California needs dedicated wildfire prevention funds, as per the Mercury News

California needs a long-term, dedicated source of revenue for wildfire prevention.

It’s inconceivable that the Legislature failed to take action in 2020 to address one of the state’s most pressing issues. Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers must not let another year pass by without making a serious investment in wildfire prevention.

The Aubry's Tree of Hope

We wanted you to know that the 1991 “Tree of Hope” was lit on Thanksgiving night in honor of all those who have perished from the virus. We will also light it from Dec. 1 to Jan. 1 to remember all the souls we have lost in California fires over the years. We want to especially thank our daughter, son in law and grandson (Janae, Lawrence & Christopher) who came over from Sacramento with their masks and managed to put the 1,000 lights on our “tree”.

Wrap up of Annual Meeting, Sunday, November 15, 2020, 4-6 PM, by Marilyn Goldhaber

Via Zoom

Great attendance in spite of the virus

We had a great turnout for our first online Annual Meeting (full recording is here), with an estimated 70-80 attendees (57 screens!). After a brief update from the Conservancy board, we moved on to our invited speakers, Carl Pennypacker of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, head of the FUEGO (Fire Urgency Estimator in Geosynchronous Orbit) Project and Nick Luby, Deputy Chief of the Fire Operations Bureau, Oakland Fire. The speakers were followed by a question and answer period.

How to join a Zoom meeting

Recommendation: You might want to download the Zoom app ahead of time. But you can go directly to the meeting, as described below, without the app. The app downloads automatically the first time you use Zoom.

From Phone

  1. Call either 669-900-9128 or 253-215-8782.

  2. You will be prompted to enter the meeting ID 832 6139 0800, followed by #.

Web Browser

  1. Open Chrome (or other browser).

  2. Go to join.zoom.us.

  3. Enter the meeting ID provided by the host/organizer (832 6139 0800).

  4. Click Join. If this is your first time joining from Google Chrome (or other browser), you will be asked to open the Zoom client to join the meeting.

Joining a meeting – Zoom Help Center

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Claremont Avenue and UC Fire Trails will be closed 9 am- 3 pm, weekdays between November 17 —January 15 for Claremont Canyon Evacuation Improvement Project, UCB Facilities Services

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The project is comprised of fire fuel mitigation work along upper Claremont Ave. on lands owned University of California, Berkeley (UCB). Project activities will take place within UCB Property 100 feet of the edge of pavement along Claremont Ave. The location of work is indicated on the map below, labelled as EST-3. Total project area is approximately 18 acres.

Comments of Stuart Flashman to UC DEIR

In our view there are impacts that have not been adequately addressed in the DEIR, and some of these impacts should cause the University to reconsider the range of alternatives analyzed in the EIR. In particular, the EIR should accurately analyze the long term environmental and fire risk benefits of the proposed Alternative A, submitted by Professor McBride, including that alternative’s recommendation that the Plan’s fuel reduction approach should commit to removing eucalyptus and Monterey pine (“pine”), rather than simply ‘thinning’ these species that pose such a high degree of fire risk. Based on the flaws to be identified in this letter, the Conservancy feels it is imperative that the University consider options beyond those identified in the DEIR. Because that will significantly affect the analysis presented in the DEIR, the Conservancy suggests that a revised EIR adopting a more complete and robust eucalyptus/pine removal strategy as the preferred alternative will need to be recirculated for additional public comment.

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Response to UC Hill Campus Vegetation Management Plan by the Claremont Canyon Conservancy

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The New Reality

The increased number and severity of wildfires in California over the past three years illustrates that we are in a new reality. Hotter summers combined with drought, longer, warmer falls and more prolonged Diablo winds, and now lightning, all brought about in large part by climate change, have altered our environment and increased the likelihood and danger of wildfires. (See notes A-D) Firefighters and government officials are telling us that once a wildfire gets started, our only recourse is evacuation. (See note E) The UC Hill Campus Vegetation Management Plan acknowledges this reality by making evacuation routes safer, removing highly flammable vegetation within 100 feet along Centennial Drive, Claremont Avenue and the Jordan Fire Trail. So far, so good.

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Comments from Jerry Kent regarding UC's Draft Plan and EIR

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The following comments are submitted by Jerry Kent on behalf of the Claremont Canyon Conservancy in response to the draft UC HILL WILDLAND VEGETATIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT PLAN/EIR (WVFMP/EIR). The Conservancy has been a strong supporter of University efforts to mitigate fire hazards on the Hill Campus since the 1991 fire. Including the significant fire hazard reduction improvements that were achieved by removing eucalyptus, pine, acacia, and other flammable planted and invasive vegetation between 2000 and 2007 in Claremont Canyon, at Chaparral Hill, and along the partial and incompleted joint EBRPD and UC Grizzly Peak Boulevard Ridgetop Fuelbreak.

A list of organizations endorsing a joint powers agency can be found here

  • Claremont Canyon Conservancy

  • Friends of the Montclair RR Trail

  • Garber Park Stewards

  • Kensington Neighbors for Wildfire Safety

  • Kensington Public Safety Council

  • Make El Cerrito Fire Safe

  • Montclair Neighborhood Council

  • North Hills Community Association

  • Oakland Firesafe Council

  • Oakland Landscape Committee

  • Piedmont Pines Neighborhood Assn

  • Regional Parks Association

  • South Hills Beat 35Y.

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