Monterey Ranger District: May 16, 2011
Thanks to the hard work of dedicated employees of the Los Padres National Forest and Federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Monterey Ranger District will have a new district headquarters located in King City CA. The new building will replace a 37 year old wooden structure on Mildred Street that has served the Forest well for over three decades. The new office will be far more efficient for employees, will be LEED certified and will enahnce the esthetics of King City.
Congressman Sam Farr from the 17th District was on hand today to help break ground with Mayor Robert Cullen of King City, Monterey County Supervisor Simon Salinas, District Ranger Sherry Tune, Deputy Forest Supervisor Ken Heffner and of course Smokey Bear.
Other dignitaries included liaisons from the Esselen Tribal Council who provided a short tribal ceremony and asked for a blessing on the land. Children from Santa Lucia Elementary sang folklore songs and entertained guests by a rousing rendition of Smokey the Bear.
The Monterey Ranger District is one of five administrative districts on the Los Padres National Forest,originally established as the Monterey Forest Reserve in 1906.
Today the Monterey Ranger District encompasses 330,000 acres extending from Monterey-San Luis Obispo County line to Carmel River Valley, from the Pacific Ocean to the Salinas River. The area is known for its rugged and scenic vistas from sea level to over 5,000 foot elevation. Eighty seven percent of the land is designated as wilderness.
The District has had very large wildfires through ought history due to steep topography, narrow canyons, heavy fuel loading and difficult access. Over 400,000 acres have been consumed by wildfire, many sparked by dry lightning.
Information and Photos Copyright, Jeff Zimmerman, Zimmerman Media LLC
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