Armed with the knowledge obtained by attending the California Forestry Challenge in October, four Napa New Technology High School students provided testimony Dec. 14 before the California-Nevada Tahoe Basin Fire Commission.

The students, Taylor Knott, Lauren Waldenburg, Erin Komplin and Bella Music, presented their solutions to help prevent catastrophic wildfires like this year’s Angora Fire. Students and teachers from 13 high schools toured and studied the Angora Fire site at South Lake Tahoe at the Forestry Challenge.

New Tech gave their recommendations to the Tahoe Fire Commission after being a top award winner at the Forestry Challenge, sponsored by The Forest Foundation with a generous grant from Wells Fargo Bank.

The New Tech students, who were supervised by biology teacher Christie Coffin, made the following recommendations:

• Stream Environment Zones (SEZ) management regulations should be consistent.

• Minimize the impact of equipment near streams and use hand thinning within 100 feet.

• Burn piles must be removed within two years of piling.

• Homeowners will be held responsible for maintaining defensible space. After a homeowner is given three citations, the city will do the work and charge the homeowner.

• Design an education program to teach people about defensible space and healthy, managed forests.

The students recommendations and additional photos that will be packaged together and sent to the governors of California and Nevada.

Napa resident California Fire Marshal Kate Dargan is co-chair with Sig Rogich of Nevada on the California-Nevada Tahoe Fire

Commission./Register

Art association reaches 100 members

The Napa Valley Art Association celebrates a milestone: reaching 100 members. The 54-year-old association was formed in 1953 as a way for local Napa visual artists to get together and share inspiration and resources. For many years, the group solely worked in paint mediums, acrylic, oil and watercolor. Today’s membership includes talent with many art forms including textiles, jewelry, photography, and handmade papers.

The association purchased its Behrens Street building in 1955 from the City of Napa. The building was being used as a barn to stable the City’s fire-cart horses. Today the building is a wonderful meeting space and classroom with theater seating and state-of-the-art technology to video art demonstrations, making them available to all its members. The building is also rented by Napa Valley College for a wide variety of art classes.

A large portion of member dues and a percentage of art sold contributes annually to the NVAA Scholarship Fund, which benefits local high school and college students who wish to pursue artistic careers.

The association promotes many exhibiting opportunities, two of which are the Artist of the Valley galleries. Both galleries are on First Street in Napa, one in Town Center and one near the new Oxbow Market. They are both open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Info, 254-2085 or www.nvart.org/Register

Rotary announces students of the month

Jeremiah Quinn is a graduating senior at Valley Oak High School. He is a quiet, caring, helpful young man who has impressed both teachers and staff with his helpful attitude. This courageous gentleman has overcome struggles to find a new meaning for his life and future through the relationships he has formed at Valley Oak High School.

Katie Lee McGlothern is an outstanding senior in the ROP Nursing Assistant program at Napa High School. She is a role model to adults and fellow students. Teachers commend her for compassionate and dignified treatment of patients in her care. She plans to attend the Napa Valley College nursing program and will ultimately attain a master’s in nursing at the state college level. She credits her brother Chris’ struggle with cancer for inspiring her to want to become a nurse. Katie reminded us at the Napa Sunrise Rotary Club that “No matter how hard times are, keep your head up and keep trying.”

Join Rotary in giving these young people a round of applause. They are Napa’s future and Rotary is so proud of them./Register