Nov. 20, 2019
Liz
Writes Life
Darn it,
I didn’t get the garlic planted. Looks like temperatures are finally going to
cool down with freezes into the upper-20s. I haven’t even checked how hard or
soft the soil is where I want to plant about 30 garlic cloves. But, I think the
soil is pretty soft where the potatoes are buried, so I really ought to dig a
bunch of them out. Can’t believe it is nearly the end of November and the only
rain was one weekend in September. Yep, I have been ignoring the garden. Really,
it wouldn’t take long to do those two jobs. Oh, I also bought some hyacinths
that need planting. Well, there is always something to do!
Salmon
The
preliminary count of salmon entering Siskiyou County waters has been updated by
Morgan Knechtle of the Klamath River Project of the California Dept. of Fish
and Wildlife. Here are the numbers so far.
The
Shasta River adult fish counting facility has counted 5,752 Chinook salmon
between Sept. 4, 2019 and Nov. 7, 2019 -- and five coho salmon were observed.
Bogus
Creek station has counted 1,015 Chinook salmon and four coho between Sept. 5,
2019 and Nov. 8, 2019.
The
Scott River station was installed on Sept. 19, 2019 and has counted 1,382
Chinook salmon and one coho through Nov. 13, 2019.
Power
and fires
Ray
Haupt spoke at the Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting last month and
discussed the fire situations. The October fire danger and fires had made power
companies shut-off electricity to vast areas throughout the state. Residents
were pretty upset. Governor Newsom was blaming the power companies for the
difficult situations, but in reality it is Green government regulations that
created the problems.
Ray
explained that this new de-energization is mandated by CA. Senate Bill 901,
which was signed by previous governor Jerry Brown. What is not being explained
is that power companies have been mandated to develop and pay for green solar
and wind programs. Somewhere along the line, it looks like power companies have
been putting their monies needed for maintenance into the green programs. Also
the leave-the-environment-natural green attitude has added to the over-load of
trees and brush around utility infrastructure – power lines. This is stupidity.
Several
Somes Bar residents reported to Ray they lost power. But, most of Siskiyou Co.
was not affected although there are two other small areas that could lose power
from a red flag warning. Ray said that because Pacific Power is a miner power
generator, it was allowed to stop paying the solar subsidies two years ago.
Remember
in past years, football field-wide fire breaks were cleared and plowed every
few years under and around the power lines. These are now over-grown. Ray said
that the main power grid line East of McCloud is a frightening example. During his
entire adult life of fighting fires, power companies maintained the transmission
lines. He does not recall fighting fires actually started by poorly maintained
faulty transmission lines.
Yep, it
is a mess. But, it looks to me like over-regulations and the “save the
environment” attitude are very destructive.
On that
note, some folks have asked me what I know about the possible expansion of the
Kidder Creek Orchard Camp program near Greenview. The Camp has submitted an
Updated Project Description and is following correct procedure regarding Use
Permits. Ray, and other folks, hopes the over-crowding of conifer trees throughout
the facility does get addressed prior to recommendation to the board of
supervisors.
The
Siskiyou Co. Planning Commission has not made a recommendation regarding the
project. It is still in the public comment period and planning department staff
are working to address those issues.
Hooray
for goats
Several
weeks ago, when the fires were blazing south of us, I saw an article that
praised goats for saving President Ronald Reagan’s Library, which was
threatened by the Easy Fire in Simi Valley. Mellisa Giller, a spokesperson for
the Reagan Library, voiced gratitude to the concentrated grazing from 500
goats, which had been contracted earlier in the summer to clear overgrown fuel
loads surrounding the library complex.
Giller
said she was told by a fire fighter that the fire break made their job easier
as there truly was a large open space devoid of highly combustible brush and grass.
The goats ate it all.
Apparently,
the goat herd was contracted through a county government, but the article went
on to say that grazing on federal lands can provide this service at virtually
no cost to the taxpayer. Yep, livestock is beneficial to reducing fire fuels
and should be encouraged and utilized. I won’t go into the years of verbal
abuse and lawsuits by environmentalists that stopped much of the beneficial use
of cattle and other grazers like goats. I am just glad the goats were
appreciated.
POW
Scott
Valley Protect Our Water will combine its November and December meeting and it
will be held on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019 at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7
p.m. POW will not hold a meeting in November.
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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