Members of the conservancy’s board of directors spent much of the past summer working with UC Berkeley Forestry Professor Emeritus Joe McBride developing a plan to manage vegetation in Strawberry and Claremont canyons. I am pleased to report that Joe’s plan is now available at www.claremontcanyon.org/fuel-management-proposal. We urge UC to follow the plan as it is the standard for how to minimize the damage of a future wildfire.
Restoring the high ridge meadow areas above Claremont Canyon by Glen Schneider
Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem. The Skyline Gardens Alliance has been doing just that in the high ridge volcanic area between Tilden and Sibley regional parks. This is East Bay MUD watershed land, traversed north-south by the Skyline Trail. Under special permit from EBMUD, we are doing a botanical census …
Introducing the Oakland community preparedness and response program by Doug Mosher
In light of continued wildfire and earthquake disaster threats to Oakland, the Oakland Firesafe Council has begun a new program called Oakland Community Preparedness and Response (OCPR). The program, which launched in September, will help citizens and groups in the Oakland hills and foothills—both high- risk areas due to the “very high-hazard wild fire zone” at the Wildland-Urban Interface and the 120-mile-long major earthquake zone along the Hayward Fault—to prepare for these threats. The goal is to bring about fewer injuries and deaths and lower financial losses in the event of a major disaster, such as a wild re or earthquake.
Roadside clearing by Nancy Mueller
This season the Oakland vegetation management unit, under the leadership of the incomparable Vince Crudele, made significant progress in reducing vegetation on city and public roadside properties. Major thoroughfares in our area include Tunnel Road, Skyline Boulevard, Grizzly Peak Boulevard, Hiller Drive, Clarewood Drive, Panoramic Way, and Claremont Avenue. I’m pleased to say that Oakland is doing its job in the hills along major roads and near open spaces.
A wildland-urban hike: Gwin Canyon to Garber Park by Sandy Friedland
(Note: Do this hike with a friend because two cars are required for a short shuttle.)
This moderately difficult 3.5-mile route begins at Signpost 29 and finishes at the Claremont Avenue end of Garber Park. The hike traverses parkland trails and parts of the neighborhoods above the Claremont Hotel, where many of the lovely houses were rebuilt after the 1991 Berkeley-Oakland Hills fire.
Summer update, by Jon Kaufman
Conservancy volunteers were busy in June and July working on the trails in our canyon, while efforts to make us safer from wildfire were moving forward at UC, in Oakland, and in Sacramento.
In June, our volunteers relocated a small section of the Willow Trail, where it had become a seasonal creek, and a little further up the trail moved a creek crossing where erosion had begun to weaken one of the corners.
Slide show chronicles wildfire history in East Bay Hills, by Jerry Kent
Click on the image for a self-guided slide show. Contact us for a presentation with this slide show.
Eagle Scouts widen the Gwin Canyon Trail, by Jon Kaufman
Here are some of the 25 members of Joe Lewis’ Boy Scout Troup widening the Gwin Canyon Trail. The portion of the trail on UC property is now fully widened and enough broom on the EBRPD property portion was pulled to make it easily passable.
President's Message, by Jon Kaufman
At its March meeting, the Conservancy Board of Directors elected new officers—including Marilyn Goldhaber as Vice President, Nancy Mueller as Secretary, Kay Loughman as Treasurer, and myself as President. Tim led this organization with dedication and a steady hand for much of the past 18 years. Fortunately, we are not saying goodbye to Tim; he will remain on the board as a member-at-large.
I begin my term with a shout-out to retiring president Tim Wallace.
Oakland reconsiders vegetation management in biennial budget, by Elizabeth K. Stage
Oakland’s current $4 million funding level for vegetation management, for which the Conservancy and other local organizations lobbied hard, will need our support again soon. In February, the city’s finance director, Katano Kasaine, told the City Council that these funds, to be spread over two years, were a “onetime appropriation” and thus were not included in the baseline budget.
UC awarded $3.6 million grant for its Hill Campus by Jerry Kent
After more than a decade of disappointments in its failure to obtain funding to assist with vegetation management and wildfire protection, the University of California is once again hopeful as it has been awarded a $3.6 million grant from Cal Fire.
UC’s Grant Proposal to Cal Fire: The University of California at Berkeley proposes to treat vegetation in 250 acres in its Hill Campus (upper parts of Strawberry and Claremont canyons) to reduce wildfire hazard to its buildings and nearby homes, targeting areas forested with “flammable eucalyptus and high fuel volume.” UC will also create defensible space within 100 feet of roads, fire-trails, buildings, and homes and increase the reliability of the 150 KV transmission line that supplies power the campus and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Summer Tanager in Claremont Canyon, by Jon Colbert
To bird is to listen. And once you know the vocalizations of the local birds, an unusual bird stands out. That’s how Erica Rutherford and I discovered a summer tanager last fall in the Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve. Within minutes of stepping out of our car on the October 30, we heard “pit-ti-tuck,” a vocalization reminiscent of an expected (albeit out-of-season) species, the western tanager . . . but not quite. So, when we heard “pit-ti-tuck” again, we ran.
Survey of members–summary of findings, by Marilyn Goldhaber
Members Tell Us What They Think - Summary of findings from 2018 Survey (click here to download tabulations).
On November 12, 2018 we began an online survey of members and friends of the Claremont Canyon Conservancy for whom we had email addresses (N=523). We followed up three weeks later by a mailing to non-respondents and additional member households for whom we did not have email addresses. By the close of our survey in January, 2019, a total of 180 persons responded, either electronically (N=105) or by sending in their survey through the mail (N=65).
The failure of planning to address the urban interface and intermix fire-hazard problems in the San Francisco Bay Area, by Joe McBride and Jerry Kent
(Article originally appeared in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, January 7, 2019. Reprinted here with permission from the authors.)
(Many recommendations) for fuel mitigation and architectural changes have not been addressed. In spite of the recommendations for fuel management put forth in more than 30 plans since 1923, no region-wide action has taken place. Individual agencies and local Fire Safe Councils have, in part, followed up on recommendations for fuel management on land they administer, but often a complete adoption of recommendations has not taken place. The failure to enact all of the recommendations of these is due to various combinations of the following reasons:
Managing a Changing Oak Woodland, by Shelagh Brodersen
Workshop attendees on the hillside planting native forbs and grasses after the removal of the old oak which had succumbed to “sudden oak death.”
THANKS TO EVERYONE who made January 12, 2019 such a fun and exciting start to this year’s restoration work in Garber Park. The recent removal of the old oak tree at the Evergreen Lane entrance, due to its earlier demise, gave way to a most timely, information-packed and fun workshop by Lech Naumovich. The workshop focused on the changing ecology of the Evergreen Hillside and was aptly named: Managing a Changing Oak Woodland: Oak Woodland Restoration Post-Climax.
The old oak came down on Thursday, January 10, the first sunny day after a week of down-pours, just in time for the weekend workshop. And what a fantastic workshop it was. From Lech: “ I estimate we planted over 100 plants (plugs, containers, cuttings plus we caged three coast live oak seedlings). What a great group and we got quite a bit of work done.”
Winter Bird Walk, December 8, 2018
Once again our intrepid little group of birders, led by Dave Quady, headed out on a chilly morning in December before dawn to listen for owls. After hearing the hoot of a Great Horned Owl, all retreated home to warm up with coffee and breakfast before regrouping at 8 A.M. at the top of Claremont Canyon. We saw thirteen bird species, all expected in Claremont Canyon at this time of year. We feel fortunate to have Dave as our leader. He is always full of information and good cheer and has birded in our area for many years.
Annual Meeting
Sunday, November 11 was our 17th Annual Meeting at the Claremont Hotel. The meeting began with a moment of silence to remember those who perished or who were adversely affected by the recent wildfires in Butte and Ventura counties. We also took a moment to honor our veterans, as our meeting occurred on Veteran’s Day.
Wildland-urban interface fire prevention: who is in charge? by Jon Kaufman
PG&E’s community wildfire safety program by Robert Sieben, MD
FEMA update on grant to UC
Directly across the road from Signpost 29 (center of photo) are the remaining eucalyptus slated for removal on UC land in Claremont Canyon. UC is currently negotiating with FEMA to get funds returned so their wildfire safety program can move forward. Trees seen along the ridgeline (top of photo) are on EBMUD property. These are being thinned over time as an alternative to complete removal. (Note: As of December 2019, grant funds to UC were withdrawn by FEMA. Similarly-sized grant funds were subsequently provided to UC by CalFire.
