Balancing Wildfires and Chaparral

Southern California chaparral

On NPR this morning, Richard Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute discussed “Balancing Wildfires and Chaparral” with Maureen Cavanaugh on These Days.  He attempted to set the record straight about the role chaparral plays in the natural fire cycle of Southern California. It was a fascinating and informative radio talk, explaining how old growth chaparral (the native plant environment of SoCal) helps to prevent erosion and direct rainfall to aquifers instead of flash-flood-type runoff.

Take a peek at Chaparral & Manzanita at Sacred Rocks Reserve! We invite you bring friends, family, and botany nerds to Sacred Rocks and shoot the exuberant springtime blooms with your camera.

The Bloom of 2009

Blooming yucca plant with pink flowers

The hillsides are spectacular.

Just enough rain this year to yield an amazing crop of wild flowers.

It is fun to learn and even more fun to be amazed at seeing what I have not seen before.

Was it not there?

Or are my eyes opened in a different way?

Makes me wonder about life in general.

What is in front of our eyes that we cannot ’see’?

What do you notice about your life, or your self, or your surroundings that seems new to you, that you are just now ’seeing’?

Grand Opening of Mountain Homes and Solar Wine and Cheese Party

San Diego County RV Resort Is 1st in the Nation To Offer Solar-Powered Park Models as Low-Cost Weekend Cottages

Sacred Rocks Reserve Mountain Homes is the first park to offer solar-powered park model homes to consumers. Typically upscale in appearance, park models are 400-square foot movable resort cottages that are designed exclusively for part-time recreational use. Park models are technically classified as recreational vehicles, that can be set up on leased or purchased sites in campgrounds and RV parks and used as weekend retreats or seasonal vacation cottages. The park model homes are manufactured by Phoenix-based Cavco Industries, which has equipped its cabin- and cottage-style park models with solar panels, eco friendly features with custom feature options.

“We think these units will be particularly appealing to consumers who want an affordable, environmentally friendly mountain retreat cottage,” said Sharon Courmousis, owner of Sacred Rocks Reserve, located at 3,900 feet in the mountains east of San Diego and is roughly an hour’s drive from San Diego and Imperial County and less than two hours from Yuma, Arizona. Prices for the solar powered park models offered at Sacred Rocks start at around $55,000, which includes the first year’s annual lease fee of $4,800.

Solar Presentation: Saturday, January 24, 2009 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, an educational presentation about solar power, with a Q&A session following.

Party Hosts: Sharon and Dimitri Courmousis park owners, Ready Solar Inc. and Cavco will co-host the event

Mountain Home Tours: Which are open to the public from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily, will provide an opportunity for consumers, government officials and members of the news media to tour the nation’s first solar-powered park models.

Wine and Cheese Party: will be served after the Solar Presentation which will provide an opportunity to socialize and ask additional questions.

FREE Camping Special: During this event pay for 1 night the weekend of January 23-25, 2009 and get the 2nd night free! Please RSVP.

For more information on this event, download the PDF, visit Sacred Rocks Reserve and RV Park, or schedule a private tour of the nation’s first solar park model vacation cottages, by contacting Sharon Courmousis at (619) 766-4480 or sacredrocks@gmail.com.

How to Make your Business Eco-Friendly, Step 4

The Underground: We ran into a few challenges when working through the underground issues.

1. No one knew or mapped where the main water valves were
2. The electric meters were ancient and broken
3. No one know where the septic tanks were, or lids

Can you see? Can you image digging over 17000 feet of trenches – by HAND? Yes, it mostly had to be dug from site to site to site, avoiding existing pipes that worked, laying in new piping for telephone wires, repairing old water, electric and sewer connections, all the time avoiding tree roots to keep from killing the beautiful oak trees. Thanks to workers from the Freedom Ranch, and to winter workampers, as well as to Dimitri, owner, for this hard and important work.

So we are very protective of our undergound. First, we emphasize to all guests that only biodegradable products are to be used for RV holding tanks, and washing dishes as well as laundry. Secondly, we test the septic system annually to be sure the ‘good’ bacteria are doing their jobs of breakdown.

Our store only sells eco-friendly products. We do not allow mechanic work to be done on vehicles due to oil and gas spillage.

The end result is all systems have been updated, we have a map of main connections, our trees remain green and healthy AND our guests enjoy the benefits of a careful conservation strategy.

How to Make Your Business Eco-Friendly Step 3

Water – Being a Southern California native, and a Greek Djibouti East Africa native, we are concerned about water. At Sacred Rocks Reserve, some water is found at 20 feet deep, and other places like our drinking well, the water comes from aquifers that are 370 feet underground. Every quarter we test for coliforms which as I understand it, are bacteria brought by insects and animals. Each year we test for nitrites, which comes from farming operations–and we are fortunate there are none nearby. Our water is pure!

We have been told from official sources that ‘your water is purer than bottled water from ’springs’ sold in grocery stores. So we decided to put in an ice making machine in 2006. Many people do not know that the ice we provide to our guests comes from some of the best water in California. Our ice is made from our pure water!

When remodeling the restrooms and showers 4 years ago, we decided to install tankless hot water heaters. These ultra efficient gadgets heat water on demand, instead of trying to hold a 50 gallon reservoir full of hot water 24 hours a day. We have saved hundreds of KW hours of electricity as well as hundreds of dollars. Since we installed quarter-metered showers, the amount of water used cautioned. People seem to be more careful with their quarters than with our water! The hot water on demand AND metered showers reduce our carbon footprint while saving money!

We urge water conservation techniques for all who live here, knowing that water is a gift that we must carefully use. We encourage people to cultivate plants that are native to this area or are drought tolerant in order to avoid depleting our water supplies.

We purposefully have avoided planting grass on the common areas even though it is visually appealing. It just takes too much water and wastes it.

Our showers that are located in the tenting and clubhouse area are designed to use limited water and along with the metered showers, the toilets are low flush and use less water than normal toilets.

We cannot allow the washing of cars or motor homes or trailers because limited supplies. Our 35,000 gallon tank would be empty in short order.

If you think of any more ideas for water conservation that we might use, feel free to write a comment. We welcome all feedback.

Winter Conservation Strategies for The Most Earth Friendly Park in America

Several ideas popped up for us to focus on for conserving resources for the winter since we intend to be The Most Earth Friendly Park in America.

One is the pool. Since the air temperature is in the 60s [daytimes] and 30-50 [nights] we are closing usage of the pool until May 1st. It does not make sense to us to use propane and electricity to keep the pool/spa heated for just a few passers-by.

Two, there is little call for ice cubes during the winter. So we are shutting down the icemaker and ice freezer soon and will conserve electricity.

Three, the big tubs of ice cream in the Dreyers freezer have a three week shelf-life, and few visitors really enjoy ice cream when it is cold outside. So we had a big sale on ice cream and have closed down that freezer.

Four, winter office hours start later in the day, at 10am and close earlier 4pm however the telephone is always answered.

Wood Fires (with our own naturally harvested deadwood) are the most fun way to conserve energy (gas and electricity) We put a fire in the office/store in the tiny wood burning fireplace. The clubhouse also has a nice wood burning fireplace that heats up the whole room. We get it going on Wednesdays – for a potluck and games evening AND on Saturdays for Movie Night.

We are asking for your help:

What conservation strategies are you using at your homes and work? Perhaps someone has a good idea we can all use.

New Road Signs – Sacred Rocks Reserve

What you see from Highway 94 going East.

The Greenest, Most Eco-Friendly, Most Earth Conscious, Southern California RV Park is Sacred Rocks RV Park

In remembering the past 6 years of grueling work, I gave thought to the many ways we have brought our Southern California RV Park to be GREEN.

One long-time guest of the park said

“I have never seen a man that works harder and longer than Dimitri [the owner along with wife, Sharon]. Day after day he is out there working in all weather, working alongside Workampers and ranch workers and hired hands. He is in the ditch with a shovel, gluing pipes together, pulling wires, driving tractors and bulldozers and excavators and mowers.”

So here I am just thinking over the many ways we have both worked to create a place for families and future generations, for nature appreciation, for conservation of resources, for quiet enjoyment of all guests, for our own future, and for our children.

Are you a Visiting Sand Dune Camper?

THIS IS DIFFERENT CAMPING THAN THE DESERT! We have had many questions that boil down to ‘Why can’t we do here what we do in the desert?’

We understand that people like to party, drive toys all night long, burn their own firewood, and make lots of loud noise. We understand that. However, this place, Sacred Rocks RV Park is a part of Sacred Rocks Reserve, a place that strives to be QUIET, SAFE, and FUN for all campers.

So, the two goals are opposing, however since we do the courtesy of allowing ‘toys’ to camp, especially in the summer when the desert is really miserably hot, we do expect every camper to cooperate with our rules. Guess what? The rules have been mostly requested by our long-time guest, many of whom are true desert rats. They get it!

The bottom line is that this is NOT the desert and campers can still have fun as long as they stay within the guidelines. Campers who try or insist on breaking the rules, will be reminded to cooperate or will have to leave.

Trekking out in the 163 acre Reserve.

Truthfully, there are miles and miles of dirt tracks to explore from Sacred Rocks Reserve. 5 minutes away from our Reserve you can enter a huge OHV Park at McCain Valley Road.

How to Make your Business Eco-Friendly Step 2

Plant/Tree Husbandry

When we came here 6 years ago, we had been city folks but with a background in living in small towns, Dimitri from Djibouti, East Africa and Sharon from Valle Vista, a community 5 miles east of Hemet, California. We really did not know much about the plants of the area of Boulevard. Every year we learn more.

The trees. The ancient and venerable oak trees One of the draws of Sacred Rocks Reserve is the huge trees that provide shade during the warm days of summer. The outside temperature can be 95 but 10 degrees cooler in the shade, lounging in a hammock or chaise lounge. The sound of the wind passing gently through the leaves of the trees, whispers

relax, let go, take a nap

A tree dies. A beautiful 300-400 year old majestic oak tree just dies. For whatever reason; age, infestation, drought, it is gone. What do we do? We get the tree company to fell it, then the workers all drag it to the wood pile. From that point it is aged [green wood does not burn well] the big logs are cut with a chain saw, then put through the wood-splitter. All winter long we cut and pile, getting wood ready for our guests. We have heard comments such as,

‘the reason you disallow wood is so you can sell your own firewood’

We laugh because we end up selling the wood at about cost. Cost, you say? Yes, cost. The tree cutting people are expensive to hire. The workers who cut and split the wood must be paid. The stacking and wood chipping the small branches is a job for hired hands. The delivery of wood to campers is a job for our Workampers.

Start with a tree and then it dies….

tree sections

stacks of firewood

Ah, the campfire. Sitting around chatting with your family and friends, it is easy to forget all the work in the getting of the wood. For centuries, people have taken wood from forests to burn for campfires. It has been a healthy and environmentally conscious act, that we have purposefully carried on.