Good Sunday to Everyone!
Today, I sent out the following email to our Trout Club residents. I thought that in the interest of staying connected between our two vital San Marcos Pass communities, I would post my letter on the MET forum. Thanks for the great work yesterday above and below the Party Pull Out! Curious, if anyone knows anything about the memorial to MOM that was recently placed there? Here you go:
With official Fire Season starting this Monday, I am vey appreciative of recent brush clearing done in our area.
Santa Barbara County Fire Marshall Rob Hazard's continued commitment to reducing fuels above the Trout Club. This has been a godsend!
The impressive amount of brush clearing done above the Trout Club by the residents of #41 and #42.
The Painted Cave Mountain Ember Team's extensive work done on Painted Cave Road. Yesterday, they had a large team working above and below the first big (party) pull out on Painted Cave Road.
Recent work done on the entrance/exit road and the trail to the creek.
The excellent work done by many of our residents on their individual properties.
All good!
Looking ahead, I would like to ask the Trout Club to put significant attention into reducing fuels between the entrance/exit road and the water tank road. After we moved back into our new home in 1991, I worked for more than five years bringing down and trucking out burnt brush. Over the years, the Trout Club has done a good job keeping the brush load at bay.
Here is my concern. If there is a fast moving, wind driven fire that breaks out at night above us, when everyone is asleep, we could be trapped. This fear is the main reason we installed our fire suppression sprinkler system. Sheltering in Place defensively could be our only option. The basic issue for me is that there are WAY TOO MANY EMBER MAKERS along our only way out.
Long before we lost our first home in the Trout Club, sundowner driven fires have been reality for Santa Barbara. Since the Gap Fire of 2008, we have had fires regularly threaten us. Now add in climate trends that seem to be heading us into to a mega drought accentuated by climate change. It would be a very good idea to progressively reduce the ember makers along our only road out. This will take a few years to accomplish---step by step. We can do it!
Thanks!
Gordon Sichi
TC #8
P.S. Everyone should have received from Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig his pamphlet entitled Wildfire is Coming. Are You Ready? The first page, reads, "if you become trapped" and has specific suggestions for survival.
Thank you so much Gordon! It constantly amazes me to see the sheer number of people that step up to help. It's what makes our mountain communities so fantastic. I truly think we had great success last year taking down most of the mustard before it seeded. The amount on Painted Cave Rd. was significantly reduced this year. I'm hoping we can make a similar dent in the Star Thistle on E. Camino Cielo this year.
So much of it seems to daunting, overwhelming, when in fact, even the minimal effort can make an impact.
Sharing knowledge, sharing effort.... Also, I am currently in conversation with the County in regard to their contract with MarBorg and green waste pick up. That service was never negotiated into the contract with the County, which is why it has never been offered to the mountain communities. I would like to see this addressed, whether in the form of community dumpsters, or the actual service itself.
Thank you for all you do!
Thanks for sharing Gordon. Great to see so many efforts being made to protect our communities! The MET will keep chipping away at the grass along PC Rd!