THE WOOLSEY CHRONICLES – Finding Beauty In Disaster

FINDING BEAUTY IN DISASTER TRAGEDY HAS THE POWER TO BRING OUT THE BEST IN HUMANITY.

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Disaster as catalyst.

Fire, floods, earthquakes, bombings, random acts of violence – events we watch on our screens, flinchingly yet mesmerized.

With empathy and horror. Suddenly, we observe strangers extend a helping hand.

Neighbors helping neighbors. We see ordinary people rising to commit heroic deeds.

Fences melt away, helping and sharing become the new reality. Boundaries don’t hinder unity and cooperation in the face of disaster. We’ve witnessed it. We’ve read about it. And some have lived it.

Last November’s wildfire brought a disaster to my doorstep. The Woolsey Fire, the largest fire in Los Angeles County’s history, raged for nearly two weeks and burned 96,949 acres just to the north and west of Topanga Canyon, which is my home. Topanga was spared but we all were evacuated and left everything but the most precious behind.

Getting accurate information about what was still standing was nearly impossible.

By constantly scanning 1070AM radio and searching for the best real-time satellite fire maps you could get a fair sense of the events but the specific and most valuable information came from the social media accounts of friends and strangers who had stayed behind and were posting regular updates of what was happening on the ground.

Just one week after the fires were contained I got to fly over the mountains in a helicopter and shoot pictures. I was blown away by the sheer scope of the devastation and the eerie beauty of what I saw and was able to capture on film. This experience was a catalyst to me to embark on a journey: to pull together a group of collaborators to tell the story of how this fire rocked our communities and create a new model for advocacy in the face of crisis, or in this case, in the wake of disaster.

I was inspired to take action, so I followed the stories of friends, acquaintances, and strangers, that had come to me throughout my search for real-time, on the ground information.

Each of them representing a unique but familiar thread, weaving together to make up a tapestry showing what we went through as a larger community during these two weeks the fires raged. As I made and deepened connections with these community members, understanding what they went through before, during, and after the fires, the magazine began to take shape.

Each of the stories representing a unique but familiar thread, weaving together to make up a tapestry showing what we went through as a larger community.

I got together with the team at the Messenger Mountain News and we came up with a plan to get these stories out there and bring the community together to collectively grieve, restore, and prepare for the future.

We wanted to create a printed publication, put on art shows as fundraisers, and create a digital component to extend content from the magazine to online to the physical space.

If you are reading this, we have succeeded. And have proven that while a disaster can be a catalyst to create unity and bring out the best in humanity, so can every one of us be that catalyst. We inspire others to extend a hand, commit courageous and selfless acts, become closer, and create and foster more resilient and more compassionate communities.

Urs Baur Editor, Founder CTLST* MEDIA

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONT

FOREWORD Urs Baur..........................................pg 2 HERE’S TO DREAMS Mike Baron......................................pg 6

KEEP CALM AND GET THE HORSES Rebecca Hackett & Liz Gardner.....pg 27 NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE Randy Nauert.................................pg 46 A STEAKHOUSE IN THE LINE OF FIRE Morgan Runyon..............................pg 72 THE BIG PICTURE Jeanne Thompson..........................pg 96 YERBIES Scott Ivey........................................pg 108

MORGAN RUNYON; story and photography

THE LOST ART OF Lita Albuquerque............................pg 116 REFLECTIONS ON LOSS Marsha Maus.................................pg 126 COLLATERAL DAMAGE...............pg 148 CLOSE-UP Liam Anderson..............................pg 158

RANDY NAUERT; story and photography

THANK YOU Partners and supporters ...............pg 178

ACCESS MOBILE CONTENT. LOOK FOR QR CODES.

URS BAUR, EDITOR Design, photography, copy, video

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RIBTORS JEANNE THOMPSON; story and photography

REBECCA HACKETT; story, video, copy

LIZ GARDNER; story and copy

LITA ALBUQUERQUE; story and photography

SUZANNE GULDIMANN; copy and photography

SCOTT IVEY; Story and photography

RON HIRT, Red Ten Group; Production & Print

JESS DERVIN-ACKERMAN; Publicity, copy, editing MARSHA MAUS; story

Cover & back cover photos by Jeanne Thompson

LIAM ANDERSON; story and video

Concept © CTLST* Media, 2019

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Mike Baron overlooking Malibu State Park, reflecting on loss and renewal.

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HERE’S TO DREAMS.

Over the years I have had the pleasure and honor to work with many people, couples, owners, husbands, wives and friends, walking with them through every step of planning and building that kitchen, bathroom, guest room, or home of their dreams. I’ve seen the care, imagination, effort, passion and love that go into every project we’ve been involved in.

It is in this spirit that we embrace THE WOOLSEY CHRONICLES and decided to support the printing and publication of this important document, as it offers an intimate glimpse into how this fire impacted lives, our community and our shared habitat.

We’ve seen what it takes to build a dream, and here we witnessed how quickly it all can disappear.

Our hearts go out to those who lost and suffered. Our gratitude goes out to those who fought the fires, and to those who are working to rebuild and restore a way of life to balance our presence in these mountains with the respect and understanding this fragile ecosystem deserves and demands.

We proudly embrace and support this project because we believe in the power of stories and their ability to bring us closer and give us the strength, courage and imagination to dream, plan and manifest anew.

Mike Baron, CEO Baron Construction & Remodeling Co.

I would love to help you manifest your dreams.

Mike Baron and his company BARON CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING Co. were critical in closing our crowdfunding campaign in support of printing and publication of this special issue of CTLST* Magazine. Watch a short film on the events we held in support of the campaign which ran from Feb - May 2019. The events were hosted by TFI in collaboration with Rosewood Topanga, Cornell Winery & Tasting Room and DUKE’s Malibu.

SCAN THE CODE

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SANTA MONICA

WE GOT TO FLY OVER THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS JUST DAYS AFTER THE DEVASTATING WOOLSEY FIRE.

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CORRAL CANYON

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BARBARY COAST

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PEPPER DINE

THE DEVASTATION WAS MINDBLOWING...

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Close brush: graduate dorms at Pepperdine University

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SOLSTICE CANYON

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...YET EERILY BEAUTIFUL.

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NOVEMBER 6, 2018 WAS MIDTERM ELECTION DAY... ...AFTER A GRUELING CAMPAIGN SEASON, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TOOK BACK THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BY A SWEEPING MAJORITY.

ON NOVEMBER 7, 11:20 P.M.,... ...A 28-YEAR-OLD MARINE CORPS VETERAN NAMED IAN LONG, ARMED WITH A SEMIAUTOMATIC PISTOL, KILLED12 AT THE BORDERLINE BAR AND GRILL IN THOUSAND OAKS. A MAJORITY OF THE VICTIMS WERE COLLEGE STUDENTS, ONE WAS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. THE SHOOTER DIED IN THE INCIDENT.

BOTH STORIES SHOULD HAVE DOMINATED THE NEWS CYCLE, BUT THAT WAS BEFORE NOVEMBER 8... ...TRAGICALLY, THE CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES CAME BLAZING AND QUICKLY BECAME THE ONLY TOPIC FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

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NOV 8 2:24 P.M.

A BRUSHFIRE IGNITES NEAR AN ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION BY THE SANTA SUSANA FIELD LABORATORY IN WOOLSEY CANYON, SIMI VALLEY.

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TUNA CANYON

NOV 09 PHOTO: COURTESY MAX PENNER

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2:35P.M. NOV. 9 The fire, now spreading over 14 miles, jumps the 101 freeway. In the next three hours it leaps the multi-lane freeway in multiple places, and in less than an hour it was burning toward the Seminole Springs Mobile Home park.

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PACIFIC COAST HWY

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By Cyclonebiskit - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://preview.tinyurl.com/y3xwdhgx

7:03 a.m.

A mandatory evacuation is in effect for the entire area south of the 101 from the Ventura County line to Las Virgenes / Malibu Canyon, and southward to the ocean, including Malibu. Residents are urged to use PCH to evacuate and avoid canyon roads.In all 250,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation.

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NOV 8, 12:24 p.m.

A fire is reported near a Outhern California Edison electrical substation at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Woolsey Canyon in the Simi Hills of Ventura County.

NOV 9, 12:03 a.m.

The fire, now spreading over 14 miles, jumps the 101. In the next three hours it leaps the freeway in multiple places.

An hour later it was burning toward the Seminole Springs Mobile Home park.

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KANAN & MULLHOLAND Rebecca Hackett & Liz Gardner ENCINAL CANYON Randy Nauert THE OLD PLACE, CORNELL Morgan Runyon YERBA BUENA Jeanne Thompson

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YERBA BUENA Scott Ivey

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UPPER ENCINAL CANYON Lita Albuquerque

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SEMINOLE SPRINGS MOBILE HOME PARK Marsha Maus

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NOV 9, 2:20 p.m.

The fire has traveled the complete length of Kanan Dume Road, jumping Pacific Coast Highway, where it burns a diagonal swath through the residential Point Dume neighborhood, destroying dozens of homes on its way to the sea at Westward Beach. Without a safe route to escape to the beach, and without power or phone service, we chose to evacuate. Once we left the fire zone there would be little news of what was happening “inside� for days.

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The Woolsey Fire burned 96,949 acres across 14 miles in two counties. Nearly half of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area was burned, including nearly 90 percent of public land owned by the National Park Service.

An estimated 22,400 trees in Los Angeles County alone were destroyed by the fire; 1500 28

structures burned, and 341 were damaged, four people died—three in the fire, one weeks later from the effects of smoke inhalation. Material losses include whole neighborhoods of homes; historic buildings; lifeguard towers; bridges; signs; thousands of power poles and miles of guardrail and power lines.

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STAY CALM and

get

the horses

­REBECCA HACKETT & LIZ GARDNER 30

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KANAN ROAD

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Rebecca heard about the fire and immediately made a plan to meet her mother, Liz,

evacuate

their

horses

on

Kanan

Road in Malibu. Liz headed southbound to their ranch with her horse trailer, and Rebecca from the ocean.

As

Rebecca

Pacific

Coast

traveled Highway,

westbound passing

on two

solid lanes of evacuating traffic heading in the opposite direction, she could see the plumes of billowing smoke rising.

Driving up Kanan, it seemed like a normal day except she could see the smoke getting bigger in the sky.

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KANAN &

MULLHOLAND

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The horses were all released from the corrals and barns and into large pastures, where they would be safe. The fire came over the hills quickly, and when Rebecca and the others at the ranch saw the flames they realized they had to get out of there.

Everything to the West, towards the ocean, was on fire.

Rebecca headed East on Kanan, toward Agoura.

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KANAN &

MULLHOLAND

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Despite the officer’s warnings, they continued down Mullholand Drive towards Kanan to make sure Rebecca and the horses were OK. As they came to Kanan Road, they found it completely engulfed in flames. It was a solid wall of fire, and they could barely see where they were driving.

All of a sudden everything turned black.

They didn’t know where they were until they saw taillights and realized they had entered one of the tunnels on Kanan.

There were people ahead of them, stopped in the tunnel. A horse trailer with two horses in it had lost its breaks. The horses were transferred into Liz’s trailer while the tunnel was dark, filled with smoke and sparks. After numerous attempts to contact help, a few officers arrived to escort them to safety - towards the ocean.

Once they made it to the coast, the two horses in Liz’s trailer were reunited with their owner Angie at Zuma Beach parking lot.

Liz was finally able to get hold of Rebecca, after she made it to Agoura, where the fire continued to burn and spread. Rebecca was stuck there, all roads were closed.

The experience left both of them shaken and grateful. And yet despite their own ordeal, just hours after they had made it to safety, Liz, Rebecca, and their friend Victoria began helping evacuate more horses and animals in Malibu.

All of their horses were safe and unharmed by the fire.

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ENCINAL CANYON

REBECCA, BRIAN FLANIGAN and LIZ GARDNER 38

“Praying for everyone who lost everything.

We are prepared to help Topanga.” “

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KANAN ROAD

THE VIDEO THAT WENT VIRAL

Stills from Rebecca Hackett’s cellphone video

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KANAN ROAD

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Experience Rebecca’s terrifying ride through the inferno as she captured it on her phone.

Scan the code with your camera.

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MALIBU CANYON

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ENCINAL CANYON

NOTHING 50

LEFT

TO LOSE RANDY NAUERT

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I met Randy

on a crisp January day, less than two months after the fires. All utility services in upper Encinal Canyon had been disrupted and communicating with Randy to get together was a challenge. Eventually, we did connect and I went up to visit him. The two main structures on his property were in ruins, consumed by the blaze, along with everything else he held dear. Randy was staying in a trailer that friends and family had set up for him. The guest house remained intact and the lovely young couple occupying it seemed to do their best to keep an eye on him while he was adjusting to the new home.

He welcomed me into his trailer that he shared with his loyal Weimaraner Athena, who made great efforts to get herself up from the bed to greet me at the door. She too had certainly seen better days.

I stepped into Randy’s world with some apprehension, aware that I was asking him to share his personal story of hardship and loss. It’s an undertaking I didn’t take lightly. I had to show up with humility, openness, and to simply listen.

As it turned out, Randy wasn’t shy about sharing stories. I learned that he was a prolific and passionate chronicler and storyteller himself. His Facebook posts on topics ranging from local Malibu and personal history, surf culture and music, and his own contribution as a member of “The Challengers” an early proponent of the California surf sound have earned him an avid following on social media.

I quickly realized that Randy is very much part of the social fabric of Malibu

and the Santa Monica Mountains.

His locally-known menagerie was lovingly referred to as the ‘ZEN ZOO’ and brought much joy to the many visitors who came and spent time there over the years. Sadly, most of his furry and feathered friends perished in the fires.

Indeed, Randy was lucky to have made it out alive, with only the clothes on his back and his cat and dog in the backseat of his car.

We met a few more times over the following weeks. I went to visit and to document as the clean-up and debris removal efforts were fully underway and it was obvious on these visits that Randy was struggling to keep up with the physical, psychological and bureaucratic challenges of starting a life all over.

Two weeks after my last visit, when I filmed the removal of all his burnt-out vehicles and other heavy metal debris, I learned that Randy had suddenly and quietly passed away. His heart gave up.

I’m deeply grateful that I got to spend some time with him and document a few of those days that sadly turned out to be his last amongst us.

Visit Randy’s Facebook page to witness the outpouring of love and appreciation for this man, his life and to see his multitude of stories and mementos online.

He was a prolific scanner and publisher of his personal photos and memorabilia; thanks to him we have these, since all else was lost to the fires.

On the following pages, we let Randy speak for himself. He chronicled his experiences during the fire and in its aftermath to share with close friends and the community at large.

REST IN PEACE Randy. You are missed.

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ENCINAL CANYON

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“I’m staying.”

– so I asked to take this last photo... just in case.

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ENCINAL CANYON

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“That center hotspot near the road is where my home was burning the morning of November 9th, 2018. Internet and phone service out. I lost 3 homes, 14 vehicles and many animals in the Malibu “Woolsey Fire”. My last vehicle caught fire as I was escaping. I barely made it out alive.”

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ENCINAL CANYON

THE HOUSE THAT BURNED TWICE The home Randy built with his own hands – gone. The giant redwood beams he salvaged, (that’s another story) gone. The Mackintosh furniture, the massive doorhandles, everything is gone. Except the frog musicians and the impressive ‘Rocky Fireplace’, made from pavers donated by ‘Rocky’, Sylvester Stallone himself.

Watch Randy telling me the story and doing his best Stallone Impression.

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ZEN ZO

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His locally-known menagerie was lovingly referred to as the ‘ZEN ZOO’ and brought much joy to the many visitors who came and spent time there over the years. Sadly, most of his furry and feathered friends perished in the fires.

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ENCINAL CANYON

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ENCINAL CANYON

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ENCINAL CANYON

The fire consumed 17 of Randy’s vehicles along with all his other worldly possessions. Scan the barcode with your smart phone camera to watch the movie.

Two weeks after we shot this footage, Randy passed.

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LIFE IS BA OF HOLD AND LET 74

ALANCE DING ON TTING GO – RUMI 75

CORNELL

A STEAK HOUSE IN THE LINE OF FIRE MORGAN RUNYON

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The Old Place in Agoura Hills, has long been my favorite “Steak House in L.A.” It’s been a destination for family celebrations and gatherings with friends, often with dining in the separate mail room, that accommodates a larger group, and where no one minds if friends get rowdy as the night progresses.

I always bring out-of-towners here, as the place is a throwback to simpler times, and is a piece of old West Americana that seems almost untouched from its original purpose as a general store and post office for the then unincorporated hamlet of Cornell. Tom Runyon bought the semi-abandoned building in the 1970’s and converted it into the restaurant it still is today. Back then the menu was simple, yet reliable. A hearty cut of steak grilled on the massive oak fireplace in the kitchen and sumptuous clams in butter. He wasn’t one to make a big fuss, as I recall it, and he didn’t want you to either.

After his death in 2009, his son Morgan took over the restaurant and it still hasn’t changed much. The Old Place now has a few more menu items and has been adding quaint functional outbuildings keeping very much in style with the frontier vibe. Morgan was a production designer and set builder before becoming a full-time restaurateur.

As the Woolsey Fire was raging through the canyons, the county had set a mandatory evacuation for the 250,000 residents in the fire’s immediate path or potential danger areas. I left for Santa Ynez to stay with family and friends. It was impossible to get accurate news of what areas had been directly hit or what pockets were in imminent danger of being engulfed. I knew the Old Place was certainly in the direct path of the flames and it didn’t bode well. Rumors were spreading that the Old Place was gone; that’s when I checked on Morgan’s social media feeds and was relieved to find out that not only had the restaurant survived, but that Morgan had stayed behind and had likely saved his family restaurant and helped protect friends’ and neighbors’ homes in the days that followed. It turned out that first-hand accounts of folks who had eyes on the ground were the most efficient and accurate way of getting a grasp of the situation as it was developing.

The following pages contain excerpts of Morgan’s close-up and personal recordings of the events as they unfolded.

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CORNELL

EYES ON THE GROUND Respect for fire is practically in Morgan Runyon’s DNA. Having lived through several fires and the flames having licked the rafters of the Old Place more than once in his memory, he came mentally prepared and well equipped as he drove back up to the restaurant in the early hours of Friday, November 10th. He shared with me some advice his father had imparted on him at an early age: “One, the fire will come. Two, it will stop when it reaches the ocean. And three, no one will come to help you.” It’s in that spirit that Morgan took up watch, laid hoses, urged ill-prepared wannabe firefighters to take the shortest route out, went to check on his mother, and in the process recorded and posted his experience to Instagram, to the benefit of all that were evacuated.

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CORNELL

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KANAN ROAD

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MULLHOLAND HWY

BURNING 86

BRIDGES 87

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LEO CARILLO

Several of the area’s most popular beaches were affected, including Westward, where houses burned on the bluff above the public parking lot; El Matador, where the fire burned to the sea; and Leo Carrillo, which was left as desolate and lifeless as the surface of the moon in the aftermath of the fire. A fact that didn’t stop surfers from making their way through the charred landscape to the surf break at Secos.

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TOPANGA

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SHOULD I S OR SHOULD 98

STAY D I GO 99

YERBA BUENA

JEANNE THOMPSON

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THE

big pic ture My friends Jeanne and John had just moved out of Topanga to their new home, which they spent the last three years building, in a little pocket on top of Yerba Buena, just north of the ridge. As my and everyone else’s heads were buried in our social media feeds scouring for pictures and information, Jeanne appeared in mine as one of the first people to post pictures of the total devastation from the top. She’s a photographer, has a great eye, and was able to capture the sweeping views of the scarred landscapes the fire left in its wake. Jeanne and her resilient neighbors credit the geothermal forces at work on the top of their ridge, as the key factor their homes were spared when everything around them burned to the ground.

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“Everything was black until we reached the road to our house...

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John and I were out of town when the fires broke out. The news we could get about our neighborhood was that each day the fire was coming at us from a different direction.

Three different times, we thought we’d lost our home that we had finally moved into in July. We returned on Tuesday and drove up through total devastation. Burned out homes, downed power lines in the road, burned out vehicles. Everything was black until we reached the road leading to our house.

“Everything was black until we reached the road to our house...”

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YERBA BUENA

“It was miraculously green.”

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RIDGE WATCH From left to right: Justyn Rowinski, Ed Mora, Kent Walker, Robert (...) , John Thompson, Scott Ivey, and Hunter

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My neighbors, most of whom I’ve never even met, have all banded together to care for one another. Whether it be with reassurance, food, a generator, or a ride from the barricade with my 93-year-old mother in law we all supported one another.

We took turns with the overnight fire watch so everyone could get some sleep and watched out for looters. We shared meals together at someone’s home every night, contributing whatever dwindling stocks we had since once we went back up to our homes it was difficult to leave and return with more supplies.

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LITTLE

SYCAMORE

“We are so lucky and so fortunate that our home was still standing. The winds had blown the fire away when the flames were upon us, and five guys in our little neighborhood that stayed behind had fought off flying embers and hot spots. They even cleared the road coming up the hill so that the fire department was able to get up to help out.�

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SCOTT IVEY

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I was first introduced to Scott Ivey when Jeanne posted a photo of the men who had stayed behind to fend for their secluded patch of paradise, high above the much more densely populated communities to the south and to the north. (Residents like to refer to themselves as Yerbys, Scott told me with a wry smile when we met.)

By Friday evening, the smoke was thick and the fire was closing in.

They had to face the reality that the cavalry wasn’t coming to the rescue. Their tiny hamlet was not a priority to first responders who were battling the blazes on many fronts across the region including the outof-control Paradise fire hours north.

All but one of the guys, Ed Mora, loaded up their trucks and headed down a dirt road, some of them had graded and made passable just hours earlier as a last route of escape. Scott told me that as he drove down that makeshift road, thinking all was lost, he hoped he would never have to travel that route again.

The story Scott told me of Ed’s solo night on the ridge has stayed with me – the only human that night in the area, the mountain man lying awake in his trailer, hearing what he realized was the sounds of animals fleeing past his home ahead of the fires. As they went by, he couldn’t tell what sound was a coyote, squirrel, rabbit or mountain lion.

The next day Ed called the guys and got them to come back up that same treacherous road – which remained the only access for the next two weeks. During the time the guys stood watch, the fire kept coming back at them at least three more times. They, along with Jeanne, her husband, and others who had dared to return, banded together during this time, having dinner together every night. Even though they were isolated up there, they had real community in each other.

The folks on the ridge deployed a strategy of calling the firefighters often and recruited more people to advocate on their behalf, and eventually convinced fire fighting crews to ascend their homemade evacuation route with hand clearing tools to help their efforts and ultimately save their homes and their special little neighborhood.

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LITTLE

SYCAMORE

“Amid all this tragedy there has been such camaraderie and an outpouring of concern and care. I’m really touched by the goodness in so many people.”

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Jeanne’s daughter Breanna on her first visit back after the fire.

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“To witness the dedication and work of the firemen was incredibly humbling. They were all so amazing, kind, and helpful to us. They welcomed us, and protected us, and were very appreciative when we offered them even the smallest things like a cup of coffee or a cookie. The firefighters were from all over the place; we met firefighter from Northern California, Texas, and Utah in addition to locals. They worked tirelessly, even staying up all night watching for flare-ups.�

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ENCINAL CANYON

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Photo: courtesy of Lita Albuquerque

Lita and her signature bright-blue pigment. Image courtesy of the artist 121

Photos courtesy of artist 122

On the morning of Friday, November 9th, the fire robbed her of half a decade’s worth of work. Her studio, and entire archive, filled with drawings, writings, sculptures and materials, were all destroyed within hours along with hundreds of pounds of her signature bright-blue pigment.

When I heard that she lost her studio I immediately tried to get in touch with her back in January when I started to collect the stories for this project.

By last night, our last night of production for the first run of this publication, I hadn’t heard back and had already removed photo spreads reserved for her story. Then at 11:30 p.m I get a message on Instagram answering my message from a week prior, asking if we could include a story on her in this project. The message simply read: “Of course, please do.” There wasn’t time to follow up, so we decided to include her in this limited first run of the chronicles and hopefully get a chance to sit down in person prior to the full run mid April.

Besides being a fan of her work, I’m an alumni from Art Center College of Design, where Lita has been on the core faculty of the Fine Art Graduate Program for the last twenty years.

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ANTARCTICA

Her epic and often ephemeral installations in locations like Antarctica and the Giza Plateau in Egypt map the constellations on the ground, question humanity’s place in the cosmos, and reflect on the vastness of space and time.

Lita Albuquerque, "Stellar Axis: Antarctica," 2006. Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica.

Photo: Jean de Pomereu, courtesy of the artist

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On 11/11, three days into the fire, Lita posted this image along with the message on the right. I assume this is showing her in her studio with one of her kids as a baby, circa 1970s. Lita’s daughter had to evacuate the family home as the fire was raging and consuming everything in its path. In hindsight the post is heartbreaking yet defiant and an authentic manifestation of creativity, love and new beginnings. We’re sending Lita and her growing family all the best and the highest vibrations.

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@litaalbuqurque We are safe and still don’t know about our house and studio. Please stay in the highest vibration today. Only see what you want to see. Today is a powerful day 11:11 image what you desire at 11:11 #newlife #rebirth #creativity #home!

Photo courtesy of artist 127

KANAN ROAD

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A NEW CHAPTER

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Stories of transformation and rebirth

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RE FLEC TIONS ON LOSS MARSHA MAUS

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LONGTIME LOCAL MARSHA MAUS LOST HER SEMINOLE HOT SPRINGS HOME IN THE WOOLSEY FIRE, BUT NOT HER PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE.

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SEMINOLE SPRINGS

I knew Marsha from when she lived in Topanga – but hadn’t talked to her much before the last few months. The Messenger Mountain News put out a small story about Marsha losing everything in the fire featuring her paling around with a volunteer, there to help her sort through the remains, both in hazmat suits.

The thing that struck me about Marsha, in that photo and in spending time with her in the aftermath of the fire, was her constant positive attitude and spirit for life.

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MAUS WAS ABLE TO FIND BEAUTY AND WONDER IN THE CHARRED DEBRIS OF HER HOUSE AND GARDEN, WHERE THE FIRE TRANSMUTED GLASS AND METAL INTO ABSTRACT SCULPTURAL FORMS. 139

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MAUS FOUND INSPIRATION FROM THE VOLUNTEERS, MOSTLY STRANGERS WHO CAME FROM NEAR AND FAR TO SIFT THROUGH THE RUBBLE WITH HER. “I’M FASCINATED WITH PEOPLE’S GENEROSITY,” SHE SAID THROUGH TEARS. “ THESE PEOPLE ARE BETTER THAN ANGELS.”

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Marsha was very open in sharing her experience, reflections, and feelings with me. I spent a couple of days with her in and around the Seminole Springs mobile home park where she lived, and it was obvious that everyone there knew and liked her. I got to do a ride around with her through the neighborhood to survey the flattened landscape.

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Use your smart phone camera to scan the QR code and watch footage and reflections from our afternoon together.

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SOMETIMES LIFE TAKES US ON A DETOUR. MARSHA IS CERTAINLY EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH THAT. 146

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HELP MARSHA START SOMETHING NEW

BY DONATING TO HER GoFundMe PAGE

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DAM COLLATERAL

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Hundreds of acres of habitat burned—chaparral, oak woodland, coastal sage scrub, from the 101 to the ocean in Malibu. Many animals were killed. Dead deer washed down the creeks onto the beach after the first rains. Ashy piles of bones lay scattered throughout the burn zone. Two of the mountain lions in the National Park Service study are known to have died because of the fire. One never made it out; the other died days later, his feet badly blistered from the heat of the fire.

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The Thomas Fire last year burned almost 300,000 acres, including areas important for monarch breeding and migration.

More recently, the Woolsey Fire damaged at least four monarch butterfly overwintering sites in the Malibu area, according to Lara Drizd, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Ventura.

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Infrastructure was also destroyed, including thousands of power poles and hundreds of miles of electrical wires, communication cable, and cell towers. Wide swathes of the burn zone were left without power or communication. An army of Edison workers was deployed to rebuild the network of power poles. Mobile cell towers provided isolated residents with at least limited communication.

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PARAMOUNT

RANCH

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Nearly half of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) was damaged, leaving many parks closed and limiting options for hikers, bikers, and equestrians.

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LATIGO CANYON

CLOS READY fOR THEIR

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WHAT’S THE RED STUFF? Apparently Liam Anderson and a group of his friends thought they staked out the perfect spot from which to shoot some amazing video of an approaching DC-10 Air Tanker dropping 20,000 gallons of Phos-Check.

They did get some amazing footage and Liam is happy to share his video here.

Phos-Check is mostly water, mixed with retardants, acting as anti combustion agents, and also as ferilizer in the aftermath. Also, thickener, or foam stabilizer to prevent evaporation and avoid the droplets from being blown away before they hit the intended area, and iron oxide, color, to mark the hit.

Aerial firefighting is expensive. Tankers cost upwards of $10,000 per hour to operate. The slurry Phos-Check itself averages about $2 per gallon.

At $40,000K per drop alone, it adds up fast.

S E -UP

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CALABASAS

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CALABASAS

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TOPANGA CANYON

MEANWHILE, JUST ONE CANYON To THE EAST ALL SEEMS CALM.

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We were refugees, yes, but with a warm, welcoming home to stay in and some sense that Topanga would be well protected. We felt the anticipation of possible loss, but not the reality of losing everything.

That heightened my empathy for those who had, for what it was worth. – Flavia Potenza, Messenger Mountain News

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TOPANGA CANYON

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DTLA

IF DISASTER BRINGS PEOPLE CLOSER, SHOULDN’T WE BE ABLE TO DO SO IN THE ABSENCE OF ONE? 172

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WE THINK SO.

100% of proceeds will be donated to the following local non-profits:

• • • •

Santa Monica Mountains Fund Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains and Topanga Film Institute

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THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ENDORSED THIS PROJECT:

• SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS FUND • MESSENGER MOUNTAIN NEWS & M’ONLINE • TOPANGA COALITION FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS • RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT OF THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS

‘THE WOOLSEY CHRONICLES is a project of the Topanga Film Institute, in collaboration with CTLST*MEDIA and Messenger Mountain News 175

Mountain Lions of SAMO post Woolsey Fire

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THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS FUND The Santa Monica Mountains Fund works to protect and encourage appreciation and understanding of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The Fund achieves this by supporting National Park Service efforts in education, science, research, improved facilities, citizen engagement, stewardship and philanthropy.

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TOPANGA COALITION FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS The Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness (TCEP) is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides emergency preparedness education and verified disaster status updates for Topanga and surrounding Santa Monica Mountains communities.

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LEARN HOW TO PREPARE FOR, RESPOND TO, AND RECOVER FROM DISASTERS. Download the Topanga Disaster Survival Guide, the encyclopedia of emergency prep written by Topangans for Topangans..

TCEP.ORG David Crane / Southern California News Group 179

RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT OF THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS Our staff has extensive experience in developing and implementing habitat restoration in wetlands, riparian areas, upland zones, native grasslands, chaparral, and oak woodlands.

Our Executive Director is an expert in conservation-based land planning and architecture, our Senior Conservation Biologist is a certified arborist and native oak tree specialist, and our team of Conservation Biologists hold advanced degrees and certifications in a broad range of resource related and scientific fields. From feasibility studies and planning to implementation, maintenance and monitoring, we can oversee the entire project or assist with any steps along the way.

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OUR MISSION is to promote land stewardship and resource conservation through ecological research, conservation planning and design, habitat restoration and environmental education, while adhering to the highest standards of transparency and accountability as a public agency. The District engages in a strategic planning process every five years and produces annual plans prior to the start of each fiscal year.

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Production funds were raised through crowdfunding and a generous individual donation.

OUR SINCERE GRATITUDE FOR ALL WHO DONATED TO THE PROJECT THROUGH CROWDFUNDING: Jess Dervin Ackermann, Jesse Gordon, Karl Weber, Kathy High, Brad France, Ueli Reichling, Dennis Salem, TCEP, Paul Astin, Debra Silbar, Silvia Utiger, Martha S. Witter, Susan Matus, Shirin Parsavand, Susan Nissman, Julie Howell Green, Tracy Ryan-Johnson, Karla Morrison, Susan Saarinen, Adam & Cynthia Scott, Stephen Dollison, Susan Baukus, Peter Vlastelica, Douglas Way, Renate Ebersbach, Laurent Hamon, Martin Schmitt, Leslie Anne Young, Joel Lueb, John Lacombe, Stacey Sledge-Baldino, and anonymous.

Mike Baron from Baron Construction & Remodeling helped us reach the funding goal with an individual donation of $10,000.

FUNDING, SHOWS & HONORS

Top: Mike Baron of Baron Construction & Remodeling Co. presents a $10,000 contribution during a fundraising event at DUKE’s in Malibu. Bottom: Tim Skogstrom hosts at Cornell Winery.

Top: State Senator Henry Stern honored the project with a Certificate of Recognition during the final fundraising event, held at DUKE’s in Malibu.

Top: Jeremy Wolf presents the project with a Certificate of Recognition Bottom: The Woolsey Chronicles was part of ‘Radical Beauty, Malibu Rising’ art show at Malibu City Hall 182

BY THE COMMUNITY

FOR THE COMMUNITY

The project acknowledges the expert support from the team at the Messenger Mountain News.

THANK YOU. Janek Dombrowa,

thank you for inviting me along for the ride

Special Thanks to: Janek Dombrowa, Bonnie Morgan, Flavia Potenza, Suzanne Guldimann, Simon T, Susan Nissman, Jeanne Thompson, Randy Nauert, Morgan Runyon, Rebecca Hackett, Liz Gardner, Marsha Maus, Scott Ivey, Lita Albuquerque, Liam Anderson, Ron Hirt, Jess Dervin-Ackerman, Tim Skogstrom, Cornell Winery & Tasting Room, Topanga Chamber Of Commerce, Rosewood Topanga, and Frank Moldovan at Framed L.A. 183

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The Woolsey Fire was officially over on November 21. Nature is already beginning to cover the burned earth in new growth. The scars to the collective psyche of those who experienced the disaster may take longer to heal, but the process has already begun.

CONCEPT & PRODUCTION: www.CTLST.CO ©2019, CTLST*MEDIA contact: 310.713.4218

@CTLST_MEDIA

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