By Michele Nowak-Sharkey, Master Gardener of Mariposa County In the winter months, more time is spent inside than outside when it comes to the garden. Although there are still things do such as pruning and mulching, the dreaming part of gardening is reserved for the colder, precipitation-filled days of the year. However, before being swayed to purchase dozens of seed ...

COARSEGOLD — Manicuring your property is not only rewarding, but it can also increase the value of your home and helps keep your home safe during fire season. The recent storms have brought a lot of water, which means lots of growth on your land, and high winds that have caused major tree damage.  It’s not too early to get ...

MADERA COUNTY — “Over a hundred million dollars in property tax payments were collected and posted from the December 10th property tax deadline,” reported Tracy Kennedy, Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector. Ms. Kennedy is pleased to report that all payments were posted and balanced by Monday, December 21, 2022. The delay was due in part to the Groundwater Sustainability Project fee ...

MADERA COUNTY — To prepare residents for the coming storm, the Madera County Sheriff’s Department has released a list of the variety of locations where residents can pick up sand and or bags. Madera County provides 10 bags per resident. If you need additional bags, you can purchase them at a local hardware store. At all locations, you must provide ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Winter can be a great time for pile burning brush and other woody debris around your home. Learning how to construct and prepare hand piles takes skill and an understanding of safety and weather considerations to minimize the risk of escape. The University of California Cooperative Extension invites community members to a 2-part pile burning workshop to ...

Save the Date! Register now for a California Post- Fire Forest Resilience Workshop! Post-Fire Resilience Workshop Flyer (PDF) Online every Wednesday from 6 – 7:30 p.m. February 1 to March 15 and in-person field trips on Thursday, March 16, and Friday, March 17. Hosted by University of California Cooperative Extension in collaboration with CAL FIRE, California Association of Resource Conservation ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — We’ve got two important events happening this week that you don’t want to miss. There were be a Prescribed Burn Association information session tomorrow night at the South Gate Brewing Company and a Christmas Vacation Bible School at the Calvary Chapel of the Sierra on Saturday. We’ll see you there! Prescribed Burn Association Information Session Thursday, December ...

NORTH FORK — Due to reduced fire activity throughout the state and across the country, Sierra National Forest fire crews have returned from their fire assignments, becoming available to support and manage local prescribed fire projects. Please see the attached maps for general locations. BASS LAKE PILE BURN VICINITY MAP – MADERA (PDF) BASS LAKE PILE BURN VICINITY MAP – ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — As daylight saving time ends on November 6, the American Red Cross encourages everyone to test their smoke alarms as they turn their clocks back to help stay safe from home fires. “Home fires claim more lives in a typical year than all natural disasters combined, but working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in ...

MARIPOSA COUNTY — The Mariposa County Department of Agriculture in conjunction with the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) will be presenting its annual 2022 Winter Integrated Pest Management workshop on Thursday, December 8, 2022, at the Mariposa Fairgrounds in Building A. See map below. Join us for this workshop if you are interested in learning about the California Department of ...