Power Pole Replacement and Relocation of Power Lines

If you have visited Keystone Point since last summer, you may have noticed some new power poles and power lines in the area. Here's a report from Dick Fisher (Cabin 85), written in November 2017, which provides details about what is happening:

Power Pole Replacement and Relocation of Power Lines
Forest Service and Bear Valley Electric

With no notice of any kind to cabin owners, the Forest Service and Bear Valley Electric System began construction several weeks ago on the first phase of a multi-year project to install new wood power poles on the SW Shore, and to move all power lines off of trees and onto the new poles.  The project is likely eventually to result in all telephone lines also being removed from trees and routed onto the new wood poles, in addition to the electric lines.
 
This initial phase of this BVES project is limited to a 12-cabin service area located just south and above Keystone Point Road.  It involves re-routing the main line downhill from highway 18 so that it runs between cabins 27 & 39, down to a point around the midpoint of Keystone Point Road.  From there the line runs downhill along the northern edge of the road, down to the Keystone Point turnaround near the existing pole there, from which it is routed in a southerly direction up the slope.  
 
The service connections to the three cabins along lower Keystone Rd (Nos. 16, 17, and 18) will be fed from behind the cabins rather than from the main line along Keystone Road. Other cabins involved at this time are Nos. 14 through 22, 25, 26 and maybe 73.  BVES has located the new poles as close as possible to roads and driveways to accommodate service/repair access. 
 
Dick Fisher and Steve Harbison, along with Bob Hritz, immediately after hearing about the work in progress, met on the job site with BVES management, walked the affected area and reviewed the project.  We pointed out some problem areas and requested that several of the new poles be re-located.  We were able to persuade BVES to re-locate several poles that would have run lines directly in front of primary views from cabin porches, including the top new pole along Keystone Point Road.  We were not able to get them to consider moving the new poles off of Keystone Point Road, but the three poles there are quitetall, so that the lines will run well above the direct views of the meadow and lake.  
 
BVES and the Forest Service have assured us in writing that for future phases they will consult with us during the planning phase, before finalizing plans. 
 
Most of the existing poles are at (or beyond) the end of their useful lives, rotted in the ground, and the attachments to trees are less reliable than to poles, so this project will provide more safety and protection against fire or electrical safety hazards caused by fallen power lines. But the project will no doubt continue to present challenges in terms of interference with views.  Our goal will continue to be to push for pole and line placements that minimize any damage to the views of the neighborhood or from individual cabins. 

(Note: Follow this link to a map of the area showing roads and cabin numbers.)

Annual Brush Clearance Project

Each summer our Association sponsors an annual Brush Clearance Project to gather and remove brush, shrubbery, tree limbs, slash, and other forest debris that constitute a fire hazard. Please pile those items in an easily accessible location on the uphill side of one of the tract access roads. When locating the piles, please do not to block parking areas or access roads. Our forestry contractor will either haul away the piles, or else chip and spread the material as ground cover, away from immediate cabin areas.

The chipping and/or hauling will occur sometime after Labor Day, so now is the time to start clearing your cabin area and creating your debris pile. We will advise everyone of the exact date and other details of the pickup as soon as the project is finalized.

The chipper can handle branches and small tree trunks up to 9” in diameter, so feel free to eliminate small white fir trees or other small trees that are growing beneath the overhead canopy of any larger tree, or that are crowding other more desirable trees. We encourage you to implement these forest maintenance practices not only in your immediate cabin area, but also in common areas nearby. Remember, however, that you must get prior Forest Service approval to cut trees with a trunk diameter of 9” or larger (at chest height). 

Finally, we again reiterate that this project does not include the removal of pine needles or unwanted cabin junk, so please do not include those items in the brush and debris piles.

Thanks, in advance, to all cabin owners, families, and friends for doing their part to clear brush and debris from their cabin areas to help keep our local forest healthy and safe. 

USDA Forest Service Annual Permit Fees

By now all cabin owners should have received and paid the 2017 Forest Service Annual Permit invoices. If you did not receive an invoice from USDA Forest Service, we suggest you immediately contact  Scott Evans, our Forest Service Special Uses Coordinator (909-382-2802 or saevans@fs.fed.us). If you have not yet paid your annual Forest Service Annual Permit fee, we suggest that you pay it as soon as possible, to avoid issues and additional charges. The Cabin Fee Act is now in effect and stabilized, so there appear to be no outstanding unresolved issues. At this point the only future fee increase allowed under the CFA is an annual adjustment for inflation. There are no more time-consuming, costly, and controversial appraisals involved in the fee determination process. For more information please follow this link to read "Cabin Fee Act - 2017 Update" on the National Forest Homeowners (NFH) website.

Speaking of National Forest Homeowners, the NFH organization continues to do excellent work on behalf of the owners, families, and friends of the almost 14,000 cabins that are part of the federal Recreation Residence Program on National Forest System land across the country. We encourage you to visit the NFH website (NationalForestHomeowners.org) for current information on the implementation of the Cabin Fee Act, as well as other issues that are important to Forest Service cabin owners. You might also consider becoming a member of NFH, as a way to offer your financial support the organization.

Searching for Rocky

The Forest Service is looking for Flying Squirrels

Hello, Big Bear Tract Cabin Owners,

The Forest Service has asked us to communicate to you the following appeal for information about flying squirrels in our local forest. Please read their message and news release, and then reply with your feedback to the email or telephone number shown below. Thanks very much. ____________________________________________________

Dear Recreation Residence Tract Residents,

If cabin owners have seen any flying squirrels at their tracts, we would like to hear from them. We are particularly interested in the following information:

• Name/address of site
• Approximate dates/years of observations
• What was the flying squirrel doing?
• Do you see them regularly?

Please share this email with as many cabin owners and users as possible.  If anyone has sightings to report, please contact our District Wildlife Biologist, Robin Eliason. Her contact information is below. Thank you. We appreciate your help.

Robin Eliason District Wildlife Biologist Forest Service, San Bernardino National Forest Mountaintop Ranger District Phone: 909-382-2832 Fax:  909-866-2867 reliason@fs.fed.us

P.O. Box 290 41374 North Shore Drive Fawnskin, CA 92333-0290

____________________________________________________

NEWS RELEASE

U.S. Forest Service, San Bernardino National Forest For Immediate Release Contact: John Miller at (909) 382-2788 Twitter: @sanbernardinonf

In Search of the San Bernardino Flying Squirrel – Have You Seen One?

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., April 21, 2015 – If you have seen a flying squirrel, the US Forest Service would like to hear from you. The San Bernardino flying squirrel is a subspecies of the northern flying squirrel. It is only known from the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains although it has not been seen in the San Jacinto Mountains for about twenty years.

Flying squirrels are closer in size to chipmunks than our larger native gray squirrels. They are nocturnal and have large flaps of skin that connect their front and hind feet. These flaps of skin allow them to glide from tree to tree. They do not fly in the same way that birds do – no flapping is involved. Their flat tail is used as a rudder to steer as they glide.

US Forest Service biologists have been studying flying squirrels on the Mountaintop District of the San Bernardino National Forest since the early 1990’s. Research is needed to have a better understanding of the current distribution, their habitat requirements, and the status of the population. Much of what we know about the distribution is based on reports from residents who see flying squirrels at their bird feeders at night or those who have found dead flying squirrels.

If you have seen flying squirrels in our local mountains, please report the sighting information to Robin Eliason (reliason@fs.fed.us 909-382-2832). Photographs would also be appreciated.