On the last glorious day of August we had a small but mighty contingent of workers who showed up ready to clean Evergreen path and work at Garber Park, replaced the wire mesh treads on the stairs at the entry and more! Half Claremont Resort and Spa employees and the other half local neighbors who steward our open spaces, we filled about 40 green waste bags! Thank you Waste Management for picking up our bags and thank you, Claremont Resort and Spa for providing wonderful sandwiches and nice cold drinks after our work day. To join a future workday, please send us an email at info@claremontcanyon.org.
(Story by Nancy Mueller | Photo by Wyllie Clayson)
Take a look at this self-guided slide show by Jerry Kent, former Assistant General Manager of EBRPD, which chronicles wildfire history, community/government responses, and current solutions to wildfire threat in the East Bay Hills. More information on our website and on Oakland Firesafe Council's page.
The recent wildfires on Maui and in western Canada remind us of our own situation here in the East Bay Hills with large amounts of dry vegetation, strong seasonal winds, hot weather, and difficulties with egress down narrow, winding roads. To avoid a catastrophe like Maui experienced in July (and our neighborhood experienced three decades ago), we need to stay vigilant about our risks and know what we can do to lessen them.
The cities of Oakland and Berkeley
Important actions are being taken on city levels: Berkeley voters approved Measure FF in 2020 to fund a number of wildfire mitigation programs in the hills, including vegetation management. In Oakland a long-delayed, revised vegetation management plan is expected to emerge this fall. We hope it will prove adequate and can be followed up by a ballot measure to fund it.
Regional Planning
At a regional level, a Memorandum of Understanding creating a coordination group will enable the two counties, the cities and the fire districts in our area to formally and officially coordinate wildfire prevention programs. It will go before the individual jurisdictions for consideration this Fall. All of us need to work together and participate in these and other efforts.
Fireproof your home and prepare for emergencies
The Oakland Firesafe Council website has detailed, free, and print friendly wildfire safety preparedness resources.
Some helpful tips include:
Firescaping to create a defensible space around your home
Home hardening to reduce the chance of burning embers from lodging in your house
Parking safely to help fire trucks pass on narrow streets
Adopting a fire hydrant by clearing brush from the hydrant near your home
If a red flag warning is issued, make sure you are ready to evacuate.
The rise in temperature increases wildfire danger
As we experience heat waves in the Bay Area, we highly encourage our neighbors and friends to prepare in case of a fire.
Sharing our list of useful tools:
Subscribe (on all your devices) to AC Alertsand prepare to evacuate if needed.
Take a look at the following guides for more useful information and checklists : The Oakland Firesafe Council, Oaklandside, Berkeleyside, and the City of Berkeley 2021 Household Fire Weather Planning Tool (a few comments are specific for Berkeley, but most of the document is spot-on for people in our neighborhood).
Be well, stay safe, and help your neighbors stay safe!
All levels are welcome! Wear sturdy shoes, dress in layers and bring your favorite water bottle. Tools are provided.
Visit this 13-acre park and help restore its native wild habitat (we meet year-round). Meet at the Fireplace below the Evergreen Lane entrance. For more information or questions contact Wyllie.
Join us at Signpost 29for a day of restoration (1.5 miles up Claremont from the intersection of Ashby/Tunnel Rd.) aswe work to restore and maintain pathways, remove invasive broom and collect litter. More information Here. Questions? Contact us at info@claremontcanyon.org.
We would love to hear from our members and others who are out hiking or otherwise observing nature in the canyon. Send us your pictures and we will feature one each month.
California Pink Honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula), a beautiful native vine or shrub spotted near the heritage oak along the Willow Trail at Signpost 29. (Photo: Nancy Mueller)
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The photo above was taken by Eugene Chislenko while hiking along the ridge. Pictured is Chuck Goldhaber and his whippet, Starlight.
Trails are open
All trails are open and accessible throughout Claremont Canyon. For maps and complete information on trails click here. Please stay safe and take all items and pet waste out with you.
