Foothills Sentry Page 6 FEBRUARY 2025 Affordable, Personal Service: Weekly • Bi-weekly • Monthly Licensed & Bonded Call for Free Estimate Crown HOUSE CLEANING (714) 381-4220 Fire and Eyes Olea europaea File under irony or only cause and effect: Last winter was our wettest in decades. Big rain stimulated tremendous growth, with 100-year-old olive trees in Modjeska, planted by Count Karol Bozenta Chłapowski, lately producing their fattest, shiniest fruit ever. This fall and winter there’s been no rain to wash away the beautiful, if unharvested, fruit, now covering roads, filling rain gutters, or pressed into oil by vehicle traffic like some perverse parable of exaggerated abundance and loss. What’s a WERT? No, not the opening line of a Dr. Seuss classic, but the California Watershed Emergency Response Team (WERT) report, which tells the tale of our past and future. As does the BAER story. Not Smokey, but Burn Area Emergency Response, assessing the impact of the Airport Fire, which burned 23,688 acres east and northeast of us. Recently released, both contain maps of the extent and location of burn damage, consider soil health and brush status, and offer risk assessments of likely flooding and debris flows. Cleveland National Forest (CNF), Trabuco District Ranger Darrell Vance spoke at January’s Inter-Canyon League meeting, offering summaries of each. The short version is that, based on the “Soil Burn Severity Map,” watershed flow in our direction will likely miss Silverado this time, but hit Modjeska via Santiago Creek, as it has historically, impacting a dozen homes and the ENC Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary. Residents recall waisthigh mud and debris flow, power outages, and structure damage as the result of rain after previous f ires. The WERT language says it all, including offering a possible disaster impact timeline: “… there will be an initial flush of ash and debris, followed by erosion on slopes with the burned zone. Because of the rugged terrain and frequent storms, flash floods and debris flow are like to occur and be most intense with the first five years after fire.” It’s unlikely that these reports will be Library Book Club picks (see below), so you might read them on your own. Burn Area Emergency Response: go to Links for California under inciweb.wildfire.gov; Watershed Emergency Response Team: see Airport Fire WERT Final at rivcoready.org. Mo Canyonites hope for county, CNF, and OC Parks preparation in wildlands areas outside property owners’ purview, including upstream mitigation. Happily, two weeks after the ICL meeting, Public Works crews cleared growth in Santiago Creek, welcome pre-flooding mediation meant to prevent bridges from becoming dams. In related news, Silverado Fire Captain Steve Kerrigan reminds homeowners that Firesafe Council of East Orange County Canyons has posted our annual Fire Wise Renewal Certificate. Some insurance companies have discounted homeowner rates when provided this document. See fsceocc.org/fire-wise. Everyone knows it’s windy Thanks to the faithful and intrepid volunteers who regularly patrol during Red Flag (high winds with low humidity) warnings. The most recent Santa Anas brought out new folks, with more than a dozen residents patrolling both canyons daily, Jan. 7 – Jan. 14, all day, until midnight or parking with Fire Watch signs and flashing red LED flares. You haven’t really gotten to know and love your neighbors until you’ve done sentry duty at the mouth of Silverado or Modjeska, or surveilled for a few cold windy evenings. Illegal racers, spotter cars, suspicious activity? Bring ‘em on. But the best part is meeting fellow volunteers doing a shift to protect us from arson, accidental fire or downed lines, motivated only by altruism, if also the opportunity to complete a New York Times crossword or pull in radio normally hard to get deeper in the canyons, say, a terrific music show out of KSPC 88.7 FM hosted by the funny, smart, eclectic “DJ Cement.” Her playlist included songs by The Flying Lizards, Josef K, Vomit Launch, The Fall and, yes, The Association, doing, no kidding, their 1968 pop hit “Windy.” “Who's trippin' down the streets of the city, smilin' at everybody she sees? Who's reachin' out to capture a moment? Everyone knows it's Windy.” Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, a project of the Environmental Nature Center, needs your help. The 12-acre preserve took a hit from those high winds. Horticulture technician Janelle Loustauna invites volunteers willing to do simple groundwork, including weeding, debris removal, and watering. Contact Janelle@Encenter.org. Crafty adults! The Wednesday, Feb. 5, Library Book Club of the Canyons discusses Nina George’s latest novel, “The Little Village of Book Lovers.” March reading is “The Cemetery of Untold Stories” by magical realist Julia Alvarez. Copies available at the front desk. Brainstorm now for the special Feb. 18 program, “Crafty Adults Shadow Box,” your opportunity to create a three-dimensional scene using paper, wooden shapes, and other embellishments assembled in a framed box. Encapsulate a memory, honor a loved one, and unleash your inner artist! (Or recreate the BAER or WERT reports!) All supplies provided. Funded through a grant from the California Department of Aging and administered by the Orange County Office on Aging. Orange Police Chief Dan Adams retired December 30, but will continue as Interim Police Chief until the position can be permanently filled. Adams’ employment will end no later than June 30. The city asked Adams to fill the interim position, as it requires a specialized skill set that must be fulfilled without interruption. Recruiting a replacement may take two to three months. Adams became the city’s Police Chief on June 6, 2021. He served on the police department for nearly 35 years. Officers of the Orange Emblem Club #418 were installed, Jan. 12, by Supreme Emblem Club President Molly Velez from Fremont, Ohio. Officers for 2025-26 are, from left, Marshal Jan Genelle, Financial Secretary Laura Lockridge, Treasurer Kim Raya, Second Guard Carole Walters, President Laurie Padilla, Supreme President Molly Velez, Supreme Marshal Deb Blough-Schmid, Jr. Past President/Recording Secretary Kim Smith, Corresponding Secretary Wanda McWhirter and First Guard Deann Collins. Tustin Senior Center presents talk on managing care for aging relatives By Guy Ball Author Leah Vickers shares her search, frustrations and successes looking for care for her aging mother, suffering dementia, at a meeting at the Tustin Senior Center, 200 South C Street, on Feb. 27 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The public is invited. Vickers retired as regional sales manager for publishing projects around the globe. As her mother’s condition worsened, she suffered from a form of dementia retiring fulltime care, Vickers spent countless hours on phone calls and websites with many different agencies to find her family’s best caregiving options. She ended up detailing her efforts in the book, “A Quick Guide to Managing Care for Your Aging Relative in California.” Her hope is that her insights can help save others from the frustration of finding and managing care. All book profits are donated to the Dementia Society of America in honor of her mother’s giving spirit. For more information, call the Senior Center at (714) 573-3340.
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