Cascade River Park

Cascade River Community Club

Cascade River Community Club

Update from the Board and Happy Easter!

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Dear fellow Park members,

This communication is to inform the membership that the request for a special meeting has been rescinded. Bill Roehm (President) has submitted his resignation to the Board on March 23, 2024 and Ken Jobe (Secretary) on March 28, 2024 both effective immediately. On behalf of the membership the Board would like to thank them for their time investment and their generosity for the Park.

The Board of Directors is now composed as follows :

  • Michael Rodriguez, Vice President (elected in June 2023, 2024)
  • Martin Metz, Treasurer (nominated in January 2023, 2024)
  • David Mireault (nominated in March 2024, effective April 13, 2024)

Therefore two seats are open for nomination. Please contact the Board if you are interested as the Board is looking to nominate new Board members to fill the gap until the June annual election.

Taking into consideration the feedback received from membership and knowing that canceling the contract with Associa after March 31, 2024 would come with a cancelation fee, the Board has agreed unanimously to notify Associa of its intention to not let the contract auto-renew when it expires on June 30, 2024. The decision not to renew the contract is not final. The intent is not to end our business relationship with Associa but to reconsider the contract in the light of the fact that we have hired an onsite Park manager since the contract was signed and that some duties overlap.

The actual contract with Associa runs until June 30, 2024 and during the next months the Board will assess what’s best for the Park. Renegotiating the contract with Associa is option one but the Board is open to the possibility of contracting a different company or to elaborate on the proposition from the Park Services Committee presented at the December Board meeting.

At the May or June Board meeting a vote will be taken by the Board to make a final decision. Any expensive contract committing the Park for the long term will only be signed at a Board meeting in front of the membership, after proper consultation and a formal vote. The Board is committed to significantly improve the level of transparency, accountability and efficiency that a well-run association deserves.

As a side note, the Board definitely encourages members to speak up and debate on any kind of platform they like. Though, the Board would like to remind the membership that Facebook is not the official communication from the Board and that comments posted on Facebook only represent the points of view of the member posting it, whether that person may be a Park member, an employee or a Board member. Please don’t hesitate to email the Board or to raise your hand at a Board meeting. Your input is very valuable to us and helps make the right choices for the Park.

Spring has sprung and Easter is here. With all Park employees and volunteers we’d like to wish everybody a happy Easter while looking forward to meeting again at the next Board meeting.

On behalf of the Board – Michael Rodriguez – CRCC Vice President

Reminder of CRCC Cleanup Day – March 23, 2024

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The CRCC cleanup day is this Saturday March 23 at 10:00 a.m. If you happen to come early, you are welcome to join us at 8:45 a.m. for muffins at the picnic area in the big park. Everyone will meet at the office, sign in, then go to the designated area for cleanup. Your volunteer hours will count toward our participation in Firewise, and make it possible for grants for the park.

This time we will have a small appreciation luncheon for the volunteers.

Thank you, in advance for your assistance in not only making our park beautiful but being proactive in fire prevention.

If you have any further questions, please contact the CRCC office at 360-873-2222 or the Board of Director committee liaison David Mireault at [email protected].

Hope to see you there!
CRCC Management and Wildfire Mitigation Committee

Firewise Update: Second DNR Visit Scheduled For March 25, 2024

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March 8, 2024

Please review the following information regarding our efforts to prevent forest fires here at Cascade River Park. The Wildfire Mitigation committee has been meeting with DNR and Firewise to assist in our goals. We would like as many of our owners involved as possible. So please see the updates below regarding DNR’s visits, the scheduled clean-up days, forms for owner participation and grants possible for the park. 

Summary of DNR’s Visit

DNR’s visit on 02/22/24 to assess CRCC’s forest health and wildfire mitigation was a successful event as the forester was able to complete 18 lot assessments in Division 1 and all CRCC public space in Division 1. The forester with the DNR will send out forest health comments and information on grants that relate to the individual assessment to each property owner assessed.

DNR Return Visit

The forester will return Monday, March 25th, 2024, at 10 am to complete the remainder of the lot assessments and public spaces. Those who wish to have their lots assessed by DNR (with potential cost sharing for qualifying expenses and labor) should fill out the Permission to Enter Property Form and submit to the CRCC office.

DNR Community Grant 

CRCC has been chosen as a location that DNR is currently working on obtaining grant money for the purpose of fire mitigation along roadways and public spaces. Once the grant money is obtained for DNR, there will be a proposal to the board by DNR to review and approve if that is what they decide.

Summary of 02/24/24 Wildfire Mitigation and Clean-Up Day

Thank you to everyone who assisted and engaged in this community event!  We applied pruning and thinning techniques in the area surrounding the public bathroom in Division 1. The place looks great, and it appeared like people were smiling and working together.

Log Wildfire Mitigation Hours

Park members are asked to contribute and log volunteer hours towards wildfire mitigation efforts. Logged volunteer hours can be on your OWN LOTS at ANYTIME, or during the park’s Wildfire Mitigation & Cleanup Days. To learn more about what type of work would qualify, please read Time and Expense Investment Examples. Any logged hours can be submitted to the office or to [email protected]. Please include your name, Div/Lot numbers, email or phone number, and hours logged including dates, activities, and hours. Alternatively fill out the Firewise volunteer sheet.

Wildfire Mitigation & Cleanup Days (meet at Front Gate with tools/equipment)

  • Saturday, Mar 23, 2024 at 10 a.m. – noon Community Property; 1-3 p.m. Private Lots
  • Saturday, Apr 20, 2024 at 10 a.m. – noon Community Property; 1-3 p.m. Private Lots
  • Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 10 a.m. – noon Community Property; 1-3 p.m. Private Lots

Pruning Information

Information on pruning plants. Our goals are to have adequate air flow throughout the plant, remove diseased or dead branches, and have good light penetrating the entire plant. 

  • Remove any branch that is rubbing against another. This can cause an open wound on the branch, which is an opportunity for disease to invade the plant.
  • Remove branches that are growing toward the center of the plant. Also, remove any branches that cross each other. Remember we want to provide both air circulation and light penetration.
  • Remove any dead or diseased branches. A dead branch will be brittle, its buds will be brown. While a live branch will be flexible, buds will be green and there will be a green layer under the bark.
  • Generally, remove 1/3 of the plants’ height or 1/3 of its branches.
  • Remove any suckers and or waterspouts. These 2 types of branches look similar, growing straight up. However, a sucker originates from the roots or below the graft. While the waterspout will be vigorous and originate from the trunk or large branches.

If you have any further questions, please contact the Wildfire Mitigation Committee @ [email protected].

Board of Directors Meeting – Online Zoom Information for March 9, 2024

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Cascade River Community Club’s March Board Meeting will be held on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 2 pm via the Join Meeting Link. 

This month’s meeting will be only held via the virtual link, as there was no availability at the church. 

Cascade River Community Club Monthly Board of Directors Meeting Details

Description:  March 2024 Board of Directors meeting for Cascade River Community Club
Time:  9 Mar 2024 at 1300 / 2:00 PM Pacific Time
Meeting ID:  842 2791 1246
Security / Passcode:  683156

Join Meeting

Firewise Announcement

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The previously scheduled Department of Natural Resources (DNR) visit has been postponed until February 22, 2024 at 10 a.m. starting at the front gate. Members are encouraged to join as this will be an educational opportunity. Those who wish to have their lots assessed by DNR (with potential cost sharing for qualifying expenses and labor) should fill out the Permission to Enter Property Form and submit to the office by February 21, 2024.

To avoid further monetary expenses, the CCRC Board and VERT committees are asking park members to contribute and log volunteer hours towards wildfire mitigation efforts.

Each hour of submitted volunteer work counts as $31.80 towards the park’s requirement for Firewise certification and 233 total hours are needed. Logged volunteer hours can be on your own lots at any time, or during the park’s Wildfire Mitigation & Cleanup Days listed below.

Any logged hours can be submitted to the office or [email protected].
Please include your name, div/lot numbers, email or phone number, and hours logged including dates, activities, and hours. Alternatively fill out the Firewise volunteer sheet. To learn more about what type of work would qualify, please read Time and Expense Investment Examples.

Wildfire Mitigation & Cleanup Days

• Saturday, February 24, 9-11 a.m. Community Property; 1-3 p.m. Private Lots
• Saturday, March 23, 9-11 a.m. Community Property; 1-3 p.m. Private Lots
• Saturday, April 20, 9-11 a.m. Community Property; 1-3 p.m. Private Lots
• Saturday, May 25, 9-11 a.m. Community Property; 1-3 p.m. Private Lots

Focus of the Season

Firebreaks and Shaded Fuel Breaks

Our focus this season is on reducing the spread of a potential wildfire within our park. Our roads throughout the park act as Firebreaks which are obstacles to the spread of fire. Adjacent to our roads we will attempt to create Shaded Fuel Breaks which are strips of land on which the vegetation and debris have been reduced. A Shaded Fuel Break involves the reduction of flammable fuels, eliminating ladder fuels, and increasing the spacing of residual trees in order to minimize the risk of crown fires, resulting in reducing the spread of fire, and providing fire control opportunities.

Additional Tasks To Focus On

Increase the height to the base of tree crowns

  • Prune densely packed trees that are skirted with small diameter dead branches.

Increase spacing between tree crowns

  • Thin out smaller trees in crowded stands. It is also appropriate to do a variable-density thinning approach where you have skips and gaps of thinning.

Reduce surface fuels

  • Cut/lop larger ‘floating’ debris on the ground into smaller pieces to allow those pieces full ground contact using a ‘Cut and Scatter’ method.
  • Pile debris in small mounds in low spots to create ‘habitat piles’ for wildlife use outside the dripline of overhanging trees. Cover piles with fine branches followed by covering with leaves/compost.
  • Perform in-place chipping to reduce debris to a size. Chips should remain where the debris came from.
  • Avoid removing all debris and burning it in a central location.