Camper Potluck Picnic July 17th 1-4p July 17th in Alameda at Franklin Park

This event is for all ages. Potluck – Bring your own food and drinks. Some plates, cups, utensils, ice, and ice chests will be provided. Tables and a grill have also been reserved. Some outdoor activities will be brought along such as hula hoops and frisbees but feel free to bring creative or crafty outdoor activities. If you are interested in helping the hosts by committing to bringing a food item or activity, please email Guy.

Franklin Park is located at 1432 San Antonio Ave, Alameda, CA. Franklin Park has a playground and ADA-compliant bathrooms. Franklin Park has been reserved for this event on July 17th from 1-4 pm.

Urgent Action Needed to Stop Logging in Mendocino!

Attention Campers!

We urgently want to inform you of the Timber Harvest Project (THP) planned to take place by Cal Fire directly on the border of the Mendocino Woodlands State Park which is causing extreme alarm to our campers, direct stewards of the Mendocino Woodlands, and numerous environmental recreational organizations.

 The NCUUCC Board voted in January 2021 to create a special committee to inform campers on this project due to the imminent threat of damage to ecological, environmental, economic, and cultural integrity of Mendocino Woodlands via large scale destructive and poorly planned logging. The goal of this announcement is to inform you of the planned project, provide additional resources, and ultimately urge you to write emails, letters, and public comments against this logging project and any future projects like it.

Our ask of you is that you craft a letter to CalTrees about concerns with the 1-20-000173-MEN Timber Harvest Plan.
To: santarosapubliccomment@fire.ca.gov
Subject: Public Comment Mendocino Timber Harvest Plan THP: 1-20-000173-MEN
Regarding: THP: 1-20-000173-MEN
Salutation: To Whom it May Concern:

The 1-20-000173-MEN Timber Harvest Plan is an initiative by Cal Fire to log areas adjacent to and on the Little North Fork of the Big River. The logging is planned for the Special Treatment Area adjacent to the Woodlands and in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest. The Mendocino Woodlands State Park is essentially the road into camp and historic campgrounds. The State Park includes a miniscule amount of protected forest land. The forested land areas campers regularly hike, bike, and do other activities and are not protected from logging.

There are numerous safety, economic, and environmental concerns but we would like to highlight a few issues with the 173-MEN THP logging here that we hope will inspire your action to write a letter.  The current logging plan includes the building of roads over steep slopes that will drastically change the natural landscape and make the area dangerous for recreational activities. The slope of the proposed logging area is a major issue and a pointed highlight to letter readers and decision makers of the fallacies of this logging plan. The creation of roads on steep slopes to log the area will cause major water, mud, and silt issues. Silt running into the creek is disastrous for the entire ecological area including the Coho Salmon which finally return to these waters to spawn. Unstable land on steep slopes logged can also cause human safety issues for recreation activities. Tractor yarding is also proposed in this plan which will essentially create a clear-cut parking lot adjacent to the creek.


Cal Fire has not yet responded to public comment. Their justification for this logging is economic and fire mitigation. However, Cal Fire has not proposed any economic or other environmental mitigation for the logging including the safety and security of our camps. Should the proposed logging plan be approved, it is likely our camps and other camps will not be able to attend the Mendocino Woodlands in recent years.  It will be another year of economic hardship for the Mendocino Woodlands State Park if camps meet at the Mendocino Woodlands.

We all want to have a safe camp experience where we make beautiful new memories and continue to cherish the 50 years of history our camp has had at the Woodlands. This will not happen should the THP go through. This project poses paramount issues for the safety of children and adults alike trying to enjoy the creek and trails, further endangers the Woodlands historic water septic system and natural waterways, in addition to many more ecological concerns that has caused the alarm of numerous government and nonprofit organizations.

We implore you to do all that you can to halt this project. Why would you want to log a seasoned and natural fire-resistant redwood forest? The idea that it is for fire prevention is misleading. 

Please consider reading others’ public comments.
The link to the CalTrees 173-MEN Record is here:
https://caltreesplans.resources.ca.gov/caltrees/urlrouting.ashx?type=1000&Module=TH_Document&capID1=REC20&capID2=00000&capID3=00A6Z&agencyCode=CALTREES

Announcement Regarding Family Camp 2020

Dear Family Campers and NCUUCC Community,

We hope that this finds you healthy, safe, and supported. We are very sorry to announce that we, the NCUUCC Board, have decided to cancel Family Camp this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision did not come easily. Our primary reason for canceling was that, amid the lack of information we have about COVID-19 and the physical closeness we have among our 120+ campers during Family Camp, we cannot ensure the health and safety of our attendees. Additionally, as we are an intergenerational community, with many of our members in higher risk populations, going forward with Family Camp this year is a risk we are not willing to take.

It breaks our hearts that we will not be physically gathering for Family Camp this year. We are staying in communication with the Mendocino Woodlands about possibly having our Labor Day Camp, but at this point it is up in the air. We will let you all know definitive information about Labor Day Camp as we learn more. We are hopeful.

In these chaotic and unpredictable times, connecting with one another is more important than ever. The Family Camp Leadership Team is brainstorming ways to bring some virtual experiences to our community this year. Some of the ideas we are discussing are:

– an online auction (with funds going toward the Mendocino Woodlands

– to support them during this COVID

-19 pandemic that has caused them to be closed until further notice)

– Some volunteer-led workshops over Zoom- Online worship services

– Virtual Campfire Beatles sing-a-long nights (BYO S’mores)

– Posting our talent show acts online

– AND MORE…If you would like to be involved in creating our virtual Family Camp experience, please let us know. We are a wonderfully creative community and we can still share our gifts with one another. 

For those of you who have already registered for Family Camp, all checks will be shredded by our ultra powerful, razor sharp, rotating blades, James Bond rated shredder. If that does not work for you, please email Bernadette at DrBearsong@gmail.com and we will send your checks back to you.

Of course, the other option is to let your checks become Donations to the Woodlands…..if you are feeling extra generous, your tuition money could also be donated. I look forward to hearing from you regarding Donating funds to the Mendocino Woodlands so that they may continue despite these hard times.We are so looking forward to uniting again for Family Camp 2021 (our 50th anniversary)! In the mean time, let’s continue to connect with one another in ways that keep us safe and healthy. Our community spirit is strong, with love and creativity at its core, and we can weather this storm.

Love, The NCUUCC Board and Family Camp Leadership Team

Week 1 & 2 Full (2019 Family Camp)

Hello all, good news and bad news. The good news is that we have reached capacity for both week 1 and 2 for Family Camp 2019. The bad news is that if you have not signed up yet we can not guarantee you a spot at camp. We encourage you to sign up and apply for the wait list. Our registrar/deans will contact you if any spots open up. Thank you for your patience and for continuing to support our growing camp!

If you have any questions please contact our deans at: deans@ncuucc.org