The BigView
By Chris Murphy
Loving Our Earth and Community
This world was made for our littlest explorer. It’s a big world out there and we need to take care of it. April is National Volunteer Month, Earth Month, and contains Earth Day and Arbor Day as well as National Park Week – it’s a perfect month to find a way to engage with your community, do community service, and enjoy local events
There are so many wonderful places to explore right here in our community, but if you get a chance, don’t wait to visit our national parks. One of the most beautiful places in the world is two hours away. Yosemite inspires and is literally “awesome”. Easy trails, amazing waterfalls this time of the year, and views to take your breath away. Our wilderness guide James on the cover is leading the way to your Yosemite exploration. Don’t miss other National Parks like Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Pinnacles, Joshua Tree, Lassen, Channel Islands, and Redwood. These are east trips and you will learn a lot. These are valuable resources for us all to enjoy.
National Park Week is April 19 to April 27 this year.
Entrance fees will be waived (FREE) on April 19, 2025 to kick off the celebration everyone is encouraged to enjoy their national parks in person. National Park Service parks, programs, and partners will host events and activities all week! Follow National Park Week on social media and join the fun all week using #NationalParkWeek. Take your trail shoes, a back pack with snacks and hit the trails and go climb a rock!
There are 400 parks nationwide and learn about them all at www.nps.gov<www.nps.gov>
Fun Fact
There is a reason it’s called the National Park “Service”. These are wonderful and beautiful protected areas that are for the good of our nation, expose us to the beauty of nature and make sure that it can be enjoyed for decades to come and they are really good for our economy, especially places like Modesto that are on the way to a National Park.
In 2023, national park visitors spent $26.4 billion in local gateway regions, supporting 415,000 jobs and contributing $55.6 billion to the national economy, while the National Park Service’s operating budget was only around $3.1 billion. How’s that for the value of the travel and tourism economy? Visit Modesto is working local results with efforts like the Almond Blossom Cruise. For a small investment, huge and fulfilling results. These small expenses lead to greater returns. Visit a park soon and let your elected officials how important they are and make sure you thank a Park Ranger.
Love Modesto!
This is one of the best Modesto days. For 18 years, thousands of our local residents, gather to make a difference with nearly 100 projects and it’s amazing what we can all do together. There is truly something for everyone whether you are young or old, alone or with a group. You can make this a great family day by picking out a family-friendly project at Love Modesto to do on April 26. Get the kiddos exposed to helping others! Love Modesto is a great way to give children a sense of purpose and importance. Let your child choose which activity seems most interesting to them. There are currently over 20 “family-friendly and kid-friendly” activities and all will make a difference and Modesto will sparkle and shine. Projects range from easy labor to fairly hard effort.
Join everyone at 7 am, April 26 at 11th & I St. You can also purchase a pancake breakfast for a $10 donation, hand cooked by North Modesto Kiwanis. There will be dozens of vendor booths and a variety of snacks and drinks to sample.
Check out www.lovemodesto.com<www.lovemodesto.com> and click “Volunteer” to learn more and sign up!
RecFest is coming April 12th
Get your mountain bike or trail shoes on and join your friends at Gateway Park, which is a key section of the Tuolumne River Regional Park here in Modesto. Many people in our area have not explored this area and this is a great time to do it with info booths, guided bike rides, lectures and more. Throughout Gateway Park, different groups will be providing free recreational activities for the community to participate in birdwatching and nature hikes, youth fishing activity and more). All equipment and safety gear will be provided for participants to use during the activity at no cost.
RecFest is 9am-1pm on Saturday April 12th, 2025. There will be an info area with a variety of local organizations, recreation groups, and community-based organizations with information, resources, and activities for participants who stop by. But, it’s not just April 12, Gateway Park on South Morton in Modesto is always available to use, walk, ride and more. There is river access for human powered boats with a boat launch.
www.tuolumne.org/events/modesto-recfest-2025<www.tuolumne.org/events/modesto-recfest-2025>
Enjoy our Parks!
Thanks to Measure H, there are many parks that have had complete overhauls with new equipment, play and picnic areas. They are more accessible, more fun and able to handle more uses from kids afterschool to family picnics and neighborhood parties. Many of our parks have water features, some have pools that will open later this spring and most every neighborhood has a city park. The City of Modesto is currently doing a full study for what the people of Modesto want from their parks, so make sure you connect and say what you want. Most of all, enjoy our parks with your family. The more we use our parks, the more important they are.
Make sure you check out the Modesto Parks Activity Guide to learn about all of the programs available.
@modestoparksandrec on socials and www.modestogov.com<www.modestogov.com>
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Earth Day!
Every day we celebrate our earth, but on Earth Day, we all get together to share our ideas to make our planet cleaner, and learn about how we can do our part. Modesto has been a leader in Earth Day, hosting some of the first events and was the home of Ecology Action that lead to recycling programs back in the early 70s. You can read more about this in ModestoView.
Modesto gathers in our central park, Graceada Park on April 19 from 10am – 2pm. to share our environment experience. You can experience many vendor and information booths, as well as tasty treats and craft stations to teach conservation ideas. Here are just a few of the many activities.
* Modesto City Schools will share sustainability programs, student projects, free reuse market,
* City of Modesto will be giving away free compost and native wildflower seeds
* City and County will be there with information on programs and services
* OB Green will have paper shredding for a $15 donation to The Awesome Spot from 8am to noon
* Stop by the Modesto “Mo Beautiful” booth to learn about volunteer projects for Love Modesto
* Kiddos can play booth bingo and guess the weight of recyclable materials to win prizes
If you ride your bike to Earth Day, there is a free Bike Valet and the StanRTA busses are free to get to Earth Day. You can even get FREE Compost to take back to your yard and even learn how to compost.
Learn more at www.modestogov.com/earthday<www.modestogov.com/earthday>
Pollinator Festival.
There have been a lot of studies on pollinators showing that these vital insects that go from tree to tree, flower to flower are at risk. One of the ways that we help rebuild our pollinator populations is the creation of Native Plant Gardens. Modesto’s LaLoma Neighborhood has Modesto’s only Native Plant Garden that has become home to pollinators, a place to relax and enjoy and has become a learning place for protecting them and using plants that match up to our climate.
On April 5, from 10- 2pm, enjoy the Pollinator Festival. This is a free family event with many information stations, face painting, crafts, food trucks, music, and the most fun of all, a little “Pollinator Parade”. Kids are invited to dress up as their favorite pollinator and take a musical walk through the park. Awards will be given to the most creative costume. Event starts at 10, and the parade begins at 10:15 am.
LaLoma Native Plant Garden 2000 Encina Ave, Modesto. @lalomaneighborhood
Spring Skiing
This is the time friends. Sunny days, shorts and T-shirts, and a kick back attitude. Ski Bear and Dodge while you still can and don’t forget to get your season passes for next year when they are cheap. The Cali Pass covers both Bear and Dodge.
www.bearvalley.com<www.bearvalley.com>
www.dodgeridge.com<www.dodgeridge.com>
Stay Water Safe
Our friends at Modesto Irrigation District are getting ready for a busy water season. The rivers and creeks are running really strong this month and the storms are not over. As the snow starts to melt it will get stronger. Please watch out for dangerous currents and sudden drop offs. Stay away from the river edges as they are soft and may collapse. Be careful of cold temperatures, rocks and vegetation. Don’t take chances.
www.cawatersafety.org/
Protect your kids:
Watch kids in around water, including pools, without being distracted
Teach kids how to swim, in also in open water
Use a US Coast Guard lifejacket appropriate for the child’s weight
Learn what to do in an emergency without putting yourself at risk for drowning.
For more info www.safekids.com<www.safekids.com>
