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Los Padres National Forest
Welcome to the 2024 Figueroa wildflower season!
Spring has sprung, and the wildflowers are are doing the same.
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Figueroa Mountain Wildflower Guide
Beautiful wildflowers can be found on Figueroa Mountain at various times during wildflower season as well as throughout the Los Padres National Forest. Normally, the wildflowers start blooming in late February to early March and continue to April or May. Weather plays a big role in when flowers bloom and how long they stay. Use this guide to help you identify the wildflowers this spring on Figueroa Mountain.
Features
Los Padres' Communication Center's Michael Kendrick Wins R5 Golden Mic Award
The work performed day in and day out by employees assigned to the Los Padres’ Communication Center often flies under the radar despite the LPCC’s critical role in dispatching resources to everything from traffic collisions to missing persons, and smoke checks to emergency wildfire incidents. The seven-person staff navigates the fast-paced operations from their facility on the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Lompoc.
Each year Forest Service dispatchers compete for the Golden Mic award which recognizes the exemplary communication skills, efficiency and professionalism of a select few. Winners of the regional award then go head-to-head with their peers from across the country for the national Golden Mic.
This year, Dispatch Captain Michael Kendrick at the LPCC grabbed the PSW Golden Mic and will represent the Region in a showdown for the national award.
Congratulations Michael and good luck in the national competition!
Following Extensive Repairs, Rockfront OHV Area Reopens to the Public
One of the more heavily impacted recreation sites from the severe 2023 winter storms was the Rockfront OHV area in the heart of the Santa Lucia Ranger District. Winding through 15,328 acres of challenging terrain, the area provides 41 miles of four-by-four trails that traverse rocky canyons up to ridgelines with spectacular vistas of the Cuyama Valley. Thousands of off-highway enthusiasts visit Rockfront each year, and many consider it one of the crown jewels of OHV recreation on the Central Coast.
After the roads were cleared for work, Santa Lucia’s Dozer 3 crew made its first foray into Rockfront in September 2023 to begin working on the main access road. The dozer’s four-person crew consisted of Mike Fuerch, Sean Kenney, Lorenzo Castillo and Robert Taylor.
