News you can use, plus some just for fun!

Board BlingREPORT FROM THE 10/21/17 BOARD MEETING

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CW Business 2Fire Safe Council Report 3Hunting Regulations 3The Pinwheel Galaxy 4Acorn Woodpeckers 5CW Clubs 6Welcome/Online/Ads 7Did You Know?/Service 8

The October CWPOA board meeting, held at the home of Mark Johnson, was attended by ten property owners. The board reviewed the minutes from the last meeting and then moved on to Carlene Timm’s treasurer report.

Joel Morrison reported on the roads. All roadwork is finished for the season.

Bill Stowers reported on the gates. All gate codes will be updated in January 2018. See page 2 for details.

Our next meeting will be Saturday, January 13th at 9am, held at the home of Dina Smith on Mountain Meadow.

Please see our website cuyamaca-woods.org for our meeting schedule and location. For more information on attending, volunteering or joining the CWPOA send an email to: chair@cuyamaca-woods.org

MOST OF US HAVE NEVER SEEN a mountain lion, even though we know they are here and have heard of sightings. That’s because the mountain lion is amazingly stealthy, and manages to live alongside us almost invisibly. But residents who have livestock such as chickens, goats, and sheep sometimes feel differently because they are worried a mountain lion will attack and kill their livestock. This is a valid concern if the livestock is not housed securely in pens that can withstand predators.

So, how can you protect your livestock without harming mountain lions? After all, the mountain lions were here first, and they are a California State Protected Species.

A great source of information is the Mountain Lion Foundation located in Sacramento. Most of the information in this article is from their website, www.mountainlion.org. The first thing to know is that you can keep mountain lions safe by keeping your pets and livestock safe and by not inadvertently attracting the lions to your property.

HISTORICALLY, mountain lions were heavily persecuted in California, classified as a “bountied predator” from 1907 to 1963. During this time, a record 12,462 mountain lions were killed (more than any other state) and turned in for the bounty. The bounty on California’s mountain lions was repealed in 1963, and in 1971, the state legislature and Governor Ronald Reagan passed legislation which placed a moratorium on sport hunting of mountain lions. This action was made permanent by the passage of California Proposition 117 in 1990. Hunting or trapping of mountain lions is not allowed in California.

For public safety, the law states a mountain lion may only be killed in California if it is posing an “imminent threat to public health or safety.” This

phrase was defined in a new law (Senate Bill 132) that Governor Jerry Brown signed in 2013. This groundbreaking legislation protects lions that may wander into human-populated areas. Law Enforcement and Wildlife Officers can only kill a lion if it is posing an imminent threat to human life: exhibiting aggressive behavior towards a person that is not due to the presence of first responders. Any situation where a mountain lion does not meet the threshold of imminent threat must by law be handled with nonlethal procedures.

CALIFORNIA’S mountain lion depredation laws are described in the California Fish and Game Code Sections 4802-4809. Under Section 4802, “any person, or the employee or agent of a person, whose livestock or other property is being or has been

injured, damaged, or destroyed by a mountain lion may report that fact to the department (California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife) and request a permit to take the mountain lion.” Within 48 hours CDFW will investigate, and if “satisfied that there has been depredation by a mountain lion as reported, the department shall promptly issue a permit to take the depredating mountain lion” (Section 4803). A mountain lion caught in the act of attacking livestock or situations where “immediate authorization will materially assist in the pursuit of the particular mountain lion believed to be

One of the special reasons most of us live in Cuyamaca Woods is that we love the wildlife here – we love to see wild creatures and like to know they are nearby. The most special is the mountain lion. n n n SUSAN CARTER

CUYAMACA WOODS

F A L L 2 0 1 7 Help Our Mountain Lions

Photo Credit: Reed Johnson

(continued on page 2)

Dues $500.00

Roads 50.00

Gates 200.00

CUYAMACA WOODS INCOME

9/1/17 - 10/31/17

CUYAMACA WOODS EXPENSES

9/1/17 - 10/31/17

Roads $6,450.00

Gates 623.34

Newsletters 113.14

CWPOA BOARD MEMBERS

Chair Susan Stevenson chair@cuyamaca-woods.org

Secretary Mary Hart secretary@cuyamaca-woods.org

Treasurer Carlene Timm treasurer@cuyamaca-woods.org

Roads Joel Morrison roads@cuyamaca-woods.org

Newsletter Editor Terri Groth newsletter@cuyamaca-woods.org

Website Susan Stevenson Terri Groth webmaster@cuyamaca-woods.org

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CUYAMACA WOODS POA Business

THE NEW GATE CODE WILL BE 2019. For the Grandview gate you need to add the # sign after the 2019. The gate controls hold a limited number of codes so some of the older codes will disappear. The “clickers” will automatically update. Note that on the Grandview gate there is a code by-pass button. The button is located on the West side of the black battery box on the inside of the gate. If you forget the code or if the keypad is not responding, push the button and it will open the gate. The by-pass button will not work if the gate is not working. Contact Bill Stowers at: billnevas@gmail.com for all problems with the gates.

responsible for the depredation reported pursuant to Section 4802, the department or the animal damage control officer may orally authorize the pursuit and taking of the depredating mountain lion, and the department shall issue a written permit for the period previously authorized as soon as practicable after the oral authorization.”

CALIFORNIA LAW ALLOWS a mountain lion to be killed if it has attacked livestock ONLY if the California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife gives authorization. But none of us wants to have that situation develop, and it doesn’t need to. The Mountain Lion Foundation has several pages on their website devoted to describing how to protect your livestock and improve your animal husbandry methods, including information about lighting, fencing, guard dogs, and methods for constructing predator-proof pens. Motion sensor lighting is more effective than a light that stays on because it surprises potential predators. The Mountain Lion Foundation website has construction plans for predator-proof pens. Their most recent enclosure can be built for around $600. (See photos at left.)

It is best to keep domestic animals such as chickens, ducks, geese, goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, burros, donkeys, and cows in completely enclosed pens. Build secure enclosures with a roof and floor. Well-secured chain link works, or use an existing outbuilding/barn. Check all points of entry, and keep access closed at night. It’s important to build a pen first, and only then purchase livestock.

CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH shows killing an established adult lion often makes predation problems worse by leaving the territory open to unskilled younger lions that are more likely to target prey that is easier for them to kill than wild prey.

Mountain lions are an important keystone species critical to a successful mountain wildlife habitat. Their numbers are limited, and each one is important to conserve. We are lucky to live in a community that we share with mountain lions. Protecting livestock saves mountain lions.

CW BALANCE: $15,681.52

Gate Codes to Change Sometime in January

Mountain Lions

(continued from page 1)

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You probably buy a lot of things from Amazon, especially when you live out here. Have you heard of the smile.amazon.com program? Whenever you are shopping on Amazon, please

remember to start by going to smile.amazon.com and select Cuyamaca Woods Fire Safe Council as your default charity.

When you do, 0.5% of the amount of your purchases will go to CWFSC. That won’t be much at first, but if we all do it whenever we are shopping on Amazon, it will add up!

THE RECENT WILDFIRES in California wine country remind us again of their tremendous power and ability to devastate. During peak fire conditions of high winds, high temperatures, and low humidity, even our mighty firefighting forces can be overwhelmed, and firefronts seem to become unstoppable. It happened here in CW in 2003, and again came close in 2007. Are you ready for when it happens again?

You can never become 100% safe, but there are things you can do to reduce your risk and to protect lives and property. We all know to maintain defensible space around our homes by reducing brush and other fuel. Ask yourself, are your structures free of outside clutter, especially under eaves and near doorways? Do you have an evacuation plan? Is the route safe? Do you know

what you’ll take should you evacuate? Is it advisable to stay?

We sponsor events to help you. This year we cleared neighborhood roadsides, downed nuisance trees, and twice hosted a large roll-off dumpster so you can get rid of that clutter. We have information on programs such as free chipping, Ready-Set-Go, CERT training, and Wildland Urban Interface education.

CONTACT US, or come and attend our next meeting; you are always welcome to join us. Stay tuned in. If you want to volunteer in the community, I invite you to think about joining the council. Check our website for dates.

The Cuyamaca Woods Fire Safe Council website is www.cuyamacawoodsfsc.org

JOHN GROTH, PRESIDENT

Fire Safe Council Winter Update

Hunting Regulations in Cuyamaca WoodsCUYAMACA WOODS PROPERTY OWNERS can try to deter hunters from our area by posting no hunting signs at various points, especially at the entrances and along the roads bordering our properties. The board has posted signs at the two entrances to CW, along Engineers Road, and at the gates. Property owners may hunt on their own properties. With written permission, a person may hunt on a property belonging to one of our property owners. The only regulation Fish & Game can enforce is that no shooting may occur within 150 yards of any habitable structure (house, barn, garage).

If you see any vehicle or persons violating this regulation, be sure to note the vehicle license number, make and model of the car, number of persons in the car and call the Sheriff at 760-765-4718 and/or Fish & Game at 858-467-4201. If the offender is on foot, take a photo and then make the calls. 3

Cuyamaca Woods Deer

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THE DOUBLE CLUSTER is one of the binocular highlights in any season and not to be missed so I will discuss it again. The two star clusters known as the Double Cluster (designated NGC 869 and NGC 884 in star catalogs) are located halfway between the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia (located just north of the zenith in the early evenings of November) and the two strings of the necklace-shaped constellation Perseus (located just east of Cassiopeia). Both young star clusters are about 7000 light years from Earth, both clusters contain several thousand stars (though NGC 869 is a bit larger than NGC 884) and together they are an impressive sight in any pair of binoculars.

Let’s now turn our binoculars to a nearby cluster rising directly in the east in the constellation Taurus (the Bull). The Hyades cluster is famously the subject of a cave painting in Lascaux, France. Look for the rather large V-shaped pattern of stars with the bright, red-orange star Aldebaran, the angry eye of Taurus the Bull, at one end.

Now sweep up the arms of the Andromeda constellation to their be-ginning at the corner of the square-shaped constellation, The Great Square of Pegasus (the Winged Horse). Count down two stars in the lower arm of Andromeda (the eastern arm) and look just below it and you will see a large but dim galaxy, M33 (the Pinwheel Galaxy), which is a member of our Local Group of galaxies.

This galaxy is about half the size of our own Milky Way galaxy and many observers report that they can see it without optical aid (i.e., naked-eye). It will appear as a distinct oval glow with a bright center. Since we are still close to the constellation Pegasus, you may sweep westward to the end of the longest arm stretching out

to the west from the Great Square itself to the very bright star Enif. About 4 degrees (or half the width of your clenched fist held at arm’s length) to the northwest is the globular cluster M15 (the Great Pegasus Cluster). Globular clusters orbit the center of our galaxy in its halo in highly elliptical and inclined orbits. Globular clusters may be, in fact, the cores of smaller galaxies absorbed by our Milky Way galaxy billions of years ago. M15 may contain about one million stars.

Possibly the best meteor shower of the year, the Geminids meteor shower, will peak in the early morning hours of December 14th (12:00 pm to 4:00 am). The meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini, which will be nearly overhead by 2am. The Moon should be a slim crescent so its light will not interfere with the view of the meteor streaks.

THE TWO BRIGHTEST PLANETS, Venus and Jupiter, continued to move apart from their conjunction on the morning of November 13th. Jupiter rises about an hour before sunrise in the southeast and is joined by Mars about mid-month. Mars and Jupiter will pass within 3 degrees of each other on the morning of December 31st about an hour before sunrise. Mercury and Saturn will appear together in the evening skies in the first week of December. Mercury will appear only 5 degrees above the horizon in the southwest about a half-hour after sunset, and Saturn will pass within 3 degrees of Mercury during that week. Both planets will disappear below the horizon after the first week.

If you are interested in learning more about what you can see in our night skies, go to the “Sky This Month” section of the website www.astronomy.com/observing.

Y Y Y BILL CARTER

M33 - The Pinwheel Galaxy, Photo Credit: Bill Carter

Brilliant Star Clusters, a Meteor Shower and Other Treats

The Pinwheel Galaxy

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n n n ROBYN WAAYERS

HERE IN CUYAMACA WOODS, most residents can’t help noticing the presence of our noisy neighbors, the Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus). Since we live in an area with a high abundance of acorns, this species forms social groups of around a dozen or more birds. In areas with scarce acorn resources, such social groups tend not to form.

Since Acorn Woodpeckers are diurnal and very easy to observe, they have been quite extensively studied over the years.

The groups that we see hereabouts would typically consist of several males and several females who actively breed. The remainder of the group are usually the offspring of the breeders from prior years, and take on the role of “helpers” in rearing of young, collecting food for the colony, drilling of acorn holes, excavation of nesting or roosting cavities, defense of the colony and so forth. The female breeding birds will share a nest cavity, and in the laying season females will begin depositing eggs in the shared cavity. Until ALL the breeding females start laying eggs, the non-layers will systematically destroy the eggs laid by the “early layers.” These eggs are often placed nearby in the territory and eaten by the colony members. Eventually when all the breeding females have begun laying, the egg removal will stop. This ensures more genetic variety among the young in the colony, and reduces the likelihood of one or a few females dominating the gene pool.

AS HINTED AT PREVIOUSLY, Acorn Woodpeckers also excavate cavities in trees or branches in which they roost overnight. So, if you are wondering where they are after they finally settle down each evening (and in my experience, they are usually one of the last birds to “go to bed”), that is where.

Woodpecker helpers may eventually become breeders in nearby colonies that lose their breeding birds. This minimizes the chances

of them breeding with close relatives (sometimes these relocations occur up to ten miles distant from the home colony).

Probably the most conspicuous activity that we see with our Acorn Woodpeckers is acorn collection and maintenance of the granary, a concentrated acorn storage place. Many daylight hours are spent collecting acorns and drilling holes in a tree (or sometimes other structure, including human-made ones like cabins or sheds). Sometimes insects are also stored. It is thought that the birds are “programmed” to stuff a hole with an acorn and that if the acorn were to fall through the hole into an interior space (like a shed), they will continue to “stuff” until the acorn becomes visible. This has led to huge quantities of acorns being stored (out of reach) in small human constructions on rare occasions.

ACORNS ARE NOT THE ONLY FOOD of these birds, and insects are taken when they can be, as well as seeds, and even larger prey, like lizards. They will also happily feed at small sap holes in the bark of living trees, visiting the holes for years in some cases. We see this behavior in the late afternoons from our patio.

If you place water out for birds (we have four bird baths for ours), you should get regular visitation from Acorn Woodpeckers. And if you have a colony nearby, enjoy their antics and activities. Sadly, as the Gold-spotted Oak Borer kills more and more of our oaks, we may see a decline in Acorn Woodpeckers eventually (or a shift to a less colonial lifestyle).

AcornWoodpeckers

Highly Social and Impossible to Ignore!

Female Acorn Woodpecker (left) with red and white being separated by a black band in the forehead region. © Kevin Cole, Wikimedia Commons

Male Acorn Woodpecker (right) with the red touching the white color on the forehead region. © Alan D. Wilson, Wikimedia Commons

CU

LB

WALKING CLUBOur informal group meets each weekday morning for a 2+ mile walk along Engineers Road. Our walks are great for the mind and the body and we never seem to run out of topics to chat about.

Please join us any morning you’re free or make it a regular part of your daily schedule.

Contact Terri Groth: terrigroth@gmail.com 760-765-2734

BOOK CLUBThe Cuyamaca Woods Book Club meets the first Saturday of the month. The requirements for joining the club are that you read the book and show up to discuss it with our lively bunch of readers! The club meets at 9:45am at member’s homes in Cuyamaca Woods.

Contact Terri Groth: terrigroth@gmail.com 760-764-2734

QUILT CLUBThe Cuyamaca Quilt club meets occasionally to explore a fabric store, see a quilt show or just get together at a quilt lover’s home to enjoy the most recent quilting done by members. Contact Colleen Manzer: cmanzer@gmail.com

CW LENDING LIBRARYLocated just outside the Grandview Mountain Lion gate, feel free to TAKE A BOOK AND LEAVE A BOOK at any time.

This beautiful library box was suggested by Kim Robson, constructed by Jerry Miller (above right) and installed by Scott Stevenson (above left). Our library has beautiful new paint thanks to Kim Robson. Thanks to one and all.

GARDEN CLUBA special thank you to Matt Arsena and Bryan Barnes for hosting our garden club meeting in October. The meeting went on a little longer than usual as Matt and Bryan put everyone to work peeling, cutting, and canning apples.

The club went through each step of the canning process and everyone took home a jar of canned fruit! Our next meeting will be on December 3rd at Colleen Manzer and Matt Wilson’s for an end-of-year harvest celebration.

Contact Matt Arsena: mattarsena@cox.net 619-643-1133

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Quilt by Bryan Barnes

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Check out these community online groups for info, sharing photos and fun conversation. Both groups are open to all in the neighborhood, just request to join.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

n Susan Carter has set up and monitors Cuyamaca Woods Neighborhood Forum @groups.yahoo.com

n Kim Robson set up and monitors the Cuyamaca Woods (Julian Neighborhood) Facebook page

NEW PROPERTY OWNERSWelcome

CW

STAY CONNECTED

ADVERTISING – To have your ad placed in the next issue of Cuyamaca Woods News, please email to: newsletter@cuyamaca-woods.org

Acorn Patch - Melani Kent purchased the Dale and Carlene Timm property

Homes

7385 Cosmit Lane, 2.54 acres: 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, $499,000

7414 Engineers Road, 1,324 sq. ft. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, $339,000

Lots/Land

Our website, cuyamaca-woods.org has many great features including the ability to view and download our newsletters in COLOR! The site is for the use of residents and property owners.

If you enjoy downloading and reading the newsletter on your computer and would like to stop receiving your hard copy through the mail, please let us know by sending us a note on the “COMMENTS”page of our website, or let us know by emailing to: newsletter@cuyamaca-woods.org

WWW.CUYAMACA-WOODS.ORG

C U YA M A C A W O O D S N E W S - Editor: Terri GrothGraphic Design: Victoria Keswick, Proofreading: Kim Robson

7397 Cosmit Lane 2.69 acres $99,000

7153 Engineers Road 0.94 acre $65,000

7228 Engineers Road 1.68 acres $65,000

5750 Forest Meadow 5.14 acre $185,000

5764 Grandview Way 2.67acres $148,800

7933 High Hill 0.7 acre $49,000

8018 High Hill 4.0 acres $149,000

7361 Millwood 1.0 acre $39,000

6071 Mountain Meadow 3.15 acres $69,900

5690 Poco Montana Road 2.50 acres $69,000

15809 Stoney Lane 7.23 acres $124,900

IF YOU HAVE NEWS of someone in our Cuyamaca Woods community and would like it published in our next newsletter, please email to: newsletter@cuyamaca-woods.org

Web

WWW.CUYAMACA-WOODS.ORG

Address Service Requested

CUYAMACA WOODS

Caution: Deer Crossing!

CW Service Directory

NOW THAT FALL IS HERE we are seeing larger numbers of mule deer in Cuyamaca Woods. When alarmed a mule deer often bounces away in a motion called “stotting” in which all four hooves push off the ground at the same time. With each bound, a mule deer may jump as high as two feet and as far as 15 feet. Adults males can weigh 130 to 280 pounds. Drive slowly and watch for “stotting” deer.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A QUALIFIED PERSON to help with a home improvement project? Check out the Cuyamaca Woods Service Directory and find those individuals recommended by your neighbors. If you have had a positive experience with a service provider, please let us know and we’ll add them to the directory.

Contact Carlene Timm: treasurer@cuyamaca-woods.org

TERRI GROTH’S

D I D Y O U K N O WCUYAMACA WOODS POA

P.O. BOX 1993 JULIAN, CA 92036-1993

Photo Credit: Reagan Foley