Catching Up! 9.26.2023
- Martha Dobson
- Sep 26, 2023
- 3 min read
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These informational signs can be found different places around Chinquapin, including the Outpost and part of the Purple Trail. Thanks go to Dave Barnett for this project he's worked on the past couple of years. Read about a proposed dog park in this newsletter.
Trail Report--Here's Dave Barnett's September 2023 Trail Report to download. NALT that Dave refers to in the report is North American Land Trust, the entity responsible for the Chinquapin conservancy land. Other reports are on the Maps & Trails page. The maps that can be downloaded there are accurate. Download them where you have service, before starting your hike.
Winterizing your Chinquapin home--A few things need to be done to your home in preparation for the colder weather coming. Owner Tony Nicolli wrote an article about winterizing your home; it's under the Owner Resources tab, Useful Articles. There's an article there about turning off water to the house, too. Regarding turning water off to the house, Waterfront employee Lucas Murdock prefers it be turned off at the house rather than at the street. Water heaters--draining the water heater depends on the particular brand and its directions. Check that before draining yours. Some should not be drained.
BearWise program--About 36 owners attended this Sept. 15 program in person or virtually. Ashley Hobbs, biologist with NC Wildlife, presented it. The program's website is bearwise.org and there's a lot of information there. Ashley's info included the 6 things to do to protect people, pets, and bears, as well as where and why bears roam and fatalities. Bears can smell something up to 10 miles away, so they certainly can smell anything closer than that. The only fatalities, 12 in number, over the past many years are pet dog deaths in which the dog was not leashed and interacted with a bear. Ashley recommends that dogs never be off leash and don't leave them unsupervised in fenced areas.
The feeder below holds 7 pounds of birdseed; that's 20,000 calories for the bear. No wonder they go for it! They go for hummingbird feeders, too.
6 THINGS TO DO: never feed or approach bears; secure trash & recycling; remove bird feeders when bears are active; never leave pet food outside; clean & store grills; alert neighbors to bear activity.
Pickleball & events--Diane Thomas started a pickleball WhatsApp group to facilitate games. The info about it is at the top of the Calendar page any time you need it.There are lots of fall through December events on the Calendar page. Of note, author Ron Rash speaks October 8 at the Cashiers Public Library. Contact the library for details.
Dog Park for larger dogs--Mark Adkins, developer, has picked an area & asked owner Mary Jane Bland to find out owners' interest in having an additional park before starting the work. Email Mary Jane with your thoughts, ideas, and interest. majabland@gmail.com. She will collate the info & get it to Mark. The video shows the route to the area for the proposed big dog dog park.
WiFi Calling in Chinquapin--Cell service in the mountains is challenging for us owners and permanent residents in Cashiers, Sapphire, and Glenville. Try WiFi calling to see how it works from your Chinquapin home. On your phone, go to Settings, then Connections. Turn on the choice that says WiFi calling. Also, texts or messages sent via WhatsApp seem to more often successfully go through than calls, so that's another choice to use.
