Open House, Special Events to Celebrate Headwaters Anniversary

An open house at the Headwaters Forest Reserve will be held Saturday, May 30, at the new Headwaters Education Center, kicking off a series of summer events celebrating the 10th anniversary of the reserve's establishment.

The open house is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the education center along the Elk River Trail east of Eureka.  BLM staff members will be on hand to discuss conservation of Headwaters resources.  Refreshments will be served.  The event is free.  The education center, a restored locomotive barn, is about a half-mile from the Elk River Trailhead.  The trail is paved and suitable for wheelchairs, power chairs and people with walking difficulties.

"Transfer of the Headwaters Forest into public ownership was an important achievement for protection of this unique landscape," said Lynda Roush, manager of the BLM Arcata Field Office.  "We hope people will attend an event to learn more and experience the beauty of the reserve."

Other special events include:

• Restoration Hike:  Saturday, June 20, from 9 a.m. to noon, Alicia Pass area.  Meet at Newburg Park in Fortuna to tour of areas where logging roads have been removed and second-growth forests have been thinned.
• Marbled Murrelet Monitoring:  Saturday, July 12, from 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.  Those willing to start the day very early can accompany BLM natural resource specialists to detect the elusive seabirds that nest high in the redwood and Douglas-fir limbs.  Meet at Fortuna’s Newburg Park for the hike along the Salmon Pass Trail.
• Music and Storytelling:  Wednesday, Aug. 12, from7 to 9 p.m.  An entertaining and informative evening is planned at the education center.  Meet at the Elk River Trailhead and hike to the education center.
• Falk Tour:  Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. Walk along the Elk River Trail and learn about the people of this historic logging town.

In addition to these special events, Salmon Pass guided hikes are offered May 15 through November 15.  Reservations are required. This 2 ½- mile trail ascends through an old-growth forest.  This hike is moderately strenuous.

Please sign-up in advance of each event by contacting the Arcata Field Office at (707) 825-2300.

The BLM and the California Department of Fish and Game jointly manage the Headwaters Forest Reserve that was acquired into public ownership with congressional and state appropriations totaling $380 million. It is part of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System, established to conserve some of the nation’s most dramatic landscapes.

A scenic and informative video presentation, part of BLM’s "Beyond the Brochure" series, is available online at http://www.blm.gov/ca/media/video/btb/headwaters.

Northern California District   2950 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130