Welcome to the Municipal Code page!  Below you will find some information about specific parts of the code as it applies to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park.  For the entire code, please refer to the City of Riverside’s Municipal Code.

Plant and animal removal
Many visitors to the park love to simply come and bask in the wonder of nature.  Other visitors come for specific projects for school or work.  The Ameal Moore Nature Center is always excited to partner with students and organizations in the name of science and education and looks forward to these visits.  However, some visitors come into the park seeking to remove plant or animal matter from the premises.

The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park is a refuge that shelters nearly 100 plant and animal species that are classified as rare, sensitive, threatened, or endangered. Because of this, it is illegal to remove anything from the park including (but not limited to) clippings, carcasses, feathers, and any other plant or animal material. Protection for all life within the park falls under the Municipal Code Sections 9.08.102 and 9.08.010.  The sections have been provided below at the end of this blog entry.

If you or your organization is interested in doing educational research at the park that involves samples and specimens, special permission and permits may be issued by the City of Riverside Parks and Recreation department on a case by case basis.  Please contact them with any further questions regarding specimen collection for research and educational purposes.  This LINK will take you to the Parks and Recreation city web page.

Section 9.08.102 Injury to or destruction of park property.
No person in any park shall:
A. Destroy, cut, break, deface, mutilate, injure, disturb, sever from the ground or remove any sod, earth or growing thing including, but not limited to, any plant, flower, flower bed, shrub, tree, growth, or any branch, stem, fruit or leaf thereof; or bring into or have in his/her possession in any park any tool or instrument intended to be used for the removal thereof except as approved and allowed by permit

Section 9.08.040 Animals protected.
No person shall hunt, frighten, disturb, chase, set a snare for, catch, injure, or maltreat any domestic or other animal within a park, nor shall any person fish with hook and line, seine, trap, spear or net, or by any other means, in any pond, lake, stream, or water within a park, except at a place especially authorized and provided for such purpose. This prohibition shall not apply to law enforcement personnel, nor to animal control officers, nor to City employees or contractors acting within the scope of their official duties or contract obligations.

Pets and pet clean up
The park is home to many wonderful hiking trails and visitors often bring their dogs.  Dogs are permitted at the park but visitors must follow city codes.  All dogs must be leashed (with the exception of official canines) and cleaned up after.

Section 8.04.050 Leash laws–Dogs
No person owning or having charge, care, custody or control of any dog shall, either intentionally or unintentionally, cause, permit or allow the same to be or run at large upon any street or other public place, or upon any unenclosed lot or place in the City or upon the private property of another without permission of the person owning or in possession of such property unless such dog is restrained by a substantial chain or leash and is in control of a competent person; provided, however, the provisions of this section shall not apply to any official police dog while such animal is on duty.

Section 9.08.020 Dogs permitted; leash requirements; exceptions; conditions.
A. Dogs permitted on-leash. Except as herein provided, no person owning or having charge, care, custody or control of any dog shall permit or allow the same to be in a public park unless such dog is restrained by a leash not more than six feet in length and under the control of a competent person able to restrain such dog.

Section 9.08.050 Animals; Removal of feces.
Any person causing, permitting, or allowing any animal, bird, or reptile owned or possessed by him, or any animal, bird, or reptile in the custody of control of such person, to be present in any park pursuant to the provisions of Section 9.08.030 shall immediately pick up and properly dispose of the feces in a bag or other container, and its removal from the park and disposal in an appropriate depository.