Snow and Rain...

The upper reaches of Deerhorn should be seeing snow showers throughout the night. Don't forget to post your weather pics on our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/deerhornvalley

COLD STORM A'COMIN' - Maybe even some snow.

Sunday, 2/26/2012

From the National Weather Service:

A COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING SOUTHWARD JUST OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST WILL MOVE INLAND THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ON MONDAY NIGHT BRINGING SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS...

STRONG AND GUSTY WEST WINDS...

AND SHOWERS ALONG AND WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS. 

 A FEW SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS THIS EVENING AS THE MARINE LAYER DEEPENS. 

SHOWERS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS AND WIDESPREAD LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY...THEN DECREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST MONDAY NIGHT...ENDING OVER FAR SOUTHERN AREAS TUESDAY MORNING.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM ONE-HALF LOCALLY TO ONE INCH IN THE MOUNTAINS. 

THE SNOW LEVEL WILL LOWER TO AROUND 3500 FEET MONDAY AND 2500 FEET MONDAY NIGHT...WITH SNOWFALL OF  5 TO 9 INCHES IN SOUTHERN AREAS. 

EDITORIAL: SAVE OUR LOCAL PLANNING GROUPS

SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE LOCAL PLANNING GROUPS

https://www.change.org/petitions/san-diego-county-supervisor-save-our-planning-and-sponsor-groups

An editorial is a big departure for us, but this is a big issue.  Residents of Honey Springs, Deerhorn, and Bratton Valley  are speaking with one voice to stop the Honey Springs Dog Ponds Project in its tracks. 

On February 29 the Board of Supervisors will vote on a proposal to completely eliminate all local planning groups– and silence the voice they give to our community and so many communities.

Backcountry residents are a special group of people.  City-folk may gripe about rates and limited schedules for watering lawns, but seldom do they face turning on a faucet to hear the sputter of a well that has reached its limit.  Nor to city-folk worry about the tens of thousands of hard-earned dollars needed for a new attempt at a well. No guarantees you'll get water, either.

So plans to create an artificial wetland out of dry chaparral for private hunting groups has met with stiff, backcountry opposition. Backcountry dwellers immediately realize that pumping millions of gallons of groundwater is foolhardy in the extreme.  What in the world are these city folks thinking?  We worry about and deal with drought conditions year after year... and these city-folk want to create 7 artificial ponds for... training their dogs?  

But... residents were able to come together at Oak Grove Middle School, where the Jamul-Dulzura Planning Group meets monthly. One resident after another spoke out against the plan: Why weren't we notified? Why use public resources for the exclusive use of private clubs?  Why make wetlands where they have never been before?  

The Planning Group was the single forum available... the ONLY place these arguments could be heard.  But it may soon disappear.

On February 29, the Board of Supervisors will vote on eliminating all community planning groups in the county. This ill-considered proposal is coming from developers who have stacked the "Red Tape Reduction Task Force."

The Jamul-Dulzura Planning Group may not be able to vote on these projects... but those monthly meetings are where we learn about such flawed projects as the Honey Springs Dog Training Ponds.

SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE LOCAL PLANNING GROUPS

https://www.change.org/petitions/san-diego-county-supervisor-save-our-planning-and-sponsor-groups

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Cold and rainy this morning... but so nice to have a slow wet soaking.  We measured about 0.80 inches overnight here on Elena Lane, and Bill Steven reported 0.94 inches a mile up the hill!  Almost 3 inches of snow has fallen on our Campo neighbors; DPW is out plowing their roads, along with the usual in Julian, Mt. Laguna, and Palomar.
With a new storm arriving on Wednesday, snow is expected down to 3000 feet. That means that Mother Grundy and Upper Deerhorn have a good chance of seeing some flakes.  As you go down Deerhorn Valley Rd, the chances will lessen.  It always amazes me how many micro-climates we have here: influenced by altitude, marine air (on our western side), and the little valley pockets like Winnetka, Deerhorn Flats, and Bratton Valley.  We live in a remarkable place and time.
Here are a couple of photos from the Valentine's Day snowfall in 2008... three months after the Harris Fire.  It was such a beautiful respite from the blackened landscape:

VALENTINE'S DAY SNOW... FEBRUARY 14, 2008

Mt. Elena basks in early sun... flaunting her mantle of snow.

Bob Morley's tractor sits its usual place at Mother Grundy and Deerhorn Valley Road.