Policy

Conservancy letter supports UC's fire plan addendum, by Jon Kaufman

In response to a request for public comment, the Conservancy has written a detailed letter in support of the University's plan to implement its grant from FEMA to make the hills above our homes more fire safe. The plan is extremely detailed and addresses all the concerns that have been raised during the years long federal environmental review process

President's Message: Oakland steps up to the plate, by L. Tim Wallace

I can now say with confidence that all three FEMA-funded grants—Oakland’s, the Park District’s and UC’s—are set to move forward. Thanks to excellent media coverage, the public is now better informed about the need for wildfire prevention projects and better understands the responsibility that comes with providing a safer environment for all. 

The Sierra Club corrects its record on its vegetation management strategy for the East Bay hills

Reprinted from the online Yodeler, September 16, 2015, with permission from the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club.  For a copy of their flyer prepared for members and the public, click here.

As we slog through our fourth year of drought and once again watch wildfires devastate communities all across California and the West, we must acknowledge that the hotter, drier conditions we face due to climate disruption are not going away.

Reduce the fire hazard, don't litigate, by L. Tim Wallace

After 10 years, FEMA finally has issued its Record of Decision (ROD) on grants to reduce the fire danger posed by the eucalyptus trees in Claremont Canyon and the East Bay Hills. The ROD is not ideal. The Claremont Canyon Conservancy would have preferred the original draft that enabled the three grant applicants (UC Berkeley, the City of Oakland and the Regional Park District) to use the funds as each saw fit, rather than requiring all three grantees to use a “unified approach.”

April 2014 fire in the canyon, by Joe Engbeck

April 2014 fire in the canyon, by Joe Engbeck

THE ALARM SOUNDED AT 11:21 am. A fire of unknown size and origin was burning in Claremont Canyon. The cell- phone caller who was first to alert the Oakland Fire Department, reported a lot of smoke in the upper canyon not far from the intersection of Claremont Avenue, Grizzly Peak Boulevard and Fish Ranch Road. It was Tuesday, January 21, 2014—well into the driest winter ever recorded in the East Bay.

Costs for growing large eucalyptus trees will sky-rocket, by Jerry Kent

AGENCY DECISIONS ABOUT GROWING large blue gum eucalyptus trees may be as risky as Frank Havens’ Mahogany Eucalyptus and Land Company of the early 1900s. That enterprise ultimately went belly-up when Havens’ 3,000 acres of eucalyptus trees in the East Bay Hills failed to become a “gold mine,” proving to be unusable for hardwood lumber.

From the president's desk, by L. Tim Wallace

THIS WILL BE THE CONSERVANCY’S TENTH YEAR anniversary, and we want to celebrate it with you—not only on November 6th at our Annual Meeting (mark your calendars), but throughout the year. At each of our nature walks, at each of our stewardship days where ever they may be in Claremont Canyon, at each of our special events, we all hope you join us and become part of the discussion about the local treasure that is Claremont Canyon.

Honoring our members, by Marilyn Goldhaber

HONORING OUR MEMBERS: From our founding in 2001, we have encouraged nearby residents and community organizations to support the Conservancy by becoming Founding Sponsors with a commitment to contribute $1,000, either all at once or over ten years. We are pleased to list in our Spring 2011 newsletter, in approximately the order the commitments were made, our first 209 Founding Sponsors.

President's message, by Barry Pilger

AS SUMMER TURNS TO FALL Claremont Canyon can take on a special beauty after our recent relatively wet spring and mild summer. A drive up Claremont Avenue, or better yet a walk onto a canyon trail, whether through Garber Park, from Four Corners to the chert, or a more ambitious hike from the Stonewall trailhead to Grizzly Peak Boulevard and back, is just what one needs to be reminded of the natural beauty that is right in our backyard.

Wildfire hazard reduction and resource management plan-an update, by Pat O'Brien

ON APRIL 20, 2010 THE PARK DISTRICT Board of Directors unanimously approved the Park District’s Wildfire Hazard Reduction and Resource Management Plan and its accompanying EIR. The approval followed six years of hard work by staff, consultants, natural resource specialists, planners, cooperating agencies, and the public, and will pave the way for important fire hazard reduction work to begin in Claremont Canyon and several other East Bay Hills regional parks.