Click the bumper sticker to learn more about Save Donner Summit and Save Serene Lakes

Be sure to visit these sites:

Donner Summit Historical Society

DSAA - Donner Summit Area Association

Open Letter to Todd Foster

The SLPOA Preservation Committee send a letter to Todd Foster after he declined the opportunity to discuss development topics with the committee.  The letter is here.

DSAA Announces Community Events

Summit Organizations Release Vision Statement

Conservation non-profits, homeowners associations, and civic organizations released a joint document today, outlining a vision for the Donner Summit region. Posted here are:

AN ECONOMIC AND CONSERVATION VISION FOR DONNER SUMMIT

Sources of Additional Information

Press Release

 SLPOA Perspective Document

The SLPOA Preservation Committee has produced a Perspectives document that provides significant information about the efforts SLPOA and other Donner Summit organizations have undertaken on behalf of the Summit regarding development. The document - SLPOA Perspectives on Summit Controversies - can be downloaded or read in your web browser. It is 4 pages long so it may be more manageable to print it. Just click the link above and it will be presented in a separate window (or tab).

SLDSCA Lecture Series - Summer 2009

Serene Lakes – Donner Summit Conservation Association presents:

The Serene Lakes/Donner Summit Conservation Association’s (SLDSCA) and SLPOA will present a lecture by Sierra bird expert Ted Beedy entitled “The Birds of Donner Summit”. The presentation will be at 7:00 pm, on Saturday, July 18, 2009 at the Fire Station in Serene Lakes.  Please note that this presentation was originally scheduled for June 20 but has been changed to July 18.

Ted is a wildlife biologist, ornithologist and photographer who has spent his entire life visiting Donner Summit and studying the birds of our area.  He researched birds in the headwaters of the North Fork American for his M.S. thesis, and did a similar study on birds of the Yosemite region for his Ph.D., both in zoology at U.C. Davis.  He has authored many scientific articles on California bird life, and has taught ornithology and ecology at UCD and at California State University, Sacramento. Ted is the senior author of Discovering Sierra Birds, an illustrated natural history guide published by Yosemite Association, and he is currently working on a new book A Guide to Birds of the Sierra Nevada featuring entirely new text and illustrations of 320 bird species by renowned bird illustrator Keith Hansen (see www.yosemite.org/naturenotes/birdguide/authorartist.htm).

This will be a multi-media presentation, with Ted’s photographs of Sierra birds augmented by local recordings of their songs and calls by his friend, Barney Kroeger.  In addition to describing the ecology and habitats of Sierra birds, and highlights of the Sierran bird calendar, he will talk about the natural history and habits of the ducks, woodpeckers, warblers, vireos, sparrows and many other birds that inhabit Donner Summit. 

Star Gazing Hike at Camp Winthers – September 12th – Meet at 7:15 pm at Pahatsi and Hillside to carpool.

Join Tish and Bill Rugg for a presentation on the history of Camp Winthers and hear about the programs offered at Camp and the populations it serves. Learn about some of the Donner Summit legends including the story of the Old Lady on Devil's Peak. Try out an activity or two that campers experience while on top of Telescope Peak. Depending on how the group is feeling, we can spend about an hour up top.

Bring flashlight, water and good walking shoes.

NOTE OF CAUTION: We will be on a small, rocky trail where coming down at night can be tricky.  Level of  is difficulty is considered intermediate.

Contact SharonRuffner@yahoo.com for more information

I-80 Construction Notice

We don't send out many updates because we want to use the capability only when it's really important. We set up that capability to respond to development issues. This update has nothing to do with development but you may be really happy you received it - if you travel I-80 to Serene Lakes.

You may have noticed all the electronic signs saying consult the "getacross80" website. I figured they would only talk about highway overlayment as has happened in past years. This notice is more important.

Irregularly from 3/31 to November, they will be re routing I-80 traffic onto Rollins Lake Rd. for a 6 mile detour. This will happen mostly at night. This will affect Highway 20 travelers as well since large trucks and buses will be detoured to that highway.

For more specific information consult the web address here.

http://getacross80.com/travel_info_detours.php

For this information we thank Linda Waddle of the Palisades, a valuable friend of SLPOA's for other reasons. She took the time to consult the website and discover a change over past practices.

Bill Oudegeest

Assemblyman Jones Reintroduces Legislation Requiring Two Roads

Assembly Member Dave Jones has introduced AB 666 in the California State Legislature to require new large developments to provide two separate access roads for ingress and egress of emergency equipment and individuals in case of fire.

The legislation requires that, prior to approval of a tentative parcel map, areas designated as “very high fire hazard severity zones”---such as Serene Lakes—must have at least two access roads from different directions for movement of fire protection and suppression services and emergency evacuation of individuals. The roads must provide “clear alternatives” for access and the provision cannot be waived by local agencies if the development is more than 30 parcels.

AB 666 closely parallels the provisions of AB 2447 from the 2008 legislative session. After superb support from throughout the Serene Lake community, that legislation was approved by both houses of the legislature but was vetoed by the Governor. Governor Schwarzenegger in his veto message indicated that he would approve the legislation in some alternate form and requested that the author work with his office to work out their concerns.

SLPOA has endorsed AB 666 and looks forward to its successful adoption during the 2009 legislative session. While the Placer County planning department has indicated to the Royal Gorge LLP that two roads would be required for approval of their development, the requirements of state law would mandate the planning department commitment.

Letter to Assemblyman Logue

The State Water Resources Control Board has said the Sierra Lakes County Water District does not have the right to "direct divert" from Serene Lakes.  Bill Oudegeest, President of SLPOA has written a letter to Assemblyman Dan Logue in an effort to head off what could become an expensive process.  You can read the letter here.

Membership Questions?

SLPOA (Serene Lakes Property Owners Association - pronounced "slope-uh") is a voluntary association of cabin and lot owners in Serene Lakes. For information on joining please go to the Join SLPOA page.

If you have questions about your membership please contact our administrator at SLPOA Administrator. As a reminder, you can update your own membership information online by going to the members only section.

Registering for the Forum

The SLPOA Forum employs a forum package (phpBB2) that significantly improves the presentation of message topics and your ability to enter and edit messages.  It also requires that you register to post messages to all of the Forums except the Sale, Rent and Services forums. You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by a third party arising from any material you contribute to the forum. You understand that we have no obligation to monitor the forum. We reserve the right to remove any information or materials, in whole or in part, that in our sole and absolute discretion are objectionable.

Registration is simple.  Click the "Register" link at the top of the page and a registration form will appear.  Enter as much information as you'd like - all of the fields default to settings that work for everyone.  However a user name, password and e-mail address are REQUIRED fields.  The e-mail address must be a valid address - an activation notice will be sent to that address with a link you must click to complete the registration.  If you do not click that link your registration will not complete and you will not be allowed to log in to the Forum.  If you are using anti-spam software you may have to enable mail from Webmaster@slpoa.com. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Webmaster. (Please note, the userid/password for the forum and the userid/password for the MembersOnly section are not related, as they are controlled by 2 unrelated pieces of software; however, since you can choose your userid/passwords for each you can make them the same.)

Contact Information

SLPOA - Serene Lakes Property Owners Association
PO Box 669
Soda Springs, CA 95728

(530) 426-0802
Fax: (530) 587-4311
E-mail: SLPOA Administrator