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Volume 21, Issue 3 - March, 2021
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WILSONIA YARD CLEAN-UP DAY
Hello cabin owners and families,
June 26 will be Wilsonia Yard Clean-Up Day. Rake up your yard waste, have it out by the road, and we will pick it up. A donation to the fire committee would be appreciated. This is a community event, and all are welcome to join the clean up.
Do you have a cabin that does not get used much? Have health constraints that make it hard to clean up your yard? Can you clean up your lot, but have no way to haul off the yard waste? Please let the fire committee know. We want to help.
Before then, on Saturday, May 29, we are planning a Dollar Dog Takeout Meal at the Clubhouse, hosted by the Fire Committee. Firefighters from the NPS will be there too. Let us know how we can help you. While you’re there, come see the updated Clubhouse bathrooms.
- Chuck Burgin, Fire Committee chair
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WILSONIA VILLAGE
Upcoming Events:
Saturday, May 29, 4-6 pm
Dollar Dog Takeout Meal and Clubhouse Open House
Sunday, May 30, 11 am
Wilsonia Duck Race
Sunday, May 30, 1 pm
WVI Board Meeting
Saturday, June 12, 2 pm
Wilsonia Black Pot Cook-Off
The complete Wilsonia Village 2021 Calendar of Events is included below.
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Snow falling on Monday morning March 15. Photo: Dutch Scholten
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Snow Update
After receiving 24” from the storm passing through on March 9-10 and another 10” from last Sunday and Monday, we are still unfortunately experiencing another drier than normal year. Tim Christensen reports that as of March 19, the season to date snowfall total is 117”, compared to a normal 142” by this date. Sadly, we have received only 3” of rain, compared to a season to date normal of 33”.
Followers of Wilsonia Village on Facebook had a second chance to participate in a contest to guess how much snow would be on the ground after the storms from March 8-12. When that week began, Gerry Cargile’s snow-cam was showing bare earth, but by the end of the storms, it showed 17” on the ground. Shirley Fugate Hanson was the winner with her correct, optimistic guess. She won a pair of Wilsonia W100 wine/juice glasses.
If you want to see how much snow is currently on the ground, you can check the snow-cam, located at the Cargile cabin west of Park Road. The camera takes a still photo every five minutes from 6 am to 6 pm daily.
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WVI Winter Planning Meeting
On Saturday, February 27, the Wilsonia Village Inc. Board of Directors held its annual Winter Planning Meeting. All Board members were in attendance at this Zoom meeting, along with several community members and two representatives from the WHDT. At the meeting, the minutes from the September meeting were read, and the Treasurer’s Report was given. The current account balances for WVI are: CD $8797.55, Savings $9040.79, and Checking $2257.86. An accounting of the yearly income and expenses will be presented at the annual General Meeting in August. The WHDT reported on their proposed activities, including the joint WAT, WVI and WHDT events with the NPS, which will include the new Sequoia-Kings Superintendent Clay Jordan.
The majority of the meeting was devoted to discussion and planning for a cautious return to social events. Wilsonia Village Inc. is concerned about the health and safety of all Wilsonia cabin owners, friends and guests, so we ask for your patient understanding as we navigate through this summer.
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Summer Calendar
We are excited and guardedly optimistic about resuming our social events for this summer season, after taking a summer off for the safety of all Wilsonians. We will be watching the trends and listening to guidance to make decisions about the tentatively scheduled events. One thing that remains clear is that indoor activities that preclude mask wearing are the most risky activities for the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, for the first month or more, we are prioritizing outdoor activities.
Beginning with Memorial Day weekend, the first social event is on Saturday, May 29, from 4-6 pm. The Wilsonia Board of Directors and Fire Committee will be hosting a Dollar Dog Takeout Meal on the Clubhouse deck. You can talk to the Fire Committee and NPS firefighters about defensible space clearance and upcoming prescribed burns. You can also take a socially-distanced peek at the new Clubhouse bathrooms and Wilsonia museum display cases.
On Sunday, May 30, the annual Wilsonia Duck Race begins at 11 am, followed by the WVI Board’s first meeting of the summer at 1 pm.
In the month of June, all activities move to the Wilsonia Community Park - our new name for the site of the Black Pot Cook-Off, on Hazel just north of Laurel. Events for June are the Black Pot Cook-Off and Potluck on June 12, including a meet and greet with new NPS Superintendent Clay Jordan. On June 26, it’s Wilsonia Yard Clean-Up Day. This is an “all hands on deck” Saturday to remove the needle and branch fuel from your Wilsonia yards. More information will follow on how you can be involved in this important activity.
Please plan to be in Wilsonia for some of these wonderful social village activities. Watch upcoming issues of the Wilsonia Times for more information on these events, and for details about the 4th of July and beyond. To view and download the full (tentative) calendar, click here.
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A Taste of Wilsonia
An exciting new fundraiser for WVI
Created by Neal Mixter
Imagine a progressive dinner, mixed with a food court, add in beautiful outdoor deck/yard dining, and as always, classic Wilsonia community time… and you have A Taste of Wilsonia. This festive new Wilsonia event is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, July 24, from 6-9 pm.
Here’s how it will work. 5-8 Wilsonia cabin owners (or groups of neighbors and friends) will volunteer to set up a little “cafe” in their yard or on their deck. Each location will feature a different food group, meal course or theme. You could host a salad bar, a wine and cheese station, a taco truck, an ice cream parlor, or anything else you could imagine.
Diners (you Wilsonians) will reserve a spot by making a donation to Wilsonia Village Inc. Your reservation will entitle you to make the rounds to any or all of the cafes around the village on the evening of the event. We will cap reservations at approximately 100 guests. Each site will also have a tip bucket, if you wish to show your appreciation for a particular cafe.
In recent years, many Wilsonians have expressed interest in having food events other than potlucks - although we do still have at least one potluck planned this summer. We also will not be holding the auction this year, and wanted to find a new fundraising opportunity. So to raise some money, have lots of fun, and enjoy some great food and fellowship, A Taste of Wilsonia was born!
If you’d like to host a cafe: Choose a theme, a name for your restaurant, and one or two menu items. (Remember: you’re just one of several stops, so you don’t need to cook a whole meal!) Email wilsoniavillage@gmail.com with the subject line “A Taste of Wilsonia” with this information, and any questions you might have. If you’d like to partner with a neighbor to do a cafe together, be sure to mention that in your email! An informational meeting will be held for all restaurateurs 2-3 weeks prior to the event. WVI can provide some tables and chairs, paper products, and trash cans for your cafe.
Please note that this is a fundraiser, so the expense of your restaurant is considered your donation to this event (which is why you may want to partner up). Cafe operators will receive two free tickets to make the rounds to the other food sites, and can keep the tips from their location.
Just want to eat and enjoy the fun? More information about reserving your own ticket will follow in an upcoming issue of the Wilsonia Times.
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Cabin Exchange Program
The April issue of the Wilsonia Times will feature an update from the NPS about the cabin exchange program.
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WHDT Fundraiser
The WHDT is holding a fundraiser to purchase a new PA system for the Clubhouse. Please visit the WHDT website for more information. |
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Burning Issues
by Mike Theune, Fire Information Officer for Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
About a month ago, we sent out a news release, posted to social media, and added to our website information about our planned prescribed burn and mechanical fuels projects for 2021. At the same time, we also shared some stats about 2020’s fire year. I’ll start with last year’s numbers first, in case you missed it, before getting into more detail about the projects in the Grant Grove area for 2021.
In 2020, the parks had nineteen wildfires, including the 8,419-acre Rattlesnake Fire and 1,243-acre Moraine Fire. The 175,000-acre Castle Fire burned just over 19,000 acres in Sequoia National Park which forced the closure of the park (some wilderness areas are still closed) due to the fire and air quality impacts. In total, nearly 30,000 acres burned in both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. As such we were only able to complete one prescribed burn (Cedar Grove) and one mechanical fuels reduction project around the parks’ headquarters in Ash Mountain.
Last month I mentioned the 560-acre Park Ridge Prescribed Burn that is planned for the area. We are currently looking at summer or fall to complete this. At the same time, you will be seeing work done on what is called the Big Stump Mechanical Project – as you guessed it, in the Big Stump area near the Entrance Station and surrounding trails. This 133-acre project will be going from summer until the end of the year as crews are available and conditions allow. Knowing many Wilsonians use the trails in this area, please be advised that opening and closing of areas may change with little or no notice. Your understanding in respecting these closures allows for a safer and more efficient work environment for us.
Depending on weather and fuel conditions, the earliest projects planned for this year are the 471-acre Tharps Prescribed Burn, 277-acre Hazelwood Prescribed Burn, and the 35-acre annual Ash Mountain Prescribed Burn. Additionally, the parks are planning the 660-acre Lost Grove Prescribed Burn and the 941-acre Deer Creek Prescribed Burn towards the latter half of the year.
A full list of the planned projects and areas can be seen by visiting go.nps.gov/sekifireplans. All projects and dates are subject to change based on weather and fuel conditions.
If you are visiting the parks, be aware that fire and smoke can be present at any time. Since the execution of prescribed burns depends on air quality, local fire activity, fuel moisture, and weather, the times and dates listed on the website are estimates only.
Lastly, I want to encourage you, if you haven’t already, to sign-up for our fire information office email list. To do such, send an email to seki_fire_info@nps.gov from the email address you want us to use for you. When emailing, it would be most helpful to us if you include your name, phone number (as a secondary contact as email does break sometimes), and your cabin address. You can also verify we have your email already by following the same procedure.
Thank you for all your time and support. Take care and stay safe.
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Cabin for Sale
83793 Lily Lane
1 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath
Modern & Fully Furnished
Contact owner:
(559) 638-9802
(559) 908-1013
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In Memoriam
Thank you to those who have shared with us the names and photos of Wilsonia friends and neighbors who have recently passed away. If you would like to do so, there’s still time to send in any information you would like us to share with the Wilsonia community - just reply to this email.
We will feature the names and photos you send in an issue of the Wilsonia Times later this spring.
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Jana is a freelance artist and compiled this wonderful book of pencil drawings of Wilsonia Village scenes. Preview and order the book here.
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Paul is a Wilsonia resident, and has many work references in the village. He can be contacted at (559) 358-5797.
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