The Loma Linda Neighborhood Association is dedicated to providing communication, beautification, social activity, coordination and education. We hope these efforts will promote cooperation among residents and foster goodwill in our neighborhood.

A Publication of the Loma Linda Neighborhood Association ~ P.O. BOX 10533 Phoenix, AZ 85064-0533

There are several steps homeowners can and should take to prevent and minimize the rodent’s length of stay and possible ensuing damage. If you have a rat problem, so do your neighbors. Pass along this information.

Roof Rat Description—

Roof rats are dark brown to black in color and measure 13 to 18 inches in length including tail. They weigh 5-9 ounces, are slen- der, and their ears are large and nearly hairless. Their droppings are long and cylindrical.

Food Preferences—

Typical food is fresh citrus and apple fruits, plant material, pecans, wild bird seed, vegetables from gardens and pet foods left outside. Water is key to the rodent’s survival, such as pools, ponds and landscape irrigation.

Indication of Roof Rat Presence—

Hollowed out citrus attached to the tree, as well as on the ground. Smudge marks can be found around openings and ledges. Be vigilant for rat droppings, nests in attics and storage rooms, gnawing marks, and pet excitement.

Potential Damage—

Rats do damage by gnawing door frames, woodwork, plastic piping, upholstery, electrical, alarm and telephone wires, as well as contaminating stored foods. They have been known to chew automotive hoses and wiring.

Rat Eradication Methods—

A combination of poisons and traps properly placed and maintained will easily rid your property of any roof rat activity. Both traps and poisons should be placed in containers to protect children, pets and wild birds.

Rat Proofing

. Inspect your attic, laundry room and garage for possible entry locations and seal accordingly.

. Manicure landscape, thin hedges, trim trees from roof edges and remove all debris from property.

. Keep pet waste cleaned from yard, do not leave pet food outside overnight. . Promptly pick up any

fallen fruit and nuts from yard area.

. Harvest your citrus crops promptly and completely when roof rats are present.

To report a complaint, call the Maricopa County Citizen’s Environmental Complaint Line at 602-506-6616. For more information about controlling and eliminating roof rats, contact Barry E. Paceley, director of the Arcadia NEIGHBOR to NEIGHBOR Campaign at 602-273-0435 or visit the web site, www.roofrat.net

Frequently Asked Questions About Roof Rats

Information obtained from the Arcadia NEIGHBOR to NEIGHBOR Campaign

April is here. Here comes the sun. Its been a bit wet this past winter so I’m looking forward to spring more than usual. For my family it means dusting off the camping gear and finding time in our busy schedules for us to get out of the city. With two wars and a pretty ugly economy staring at us its tough to appreciate something that comes every year like spring. Hopefully for you and your families spring can be a low cost, safe, temporary distraction from whatever holds your minds hostage.

April Gardening -

Abundance , Beauty, Fun

The dogs and I have been foraging in the yard this spring. The snow peas have produced quite a few pounds of peas, well, except for the bush Tulip got hold of after digging a hole under the fence surrounding the garden, pulling the vine out and eating all the peas (bet she did not share them with Reggie). Every time I enter the garden, we had to fence it to keep out the dogs, Tulip and Reggie sit patiently with huge eyes waiting for their portion of peas. I still remember the children who used to come to the Gentle Strength Garden in Tempe on school outings. It took a lot to get them to taste the fresh vegetables but once you got them to taste they wanted more and more and more. Another aspect of the spring garden is the aroma produced by the herbs and vegetables you are growing. I have cilantro growing in the back garden and when the sun hits it in the morning the wonderful aroma of the cilantro fills the garden space around the herb. Tomatoes plants also add their fragrance as the garden warms each morning. One way to get children interested in growing gardens is to help them plant a pizza garden. This is simply a garden planted with things to make a pizza.

Peppers, onions and herbs immediately come to mind and if you are really adventurous you can get mushroom growing kits from garden catalogs and add the mushrooms to your pizza. Onions will have been planted in the fall but you could harvest them up until the heat hits and store them inside in a cool dry place for a month or two. Garlic planted in October or November will be ready to harvest in April. Even if you got your garlic panted late and the bulb has not fully formed you can pull it up and use the whole small bulb in your pizza. Tomatoes and peppers will have been planted last month and will produce until the really bad heat hits about July if we are lucky.

Oregano and basil two wonderful herbs for pizza making can be planted in late March into April and be ready for pizza making with the tomatoes and peppers and onions. A bit of planning is necessary but you could always grow some elements and purchase others from the store or your local farmers market. (Farmers Market every Wednesday at Town and Country Shopping center at Camelback and 20th Street.)

Edible flowers are another gift from the garden in spring. Nasturtiums with their brilliant colors and peppery taste add a wonderful zest to salads. The flowers from arugula have a nutty taste with a bit of a spicy radish taste and a touch of sweetness. Johnny- jump -ups have a very slight minty taste. Borage flowers taste a bit like cucumber and also have a hint of sweet. So have some fun eating vegetables and flowers right out of the garden. Even if you never get around to making a homemade pizza growing the ingredients is wonderful fun. Oregano, basil, onions, tomatoes and even peppers can make a wonderful spaghetti sauce too.

To plant in the garden this month: soy beans, cantaloupe, cucumber (esp. Armenian type), basil, eggplant, mint, muskmelon, okra, sweet potato, radish, summer squash, and watermelon can all be planted in April, Remember the compost and the mulch.

Phoenix, One Big Heat Island– By: Carolyn Lavender

It is always a great thing to conserve water in the desert. Every year more and more homes in Loma Linda scrape everything off their front yard and lay down a layer of gravel. Less water, less power tools, and less time spent working on the yard. But there is one unintended consequence. When you place a layer of rocks, paving, concrete where there was once dirt or grass you have provided materials that will absorb heat during the day and release it during the night. So even though our area was developed decades ago we are still raising the temperature. A few degrees can be felt on those sweaty August days when it just won’t cool down at night. People of the desert used to open windows and doors at night. They even slept outdoor in sleeping porches. Yes, it was before air conditioning, but it felt much cooler at night back then.

This is not an article telling you should hang on to your grass. But you might want to consider options to creating a front yard that bakes away in the summer temps. First, consider planting desert trees. Native trees require little pruning if you locate them where they can grow in their natural shape. Their low branches shade the ground perfectly. Allow the pods to decompose naturally and that will provide natural nutrition to the tree. A native tree need only be watered for three years and then it can live with little to no additional watering. There are a large variety of desert trees that you can choose from. If you aren’t using your front yard any way, you might as well have a few trees in it. There are also low water ground covers and other plants to consider. Or consider allow ing bushes to grow into naturals spreading forms instead of pruning them into tight geometric shapes. My veggie garden instructor recommended native gourds that can also grow up a wall. They are low water and create interesting shapes. You can find seeds at www.nativeseedsearch.org. Another thing to consider is that the smaller the gravel pieces the less heat it absorbs. Large chunks expose more surface area to the sun.

But you could also consider the fact that you don’t HAVE to put down gravel when you remove grass. In fact people rarely put down a thick enough layer of gravel to truly suppress weeds. This year’s winter rains are a great example of that. Check out the huge weed problem we are having this year. Clearly the people that live here aren’t that big on going into their yards and hand weeding. My suggestion is to consider natural mulch. I have been creating my own by saving the leaves, twigs, branches, pine cones, pods, etc. that are naturally shed. Leaves are the easiest just allow them to stay in non-grass areas and do their thing. But if you want a tidier look go check out the compost that Ken Singh creates at Singh Farms, located at Loop 101 and E Thomas Rd in Scottsdale. Take a truck and you can buy load of beautiful brown compost that woody and rich looking. But also check out the grounds and see what it looks like to spread compost materials instead of topping the ground with concrete, asphalt, paving or rocks. Compost and mulch will shade the ground and prevent weeds, prevent mud, maintain permeability, and create a soft cushion to walk on and provide nutrients for the soil. You want to build up 3-4. to properly suppress weeds. You will have to completely remove the Bermuda grass, as it is invasive when established. Natural mulch eventually breaks down and needs to be reapplied. But I have so much plant life at my house that I never run out. The one thing you may need to consider is that if you apply a large amount of woody compost all at once you may need to fertilize your surrounding plants. The reason is that heavy wood requires some nitrogen in the breaking down process. In rare cases it will steal nitrogen, which is the primary food that feeds all plants, from the roots of a plant. In a severe case you could actually kill a plant. Most compost is broken down enough so that this is not a concern. But you can always provide some natural nitrogen such as manure, fish fertilizer, bone meal or finished compost for insurance. Remember mulch is the big stuff such as leaves, sticks, and grass clippings. While compost is the small stuff that is the broken down decomposed product of mulch. The compost from Singh farms is a combination of mulch and compost. You can also buy compost in bags from any garden and plant nurseries.

If you are contributing to our rising temperatures you can consider a shady solution through trees, plants, mulch and compost. Shade the gravel, shade the paving, shade the driveway and even shade the street. We will all be cooler for it. If you want to see a front yard with no grass and no gravel you can check out my yard. We are on the NE corner of 23rd Street and Earll.

NOTE: Phoenix Permaculture Guild is hosting a tour of Carolyn Lavender's yard on March 27th. People can look under events for "Carolyn Lavender and Brian Hughes Home Tour".

Monthly General Meeting

Our next Monthly General Meeting is scheduled for May 4, 2010 and begins promptly at 6:30 PM, at the Loma Linda Elementary School in the Multi-purpose room (off Fair mount, east of 20th Street). We look forward to seeing you.

Becoming involved in your neighborhood is a very natural thing to do. Joining and being involved in your Neighborhood Association is a great way to meet neighbors and other people in your community. Meanwhile, you are identifying the issues facing your community, taking an ac- tive part in improving conditions, and most of all enjoying what your neighborhood has to offer.

Apr. 2 – Good Friday, no school

Apr. 4 – Easter

Apr. 6 – Neighborhood Meeting

Apr. 23 thru 30 - Aims Testing

Apr. 30 –Loma Linda Track & Field Day

DON’T FORGET TO FILL OUT CENSUS FORM

Place your ad in the Loma Linda News or let us distribute your business flyer. We hand-deliver to 1,350 homes and business each month. Business card size ads are $20 per month or double size for $40.00. Busi- ness flyers can be delivered with the Loma Linda News for $40 per month. Flyers must be one-half to full 8 ½" x 11 size. Ads must be submitted with check prior to the 10th of the month or flyers by the 15th.

If you wish to place a business card size ad, you MUST submit a clean copy for us to scan and print. Any modifications to your ad are subject to a $15 design fee.

For additional information, please call Blanche Duggan (602) 274-4102

The winter and spring rains result in a lot of vegetation around the Valley. But as temperatures climb, the vegetation dries out… and becomes a serious fire risk. Don’t let your home or property fall victim to a brush fire. Be sure to maintain your property and landscaping in a fire-wise condition.

* Keep weeds and grass cut. The Phoenix City Code prohibits grass in excess of six inches and weeds over twelve inches.

* Remove dead and piled up vegetation, and dispose of it properly.

* Properly dispose of trash and debris. Piles of refuse such as old furniture, boxes and pallets are fires waiting to happen. Even old cars can burn!

* Stack firewood away from structures, fences or anything else that may be combustible. If you live in an outlying or more rural area, consider these additional steps:

* Create at least a 30-ft. safety zone or firebreak around your home.

* Limit the use of flammable plants in landscape design. Choose fire resistant varieties.

* Plant trees and large shrubs in sparse, separate areas.

* Limit the use of trees and shrubs that have large volumes of foliage and branches.

* Limit the use of plants that have shaggy bark or dry leaves that shed annually.

* Limit the use of plants that develop dry or dead undergrowth.

* Limit the placement of plants next to structures, under eaves, overhangs, decks, etc.

* Limit the use of plants placed at the bases of trees or large shrubs.

* Remove ladder fuels (plants that provide a link between the ground and tree limbs). Maintenance Hints:

* Conduct regular maintenance to reduce the opportunity for brush fires.

* Remove low hanging branches. Also, remove tree limbs around chimneys.

* Keep the roof clear. Sweep gutters and eaves, and wash the roof on a regular basis to get rid of dry needles and leaves.

* Control the height of ground vegetation and mow the grass often.

* Remove dead and accumulated vegetation, and dispose of it properly.

* Provide enough water to keep plants healthy and green. Keep irrigation systems in good working order.

* Top trees only when necessary as topping creates too many lower branches that can increase the fire danger.

* Remove or thin the dead wood and the older trees beyond 100 feet from the house.

* Store and use flammable liquids properly.

* ALWAYS dispose of cigarettes carefully.

LLNA DONATION FORM / Gracias por su cooperacionName / Nombre________________________________________________________ Address / Direcion _____________________________________________________ Donation Amt. / cantidad: $______Date of Donation / Dia de Donacion: __________ We are a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. However, we need your contributions to support this newsletter and other necessary expenses throughout the year. Your contribution is tax deductible and will benefit your neighborhood directly. Please use the form below for your donation. A thank you card will be sent to acknowledge receipt.

Area A : 1911 East Clarendon

Area B : 2031 East Mitchell

Area C: 2044 East Monterey Way

Each month Area Representatives of “A”, “B”, and “C” choose one outstanding home in each area for beautification, home improvement, a well-manicured yard, etc. Of course, there must be NO zoning violations.

The homes chosen will receive a gift certificate from local businesses. Certificates will be mailed as soon as this announcement appears in the Loma Linda News.

Congratulations to this month’s winners

PLEASE HELP!

Dear Loma Linda Neighborhood—

My Boy Scout troop and I are in need of a Service project to do in the coming few months. This project would count towards my Eagle Scout achievements, and I would very much enjoy helping out my community as well. I would appreciate any kind of service opportunity and will be willing to take full responsibility. I would handle the fundraising, planning, notifying, and execution of the suggested project.

I would ask if you could please send any ideas by email rjgallas@aol.com or by telephone call at (602) 955-3125. Thank you, and I look forward to helping our community with this project in the near future.

Sincerely,

Bobby Gallas