CAMBRIA FOREST COMMITTEE
TO CONSERVE AND MANAGE THE NATIVE FOREST OF CAMBRIA
MEETING MINUTES
August 12, 2015, Minutes August 2015 6:30 PM, Cambria Rabobank, 1070 Main Street
6:45 PM Call to Order and Establish a Quorum. Attending: Directors Crosby and Laura Swartz, JoEllen Butler, Connie Gannon, Julie Jorgenson. Tony Church and Vari MacNeil, NCAC, Holly Sletteland. Kathe Tanner for The Cambrian. Quorum delayed until arrival of all directors.
Treasurer’s Report: Laura Swartz reports $1,157.00 in the account. $270 is left of the grant for the interpretive sign.
Sub-Committee Reports
Pine Forest Interpretative Sign Fabrication: Laura spent $80 having the sign backed with 1/2″ firm material so that it will be impervious to weather and visitors. The remainder of the money is available to spend on the post and installation. It will be displayed at a 45-degree angle, at the height required to accommodate ADA requirements. Kathe Tanner suggested contacting Jay Burbank for installation.
Website Updates and Additions: Two women visitors reported that the web site is not functioning. Christine Heinrichs will contact Amanda Rice to resolve. Christine has posted some additional material to the site. She is considering additional changes, possibly adding a blog.
Pre-Planning for Forest Restoration: Kathe Tanner is trying to determine the number of trees removed to share with the community. Christine Heinrichs will pursue ascertaining County policy on mitigation tree replanting. The intention is to have written requirements posted to the web site by the end of 2015.
Forest Management: Connie Gannon, executive director of Greenspace, reported that a group of University of California personnel are working on a new Forest Management Plan. She will contact Sarah Brisbane of Cal Poly to discuss, with the intention of adding the Forest Committee to the deliberations. The current plan would benefit from updating but a second plan could confuse the community. The Forest Committee intends to encourage the community to fund the Forest Management District in the November 2016 election.
Cambria Forest Health Project Grant Application (Greenhouse Gas): Christine Heinrichs reports that Dan Turner reported at the Fire Safe Focus Group meeting earlier in the day that the application deadline was set back 45 days and the decision date may be similarly delayed. A decision may be reached by mid-September.
CCSD Blanket Tree Removal and Re-Planting Permit: The CSD and the County reached an impasse on the Blanket Tree Removal Permit. Both declined to accept liability. The county has written a letter which each homeowner will be required to sign accepting liability before dead trees are removed. A draft of that letter should be available soon.
Damage by Use of String Trimmers in Fern Canyon Preserve
Violation of Section 51184 of State Code: Crosby and Laura reported that several lots deep in Fern Canyon were severely bushwhacked, cut down to the ground, in apparent violation of the protected area and guidelines to cut no closer than 4″ to the ground. The lots fall under the exception for protected lands kept in a natural state. The area is steep, and without vegetation is subject to mudslides when rain comes.
- (a) Section 51182 shall not apply to any land or water area acquired or managed for one or more of the following purposes or uses: (1) Habitat for endangered or threatened species, or any species that is a candidate for listing as an endangered or threatened species by the state or federal government. (2) Lands kept in a predominantly natural state as habitat for wildlife, plant, or animal communities. (3) Open space lands that are environmentally sensitive parklands. (4) Other lands having scenic values, as declared by the local agency, or by state or federal law.
Crosby documented the damage with photos and escorted a representative of the Land Conservancy down to the site. He will write a letter to the Coastal Commission for directors to approve to notify the Commission of the problem.
New Business
Approval of New Director: Julie Jorgenson was unanimously approved as a new director. She is a part-time resident transitioning with her husband from Los Angeles. She is professionally trained in landscape design. She is a neighbor to the Swartzes and has been removing Cape Ivy from the area. “I’ve been bringing nature to Southern California with landscape design, but here I’m ready to give design a rest and give the landscape back to nature,” she said.” I’m ready to let Nature do what it wants to do.”
Recommendations to NCAC on New Permit Applications:
Three applications involve Verizon installing cell phone coverage improvements. After discussion and a report from Vari MacNeil of the NCAC Land Use Committee, the committee determined that cell phone coverage is not related to forest issues and the Forest Committee need not be involved. Dan Turner, who was to submit two versions of a letter in support of cell phone improvements and requested adding the Forest Committee’s logo to the Fire Safe Focus Group’s letterhead, will be informed that the Forest Committee’s mission does not include cell phones.
Applicant Name: CRAWFORD, Direct link to CRAWFORD referral package
Case Number: DRC2015-00006
Project Description: MUP
APN: 023-293-058
2574 Camborne Place
This permit is for a three-car garage and automotive bay with 2,079 square feet of paving. At least one Monterey Pine and two Coast Live Oaks will be removed and other Pines and Oaks impacted by this project. NCAC has already voted to deny the permit or approve it only with substantial changes. The Forest Committee voted unanimously to add a letter to NCAC’s recommendation to County Planning Department. Christine will draft the letter by Friday for Crosby’s comment, then to be circulated to all directors for approval, to reach NCAC prior to its meeting Wednesday, August 19.
Unfinished Business
Forest Management District Ballot Measure: Crosby will examine the legal requirements and determine the steps needed to determine the costs of funding a Forest Management District. He will report on that at the September meeting. Connie Gannon suggested calling it a Forest Conservation District to clarify the difference from timber resource management and fire management.
Connie suggested we consider pursuing threatened or endangered listing for Cambria’s Monterey Pines. An attempt to have it listed some years ago failed, but the original proposal could be revived. Connie will contact the woman in Monterey who spearheaded the original effort.
Minutes of Previous Meeting were approved with one abstention, JoEllen Butler, who had not been able to review the minutes because she was out of town.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm.
Next Meeting September 9, 2015
