: https://www.sustainablehighway1.com/

Also, please note I have added the above link to my list of links to the right under Road Conditions.

Summer Solstice & the Basin Fire

(From my blog in 2010) “Today is the longest day of the year, and also the anniversary of the Basin Fire of 2008, the event that launched this blog. Today, I hope to reflect back on that time, and post a couple of photographs I took that day, if the Internet Goddess allows. The first two photographs are mine, but scroll down for the stories and photographs of others. I have also provided a link where others shared their stories last year, and more are doing so this year. What an amazing gift we have in each other!” You can read the rest of the blog, the stories, and more here: https://bigsurkate.blog/2010/06/21/summer-solstice-basin-fire/

Also, because a reader who wasn’t following me back in 2008 asked for information about these fires, I made public the collection of posts I put together back then of the blog posts from both the Basin and the Chalk Fires of 2008, reproduced as originally written — warts, misspellings, and all. You can find it to the right under “Pages” — Big Sur Fires, 2008. I found it interesting to re-read (my writing has changed a lot) and see the photos from those times.

Nadine Clark has this framed and hanging on her wall:

STRs in Big Sur

I have covered this issue before — last month before the end of the public comment period here: https://bigsurkate.blog/2019/05/16/vacation-rentals-tourism-and-big-sur/ but it comes before the Planning Commission next Wednesday, and I wrote an article for the Voices of Monterey Bay website published today.

Here is part of what I wrote:


“The special characteristic of the Big Sur Coast should also be recognized as a primary resource. Man’s presence along this coast continues to reflect a pioneering attitude of independence and resourcefulness; and the environment has been a special nurturing ground for individual and creative fulfillment. The community itself, and its traditional way of life are resources that can help protect the environment and enhance the visitor experience.” — Big Sur Land Use Plan

By Kate Woods Novoa

Big Sur is raw, rugged, and humbling. It has been said that she can — and will — spit you out, if you don’t belong here. Longtime locals speak of her as if she is an entity. Visitors think of Big Sur as idyllic, and it is in many ways. But this romance does not have a place for short-term rentals.

Those who live here know the difficulties that are a part of the life here: the instability of the road, town trips and school days that must be canceled due to the ever-changing road conditions of Highway 1; storms that take out power lines and telephone lines; slides that take out our main artery, water systems and private roads, not to mention critical bridges; the isolation and the lack of any of the amenities most people have come to not just expect, but need. Get away from the highway, and you may see no services, except what landowners or neighborhoods provide. Here, it is still possible to live up close and personal with Mother Nature. That is why it is humbling. Those who survive the lessons that she has to teach become a community with shared values and a love for this place and one’s place in it.

Fabian Pfortmüller, a Swiss community builder and entrepreneur, defines community “as a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” But community, to me, is more than that. We care about each other, help each other, and care about the places where we live. “This is where the magic of a community happens,” Pfortmüller said. “When people care about each other, they develop trust. And trust unlocks collaboration, sharing, support, hope, safety and much more. While most organizations in the world optimize their performance towards external goals, communities optimize for trust.”

Tales of collaboration, sharing, support, hope and trust are legendary in Big Sur. From the early settlers to the last fire, road closure, or bridge collapse, tales of neighbor helping neighbor abound.

For the rest of my article, please see: https://voicesofmontereybay.org/2019/06/20/big-surs-str-problem/

Beach Shuttle

Representatives of the shuttle service, US Forest Service, Parks Management and others will be there to explain the program and answer questions.

Juneteenth

Do you know what Juneteenth (today) celebrates?

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves effective January of 1863.

Then on June 19, 1865, the Union soldiers landed in Galveston with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free, according to the Austin History Center. After this, more than 250,000 slaves across Texas learned that they were finally free.

The celebration of June 19 was coined “Juneteenth” and grew with more participation from descendants as they treated the day as their Independence Day, according to the Texas State Library. It spread to other states and has been celebrated every year since.

In 1872, Rev. Jack Yates led a fundraising effort to purchase land for Emancipation Park in Houston.

On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas. It’s a day to celebrate African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures.https://abc7chicago.com/society/what-is-juneteenth/2117379/

President Obama states of this painting: “Outside the Oval Office, I kept a painting of a small crowd huddled around a pocketwatch, waiting for the moment the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. On Juneteenth, we celebrate the anniversary of that news – freedom – reaching slaves in Texas.”