First Saturdays at the Grange
Tourist Tuesday, 1/29/19 –
Shaping Sustainable Tourism In Monterey County
By ERIKA MAHONEY (KAZU. 90.3 – NPR for the Monterey Area)
“Overtourism has impacted places like the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, where Games of Thrones was filmed. But it also pushed that destination to manage the industry more mindfully. Now in Monterey County, there’s also a push to shape the tourism industry in a more sustainable way.
Bixby Bridge has become a must-see spot on the Big Sur coast. Its concrete arches overlook the vast Pacific Ocean. Car commercials are filmed here and the bridge is featured in the opening credits of the popular HBO TV series Big Little Lies. Pictures of Bixby Bridge are all over social media apps like Instagram.
Even on a rainy weekday, dozens of tourists pull over to take selfies. Alejandro Munoz is visiting from Southern California.
“I saw it on Google, looked it up. I saw it on Instagram. I saw it on my cousin’s Snapchat. I was like I got to go here,” Munoz says.
Sometimes visitors take risks to get the perfect picture, like getting too close to steep cliffs.
“It’s a little muddy right now. So it’s a little slippery,” Munoz says.
That kind of behavior worries Butch Kronlund. He’s the Executive Director of the Community Association of Big Sur and has lived in Big Sur for nearly 30 years.
“Big Sur is a wild coast and folks get themselves in trouble all of the time. In the process of trying to get to a secluded location, they end up damaging the very resource that they’re there to look at. So that’s also a problem,” says Kronlund.
To improve tourist behavior, a group of Big Sur residents created the “Big Sur Pledge.” It’s posted online at bigsurpledge.org. The goal is to remind people to respect this popular wilderness destination. It asks them to commit to sharing the road, leaving no trace, camping only where allowed. The pledge is modeled after Hawai’i’s Pono Pledge.”
For the rest of this article see: http://www.kazu.org/post/shaping-sustainable-tourism-monterey-county
Upcoming Weather Trend – Rain
It is predicted that the Santa Lucia Mountains might get 3-6” of rain between Thursday and Monday. I have also read that much of February is to be rainy. Here we go again.
Photo Sunday, 1/27/19
From the archives:
Last Night’s Excitement
Brendon had the trail meeting last night, so he was later than usual – around 7:30 pm. He found a burned out truck still smoldering and smoking right outside my front gate. This is what it looked like later, after it was completely out. Thank you John Coons and Big Sur Fire!
And how hot did it get? This hot!
This is what it looked like this am. Can’t see the scorched bushes in these photos. Maybe later.
Tourist Tuesday, 1/22/19
This article was in Condé Nast. What I like about it is that it lists the problem in each area covered, speaks to what that area is doing to tackle the problem, and also what visitors can do to minimize their impact and maximize their benefits to the community they visit. What I don’t like about this article is that it is rather shallow and superficial. Why I offer it is that I hope it can get us coming up with solutions that work for us – for here – for our home.
”Tourism can provide an incredible economic boost, sure, but it can also be harmful to the environment and put pressure on local populations. This isn’t new news: All you’ve got to do is pick up your phone and scroll through the headlines to see the ways in which overtourism, or the negative effects of too many tourists visiting somewhere at once, is playing out around the globe. Few places—whether they be cities, historical sites, national parks, or entire countries—are immune.
Not all hope is lost, though. Certain destinations have addressed the problem head on, and put into place laws that preserve the rights of locals while still accommodating thousands of annual visitors. Others have gotten creative with redirecting those very visitors, or simply added restrictions meant to curtail the number (and type) of travelers. With this in mind, here’s how several destinations around the world have proposed—or put into place—measures restricting tourists.”
To read the article, go here: www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-06-19/barcelona-bhutan-places-that-limit-tourist-
Photo Sunday, 1/20/19
Great Photo Op tonight for the Blood Wolf Full Moon lunar eclipse.
In the mean time, I haven’t seen this in a while:
Highway One to open at 10 am, 1/18/19
**UPDATE #5–TRAFFIC ADVISORY**
CALTRANS REOPENS TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF HWY. 1 AT MUD CREEK/PAUL’S SLIDE
MONTEREY COUNTY — Caltrans has received confirmation from National Weather Service (NOAA) data that the significant storms have passed in the areas of Mud Creek (PM 8.9) and Paul’s Slide (PM 21.6) on State Route 1 in the Big Sur area. Caltrans Geotech, Maintenance Design and Maintenance crews assessed all areas within the closure limits yesterday. Crews continue cleaning and clearing the roadway from slide activity (rocks and mud), especially at Mud Creek. See photos below. Highway 1, including Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide will fully reopen at 10 am today, Friday, Jan. 18.
Motorists will encounter a flagging operation today with one-way reversing traffic control at the south end of Mud Creek to allow for Caltrans to continue roadwork in this area.
Caltrans’ Geotech, Maintenance and Construction units are on call and prepared to inspect/clean up when each storm ends during the daylight hours and it is safe to be onsite again. Caltrans’ goal is to open the roadway as quickly and safely as possible and our staff remains on-call 24/7
(These photos are from a couple of days ago and previously published yesterday.)
Highway One continues to be closed, 1/17/19
Photos of most active slides during these storms: Mud Creek, Paul’s Slide, Cow Cliffs, JPB Vista and Extended Closure Map are all attached. (Ed note: Cow Cliffs is generally below Mining Ridge, which received the greatest rainfall of any place reported by NWS Bay Area at over 10” in 48 hours.) First two are Mud Creek, next 3 are Paul’s Slide, then Cow Cliffs, then up by JPB Turnout.
Today’s Date: January 17, 2019 at 3:15 pm
District: 05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito and Santa
Cruz Counties
Contact: Susana Z Cruz (bilingual) or Colin Jones
Phone: (805) 549-3138 or 549-3189
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
**UPDATE #4–TRAFFIC ADVISORY**
CALTRANS CONTINUES WITH TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF HWY. 1 WITH EXTENDED CLOSURE LIMITS THAT INCLUDE MUD CREEK/PAUL’S SLIDE
MONTEREY COUNTY —The limits of the closure of Highway 1 will continue from Ragged Point (PM SLO 72.87) to the south and were extended yesterday north from Paul’s Slide (PM MON 21.6)
to Deetjen’s/Fullers (MON PM 42) due to heavy rainfall and significant slide activity in the area. Highway 1 will remain closed between these two locations until further notice.
Businesses along the Big Sur Coast on Hwy. 1 remain open and are accessible via Hwys. 101, 68 and 46.
Caltrans’ Geotech, Maintenance and Construction units are on call and prepared to inspect/clean up when the storm ends during the daylight hours and when it is safe to be onsite again—Crews inspected all areas earlier today and found various slides along the Hwy. 1 limits. Caltrans maintenance crews and contractor John Madonnaare performing herculean efforts to repair and clear the roadway as quickly as possible—please refer to attached photos from today. A final assessment of the roadway conditions and progress is anticipated to take place in the morning tomorrow, Friday Jan. 18. Caltrans’ goal is to open the roadway as quickly and safely as possible and our staff remains on-call 24/7.
The gates on either side of Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide will be key locked. These gates will not be manned when the highway is closed and there will be no access to anyone, including Emergency Services or Caltrans employees until a proper assessment can be made and any necessary cleanup has been completed.
NOTE: This advisory applies only to the Mud Creek and Paul’s Slide areas with each closure being treated separately. Please stay tuned for additional information when the roadway opens again. SEE ATTACHED CLOSURE MAP.
An update will be provided mid-morning tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 18th.
Storm & Road Conditions, 1/17/19
2 pm – about two hours ago, I asked Susana of Cal Trans for an idea about when we could expect an assessment of the road situation to be available. She informed me she hoped to hear in an hour. So far, no update.
REMINDER: As one motorist found out, tow trucks are not permitted within the closure area. This one was by Esalen.
| 1:50 PM | 4 | [8] NO TOW COMPANIES ABLE TO RESP, DUE TO ROAD CLOSURES ON SR1 | |||||