August 2014 — N 1408
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Next HOA Meeting
The next HOA meeting will be the first Tuesday of October 2014 (10/7/14) at 7:00PM at the Depot (at Pass and Katherine Rds.)
Fire Station 43
As reported in the June Newsletter the building that housed VC Fire Station 43 located adjacent to Knolls Park was declared as excess property by the City of Simi Valley and notices were sent to Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, Ventura County Parks Department, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Simi Valley Unified School District, County of Ventura, California State Resources Agency, and the Area Housing Authority of Ventura. The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District was the only entity that expressed an interest in acquiring the property. The City and the RSRPD are in negations now and it is expected that the RSRPD will take ownership of the building. Details to follow as we get them!
Ventura County Encroachment
Mark your calendars to attend the October HOA meeting on Oct. 7th. David Fleisch from the Ventura County Transportation Division will be presenting information on this topic. There have been problems in another County area - Silver Strand - with fences, driveways, and other building encroaching on County property, including the Right of Way. From our successful fight over the Colton Lee development and the widening of Katherine Road we know that we have Right of Way discrepancies in the Knolls. It is essential that we know more about how the County will be enforcing encroachment rules. Watch your email for more information from the HOA.
Newsletter
The Newsletter of the Susana Knolls is published monthly and provides information of vital importance to the neighborhood. Occasionally we also provide interesting stories about living in the Knolls. We encourage everyone in the neighborhood to submit articles that would be of interest to our community. Please send your articles to susanaknollshoa@roadrunner.com.
Living With The Wild
Western Fence Lizards
As are all reptiles, the Western Fence Lizard is a vital part of the Knolls ecosystem. Often seen basking in the sun on rocks, downed logs, trees, fences, and walls, the Western Fence Lizard is probably the most-seen lizard in our neighborhood.
Males display bright blue bellies like the one shown at the left and rarely exceed 9 inches in length including the tail. Males defend their territory with their trademark head-bobbing and a flash of blue on their throat. Western Fence lizard females lay one to three clutches of eggs in damp soil, which hatch between July and August.
These lizards become inactive during periods of extreme heat or cold, when they take shelter in crevices and burrows, or under rocks, boards, tree bark, and unfortunately under rolling trash cans. Be alert when moving anything with wheels!
If it weren't for critters like Western Fence lizards, we would be overrun with beetles, flies, caterpillars, spiders, ants and other insects — including disease-carrying mosquitoes and ticks. In addition, according to the California Academy of Science, studies have shown that Lyme disease is lower in areas where these lizards live. When ticks carrying Lyme disease feed on these lizards' blood (which they commonly do, especially around their ears), a protein in the lizard's blood kills the bacterium in the tick that causes Lyme disease. The blood inside the ticks' gut is cleansed and no longer carries Lyme disease!
These beautiful, beneficial and harmless creatures deserve our respect and our protection.
This newsletter is a production of the Santa Susana Knolls Homeowners Association (SSKHA). If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please let us know. Please share this newsletter with your neighbors. You do not have to be a member of the SSKHA to be on our email list. To subscribe to this newsletter click here. If you are a member of the HOA we really do not want you to unsubscribe but if you must, you can use this link: unsubscribe. The newsletter is produced from the spacious Santa Susana Knolls town center offices at 1409 Kuehner, No. 5, Santa Susana, CA 93063.