CAMBRIA FOREST COMMITTEE
TO CONSERVE AND MANAGE THE NATIVE FOREST OF CAMBRIA
Meeting Minutes: February 8, 2017, 6:30 PM
Cambria Rabobank, 1070 Main Street
Meeting called to order and a Quorum established by attendance of directors Crosby and Laura Swartz, Connie Gannon, JoEllenButler, Alan Peters, and Christine Heinrichs. CCSD liaison Harry Farmer, Fire Safe Council Project coordinator Jim Neumann, Fire Safe Business Manager Dan Turner, Greenspace board member Nancy Anderson, and Cambrian reporter Kathe Tanner also attended.
Public Comment and Questions
Dan Turner introduced Jim Neumann who will be the point person on the ground leading the Fire Safe Council’s projects in Cambria. Contact him at 805-458-5864, type1logistics@gmail.com.
Minutes of January Meeting were approved as written. Christine will send minutes to all directors in future, not only the ones who attended the meeting. Meeting minutes are posted after approval on the web site.
Treasurer’s Report: Laura Swartz reported a total of $3,208.76 in the account. She paid bills of $365 for printing design and the post office box. The Forest Committee received two donations of $700. $215.91 of Grant #3 remains to pay for kiosk flyers and At Home in the Forest brochures. The new grant of $750 for Invasive Weeds has not yet been spent. Penny Church of the Historical Society has copies to re-fill the kiosk there. They are staying dry in the rain.
Sub-Committee Reports
Education/Planting/Mitigation/Operations
Invasive Weed Guide: Draft of text and some photos is now available. Comments are invited from all directors. Harry Farmer reports that patches of rare native Pink Oxalis are in Strawberry Canyon, up at the cemetery and at the end of Lancaster Street.
Jim Neumann is working with Alan and Dan to identify priorities for french broom eradication. He presented a map showing areas targeted for eradication. Fire Safe Council grant money will pay for work. Send names of vendors who will perform the work to him. Volunteers could be organized to remove it in some areas. Target for removal is March, while the soil is still wet.
County Permit Referral Packages: Crosby is still not receiving them.
Forest Management:
Forest Health Grant Meeting: Dan Turner reported that the Fire Safe Council will work with CSD on its grant application for a biomass cogenerator unit. The CSD’s Concept Paper is the only one that requests funding for a biomass cogeneration unit, so he is optimistic about it being funded. Check the All Power Labs web site http://www.allpowerlabs.com/ for information.
The Greenhouse Gas Fund Forest Health grants are intended for large landscape-scale projects, up to 750,000 acres. He will explore setting boundaries around Cambria, possibly to include part of Hearst Ranch, that have stands of forest. Applications could fund continuing work. Dan will send copies of the previous grant applications for directors to review and consider for updated submission.
Sudden Oak Death Survey Planning: Christine will call Mary Bianchi to find out dates for the SOD Blitz.
Endangered Species Status for Monterey Pines: Connie Gannon and Mary Webb of Greenspace met with Annie Aguiniga of State Sen. Bill Monning’s office. They brought the comments of State Parks and others to her attention. All three stands of Monterey Pine are in his district. Greenspace proposes creating a Special Tax District to fund management of all Monterey Pines. Connie has not yet identified parallel groups in Monterey or Santa Cruz Counties that could advocate for the Pines.
New Business:
Forest Health Program Grant application was discussed under Forest Management
Unfinished Business: Smartphone Forest Application: Amanda promised a report from a friend who creates apps. She did not attend.
Agenda Items for Next Meeting: Publicize the french broom work day, which could be scheduled for May 6.
Connie suggested exploring citizen science projects such as one-acre surveys of the entire biome. The Forest Committee could sponsor a project to survey one forest acre. Sarah Bisbing’s Cal Poly students and high school students could get involved.
Adjourned at 7:46 pm.
