Liz Writes Life 2-26-19

Feb. 26, 2019

Liz Writes Life

Sure do like the rain – just hope it stays cold in the higher elevations and doesn’t rain the snow off. I see that temperatures are predicted to be fairly warm, especially at night. That deep cold polar vortex missed us, so our winter hasn’t been too harsh this year.

A week or so ago, I stopped by the Etna Hardware store. Ron Mayfield had saved some butter crunch organic lettuce seeds for me from a company that didn’t want the seeds packages back. That was a nice surprise. Thanks Ron. And it is a reminder that right now is a perfect time to scatter some seeds in a 2x3 foot spot in the garden and let nature take its course. If I put a couple clear plastic tubs over the area, it would help them germinate sooner. It wouldn’t take long or very much effort to do this project. So, between storms this week, I need to get those seeds scratched in the ground.

I asked Ron if he was doing any gardening and, yes, he is – and it sounds pretty successful. Last year, I wrote about Ron using plastic milk gallon jugs to grow lettuces this time of year. It worked so well that he has about 40 jugs outside in his garden area and most of them have two to six-inch lettuces or bok choy growing in them and need to be transplanted! For some reason, the chard did not germinate very well.

his year, Ron waited until after the equinox to plant, so the plants would be encouraged by the constant days of increasing daylight. He takes rinsed-out plastic milk jugs and cuts them in half leaving a hinge of plastic uncut. The four-inch bottom is filled with soil and tiny seeds are scattered on top. He then duct-tapes the jugs closed. Ron makes sure there is sufficient moisture inside and leaves the lid off. The jugs are set outside in the garden area and covered with clear plastic making a dome by sealing the sides with soil, rocks, boards or bricks. This makes a quite nice green house or terrarium with very little expense.

January was pretty warm and he checked the jugs nearly every day to make sure there was sufficient moisture. It was always moist and warm underneath the plastic, he said. A week or so ago, the red-leafed lettuce was several inches-tall and Ron decided to harvest some by cutting it off just above the soil line as it will grow back. Ron shyly (but with a smile) reported that he and wife, Susan, enjoyed two salads and four sandwiches with the fresh lettuce. Pretty nice!

Because night temps will be warm this week, Ron will take the clear plastic off and let the rain naturally add moisture to the jugs. He plans on transplanting directly into the garden, where he can make a dome with the clear plastic. Ron is so successful with this method that he said he feels like a “mad scientist” trying different varieties and types of seeds. Go, Ron go! You are encouraging the rest of us to give it a try. And after all, we are starting into March, so we can be thinking about planting things that survive night frosts, like cabbage and broccoli.

Weekly news

There has been quite the discussions, this week, after Siskiyou Daily News Editor Skye Kincade, announced the daily will begin publishing as a weekly. Some people seemed pretty unhappy and others understood. So, I decided I would jump into the fray.

In her response to Anne Marsh, Skye hit the nail on the head. In my observation, (I have not talked to Skye) this is a decision made above the SDN level, so Skye has to deal with it. We are lucky the corporate office didn’t decide to just shut SDN down. So, it could have been worse.

Many folks are blaming technology for the threat to hardcopy newspapers; and it has changed the way most of us obtain our news and information. But, I am going to point to our poor economy and poke the green enviro agenda, because our local Mom and Pop businesses also have a difficult time staying in business. Yes, subscriptions support the newspaper, but advertising is the life-blood. Over the years, I have watched advertising diminish – greatly, because businesses have taken the hit and are no longer here.

When timber was a robust economy in the 1980s and 1990s, we had lots of stores in our towns and at the county seat of Yreka. Then the enviros began complaining and suing. “Too many trees were being cut,” according to the few outspoken ones. And, unfortunately, many people jumped on that bandwagon, including the courts. Now there are very few trees being thinned from our Klamath National Forest and it is much more difficult to harvest trees on private property than it used to be.

And, now, we are also dealing with devastating wildfire, because the forests are too thick. Just doesn’t make sense.

I had a question about the amount of trees that grow each year. Our Siskiyou Co. Dist. 5 Supervisor, Ray Haupt, is a retired district forest ranger. So, I asked him how much growth is estimated within the Klamath National Forest and how much was harvested at the peak of timber harvests in the 1980s. They don’t count the growth in trees. It is in million board feet of timber shortened to mmbf. So for a snapshot of commercial-type trees that could be harvested, KNF increases about 600 mmbf a year. The most that was ever harvested in one year was less than 250 mmbf – less than half of the growth. And after all the lawsuits and the corrupt NorthWest Forest Plan, much less is harvested now. No, wonder the forests are too thick. We were never close to over-harvesting. Never! Such a travesty.

POW

Ray Haupt will be at the Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting this Thurs, Feb. 28, 2019 to discuss fresh info on forests and fire, groundwater, CA. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and The Nature Conservancy. Believe it or not, there is more good news regarding saving the Klamath dams.  Erin Ryan, from Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s office, will also be speaking. After a three-month break, POW will be meeting monthly again at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7 p.m. Desserts are welcome to help everyone digest all the political ramifications.

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 2-19-19

February 19, 2019

Liz Writes Life

Well, last week was pretty crazy with snow dumping on Redding and I barely got a few inches here at Callahan. One friend told me her brother measured 16-inches of snow at his home in Redding. Wow, that is a lot of snow. When we lived in Cottonwood, in the 1970s, it snowed a few inches – twice that I can remember. So, it can happen, but over a foot is shocking. Most people couldn’t even get to work, because cars were stuck at home in the snow; and then the power outages made it difficult for stores to open. Oh, and even the U.S. mail couldn’t get through with Interstate-5 being shut-down twice.

Yep, once again, trees are getting a bad rap as limbs break or the entire tree topples landing on homes, cars, streets and taking-out power lines causing power outages. Some areas were out of power for three days or more. Whether it is fires or winter storms, trees need to be managed so destruction can be minimized. In residential areas, they need to be groomed and in the forests -- thinned.

One of my pet peeves is the ugly sculpture-cutting of trees under power lines. Just cut the tree down! There are plenty of trees. Now, I am not blaming the companies that cut the limbs away from the power lines. I blame our society that is afraid to remove a tree, because trees have become sacred. Again, there are plenty of trees. Decide which ones you want to care for and thin the rest, including forests.

The buckets of water are still full in my bathtub, so my superstition of having extra water (and other supplies) in case of power outage is working. Since blinking once over a week ago, the electricity has stayed on at my house. Yay, I feel very lucky.

Congressman LaMalfa

There is continuing controversy at the national level regarding protection on our borders. President Trump signed the latest bill sent to him, which stops another government shut-down, but didn’t give him the $5 billion he wanted for border security.

As a member of the House, Congressman Doug LaMalfa did vote for the bill and some folks are frustrated with him for this. In explanation, he recently sent out several comments regarding the situation. It comes down to compromise, which is the basics of politics, folks. He was part of the coalition that pressed to get funds increased for the Forest Service to manage our federal forests and help prevent catastrophic wildfires. Also, because of his involvement, FEMA will reimburse 90 percent of the cost for wildfire recovery, in 2018, which includes the Carr and Camp Fires. This is huge for our victims of those fires in Northern CA. Way to go, congressman!

In his latest comment, LaMalfa said: I’ve been working with the White House to ensure funding for disaster recovery and critical civil works projects, such as levees and water storage, are not affected by a shift in funding in this process. The situation at the southern border is a humanitarian and national security crisis, and it’s a national emergency. The stubborn opposition to a regulated border is incomprehensible and endangers American citizens.”

CA Fire Tax update

There is good news and bad news regarding the Fire Tax fee that rural folks fought against several years ago. Many of us were enraged at the additional “tax” on our property to Cal-Fire and sent letters of frustration demanding restitution if the Fire Prevention (tax) fee was over-turned -- when we sent in our annual check.

Eventually, the annual additional fire prevention fee was halted and we are no longer receiving the dreaded bill. But, we soon realized California was not going to refund the fees. So Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association brought a lawsuit that asked for refunds of these past payments. Unfortunately, the trial court judge threw out this case.

HJTA is still trying to get a decision through the courts for the ill-gotten Fire Tax fees to be refunded to property owners. So, on Feb. 6, 2019, HJTA filed a Reply Brief in the Third District Court of Appeal. The briefing is now complete and the case will be scheduled for oral argument.

Now for more bad news, according to the HJTA newsletter: “The Third District Court of Appeal is backlogged due to a shortage of justices. Another HJTA case has been pending a decision in that court for over two years. There is nothing we can do about the slow pace of justice.”

More troubling is the fact that State Senator Bob Wieckowski, who represents an urban stretch of the East Bay, has announced consideration of a bill to reinstate the Fire Prevention Fee. Although his proposal doesn’t have a bill number yet, HJTA said we need to respond quickly.

HJTA said to voice our opposition by calling Senator Wieckowski at his capitol office. The number is 916-651-4010. His email and U.S. mail address is available online.

We also need to let our own senator know our frustration. But, at the moment, we do not have a state senator to contact. Last November, our Dist. 1 Senator Ted Gains was elected to a position on the CA. State Board of Equalization. So his seat is empty.

Upcoming election

But, have no fear, have no fear another election is near. Yes, on March 26, 2019 a California Primary Special Election will be held for this office. There are six people running, which includes our Dist. 1 Assemblyman Brian Dahle, a Republican. Two of the other candidates recently visited Siskiyou County. They are Kevin Riley and Rex Hime, who are Republicans. Candidate Theodore Dziuba is also Republican. There are two Democrats running for the office. They are Silke Pflueger and Steven Baird.

POW

Scott Valley Protect Our Water will hold its first meeting of the year on Feb. 28, 2019 at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7 p.m.

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 2-12-19

February 12, 2019

Liz Writes Life

They were late! It was after 9 a.m., on Saturday, before tiny flakes began fluttering past my windows. Flurries of wind made them dance before disappearing on the ground. By another hour, the snowflakes had grown and soon white began to appear. On-and-off the storm darkened and lightened the day. I talked with friends and family in Fort Jones and then Etna. Snowmen were being made along with forts and snowball fights ensuing. Finally, a real snow storm was hitting Scott Valley! Yay!

In late afternoon, I went out to use the broom and brush-off the snow from my car and was surprised to find at least five-inches. I drove up and down the long driveway to make sure passage would be easier, if we received more snow. We did, but it was only a skiff.

It was a cold 19 degrees Sunday morning and I drove extra slow on my way to church. The snowplow had been by several times, on Highway 3, and sanded the road. Whew! Thanks Cal-Trans and county employees for working over-time!

I had prepared for the snowstorm by bringing-in extra wood to the porch, cleaning the ashes out of the stove, cutting a big batch of kindling, buying milk at the store and making a batch of sour dough bread. When the power clicked-off for 10 seconds and came back on, I found some buckets and filled them with water for flushing the toilet. I already had quite a few gallons for drinking and cooking. So far, I believe, the extra water (sitting in buckets in the bathtub) is keeping the power on. Yep, I do!

I don’t claim the power always goes off, but over the years I have experienced a fair share of power outages, pipes freezing, well-pumps all-of-a-sudden not working (in winter and summer) and I have learned to be somewhat prepared. My husband tended to be grouchy, when he didn’t have water to make coffee in the morning. So I have kept drinking water, in gallon jugs, in the kitchen for years. Which reminds me, I haven’t written about preparedness for a while. Hum …

Sounds like Kellems Lane may have had the most snow with a friend reporting about a foot. An unexpected phone call from Somes Bar reported eight-inches of snow on Sunday morning! Wow and the elevation down there is only about 500 feet. Near Callahan, I am at 3,100 feet above sea level.

I was pleasantly surprised that there was more snow in the high-elevations than I ever expected. A whole lot more! The local Klamath National Forest USFS employees measured five snowcourses and found the snowpack at 95 percent of historic average and 100 percent of the historic average of water content. The measurements were taken on Feb. 1, 2019 – before this weekend’s storm, so things should be looking really good. It just needs to freeze and stay cold above 5,000 feet for a while.

Scott Mt., at 5,900 ft., actually had 120 percent of average with 48 inches. Middle Boulder 1, at 6,600 ft., showed 115 percent with 57 inches, but Swampy John behind Etna, at 5,500 ft., was the lowest with only 43 percent of average with 24 inches of snow. Bet that increased with the weekend storm.

So about preparedness: No, I don’t have everything I need for a very long stint of power outage or other crisis. But, I could get by for several days to a week. Biggest problem, if the power goes out, is the refrig and freezer. This time of year, you can figure out how to make do by putting things outside in a tub or ice chest.

But for a reminder, let’s talk about a few things. Because I can be absentminded, I keep several flashlights in specific spots -- in my bedside drawer and by the outside door. They are always there and can be found in the dark. I have lots of candles and several oil lanterns that work and I know where the extra oil is at. I do have a propane cook stove, so I have several extra boxes of matches for it and for the wood stove. I do like to eat and have a variety of canned, dried and freeze-dried foods.

Looking around, I am low on a few things like toilet paper, flour, powdered milk, butter, oatmeal and some over-the-counter medicines. Remember, you can always use your outside barbecue to heat things, especially if it runs on propane. A friend recently told me she finished baking banana bread in her barbecue, when the power went out – and was out for three days! She used it quite a bit.

All I suggest is to try to think of things that would make life easier during a crisis like the power going out.

Robo calls

Seems like I have received a lot of robo calls on both my home phone and my cell the past six months and I wanted to remind everyone to – just hang up! Do not listen. Don’t waste your time! Credit card companies do not call to say you are late, at least, not without stating the company name and giving other info. Still, I wouldn’t trust a credit card company to call you. If it is a live person calling, be sure to get their name and number and make a return call to that number and phone provider to complain.  

Lately, I have received calls claiming I am late with my student loan. I never got a student loan, so I know this is a scam. I also don’t have credit cards.

Yes, there is a Do Not Call Registry, but apparently the volume of robo and scam calls has increased to such a level that it really doesn’t work. Scammers are invading user privacy regulations to extremes. I read an article in the Deseret News on Jan. 30, 2019 that robocallers made over 26.3 billion phone calls to Americans last year. That is outrageous.

Some calls that I have received had our area code and even a local pre-fix. One was Montague with a 459. This is called “Neighborhood Spoofing” where the scammers disguise their number using something local.

Last year, the Federal Trade Commission received about 500,000 scammer complaints each month, according to the article I read.

It looks like this problem will continue, which is sad. Please, be careful with these unknown phone calls. It would be so frustrating to get ripped-off. That’s why I don’t listen to what the scammer has to say, I just hang up.

POW

Scott Valley Protect Our Water will hold its first meeting of the year on Feb. 28, 2019 at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7 p.m.

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 2-5-19

Feb. 5, 2019

Liz Writes Life

Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

Yep, there were several responders to my opinion in last week’s “Liz Writes Life” about saving the Klamath dams. Good. I could argue with non-profit organizations, including the pro-dams removal leader Klamath River Renewal Corp., till the cows come home. But, I am not going to do that today. I just ask my readers to remember non-profit groups are not government agencies. Only government agencies are tasked with following the correct government regulated process for dam removal. And that is the key here.

For years, there have been many voices claiming the dams must come out. This has been loud rhetoric meant to influence “we the people”.

But, the actual decision for the dams to be destroyed has yet to be made. It will be made by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. At this point, the proposition proposed by KRRC to allow KRRC to purchase/obtain the licenses to the four hydro-electric Klamath dams from PacifiCorp and has not been decided.

If the decision is made to allow KRRC to obtain the hydro-electric licenses, then NEPA will kick-in and must be followed. Under the “Summary of the National Environmental Policy Act” it states: The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was one of the first laws ever written that establishes the broad national framework for protecting our environment. NEPA's basic policy is to assure that all branches of government give proper consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any major federal action that significantly affects the environment. NEPA was enacted as federal law back on Jan. 1, 1970. Klamath dams removal will significantly affect the environment!

The state of California must also correctly follow its environmental policies if a pro-dam removal decision is made.

So, instead of listening to the loud voices proclaiming Klamath dams removal is a done deal, I am waiting for the actual decision by FERC and then will watch-dog that NEPA and California Environmental Quality Act are followed – to the letter of the law.

In talking with our Siskiyou County supervisors, and other groups and individuals, I believe dam-huggers (like me) have stayed on top of all accusations and issues; and have responded with appropriate letters, documents and legal concerns. Yes, there is anxiety and fear in waiting, but that just makes us vigilant!

Remember to read the Executive Summary of the Lower Klamath Project – draft Environmental Impact Report, released by the CA. State Water Resources Control Board. Then write your comment -- as we are in the public review period of the draft CA. Environmental Impact Report – and submit it to the SWRCB before noon on Feb. 26, 2019.

It can be submitted electronically or by mail: Email address is: WR401Program@waterboards.ca.gov or by U.S. Mail: Ms. Michelle Siebal, State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Rights – Water Quality Certification Program, P.O. Box 2000, Sacramento, CA 95812-2000.

Or attend the public meeting that will be held tonight, Feb. 5, 2019, at the Miner’s Inn Convention Center in Yreka. The SWRCB staff will be recording the public comments and you can leave your written comments with them as well. The meeting is from 5 to 8 p.m.

Snow

It was great to hear the Sierras received lots of snow for the snowpack survey held last week near Tahoe. It showed 100 percent of average snowpack for Feb. 1st.

But, that is not the case here in our mountains surrounding Scott Valley as the snowpack looks low, even though I have not seen our local survey results. I am writing this on Monday morning and was hoping to wake up to three-inches of the predicted snow and huge flakes falling outside my window. Nope, didn’t happen. But, I am still hoping!

POW

Scott Valley Protect Our Water will hold its first meeting of the year on Feb. 28, 2019 at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7 p.m. Currently, Siskiyou Co. Dist. 5 Supervisor, Ray Haupt, and Erin Ryan, staff for Dist. 1 Congressman Doug LaMalfa, are on the agenda. There will be lots to report!

Hammonds

The Feb. 2, 2019 newsletter from the Public Lands Council reported great news for Oregon cattlemen Dwight and Steven Hammond. PLC has worked with the Hammonds to restore their grazing allotments, which had not been renewed before or after they received a pardon from President Trump, last July, and were released from prison. The Acting Interior Secretary, David Bernhardt and his team, were thanked for correcting the hardships Hammonds faced without grazing allotments for their ranching operation. This is really good for all grazing allotment holders and the environment.

Bundy

But not-so-good news came, last week, for Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy, his sons Ammon and Ryan, and Ryan Payne, as federal prosecutors are moving forward with an appeal of U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro’s dismissal of felony conspiracy and weapons charges.

It was last year, in January, when Judge Navarro threw out the case against the Bundy family and Payne after finding “flagrant prosecutorial misconduct” by the federal prosecutors. The government’s opening appeal brief is expected to be filed by Feb. 6, 2019.

The Bundys and Payne had been held in federal detention prison for 23 months as the case slowly worked through the court. The charges against the Bundys stemmed from an armed standoff with federal agents in April 2014 at the Bundy ranch near Bunkerville, Nevada.

But, Bundy may actually look forward to a bigger showdown with the feds. At a meeting in Feb. 2018, in Sparks, Nev., Bundy said he would have preferred for the trial to continue because much more of the bad behavior of the federal agents would have been exposed. Bundy was quoted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal of the January 2018 trial, “That court (proceeding) was actually stopped because we would have embarrassed the government very much if it would have continued on for even two more hours.”

I also heard Cliven say, in an interview, that he believed the jury would have found them not-guilty and it would have set a very important precedent.

But, for me, it is frustrating to imagine the arrogance of the federal prosecutors to go forward with an appeal. Much has come to light of the dastardly antics of the federal agents that led up to the April 2014 standoff. How do they think that information can be kept out of court?

Garden

Finally, I addressed the asparagus patch and cleaned it out. The soil is soft, so the surviving mallow weeds pulled-out pretty easily. And, I put a couple bags of steer manure on the five remaining plants. Felt good to get that job done.

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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