With the massive die-off of trees across the Central Sierra, it is great news to hear that some of those dead trees will be put to good use. The following is the story of some of those logs, and their circuitous journey to the deserts of Nevada for the annual event — Burning Man. “Last winter, the group that won ...

MARIPOSA – After a wet winter, warming temperatures are quickly drying out the abundant annual grass crop. The increasing fire danger posed by the high volume of dead grass and hotter, drier conditions in the region is prompting Cal Fire to suspend all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Area of Madera, Mariposa and Merced Counties. ...

Editor’s Note: Longtime Oakhurst resident Bob Kaspar continues his epic ride across the United States from California, through Kansas and beyond, heading toward his hometown in Massachusetts. From Wichita the route heads directly east on US Route 400 through the Flint Hills and later the Osage Hills of eastern Kansas, then into the Ozarks of southern Missouri and across the ...

MARIPOSA — As the State’s annual Fire Prevention Fee bills are being mailed out to property owners, people often wonder what becomes of the money and whether any of it is being used to their benefit. The Cal Fire Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit would like to answer a few questions regarding the fee and how funds are being used to keep the ...

NORTH FORK — The public is invited to attend the annual meeting of the North Fork Community Development Council on Monday, Mar. 27, at the North Fork School. Doors will open at 5 p.m. for gathering and refreshments, and the meeting will get underway at 5:30 p.m. After a welcome by NFCDC president Dan Rosenberg, agenda items will include these ...

CLOVIS – The Sierra National Forest and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have been awarded $3.3 million to implement the “Central Sierra Recovery and Restoration” Project through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership. The funding is aimed at allowing the Forest Service and NRCS, along with state and local partners, to continue to improve the health and resiliency of ...

NORTH FORK — For a limited time, Eastern Madera County has access to two air curtain burners to dispose of woody slash materials, says Justine Reynolds, Program Development Manager of Yosemite/Sequoia RC&D Council. The burners were purchased by Cal Fire to travel throughout the Governor’s pre-identified High Hazard Counties. Air curtain burners are currently the best alternative to open burning, ...

NORTH FORK — The exact center of California was the place to be today as the innovative North Fork Community Power Bioenergy Facility celebrated its official groundbreaking and the community united to welcome a new source of forest thinning and renewal. This is a pilot project that will pave the way for future facilities of its kind throughout the state. Madera County Fire Station 11 ...

NORTH FORK — On Thursday Nov. 3, North Fork Community Power (NFCP) and Yosemite/Sequoia RC&D Council will be hosting a ground-breaking ceremony for the NFCP Bioenergy Facility at the Old Mill Site starting at 11 a.m. until approximately 1 p.m. The event will kick off with statements from government leaders and key project partners followed by a brief tour of ...

SAN FRANCISCO — As woody debris piles up from dead trees killed by drought and bark beetle infestation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has launched an expanded debris management program to support its customers in 10 counties severely impacted by California’s growing tree mortality emergency. PG&E is offering the expanded debris removal program to customers in Kern, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, ...