Category Archives: BEAUTIFICATION

Murals popping up in Temescal Valley

BE KIND TO BEES: The unveiling at the Faire in May of the mural painted on the Community Room at Deleo Park. Pictured, from left, Joan Tyler, El Cerrito Community Library; artist Kathryn Duncan; Tracy Davis, mural coordinator, and Nancy Reiter, Home Gardens Community Library.

Murals are appearing on public buildings in Temescal Valley, thanks to the We Are Temescal Valley Beautification Committee and a group of dedicated volunteers.

Long-time Cal Meadows resident Gena Osborne for many years has wanted murals painted throughout Temescal Valley. With the community’s Bicentennial birthday in progress, the Beautification Committee thought now would be the opportune time.

It was fitting that the first mural was painted on the front wall of Temescal Valley Elementary School. It was Gena, with other members of the early Temescal Heritage Foundation, that proved to the CNUSD Board of Trustees the name chosen by the district (Temescal Canyon), was geographically incorrect.

Working under the direction of committee member Tracy Davis and artist Kathryn Duncan, the mural was painted by volunteers Priscilla Zarata, Shruthi Rajamani and Melanie Johnson.

The next mural came about as a partnership with El Cerrito Community Library and a Books to Action grant that paid for books to spread word about the importance of bees and other pollinators.

Volunteers working on this mural, painted on the wall of the Community Room at Deleo Regional Sports Park, were Tracy, Kathryn and Shruthi, joined by Krista Brantsma, Rob Mucha, Jennifer Runnings and Bob Hafner.

Hopefully, next in line will be murals at Todd Academy and Luiseno School. Anyone interested in the mural program should contact Tracy: tracycyto@yahoo.com.

EARL RANCH WILDROSE LABEL: The new citrus crate mural painted on the front of Temescal Valley Elementary School.

Milkweed to Monarch update

It’s that monarch-butterfly-time-of-year. Are you ready

SHOW PRIDE IN YOUR MILKWEED PROJECT: Tracy Davis will stencil this monarch butterfly on your curb if you have either 12 milkweed plants or seeds, and nectar plants in your garden. For gated HOAs, she will stencil the butterfly on a plain stepping stone for display in your yard. To learn more, phone Tracy, 951-277-3253.

What’s the Milkweed to Monarch Project? Learn more HERE

By TRACY DAVIS
Identity Committee Chairwoman

How’s your milkweed growing? The native milkweed should be sprouting by the end of February. Mine isn’t yet, but I did see sprouting milkweed at the tanning vats monument.

The monarch butterfly migration from the coast has started and peaks mid-month. With the warm winter this year, some monarchs did not migrate and those likely are the butterflies we have seen in our yards. If you have tropical milkweed, instead of cutting it back, you now can let it grow for the first generation of caterpillars.

As part of our recent cleanup along Temescal Canyon Road, we scattered hundreds of seeds of the native milkweed varieties showy milkweed, (Asclepias speciosa), and wooly pod milkweed, (Asclepias eriocarpa), adding to the wild seed bank in the soil.

We also have seeds left over to share with residents to plant in their yards. This donation was provided by longtime Temescal Valley resident and Beautification Committee member Gena Osborne.

7 Oaks Nursery is germinating the narrow leaf milkweed, (Asclepias fascicularis), for us again this year. The plants will be ready in April. Don’t miss their first sale of the season, March 17 and 18, to add more nectar plants to your yards to help attract all pollinators!

Milkweed to Monarch project? Learn all about it here

By Tracy Davis
Identity Committee Chairwoman

Why the monarch? We see butterflies everywhere.

The plight of the monarch butterflies was brought up at our Identity and Beautification meetings in November 2015, inspired by articles appearing in the Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise the week before.

Monarch caterpillars chomp away on native milkweed.

Milkweed is the preferred plant of monarch caterpillars which hatch from eggs laid on the milkweed plants by mama monarchs. One of the reasons the monarchs are in decline is because native milkweed is becoming harder for them to find.

The 90 percent decline in the monarch population for the last 10 years was all we needed to know to start our project. Pulling both committees into the solution, I took the lead because of my love and fascination for insects, knowing full well it would be a huge project.

PARTNERSHIPS ARE FORMED

A month later, lo and behold my friend Nancy Reiter, who is Branch Manager at El Cerrito Public Library, had seen the same article and was looking into a Books2Action grant for books on the monarch subject. She contacted me to see if the We Are Temescal Valley group would sign off as a partner in the project, helping secure the grant. We got together for a committee planning session and worked with the Temescal Heritage Foundation to secure the grant as partners.

This set the ball rolling to include the Sycamore Creek Interpretive Center — a Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District (RCRCD) nature center located in the heart of Sycamore Creek. They, too, were planning a conservation project for native milkweed.

7 Oaks Nursery and The Acorn Cap, both located in Temescal Valley, sell native milkweed.

Now came our dilemma — no known local nurseries grew the native milkweed or had sources. We needed to convince our local 7 Oaks Nursery to grow the native milkweed for the project. Bringing all the facts and known sources for seeds to 7 Oaks, it took about a month to convince them it was good for the nursery and the monarchs.

In checking the seed sources, a native nursery popped up — The Acorn Cap, a nursery that specialized in California natives. It was located in Horsethief Canyon Ranch but had not yet changed its postal designation to Temescal Valley. By the end of January, we had not one but two local nurseries growing milkweed for us and the caterpillars!

Educating the people of Temescal Valley would take time. We began with the homeowners’ associations. I attended nearly all of the HOA board meetings in Temescal Valley to share the need to use native milkweed rather than other variations to bring back the monarch.

GOOD MILKWEED: Monarchs are drawn to this native milkweed — Asclepias fascicularis, and will lay eggs on it. The caterpillars that hatch will eat the milkweed, stripping it bare and leaving nothing but sticks. It goes dormant but grows back each year.

WHY NATIVE MILKWEED IS IMPORTANT

Native milkweed dies back in the winter forcing the monarchs to migrate but tropical milkweed (Asclepias Curassavica), grows year-round in our mild climate. Monarchs will not migrate where tropical milkweed is planted because it provides a winter food source for the caterpillars. Winter breeding is unwanted in our area because it exposes the butterflies to the OE (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha), parasite. This parasite either kills or weakens the caterpillars and adults, making their migration north each spring an impossible challenge in unhealthy monarchs. Planting native milkweed encourages proper seasonal migration and reduces the incidence of parasitic exposure. (Native versus Tropical? Learn more HERE)

Bottom line is that the monarchs’ milkweed habitat is dramatically reduced due to human population increases, and pesticide and herbicide use in farming and along roadsides.

BAD MILKWEED: Tropical milkweed stays green year-round and has colorful flowers — usually red, orange and yellow. Because milkweed caterpillars can constantly feed on it, the monarchs will not migrate which leaves them exposed to a parasite.

In researching the monarchs, I found that many sites have been logging habitat, migration and population of the butterflies. Monarch Watch stands out as a good resource for plants around the nation, but the Xerces Society lists the natives best for our area, also giving us a guide to create the proper habitat for the monarch and other pollinators. (Click HERE for milkweed list.)

HOAs and residents can add to their gardens to create more habitat for the monarchs easily with our local nurseries growing native narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis), for the project.

We also need nectar sources to feed the adults. The nectar list is long, but look for flowers that monarchs can rest on while sipping, including composite heads, like sunflower, daisy or aster types, or clusters of flowers like lantana, verbena and pentas. Nectar sources do not have to be native, but choose drought-tolerant for our area. (Click HERE for native pollinator list.)

We hope that as more and more Temescal Valley folks decide to plant native milkweed and nectar plants to entice monarchs to their gardens that they will pay the $16 necessary to register their habitat with the Monarch Waystation Program. The Waystation registry could get our project national attention — so if you decide to register your habitat, please be sure to use Temescal Valley as your address! (Click HERE for the registration form.)

TEMESCAL VALLEY GETS INVOLVED

In trying to get the word out about the Milkweed to Monarch project we integrated Monarchs as a theme into our local events. The We Are Temescal Valley Identity Committee hosted the Temescal Valley Scavenger Hunt which had a monarch theme. The HOAs were encouraged to participate at the 15 stations around the valley. The main prize was a narrowleaf milkweed, with many other prizes donated by our local businesses.

Horsethief Canyon Ranch also had a Native Plant Sale. Hosted by Bob Hafner, chairman of the Beautification Committee and The Acorn Cap, the sale encouraged residents of the valley to plant native milkweed. The Temescal Valley Community Faire also adopted the theme of Monarchs and Melons for the 16^th annual event held in May.

Our Milkweed to Monarch project is growing. We’re encouraged by our partnership with community nurseries and collaboration with educational organizations. Our success will make Temescal Valley the “Home of the Monarch!”

GET THE KIDS INVOLVED!

Here are links to help children better understand how truly incredible the monarch butterfly is — fun facts and things to do:
Journey North for Kids
Raising Monarch Butterflies
Make Felt Monarch Butterfly Wings
A Magical Metamorphosis

Thank you for your participation in this project and thanks also to:

7 OAKS NURSERY, 21501 Temescal Canyon Road, Temescal Valley, 951-277-2927. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week. On Facebook

Acorn cap_logo THE ACORN CAP, California Native Nursery, Temescal Valley, 951-245-4764. On Facebook
library_logo EL CERRITO PUBLIC LIBRARY, 7581 Rudell Road, Corona, 951- 270-5012. Open 3-7 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. On Facebook

center_logo SYCAMORE CREEK INTERPRETIVE CENTER (RCRCD), 11875 Indian Truck Trail, Temescal Valley, 951-515-2097. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Wednesday. On Facebook

Serrano tanning vats spruced up

Sixty-plus volunteers gather for a group photo at the start of the 7th Annual Temescal Valley Great American Cleanup.

It was a great day for a labor-intensive project — cool and overcast. The long-neglected Serrano tanning vats (a process used to turn animal hides into leather), were given a facelift as part of the Temescal Valley 7th Annual Great American Cleanup, held this year on April 25.

The historic landmark is located on Temescal Canyon Road, north of Tom’s Farms and across the street from the Shell Station.

Below, you’ll find a recap of the event by Bob Hafner, chairman of the We Are Temescal Valley Beautification Committe that, with Waste Management Inc., sponsored the cleanup.

Leandro Serrano was the founding father of Temescal Valley dating back almost 200 years. You can learn more about his life HERE (spoiler alert — it’s a sad story.)

Here are links to the photo galleries shot at the event:

PHOTOS 1 PHOTOS 2 PHOTOS 3

And, now a word from Bob Hafner…

I want to thank all the volunteers who showed up for the Temescal Valley Great American Cleanup on Saturday. This was one of the biggest turnouts I have seen in the seven-plus years we’ve been doing the cleanups. This really shows the community pride we have here in Temescal Valley.

I want to thank each and every one of you for all your hard work. We, as a team, cleaned up the Temescal Wash and filled a 40-yard roll off bin with illegally dumped junk and trash. The really cool part was “tricking out” the tanning vats and installing a beautiful Temescal Valley sign.

We placed several very large boulders around the tanning vats. The adults and children weeded the area, planted two palo verde trees and more than 60 succulents. Once this was completed, we spread over 25 tons of stone, courtesy of Werner Corporation. We also painted the remaining bollards.

I want to thank Don and Helen McGlaughlin (Hot Diggidy Dog), for providing beverages, doughnuts and a tasty barbecue. I really want to give a shout out to Miriam Cardenas and Waste Management Inc. for all their efforts in seeking the Keep America Beautiful grant to fund the project, providing the manpower and the huge boulders. 7Oaks Nursery did a great job of gathering the plants we wanted, as well as Master Stone in locating the specialty Arizona flagstone that was placed in front of the monuments.

I also want to thank Supervisor Kevin Jeffries for lending a hand. He commented how he loves to see all the involvement of businesses and residents coming together to give in any way they can for the overall improvement of our community. A thank you, too, to Al Lopez, Western Municipal Water District board member, who helped out all day.

A huge thank you to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Corona Stake. As it turned out, April 25th was the Mormon’s JustServe Day of Community Service. Many stake members live in Temescal Valley, and under the leadership of Justin Tucker, 40-plus church members worked on the project.

Bill Peck and his Boy Scout Troop 13, year in and year out, always help with the cleanups. The Girl Scouts, too.

If I’ve forgotten anyone, please forgive me. It isn’t intentional. What really shows the true impact of what we accomplished was, after the event was over, people lingered to take a second look at all the good work, photograph the vats and enjoy all their efforts of the day.

Again, thank you everyone, and be on the lookout. The Beautification Committee will have more projects in the future to keep Temescal Valley beautiful, and we’ll be needing volunteers. Please email if your interested in being involved in upcoming projects: bob.hafner@verizon.net.

PHOTOS: Serrano would be proud

This was the 7th Annual Temescal Valley Great American Cleanup.

Members of The Church of Jesus christ of Latter-Day Saints Corona Stake, turned out 40-plus strong to help with the cleanup as a project of the Mormon’s JustServe Day of Community Service. Justin Tucker (white shirt), Sycamore Creek resident, coordinated the volunteer effort.

Helen McGlaughlin of Hot Diggidy Dog hands out doughnuts and beverages ant the beginning of the event.

Early arriving volunteers register for the event. The boulders came from El Sobrante Landfill and were hauled and placed by Waste Mangement Inc. employees.

Bob Hafner (left, white cap and knee pads), speaks to volunteers about safety.

Showing up to lend a hand were Supervisor Kevin Jeffries and Al Lopez, Western Municipal Water District board member.

From left, Bill Peck, Boy Scout leader Troop 13; Lily Quiroa and Mariam Cardenas, Waste Management Inc., grab a photo op.

Two palo verde trees were planted.

PHOTOS 2: Serrano would be proud

We Are Temescal Valley Beautification Committee Chairman Bob Hafner is responsible for coordinating all the community signs popping up throughout Temescal Valley.

Holes for the plants could only be dug with a jackhammer.

Would you believe a cactus can be this pretty?

Spanish Hills resident Martin Lange and his front loader move a pile of gravel closer to the vats.

After the gravel is dumped, it’s then shoveled into wheelbarrows.

Wheelbarrows are moved from the gravel pile to the area around the vats where the rocks are placed a shovelful at a time.

The newly planted succulents needed water, which was furnished by Dawson Canyon resident Michelle Randall.

Plants were individually watered to give them a good start.

Melissa Deleo spent the morning painting the bollards in front of the vats. The concrete stanchions will prevent the heavy trucks that park nearby from running over the area. Reflectors will be added to the bollards.

PHOTOS 3: Serrano would be proud

Half the volunteers spent their time removing trash and illegally dumped discards from the Temescal Wash.

Troop 13 Scouts help clean the junk and trash from the Temescal Wash.

Ann Redding is often seen at Temescal Valley volunteer events. She is the Pay it Foward Club leader at Trilogy.

Helen and Don McGlaughlin grill the hamburgers and hot dogs.

The work finished, a few of the volunteers mug for a picture. Everyone was feeling pretty good over the outcome of the project.

Volunteers clean roadway

Beautification Chairman Bob Hafner (center) gives instructions to some of the volunteers before the cleanup begins.

De Palma Road between the Von’s shopping center and Horsethief Canyon Road was targeted by a crew of community volunteers who, manned with bags and “pickers,” donned safety vests as they collected trash along the busy street.

About 20 residents participated in the cleanup sponsored by the We Are Temescal Valley Beautification Committee. According to committee Chairman Bob Hafner, an estimated 1,000 pounds of trash and garbage was collected and hauled to El Sobrante Landfill during the two-and-a-half-hour event.

Hafner furnished bagels, coffee and water for the volunteers, and Toscana’s Adam Eventov brought doughnuts. The trash pickers, bags and vests were donated by the landfill.

The Shirkman Family — Jay, Layla and Keegan of Sycamore Creek. David Rayner displays a tire, one of several found in the gullies along De Palma.
Tracy Davis and David Rayner struggle to retrieve a commode from a gully.
Brien Clingman, Dianne Sincich, Dan Chavez, Jerry Sincich (displaying a golf ball he found), and Carmen Reed.Bob Hafner makes a truck stop to collect filled bags and loose items.

Vehicles whizzing by on the I-15 don’t deter Jerry Sincich.
Tracks in the muddy shoulder — are they canine or coyote? Hint: There were no human tracks next to them.

Tracy Davis, Sandy Bilodeau (of Glen Eden), David Rayner and Barbara Paul.
Barbara Paul and Rob Mucha help load the trucks.

Enjoying doughnuts and bagels after the event — Rob Mucha (The Retreat), Bob Hafner (Horsethief Canyon Ranch), Barbara Paul (Glen Eden), Dan Chavez (Glen Eden), David Rayner (Glen Eden), Tracy Davis (Wildrose Ranch), Jerry and Dianne Sincich (Sycamore Creek), Adam Eventov (Toscana) and Brien Clingman (Weirick Road neighborhood).

Community signs soon to placed

RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES CAN ORDER THESE SIGNS FROM THE WE ARE TEMESCAL VALLEY BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE.

Placement soon will begin for community signs identifying each of the neighborhoods within Temescal Valley. Additionally, orders are now being taken for smaller signs that can be hung on homes and businesses.

The signs were suggested by members of the We Are Temescal valley Beautification committee, who approached Supervisor Kevin Jeffries with the idea. The Board of Supervisors in October approved the expenditure of $26,250 from the Temescal Valley Community Fund for the purchase of 23 free-standing signs to be placed in neighborhoods throughout the valley.

: THESE SIGNS, IDENTIFYING EACH OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN TEMESCAL VALLEY, WILL SOON BE PLACED THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.

The wood grain-textured signs are 2 feet tall and 4 feet wide, and are connected to 6-foot frames – hunter-green painted 2 by 4s. They list the name of the community (park, fire station), above the Temescal Valley logo and the words “Temescal Valley” under it.

Each of the neighborhoods and HOAs were approached by Beautification Committee Chairman Bob Hafner and offered the free sign. The only stipulation was that the sign would be placed in a visible location within the neighborhood. HOAs were given the opportunity to purchase additional signs.

According to Bob, only Glen Ivy RV Park and Creekside mobile home park refused the offer of a free sign. The free-standing signs also can be purchased by businesses and can be made to order size-wise.

The smaller sign — 18 inches by 9 inches, costs $200 and includes a wrought-iron hanging brackett. If you would like more information or want to order a small sign, contact Bob at bob.hafner@verizon.net or 951-258-6404.

The committee continues to work on beautification plans for the historic Serrano tanning vats located across the street from the Shell station on Temescal Canyon Road. A work party is tentatively planned later this month. (Read a related story HERE)

Committee members are Gena Osborne, Miriam Cardenas, Melissa Deleo, Tracy Davis, Karla Cortez, Adam Eventov, and John and Jannlee Watson. Contact Bob if you’re interested in helping out.

ABOUT THE TEMESCAL VALLEY COMMUNITY FUND

The Temescal Valley Community fund was established years ago by former 1st District county Supervisor Bob Buster, and does not contain taxpayers’ monies.

It was created through litigation between the county and Synagro, a Temescal Valley business that manufactured fertilizer made from human waste. It was decided that during Synagro’s five-year phase out the company would pay the county for response to complaints of odor pollution. Additionally, Synagro paid the county for each ton of human sludge it received.

The supervisor set up the Temescal Community Fund account with the Environmental Health Department, which was collecting the money, thus assuring the funds would be designated to the community and not be rolled into the county general fund.

Committee cleans up tanning vats

Helping out at the cleanup were, from left, John Watson, Karla Cortez, Tracy Davis, Bob Hafner, Martin Lange, Barbara Paul, Dave Davis, Ken Brooks and Rob Mucha. Not pictured are Melissa Deleo, Jannlee Watson and Adam Eventov.

Twelve people turned out early Saturday morning to assist the Beautification Committee in a mini-cleanup of the area surrounding the historic tanning vats, said to be the last visible remains of the Serrano legacy in Temescal Valley.

But first – a little history lesson.

: Bob Hafner and his committee begin work clearing the weeds.

Almost 200 years ago, a priest at the San Luis Rey Mission sent a soldier north to an area largely populated by Native Americans and grizzly bears. A first-generation Californian, Leandro Serrano was told to befriend the native tribesmen, who favored the area’s natural hot springs, and to eliminate the bears. He was given a “paper” – a permit or license to graze cattle on about five leagues of land – roughly 34 square miles.

Serrano found the area abundant with flowing water and lush vegetation that attracted bees which produced honey (that likely attracted the bears). He built an adobe in the early 1820s and called his home Temescal Rancho. That adobe was the first home built by a non-Native American in what would later become Riverside County.

A marker denotes the vats as being built in 1819 and as a restored site.

Through the years, Serrano raised livestock, planted orchards and vineyards, married twice and fathered 13 children. As the family grew, Serrano built other adobes, as did his sons and sons-in-law.

Serrano died in the early 1850s and more than a decade after his death and many legal attempts to prove ownership, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the family’s claim to the land. The court ruled that Leandro had been given permission to graze cattle, not a land grant. The family was given 160 acres surrounding the current adobe in which they lived. The court decision paved the way for others to claim mining and water rights in the valley.

This plaque notes the third adobe built by the Serrano family in about 1867 as being “nearby.” Leandro Serrano died in the 1850s. It says Leandro’s widow Josefa’s ownership of the land was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court.

This story of the Serrano family is based on historians’ accounts of early Temescal Valley. They say Serrano’s second wife died penniless in the 1890s. The last of the Serrano family – two sisters, had to mortgage the family home to pay the burial costs, and the two left the valley in the 1898 to live in Los Angeles. Through the years, very little of the Serrano legacy has been preserved. What can be seen are the two tanning vats situated east of the I-15 and Temescal Canyon Road intersection, across the street from the Shell Station. This isn’t the original location of the vats, which were moved and reconstructed at this site years ago.

The vats and two historical markers have been neglected. Yellow cement stanchions surrounding the area keep truckers, who park there, from running over the vats. Weeds flourish; trash accumulates. A sand berm has been placed to deter the illegal dumping that occurs.

One of two Serrano tanning vats located east of the I-15 and Temescal Canyon Road intersection, across the street from the Shell Station.

Saturday’s work party cleared the weeds and used pick axes to remove roots. Trash was collected and the bags hauled away by Waste Management, which also lent tools for the cleanup. Adam Eventov, with Toscana, couldn’t work because of recent hip surgery but brought sunscreen, hand sanitizer, insect repellant and doughnuts! Wielding picks and rakes were Barbara Paul, Karla Cortez, Melissa Deleo, Tracy Davis, Rob Mucha, Martin Lange, Dave Davis, Ken Brooks, Bob Hafner, and John and Jannlee Watson.

According to Hafner, Beautification Committee chairman, the cleanup was the first phase of a project that will eventually spruce up the area with landscaping and appropriate signage. The next committee meeting is 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 7 at Senor Tom’s restaurant. Anyone who wants to get involved or would like notification of upcoming projects should contact Hafner: bob.hafner@verizon.net

Read a related story HERE

View more photos below.

: Work party displays bags they collected a cleanup.

: Although he couldn’t work because of hip surgery, Adam Eventov furinshed sunscreen, hand sanitizer, insect repellant and doughnuts for the work crew.