YOU MAY SEE SMOKE

Valley Center, Pauma and Palomar Mountain residents MAY see smoke this week from a controlled burn that will be conducted this week at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.

Personnel from the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, in cooperation with CAL FIRE will be conducting a controlled burn on Middle Peak, north of Cuyamaca Peak, on Wednesday Nov. 18. The purpose of this burn is to clear vegetation from 70 acres to make ready for planting of tree seedlings early next year. This area, once cleared, will have over 20,000 trees planted as part of the ongoing reforestation effort in the Park. Removal of this vegetation will not only make the job of planting easier, but allow the seedlings a much better chance of survival by reducing competition for sunlight and scarce water.

Park officials remind the public that the smoke and flames from this burn will be visible from many areas of the county due to the location high up on Middle Peak. The burn will commence about 9:00 A.M. and operation should conclude by 4:00 P.M. that day with patrol operations continuing for several days. The public should also be aware that due to the many dead trees within the burn area smoke may continue to be visible for several days after the burn is completed. Removal of these dead trees will also assist in the reforestation efforts and help to make the Park safer for visitors.

SENATE CANDIDATE TO VISIT

Valley Center resident (and Republican party central committee member) Keith Simpson will be hosting state senate candidate Jeff Stone at his home Tuesday (tomorrow) at 6 p.m. If you'd like to attend, call Simpson at home at 760-751-0126, or on his cell at
760-415-8115 or email him at keithsimpson@earthlink.net.

The Simpson home is a very beautiful, gracious residence with a great view of Pauma Valley, and Keith and his wife, Sue, are super hosts, so this event is not to be missed!

No Delay on Trash Collection

EDCO tells us that waste and recycling collection will not be delayed for the Veteran’s Day holiday on Wednesday. So, although you won't get mail that day, it being a postal holiday, you will get your trash collected!

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT

Tomorrow night (Oct. 31)  Professional Utility Vehicle (UTV) racer Junior Quisquis of Valley Center will attempt to break the current Guinness World Record for Longest UTV jump. The current record stands at 41.5 feet. A Guinness World Record representative will be on-site to record the stunning feat. Quisquis will attempt to jump an astonishing 60 feet, approximately 18.5 feet beyond the current record.

Quisquis is a member of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians and member of the Hellbound Natives.

The attempt will be made Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 8 p.m. at"

WHERE: Amago Sports Park
La Jolla Reservation
22004 Highway 76
Pauma Valley CA 92061

Quisquis a long-time UTV racer has had a long-time dream of becoming a key industry rider. The event will not only provide a fun and exciting Halloween event for the local community, but will also break strides in the local UTV community if the jump is successfully completed.

FIRE BOARD MEETING

PUBLIC MEETING OF THE
VALLEY CENTER FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT (VCFPD)
Thursday – October 15, 2009 – 6:00 p.m.


VCMWD BOARD ROOM
29300 Valley Center Road, Valley Center, CA 92082

Next Resolution #: 2009-06 Next Ordinance #: 38


Agenda

1. CALL PUBLIC MEETING TO ORDER

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

3. PUBLIC COMMENT
Any member of the Public may speak on any matter that is not on the Agenda.
However, under State law, no decisions or actions can be taken and any such
matters will be referred to the next meeting.

4. RESERVE FIREFIGHTERS BADGE PINNING CEREMONY

5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: For Regular Meeting on September 17, 2009 and for
Special Meeting on October 10, 2009.

6. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
a. VCSA ALS Report (Mercy Medical)

b. Chief’s Monthly Activities Report

c. Fire Marshal’s Report

d. District Administrator’s Report

7. OLD BUSINESS
• Approve goals for the District for FY 2010.

8. NEW BUSINESS
• Proposal to adopt Resolution 2009-06 regarding authorization to submit the 2010-11 Community Development Block Grant and the designation of related authorized official in the form and content as set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto.

• Proposal to adopt Resolution 2009-07 continuing the Fire Mitigation Fee
Program in the form and content as set forth in Exhibit B attached hereto.

MORE ON THE MOON SHOT AND PALOMAR'S PLACE IN IT

The sixty-year old 200-inch Hale Telescope on Palomar Mountain was one of many telescopes across the globe and in space that were called into action to watch the impact of NASA’s LCROSS mission. LCROSS, short for Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, was intentionally crashed into a dark crater near the south pole of the Moon. It is believed that craters such as this one, which never receive sunlight, might harbor large quantities of water ice. It was hoped that the impact would dredge up dust, rock and vaporized ice into a giant plume of material that would be visible hear on Earth with telescopes as small as 12-inches in aperture. Astronomers could then analyze the ejected material in attempt to confirm or deny the possibility of water ice being located there. Unfortunately no impact plume was visible from any telescope that observed the impact.

The best observations of this event were clearly made with the Hale Telescope on Palomar. The old 200-inch was using an instrument that removes any blurring affects caused by turbulence in our atmosphere, giving it a resolving power greater than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. Tension and excitement in the data room at Palomar grew as the clock ticked to the impact at 4:31 a.m. on Friday, October 9. It was standing room only as the scientists were joined by interested members of the observatory staff and a film crew from the BBC, which traveled halfway around the globe just to witness the event from Palomar.

The telescope and its observing system performed flawlessly, yet as the impact time came and then passed there was no obvious sign of the impact. A live video feed from the control room at NASA’s Ames confirmed that the impact had occurred as scheduled. Other observatories soon began to confirm that nothing was seen.

First images from the probe and the observatories monitoring the event were shown off at NASA’s 7:00 a.m. press briefing. Although the impact was not observed, it was obvious at that time that Palomar’s images were the sharpest from any telescope that observed the event.


The photos show: Astronomers at Palomar Observatory review the images and data collected as NASA's LCROSS mission crashed into the Moon near the lunar south pole and a film crew from the BBC interviews lead scientist Antonin Bouchez (sitting facing camera) shortly after LCROSS crashed into the Moon.

ANOTHER PRIZE WINNER

Gary Pay, president of the Valley Center Lions Club, says he has got the president's prize beat. "Months ago someone from our club grabbed the morning bell as a gag, and as a result I've been awarded the 'No Bell' prize."