Foothills Sentry March 2023

Foothills Sentry Page 8 March 2023 START T HE NEW YE AR AT SCC! Spring 2023 Semester (Feb 6 – June 3) sccollege.edu/apply2023 SCC is ranked in the top 1% of community colleges nationwide and it’s right here in YOUR neighborhood! Amazing places in the Canyons featured in self-guided tour The public is invited to visit the Amazing Places of the Canyon via a self-guided tour, on Satur- day, April 1. Stops include St. Michael’s Ab- bey in Silverado Canyon, Vera’s Sanctuary in Trabuco Canyon and Madame Modjeska’s Histor- ic “Arden,” the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, the dome home and the “Islandia” home in Modjeska Canyon. The tour is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Maps can be picked up at the Madame Modjeska St. Michael's Abbey home, 29042 Modjeska Canyon Road. Guided tours of the Abbey will be available throughout the day, no reservations required. St. Michael’s Abbey is home to some 80 priests and seminarians, and houses a “must-see” cathe- dral and library. Vera’s Sanctu- ary, perched on a mountain top, consists of five homes for abused teens. Madame Modjeska’s estate is a step back in time, featuring period furnishings and gardens. Immediately above the Modjes- ka home is “Islandia.” Rumored to be one of Madam Modjeska’s guest cabins, it is now a tropical residence with a touch of Juras- sic Park, including dinosaurs, dragons, a treehouse and historic Asian art. The dome home, built com- pletely of concrete and inured to fire, flood and earthquakes, is down the road. Tucker Wildlife Center, at the end of Modjeska Canyon, has recently been redone and is rife with nature trails, ex- hibits and animal habitats. The Amazing Places Tour is the brainchild of Greg Killingsworth, a Modjeska resident who created the Islandia home and is active in the community. Call him at (310) 995-0976 for more information. TAWC announces Young Women of the Month The Tustin Area Woman’s Club named Kayla Kashima, Alyssa Voorhis and Jessica Sanchez its Young Women of the Month for February. Kitty Pham was hon- ored for January. Kayla Kashima, from Foothill High, is a triathlete, and competes in swimming, cross country and cycling. She recently represented Team USA at the 2022 Triathlon World Championships in Mon- treal. She earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, and volunteers at the Pretend City Children’s Museum. Kashima is an International Bac- calaureate candidate, and a mem- ber of the California Scholarship Federation and National Honor Society. She plans to attend a four-year university studying public health or journalism. Tustin High’s Alyssa Voorhis has been on the Superintendent’s Honor Roll for the past four years, maintaining a 4.6 GPA. She was the vice president of THS's Na- tional Honor Society and has received the State Seal for Bilit- eracy. She lettered in volleyball and is currently the Women’s Volleyball Team Captain. Voor- his is a three-year member of the Model United Nations Program and serves on the High Secre- tariat Board. She volunteers for the TIDES beach cleanup and NEGU Club, raising money to promote awareness of pediat- ric cancer. She plans to attend a four-year university majoring in biology. January’s honoree, Kitty Pham, also from Foothill High, is an International Baccalaure- ate candidate. She participates on the marketing team for Knights for Knowledge, a peer tutoring program, and tutors students in English, Spanish and other for- eign languages. Pham serves as historian of the FHS Key Club, and is a Homework Helper at the Orange Public Library. She is an accomplished pianist and plans to achieve the last and highest level of recognition in the Certificate of Merit program. Jessica Sanchez, Beckman High, is not pictured. Kayla Kashima Alyssa Voorhis Kitty Pham Canyon oaks threatened by invasive beetles By Mike Boeck Orange County is now ex- periencing an invasion of Gold Spotted Oak Borers (GSOBs), who weaken and kill our beauti- ful coast live oaks. The Orange County Fire Authority and Cal Fire have a countywide program targeting these beetles (no, not THOSE Beatles!) and eastern OC has multiple "hot spots" that we are currently addressing. This is serious stuff: in San Diego County alone, roughly 75,000 acres have been infested by the GSOBs. Researchers estimate at least 100,000 oaks have died, and possibly as many as one million. What can we do? First and foremost, we need to halt the pur- chase and/or movement of oak firewood. GSOBs spread slowly in their natural state, as they are poor flyers. However, the inad- vertent movement of infested firewood has resulted in them now being distributed to Silvera- do, Modjeska and Trabuco Can- yons. Not only that, but there is a large infestation at the Anaheim Hills Golf Course, and the OCFA is dealing with 12 major infested areas countywide. The Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC) has been removing dead oaks killed by GSOBs and treating minor infestations by spraying/inject- ing affected oaks in Weir Canyon, close to Orange Park Acres. As Fire Safe Council East Or- ange County Canyons project manager, I have been surveying the canyons for GSOBs in col- laboration with the University of California Cooperative Exten- sion (UCCE) based in Irvine. Cal Fire is funding this effort with a grant administered by the OCFA. Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann of the UCCE is in charge of the surveys and can be reached at benobua@ uvcanredu. RPW Services is a local licensed applicator of pes- ticides, approved by the OCFA. For more info and an appraisal appointment, call their office at (714) 870-6352 and ask for Chris Burke. We can fight the spread of this bug only if we heed warnings to stop moving oak firewood, and if we inspect and properly treat af- fected oaks. Don't let your oaks die! The families are proud to announce the marriage of Alexandra Gabri- elle Guerrero, daughter of Tanya Owed, and Russell Joseph Barrios Lochrie, son of Brian Lochrie and Arianna Barrios. The couple were wed on Feb.18, at the Chapel of Orange.