RUONLINE? /theroundupnews @roundupnews @roundupnews @roundupnews
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Woodland Hills, California
Volume 131 - Issue 6
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
/roundupnews
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Spur of the moment Pierce College turned animal evacuation center overnight due to the Saddle Ridge Fire
[see FIRE PHOTO ESSAY on pgs. 4 & 5] Cecilia Parada/ Roundup A smoky sunset at the temporary Large Animal Evacuation Center at the Equestrian Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Oct. 11, 2019. More than 100 horses were evacuated to Pierce due to the Saddle Ridge Fire in Porter Ranch.
BRYAN CARBALLO Reporter @BRCreport & JACKSON HAYANO News Editor @HayanoJackson
W
hile the Pierce campus was closed due to poor air quality, the Equestrian Center opened its doors to house more than 100 horses and large animals who were evacuated due to the Saddle Ridge Fire. The Equestrian Center opened at 6 a.m. on Friday. Ranches, barns and stables in close proximity to the Saddle Ridge Fire had their animals transported to Equestrian Center for safety. For horse owner Miguel Deniz, this is the second year in a row that he has evacuatted his horses to Pierce. “Pierce has always been a central point where you can bring all your animals in case of an emergency,” Deniz said. “They can offer the resources to people when they’re in need.” Emergency Response Team (ERT) volunteers assisted in the transportation of the evacuated horses to Pierce. Once the horses were at the Equestrian Center, ERT volunteers set them up in stables and provided them with food and water. Los Angeles County Animal Control Employee Justin Vaughn said that there were some problems
Cecilia Parada / Roundup Sasha Corona feeds a horse named Pecas who was evacuated to the temporary Large Animal Evacuation Center at the Equestrian Center at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., due to the Saddle Ridge Fire on Oct. 11, 2019.
when the Equestrian Center opened its doors. “We weren't able to really put the numbers on the horses and get them ready,” Vaughn said. “So when we got here, there was a little bit of chaos trying to figure out whose who and where people came from. We’re still doing some intake.” Vaughn said that evacuated animals arrived from all over the San Fernando Valley, and that the
Equestrian Center remains open until it reaches full capacity. ‘We’re going to do as much as we can until we run out of room or space,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to try to utilize everything we can.” Tyler Burzynski, a horse owner, said that Hansen Dam, an equestrian center in Lake View Terrace, was the first to open its doors to evacuees. “Hansen Dam got filled up really quickly, because there are a
lot of horses out there,” Burzynski said. “Between Pierce College and Hansen Dam opening up, Pierce was a little late to open. A little late for our liking.” Assistant Trainer Erin Leon explained what will happen to horses after they arrive at the center. “[The horses] will hang out because the air quality is so bad, and we’ll just keep feeding them so they stay calm and collected,” said
Leon. “We’ll just be here all day checking on them.” ERT Volunteer Erick Cohen said that things were running smoothly at the Equestrian Center. “I think we’re just at 100 [horses] right now, but we’ve had a little over 200 before,” Cohen said. “[The stables are] slowing filling up, but not as quickly as last year. Last year the fire was much more ferocious and spread a lot faster, and was in a worse area.”
Air quality delays sporting events
Soccer, men's basketball and women's volleyball games postponed due to fire FELIPE GAMINO Sports Editor @fgamino13
Friday, when the Saddle Ridge Fire started, thousands of people were affected, including Pierce student athletes. Soccer and women’s volleyball were scheduled to be on the road, but saw their games against Santa Barbara City College and Ventura postponed. Men’s basketball’s event, Intersquad Madness, had to be moved as well due to the school being closed. Counselor Joe Roberson said that he was fortunate to not evacuate. “I'm totally blessed that I didn't have to move. Other students let me know they had to move because they were on mandatory evacuation
or the smoke was close to where they were,” Roberson said. Roberson was proud of the decision that the administration took because the players deserve to be safe and not exposed under those circumstances. Head soccer coach Adolfo Perez said that the postponement changed their plans. “I learned about the decision on the day of, which is a bummer. It changes everything because we are playing Cuesta who is having the best year ever,” Perez said. “Santa Barbara is a powerhouse and in 28 games they only have Iost two.” Perez said that the game has been rescheduled to Thursday night at 7 p.m. He also said that one of his players Sofia Caparelli had to evacuate.
[see GAMES on pg. 8]
Ben Hanson/ Roundup Smoky air at Shepard Stadium at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Oct. 11, 2019. Soccer, men's basketball and women's volleyball were forced to postpone or cancel their sporting events planned for the weekend.
Cohen also explained how the center isn’t only limited to horses. Other animals such as pigs, goats, turkeys, rabbits, ducks, pigeons and dogs have been housed at the Equestrian Center in the past. ERT Volunteer Bill Gruytch said that donations are always welcome during these situations. “We’re volunteers, and we can use any goods that people bring in,” said Gruytch. “Paper, pencils, food, water.” Marci Sakapjian, Pierce College Senior Agricultural Technician and Farm manager of the Equestrian Center, said that this isn’t the first time Pierce has opened its doors for animals. “The sad thing is that this is becoming an annual thing for us, unfortunately,” Sakapjian said. “So I think that every year we have one big evacuation at our facility.” President Alexis Montevirgen gave a statement about Pierce’s involvement with the community. “When called upon by the county in these types of services, we step up,” Montevirgen said. “We are here to be of resource and to assist the community in the ongoing situation.” bcarballo.roundupnews@gmail.com jhayano.roundupnews@gmail.com
Brief:
Security checks commencing BRYAN CARBALLO Reporter @BRCreport & PAOLA CASTILLO Reporter @paaolacaastillo President Alexis Montevirgen said the on-campus sheriff's department will conduct security checks at the Sheriff's Office from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Montevirgen said the security checks are for the department to take note of everyone who is on campus at that time, and that it would help them know where to locate those on campus in case of an emergency. “It's part of our commitment to ensure the safety of the campus,” Montevirgen said. “It's such a large campus, and it's a challenge to make sure that we know and are accountable to who is on campus at all times.” Faculty and staff are also asked to check in with the Sheriff’s office if they do need to be on campus late in evening. bcarballo.roundupnews@gmail.com pcastillo.roundupnews@gmail.com
News
Campus Life
Features
Lockdown drills emphasize school safety.
The Hookman is coming...
Polish professor prefers pedagogy.
Page 3
Page 6
Page 7