Upcoming Events
in the Mountains
Friday, February 24
55-plus group
Tour of Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Meet at LPCC parking lot at 9:30 a.m. Cost is $7.
Saturday, March 31
Living with Mountain Lions, a presentation by Zara McDonald of Felidae Conservation Fund, 6 p.m. at Redwood Estates Pavilion. No charge.
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Mountain Roads
Highland Way will be subject to delays and lane closures from Post Mile 2.0 to 4.2 from Tuesday, February 21 through Friday, March 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the removal of slide debris.
Redwood Lodge is still officially closed at PM 1.65 between Laurel Lodge and the intersection of Laurel and Schulties Road due to road failure, but a temporary road is passable in good weather in case of emergencies.
GlL
Highway 17
Wet Pavement Project Continues
Daytime Speed Limit is now 40 MPH,
Nighttime Speed Limit is 30 MPH
Caltrans continues work to construct drainage systems and resurface the existing pavement along Highway 17 from Summit Road to one mile south of Bear Creek Road overcrossing. The median concrete barrier and outside metal beam guard rails will also be upgraded. This $18 million project is designed to improve safety on the mountain road by eliminating concentrated storm runoff areas during wet weather,
Construction is scheduled for Sunday evenings, at 9 p.m., and continues to 6 a.m. Monday morning, weather permitting. Work being performed Sunday through Thursday nights typically begins at 9 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m. the following day. Work on Friday and Saturday nights typically starts at 10 p.m. and ends by 9 a.m. Saturday or 10 a.m. Sunday. The project should be completed by the end of 2011.
Caltrans is working on both the northbound and southbound lanes throughout the the project, but will always provide at least one open lane in both directions.
Be sure to use caution, reduce your speed, and anticipate delays in the construction area. The California Highway Patrol. highway flaggers, and message signs will assist motorists traveling through the area. You can follow project process on http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/17wetpaving/.
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Road Closures
For updates on Santa Cruz County road closures,
see www.sccroadclosure.org/
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Wildlife in the Mountains
If you see a mountain lion or other
interesting wildlife in our area,
call Neil at 408-353-1901 or email
news@mnn.net.
I'll post the sighting. Be sure to give me a short description of
the animal, specific location, date, and time.
We'll share the results here.
Click
here for other wildlife sightings
For more information from
California Fish and Game
about mountain lions, click
here.
Click
Here for Ways to Prevent Erosion
Click
Here for Santa Cruz County Burn Regulations
Have you updated your
family disaster plan? Here's how...
Mountain
Wildfires
How did they happen, and what
we can do to stop them
Protecting Your Home from Fire
Here’s a checklist on how to improve your landscaping from
CalFire at www.fire.ca.gov:
Create a defensible space of one hundred feet around your home.
It is required by law.
Create a "lean, clean, green zone" by removing all flammable
vegetation within thirty feet surrounding your home
Create a "reduced fuel zone" in the remaining seventy feet or to
your property line.
You have two options in this area:
A. Create horizontal and vertical spacing between plants. The
amount of space will depend on how steep your property is and
the size of your plants.
B. Large trees do not have to be removed as long as all of the
plants beneath them are removed.
Remove lower tree branches at least six feet from the ground
Landscape with fire resistant plants
Maintain all plants with regular water, and keep dead braches,
leaves, and needles removed.
When clearing vegetation, use care when operating equipment such
as lawnmowers. One small spark may start a fire; a string
trimmer is much safer.
Stack woodpiles at least thirty feet from all structures and
remove vegetation within ten feet of woodpiles.
Locate LPG tanks (butane and propane) at least thirty feet from
any structure and maintain ten feet of clearance.
Remove all stacks of construction materials, pine needles,
leaves, and other debris from your yard.
For other ways to protect your home from fire, visit
www.fire.ca.gov