Wednesday - February 3, 2021

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PERMIT NO. 30 JULIAN, CA

ESTABLISHED

An Independent Weekly Newspaper Serving the Backcountry Communities of Julian, Cuyamaca, Santa Ysabel, Shelter Valley, Mt. Laguna, Ranchita, Canebreak, Sunshine Summit, Warner Springs and Wynola.

Julian News

PO Box 639 Julian, CA 92036

1985

Change Service requested

DATED MATERIAL

The Newspaper of Record.

For the Community, by the Community.

Wednesday

Volume 36 — Issue 27

Julian, CA.

ISSN 1937-8416

www.JulianNews.com

County Opens Third Vaccine Super Station

Back Country Covid-19 Positive Tests

February 3, 2021

Another Snow Weekend

as of January 29 *

(weeks new positives) Julian = 91 (+5) Ramona = 2,156 (+77) Ranchita = 10 (+0) Warner Springs = 61 (+0) Santa Ysabel = 62 (+0) Borrego Springs = 124 (+4) Descanso = 73 (+2) Alpine = 1,101 (+71) Poway = 1,998 (+119) Lakeside = 2,557 (+155) Total Confirmed cases in Unincorporated San Diego County = 32,806 a total rise of 1,525. TESTING AVAILABLE Julian Library Friday, February 12 9am - 3pm If you believe you have symptoms please get tested. Most testing locations do not require an appointment. To find information on a testing location near you or call 2-11 (toll free) or on the web 211sandiego.org. Cases of the novel coronavirus have sharply increased since Thanksgiving and with the Christmas and New Year holidays around the corner, County health officials are concerned that no immediate end to the rise in cases is in sight. “The best gift you can give your loved ones and our frontline healthcare workers this holiday season is the gift of health,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “I urge San Diegans to follow the public health orders, avoid gatherings and wear a facial covering whenever they leave their residence so we can get this virus under control.”

Regeneration One Year After The Borrego Palm Canyon Grove Fire After the devastating fire in Borrego Palm Canyon's First Grove one year ago on January 18, the native Californian fan palms are recovering and making a promising comeback. The initial images emerging after the fire were disheartening. Many of us, including Park staff on the Natural Resources Team, feared the worst immediately after the event. Yet, nature is resilient, and after just a few weeks, new palm fronds emerged on the native fan palms, Washingtonia filifera. Now, a year later, it appears that all of them may have survived which will be more rigorously assessed by the Park's biologists and environmental scientists in the coming months.

The County is opening another COVID-19 Vaccination Super Station tomorrow at Cal State University San Marcos. The County opened the region’s third Vaccination Super Station Sunday at the California State University San Marcos Sports Center. It will be open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Appointments are required and can be made online at www.VaccinationSuperStationSD. com. Initially the site is expected to vaccinate 250 to 1,000 people per day, depending on the number of vaccines available, eventually building up-to 5,000+ vaccines daily. during a press conference and site tour for the media. Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher joined Supervisor Jim Desmond, California State University San Marcos President Dr. Ellen Neufeldt, and City of San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones for the opening of the site. The new pedestrian site will be vaccinating people, with appointments, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday Free parking will be available in Parking Structure 1 on levels 2 and 3 and disabled parking in Lot L next to the Sports Center.

The Julian Town Square, One Step Closer to Reality

by Kim Simas

For over three years, a local group has been working to beautify the empty lot in the center of Julian. The Julian Community Heritage Foundation (JCHF), a recently registered nonprofit organization, seeks to transform the space into the Julian Town Square. Plans for the space include drought resistant landscaping, seating areas, native plants and a stage or amphitheater. Through the support of former Supervisor Dianne Jacob, JCHF was awarded funds through the Neighborhood Reinvest Program. JCHF also received funding through the Park Land Dedication Ordinance from the County of San Diego Parks and Recreation. With these two large funding sources and numerous donations, the JCHF has obtained the amount needed to purchase the lot. The group is currently in the final negotiations with the property owner for the purchase. The lot, which was previously home to a Chevron gas station, holds a remarkable history. It was once the location of a community store and a Sheriff’s station however several leaks from the Chevron holding tanks polluted the site and rendered it unusable. For nearly 30 years, the lot at the corner of Washington and Main Streets has sat undeveloped and served only as an empty, fenced in space at the center of town. As of 2018, the lot was classified

as a brownfield and cleared for development by the San Diego County. JCHF has sought to transform the lot into a centerpiece for the community of Julian. The group, made up of community volunteers, has envisioned a place for the community to hold seasonal events, for artisans and musicians to showcase their talents, performances and more. With the help of many donors, JCHF is looking forward to the reward of their efforts over the years. Purchasing the lot is the first step in bringing the Julian Town Square to life. Once purchased, JCHF plans to step up their fundraising campaign to begin the development phase of the project. Many community members have already offered

their assistance to support the project by donating their time and skills to making the community space a reality. More help is definitely needed though. The Julian Community Heritage Foundation has set up several donation tiers that will allow donors to leave their mark on the Julian Town Square for generations to come. A donor wall will prominently display names of those who have supported the project. Donors also have the option of having their name on a bench, tree plaque or even the functioning water tower which will irrigate the landscape. To learn more about the project, to donate and the donation levels, visit juliantownsquare.com.

The Borrego Palm Canyon trail had been closed for 10 months to

assist with initial recovery and is now open as a modified loop trail

that leads to an overlook but not inside the grove itself.

Jan 18, 2020: Devastation in first Palm grove

Photo: Sicco Rood

One year post fire (Jan 21, 2021): Robust regrowth

Photo: Ursula Esser

As Senior Environmental Scientist Danny McCamish shares, “The soil under the palms was completely burnt and is now extremely vulnerable to erosion from the creek bed and heavy flooding events and also susceptible to establishment of non-native undergrowth. We are actively working on removing non-native plants and stabilizing the soil to aid in the generation of a carbon layer that will help the palms’ root system with continued recovery and robust health. We thank the general public for following our guidelines to assist with the stabilization and DEHSILBATSE regeneration efforts 0781to preserve this iconic palm grove for all future generations."

Another weekend of craziness thanks to Mother Nature. This weeks snow say an invasion of flat landers all week long, as anticipated - the weekend was the worst as the Snow melted. Both Saturday and Sunday traffic backed up all the way to Wynola on the 78. The 79 was impassable for a time thanks to the CHP and CalTrans shutting it down from the 8. Sunrise Highway to Mt. Laguna remained closed throughout the day. Saturday also saw the Sheriffs chasing flat landers off private property all around town. Sunday was no better with traffic backed up and up to 90 minutes to get to town from the West. The tow companies must have made a good chunk of change over the weekend considering the number of cars off the roads.

SRAEY

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING WEEK

The week-long event encourages professionals to thank the mentors and colleagues in their networks who’ve been essential to their success.


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