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June 2021 July 2020 June 2016 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 July 2013 June 2013 March 2013 February 2013 November 2012 October 2012 August 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 November 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 February 2010 January 2010 | BURN PILE WARNING it is important that any burn piles that may have been active in the past few days be checked for hot embers, even if the pile appears out on the surface smoldering embers are possible at the bottom of the pile. “The predicted seasonal spring winds and lower humidity’s can cause even old piles to reignite and quickly spread” stated Unit Chief Greg McFadden. “We have seen residential dooryard burn piles reignite and spread beyond the resident’s control in the past few days.” As always, citizens using fire should do so safely. The following are guidelines that must be followed in order to burn safely and legally: - Burn Hours are 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. – out cold at 11:00 a.m. - Only small piles of vegetative waste may be burned. - Burn barrels are no longer allowed. - Before burning in Butte County, you MUST call the Butte County Air Quality Management District at 332-9407 or at www.bcaqmd.org to determine air quality burn day status. - Provide a 10’ area free of flammable materials and vegetation around all burn piles and incinerators. - Have a water source available and an adult in attendance. - Pay attention to weather conditions and forecasts. - Do not burn on windy days. - Do not leave smoldering fires unattended. - Make sure that the fire is out when the control burn is completed. - Residents must have their copy of the valid permit accessible when burning. - The yearly burn ban will be implemented on June 1st, 2014 or sooner if conditions warrant. Remember, persons burning are responsible to maintain control of their fire. If a fire escapes your control, you may be held criminally and civilly responsible for all costs associated with the suppression of the fire and the damage that it caused. If you need further information about safe burning, please stop by your local fire station or contact the CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire Rescue Fire Prevention Bureau at (530) 538-7888 Published: 04/30/14 SIERRA VALLEY REAL ESTATE UPDATE BONNIE JESSEE, ABR, RSPS REALTOR ASSOCIATE Six month sales have been on the increase from the previous six month period. We have seen 19 closings in the Valley with the average per square foot price at $85.87. What is important to note is that of those 19 sales; 9 have been REO or bank owned properties which typically sell at a discount due to condition of the property. Banks are reluctant to make any repairs so they will discount the property to obtain a cash buyer as some of the REO properties could not qualify for lending. Only 3 of those sales have been in Loyalton while the rest of sales have been across the Valley. Pending sales in Loyalton currently show an increase in price per square foot to $97.13 (mind you, these sales have not as yet closed but I am basing that number on probable contract price). That is some good news for certain! Current listings and sales for six month have been all standard or non-bank owned properties in Beckwourth. Beckwourth’s price per square foot for sales is currently at $147.00 however; keep in mind these are acreage properties. Portola six month per square foot sale pricing is at $78.00; while per square foot asking price is currently averaging $112.00. Currently of the 20 active listings in the Portola Area (we are not including Grizzly Ranch or Gold Mountain); three are pending. Also on a positive note only one of the new listings is an REO property and two of the pending are REO properties while of the six month sales of ten properties half were REO sales. It is positive to see a decrease in short sales and bank owned properties coming on the market in recent months. Increasing demand for housing in the area will create higher pricing. If you are contemplating selling your home here are the TOP FIVE improvements to make that won’t break the budget: PAINT – inside/outside. Fresh paint is an instant upgrade and buyers will notice! CLOSETS – buyers will open closets and the neater it is the more they can envision themselves living there. EXTERIOR – walk outside and look at your home – landscaping is important! Just keeping it tidy is enough. And while out there – how do your windows coverings look from the outside? Consistent and neat is the goal. CLEANING – mega important. Wipe down walls and cabinets as well as doors and floors. Place a pleasant scent in your home also (candles are dangerous so use something else). Place inside cabinets rather than exposed. ENTRY – even if you don’t have a large foyer you can keep fresh flowers or other ‘welcoming’ items that instantly say – CLEAN and FRESH! Published: 04/15/14 Study: Investing in forests reduces megafires and saves millions Cost-benefit analysis in Sierra Nevada shows savings of up to 3 times to pay for treatments up front San Francisco, CA - A new study released today finds investing in proactive forest management activities can save up to three times the cost of future fires, reduce high-severity fire by up to 75 percent, and bring added benefits for people, water, and wildlife. "Recent megafires in California and the West have destroyed lives and property, degraded water quality, damaged wildlife habitat, and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars," said David Edelson, Sierra Nevada Project Director with The Nature Conservancy. "This study shows that, by investing now in Sierra forests, we can reduce risks, safeguard water quality, and recoup up to three times our initial investment while increasing the health and resilience of our forests." The Mokelumne Watershed Avoided Cost Analysis examines the costs and benefits of reducing the risk of high-severity forest fires through proactive techniques like thinning and controlled burns. Set in the central Sierra Nevada, just north of last year's destructive Rim Fire, scientists modeled likely future wildfires with and without proactive fuel treatments. The results indicate that investing in healthy forests can significantly reduce the size and intensity of fires and save millions of dollars in structure loss, carbon released, and improved firefighting safety and costs. Megafires have become much more common in the last decade-the average size of a fire today is nearly five times the average fire from the 1970s, and the severity is increasing. The Sierra Nevada is at especially high risk this year with only one-third of normal snowpack as a result of the drought. "Many scientists are predicting an increase in the size and severity of fires due to a changing climate," said Jim Branham, Executive Officer of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. "These fires, such as last year's Rim Fire, degrade wildlife habitat, release massive amounts of greenhouse gasses, and can result in many other adverse impacts." Last year, the U.S. Forest Service spent $1 billion to cover firefighting shortfalls, taking money from programs that fund activities designed to reduce the risk of such fires. New bipartisan legislation called the Wildfire Funding Disaster Act seeks to address this problem by creating a reserve fund dedicated to excess firefighting costs, similar to the way FEMA provides funds to respond to other natural disasters. "Our ongoing goal is to increase the pace and scale of our restoration work and this study strongly supports that," said Randy Moore, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Forester. "Our current pace of restoration work needs to be accelerated to mitigate threats and disturbances such as wildfires, insects, diseases and climate change impacts. The goal is to engage in projects that restore at least 500,000 acres per year. Many types of projects help us reach our restoration goals including mechanical vegetation treatments, prescribed fire, and managing wildfire for resource benefits." The study is authored by the U.S. Forest Service, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and The Nature Conservancy and was developed in consultation with a broad range of local and regional stakeholders. It concludes that the benefits from proactive forest management are 2-3 times the costs of fire fighting and that increasing investments in such activities would benefit federal and state taxpayers, property owners (and their insurers), and timber companies. For more information on the Mokelumne Avoided Cost Analysis, or to download the study, please visit www.sierranevada.ca.gov. About the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Created in 2004, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) is a state agency whose mission is to improve the environmental, economic, and social well-being of the Sierra Nevada Region. The SNC has awarded over $50 million in grants for projects to protect and enhance the health of California's primary watersheds by improving forest health, remediating mercury contamination from abandoned mines, protecting critical natural resources and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Funding for these projects comes from Proposition 84 passed by voters in 2006. Published: 04/10/14 |