CAMBRIA FOREST COMMITTEE
March 8, 2017, 6:30 PM
Cambria Rabobank, 1070 Main Street
A Quorum was established by the attendance of Crosby and Laura Swartz, JoEllen Butler, Connie Gannon, and Christine Heinrichs. Harry Farmer attended as CCSD liaison. Tony Church serves on NCAC’s Land Use Committee and Traffic Committee. Kermit Johansson also attended.
Minutes of the February meeting were approved as written.
Treasurer’s Report: Laura Swartz reports that the accounts are unchanged since last meeting, at $3,208.76. Two grants have remaining balances: $215.91, the other has $750, the full amount, remaining. Laura sent the paperwork for taxes to CPA Lynn Singer for preparation. The State Board of Equalization has sent a standard letter requesting documentation of 501c3 status. Laura will send the requested two years of tax forms filed.
Sub-Committee Reports
Education/Planting/Mitigation/Operations
Invasive Weed Guide: Further comments are requested. Laura is exploring printing costs.
County Permit Referral Packages: Crosby is still not receiving them on behalf of the Forest Committee. He is in communication with Laurel Stewart of the NCAC Land Use Committee, which reviews permit applications. No recent applications affect trees, but Tony Church noted that two oak trees on Banbury had county Do Not Remove notices posted on them, but were taken down. Tony and Connie Gannon will follow up with County representative Airlin Singewald. Tony also received a complaint from Allen Dean that two trees were removed on Pineridge. Tony will follow up.
Web site: Crosby requested that the CCSD Notices of Violations be removed from the web site.
Report from Fire Safe Focus Group: Connie reported that the Greenhouse Gas Reduction grant guidelines have been released. They are posted on the Cal Fire web site., http://www.fire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/resource_mgt_foresthealth_grants. Dan Turner will submit a concept paper for a backup grant for the Biomass Cogenerator Plant. $22 million is available statewide. Concept papers are due April 7, complete applications by those invited to apply by May 15. Decisions on awards will be made in June.
Fire Safe Council’s Jim Neumann has a crew of 14 people clearing french broom from Bridge Street and Covell Ranch. They will be working through Friday. They are hand pulling and using a weed wrench, the most effective ways to control broom.
Cambria has updated its Fire Code. Cambria’s General Manager Jerry Gruber said at the meeting that the new Fire Code has teeth to require removal of dead and dying trees from private property. This could have an impact on Greenspace. She will examine it to find out whether conservation reserve land is exempt. “We want to make sure it does not affect reserve properties such as Fern Canyon,” Crosby said.
Fire Wise signs will be posted at the north end of Cambria as well as the south end. Connie says that at 4′ x 8′, they are too big. A sign will be placed on the hillside above the retaining wall at the north end on Windsor. They will be changed seasonally. The Fire Chief wants some fireworks signs.
Report from PROS Committee: Laura and Crosby Swartz attended. PROS is working to establish maintenance costs for lots that will not be developed.
Agenda items for next meeting: Crosby will examine past lists of Forest Committee members and discuss updated membership.
JoEllen Butler invited all to the FFRP Forest Walk on Saturday. Register on the web site.
Meeting adjourned at 8:21 pm.
