Bennett Valley Voice

Bennett Valley VOICE www.bennettvalley.org

Volume 37, Number 3

Bennett Valley Community Association (Bvca)

MAY, 2014 Improvements on Sonoma Mountain Road and Bennett Valley Road; "Big" News for Our Community! Craig S. Harrison and Steve Soldis On March 25, the Board of Supervisors approved repairs to two roads that are vital to our Bennett Valley community Thanks in part to over 550 residents and users who signed a petition last summer asking to improve Sonoma Mountain Road, 2.19 miles of road will be repaired this summer. This work is being funded by the county corrective maintenance fund which has unspent money because of the light rainfall this winter.

County crews are currently scheduled to repair the pavement and level the surface of Sonoma Mountain Road from Bennett Valley Road to Pressley Road from June 18 to 26. Equipment will include a paving machine, two asphalt rollers, large trucks equipment. One lane traffic controls will be in place and road users should take extra caution.

The repaired sections will be chip-sealed later, probably in August. We will continue to work with the county to fix the remaining 5.7 miles of Sonoma Mountain Road next year. According to current county records most of the remaining section has a pavement condition index below 10 and no remaining useful life.

In addition, the 2.54 mile stretch of Bennett Valley Road between Old Bennett Ridge Road and Warm Springs Road is scheduled to receive a bonding wearing course overlay most likely in October. This is a relatively new technique that utilizes a polymer modified asphalt emulsion.

Bennett Valley Road is part of the county's 200 mile primary road system and this project will complete the rehabilitation of that entire 7.4 mile road. This is a case of public officials listening to our community, and the Bennett Valley Community Association has written a letter to Supervisor Gorin and Department of Transportation and Public Works Director Klassen thanking them on your behalf.

AT&T Pressley Rd. Cell Tower AT&T has requested a use permit for a new telecommunications facility to be located at 5190 Pressley Road. The proposed facility will be on the back of an almost 15 acre parcel, and consists of 12 antennas located inside a 67 foot "rustic" faux water tower. All related ground equipment will be below the tower footprint, which is 24' × 28'. The equipment will be further screened by a 6' high wooden fence. There will also be a 12 foot by 12 foot shelter for equipment and a 35 kilowatt diesel generator for emergency power.

BVCA had asked AT&T to present a summary of its project and respond to questions at our May 15 meeting, but the company was unable to make a commitment in time for the VOICE deadline. A copy of the permit package is posted on the BVCA web site. Comments on any issues should be sent to Melinda Grosch, at the Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD), by May 29.

county.org,565-2397) The original deadline for comment was May 13, but Melinda has kindly extended it to May 29 to provide additional time for community input, because of the timing of the publication for the May VOICE. Bennett Valley VOICE -Yes or No? By Marilee Jensen See the minutes of our March BVCA Board meeting, on Page 7, for the explanation as to why we will no longer be mailing out the VOICE to non-BVCA members, except in the month of January, starting next year. Everyone is encouraged to receive their VOICE by email or at our website, to decrease the BVCA costs. You can always print your email copy for yourself.

142nd Annual BV Grange Barbecue By Janet Alfieri and Bill Finkelstein The 142nd annual Bennett Valley Grange barbecue/picnic will be held from noon until 4:00 pm, on Sunday June 1st and is open to the public. This year we will have yummy BBQ'd chicken, salads, homemade beans (by a new member from their special family recipe), and homemade desserts! It's also BYOB (Bring your own beverages.) The donation this year is $15 for adults, and $10 for children, 11 to 16 years of age, Children age ten and under are free with a paying adult.

The 4th Annual Cherry Pit Spitting contest will again be held. We'll also have a raffle, educational exhibits by the emergency response committee and live music. Live music will be provided by the west county band "Thistledown". Their music is folk and country based with fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass, and a vocalist. Dancing is encouraged!

The theme of this annual barbecue/picnic is "The Grange--Past, Present, and Future". There will be exhibits of early Grange days, the present Grange programs, and what is proposed for the future. Through all it's years the Grange was, and continues to be, community-oriented. This annual event is also a fund raiser for the restoration of the building and grounds as described by Joe Judge in the BV Grape Grower's article on this same page.

Come enjoy a good old fashioned picnic with friends and neighbors at the beautiful location of the oldest active Grange in the whole country. Bennett Valley Grange Break-Ins; New Alarm System Installed. Please Watch! By Bill Finkelstein and Janet Alfieri BV Grange Hall was broken into twice, in March.

The first break-in looked like they might have had a key and knowledge of the building, but beer cans, cigarettes and other debris were left throughout the building. The second break-in, about two weeks later, involved a lot more vandalism and debris, including a broken window, other broken locks, writing on the wall, etc. Someone noticed the cars and trucks parked at the Grange and called the Sheriff, but when the deputy arrived, he was told these people had "rented" the Grange. Apparently, there had been several break-ins and parties in unattended homes in this same area.

If you have keys to the Grange, you'll also need a gate key and the alarm codes to open the Grange. Only a limited number of people will have the alarm codes, which will be changed regularly. The new alarm system includes 24/7 central reporting with direct response from both the Sheriff's Department and the Bennett Valley Fire Station.

Bennett Valley Grange #16 General Information BV Grange Hall is serving as our Bennett Valley Emergency Disaster Preparedness Center as well as a community center for our meetings and activities. Go to http://bvgrange.org to learn more about the Grange, membership and the scheduled activities. If you have any questions, please call Bill & Patty Allen, 544-3721 or Bill Finkelstein, 536-1026.

Bennett Valley Grape Growers (BVGG) By Joe Judge BVGG had their annual meeting at the Grange Hall on April 25 and about 36 people attended. We had several new growers inquire about joining, which we want to encourage. We invite anyone with vines (or thinking of planting vines) to join the BVGG; for membership information, you can contact Ken Hunt @ 576-1262. To learn more about the BVGG, please visit our website (www.bvgg.org).

Karissa Kruse, President of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission (SCWC), spoke about the SCWC declaring to become the nation's first 100% Sustainable Wine Region. The BVGG have in turn declared to be the first appellation in Sonoma County to become 100% sustainable. This drive is greatly assisted by Jackson Family Farms who manage 320 acres in Bennett Valley and are already "Certified Sustainable". To learn more go to: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/2014115/ business/140119757#page=2 Joe Judge, President of the BVGG, described the remodel dreams of the Bennett Valley Grange Hall and their efforts to raise one million dollars for all new utilities, new kitchen and bathrooms, and an exterior facelift. Anyone looking to contribute please contact Joe for more information, at 230-3569.

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Jacob's Ranch May Open Late This Year We have been advised by Sheri Emerson, stewardship Program Manger in the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, that the the county is in the process of finalizing access agreements to Jacob's Ranch. They plan improvements this summer or fall, including the bridge over a fork of Matanzas Creek. If all goes well, Jacob's Ranch will open in December of this year.

Oon' nah-pi's, The Miwok name for Sonoma Mountain By Eve Boling, from November 2004 VOICE Flocks of birds have flown high and away. A solitary drift of cloud, too, has gone, And I sit alone with the Ching-Ting Peak towering beyond. We never grow tired of each other, the mountain and I.

-LiPO Sonoma Mountain dominates the landscape in this part of Sonoma Country. (In 2004) the Open Space District and LandPaths sponsored an evening of storytelling by local residents who shared their connection with the mountain landscape. The event took place on the (Bill & Ruth) Jacobs Ranch on the north end of the mountain.

After a walking tour of the property and a picnic dinner, attendees settled down to hear the presentations. The first speakers were Don Myers and Dick Civit who worked on the Jacobs Ranch for many years. Their stories of working on a cattle ranch gave listeners a sense of life on the mountain during the Jacobs' lifetime. They described the redwood grove and a seventy foot waterfall which flows during the rainy season.

They described hunting with Bill Jacobs, dealing with "crazy cows", running into mountain lions, and driving cattle down a slope so steep that the horses slid down it on their rumps. But most of all, they gave us an affectionate portrait of the man for whom they worked. There is a sign in the redwood grove which reads; A great man rode through this redwood grove. His name was Bill Jacobs. Don and Dick defined Bill Jacobs as an "ecology buff." There were no wells on the property, and all the water came from three springs. This meant a great deal of time had to be spent cleaning the springs. Their employer wanted everything well kept, and it is evident that this spirit motivates workers and volunteers to keep the ranch well-maintained.

Marge Mowbry has lived on the mountain long enough to remember the ranch when a Dr. Anderson lived there. She still refers to it as the "Anderson place." Other speakers spoke of Ruth Jacobs who was famous for her apple pies and how she met Bill Jacobs at a Grange dance.

(Ruth attended a BVHA Community Forum at the age of 88, at the Grange Hall with Deborah Haarstad, just weeks before she died, on 3/7/02.) Pat Eliot spoke of her experiences not with the Jacob's family but another important presence on the mountain. As a young girl, she worked at the Jack London Ranch when it was a guest house and when Charmien London was still alive.

Finally, Arthur Dawson from Sonoma Ecology Center, told us how Sonoma Mountain figures in the creation story of the Coastal Miwok People. The mountain was part of the ancestral homeland of the Coastal Miwoks. In their lore the earth was covered with water. O' ye, the Coyoteman, came here on a canoe of tules from out of the west. All that showed above water was the top of Oon' nah-pi's, the Miwok name for Sonoma Mountain.

This event was indeed one that gave attendees an appreciation for the history of this area, and admiration for those working so hard to preserve those places where the spirit of this history resides. Sonoma County Open Space Authority Purchase of Cooper's Grove (From November, 2004, VOICE) On November 4th , (2004) Sonoma Co. Open Space District approved a Resolution for the lease-purchase of the Cooper's Grove property.

This 226-acre property is located on Sonoma Mountain Road, adjacent to Jacobs Ranch. The most significant feature of this property is an approximately 48-acre redwood forest grove. The remainder of the property is a mix of oakwoodland and open meadows. The headwaters of Matanzas Creek flow from the eastern portion of the property. Burns Canyon, the headwaters for the South Fork of Matanzas Creek, is located in the westerly portion of the property. The southerly portion of the property provides a view over Bennett Valley toward Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. This parcel also provides trail connectivity between Crane Creek Regional Park and Jack London State Park.

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Bennett Valley Fire Protection District (BVFPD) 6161 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Phone: 578-7761 bennettvalleyfire.org Board of Directors: Mark Richardson, President; Joseph Mazeau, Vice-President; Marilee Jensen, Secretary/Clerk; Don D'Avanzo and Arnie Tognozzi, Directors. Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper: Kori Lantow, 823-1084, klantow@comcast.net Ruth Newman, Administrative Supervisor Board meetings are held on the second Tuesday each month, 7:00 pm, at the BV Fire Station. Please confirm meeting date ahead of time by calling 823-1084.

Bennett Valley Paid Firefighting Staff: Fire Chief: Dan George, 481-8105, Battalion Chiefs: Darrin DeCarli, 823-5502, 48-hour Personnel: Lieutenant Matt Tognozzi, Lieutenant Travis Browne, Engineer Rene Torres Part-time Firefighters, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm: Engineers Ly Leng, Andrew Keefer, Andrew Tognozzi Bennett Valley Volunteer Firefighters There are approximately 23 BV Firefighters, including the volunteers and interns. Three rotating shifts of three volunteers each are paid a stipend to sleep overnight at the Fire Station, for improved coverage. During the day, interns are used at no cost, when available, allowing the fire station to cover unfilled firefighter positions on those particular days.

Bennett Valley Call Log March/April By Lieutenant Matt Tognozzi Structure Fire - O Medical Aid = 22 Grass Fire - O Hazardous Condition - 2 Vehicle Accident - 5 Public Assist - 3 Vehicle Fire - O Smoke Check - 2 Alarm Soundings - 6 Total - 40 Further Explanation for Call Log #'s As Lieutenant Matt Tognozzi explains it, the category "Other Type Calls" included smoke checks, "cancelled en route", hazardous conditions or alarm soundings. These were all non-emergency calls or even a false call, which were grouped together as "Other Type Calls".

A majority of the BV firefighter calls are medically related. The second largest group of calls are false or non-emergency-type Hazardous conditions can include animal in the roadway, low-hanging wires, vehicle blocking roadway or a tree down. Alarm sounding includes carbon monoxide alarms, smoke detectors, and/or water-flow alarms which may include dead batteries, burnt food on the stove or a malfunctioning smoke detector or alarm. If the alarm sounding ends up being a structure fire, then the call is logged accordingly. Both smoke checks and "cancelled en route" are just that. In January, 2014, the call log in the VOICE listed 14 "other type calls".

', which included 5 alarm soundings, 4 smoke checks, 4 hazardous conditions, and 1 false alarm. Lieutenant Matt Tognozzi is more than willing to provide more detail on these "other type-calls" in his bimonthly call logs for the VOICE. Wildfire Is Coming. Are You Ready?

Dry Conditions Lead to Increased Fire Activity Selected by Matt Tognozzie, Cal Fire (fire.ca.gov) In just the first three months of 2014, CAL FIRE has already responded to a significant increase in wildfires due to the extremely dry conditions and California's drought. As a result, CAL FIRE officials are reminding residents to ensure they are maintaining 100 feet of Defensible Space; a reminder that comes several months earlier than normal.

With record low rainfall, the grass and brush across California is tinder dry and ready to burn. Between January 1 and April 5, CAL FIRE responded to approximately 900 wildfires that charred nearly 2,400 acres. In an average year for the same time period, CAL FIRE would typically respond to fewer than 340 wildfires for just over 1,000 acres.

Many of these fires have been sparked by powered equipment like lawn mowers and weed trimmers. While maintaining Defensible Space is critical right now, residents are asked not to use powered equipment outdoors during the heat of the day when it's dry and windy, and especially on Red Flag Warning Days. Clearance work should be done in the early morning when temperatures are down and humidity is up, to avoid sparking a wildfire.

Here are some tips for creating Defensible Space: • Maintain 100 feet of Defensible Space around all structures. • Clear all needles and leaves from roofs, eaves and rain gutters. • Trim branches six feet from the ground. • Landscape with fire resistant/drought tolerant plants, that require little water • Remove branches away from roofs and 10 feet from the chimney.

• Use trimming, mowing and powered equipment before 10 a.m., and not on hot, windy days. • Keep wood piles and flammable materials at least 30 feet from the home. For more information on Defensible Space and wildland fire please visit: www.readyforwildfire.org Access to Approved Minutes For Bennett Valley Fire Protection District Members of the public can request the meeting agenda be emailed to them 72 hours before the board meeting or they may pick up a copy of the agenda at the BV Fire Station 72 hours before the meeting. Complete minutes from the previous month's meeting will be available to the public after board approval, either by picking them up at the next Board meeting, or requesting a copy be mailed to them. Please make these requests to the Bennett Valley Fire District Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper, Kori Lantow, by email, klantow@comcast.net, at the BV Fire Board of Directors' telephone, 823-1084. What follows are highlights selected by the VOICE Editor from the approved minutes for two meetings.

Brief Highlights of BV Fire Board Meeting, February 11, 2014 the recent firefighter testing, two more firefighters were hired, that is Andrew and Andrew Tobnozzi. Three new interns were brought in, who can provide firefighter coverage with no added cost to the BV Fire District.

• Explorers - The Explorers are meeting weekly. They recently trained on skid load evolutions. • Chief Dan George gave a report on BV Fire District separating further from the county, financially. Some of the staff from the local fire districts met with the county and the county agreed it would make more sense for the special fire districts to separate from the county, in order to reduce their costs. A checklist was then prepared of things that needed to be done by these fire districts, in order to smooth the separation from the county. Chief George will also meet with Summit Bank. Director Mazeau made a motion to move forward with the separation from the Sonoma County Accounting Services, to reduce potential costs and complexity of needed actions, which Director Jensen seconded. It m was then passed unanimously by the board.

• The County of Sonoma will no longer be providing audit services to Special Districts, after our current audit. Chief George and Ruth Newman interviewed Brian Burns, an auditor from Glen Ellen, who has been used by Kenwood Fire for two years. They were satisfied with him, but they're still planning to consider other auditors before reaching a final decision.

Busy Spring Leads Cal Fire to Start Fire Season Early From Press Democrat article, May 4, 2014 "Cal Fire is shifting into fire season across the Bay Area, including Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties, after an unusually busy spring, the state firefighting agency said Saturday. "The drought has set the state for an already-busy fire season." said Kelley Gouette, operations chief for Cal Fire's Northern Region. Cal Fire has responded to ... twice the average both for incidents (500) and acreage (1,325 acres) agency spokeswoman Suzie Blankenship said...Guette said the shift into fire season in the northern region is more than a month ahead of schedule." No More Bennett Valley Clean-up?

Exploring Alternatives. by Marilee Jensen Have you noticed the increased litter along the Bennett Valley roads? I certainly have since the twice a year Bennett Valley Clean-up Roads days were recently cancelled. What possible alternatives can we Brief Highlights of BV Fire Board Meeting, March 11, 2014 • Public Input - Karen Summer talked about the donations made by the Bennett Valley community for an emergency center and a new bay, to the BV Fire Station a few years ago. Since these are no longer needed, a letter is being prepared to go out to every person who donated, asking them to consider transferring their donated funds back to the Bennett Valley Community Association, to be used for the same emergency supplies, but now located at the BV Grange.

• The AT&T lease continues to move forward, with a new company in charge of this cell tower at the BV Fire Station. • We now have six interns available which has allowed for increased staffing with even 4 or 5 firefighters per day. • Auditor - No other auditors have "applied", so we will proceed with hiring Brian Burns for our auditor. He will send us an updated payment schedule.

• Chief Dan George explained we are moving forward with plans to be ready for that separation from the county by May. Our funds must be FDIC insured so it is necessary to use a bank, Summit Savings, rather than a credit union. The county will continue to send us the Bennett Valley Fire District property tax payments about three times a year.

• Chief George is redoing the vacation policy for BV Firefighters so they can no longer accumulate more in vacation time than what they would earn in two years. The new vacation policy needs some more fine tuning, so Chief George is expected to share the final policy with us at the April Fire Board meeting.

As reported by Sandy Sandine, in the March VOICE, "Despite the many Bennett Valley residents (who've helped with this in the past) only about a dozen have shown up recently to help clean up the litter alongside the roads in our beautiful valley. The average age of our volunteers has been around 72 years old....(and) a dozen is not enough to clean up all the litter on Bennett Valley Road, Grange Road, and Sonoma Mountain Road. Last fall's cleanup event was particularly discouraging... What can be done to keep our valley looking good?" Some of the ideas which Sandy Sandine mentioned were picking up the litter ourselves, in front of our property, or organizing our friends and family to do a group pick-up, much like the Bennett Valley Community Association has been doing for years. Sandy Sandine says she would be happy to provide the information and the tools for that effort, ssandine@yahool.com.

At the last BVCA Board meeting we discussed the possibility of hiring some temporary help twice a year for this effort, but financially, we're not able to take this on. As mentioned in the BVCA minutes for the March meeting, on the BVCA finances and the cost of sending out the VOICE, our membership is down, our voluntary donations are down, and we're needing to cut back on our expenses, not increase them.

We're now contacting Matanzas Creek Winery, to see if they would be willing to help in this Bennett Valley Clean-up effort. They had volunteered to support this effort some time ago, and I believe they even provided free wine to some of the volunteers at one of our BVCA clean-ups, but we haven't seen or heard anything from them in this regard for some time. If you have any other ideas to help keep Bennett Valley roads cleaned up, please let know.

(marileejensen@global.net) 5

Speaker on Honey Bees and Bee Keeping for the BVCA July 17 Meeting By Marilee Jensen We have confirmed a speaker for our July 17 BVCA meeting from the Sonoma County Beekeepers' Association. That will be on Thursday, July 17, at 7:00 pm, at the BV Grange Hall it will last approximately one hour. The speaker will present information on bees, helping to preserve the bees and some details on bee keeping, for those who might be interested.

Below, I've included some of the information on bees which I've found on various websites. The honey bees work together in their different roles to maintain their fascinating life style. You can also find many more details about honey bees at the Sonoma County Beekeepers website, sonomacountybeekeepers association.org.

Bee Trivia * The honeybee has been around for 30 million years. * The average honeybee will actually make only one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. * It takes about 556 workers to gather 1 pound of honey from about 2 million flowers.

* The honeybee's wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz. * Worker honeybees live for only about 30-60 days in the spring or summer but can average about 140 days during the winter. * The queen bee lives for about 2-3 years and is the only bee that lays eggs. She is the busiest in the summer months, when the hive needs to be at its maximum strength, and can lay up to 2500 eggs per day.

* Only worker bees sting, and only if they feel threatened. They die once they sting. Honey bees are social insects that live in large groups in hives. During the summer, 40,000 to 80,000 honey bees may occupy a single hive. There are three types of honey es: workers, drones and queens. Each performs ecific function that contributes to the success ar survival of the hive. Although many people fear the honey bee's sting, they offer many benefits.

Workers * Workers are sexually immature female honey bees that have stingers. They are responsible for the construction of the hive and its maintenance, a task they perform by generating currents of fresh air with their wings. Honey bee workers are also responsible for protecting, cleaning and feeding the hive's queen and 6 * Workers roam the skies in search of pollen, which they extract and bring to the hive to store as food. After discovering a new source of food, a worker will return to the hive and perform a dance to let others know of its location.

Queen *Every honey bee colony has a queen, which is the largest bee in a hive. She is a sexually mature female whose sole purpose is to reproduce. #Honey bee workers designate their queen while she still in the larval stage by encasing the larva in a special cell that is larger and more vertically oriented than others. They feed the queen larva royal jelly, a substance they extract from glands on their heads.

This substance causes the larva to become sexually mature. *Queen honey bees can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day. When a hive's queen dies, workers merely select a successor. Drones #Drones are male honey bees and do not have stingers. They are slightly larger than worker bees, and their eyes are twice the size of those of other honey bees, giving them enhanced vision.

*The main function of drones is to mate with and fertilize the queen. When she is ready, up to 18 drones will mate with the queen in flight. During the spring and summer, hundreds of drones inhabit a hive. In the winter, when food becomes scarce, worker bees often throw the drones out of the hive.

Honey Bee Products *Workers produce honey by combining the nectar they collect from flowers with certain enzymes and taking out the moisture. #Another popular product of the honey bee is beeswax, which workers produce through glands in their abdomens and use to store honey. Decline Scientists say that about half of the worldwide honey bee population has been lost in the last five decades because of pesticides and parasites.

#...This is particularly worrisome for mankind, since honey bees pollinate many of the flowering plants we including broccoli, cucumbers, strawberries, pears, almonds and avocados.

Bennett Valley Community Association (BVCA) Board Of Directors P.O. Box 2666, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 www.bennettvalley.org Craig S. Harrison, President charrison@hunton.com 573-9990 Larissa Goliti, Vice-President and Membership Coordinator Igoliti@hotmail.com 578-3453 Debra J. Forton Engle, Treasurer reddogvineyards@gmail.com (415) 987-5677 Frank LaCombe, Secretary FrankKLaCombe@gmail.com 585-3482 Gary Barner, Director gbarner@cds1.net 481-6196 Tim Bosma, Director tbosma@comcast.net 953-8873 James K: Cobb, Direstor cobblaw@pacbeal.net 586991172 Bill Finkelstein, Director, BVCA Webmaster bill@williamfinkelstein.com 536-1026 Karen Sommer, Director, BVEP Coordinator, ksommer11@earthlink.net 528-8982 BVCA VOICE Editor - Marilee Jensen, 576-0405, marileejensen@gmail.com • The Board discussed the transfer of donations from BVEP to the Grange Emergency Fund, as described in the minutes of the March meeting for the BV Fire District.

• Craig Harrison announced the hearing before the Board of Supervisors on March 25, regarding the road issues. • The board discussed possible speakers for the May and July 2014 meetings. • No new business was presented so the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm.

Board of Directors' Tentative Agenda Thursday, May 15, 7:00 pm, BV Grange Hall • Treasurer's Report, spending requests • Report from BV Emergency Preparedness Committee • County Road Issues • VOICE Issues • Speakers for Upcoming Meetings • New Business as determined by Board Adjourn PRMD Proposals For Bennett Valley Two proposals in the Bennett Valley area have been submitted to BVCA from PRMD this week for possible input. When ever we receive these proposals, we will post them to our website, www.bennettvalley.org and let you know in the next VOICE. If you want to keep current, though, you'll have to check our website regularly, as the timelines for input to PRMD are generally within a couple of weeks or so.

Highlights, BVCA Minutes, March 20th Meeting • Debra Forton Engle, the Treasurer, presented information about current balances being in the red. The board discussed the lagging membership fees, the significantly reduced donations from people sending in their membership fees and the cost of the VOICE production and distribution, at just over $4,000 a year. As seen in an earlier article on the VOICE, the board approved a motion to notify residents that there will be a cessation of mailing the VOICE to non-members except for the month of January each year, starting in 2015.

People who receive the VOICE by email will continue to receive it, regardless of membership status and anyone is free to read the latest VOICE on the BVCA website. Everyone is encouraged to get their VOICE by email as then it costs BVCA so much less. For those who prefer to read a paper copy, they can print a copy for themselves at home, and then read that, resulting in a great cost savings to BVCA.

Notification Of Email Changes Please be sure to notify Larissa Goliti of any changes to your email address, at Igoliti@hotmail.com or by phone, 578-3453. This may be necessary because you've chosen to receive your VOICE, via email, or because you want to be notified by Bennett Valley Community Association of important information, through Email Alert, between the scheduled VOICE mailings, every other month.

Brief Update on Belden Farms Proposal The Belden Farm Proposal had a hearing on March 13 with the Sonoma County Board of Zoning Adjustment. Their permit was approved by this board, with a 5-0 vote but it included 100 conditions, including a left-turn only sign when leaving the proposed winery onto Sonoma Mountain Road, to alleviate traffic in the direction of Glen Ellen. Four people have filed an appeal to this decision, but there is no schedule yet for a Board of Supervisors' hearing on these appeals.

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Bennett Valley Community Association P.O. Box 2666 Santa Rosa, CA 95405 www.bennettvalley.org PURPOSES OF BVCA: To promote and preserve the residential rural character and natural environment of Bennett Valley; to educate, instruct, train and inform the local residents on disaster preparedness and emergency response as well as local land use and environmental issues; to serve as an open forum for Bennett Valley community participation; and to provide a bridge for communication between government agencies and the Bennett Valley community.

Return Service Requested Inside This Issue BV Road Improvements Approved! Speaker, May 15, Cell Tower Proposal, Pressley Rd. 142nd Annual Grange Barbecue, June 1 Grande Hall Break-in. New Alarm Svstem Jacobs Ranch Opening Plans, Some History Are You Ready for Wildfires? BV Clean-Up Resources? What Good Ideas Can We Find?

Honey Bee Information, July 17 Speaker Bennett Valley Community Calendar Mark your calendars now!! • Bennett Valley Community Association: The next meeting is Thursday, May 15, 7:00 pm, BV Grange Hall. • Bennett Valley Fire Protection District: The Board of Directors meets the second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 pm, at the cherry spitting challenge, a raffle, exhibits by the emergency response committee and live folk and country music. Dancing is encouraged. The cost is$15 for adults, $10 for children ages 11-16 and younger children are free.

• Ham Radio Licensing In Just One Day: (From website smrs) The next scheduled one-day licensing class and exam is Saturday, June 14, Petaluma Senior Center. Cram session, 9:00 am - $10, Exam session, 1:00 pm, $15. Please pre-register in order to get help with obtaining your Federal Registration Number. Contact Dale, 762-0414 or wb6tms@arrl.net.

• Sonoma County Board Of Supervisors: Meets every Tuesdare(except weeks when there is a legal holiday), at varying times, 575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa. Susan Gorin is the elected Supervisor for our ist District. If you have any concerns or questions, you may contact her District Director, Pat Gilardi, 565-3752, pat.gilardi@sonoma-county.org. Or you can contact Susan Gorin at 565-3752, susan. gorin@sonoma-county.org.

• For emergencies, use your landline or your cell phone to call 911. Or you can also report emergencies to Dispatch, 576-1365. • To talk to someone at the Sheriff's office 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to either report concerns that may be an emergency or to discuss a situation that may require a law enforcement response, call 565-2121.

• Call Sonoma County Road Maintenance (Public Works), 565-5100 to report dangerous potholes, fallen trees or landslides and to request possible help with litter control and bulk trash in the road. After hours, call 565-2121, for help from Sheriff's office. • Call Sonoma County Animal Control, 565-7100, regarding the removal of dead animals along the road.

• Call California Highway Patrol, 588-1400, as another resource if debris is causing imminent traffic hazards on county roads.