Portola Valley Update May 11, 2023

Founders’ Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Town of Portola Valley

The Town of Portola Valley is proud to award Sue Crane and Gary Nielsen with the Founders’ Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Town of Portola Valley. This award recognizes the cumulative civic engagement and leadership of longstanding volunteers in the Town of Portola Valley.

Last night the Town celebrated Sue and Gary, who have dedicated their lives to serving the community, with an award ceremony and reception at the Historic Schoolhouse.

Sue Crane moved to Portola Valley right as the Town was being incorporated in 1964. She started her long volunteer service as a volunteer pottery teacher in the Portola Valley Schools. She served on the Town Council from 1982- 1990 and was Mayor in 1985 and 1989. She has played an integral role in purchasing the land to create the Town Center that is loved by our community. In her almost 60 years of service to the Town she has served in a large variety of roles. She played a key role guiding our General Plan in 1979. Our community benefited greatly from her work with our schools, open spaces, library, the Sequoias and celebrating our important community anniversaries.

Gary Nielsen started his volunteerism with the Town in 1969 on the Los Trancos Water Co. Board of Directors. He served on the Town Council from 1992 – 2000 where he was Mayor in 1994 and 1998. In his over 50 years of volunteerism he has had significant contributions in the creation of our current Town Center, protected and educated citizens about our open spaces, guided land use and financial health and served as our Police Commissioner.

We can’t say enough about the decades of service both of these amazing people have dedicated to creating a thriving community. We are grateful they have led our community though both great and difficult times and have been a guiding light to us all.

In recognition of their contributions they were presented with Founders’ Awards for Lifetime Contributions to the Town of Portola Valley award by the Mayor Jeff Aalfs and the Town Council. The ceremony and reception filled the room to capacity with members of the Town Council, Town staff, and many members of the community and families who came out to show their appreciation for the honorees and their contributions to the Town.

Sue and Gary have dedicated their lives to serving the people of Portola Valley, and they are true examples of what it means to be community leaders. We are very grateful for their service, and we know that their examples inspire others to get involved and make a difference in our community.

Hawthorns Public Access Working Group- Q&A May 15th

Are you passionate about open space preservation and recreation?

Are you interested in shaping ecologically sensitive public access to the Hawthorns Area of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve?

Do you enjoy participating in working groups and have the compacity to join 5 – 7 in-person meetings every 6 - 8 weeks starting this summer?

The Hawthorns Area of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve is a 79-acre property located within the Town of Portola Valley and owned by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen). The property is currently closed to the public.

Midpen is looking for 6 Interested Area Representatives to join the Hawthorns Public Access Working Group. Working group members will collaborate with Midpen staff, District Ward Stakeholders, and elected official liaisons on a plan to introduce ecologically sensitive public access to the site in a manner consistent with Midpen vision and goals.

The Working Group would evaluate the following public access components:

• Parking area and driveway location(s)
• Trailhead location(s) and internal trail system
• Trail connections with surrounding Town trails and pathways
• Opportunities for regional trail connections
• Proposed trail uses within the Hawthorns Area

Please note that Interest Area Representatives would not be currently serving as a member of the Town of Portola Valley Town Council, Architectural & Site Control Commission, Planning Commission, or any other Town Committee that has future advisory or regulatory oversight related to the project when it moves into the permitting phase.

Wildfire Preparedness Committee Tip -What we learned from the DIY Panel

In last week’s tip on the new regulation from the CA Dept of Insurance, a link was missing: the slides and the advance Q&A are located here. There are some great questions that you may find very informative. Please check out the CDI slides and Q&A!

We also neglected to mention that May 1-7, 2023 is CA Wildfire Preparedness Week, and that May is national Wildfire Preparedness Month. These events, along with our recent Fair, emphasize the importance of individual responsibility in reducing wildfire risk.

Please check out the recording of the DIY Panel session at the Fair Lecture Series.

• WPC member and retired builder Dee Bailey built a model house that exemplifies home hardening techniques, while training carpentry volunteers at the same time. Unfortunately, a “caster disaster” kept the house from getting to the Fair, but it will be displayed at a future event. Learn from Dee here
• Jeff Beaman converted an accessory building from a tinder box to a fire-resistant structure that will protect EVs and other assets. Photos are here.
• WPC member MJ Lee showed her wildfire mitigation journey. Before and after photos follow her home from vegetation and clutter to Zone Zero and Zen. Wildfire mitigation is a multi-year process, but everyone just needs to start somewhere.
• Hope you are all inspired from these DIY presentations!

Woodside Fire Chipper Program Schedule

The Chipper Program is a fuel reduction program to help decrease our community's threat from wildfire. With a Woodside-Portola Valley Fire Protection Foundation grant, a chipper and truck were purchased. The program's goal is to assist residents in maintaining defensible space around their homes. The chipper will enable the Fire District to easily dispose of large amounts of fuel.

The chipping will be conducted with FIRE SAFE San Mateo County & CAL FIRE inmate crews. The Fire District asks that you stack your materials by 7:00 a.m. along the roadside no more than 14 days prior to your scheduled chipping day and we will take care of the rest. No signup or registration is required.

Portola Valley Trivia Night: Got Brain?? Get Social!!

Come join your neighbors and enjoy a fun-filled evening of banter and impractical information!

Saturday, May 13th, from 6pm to 10pm at the Community Hall. (Trivia will start promptly at 7pm.) Snacks and beverages will be available to keep your neurons firing.

SPACE IS LIMITED! Form a team or register yourself individually. For more details and to register, visit www.portolavalley.net/trivianight

Trivia Night is happily brought to you by the Parks & Recreation Committee :-)

Portola Valley Horse Fair- May 20th

The Trails & Paths Committee is pleased to sponsor an interactive Horse Fair on May 20 from 11 am – 2 pm at Town Center (765 Portola Road). Activities include face painting, a petting zoo, carriage rides, and roping skills. Lunch options will be provided by Los Tolucas food truck

Conservation Committee-Tip of the Month

Oak Moth caterpillars

Over-wintering oak moth eggs start to hatch this time of year as new oak leaves appear. They grow and transition through 5 stages before pupating into moths. While usually not a significant problem they can sometimes severely infest a tree or trees – what to do?

Of the several hundred species of oak moth, the above four are the most predominant in our area. None of these are capable of impacting the tree’s overall health, even if they fully defoliate the tree unless it is already in decline. If the tree is badly infested and/or not aesthetically pleasing, spray them off with a strong jet of water. Pesticides of any type are not recommended because they negatively impact other beneficial insects that will keep them and other pests under control. Moderate infestations should be left alone because our baby birds need the juicy caterpillars and opening up the canopy is good for the tree.

Some think that stressed trees “attract” these insects in order to speed up the normal decomposition of its leaves, giving it a boost of rapid fertilizer. A great preventative is to keep a thick layer of oak leaf mulch under your trees to provide nutrients long-term as they decay.

More information can be found here: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7422.html

Transit Board Seeks One Public Member

The San Mateo County Transit District Board of Directors is seeking applicants to fill one public member seat. The successful candidate will be one of nine directors responsible for setting policy for the Transit District, which operates SamTrans bus service. Applicants must be residents of San Mateo County outside of the County’s coastal region and must not have held elective office within the past year. Applications are available online at: https://www.samtrans.com/about-samtrans/board-directors or by calling 650-508-6242. Deadline for receipt of applications is: Monday, June 5, 2023, 5:00 pm.