The stay-in-place order has limited some Conservancy activities, but we continue to move forward to advance our advocacy for more and better vegetation management to mitigate the effects of future wildfires. In this regard, we are following the progress of the City of Oakland and the University of California as they hammer out their city- and state-funded wildland vegetation plans and EIRs. Both agencies are scheduled to release the next phase of their work to the public later this summer.
The upper canyon trails that Conservancy and student volunteers have built and maintained over the years continue to be used by people seeking recreational activity during the corona virus lockdown. We ask that everyone pay careful attention to the six-foot rule. We know that people going in opposite directions must pass each other, but danger is minimal as long as you do not stop to talk and engage with others. The risk of infection from the virus comes from droplets spread by infected persons coughing, sneezing, talking, and breathing close to you. We also ask that you take out with you whatever you bring in. There is no one to clean up after you. This last point applies at all times in Claremont Canyon, not just during the current stay-in-place order.
Finally, I would like to remember and honor Joe Engbeck who passed away in March. A co-founder of the Conservancy, Joe began—and set the standard for—this newsletter. For many years he served as the Conservancy’s vice president and more recently as a member of our Advisory Board. He was a personal inspiration to me when I joined the Conservancy board; and I will think of him especially when I walk along the Willow and Summit House trails and encounter the redwood trees he planted there.
Joe wrote extensively about the history of California and the American West, most recently in his incredible, 600-page tome, “Saving the Redwoods, The Movement to Rescue a Wonder of the Natural World,” released in 2019.
Joe was a natural leader. He was actively involved in many environmental movements since the 1960s, including Save the Redwoods League, Save the Bay, the California Historical Society, and People for Open Space. He was editor of the State Park System’s publications program and cofounder of the Claremont-Elmwood Neighborhood Association. Along with Afton Crooks, Joe organized the Friends of Claremont Canyon, a grassroots organization formed in 1972 to halt development in the canyon and create a permanent open space preserve. The Friends of Claremont Canyon later merged with the Claremont Canyon Conservancy in 2001. Rest in peace, Joe.
A link to Joe’s biography prepared by the Claremont-Elmwood Neighborhood Association can be found in here.
