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Monday, April 26, 2010
DSAA Board April Meeting Notes
The DSAA Board met in April for its monthly meeting. We discussed ongoing projects including our effort to build a public park and playground on Donner Summit, establishing a Donner Summit marker to let visitors know they are on historic Donner Summit, and a brainstorming meeting for a summer geotourism event on Donner Summit (we'll invite you to brainstorm ideas in the early fall, so start thinking about it!). We also celebrated the first DSAA Newsletter and the hiring of our new Administrative Assistant, Sarah Schrichte. Unfortunately that meant losing Sara as a Board member, but we are so thankful to have someone help with regular correspondence and other tasks that have been performed by Board members in the past.
We are also planning for the very important Annual Donner Summit Cleanup, on Saturday, June 5 at 10am at the Soda Springs General Store. We hope to see you there!
For more details, please read the April meeting notes.
We are also planning for the very important Annual Donner Summit Cleanup, on Saturday, June 5 at 10am at the Soda Springs General Store. We hope to see you there!
For more details, please read the April meeting notes.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
DSAA Board February and March Meeting Notes
The DSAA Board met in February and March for our regular monthly Board meetings. During the meetings we talked about active projects including locating a place along I-80 for a Donner Summit marker or sign; finding a location for a Donner Summit playground in Placer County; our newsletter; a nd planning for summer events including the Donner Summit Cleanup on Saturday, June 5 (see below); our Annual Community Picnic on Saturday, July 3; and our Annual Meeting, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 28.
More information can be found in the Meeting Notes for February and March.
The next DSAA Board Meeting is Tuesday, April 6 at Summit Restaurant. We eat dinner at 5:30 and the meeting starts at 6:30pm. Our members and the general public are welcome.
More information can be found in the Meeting Notes for February and March.
The next DSAA Board Meeting is Tuesday, April 6 at Summit Restaurant. We eat dinner at 5:30 and the meeting starts at 6:30pm. Our members and the general public are welcome.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
First Edition DSAA Newsletter
DSAA is starting a regular newsletter. Here is the first edition!
DSAA Newsletter March 2010.pdf
We plan to publish the newsletter on a quarterly basis to start. Our members receive the newsletter by email. Others can find the newsletter here, on our site.
Enjoy!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Donner Summit Cleanup, June 5
Join your friends and neighbors for the Annual Donner Summit Cleanup. It's a fun way to make a big impact , and it only takes a couple hours!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
10am - noon
Soda Springs General Store
Appreciation Party Aftwerds (1pm - 3pm)
Meet at Soda Springs General Store for your cleanup assignment. DSAA will provide garbage bags and latex gloves. Dumpters are donated by local businesses. Wear sunblock, sunglasses, hat and comfortable walking shoes. Work gloves are a good idea. If you have a pickup truck or a trailer, we could use your help collecting full garbage bags along the cleanup route.
There will be an appreciation party afterwards, starting at 1pm at a secret location which will be revealed when you get your cleanup assignment.
If you are a local business who can sponsor a dumpster, contact info@DonnerSummitAreaAssociation.org for more information.
Hope to see you there!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
10am - noon
Soda Springs General Store
Appreciation Party Aftwerds (1pm - 3pm)
Meet at Soda Springs General Store for your cleanup assignment. DSAA will provide garbage bags and latex gloves. Dumpters are donated by local businesses. Wear sunblock, sunglasses, hat and comfortable walking shoes. Work gloves are a good idea. If you have a pickup truck or a trailer, we could use your help collecting full garbage bags along the cleanup route.
There will be an appreciation party afterwards, starting at 1pm at a secret location which will be revealed when you get your cleanup assignment.
If you are a local business who can sponsor a dumpster, contact info@DonnerSummitAreaAssociation.org for more information.
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Job Opening: Administrator Assistant
The DSAA has a job opening for an administrative assistant. A full description of the position is available here.
Please send your resume to info@DonnerSummitAreaAssociation.org, or mail a copy to PO Box 674, Soda Springs, CA 95728 by March 15th.
Please send your resume to info@DonnerSummitAreaAssociation.org, or mail a copy to PO Box 674, Soda Springs, CA 95728 by March 15th.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
CHANGE IN MARCH BOARD MEETING LOCATION
The meeting on March 2nd will be at 1142 Lake Drive, Serene Lakes, 6:30 PM.
# posted by Tamara Lieberman @ 6:05 PM 
Thursday, February 11, 2010
DSAA and Red Cross Host FREE Emergency Preparedness Seminar
Donner Summit Area Association (DSAA) is hosting a free Red Cross emergency preparedness seminar:
February 27
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
February 27
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Soda Springs Road
Serene Lakes
A representative from Red Cross will discuss area-specific topics such as winter and storm preparedness, traffic and railroad emergencies, propane tank safety, and wildfire danger and prevention. A brief video will cover general preparedness topics. Everyone is welcome to attend and there is no need to pre-register.
The free seminar is part of DSAA’s year-round program of events for the community. In 2010, DSAA will sponsor several local events, including a Geotourism seminar, a “Speak Your Peace” civil discourse event in the spring and a Donner Summit community picnic on Saturday, July 3.
A representative from Red Cross will discuss area-specific topics such as winter and storm preparedness, traffic and railroad emergencies, propane tank safety, and wildfire danger and prevention. A brief video will cover general preparedness topics. Everyone is welcome to attend and there is no need to pre-register.
The free seminar is part of DSAA’s year-round program of events for the community. In 2010, DSAA will sponsor several local events, including a Geotourism seminar, a “Speak Your Peace” civil discourse event in the spring and a Donner Summit community picnic on Saturday, July 3.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
January Board Meeting Notes
The DSAA Board met on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 for our regular monthly meeting. We discussed our upcoming newsletter, which will be sent to all our members quarterly, and talked about holding a brainstorming meeting in April for planning a Donner Summit event this summer, along the principles of Geotourism. We also heard committee updates from the Parks and Trails committee, which is working on putting a playground on Donner Summit; the Community Programs committee, which is planning two free seminars, including one by the Red Cross about Winter Preparedness on Saturday, February 27, from 2-4pm at Ice Lakes Lodge. We also discussed other active projects, including installing a Donner Summit monument or sign somewhere on the summit, and the Donner Summit Historical Society's 20-Mile Museum project.
For more information, read the notes from our meeting.
The next Board meetings will be:
Tuesday, February 2, 6:30pm, Summit Restaurant
Tuesday, March 2, 6:30pm, Summit Restaurant
Tuesday, April 6, 6:30pm, Summit Restaurant
The public is always welcome.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
DSAA Board October and November 2009 Meeting Minutes Posted
The last two DSAA Board Meetings have focused primarily on supporting the effort of Donner Summit Historical Society and local Donner Summit businesses to install markers along Donner Summit as part of the 20-mile historical museum. DSAA will be one of many local groups to donate money to purchase and install a sign along the route.
DSAA has also been leading a separate effort to investigate installing a Donner Summit marker or sign of some kind to let travelers know they are on historic Donner Summit. The idea was one of many simple but effective ways to improve Donner Summit at the community charrette last fall. If you have any ideas for locations, marker design, or especially if you have property in a central location on which you would allow us to install a marker, please contact us.
Projects for next year include installing a new playground for Summit children, potentially at the Donner Trail School. DSAA will also be contacting local businesses to compile an Economic Vision for Donner Summit, to complement the Conservation Vision for Donner Summit that we authored with local groups earlier this year. Please contact us if you are interested in helping.
For more information on DSAA's latest projects, please review the DSAA Board Meeting Minutes.
The public is always welcome at our meetings. The next DSAA Board meeting will be Tuesday, January 4, 2010 at 6:30pm at Summit Restaurant.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Increased Rail Traffic
Starting this Saturday, November 21st, and continuing on into however long the economic recovery takes, residents of Donner summit will be seeing more trains passing through the community.
Union Pacific has completed their work on the tunnels between Sacramento and Reno that will allow double-stack container trains to use the Overland route. UP will simultaneously be taking some traffic off of the Feather River route; in fact, traffic there should decrease to only 3-4 trains per day, all eastbound. What this means for us up here at The Summit is an immediate doubling of the number of trains per day, to perhaps 14, including the two Amtrak California Zephyrs.
As the economy improves, we could see as many as two dozen trains per day in the not-too-distant future, with even more volume when the Capitol Corridor is allowed to add passenger trains between Sacramento and Reno/Sparks. This number doesn't include any trackage rights trains that BNSF might run. An added component of this new policy is that, during and after any substantial snowfalls this winter, the jordan spreaders that clear the tracks will run between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. only, with the smaller flangers running as needed with no time constraints. This means that the increased number of freight and passenger trains will be even more concentrated during heavy weather, to between 8 a.m. and 3 a.m. the following morning. Also, the Overland route is re-establishing its importance in transcontinental railroading and will be receiving even more maintenance than before (albeit during the non-snow months only), so the various maintenance-of-way vehicles will also add to the mix. Fortunately some trains, especially the slower-moving, less-important freight trains, will be moved to the Feather River route, and the trains passing through Soda Springs should move at higher speeds. However, the net effect of all these changes will be more trains, period.
Remember, it takes a train a very long time to stop, especially running westbound downhill, so exercise extreme caution at our grade crossings here. That's it for now. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me on my cell phone, (510) 816-7720. Submitted by Tom Appelbaum
Friday, November 13, 2009
Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for Donner Trail School
This SaturdayNovember 14, 2009 Boreal Ski Resort has donated there facility to....
Donner Trail School for there Annual Thanksgiving Dinner.
If you are on the summit this weekend please come by and enjoy a
wonderful Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner and a live auction!
Doors open at 5:30 tickets are available at the door!
Adults $12.00 and Children are $8.00 ea
This annual events proceeds directly fund our local school in many ways.....
Hope to see you there.....
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Yuba River Cleanup Day
The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) is hosting the 12th annual "Great Yuba Cleanup and Restoration Day" on Saturday, September 19, 2009. Meet at the Soda Springs General Store at 8:30 for volunteer clean-up and restoration work, until 1pm.
Volunteers must pre-register to participate in the Yuba Clean-Up event, and can do so on-line at www.yubariver.org
Following the morning clean-up effort is a free picnic lunch for participating clean-up volunteers at Bridgeport State Park on the South Yuba River north of Penn Valley.
After lunch the public is invited to a celebration of the 10th anniversary of SYRCL’s successful campaign to protect the South Yuba River through state Wild & Scenic designation. The party will include amplified, peddle-powered music by the Ginger Ninjas and other local talent, as well as volunteer appreciations, the “Haute Trash” fashion show, a New Belgium Brewery beer garden, and a raffle, prizes and other surprises. The party will begin at 12:30 and lasts until sundown. Guests are asked to bring low-back chairs, blankets, plates, cups and utensils.
Great Yuba Cleanup Day
Soda Springs General Store
Saturday, September 19, 2009
8:30am - 1pm
Volunteers must pre-register to participate in the Yuba Clean-Up event, and can do so on-line at www.yubariver.org
Following the morning clean-up effort is a free picnic lunch for participating clean-up volunteers at Bridgeport State Park on the South Yuba River north of Penn Valley.
After lunch the public is invited to a celebration of the 10th anniversary of SYRCL’s successful campaign to protect the South Yuba River through state Wild & Scenic designation. The party will include amplified, peddle-powered music by the Ginger Ninjas and other local talent, as well as volunteer appreciations, the “Haute Trash” fashion show, a New Belgium Brewery beer garden, and a raffle, prizes and other surprises. The party will begin at 12:30 and lasts until sundown. Guests are asked to bring low-back chairs, blankets, plates, cups and utensils.
Great Yuba Cleanup Day
Soda Springs General Store
Saturday, September 19, 2009
8:30am - 1pm
Saturday, August 08, 2009
DSAA Annual Meeting
Please join DSAA for its Annual Membership Meeting:
Saturday, August 8, 2009
10am to noon
10am: Natural Capitalism with Oliver Dameron
11am: Membership Meeting and Board Election
Sugar Bowl's Judah Lodge
Special Guest Oliver Dameron will give a talk about "Natural Capitalism" from 10am - 11am. Natural Capitalism is a way of integrating the environment, ecosystem and human cultures into the economy by assigning value to those important resources and recognizing our relationship with earth's valuable resources. For more information on Natural Capitalism, start with this Wikipedia article.
At 11am, DSAA President Tam Lieberman will give a report about DSAA's work over the past year and our plans for the future. We will also hold elections for 2009-2011 DSAA Board members.
DSAA Members and anyone else interested in the Donner Summit Community is encouraged to attend.
Update: The meeting was a big success, especially Oliver Dameron's Natural Capitalism Seminar. Please review the 2009 DSAA Membership Meeting Minutes and view the Powerpoint presentation for more information.
Friday, July 10, 2009
DSAA Community Picnic a Huge Success!
The DSAA Community BBQ was a huge success!! Over 200 community members turned out for the event, enjoying delicious BBQ tri-tip, chicken and other food and beverages, winning prizes in the raffle and taking part in both an exciting live auction and a popular silent auction. Audio Concepts and Megan Lacey did a great job with the music and the children enjoyed the games and the bubble machine. Smokey the Bear was a big hit with people of all ages! Local businesses and groups including Donner Summit Historical Society, South Bay Ski Club, DSAA, Truckee Fire, US Forest Service and Sitaa Lotus Yoga shared information with the public. The afternoon reached a peak when Jennifer Montgomery announced Norm Saylor as Donner Summit Community Person of the Year, for his recent work with Donner Summit Historical Society and for a lifetime of contribution to the Donner Summit Community. Everyone seemed to have a great time all day long.
Special thanks to our sponsors, Sugar Bowl (our site sponsr), Hamilton/Broadway Signs, Lake Tahoe On-Line (LTOL), Audio Concepts, Royal Gorge, Donner Summit PUD, Sierra Snow Removal, Donner Spitz, Cascade Snow Removal, John Isgreen Snow Removal, Boreal, Virginia Haliwell, Carol Spain, Event Masters, Summit Hardwood, Don & Pat Malberg, Serene Lakes Enterprises, Donner Ski Ranch, Charlie Houtz & Sierra Mountain Pipe & Supply, Ron & Heidi Kolbe and also Summit Restaurant, who was most generous with their space, and in so many little ways. Thanks to the many individuals and businesses who donated auction and raffle items. Most importantly, thanks to the Donner Summit Community, for supporting DSAA in our main fundraising event of the year.
Thanks also to the many volunteers to who made the day happen, including Tam Lieberman, Carrie Hoyt, John Kirrene, Virginia Haliwell, Pat Malberg, Don Malberg, Sara Taillon, Charlie Houtz, Denise Dietrich, Scott White, Ron Pawalczyk, Amanda Pawalczyk, Steve Lieberman, Anne Knudsen, Karen Plank, Bryan Walker, Nancy Latimer, Mickey Gray, Dan Wexler, Ron Kolbe, Heidi Kolbe, Emily Wexler, Alisha Lee, Rob Brodeur, Rebecca Meyerholz, Katie Von Thaden, Dave Lose and Jennifer Montgomery, among others.
We plan to repeat this popular event next year. Check back for details.
