JULY 2017

The Fire Safe Council Is Here to Help!

Edwina Scott and Pete Coy of the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council gave Garner Valley residents valuable information and tips after the June Board meeting.

The Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council was formed by residents of the Hill communities in 2001. They organized for the purpose of educating local residents about fire safety issues related to the communities in the wildland-urban interface “WUI”. Education is still the priority of the MCFSC, but they now offer much more to their neighbors living on the mountain, including free consultations to help with property inspections, grant funds, a dead and dying bark beetle tree removal program, a biannual newsletter, and community education.

At the meeting, we learned that the Fire Safe Council will assist homeowners in creating defensible space within 100 feet of their homes. There is grant money available for both bark beetle infested tree removal and also brush clearance. With your permission, they will obtain bids for the work, select the lowest price vendor, and schedule the work to be done. The homeowner pays only 35% of the cost; the grant money covers the remaining 65%. Please contact Edwina Scott at 951-659-6208 for further information or assistance.

For possible assistance with dead tree and brush removal more than 100 feet from your home on properties over five acres, you may contact Bob Hewitt at the National Resources Conservation Service. Email Robert.Hewitt@Ca.USDA.Gov or call 951-292-6115.

In the April issue of The Valley Voice, we included information about the need for creating 100 feet of defensible space: (1) the Lean, Clean and Green Zone of 30 feet immediately surrounding your home, and (2) the Reduced Fuel Zone in the remaining 70 feet (or to the property line). The Fire Safe Council reiterated these requirements:

Remove all flammable vegetation and any dead or dying plants within 30 feet of each building or structure. You may keep single trees or other vegetation that is trimmed of all dead or dying foliage and well pruned and maintained.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

New Board of Directors Elected 3

A Day in the Desert 3

Celebrate the 4th of July 3

Teamwork and Leadership 4

GVEA Group Riding Lessons 5

Anza Electric Annual Meeting 6

Neighborhood Watch Program 7

Long Time Resident Bill Alderman

Remembered by Valley 7

Water Rate Increase Meeting 8

Riding Helmet Visor 8

Shavings For Sale 8

Mark Your Calendars 8

The Valley Voice Page 2

The Fire Safe Council, Continued

Remove all branches within 10 feet of any stovepipe or chimney outlet. Equip chimney or stovepipe openings with a metal screen having openings between 3/8 and 1/2 inch.

In the Reduced Fuel Zone, remove all loose surface litter such as fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, cones, pods, small branches, etc. Remove loose surface litter so it does not exceed a depth of three inches.

Logs and stumps should be removed unless they are embedded in the soil. If you keep an embedded log, remove nearby vegetation.

Ideally, grasses should not exceed 4” in height. Relocate exposed wood piles outside of 100 feet, or cover them

completely with a fire resistive material. If within 100 feet, all exposed woodpiles must have a minimum of 10 feet clearance down to bare mineral soil in all directions.

LPG storage tanks must have 10 feet of clearance to bare mineral soil and no flammable vegetation for an additional 10 feet around their exterior.

Remove all sage from within 100 feet of all structures and even further if possible.

Make sure your street address is clearly visible to the Fire Department! Numbers should be at least 4” high and clearly visible from the street. Please go and check your street address sign today!

A few more tips from the CalFire website:

Buy it where you burn it! (This advice was also given to us by local arborist, John Huddleston, during his recent presentation.) California’s trees are at risk from insects and diseases that can move on firewood.

Stay informed on the latest on outdoor debris burn permit information. Homeowners should always check with their local CAL FIRE station and local air quality management agency before burning.

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.

Erma Bombeck

All we have of freedom, all we use or know, this our

fathers bought for us long and long ago.

Rudyard Kipling, The Old Issue

The Valley Voice Page 3

New Board of Directors Elected Congratulations to our newly elected Board members, Susan Gonzalez, Chip Hurn, and Diana Fedder. Both Chip and Susan were reelected for a second term. Their experience will be an asset to the Board. Diana Fedder is our newest member, and she is already working on projects to improve our community. We wish to thank all of the Board members for volunteering their time and energy to serve our community!

At their first meeting on June 19, the Board elected the members to their new positions: Dean Holdridge will serve this year as President, Diana Fedder, Vice President, Susan Gonzalez, Secretary, Chip Hurn, Treasurer, and Jim Merson, Director at Large. We wish them all the very best in their leadership roles.

A Day in the Desert

The Garner Valley Women's Group visited the Palm Springs Art Museum, in June, where they observed artifacts as old as 300 B.C. There was a variety of types of art as well as many different mediums.

The Palm Springs Art Museum was founded in 1938 as the Palm Springs Desert Museum, specializing in Native American artifacts, the natural sciences, and the environment of the surrounding Coachella Valley. The museum is open every day except Mondays and major holidays, and is always 75 degrees, providing a welcome respite from hot summer temperatures. It features free admission every Thursday evening from 4-8 p.m. and every second Sunday of each month.

Following the visit, an outstanding lunch and cold drinks were enjoyed at Tyler's Burgers in Palm Desert.

Celebrate the 4th of July! The Garner Valley Gals will host their annual Ice Cream “Meet & Mingle” Social at the Common.

This year, they will have All American hot dogs as well as homemade ice cream to taste and to auction. This event is open to all GVPOA members free of charge and begins at 1:00 p.m.

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Teamwork and Leadership

The newly formed Garner Valley Equestrian Alliance hosted a fun and challenging equestrian clinic on Saturday, June 3. Hope Adams, a respected local trainer and clinician, started the day with group riding exercises. Participants rode in groups of 3 and 4 riders abreast, circling, turning and weaving in between obstacles while staying “stirrup to stirrup””. This truly required teamwork!

Riders then improved their skills on various obstacles. Walking/trotting over poles, sidepassing to and from the mailbox, opening and closing gates, backing around barrels, and carrying buckets and other objects definitely used leadership skills. The skills used in arena obstacle practice carry forward to trail riding, trail trials, and many other disciplines. Trust, confidence, leadership, teamwork, controlling and moving the horse’s feet, shoulders, ribs and hindquarters are things that we work on at home to increase enjoyment and safety.

At the end of the clinic, riders participated in a friendly competition where they were judged on how well they negotiated each obstacle. The winners were Kerry Manos and her horse, Lady! All of Kerry’s previous hard work and training paid off, as the #1 team negotiated every obstacle with ease. Kerry was the proud winner of a beautiful set of stirrup covers.

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Teamwork and Leadership, Continued After the clinic, participants and auditors were treated to a BBQ lunch of beef sliders, chicken sandwiches, fruit, homemade guacamole and chips, and yummy brownies. Everyone received a “keep cool bandana” from Hope Adams which will certainly come in handy this summer.

The clinic was a big success and the first of many events planned for Garner Valley equestrians. Special thanks to Melanie Bellamore for organizing the clinic and providing the lunch, and to the Trail Committee for setting up and preparing the arena for the clinic!

GVEA Group Riding Lessons Six energetic members of the GV Equestrian Alliance ignored the heat for an hour of fun and challenging group riding on Friday afternoon, June 16. These group lessons are planned to be held twice a month, alternating week days and weekends. The cost of each lesson is split between the participants, and the topics will vary depending on the needs and requests of the group. It’s a great deal!

The first lesson covered desensitizing to flags, riding figures through and around the poles, and working in teams to turn simultaneously and rate the horses’ speed through the various maneuvers. It’s not as easy as it looks! It is also great practice for horses who may get nervous or emotional when other horses ride towards them or come from behind. It was a very worthwhile lesson.

For more information on future lessons or GVEA activities, contact Melanie Bellamore at 714-349-9800 or email mbellamore3@gmail.com .

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Neighborhood Watch Programs Help Fight Crime The National Neighborhood Watch is a division of the National Sheriffs' Association. NNW does not advocate watch members taking any action when observing suspicious activity. Community members only serve as the extra "eyes and ears" and should report their observations to their local law enforcement. Trained law enforcement should be the only ones ever to take action; citizens should never try to take action on those observations.

In essence, Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that stresses education and common sense. It teaches citizens how to help themselves by identifying and reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. In addition, it provides citizens with the opportunity to make their neighborhoods safer and improve the quality of life.

Most neighborhood crime prevention groups are organized around a block or a neighborhood and are started with assistance from a law enforcement agency. Please make it a point to attend the Neighborhood Watch meeting at the Common, on July 11, at 6:00. Officer James will present the program and various ways we can make our community safe. With many reports of break ins and robberies in our neighborhoods, we need to be vigilant and help prevent any further crime.

Long-time Resident Remembered by Valley Long-time resident of Garner Valley, Bill Alderman, passed away on June 22, at age 88, a few days short of 89. Bill and his wife, Maureen, were owners of Town and Country Realty (now Bennion and Deville), for many years.

Bill was active in the community and served as President of the Board of Directors. Services will be held at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Riverside at 12:00 noon on July 10.

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Water Rate Increase to be Discussed! Please read the notice from the Lake Hemet Municipal Water District which was mailed to you this week! The District will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, August 10, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. at the Garner Valley Common, for the purpose of discussing changes in water usage rates and water service charges, among other things. If adopted, the proposed higher rates will become effective October 1, 2017!

On page 4, the notice states that written letters of protest should be sent to the Lake Hemet Board of Directors and must be received by LHMWD by August 17, 2017 in order to qualify as a formal protest. A majority of property owners or customers of the identified parcels must protest, or the Board will be authorized to impose the rates and charges, among other increases. If you misplaced the notice, please contact Deanna Casillas at Deanna.casillas@fsresidential.com or call 951-973-7522. Be on the lookout for further communication from the Board of Directors.

Riding Helmet Visor Submitted by Helen Steenman

A lot of people have asked what kind of visor I have on my riding helmet. It provides great coverage, stays in place even in wind, and comes in a variety of colors. It is called an "Intrepid International Equivisor Cotton Helmet Visor". It is available from a variety of sources including Amazon.

Shavings For Sale Long Beach Sierra Pak (Pine) Shavings, 10 Cubic feet packs in original wrapping. Over 400 packs available in Garner Valley. $5 per pack, 10 pack minimum purchase. You pick up!

Please call Jill at 949-677-7421 or email JHalley@comline.com

Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming Events! July 4, 2017 @ 1:00 p.m. Ice Cream Social at the Common, hosted by the Garner Valley Gals. See info on page 6.

July 11 @ 6:00 p.m. Neighborhood Watch Program at the Common. See article on page 7.

July 22 @ 7:30 a.m. Anza Electric Annual Membership Meeting. Cash prizes, breakfast and meeting at Hamilton High School. See flyer on page 6.

August 10, 2017 @ 5:30 p.m.

LHMWD Public Hearing on proposed rate increases. See article above.

September 2, 2017

4th Annual Western Day at the Common! Several fun new events are being planned. Details to follow!

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Lynnette Holdridge (626) 233-1224

Leslie Ingham

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