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As the summer months approach and fire concerns rise, it seems appropriate to use this space to talk about the conservancy. Many residents have reached out to me or have attended a Landscape Committee meeting to voice their concerns regarding fire risk in this area. Let's start from the beginning. What we have been referring to as a conservancy is truly a conservation easement. This may seem like semantics, but the definitions differ. From the dictionary, here are the meanings of both: 1. "Conservancy: is a body concerned with the preservation of nature, specific species, or natural resources, or the conservation of wildlife and the environment; 2. "Conservation easement" is a voluntary legal agreement that permanently limits use of the land to protect its conservation values, like wildlife habitat, open space, or agricultural land, while allowing private ownership to remain with the landowner. You may be wondering exactly what this means. The short story: a conservation easement will be managed by a land manager like the Inland Empire Resource Conservancy District (IERCD) in perpetuity but would continue to be titled to a private entity. Currently, that entity is K. Hovnanian, the builder of our community. The builder still holds title on Trail A and Trail B where the conservation easement runs through the community, as well as the Potrero parcel right outside our front gates. With that said, we do have access to both trails that are enjoyed by many residents. We do not have access to the conservation easement, the area behind the wire fencing. Entry to this area is strictly forbidden because of the protected species. Trespassing is punishable by a minimum $25k fine and possible jail time. When permits were pulled to build our community, they were approved for the conservation easement to run through the property. Various state and federal groups also signed off on it as well, such as the Army Corp of Engineers and Department of Fish and Game. There are many species of wildlife in the area, and some are protected as well. One of the protected species is Bell's Viero (Vireo billii pusillus), which is protected federally and by the state of California. Since the builder still holds title on the areas in question, the association has limited actions it can take. However, the Board of Directors is actively looking for ways to mitigate the situation. Jerry Monahan, Barry Ginnetti, and I met with an IERCD representative to discuss what, if anything, can be done to reduce the threat of fire. Details coming soon. We will also reach out to the builder and hope to partner with them during this process. We also have a new ad hoc committee, the Wildfire Mitigation Committee. I touched on this last month, and we will update the community as progress is made. The Board meets for the General Board Session the second Thursday of each month at 1 pm in the Ballroom. Meet with the Board, however, is a less formal gathering held the third Wednesday of each month at 2 pm in the Ballroom. This forum allows Board members to engage in conversation with residents on almost any subject except issues under litigation or topics discussed in Executive Board Session. Several members of the Board attend each month. If you have any questions, please contact me at (714) 722-1301 or kathycravenbod@yahoo.com. Have a safe month and be kind to one another. FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MAY 2025 5 Message from the Board By Kathy Craven, Board Vice President

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