Category: 2015-2016 El Niño

Rainy Weekend on tap

From Daniel Swain of Weather West, Two storms approaching. First one from the South and the second from the North. They are expected to collide over Central California sometime this weekend. I’m looking forward to it.

“The rainy season is apparently not over yet, however, as a series of fairly robust storm systems are expected to sweep across all of California in the coming days. As of this writing, an unusually positioned cut-off low well to the southwest of Los Angeles is slowly moving northeastward, spreading mid and high-level subtropical moisture across the state. This low will continue to move closer to the SoCal coast tomorrow, bringing an increasing chance of showers in the very moist subtropical airmass. On Friday, this moisture plume will continue to spread northward, and showers will likely develop across most of NorCal as well. At the same time, a somewhat weaker but much colder Pacific system will begin to approach from the northwest, eventually merging somewhere near central California over the weekend. This is a rather “messy” pattern–with two lows interacting/merging directly over our region of interest. While the details are still a bit difficult to pin down, there is pretty high confidence in a period of rather active California weather beginning late Thursday and continuing at least through Monday.”

BSMAAC Meeting & Overuse of Big Sur

CPOA sent out the following letter to its mailing list. I would like to add one thing to what they have to say … That is PLEASE bring ideas for potential solutions to the problems we, as a community, are facing with this overuse. We must find a way to work together to RESOLVE this issue, not just complain about it. We all have stories about how bad it has gotten the last few years, but now it is time to share solutions, ideas, and ask our questions of the various agencies with whom we share responsibility for this unique place in the universe.

“Hello Everyone,

CPOA would like to encourage you to attend the next Big Sur Multi-Agency Advisory Council (BSMAAC) meeting on April 15, 2016, in the conference room in Pfeiffer State Park at 10AM.

On the agenda for this meeting, among other important issues, will be a discussion of the increased overuse of the natural resources within the Big Sur Coastal Zone. While this is not a new issue, the number of visitors has increased substantially over the recent years and this visitation is taking an ever growing toll on both State and Federal facilities as well as creating camping along roadsides often with illegal and potentially dangerous campfires.

While we want visitors to experience what is Big Sur, the quality of this experience is deteriorating as are the local resources they visit. For example, Sykes Camp has become anything but a wilderness experience and uncontrolled camping is polluting the area and threatens to pollute the Big Sur River. Nacimiento Fergusson Road, Willow Creek and Plaskett Ridge have become de facto campgrounds. These areas as well as most turnouts along the highway suffer from illegal campfires, increasing trash and a disgusting and dangerous amount of human waste.

This concern is being put forth to the various agencies at BSMAAC by the Big Sur and South Coast Land Use Advisory Committees and Big Sur Kate along with other concerned residents throughout the Big Sur Coast.

The California Coastal Commission has a dual mandate to protect and maintain the resources of the Coastal Zone to preserve them for future generations and to provide public access. They have prioritized public access. In the Big Sur area, the time has come to give greater emphasis on the management of that access and the preservation of the resource itself.

If you care about this issue and for the beauty and protection of Big Sur, then please attend this meeting on the 15th and let the respective agencies know how you feel. We have to let them know, the status quo is not acceptable.”

| friend on Facebook | forward to a friend
Copyright © 2016 Coast Property Owners Association, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are a resident or friend of Big Sur.
Our mailing address is:
Coast Property Owners Association
PO Box 59Big Sur, California 93920

Add us to your address book

http://www.cpoabigsur.org

Big Sur Grange

Please include The Big Sur Community Grange among your list of non-profits. We are the original non-profit and the original and only non- commercial community center in Big Sur. We have real expenses. We have real needs from community members that wish to volunteer. We are an active Grange, members of the Patrons of Husbandry, originally formed in 1867. A Grange, first and foremost, is a group of passionate people dedicated to serving their community. Here in Big Sur we are fortunate to also have a Grange Hall, a friendly, beautiful facility where Grange members and other community organizations can meet and gather for all kinds of events and activities. The Grange publishes The Round Up monthly. The Grange has a work and clean up day on the first Saturday of every month with great food and Acme coffee. The Grange has an important meeting open to all Grange members on the first Tuesday of the month (April 5) at 7pm, 6:30 for potluck and organic taco bar.The Grange is having a benefit April 17 at 4pm, The Big Sur Music Revue.
Grange website (if this link does not work – I’ve tried to fix it several times – see the first link under the sidebar to the right under Big Sur Non-Profits)

In Preparation for Fire Season

A neighbor asked me a question, which I thought I knew the answer to, but I questioned what I knew when informed a USFS personnel disagreed with me. Hmm…nothing I like better than to prove ANY governmental agency misinformed, particularly if I can do it with their own codes, regulations, ordinances – their laws – comes from almost 30 years of fighting the government oppression for my indigent clients.

So, I have found I was correct. I found the CFR and US Codes which govern campfires in the national forests, what is legal, what is not, what the fines are if permitted but not done properly, and what the fines are if campfires have been prohibited by the Forest Supervisor.

Rather than have to research this again in a few years, I decided I would put together a hand-out, if you will, that each of my neighbors and any other interested parties can print out and carry with them (maybe carry multiple copies?) with which to educate the USFS personnel, particularly seasonal workers, F&G wardens, MCSO, AND more importantly, the visiting uninformed. I will post it here next week, after Easter. So look for a little something with which to inform yourself, your neighbors, our enforcers, and more importantly, potential violators. I’m just going to quote the laws and where they can be found. I will not be providing advice, legal or otherwise. Just the law. Arm yourself with the law and you will learn all sorts of things. One way to fight ignorance and hopefully even uncaring individuals.

I saw on a free campsites web page a person who admitted that while she KNEW campfires were prohibited, she had a “little” one anyway to keep the bugs away. We’ve got to get the word out. We can get their information and call it in. Just a few $5,000 fines would pay for all the enforcement we could tolerate.

BSMAAC to address South Coast issues

South Coast Residents are having a discussion about the overuse of the back country via camping, vehicles, hikers, etc. which we want to carry into the next BSMAAC Meeting on April 15 and actually have it as an agendized matter. Perhaps the CPOA can help and also send the agenda out to its members. Kathleen Lee of Supervisor Potter’s Office agreed to put the matter on the agenda and contact agencies who need to be involved in the discussion. We are all proposing to try to bring ideas for solutions to the table, not just complaints, and so far, each person who has emailed me has offered a suggestion. I think it is imperative to keep the discussion flowing that we keep open minds and brainstorm ideas without judgment so that creative, “out-of-the-box” solutions have a medium for growth.

The current road use on the South Coast is unsupportable, particularly with the minimal maintenance and patrolling provided. Since Willow Creek and Nacimiento are both County Roads, and the first 1 and 1/2 miles of Plaskett are, I looked at County Ordinances, and found one that might be of assistance:

· Sections:

· 14.18.010 – Definitions.

“Camping” as used in this Chapter is defined as one or more of the following: erecting a tent or shelter for the purpose of sleeping; arranging bedding for the purpose of sleeping; or use of a standing or parked vehicle for the purpose of sleeping.

(Ord. 3162, 1986; Ord. 3953, 1998)

· 14.18.020 – Camping prohibited on public property.

A. No person shall camp in the right-of-way of State Highway One between the Carmel River and the Monterey-San Luis Obispo County Line at any time.

B. No person shall camp between the hours of six p.m. and six a.m. on any:

1. Public road, or

2. Public property, except when the public property is expressly designated and posted for overnight camping.

(Ord. 3162, 1986; Ord. 3953, 1998

I also would like to determine whether camping on other county roads is an issue, and if so where, and if so, what is being done? I do know the county set up a place on a (county?) road over by the dump to allow people who live in their vehicles to camp for the night. This is a specifically designated spot. I can think of many, many ways we might look at this camping issue

Let us see how we can solve the issues of too many tourists and not enough resources to support them. Together. As a community. Feel free to forward this to any people you feel would be interested.

Highway One Road Closure, North County

The highway fully re-opened at 3:25 pm. Duration of incident: 2 hours, 55 minutes

There is a multi-car accident and fatality on Highway One near SR 183 in North County which has closed the highway in both direction. This from Cal Trans:

SIGALERT –MONTEREY COUNTY
Date/Time: Monday, March 21, 2016 at 1:25 pm
Location: State Route 1 near State Route 183 in Monterey County.
Description of Incident:
State Route 1 is closed from the Jct. of SR 183 to Dolan Road due to a traffic collision involving two vehicles.
Motorists headed southbound are detouring from Hwy. 1 at Dolan Road to State Route 156.
Motorists headed northbound are detouring from Hwy. 1 onto Molera Road.
Estimated Time of Opening
There is no estimate as to when the highway will re-open.
CHP Traffic Incident Information Page: http://cad.chp.ca.gov

Jim Shivers
Caltrans District 5
Public Information Officer
(805) 549-3237
Follow us on Facebook

cid:image002.png@01D0A77B.6EDCBB40

Rain Report. 3/21/16

7:30 am – I was following the weather reports, but last night still took me by surprise. Last I’d read it was a 20% chance, and it would be only .10″ or less. Fooled me. By last night at 9:30 pm, I had .25″. Since midnight’s reset, I’ve had .30″ of rain. I have a 2 and 1/2 hour gap in my rain monitoring – again. Oh well. I mess up. None-the-less, probably somewhere around .6-.75″ total, but I’m guessing here. Tonight’s repeat is the same, only chances are 30%. Should be fun!

Active Slide at Mud Creek

I heard about this earlier today from one of our locals, but here is the official word. (Mud Creek is by Sea View Ranch.)

There is an active slide at PM 8.88 south of Gorda. The entire NB lane was blocked off with an earth berm to prevent material from blocking the entire roadway. We have coned the area off and the Highway will remain open for the time being. The SB lane and a portion of the shoulder are clear. The Willow Springs crew will be out first thing in the morning to access and clean up.

Thanks.

Greg DeAlba Jr.
Supervisor
Willow Springs and Big Sur Maintenance