Mountain Lion on Risinghill Canyon Side

A neighbor just reported that a mountain lion was seen this afternoon on the hill of the canyon on the Risinghill side. Please take caution.

National Night Out

National Night Out Tues., Aug. 5, @ Loma Alta Equestrian Center

Just received from the Altadena Sheriff's Station:
National Night Out is an event designed to strengthen our communities by encouraging neighbors to engage in stronger relationships with each other and with their local law enforcement partners. The goal is to heighten crime-prevention awareness, build support and participation in local anti-crime programs and most importantly, send a message that our neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. It’s also the perfect opportunity to get to know your neighbors even better. All are invited -- see you there.


Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 5-10 PM
Loma Alta Park Equestrian Center

Altadena Sheriff’s Station Posse and Altadena Mountain Rescue Team are scheduled to have static displays for youth. Crime Prevention and Neighborhood Watch information will be available to the public. Free giveaways for children will be available.


A new one of a kind mobile interactive educational bus that will highlight the SHARE (Stop Hate and Respect Everyone) Tolerance program for fighting hate and intolerance in our communities will be displayed.

Final MSFC Report for 2006 Grant

Can you believe the grant we worked with this year was given to us in 2006? Here's a final recap of the work performed in The Meadows these past few months.

The Meadows FireSafe Council worked with two different vendors to complete our fuel reduction project. The first part of the project was fuel reduction in 26 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the 240 homes in the Meadows community. This work entailed the use of hand
crews to trim up bushes, clear brush, and cut down dead tree limbs.

The second part of the project took place within the developed land as 39 homes were identified as having trees that would pose a risk to the community in the event of a fire. The second vendor removed 72 trees of various sizes. These trees were selected using a criteria of those preventing access for fire department vehicles, dead and diseased trees, and fire−prone trees.

Lincoln Ave Water has completed their yearly brush clearance.

Captain Don Edwards of Camp 2 of LACoFD removed dead trees, skirted up live trees and removed three other trees to reduce fire risk to the homes in the Meadows.

Our dedicated group of volunteers continued to meet monthly and provide education to the community on the MFSC activities by handing out fliers and posting signs around the neighborhood. FSC members have also coordinated and supervised the work crews on a daily basis. In all, this portion of the project took approximately 9 weeks to complete with workers here in The Meadows daily.

We heard from many neighbors asking about tree trimming and further assessments. Since the grant funds were finite, the MFSC focused on the removal of trees as being the best use of the funds.

A new grant has been awarded to the MFSC for TWICE as much as the 2006 grant! We expect this new project will begin in late 2008 at the earliest. It's difficult to give a specific date as grant monies are metered out as they are received by the larger California FireSafe Council.

It is expected that we will continue to perform brush clearance, tree removal and hopefully tree trimming. In addition, an alert system has been built into the new grant budget. We will explore setting up a system in which neighbors can be called, emailed, texted, etc. in the event of an emergency.

Stay tuned for more news on this exciting next step. We continue to welcome more volunteers to the Meadows FireSafe Council and more involvement of our neighborhood.

Wood Chips

If you need wood chips for your garden, there's plenty to be had at the top of Risinghill Road. There are several mounds of wood chips from our tree removal efforts here in The Meadows. Wood chips are great in gardens to retain moisture during our hotter Summer months.

Lilies of the Canyon

Here's some pics of lovely Humboldt lilies growing in El Prieto canyon sent in from a neighbor.

Canyon Crest Road Clearance

The LA County Agricultural Commissioners Office, Weed Abatement is having the County Road Department do the road clearance on Canyon Crest Road. They're doing a great job.

Suspicious Characters

Our neighbor at the very top of Risinghill reported that a car with three 20-somethings may have been looking for a house to burglarize.

His ever-vigilante tenant, happened to be walking her dog last week when she noticed a car parked up by the yellow gate leading to the trails. Three 20-something guys were slinking down, obviously not wanting to be seen, but apparently casing his house. The tenant hesitated and then announced boldly, "You guys can wait for the cops to get here or leave now."

They immediately started the car and drove away. The tenant said to them as they passed her, “I have your license number.” She called the police and reported all the details.

The car is a black, late 90’s or early 2000’s Toyota Forerunner. License plate is a yellow New Mexico license plate with number 903-NSR. The driver was white, his two passengers were African-American.

Please, No Fireworks

The Meadows FireSafe Council has posted "No Fireworks" signs around the neighborhood.

Obviously, we can't risk any chance of fire given this hot, dry season. A couple of years ago, a neighbor did set off bottle rockets in the neighborhood. Please talk to your neighbors about the importance of not setting off any fireworks this Independence Day weekend.

Mail Stolen from Mailbox

A neighbor on Risinghill had their outgoing mail stolen Tuesday morning, July 1, from their mailbox. It happened between 7:30 am and 9:00 am. When another neighbor passed their mailbox this morning on the way into their driveway, she noticed the flag was up and the door was open. Inside was a torn, open gardening bill for someone else in La Canada from an Altadena address. She notified the homeowner. They had put a DVD and 2 more pieces of mail, one with a check. They were all gone!

This has been reported to the Post Office Inspections Dept. and Altadena PO and carrier. The Sheriff was called as well but they said they don't handle this and told the neighbor to call PO who have a special dept for this.

MFSC Update and Log Removal

The Meadows FireSafe Council has completed its efforts in brush clearance and tree removal in The Meadows. A full report of our success will be published on this blog and distributed to the neighborhood.

For those awaiting the log removal on the property, please know that this effort is being addressed. Hauling vendors have been contacted and will be contracted this week to remove the remaining logs. We had been using the efforts of a firewood vendor to remove the logs at no charge, but that effort has dwindled. We also had the L.A. County Fire Department removing the logs at no cost to the grant, but they've been pulled to addressed to fires in Northern California.

Vendors are submitting bids this week to complete the project at, hopefully, a small cost to the MFSC which is at the few remaining dollars left in the grant monies.

We appreciate everyone's patience as we complete this first major effort within The Meadows.

Mountain Lion Evidence

A caution for those hiking or walking down Canyon Crest:

Evidence of a mountain lion attack on a very sizable dog has been found in Millard Canyon.

Please be careful as you hike around The Meadows and for those walking down Canyon Crest. Last Summer, mountain lions were spotted at the bottom of Canyon Crest.

Habitat Rehabilitation

A new project has begun concerning habitat rehabilitation in the Lower Millard Canyon area below Canyon Crest. All of the home owners along the canyon side of Canyon Crest Road with properties that span the lower canyon have formed an ad hoc conservancy to rehabilitate and preserve the habitat and native plant communities.

This is a very sensitive and important wildlife corridor and, for the past several years, the area of Millard Canyon below the road crossing has been invaded by an increasingly varied group of non-native weeds that are choking out everything else and seriously threaten the ecosystem.

A $25,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) through their "Partners for Fish and Wildlife" program has been received to begin addressing this problem. This grant represents a long term contract and commitment. The grantees are working in cooperation with the San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy and have also attracted the attention of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

They are hoping to get a lot of community volunteer involvement in the project. The annual work period is limited (by nesting season) to August through February. They will be seeking volunteers for that period for both weekdays and weekends.

The problems are serious and the work will be hard (but rewarding). Because of habitat sensitivities, only a limited number of volunteers can be in the project area at any one time (so sign up early!). For anyone who may be interested, contact Michael Hickman at 626-398-6471 or vht@charter.net

Sheriff's Summer Concerts

The Sheriff's Summer Concert series at Farnsworth Park is posted on the following link:


http://altadenasheriffs.org/frames/ssgaframeset.html

Click on the Summer Concert Series tab on the left-hand side.

Tree Removal Coming to a Finish

The picture above was taken this past week as the workers removed three tall, fire-prone palm trees on El Prieto Road. Two workers hung in the air as they used chainsaws to cut the trees down. Unfortunately, one worker was injured when he cut his arm and had to be taken to the hospital for stitches.

The Steven's Tree workers have done an outstanding job in removing the trees. Please know this is hard, dangerous work.

Tree removal on thirty-eight properties has been completed over the past three weeks. There are still five more properties on the list for tree removal which we will attempt to address this coming week. The remaining funds in the grant are meager and are being used to address those trees that are a fire danger for the whole community.

A separate company was engaged at no cost to remove the logs left from tree removal. This effort started this past week and will continue through the end of the grant work. Funds are also being reserved to ensure all logs are removed should the second company not complete the work.

The Meadows FireSafe Council made the decision to address only tree removal as we knew the grant funds would not cover the tree trimming that was identified in the assessments. That work will be addressed in the 2009 grant that the FireSafe Council was awarded.

The FireSafe Council has also received many requests from residents who did not participate in this past year's assessments. We're encouraged that more and more residents are now aware of the FireSafe Council efforts and want to participate in next year's grant.


In a separate effort, tree removal and trimming will occur on five properties identified within a separate grant received from Farmer's Insurance. Those funds were targetted for our senior citizens and those on fixed incomes to assist with funding.

Altadena Community Garden Picnic June 28

This is a wonderful annual event in which several Meadows neighbors participate.

The Altadena Community Garden Picnic is June 28 – Please join us!
The Altadena Community Garden is located at Loma Alta Park, 3330 Lincoln Ave., Altadena, CA (at Lincoln Avenue and Palm Streets, just north of Altadena Drive).

Sunflowers
Tomatoes
Corn on the Cob
Collard Greens
Chinese Long Beans
Sun-ripened Blackberries
Summer Squash
Jalapeno Peppers
Okra
Rhubarb
…and Other Amazing Vegetables and Flowers!

Come taste the vegetables and smell the flowers at the Altadena Community Garden Annual Picnic on Saturday, June 28! Get a garden tour, meet our friendly local group of gardeners, enjoy the sweet sounds of the Brown Mountain Jazz Band, and eat great picnic food. Last year the picnic drew a crowd of more than 200 people.

The picnic is open to the public and the community is encouraged to attend! The event runs from 1:00 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be a raffle and a silent auction.

$8.00 for adults
$4.00 for children 6-12 years old (children 5 and under are free)

The Altadena Community Garden is located on the site of the former Mt. Lowe Military Academy. An Altadena community fixture since 1974, our diverse group of dedicated gardeners tends 59 standard and 4 handicapped-accessible garden plots at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. The Altadena Community Garden is recognized as one of the leading community gardens in Southern California, opening our gates to school children, field trips, and events.

Time to Vote!

Alice Wesson is a candidate for Altadena Town Council representing our Census Tract. She is also a fellow leader with FireSafe Councils representing the Chaney Trail area.

Alice has attended our neighborhood meetings and FireSafe Councils. Please consider supporting her at the upcoming elections on June 21.

More information is available at http://www.alicewessen.com/

Closest election site is at Loma Alta Park.

Tree Removal Underway

The removal of dead, diseased and fire-prone trees has been taking place over the past two weeks.

Ninety-seven trees were identified for removal during the assessment phase of this first FireSafe grant. A first sweep through the neighborhood took place last week in which "easy" removals were accomplished. This weeks efforts have been focused on the "harder" trees which include large and not easily accessed trees.

A decision was made by The Meadows FireSafe Council a few weeks ago to prioritize our efforts and the budget as we continue to learn the processes of managing our first grant. We're maximizing the budget as best we can. It made sense to use the remaining funds for tree removal first and will address tree trimming with any remaining funds.

So, stay tuned and stay engaged. We're making our neighborhood fire safe tree by tree.

Specifics on Upcoming Tree Removal

As we start the tree removal within The Meadows, here's some specifics:

• Trees will be removed with stumps left behind. These stumps will be approximately 10" high. The stump will be treated with Round-Up to kill the stump.
• Stumps will be untreated in slide-potential areas to prevent a slide during rainier times
• If you'd like chips for mulch or firewood from the tree removals, please let us know as this will reduce the amount of time and expense incurred and will allow us to address more of the fuel reduction issues.

We're doing our best to address all of the assessed properties. Please know that we have a limited budget and may need to adjust our scope as we move through the neighborhood. If anyone wants us to leave the logs for firewood or wants chippings left at their property, please let me know as this will reduce the number of man hours required for this job.

We're beginning Monday at the top of Risinghill and will move through the neighborhood over the next two weeks. I'll be calling each affected neighbor to confirm timing and selection of trees or bushes as each are marked over the coming weeks.

Please be patient as we move through this new process.

Meadows FireSafe Council in Action

The clearing of brush in the vicinity of the Altadena “Meadows” started in mid-April along the upper reaches of Rising Hill Road and in Millard Canyon. The work is being done by Gothic [full name needed] and funded by a grant from the California Fire Safe Council.

Contrary to the expectations of some, the area is not being clear-cut. Grasses are trimmed close to the ground and scattered. Trees other than oak, along with the taller specimens of the chaparral are trimmed up (“lollipopped,”—a descriptive word coined for want of a better term) instead of being removed. The smaller trimmings are run through a chipper where feasible, or else cut up into short pieces and left lying in place.

This technique results in a desirable balance between fire prevention and erosion control. The roots of plants that are left standing prevent erosion. The chopped up twigs, lying close to the ground, are not easily ignited, so that a subsequent fire can be easily managed, whereas without the brush clearance it could easily rage out of control. The chopped-up vegetation does further service in several ways. It discourages the growth of grasses which would support wildfires and helps prevent or limit erosion on the steep hillsides.

Oak trees are a protected species in California and are left untouched. Unlike other trees in the area, such as the laurel-leaf sumac, eucalyptus and evergreens, the oaks are not easily ignited, and it is therefore unlikely that they will contribute to the intensity of a fire when the area around them has been cleared of highly flammable vegetation.

Homeowners are responsible for clearing brush that lies within 200 feet of their buildings. The deadline for brush removal is May 15, and non-compliance can result in fines.

In El Prieto Canyon, the City of Pasadena sees to brush removal. That area is predominantly grass.

Tree and Bush Removal Begins

Tree and bush removals approved by homeowners during the assessment phase of The Meadows FireSafe grant, will begin the week of May 19, 2008.

On May 16, members of the FireSafe Council will be touring the neighborhood with Steven's Tree Service, the vendor that was selected for the job. Our L.A. County Fire Department representative, J. Lopez, has already begun marking the trees and bushes with a green marking on trees and orange tape on bushes. Marking will continue over the next two weeks.

If you are an owner that has given the FireSafe Council permission to do this work, please note the marking to ensure that they're correct.

If you’re interested in additional tree trimming (or other work) not covered by the grant, Steven’s Tree Service can be contacted at 626-794-6911.