March 27, 2019
Liz Writes Life
POW
Scott Valley Protect Our Water will meet this Thursday, March
28, 2019 at 7 p.m. at the Fort Jones Community Center. I will probably bring
chocolate chip cookies; more desserts are welcome. We are so lucky to have Mike
and Pauline Cramer, who set up the room (Mike always expects lots of people)
and Pauline makes the coffee.
President Andrew Hurlimann will facilitate the meeting. Erin
Ryan, staff for Congressman Doug LaMalfa, likes to drive up to Siskiyou Co.
from Redding to share info from WA D.C. She will also report on a meeting at
the Israeli consulate, in San Francisco, which is on March 26. Erin said
Israeli Consul General Shlomi Kofman and Deputy Consul General Ravit Baer will
be answering questions. She has had Shlomi Kofman on her “We the People” radio
show.
Ray Haupt, Dist. 5 Siskiyou Co. Supervisor said he has plenty
to talk about. Some good things are happening regarding forest thinning and (much
better) management to reduce the devastation of wildfire. There are still lots
of state and federal regulations to deal with or remove, but Ray is involved
with several groups that are making headway.
On March 27th, Ray will be facilitating a committee
meeting for the Northern CA. Coordinating Forest Task Force that includes
Cal-Fire, USFS, Fire Safe Councils, counties, tribes, government agencies, and the
local timber industry. For years, Ray has been frustrated with the lack of
ability to thin trees and actually do sufficient fuels treatments. He welcomes
this task force.
Last year, CA. Dist. 1 Congressman, Doug LaMalfa, was able to
work to approve legislation, which authorized federal agencies to expedite
forest thinning and fuels treatments. Then, believe it or not, our previous CA.
Gov. Jerry Brown also pushed for exempting regulations. And even more is
happening, this year, with the new CA. Gov. Gavin Newsom declaring a statewide
emergency to speed up fire prevention efforts. Newsom cited “extreme peril” to
life and property in his executive order, last Friday, which exempts forest
management projects from some environmental regulations.
LaMalfa immediately praised Newsom and said this move is
“recognition that excessive environmental laws are preventing proper forestry
work.”
LaMalfa added, “The proposal made today is in line with the
work I am doing with the Trump Administration to speed up forestry projects in
order to reduce the risks of major forest fires.”
LaMalfa is a ranking member of the Forestry and Conservation
subcommittee, which has been working to increase funds to the Forest Service.
He reiterated the importance of California and the federal government working
as partners to “improve the health of our forests while simultaneously creating
jobs in rural America.”
Lisa Nixon, Siskiyou Co. Dist. 4 Supervisor, discussed this
same issue on Dec. 12th at the Siskiyou Republican Women’s Federated
meeting, held in Yreka. I wasn’t able to attend the meeting, so I called Lisa
and we chatted.
While, she and Supervisor Ray Haupt were sitting in a meeting
with President Donald Trump, he announced a new federal attitude towards
forestry. This was during Lisa and Ray’s visit to WA D.C., last November, when
Pres. Trump said he had just signed a federal action rule to streamline
environmental projects. Lisa said because of the early-November drastic fires
that destroyed the CA. city of Paradise, including 1,400 homes and killing 85
people, the big issues were fire and forest management.
In streamlining the federal environmental projects, Lisa said
Trump’s goal is for a single agency to be responsible as the lead, instead of a
variety of agencies duplicating the process and making the process longer.
Lisa also explained Trump’s “Shared Stewardship Project” that
allow counties to be equal partners with the USFS to implement forest plans. Trump’s
comment was, “Our county leaders are where it’s at.” I take this to mean that
county governments understand what needs to happen in their individual county (better
than the feds) to improve forest health and public safety. Wow, that is great
news! To be fair to the USFS, the agency’s hands have been tied by all the
environmental lawsuits and resulting strangling regulations. It is indeed time
for a change.
Lisa also said the county supervisors feel they are making
headway in working with California officials and regulators, especially in
dealing with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In the past year and a
half, state officials have been invited to several Water Tours held in Shasta
and Scott Valleys and the result has been a “jaw-dropping” acknowledgement of
the extent of water conservation by farmers and ranchers.
During lunch, after one tour, state officials told Lisa they
were amazed as they had no idea there was such a cooperative stewardship by
agriculture – and they were even more impressed that so much of it was
voluntary. Lisa reiterated the “whole goal” is for fish and agriculture to
survive together. “Heavy-handed regulations drive farmers out of business,” she
said.
Garden
Sure did like the rain we received and it can keep on coming,
so I don’t have to irrigate the perennials. It was so warm that I did water the
tiny lettuces that are under the clear plastic tub. Then I noticed the garlic is
up about two-inches and the rhubarb is emerging with its crinkled leaves. I
remember two years ago, the spring was so warm with little snow or rain that
the rhubarb was two-feet tall and ready to harvest the end of March. Not so
this year. I haven’t noticed any asparagus poking up, yet.
Oh, several weeks ago I purchased 20 gladiolus bulbs and I
really need to get them planted!
Mary Poppins
The Yreka High School Drama Club is holding its Spring
Musical 2019 at the Yreka Community Theater. I went on opening night and
thoroughly enjoyed the show. There were a few technical difficulties, as
happens on the first night, but the actors and actresses did a great job. There
were lots of set changes, yet they flowed easily. I can’t believe how well the
lead students knew their lines and there was a lot of talking. The crowd really
enjoyed the group musical sets. If you like to support our youth performing the
arts (and adults and students playing in the orchestra), be sure to attend this
Thursday or Friday at 7 p.m. or Saturday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10.
Liz Bowen began writing ranch and
farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County
and lives near Callahan. Columns from the past year can be found at:
lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.
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