Page 4 - Sonoma County Gazette 11-17

LETTERS cont’d from page 3
look like radiators. With Sonoma Clean Power electricity, at least I know that my power source is clean & renewable one. No petroleum products. We do everything we can - and yet - it’s still not enough. But we must stay warm. There are ways to be warmth are clean and sustainable. If you don’t have an electric heater, you may consider one - but be warned - your power bill will go up a lot!
Some wise words on restoration after these res
from our neighbor Ray Krauss:
I’ve watched recovery over a period of more than 25 years of a 60,000 plus acre burn area on the Blue Ridge between Yolo and Napa County
that burned twice in less than a decade. Best advise is, if any doubt, do nothing. The areas requiring intervention most urgently will be the fire brakes; the dozer cuts. And there are going to be many miles of those, perhaps more than we can help. That alone will take a massive volunteer effort that someone is going to have manage. CalFire will have a large scale mitigation effort that will at least involve trying to repair to some extent drainages and avoid major gullying. They may also undertake some erosion control seeding, though in my years could not be persuaded to use native grasses. Even if they had, they would have be genetically distinct from the local populations. In 1964, post Hanley fire erosion control consisted of aerial seeding of Harding grass and the panting of thousands
of pine trees. Someone should make early contact with CalFire and see if we can closely coordinate our efforts with theirs.
Left alone, most burn areas will recover and thrive. We should be in store for one of the most spectacular spring wild flower seasons in 50 years. Most of the oaks, excepting those at the top of ridges where the fires swept upslope gathering tremendous speed and heat, will survive. Most of those that have burned, including many of the seedling and sapling size trees, will root sprout and grow especially well because they are starting from
an established root system, have very little competition, and thrive on the nutrients released from the ashes. After the massive Lake County fires a couple of years ago, many of the oaks put up new sprouts even before the first fall rains. All the of the chaparral will regrow without hesitation and with great vigor. Grass lands I’m not so sure about, but fire should favor
4 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 11/17
the fire adapted species which may include more natives than not. And lacking previous seed collection
from local populations, any native grass seed we could find would be genetically novel to the area. Often the best approach is to monitor regrowth and to collect seed from the closest adjacent populations in the first year or two, grow out and harvest a seed crop from what we can collect, then plant it out in subsequent years, again in especially suitable locations.
PROUD cont’d from page 1
So that really leaves us with not
a whole lot to do except the dozer lines. Take heart, despite the initial appearance of destruction and desolation of a massively burned landscape, fire is truly a rejuvenation. Get out your cameras and your hiking boots, and monitor, monitor monitor. Then perhaps in the second and third and fourth years and beyond we will find opportunities to replant some
of the more rare species in especially suitable places.”
For the past 11 days, instead of saying “see you later,” we said, “take care of yourself.” We said, “stay safe.” And we meant it. For that matter, when we asked “are you okay?” – we meant it. And if you weren’t okay, we hugged you, or brought you food, or new bras or underwear or a stroller or coloring books for your kids. Whatever you needed. Because it’s what we needed to do.
of meals for evacuees and firefighters. Children painted poster boards thanking first responders. Thousands of volunteers stood up and asked how they could help. Hundreds of thousands of donated items poured into evacuation centers and free stores.
“Fire Storm”
There is a threat of destruction by fire,
Fire in the east that colors the sky
Promise of battle and causes of fear
Relief, if it do not roll our way.
Answer the call, answer the call,
Firefighters, firefighters, answer the call.
Be not deaf to the sound that warns
Be not still to the voice that alarms
Answer the call, answer the call
Come, come, firefighters, answer the call
Ready, be ready to battle the storm
Firefighters, firefighters, answer the call
Let your reforms for a moment go
Put your budgets aside, there is work to be done
Look to your engines, and gather your crew
Firefighters, firefighters, operate as one
Answer the call, answer the call
Firefighters, firefighters, answer the call.
With acknowledgement to Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809 - 1892) and dedicated
to the men and women who responded
to North Coast counties fire complex October 8, 2017. ~ Richard
It’s my deepest hope that the spirit we’ve shown since Sunday, October 8, will continue in the weeks, months, and years to come. Because catastrophes take time to recover from. It will take years to rebuild what was lost. Community leaders are already talking about “the new normal.” The new normal will likely involve County property filled with temporary modular homes, private backyards parked with RVs and tiny houses, and fire survivors moving into former second homes or previous vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods.
Thirty years from now I’ll remember that a crisis brings out the best and the worst in people. And in Sonoma County, we were – and are – so full of the best.
But there’s another “new normal” that we can create. A new normal where the pride and spirit and compassion we feel today doesn’t fade. So please, keep asking your neighbors “are you okay?” – and mean it. Practice kindness wherever you go. And consider participating in the rebuilding efforts in the years to come. County government is already working on opportunities to streamline and reduce costs for granny units so that you, too, can step up to house a neighbor, friend, or family member in need.
As C.S. Lewis put it, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
We can’t change the catastrophe that just hit us. But I’ll be damned if we can’t come back and change our community for the better in the years to come. We’re not just going to rebuild. We’re going to come together and rebuild better.
.
#sonomastrong $sonomaproud