Monday, June 3, 2019

Liz Writes Life 6-5-19


June 5, 2019

Liz Writes Life

Ahhhh, the aromas and colors of early summer. I just love fresh spring mornings with fragrances of blooming flowers flowing in the breeze. We’ve had quite the thunder storms with lightning, pouring rain and hail. Then, as the dark clouds clear-out a soft coolness floats-in. We do live in a beautiful place.

EHS Reunion

The annual Etna High School Reunion will be held on July 13, 2019 in the Etna City Park. Its organizers are sending out information this week, but if anyone would like to attend they should call Helen Lewis at 530-468-2353. The reunion is for all graduates of Etna High, teachers, friends and relatives. I think that is about everybody!

POW

Ray Haupt, Dist. 5 Siskiyou Co. Supervisor, had lots to share at the Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting last Thursday in Fort Jones. First, he thinks it is a “big deal” that the U.S. Dept. of Interior has rescinded a letter of support for Klamath dams removal.

On May 17, 2019, DOI Secretary David Bernhardt wrote a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission withdrawing a 2016 letter from then DOI Sec. Sally Jewell. One simple sentence in the letter explains the reason: “The KHSA (Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement), however, did not require submission of the 2016 letter from Secretary Jewell.”

From all appearances, Jewell’s letter was encouragement by the federal government in favor of dam removal. That support is no longer on record with FERC, which is the agency that will decide if PacifiCorp will be able to re-license the four hydro-electric Klamath dams and continue to operate them for electricity or allow the non-profit Klamath River Renewal Corp. to obtain the hydro-electric license with the specific goal of destroying the four dams and not supplying electricity.

When Ray was in WA. D.C. last October, he met with Tim Williams, who is Deputy Under Sec. of DOI, and explained why Siskiyou Co. is working so hard to save the dams. Recently, Ray heard from the Interagency of Affairs Office, which stated, “This administration does not remove dams.” Sounds like federal agencies are hearing the concerns over removal of the dams.

Ray said that Siskiyou Co. keeps pushing and pushing on the unresolved impacts of dam removal and KRRC is not providing responses or answers. Those issues include the impacts of the millions of tons of stored sediment and silt that will affect water quality and the entire 190-mile stretch of the Klamath River, when it is released. There are also property loss questions that KRRC has not answered.

Because KRRC’s Definite Plan for taking out the dams only addresses to five-miles below the dams, the county now estimates the actual cost and rehabilitation of the Klamath River from dam removal is closing in on $600 million. This is much higher than the original estimation with the previous Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement of $450 million. There are a slew of unresolved issues that will add to the cost of dam removal, Ray explained.

“We now know the sediments will likely destroy life in the Harbor,” down at the mouth of the Klamath River, Ray added.

Earlier this year, the Crescent City Harbor District Commission asked KRRC for financial assistance to dredge sediment and silt resulting from dam removal. From what I have learned, it doesn’t look like KRRC has committed any funds to what could be an added cost of over $1 million to clean-out the excess sediments. I have always wondered why Del Norte County and the Harbor Commission supported Klamath dam removal. Maybe the unresolved issues are finally becoming a problem.

Fire

Devestation from wildfires continues to cause major worry – after the fires are out. Ray said that he has heard from his constituents that home owners’ insurance is becoming a problem to obtain and some have even lost their insurance or companies will not renew home insurance policies. This is worrisome for sure.

At the state level, Cal-Fire and the Office of Emergency Services developed a new map with high fire hazard zone areas. Guess what? Siskiyou Co. is in a high fire zone with much of Scott Valley in the highest level. With his extensive background in timber and fire behavior, Ray once again cited the extreme density of trees as the major problem. He said the surrounding interface of trees in Scott Valley is estimated to be four-times the density as those back in 1934. This is in both private lands and Forest Service managed lands.

Again, it needs to be said that the Klamath National Forest grows about 600 million board feet of timber each year. Even with the alarmists claiming all the trees were being cut down back in the 1980s, 1900s and 2000s, KNF has never harvested even half of the possible growth in a year. That is “growth” which is a small percentage of the entire forest. 

There was never a danger of cutting down all the trees! The public was duped!

The highest harvest was in the late 1980s at around 200 million board feet harvested – about a third of the annual growth! (Clip this information and educate the uninformed.)

Since the NorthWest Forest Plan was implemented, in 1994, that number has drastically dropped and averages only 20 to 25 million board feet each year. Yep, those trees are growing and growing with little impact that actually thins the forests. Healthy forest management must be implemented.

Also, the USFS must actively hustle at stopping all fires --immediately! But, I digress.

Governments, private companies, Fire Safe Councils, even CA. Gov. Gavin Newsom are now furiously planning to reduce wildfires. Strategies are being developed. State legislation has ordered vegetation management plans under and around power lines by utility companies. Cal-Trans has been directed to reduce vegetation along highways.

But, in being involved in many of these meetings, Ray saw too much fragmentation. So, at the local county level, Ray and Dist. 2 Siskiyou Co. Supervisor Michael Kobseff, have convened all land management government agencies and industrial (forest-type) companies in a meeting with the goal of “filling in the gaps.” He said he is extremely happy with the recent new mapping and planning by the Siskiyou Fire Safe Council. The target is to add the potential bad fire behavior to the mix. True stewardship and forest management is the key. A second meeting of this county group will be held next week.

There is more happening on how to reduce the threat of fires and I will discuss it next week.

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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