Portola Valley Update October 17, 2024

This week's update:

• All Welcome - Town Trails Hike Hosted by the Trails and Paths Committee
• Conservation Committee What's Blooming Now - October
• Woodside Fire Protection District Fall Update
• Sustainable San Mateo County’s 28th Annual Indicator Report: Equitable Paths for EV Charging
• Upcoming Events

All Welcome – Town Trails Hike

Join members of the Portola Valley Trails and Paths Committee on our annual "All Welcome - Town Trails Hike”, Saturday, November 2nd. We'll meet in the parking lot of the Historic School House at 9 am, and start walking at 9:15 am. Our goal is to explore the Portola Valley trail system and learn as much as we can along the way. All ages are welcome, bearing in mind that this is a one-hour hike at a leisurely pace. Afterwards, we invite you to share in light snacks.

Conservation Committee What's Blooming Now

Mulching

Tip of the Month - October

As winter draws near, one important step to protect and support your soil and plants (native and non-native) is to mulch. Mulch helps slow run-off, promotes water retention in the soil, and as it breaks down it provides a slow-release supply of nutrients. It also protects roots in freezing weather.

Most of us are familiar with using wood chips as mulch. They are available for free from many tree companies, but they come as a big load and you might want to share with a few neighbors. The source of the chips doesn’t matter, even eucalyptus is fine, as well as oak that died of SOD. Smaller chips are vastly preferable to large.

However, a variety of different substances can perform as mulch.

• Leaf litter – if your gardener blows your leaves, use them under shrubs and trees (keeping the trunk clear), but don’t disturb your mulch by allowing your gardener to blow it away.
• Compost – you don’t need to work it into the soil, the micro-organisms will do that for you. It is a great mulch for plants that have large nutrient needs (fruit trees). But compost can be expensive.
• Wood chips – wood chips are a great low-cost mulch, but smaller chips are preferable to larger ones that take much longer to decompose. Potentially flammable mulches must be kept >5’ away from the home.
• Rocks – particularly with low water or desert plants, and in the initial 0-5’ perimeter around your home, rocks or gravel are an excellent mulch – Any size are good, but decomposed granite and pea gravel are often used. Add a couple of larger rocks (2-3 lb or so) which provides a condensation surface and source of moisture. The larger rocks when placed on the South side of a plant dissipate the mid-day sun and prolong the evening’s warmth. This works well when placed near newly installed plants.

Keep some areas mulch free, ground nesting bees need access to the soil to reproduce.

NEVER use tire or other man-made materials as mulch, they contain many toxic chemicals.

Also do not use dyed mulch. It’s trendy now, but it’s unnatural and has unintended consequences, for example, the black mulch rapidly heats up and dries the soil as it absorbs more of the sun’s energy.

Woodside Fire Protection District Fall Update

As we embrace the crisp air and colorful leaves of autumn, we also recognize the continued fire season. Woodside Fire Protection District is proud to present our fall quarterly newsletter. In this edition, you'll find timely updates, essential safety resources, and an overview of our recent activities. Stay informed about upcoming community events, and join us in our commitment to keeping Woodside safe and connected during this critical time.

Sustainable San Mateo County’s 28th Annual Indicator Report: Equitable Paths for EV Charging

Thurs. October 24, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Sobrato Shoreway Conference Room, Redwood City

Free light breakfast

EV charging infrastructure is far behind what’s needed to reach our climate goals and we need real solutions to get on track. Join SSMC for this year’s Indicators Report launch event where experts will discuss the challenges of meeting EV charging demand both equitably and efficiently. Speakers from Stanford, Redwood City Public Works Services Department, Peninsula Clean Energy and PG&E will make recommendations regarding what local leaders, utilities, businesses and residents can do to expand access to EV charging and address one of the biggest contributors to climate change in San Mateo County.

Admission is free, but registration is required by October 22 at bit.ly/SSMC_Indicators.