Green Grass Roots
One of the best parts of living in The Claremont Hills is having easy access to nearby parks and open spaces. The Claremont Canyon Conservancy brings a rewarding and educational outdoor experience to our neighborhood, in our own backyard.
The annual CCC meeting held recently at The Claremont Hotel featured John Swanson, Assistant Fire Chief of the East Bay Regional Park District. He is an expert in large fire suppression.
“The Conservancy is a true grass roots organization,” says Marilyn Goldhaber. “After the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm, a small group of individuals studied what had happened and why over a ten-year period.
“They eventually convinced their neighbors to form a conservancy for the long-term good of the community. Their goal was to keep the dialogue going. They didn’t want important work in the canyon and surrounding wild lands left on the back burner, to be forgotten.
“Since 2001 more than 500 individuals and families have joined the Conservancy, many pledging support exceeding $1,000 over ten years. Such community interest and support has made our program very successful.”
If you are interested in volunteering for Claremont Canyon Stewardship or joining this dedicated group, email info@ClaremontCanyon.org You can visit the website to learn more about the diverse activities including: December 11 — Bird Walk with Dave Quady and February 20 — Wild Flowers of late Winter/Early Spring.
Keynote Speaker at the CCC annual meeting was John Swanson with 33 years of fire suppression experience with the US Forest Service jrswanson@ebparks.org
Next year – 2011 — will be the CCC’s tenth-year anniversary.