CAMBRIA FOREST COMMITTEE
TO CONSERVE AND MANAGE THE NATIVE FOREST OF CAMBRIA
Meeting Minutes
November 11, 2015, 6:30 PM
Greenspace Office, 4251 Bridge St., Cambria, CA
Attending: Bruce Mumper, Crosby and Laura Swartz, Connie Gannon, Christine Heinrichs comprised a quorum. George Kendall; Laurel Stewart and Tony Church of NCAC; Nancy Anderson of Greenspace and Beautify Cambria also attended.
Ask the Experts Question and Answer: Local farmer George Kendall reported on the sediment basin he constructed on his property, about 2.5 miles up Santa Rosa Creek Road.. He constructed it about 500 feet from Santa Rosa Creek, 4.5 feet below grade, to capture runoff from rains, allow it to percolate down into the aquifer and recharge the creek during the dry season. USDA provided about $1,300 funding of the $16,000 cost ($10,000 construction, $6,000 permits). The basin can also help mitigate flooding by capturing runoff. This kind of project would increase water available to farmers along the creek if more were constructed. It could help the creek run longer into the dry season. “I want to see steelhead in the stream,” he said. “I have only seen babies.”
Minutes of Previous Meeting were approved with one change. Mike Coleman was the one who was given a gift card.
Treasurer’s Report: No disbursements or income in the past month. $1,051.60 in the account.
Sub-Committee Reports
Education/Planting/Mitigation/Operations: Crosby has invited SLO Land Conservancy conservation manager Daniel Bohlman to speak at the December 9 meeting. The SLO Land Conservancy owns several properties in and around Cambria and holds conservation easements which they maintain on others. The Forest Committee will provide advance information about his and the Land Conservancy to encourage community members to attend.
Website Update to Process Donations: Not yet accomplished, Christine Heinrichs will continue to pursue in the coming month.
Website Hosting to Improve Reliability: Christine will explore Digital West, which hosts Greenspace’s site, as a new host.
New Fundraising Ideas and Projects: The web site could be used for crowdfunding.
Forest Management
Cambria Forest Health Project Grant Implementation (Greenhouse Gas): Funds should be available in December. Connie Gannon expressed concern that local groups are not being heard.
Greenspace and the Forest Committee will provide their input to the draft project description as soon as it is available.
Western States Forestry Grant Status: Not yet awarded but first on the list of projects to be funded. Members expressed concern that funds be used only for the purposes for which they have been awarded. “We want to make sure the money is used in a way that is useful to the local community,” Crosby said.
Regular CDP Permit for CCSD Tree Removal. Bruce Mumper is on the FFRP board, which will meet the next day to discuss the MUP. He reported that Airlen Singewald of the County has said he thinks the CSD’s application for a regular permit can be rolled into an application related to forest management.
County Tree Replacement Policy: Christine posted a summary of the laws to the web site. The county has included a one-for-one replacement policy for dead trees in its letter to property owners.
Report From Fire Safe Focus Group: Connie Gannon is concerned about the letter sent to Bruce Gibson to revise the language in the North Coast Area Plan and Title 23 of the Land Use Ordinance to exempt hazardous fuel reduction activities associated with removal of dead and hazardous trees from the definition of “development.” Gibson encouraged the group to write the request, which could change the way development is covered in the permit process.
New Business
The December Meeting will be held December 9 at Rabobank with a guest speaker, Daniel Bohlman, conservation manager of the SLO Land Consrevancy.
Recommendations to NCAC on New Permit Applications: The Anderson referral package, 2315 Adams Street, to convert a garage into living space and build a new three-car garage with a living unit above. Full package at this link. The project will remove two mature oak trees and promises to replant eight, at the four to one ratio. The county does not enforce tree replacement nor keep any records. Laurel Stewart of NCAC’s Land Use Committee reported that for a permit for a property on Wilcombe, two trees, one alive and one dead, were removed before the permit was reviewed or issued. The Land Use Committee will address that permit again.
The subject of whether to consolidate lots or merge them was discussed. The legal difference pertains to the ability to sell property separately in the future.
Connie reported that a healthy tree was removed from a neighbor’s property. The county’s process is complaint driven. Possible wording for written complaints:
Date
James A. Bergman
Director, County Planning and Building
ATTN: Airlin Singewald, Senior Planner
County Government Center 1055 Monterey Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93408
Director Bergman and Planner Singewald:
A violation of County Code has occurred in the removal of a mature living tree at [Address] on [Date]. The removal of this tree [describe] was unauthorized and violates both the letter and spirit of Title 23 of the Coastal Land Use Ordinance and North Coast Area Plan
Although the CZLUO provides for fines, unauthorized tree removals are often done out of ignorance rather than design. We desire to work with our neighbors while impressing on them the importance of saving every living tree in our forest.
Code Enforcement states: “The main focus of our program is to prevent the illegal removal and usually permanent loss of native and protected natural resources. The majority of these types of violations are in the area of unauthorized grading, where runoff, creek siltation, habitat loss and flora and fauna takings regularly occur. We take a dim view of these types of violations, and seek prosecution of all responsible parties.
“Our unit is part of the San Luis Obispo Environmental Enforcement Group and the San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara Federal Environmental Task Force.”
I request that you contact the person responsible for this unauthorized tree removal to inform them of their infraction and assist them in making restitution by planting a new tree and contributing to positive efforts to conserve our forest.
Sincerely yours etc.
Unfinished Business: Chris Cameron, executive director of Camp Ocean Pines, and Don Kinestro, manager at Rancho Marino, will be invited to future meetings.
Meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm.
Next Meeting December 9, 2015
