December 2014 — N 1412
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Next HOA Meeting
The next HOA meeting will be the first Tuesday of February 2015 (2/4/15) at 7:00PM at the Depot (at Pass and Katherine Rds.)
Ex Fire Station 43 Update
In our October Newsletter we reported that the City of Simi Valley had approved the sale of the former station to the Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks District. We were recently informed that this action is now complete! The Knolls looks forward to when this building can be available to all residents.
Angel Tree Party at Live Ride Church
The Live Ride Church congregation invites the entire Knolls community to their Angel Tree party Saturday, December 20th at the church location at 6245 Sylvan Drive. This event will help bring Christmas to children who need our support during this holiday season. For more info click here.
The Susana Knolls remembers
John Tomerlin
The Knolls says a heartfelt farewell to John Tomerlin who passed away in November. John played a key role in starting the Susana Knolls HOA in 1969. He loved the Knolls and helped those that moved to this wonderful community to form the HOA and to understand that if we wanted to keep the Knolls a special place we would have to be vigilant and work hard. John was proud of the work that the HOA has done all these years to keep this little corner of Ventura County a special place to live and raise our families. He will be missed and fondly remembered by those of us who knew him and worked along with him. Follow this link to a remembrance letter that was written by John’s nephew, Jon Hershey.
November Newsletter
Did you miss not having the November Newsletter? I sure did! We need your help to provide the newsletter monthly. Do you have an interesting story about the neighborhood? Did you come in contact with wildlife recently? Is there something that the neighborhood should know about? 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
"Snow-Birds" of the Knolls—Dark-Eyed Junco
One of the most abundant forest birds of North America, Dark-eyed Juncos spend the winter time in the Knolls beginning in October until mid-April, when they return to northern latitudes to nest and breed in their forest homes. During their winter stay with us they are most often seen in flocks at bird feeders or on the ground beneath them. Although the species has varied colorations, the bird most often seen in our neighborhood, the "Oregon Junco," has a black hood, chestnut mantle, white underparts with buff sides. These sparrow-sized birds range from Alaska to Mexico, and from California to New York.
Dark-eyed Juncos form fairly large flocks in the winter, and are primarily seed-eaters, including chickweed, buckwheat, lamb’s quarters, sorrel, and they seem to prefer millet over sunflower seeds. During the breeding season, Dark-eyed Juncos also eat insects including beetles, moths, butterflies, caterpillars, ants, wasps, and flies. When foraging, Dark-eyed Juncos typically hop (rather than walk) on the ground, pecking or scratching at the leaf litter, or flit very low in underbrush gleaning food from twigs and leaves. Juncos sometimes fly up from the ground to catch insects from tree trunks. Juncos will often forage with other sparrows and bluebirds.
Very agile birds, Juncos flap their wings continuously and pump their tails so the white outer tail feathers flash. Male Juncos are very territorial in summer, chasing off intruders in rapid flights accompanied by excited call notes. When males court females, they fan or flick open their wings and tail, hop up and down, and pick up pieces of nest material or moss. Females seem to prefer males that show more white in the tail.
Look for the Junco, our resident Knolls snowbird, and enjoy our wild and wonderful Knolls environment.
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.