At the March MAST meeting Idyllwild Fire Battalion Chief James LaMont reported that IFPD is fully staffed, and had prepositioned engines for the storms predicted for that week. Normal daily staffing includes eight people and a hand crew that is on call. They have eight engines and four ambulances. They are partnering with the USFS…
At the March MAST meeting Chris Fogle, one of two U.S. Forest Service Battalion Chiefs in our Ranger District, reported that currently the Division Chief position is open, along with two other Battalion Chief positions. Through the winter, USFS continue to staff three engines, a water tender, and a hand crew on the Hill. Helicopters,…
At the March meeting of the Idyllwild Water District (IWD) Board, the directors heard good news from General Manager Bill Rojas: an exceptionally low water loss figure of 3%. Rojas explained that, several months ago, the search for leaks led his crew to sources they had assumed were natural springs, but were turned out to…
The Jacarusos are a family bound together by the arts. Father Jac and son Luca are musicians who both also work in the technology space, and Mimi is a poet and a visual artist, known for her organic textile sculptures and wall hangings, prints and collages. The three have woven their individual talents, and commitment…
At the March meeting of the Board of Directors of Pine Cove Water District, General Manager Jeremy Potter reported that the trial installation of a remedy for the poor data transmission of the new “smart” meters has begun to show good results. The new “mesh” system uses a network approach to data transmission from the…
Eric Cadden from the County Emergency Management Department encouraged locals to sign up for Alerts at RivCoReady.org. The service will send address-specific evacuation warnings and orders to your cell phone, even if you are not at home. He also recommended Genasys Protect, an app which you can download to your phone or visit with a…
Lynette Short, CalFire Unit Forester, briefed on fuels reduction. CalFire’s main local effort this year will be the Redhill Vegetation Management Project. It is a 300-foot-wide shaded fuel break, starting in Pine Cove around the northwest, west and southwest sides. CalFire will treat dispersed plots extending down to the Nature Center. Over previous years, nearly…
The Mountain Area Safety Taskforce’s March meeting provided updates from the agencies responsible for protecting our mountain communities from catastrophic wildfires. Representatives from CalFire, Idyllwild Fire, US Forest Service, Riverside Sheriff’s Office, and the County Emergency Management Department gave briefings, as did the Executive Director of Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council (MCFSC), the nonprofit organization…
The Idyllwild Arts Academy is offering an opportunity for self-expression, creativity, hope, and healing at its “Day of Healing Through Art,” a special event for students whose homes, schools, families, and communities have been impacted by the recent devastating wildfires. Students, age 13-17, will be visiting Idyllwild on March 21 for a day of “art, reflection,…
Although Idyllwilders may know Mick Lynch as part of the Irish musical ensemble Two Micks and a Chick, and for his spoken word performances, he is reaching new audiences as the director of the theater troupe Old Tyme Radio, which brings a new radio play to Middle Ridge Winery (almost) every month. Larry Kawano has…
