July 2014 — N 1407
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Next HOA Meeting
The next HOA meeting will be the first Tuesday of August 2014 (8/5/14) at 7:00PM at the Depot (at Pass and Katherine Rds.)
Rocketdyne — The Inside Job (part 2)
The Consumer Watchdog report titled Inside Job: How Boeing Fixers Captured Regulators and Derailed a Nuclear and Chemical Cleanup in LA’s Backyard, has a pre-quel which you can download here. As this is an important must-know concern for every resident within the 10 mile radius of the Santa Susana Field Lab (i.e San Fernando, Conejo, Santa Clarita and Simi Valleys), please familiarize yourself with it. Download the report here.
( EDITOR’S NOTE: Our congressman, Buck McKeon, apparently cares little about this life threatening issue in our district. He would rather spend his time on another congressional investigation that has nothing to do with his district! Feel free to let him know what his priorities should be at Contact Buck.)
Fire Fee
You should have received a bill for this year’s fire fee imposed on all California rural residents. Many rural residents believe this fee to be an illegal tax as described under Prop 13. You can find out more about the anti-fee proponents at this link.
Fire Season
We are now in one of Southern California’s least favorite seasons— fire season. Hot weather, desert winds, and a three-year-long drought only makes this season more worrisome! People who live in an urban interface area like the Knolls need to always be prepared. The Ventura County Fire Department provides information on their website on how to prepare for fire season—or you can download their advisory flyer here. In addition, be vigilant. Call the fire department or the Sheriff (phone numbers are available on our Contact pages) if you see smoke or individuals behaving irresponsibly with fire or fire accessories. When it comes to wildfire you can't be TOO vigilant.
Living With The Wild
Little Golden Birds
Have you noticed more Goldfinches lately? Unlike most songbirds, July is nesting time for the bright yellow American Goldfinches. The late-nesting Goldfinches rely on the silver fibers and down of thistles, which bloom on our hillsides around July, for nesting material and food.
Generally, Goldfinch nests are built in the fork of a horizontal tree limb, 4 to 14 feet above the ground. The female lays 4 to 6 pale blue to white eggs and incubates them for 12 to 14 days until they hatch. The male often feeds his mate while she sits on the nest.
By the time the eggs hatch, thistle plants have gone to seed, which is perfect timing for feeding young goldfinches. Baby Goldfinches are fully feathered and out of the nest 10 to 16 days later, joining their parents at bird feeders. Since our surrounding wild hillsides harbor so many purple thistle plants, summer is definitely Goldfinch season in the Knolls!
If you want to attract more songbirds, consider adding a thistle feeder to your yard!
Night Skies
Meteor shower later this month.
The Perseid meteor shower lights up dark skies from late July through mid-August, peaking August 12. The meteor activity may be very high on the evenings of August 10/11, August 11/12 and August 12/13. This year the sky will be awash with the light from an almost full Moon, so only the brighter meteors and fireballs will be visible and fainter meteors drowned out. This isn’t too much of a problem as Perseids are abundant.
The Perseids are probably the best meteor shower of the year for a first timer since the nights are warmer and so everyone can enjoy an evening of meteor-watching from their own garden. No special equipment required, you just need to be comfortable, patient and you only need your eyes. The radiant of the Perseid meteor shower is in the constellation of Perseus. More info
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