Photos: 1) Ian Shive at work; 2) Sequoia National Park; 3) Yellowstone National Park Interview by Tony Sheppard Originally published in Capitol Weekly Ian Shive, the photographer behind the new pictorial book "The National Parks: Our American Landscape" recently spent a day in Sacramento, visiting a management class in the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration program at Sac State. I asked him a few questions about his work and the value of parks in our lives: Photography as a living is new to you – before it was more like a cell phone plan: Unlimited nights and weekends. Very true [laughs]. What were you doing before and how did you get into this? I was working as a publicis

The vibe at Fremont park was laid-back and friendly during the new Hot Lunch series presented by Hot Italian and The Sacramento Press. Dozens of people sat scattered through the park on blankets and in lawn chairs, bobbing to the live music and chowing down on the food that was delivered from Hot Italian, just across 16th Street. Most people in attendance were on their lunch breaks some were just walking their dogs and got pulled in by the delicious smells and intriguing sounds. Attendee Melissa Olsen said, "I'm here on my lunch hour, and I think this is a good morale booster for all of the state employees in this hard time, to have somewhere near the end of the week to just unwind and l

For residents who care about their local parks, the city’s budget cuts to parks maintenance could mean that volunteering may become a necessity instead of an occasional activity. A few neighborhood groups are now talking to city staffers about how they can volunteer to maintain parks, according to Parks and Recreation Director Jim Combs. In one of its many budget cuts, the city slashed the parks department by $8.3 million for the 2009/2010 fiscal year. Pink slips were sent to 65 workers in the department; they are scheduled to be laid off Thursday. The total number of parks workers to be laid off this week was unclear, but acting city spokeswoman Wendy Klock-Johnson said the layoff figure

Kings fans welcomed their new players to Sacramento. This was in a small neighborhood Midtown park. Attendance was reported as a few hundred. Pretty low turnout for such an event. The event was arranged at the last minute and in a venue that had never been used by the Kings before.  Another regionally advertised event, The Block Concert Series, was occuring at the same time.  The neighborhood was freaked out when high powered pyrotechnics were illegally fired into the neighborhood at the end of this event. This was callous disregard for the safety of the lives and property of this neighborhood.  To understand the full implications of what occurred, speak with Niko King or Jim Doucette  in

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed cutting state park spending by $70 million and that  would require state parks that do not cover there own costs to be closed. 220 of 279 state parks would be closed if this proposal was put into place including Sutter’s Fort, the State Capitol Museum, the Leland Stanford Mansion, the California Indian Museum & Cultural Center, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park and the Governor’s Mansion.      

Midfest is happening this weekend after organizers won two permits early Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the event is scheduled to begin. But Sacramento city staff notified organizers that city employees will be on the lookout for code violations after neighborhood residents complained that a previous event wasn't adequately managed. The Bloc Concert Series permit was awarded to Paragary Restaurant Group for the festivities being held in Marshall Park, 915 27th St., from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. A separate permit was issued to the Midtown Business Association (MBA) and T & M Organization for the Arts for Sunday's Midfest Summer Celebration at the park. In the final hours bef

Special events like the Midfest Summer Celebration must meet general guidelines available on the city Department of Parks and Recreation website. Applicants are required to notify residents at least seven days before the event. Sending out a team to notify people at their homes or leave information on doorsteps and doorknobs is OK, said Hindolo Brima, spokesperson for the city Department of Parks and Recreation. Residents must be notified in the most heavily impacted areas, which are determined based on how loud the event is expected to be and what kind of parking issues and restrictions there will be, he added. For this event, the residents who have to be notified live in the area betwe

Adventure-seeking canines will be the stars at Saturday’s grand opening of the Sutter’s Landing dog park. Sutter’s Landing Regional Park, once a city landfill, is already a top spot to take Midtown dogs due to its setting on the American River. The three-acre dog park offers chihuahuas, labradors and St. Bernards a new leash-free place to play with their companions. The park includes shade canopies and trees, a dog drinking fountain, fencing and separate areas for large and small dogs. The park is covered with decomposed granite and recycled mulch, which the city estimates will save thousands of gallons of water each year. Staff from the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation and Ci

 Sacramento will be able to start work on turning a vacant parcel at 19th and Q streets into a small Midtown park, but it is unclear exactly when that will happen. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced last week the city will get $600,000 in grants to clean up brownfields, which are industrial or commercial properties available for redevelopment but unused or under-used due to real or perceived environmental contamination. A third of the grant monies, $200,000, will be used to ready the site near R Street Marketplace for recreational use, said Hindolo Brima, spokesperson for the city's Department of Parks and Recreation. The park will be less than five acres and feature an u

As a new resident to the Sacramento area, I recently discovered and fell in love with Mckinley Park. Yesterday, was my third visit; unfortunately, it may also be my last.  What I witnessed yesterday was nothing short of appalling and disappointing—appalling because it appears that Sacramento residents do not care about wildlife or the environment, and disappointing because it appears that the City of Sacramento does not care about wildlife, the environment, or the residents of Sacramento. The above photos clearly illustrate what I witnessed yesterday at the duck pond.  Loaves and pieces of bread were left on benches, inside the pond, and all around the pond.  Empty plastic bags that once

An article in the SacBee today discusses a Legislative Analysts’s suggestion that junior colleges either drop PE classes, or that the colleges be paid less to offer them than the level of state funding provided for classes that are deemed more academic in content. These are the one-unit classes that are offered in subjects such as golf, tennis, and bowling. The inference is that these classes are not worthwhile and don’t deserve to be subsidized at the same level as other classes. This seems like an odd standard to apply. As the article points out, students wanting to graduate or transfer are typically required to have one of these classes. What the article doesn’t point out is that that

Ever wonder how those park ponds, including Howe Park, Gibson Ranch, and Hagan Park, magically always have fish?  Well, thanks to California's Department of Fish and Game's, Fishing in the City program, people of all ages may enjoy the sport of fishing.  Fishing in the City  works with several organizations to stock area ponds, educate the public on helpful fishing techniques and ethics.  Several days throughout the year, fishing clinics and derby's are offered free or for a low cost to all community members.  Coming up on Saturday, February 21, 2009 the Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park district is offering their annual Fishing Derby at Howe Park Pond, 2201 Cottage Way Sacramento 9582

This upcoming Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 6-10pm, Friends of Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District is having their Annual CRAB FEED in Howe Park, 2201 Cottage Way, Sacramento 95825. Tickets are $35 per person by 5pm Friday, February 6 or $40 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at the District office, 2201 Cottage Way, over the phone at 916-927-3802, or online at www.fecrecpark.com Funds raised from the ticket sales and the variety of Silent Auction and Raffle items contribute to children scholarships for programs offered by Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District. Programs include the summer Adventure Club, Ballet, Cheerleading, Soccer, Swim Team, Synchronized Swimming

Below is the letter that is being voted on by the board of the Winn Park/Capitol Avenue Neighborhood Association (for those unfamiliar with WPCANA, we are the neighborhoods between K and R Street from 19th to 29th, recently adding a few blocks around Fremont Park to its area. The policy shift doesn't actually streamline the planning process--it moves responsibility from Parks & Recreation to Development Services, and changes the appeal body from Parks & Recreation Commission to Planning Commission, but doesn't actually take out any steps. It has not yet been approved (emails are still coming in) but I expect it to pass, and join letters by NBNA and other neighborhood groups in formally opp

In my efforts to market our product I took many things into account including sustainability, person to person contact, responsibility and creativity. Our vision as a company is to truly be part of a community while reporting the news. With that said we are doing a lot of our marketing at ground level, passing out grocery bags at farmers markets, meeting neighbors one by one and truly being part of a neighborhood.  We are also doing a few creative campaigns using less than traditional tools. I hope you look forward to seeing us in your community. If you see our work and love it or think we can improve please feel free to comment and join the conversation.   

Have you noticed anything different about Southside Park lately? You may have seen the signs or the fencing around the lake and wondered what exactly is being changed in Southside Park and why. It started years ago with a meeting in the community. According to Hindolo Brima spokesman for the Department of Parks and Recreation, "[The Department of Parks and Recreation] hold periodic meetings within the community and usually send out invites to people in that [surrounding] neighborhood, saying 'Come in, we're remaster-planning this park and we want to know what you want to see at this park.'"  Brima stresses the importance of engaging the community on these remodeling projects because of

Please see "Playing in the dark" by clicking on the Storyline tab to the right. This article is a follow-up to "Playing in the dark."   The NBA season is rapidly approaching and many youths will be heading out to shoot hoops in their neighborhoods. However, depending on where a child lives, he our she may have few opportunities to play outside.    John Anderson, a regular at the Southside Park basketball courts, laments that many parks are taken up by soccer and picnic tables preventing him from playing football. Dy'Andre O'veal, another regular at the courts, adds that, "we don't really have a place where there's room to play football." Thus, after-school activities are limited to TV, t