This fall marked the 30th anniversary of the 1991 Tunnel Fire, also known as the Oakland Hills Firestorm. This devastating wildfire began on October 19, 1991 as a small brush fire that was quickly put out, only to revive again the next morning with a surge of strong Diablo wind. Embers still hot from the previous day flared into flames that whipped through dry brush into pines and other dry vegetation and then to homes surrounded by eucalyptus groves at the wildland-urban edge, completely overwhelming fire personnel tending the scene.
Monarch butterflies take flight, by Marilyn Goldhaber
It is always a delight to see a West Coast Monarch as it heads from the mountains across the state and down the coast to winter refuges like Santa Cruz and San Diego. Photographer Erica Rutherford was lucky to come across her butterfly seen resting on a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). Overwintering habitats are increasingly compromised and fewer individuals of this once common species were observed last year, which was concerning to nature lovers and butterfly watchers.
20th Annual Meeting Speaker Keith Gilless—November 21, 2021
RSVP: info@ClaremontCanyon.org or call 510-843-2226
Dear Friends and Neighbors
Please join us at
The Claremont Hotel
Skyline Room
Find Your Weather
Now that you’ve repacked your go bag and supplies in your vehicle—that’s off-street, if possible, and pointing towards the street—you can follow, in real time, our local weather: windspeed, temperature, and humidity from a state-sponsored sensor located at the top of Claremont Canyon near the intersection of Fish Ranch and Claremont Avenue. You can also find local air quality from PurpleAir. There are privately placed sensors all over the hills and elsewhere. One is near the intersection of Alvarado Road and Claremont Avenue.
From Elizabeth Stage, vice-chair of the North Hills Community Association and a Claremont Canyon Conservancy board member.
Tree of Hope ceremony October 20, 2021, by Russ and Annette Aubry
October 20 Tree of Hope:
The Russ and Annette Aubry invite their neighbors in the Oakland Hills who lost their homes in 1991 or new owners who have moved into homes in the fire zone area to join at their private property on Grizzly Peak Boulevard. The Aubry’s have been lighting the “Tree of Hope” for 29 years to remember family and friends that perished in the fire. It is a reminder that “we will not forget” all the lives that have been lost in California fires.
Conservancy Files Brief in Alameda County Superior Court, by Jon Kaufman
Supporting Increased Vegetation Management in UC’s Hill Campus
Our brief was filed on August 27, 2021. It states that UC’s Plan and EIR do not go far enough to assure adequate wildfire hazard reduction, siting the additional work that UC must do.
Fuel levels must be reduced beyond what UC proposes if the campus itself and the homes located nearby are to be spared in a future wildfire
Eagle Scouts maintain trails, by Michael Mensik
L. Tim Wallace, Rest in Peace
Trees of Eucalyptus Path, by Jo-Anne Ting
Evacuation on my mind, by Sue Piper, Chair Oakland Firesafe Council
Now, 30 years after the 1991 Firestorm and three years after the Camp Fire, which killed 85 people on the one road out of Paradise, evacuation is on many people’s minds. The problem, as I learned in 1991, is that in a crisis, you think with your gut. Oh, if we only had opportunities to practice evacuation many times over so that when the real threat appears, our minds know exactly what to do.
The Hermit Thrush, by Marilyn Goldhaber
The Hermit Thrush is a medium-small brownish bird with spotted breast, white eyering, and pink legs. Although it prefers a dense cover, it can be found in urban settings, especially on the border of forests. The bird pictured to the right was photographed in November by Erica Rutherford in her backyard at Hiller Highlands—the photograph then posted to Kay Loughman’s local wildlife gallery (nhwildlife.net).
The Chert Wall
The Claremont Chert, named after our own canyon, is a type of marine sedimentary rock. It consists of hard, fine-grained silica, plus more friable shales and mudstones from ancient siliceous skeletons of microscopic creatures. These tiny skeletons and other materials were deposited over millions of years in off-shore basins—when the shoreline of the California coast looked quite different from today.
An awesome Earth Month in Garber Park, by Shelagh Brodersen
Walking in Garber Park just became easier—and safer—thanks to the many volunteers who came to the park during Earth Month. Eager to once again be out in nature, we formed small groups on three consecutive weekends in April to pull weeds and haul them down to a dumpster provided by the City of Oakland.
President's spring message, by Jon Kaufman
Over the past year, we’ve had to curtail our group stewardship activities, but our board has been busy on other fronts. Recently, we met with the general manager of the Claremont Resort and Spa and were assured a spacious conference room for our annual meeting in November, if all goes well. While our Zoom meeting last fall was a success, we look forward to seeing everyone in person. In addition, the hotel, along with PG&E, plans to continue to manage hazardous trees on the back of its property for fire safety and better egress
UC's Evacuation Support Project, by Marilyn Goldhaber
Claremont Avenue above Alvarado Road was transformed this past winter as part of an ongoing fire management program carried out by UC’s Facilities Services. Eucalyptus and other trees that could fall across the road during an emergency or ignite close to the road were logged along with brushy understory, within 100 feet of edge of the pavement . The total project area was approximately 18 acres.
Coastal Cleanup Day coming in September, by Dillon Hanson-Ahumada
This past year I’ve had the opportunity, as many of us have had, to work from home. I feel especially lucky to be living at the doorstep of Claremont Canyon with its many great trails. When I need to take a break, I often step out for a quick tour around the 1.5-mile Loop Trail of Garber Park. I enjoy the beauty and peacefulness there while I gather my thoughts about all the things I need to do for my job at the National Resources Defense Fund.
Petition filed against UC's Vegetative Fuel Management Plan and EIR
Despite urgings from us, and others, UC failed to make last minute amendments its Plan and EIR to reduce the risk of wildfire on its Hill Campus beyond versions of released in July, 2020 (the Plan) and January 2021 (the EIR). In response, the Conservancy has filed a petition with the Superior Court as we believe both the Plan and EIR, in their present forms, violate state law.
We would like nothing better than to work cooperatively with UC to make its vegetation management plan robust enough to counteract the increased wildfire risk imposed by climate change and increased fuel loads in the upper campus area.
Letter to the Park District: Work needed near homes on Stonewall Rd
Our concern in writing you today is the condition of the upper eucalyptus woodland in the Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve. The woodland is situated behind homes along Stonewall Road in what the District calls polygon CC001. While the lower part of the woodland has been managed for years, the upper part remains untouched and is densely overgrown with a vast accumulation of dead leaves, branches and duff underneath. It is clearly a fire hazard. It also attracts unauthorized campers.
Ca. Insurance Commissioner's wildfire transparency rules for homeowners
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — After hearing from many Californians about their frustration and confusion over how insurance companies rate properties for wildfire risk, today Commissioner Ricardo Lara proposed new rules to give homeowners and businesses open access to their properties’ wildfire risk scores.
California needs dedicated wildfire prevention funds, as per the Mercury News
California needs a long-term, dedicated source of revenue for wildfire prevention.
It’s inconceivable that the Legislature failed to take action in 2020 to address one of the state’s most pressing issues. Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers must not let another year pass by without making a serious investment in wildfire prevention.
