Heron

Here's a pic from a neighbor of a heron in a pine tree at the very top of Risinghill.

Need MFSC Assessment Brochure?

If you need a new Meadows FireSafe Council 2009 Assessment Request, please email me at:
greg.stanton@dilbeck.com

If you post a comment to a blog posting but haven't registered, it comes through as an Anonymous post and I can't tell who needs a copy.

Thanks,
Greg

FireSafe Assessments Deadline

Today was the deadline for returning requests for assessments to be performed by the FireSafe Council. We only had 16 returned requests and have to think that there are more properties in need of fire-prone tree removal. Also, the assessments are a great way to learn how you can further reduce the propensity for fire.

So, if that Meadows FireSafe Council mailer that was sent a few weeks ago is sitting in the "to-do" pile, grab it, complete it and return it to be included in this year's grant work.

And please tell your neighbors to do the same. A group effort will continue to make us fire safe.

Hunter / Bear Baiting Update

An update from a neighbor on on the bear baiting:

Hello all....
I just got this info from someone who lives in Millard Canyon responding to our reports of possible bear bait near the water tower off the fire road above Risinghill Road.


"I don't know about the donuts, but don't worry about the kibble and avocados placed there two weeks ago. They were placed there by a well-meaning man who released three raccoons there who had been caught in a trap in town. He hiked them all the way up there in order to give them a chance at freedom well away from the Angeles Crest Highway."

So, maybe what we have seen is not bear bait at all....though it does leave me wondering about the camo sleeping bag and padding, etc. that was found on the water tower itself. Is it possible that the other stuff had been there for some time and nobody noticed it until now????

Hunter Update

From our TownCouncil Rep:

Dear Neighbors:
Please know that there have been sightings where the Millard Canyon water tank is and at the end of Risinghill road in the Meadows area of illegal hunting/poaching activities. Call the sheriffs immediately at 626-798-1131.

Watch for: camouflage hunting blinds, snares, traps, bait piles (with animal kibble, donuts, and ripe avocados and/or apples), camping gear such as foam and sleeping bags left nearby. The pattern is to place bait repeatedly in the same location for a period of weeks until local wildlife becomes accustomed to it, then lay in wait for the animal(s) one wishes to kill.

Because of prior activity from Joe Clay, who describes himself as "Black Rambo" watch for vehicles, especially a white Bronco (CA lic# 1FEC322) or any truck / van with blacked out windows parked in or near the Forest that do not appear to be hikers or that are left parked at odd hours of the night or early AM.

Use extreme caution. Clay is armed and has been known to set fires as a way to divert attention from those who might try and chase him. He has a record of game violations and a conviction. Document what you see, but do not approach him.

If you see such activity, call the sheriffs ASAP at 626-798-1131. They are aware of the recent sightings and will contact the DF&G warden as well as alert the Forest Service.

Thanks to alert neighbors in the Meadows area for working together with others in the foothill regions of Altadena.

Home Invasions

From the Star News:

Home invasion robbers disguised as cops make off with cash


ALTADENA - Several men barged into a home and stole about $2,000 in cash and other items after tricking their victim into believing they were police officers.

Several men knocked on a a 42-year-old man's door in the 3400 block of Fair Oaks Avenue at about 8:50 p.m. Thursday, wearing dark-colored police officer-type uniforms, gun belts and armed with handguns, authorities said.

One man was wearing a baseball cap with the word "Police" on the front.

Authorities said the victim believed the men were police officers at first but became concerned when he did not see a marked police are in front of his home and noticed the men were wearing tennis shoes.

The men then forced the victim into a bedroom, handcuffed him at gunpoint, demanding to know where the victim's safe was. The victim's arms and legs were tied up and socks were placed in his mouth.

The victim was not injured and no one else was home at the time of the robbery, authorities said.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Altadena Sheriff's
station at (626)798-1131.

Bear Baiting at Top of Risinghill

Please be aware that evidence of illegal baiting has been documented at the top of Rising Hill.
The concern is that Joe Clay is back hunting. Please use extreme caution and call the sheriffs immediately if you find any further evidence.

Oiseau Design

From PasadenaNow.com, an online article about Meadows resident Jonatan Damian!

Oiseau Design is a full service landscape design company located in Altadena, California. Almost a decade of experience working with and meeting the demands of discerning clients makes Jonatan Damian particularly qualified to see projects from concept to completion. He is committed to working with the client to achieve his or her landscape vision while paying particular attention to the necessities of the site and a home’s architectural style.

Jonatan Damian was born and raised in Mexico and Southern California, where a home’s garden is considered as critical an element as its interior spaces. After graduating with a degree in Environmental Design from Art Center College in 2000, he performed freelance design work for a number of clients creating everything from graphics and company logos to furniture. In 2001 he was invited to participate in the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, a home furnishing design showcase in Italy, where he presented and received high praise for a chair molded from Kevlar and aluminum.

In 2003, he joined the prestigious landscape design firm, Christine London Ltd. in Beverly Hills, where he was Lead Designer for five years. It was here that Jonatan honed his considerable design skills and applied them to a wide variety of landscape projects, which included everything from English to minimalist gardens, playhouse and outdoor furniture design, and lighting.

For more information or to contact Oiseau email Jonatan at jonatan@oiseau-design.com

Altadena Hazardous Waste Roundup

There will be Hazardous Household Waste Roundup on May 16 in Altadena.


LA County DPW Maintenance Yard
Figueroa Drive and Grandeur Ave.
(Between Mountain View and Figueroa, west of Lincoln Ave.) 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Sponsored jointly by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and the Department of Public Works. The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Program gives Los Angeles County residents a legal and cost free way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals that cannot be disposed of in the regular trash.

THINGS WE WANT YOU TO BRING...
* Motor Oil, Antifreeze, Paint, Paint Thinner.
* Turpentine, Cleaners with Acids or Lye.
* Pesticides and Herbicides.
* Household and Car Batteries.
* Old Computers and Television Sets.
* Sharps or Used Needles.
* Expired Pharmaceuticals and Mercury Thermometers.

THINGS WE DON'T WANT YOU TO BRING...
* Explosives, Ammunition or Radioactive materials.
* Waste from Businesses will NOT be accepted.
* Trash or Old Tires.
* White Goods such as Washers, Stoves, Refrigerators or Air Conditioners.
* Controlled Substances.

HOW TO PREPARE...
* In general there is a limit of 15 gallons or 125 lbs. per vehicle.
* Bring items in a sturdy box, preferably in their original labeled containers.
* Be prepared to leave your containers.
* Do not mix products together.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL:
* THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICTS - (800) 238-0172

The Bear(s) are Really Active in The Meadows

Neighbors are still to be cautious as numerous bear sightings are being reported.

Here's one account:
"A neighbor on Sunmore came face to face with a big ass bear on our trash night (sic: assuming Monday night). He heard a noise and went down driveway. The bear was in a neighbor's trash cans. He put the flashlight on him and saw how big he was. The bear went over fence between his and and another neighbor's fence. "

From Greg: I do think he (they) go from Risinghill to Sunmore, through the brush to El Prieto behind my house. I found bear prints a second time on my patio and leading past my front door.

2009 MFSC New Assessments

Brochures were mailed out this weekend to all Meadows residents announcing the plans for the 2009 Meadows FireSafe Council grant project. Please watch you mail this week for the brochure and respond as needed.

The new grant will again tackle brush clearance in and around The Meadows along with continued tree removal of fire-prone trees and bushes.

We will be conducting assessments again in the coming months. If all the work on your property was completed with the last 2008 effort, there's no need to reply. If these is new work or you didn't participate in the 2008 assessments, please complete the form and return it to the council.

Any questions, please email the blog. And please talk to your neighbors about participation. We want to do everything we can to make The Meadows fire-safe.

Street Number Curb Painting Help!

From a neighbor: Does anyone know how to contact these folks?

I was wondering if either of you knew how to get a hold of the outfit that just came through the Meadows recently offering to paint the address numbers on the curb. This particular outfit called themselves Curb Appeal & actually painted the numbers on our curb incorrectly, which I noticed too late (they painted 4345 instead of 4354), after I'd already given them the check for $15.

I didn't keep the flier they left & have not been able to find them through directory assistance or on the Internet. Just trying to get them to come back & correct their mistake

Any help you can lend me, or perhaps in finding another outfit to correct their error, would be greatly appreciated

Bear in Backyard

The bear is making its way to El Prieto. I awoke to huge bear paw prints on my side and front patios this morning. My guess is that it is coming through the brush from Risinghill over to El Prieto. This happened about a year ago too. Seems the bear comes through the brush, checks out my pond at my patio, then makes its way past my front door to the street. Sorry I wasn't awake to take pictures!

Bear Back in The Meadows

Here's a series of emails that have been posting today regarding the return of a bear to The Meadows. The headline is that a large bear is appearing at the top of Risinghill as early as the afternoon. Please be safe and that includes your pets as well.

Here is the string of emails, all very interesting conversation:

FIRST EMAIL: Hi Meadowans!

Who else would it be? It is Day Ryan...again. This time to inform you of the above.

We who live at the top of Rising Hill, Canyon Crest and El Prieto usually see the proof of the bear on Sunday and Monday evenings...the nights before our trash pick up...and view it as no big deal.

Well now the bear has been hanging around a little more frequently and what concerns me and my parents is that it has been much earlier in the evening.

This past Monday evening my dad spotted the bear while coming home at approximately 9:30P. It ran from our neighbors driveway across the street and down towards the canyon. Last night at 9:00P, my dad heard our trash can fall over and could hear the bear rummaging though the trash. My dad banged on the door in our garage and the bear moved to the end of our driveway. eating something it found. I ran to the window and could see this BEAUTIFUL beast and I must say it is a WHOPPER in size! It then waddled across the street to Lacy's yard and walked towards the back and I'm sure up the hillside.

Now, I am no Jack Hannah nor work for the National Geographic however, I strongly believe that it is a pregnant female. When I say that it was waddling...it was waddling like it was carrying a heavy load!

I wanted to sound the alarm to you to just PLEASE be careful when you come home after dark, take the garbage out or go to your car no matter what time it is. Again, I have been accustomed to knowing that the bear would come down the mountain during the hours of 11:00P until 4:00 or 5:00A.

Thanks for your time!!!

Day



SECOND EMAIL:
The bear was also spotted at the top of Risinghill on Sunday afternoon at about 4:30 by some hikers, and I saw it on Monday night at about 11:00 pm, standing in front of my house (4595 Risinghill). It went across the road and down into the canyon.This is the larger of the two bears that we see around. The smaller one is the one we usually see (small and large being relative - I would say that the smaller one is about 300 lbs, the bigger one is about 450), but the bigger bear has been around lately. It is much slower-moving than the smaller one, holds its head a little lower, and is not as willing to move away when it sees people. It was dark when I saw it, of course, but from what I could see it did not look pregnant. It would be an odd time of year for a bear to be in an advanced pregnancy - they usually give birth in January then disappear for a few months nursing the cubs in a den. Although, with global warming and generally messed-up weather, nothing would surprise me anymore. (But wouldn't it be incredibly exciting if we got to see baby bears being raised in our neighborhood?! that would be so great!)The bear in front of my house was very busy eating something, but I couldn't see what it was. I went to look the next morning, and it had dug up some of the ground above the retaining wall and disrupted things a little, but I still couldn't tell for sure. There are a lot of snails around this time of year, and snails and slugs are yummy yummy bear treats, so maybe it was that.Both of 'our' bears are quite chubby - and that's a good thing. That means that they are getting plenty of their natural food supply and that they are healthy. A healthy, full-bellied black bear is not generally a threat to people. Remember that almost all the scary 'person-eaten-by-bear' stories are about encounters with brown bears (grizzlies), not our black bears, which are generally harmless unless you provoke them, scare them (in such a way that they feel cornered) or get between a mother and cubs. Because of where we live, pretty much any time we leave our houses there is the chance of encountering our native wildlife. As Day says, we just need to be alert to our surroundings, keep our pets and children under control and where we can see them, and when we do encounter wildlife, stay calm and enjoy the experience.



THIRD EMAIL:
Thanks for the information regarding the bears. A possible explanation for their return is that someone appears to be putting out food (pellets and ripe avocados) by the water crossing on the fire road, just East of the El Prieto trailhead. Don't know what the intentions are for this, but just wanted everyone to be aware of it -- especially those walking dogs.


FOURTH EMAIL:
I have a strong suspicion that the person(s) who are putting any type of food out is the deer hunter. Unfortunately, he is also known (by the Dept of Fis & Game) to illegally trap and hunt bears.
A couple of months ago there was a mound of dog food foing by the water tank when you cross the small creek in the fire road.


FIFTH EMAIL:
I'm willing to go pick up any food (bait) that anyone sees left out on the trails. I'm home during the day so I can do it in daylight. The only problem is, I don't know our trails well at all (not a big hiker), but if someone can maybe email me a map with the trails marked, so I can figure out where I need to go, I can make it my responsibility to get stuff like that off the trails whenever anyone sees it. Plus I can use the fruit for any baby animals that I am rehabbing at the time.

Flood Maintenance on Loma Alta

From L.A. County Public Works - Flood Maintenance (this is the area between Lincoln and Chaney Trail, just north of Loma Alta - often referred to as the wash.)

I want to give you a heads-up for our upcoming maintenance at Lincoln SPS. Other than the routine minor grounds keeping, we really haven't done any serious maintenance at the SPS for the 2 yrs take I have been assigned here.

But, the SPS, especially the big pile of dirt at the southern end (visible from Loma Alta Dr.), has been scarred by deep erosion during the last two storm seasons. We want to go in and do maybe 1-1/2 week's work dressing up the hill slopes. All work is confined on site. We will have no hauling of material in or out. Other than a single piece of rental earth work construction equipment operating, there will be a water truck for dust control, small PU's for the supervisors checking on the job, and a fuel tender for occasional re-fueling of the equipment.

The work is necessary. We plan to begin 2 week from now. Hours of operations is from 7:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., M-F. Pls notify on our behalves the HOA, and any other concerned citizens.

LAFD Fire Alerts

From our TownCouncilperson:

With what has been called one of the best on site alerts for emergencies/calls that involve the Los Angeles Co. Fire Dept, you may subscribe to LAFD alerts.

The alerts range from (forgive me, not to be morbid) car accidents, building fires, a recent jump from a cliff, chlorine spills-anything that will call the fire dept out may be sent out as a brief alert. You will get an alert before the news hears and reports out.

Where I care is when fire happens. This is immediate, on site, and probably the best immediate source of emerging information for those who want it as it develops. Because this is so immediate, there is a note that the alerts are NOT meant to replace official instructions or calls for action. So far the amount of emails have not been overwhelming. I suspect that may change when a fire erupts...but for me, that is ok. In those situations, I want all the info I can get.

Below are instructions should you want to sign up. You can also read their blog.--Alice Wessen, Altadena Town Council

LAFD_ALERT messages are *not* official instructions or authorization to take action. We do not guarantee the timeliness or accuracy of LAFD_ALERTs. Do not reply to this message. After-action reports of significant incidents can be found at: http://lafd.org/blog For further information - or to join LAFD_ALERT: http://lafd.org/alertTo unsubscribe from LAFD_ALERT, send email to:LAFD_ALERT-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com