Brush clearing program to air on CTV, public access

Mountains Restoration Trust and the Los Angeles Fire County Department's Prevention BureauForestry Division have collaborated with Fine Cut Presentations to produce the cable television program "Fuel Reduction Demonstration" for residents in brushfire areas.

The program demonstrates how to remove hazardous dry brush while preserving habitat for wildlife. "Fuel Reduction Demonstration" will air via cable access during brush clearance season in communities threatened by brushfires.

The program will air in Calabasas on CTV, in Agoura and Westlake on Adelphia, and in Malibu and Topanga on Charter Communications.

For more inf o r m a t i o n about the program schedule in the viewing areas, subscribers should refer to local cable public access viewers' guides.   

"While brush clearance and other fuel reduction measures are critical in preparing for fire season, severe clearance methods not only harm mountain flora and fauna and may cause excessive erosion, they actually encourage fire-carrying weeds to germinate," said Steve Harris, president of Mountains Restoration Trust.

The program shows techniques that residents can implement to strike a balance between fire safety and preserving local habitat for wildlife. Because of the late rains, the fire department's deadline for brush clearance has been extended to June 1.

Fine Cut Presentations program producer Toby Keeler, an area activist and documentary filmmaker, created the cable program as a public service.Keeler is also a Santa Monica Mountains resident and produces the program "Trailmasters," featuring guided hikes in the coastal mountain range, that is accessible by his website, www.finecut.com.

For more information call the Trust at (818) 591-1701, ext. 104. The headquarters is at 3815 Old To p a n g a Canyon Road, Calabasas.