ARCATA, Calif. – Experience the majestic beauty of ancient redwood stands on a guided hike with the Bureau of Land Management along the Salmon Pass Trail and immerse in the wonders of nature.

These hikes in the southern part of the Headwaters Forest Reserve are planned for weekends from mid-May through mid-November at the south end of the Reserve. Registration on Recreation.gov  is required for each outing. Registration will open on March 17. The BLM will announce hike dates and open registration two months before each hike. The registration links on Recreation.gov will close three days prior to each hike. 

Hikers can expect to cover three miles in the outings that last three to four hours. The trek is moderately strenuous, with 360 feet of elevation change.

The 7,472-acre Headwaters Forest Reserve protects the world’s last intact, old-growth redwood forest ecosystems. It supports threatened species including coho salmon, the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet.

The BLM Arcata Field Office manages the Reserve in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to protect old-growth redwood groves, other forest stands, creeks, and wildlife.

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Bar Exam

Teen who enrolled in law school at age 13 becomes youngest person to pass California bar exam

By Debra Cassens Weiss

November 19, 2024, 8:51 am CST

A 17-year-old girl has beaten her brother’s record to become the youngest person to pass the California bar exam.

Sophia Park passed the California bar Nov. 8 when she was 17 years and 8 months old, report YourCentralValley.com, the Sun-Gazette, the Visalia Times Delta, KMPH, ABC News and a Nov. 13 press release.

Park’s brother Peter Park was 17 years and 11 months old when he became the youngest person to pass the California bar in November 2023. Park will join her brother working for the Tulare County district attorney’s office in California.

“I don’t think it was extremely difficult,” Park said of the bar exam in an interview, according to YourCentralValley.com. “But I do think there was difficulty in how much you had to put into your brain in a limited period of time.”

Park graduated from the Northwestern California University School of Law in 2024. The school offers online instruction and is accredited by the State Bar of California, according to its website.

Park first considered a legal career after a sixth grade career survey said she should consider the profession.

Park started law school at age 13 in 2020 while she was in junior high school. During her freshman year of high school, she concluded that her work there was taking up a lot of her time, so she took and passed the California High School Proficiency Exam.

Park worked as a summer intern at the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office at age 16 and has been working as a law clerk in the Tulare County district attorney’s office. She will begin work as a prosecutor after she is sworn in as a licensed attorney in March 2025 upon turning 18, according to the press release.

“I wanted to work for the prosecution,” Park told the Sun-Gazette, “because I like the idea that I get to represent the people of the state of California, keep our community safe and make sure that justice is served.”

Park’s record may be surpassed by her younger sister, who is 14 years old and in her second year of law school, Park told KMPH. Her younger brother, who is 8 years old, also wants to be a lawyer; he dressed as one for Halloween.

Leah Wilson, the State Bar of California’s executive director, told ABC News that passing the bar is a “remarkable achievement” that follows Peter Park’s similar success last year.

“Passing the state bar exam at any age is a tremendous accomplishment, and to do so at 17 is truly exceptional,” Wilson said.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Bakersfield Field Office plans to conduct prescribed fire operations of up to 120 piles of downed hazard trees, branches and understory brush in the Walker Pass Campground and 75 piles in the Keysville North area of the Keysville Special Recreation Area. Burn operations will commence on Oct. 26, and will continue through the end of 2023.

Some of the pile burns will take place in the surrounding areas of the Chimney Peak Recreation Area, located just off of California State Highway 178 and at the junction of the Owens Peak and Cache Peak segments of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail in Kern County. Burn operations in the Keysville North area will be located west of California State Highway 155, near the communities of Wofford Heights and Lake Isabella in Kern County.

“The prescribed burns are part of a multi-year fuels reduction effort to strategically reduce hazard trees; remove ladder fuels, which can feed flames to the treetops; and overgrown brush on the forest floor,” said Bakersfield Field Manager Gabriel Garcia. “These treatments improve landscape health by removing hazardous fuels near developed recreation areas and campgrounds and help increase protection of the BLM facilities.”

Planned burning will take place only when weather and fuel moisture allow for safe and successful operations. Smoke may be visible in the area for several days once burning operations are complete.

The Bakersfield Field Office remains under fire restrictions due to dry conditions and high wildland fire danger. The seasonal fire order will remain in effect until further notice. Fire personnel will take additional precautions while conducting prescribed burns during fire restrictions. The public will be notified when current restrictions are rescinded.

The BLM is committed to keeping public landscapes healthy and productive. Updates will be provided by BLM using the #RxBurn through its social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, please call the BLM Bakersfield Field Office at 661-391-6000.