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Volume 96 No. 5 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com January 29 - February 4, 2010 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 SPCA: Most rescued brown pelicans will recover McCloud: By KELLY NIX Finances, Flanders MORE THAN 30 sickly pelicans washed ashore on the Monterey Peninsula warrant sixth term during the recent storms, but most of the ungainly birds will survive and be released back into the wild, according to By MARY BROWNFIELD the SPCA, which helped care for the ani- mals. KEEPING THE city on sound financial footing, in spite During the past two weeks, the SPCA of the sour economy that has left many municipalities nearly Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation destitute, and seeing through the years-long effort to sell Center has taken in about 30 brown peli- Flanders Mansion are two top priorities for Mayor Sue cans found emaciated and hypothermic. McCloud, who will seek election to an historic sixth two-year The constant rain damaged the pelicans’ term April 13. feathers and the natural insulation that McCloud also said she chose to run because voters have keeps them warm. told her now is not the time “to make a change on the team.” “Once they are no longer waterproof,” She touted fiscal responsibility, experience and continuity as said interim wildlife center supervisor, reasons residents should reelect her. Dawn Robles, “they get soaked, which Despite shrinking revenues, the coming fiscal year “might causes their temperature to drop.” be OK” for the city budget, she said. But in 2011/2012, the city will be forced to pay more money to CALPERS, the Oil and other contaminants that have PHOTO/MONTEREY COUNTY SPCA washed into the ocean because of heavy state-run public employees retirement system. A pod of pelicans huddles in the corner of a warming room at the Monterey rains have also taken a toll on the peli- Keeping the city’s books balanced under those circum- County SPCA. Recent storms left them hypothermic and hungry, but most of cans. Oil sticks to a bird’s feathers, caus- them will recover and be returned to the wild. ing them to mat and separate, impairing See MCCLOUD page 10A the feathers’ waterproofing ability and “The storms always bring in the weakest links,” said exposing a bird’s skin to extremes in temperature, making Robles, adding that a Pacific loon had also been treated by them vulnerable to hypothermia. Some of the rescued pel- the SPCA. FROM THE BELLS DOWN, icans were already weak from lack of nutrition, and the storms worsened things, Robles said. See PELICANS page 9A MISSION RESTORATION EFFORT BEGINS County, residents debate one-way Scenic Road By MARY BROWNFIELD ■ Storm damage heightens concern Point from Santa Lucia to Carmel River State Beach, includ- THE CARMEL Mission’s nine bells have been silent about ‘Dead Man’s Curve’ ing the hairpin curve overlooking Carmel River State Beach. since last summer, but come March, they will ring anew — At the community meeting, county officials presented a and by remote control. The year-old nonprofit Carmel plan that would also make Scenic one-way from Santa Lucia Mission Foundation, which is independent of the Roman By CHRIS COUNTS to Isabella, according to Neal Thompson, a traffic engineer Catholic Church and the local diocese, raised the $80,000 for public works. In response, residents suggested continuing needed to restore the bells — just one of many of the $2 mil- MONTEREY COUNTY Public Works unveiled a plan the one-way route two blocks further to Carmelo, where the lion in projects it hopes to undertake to preserve the historic last week that would change part of Scenic Road from a two- entrance to the parking lot for Carmel River State Beach is buildings and their contents. way to a one-way street. Residents, meanwhile, argued the located. Both plans would restrict traffic to southbound “The bells have a good deal of romance to them,” said plan doesn’t go far enough and offered a slightly more ambi- motorists only. tious alternative. Thompson said an estimated 80 percent of those polled at See MISSION page 21A More than 50 residents showed up at Mission Ranch Jan. the meeting supported the residents’ plan. He was generally 21 for a meeting on the plan, which aims to make travel supportive of the plan but said the nighttime closure of the around Carmel Point’s hairpin turn safer for motorists and gate to the beach parking lot could present a problem for pedestrians. motorists traveling south on Carmelo. Scenic Road is already one way in the City of Carmel-by- “There’s no good turnaround if the gate’s closed,” the-Sea but has long been a two-way street around Carmel Thompson explained. In addition to residents’ concerns, Thompson said Carmel Mayor Sue McCloud asked that a short portion of Scenic — from Santa Lucia to Martin — be left two-way. She also See SCENIC page 10A Swollen river threatens Highway 1 in Big Sur By CHRIS COUNTS AN EMERGENCY effort to shore up an eroding embankment alongside the Big Sur River will result in two weeks’ worth of temporary power outages and 10-minute traffic delays on Highway 1. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual for the storm-battered but well prepared community. PHOTO/JUDI CLAYTON The California Department of Transportation announced County workers shore up Scenic Road around Carmel Point this week the work will begin Friday, Jan. 29. An initial press this week after big storms eroded the sand beneath. The nar- release indicated Highway 1 would be closed all day Friday row street may become one-way. to accommodate the delivery of large rocks, but a Caltrans official later confirmed motorists will only encounter short delays. Khaki’s clothing store at Businesses located north of the construction — which The Barnyard is moving to include Big Sur River Inn, Village Shops, Glen Oaks Motel, Big Sur Roadhouse, Ripplewood Resort, Fernwood Resort PHOTO/COURTESY VERDIN CO. Carmel Plaza — see page 6A Workers with the Verdin Co. use a very tall forklift to remove See EROSION page 10A bells from Carmel Mission’s tower for refurbishment. Get your complete Carmel Pine Cone every Thursday evening in convenient pdf format via email. Free subscriptions available at www.carmelpinecone.com. 2A The Carmel Pine Cone January 29, 2010 Peace Corps workers Raccoons go after terrier — twice raising $$$ for solar By MARY BROWNFIELD reporting any dog vs. wildlife or dog vs. human altercations, and dogs are subject to quarantine after getting into a fight health center A TIBETAN terrier named Luther had a run-in with disease carriers like raccoons and skunks. with two aggressive raccoons in the backyard of his Mitchell said trapping raccoons frequently doesn’t solve By MARY BROWNFIELD Camino Real home last month, receiving wounds on his the problem of the pests’ invading homes and yards, because ear and rear leg, according to Carmel P.D. animal con- other raccoons will replace those that are removed as long as CARMEL RESIDENTS Dave and Wendy Banks, the trol officer Cindi Mitchell. Although the altercation whatever is attracting them remains. retired pharmacist and former school teacher who have been occurred Dec. 5, 2009, the residents did not report it “But if you’re trapping because they are in an area under doing health work with the Peace Corps in Tanzania since the until they went to Mitchell Jan. 26 for advice about trap- your deck or house, it’s a good idea to use a trapping service,” summer of 2008, are raising money to bring solar power to ping the masked animals. she said. the health center in their village of Maringo. The attack occurred at 8:30 p.m., when the residents Mitchell encouraged residents to wrap trees with sheet The couple needs to collect $9,276.33 to install the tech- returned home with their dog. “Normally, they let their metal to prevent raccoons from climbing them, remove pet nology on a dispensary that serves almost 11,000 people liv- dog out of the car, and they all go inside the house,” food and standing water from outdoors, seal trash cans and ing in the seven rural villages that make up the Malindi Ward, Mitchell said. But that night, the terrier ran to the back- eliminate places for them to hide. They also have aversions to according to David Banks. In particular, having power in yard. ammonia and capsaisin, the source of the heat in chilies and their dispensary will allow it to be upgraded to a full-time “And then they started to hear the screams and bark- peppers. health center that will offer in-house testing for malaria and ing, and so forth,” she said. But if all else fails and removal is necessary, Mitchell said HIV/AIDS, as well as the operation of microscopes in the The couple rushed to the backyard, and the husband people should hire professional trappers. testing and treatment of intestinal parasites. kicked at the two raccoons scuffling with his dog. Jeff Cann, associate wildlife biologist for the California “Supplying solar power will allow for refrigeration and “He tried whatever he could to scare them off,” Department of Fish and Game, also urged residents to make more effective sterilization of equipment, as well as 24/7 Mitchell said. The man and the terrier were free of the their yards less attractive to raccoons by removing food evaluation and treatment of patients,” he wrote in the execu- raccoons and almost made it into the house when “one sources and spots where they can build dens.

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