Park rangers will be citing campers on the American River Parkway Thursday after a 48-hour notice ordering the homeless population to stop illegal camping expires, weather permitting. “We have to enforce the law,” said Zeke Holst, Sacramento County Regional Parks spokesman. The notice was posted Tuesday at around 11 a.m. “It’s illegal to camp in the parkway, and it’s our job to enforce the law.” If it is raining heavily, Holst said rangers will hold off until a clear day. If it remains clear, Holst said rangers will approach campers in the parkway on Thursday and issue $115 citations to those who refuse to leave as well as confiscate and hold camping gear and other belongings. Campers

A multi-agency fire protection project is now underway to remove potential fire hazards in high-risk fire sections on the American River Parkway. The work, which kicked off on Nov. 29, is funded by grant money and will take place on Regional Parks property adjacent to homes and subdivisions. “Until this grant money was secured, there had not been adequate resources available to improve the level of fire protection in these high risk areas,” said Steve Flannery, Chief Ranger for County Regional Parks. “The primary objective of this project is to reduce the risk of fire burning up into the tree tops because canopy fires are often destructive, fast moving, and difficult to control. Lower tre

The steelhead trout and Chinook salmon of the American River have the Bureau of Reclamation to thank for restoring more than 15,000 tons of gravel to increase spawning habitats. A popular spawning site along a two-mile stretch of river below the Nimbus Dam had become too shallow to allow the fish to properly reproduce. “Space was limited. Eggs were laid on top of other eggs. Survival was not what it could be,” said Bureau of Reclamation Fisheries Biologist John Hannon. With the Nimbus Dam blocking downstream flow, Hannon said the good spawning gravel was being carried away by the current without being replenished. Gold mining in the 1800s had left many of the river’s side channels dried

Bicyclists are gearing up for a Sunday ride to benefit the American River Parkway, which faces reduced funding this year. By Monday afternoon, 233 people had already signed up for The Rex Ride, a barbecue/party centered around an up-to 60-mile, low-key ride on the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail -- also known as the American River bike trail. The 32-mile, multi-use trail is used year-round by virtually everyone in Sacramento's huge cycling community, said event organizer Steve Rex, who owns Rex Cycles bike shop in Midtown. "It's huge. It's the focus of the cycling culture that's really rich here in Sacramento," said Rex, 47. A serious cycling injury last fall isn't stopping Rex and his wi