Elk sends help to August Complex,
Last Saturday morning, Post Master Judy Bonney poked her head into the Mercantile and Queenie’s to announce the ballots had arrived and were in our post office boxes. If you haven’t checked your box this week, go do it now, and get that ballot filled out and sent back! You can return your ballot via USPS and track it through the California Secretary of State’s website under “Where’s my ballot?”
In California, ballots postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 3, and received within 17 days (the time has been extended for this election only), will be counted. Alternatively, you can drop your ballot at the coastal city hall “drop boxes” — there is one in Point Arena and one in Fort Bragg. County officials will be picking up the ballots every day or two and driving them over to the Registrar of Voters office in Ukiah.
Elk’s role in the August Complex Fires
Elk Volunteer Fire Department has been doing their part to help fight the 1,200,000-acre August Complex Fire. Along with Anderson Valley, Ukiah Valley and Redwood Valley, EVFD was deployed at 5 a.m. on Sept. 28.
First Assistant Chief Bob Askew, and Captain Ruben Martinez took the Department’s newest 2,000-gallon water tender as part of this four- department tender strike team which, according to Chief Bob Matson, is “pretty unusual.” They are working the west branch of the fire which is currently around 135,00 acres.
Even though this fire is mostly on federal land, Cal Fire was asked to take over this portion of the fire
and in turn, asked for local agency support. The team’s assignment is to go to drop camps in the Yolla Bolly Wilderness and provide water to “pumpkin ponds” where the fire engines fighting the blaze resupply themselves. This is a three-hour round trip on roads that are cut in with bulldozers, so it is very dusty and hot!
The team works 24-hour shifts, which amount to three trips per day. They are alternating shifts with Anderson Valley Fire and bunking at the Covelo Valley basecamp in Elk’s voluminous Cabela’s tent replete with cots, lanterns, chairs, and a table. So far, the tender has only blown a tire, which was repaired at the motor pool in the camp. Cal Fire can hold local agency strike teams for 21 days if needed, so Bob and Ruben may still have another week of duty, but they are expected to be demobilized this week.
Elk resident and Elk Community Services District Board Member, Mike Powers has his own role to play in the August Complex fire. Mike is the Deputy Chief for CAL Fire, with the Mendocino Unit. His role is fire suppression repair which means getting the roads and firebreaks ready for the winter. Mike was out last
Elk’s Stuart Greenberg at the Artists’ Collective Gallery
weekend on the west side of the fire and ran into Bob and Ruben. He reported they are doing well andmaking the town and the department proud.
Mike returns to the August Complex this week to continue his important winterizing work. He added that the rain over the weekend was a welcome relief in the battle against this massive set of fires.
The Artists’ Collective is featuring painter Stuart Greenberg for the month of October. Stuart is showcasing his original oil paintings and archival giclee reproductions, which feature portraits, seascapes, landscapes, and mindscapes.
Come and see his work and all the other artists’ work at the gallery next door to Queenie’s. For more information, call 707-877-1128.