Liz Writes Life 11-3-21 -- Public safety is Siskiyou Co. Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue highest priority

Nov. 3, 2021

Liz Writes Life

More on the “State of the County”

Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue reported on the activities of his department, during the past year, at the Oct. 14, 2021 Siskiyou Conservative Republican meeting. As I mentioned several weeks ago, he said, “We all know things are very rough,” but he still wants people to be “encouraged” and not get distracted by the challenges.

He said his office is dedicated to stopping the illegal activities in the county. LaRue is concerned about toxic chemicals that are damaging the environment from illegal cannabis grows along with other increasing criminal activities that seem to be decreasing the quality of life.

“We are not letting up,” he said, adding that officers are out every day doing eradication of illegal cannabis. “It just takes time. We appreciate the citizens’ patience.”

Last year was a huge success for the sheriff’s department. So far, 336,165 illegal marijuana plants have been eradicated in 2021. This is certainly an increase from 2020, when 113,986 plants were eradicated. Unfortunately, he added that number is “just a drop in the bucket” to the amount of illegal plants throughout the county.

The seizure of processed marijuana this year was 46,654 pounds compared to 11,051 pounds seized in 2020. The numbers of individuals that were arrested or cited were also up to 172 compared to 80 in 2020. The number of firearms seized in 2021 is 54 compared to 25 guns in 2020.

There was also a huge jump in the confiscation of U.S. currency seized during busts and activities of alleged crime to $788,263. That is up from the 2020 level of $286,343.

On another positive note, Sheriff LaRue said his department has had “good discussions” with the FBI and the DEA with expectations of receiving more assistance from those federal agencies.

“Our goal is to root out the human trafficking and organized crime and have successful prosecution through the federal government agencies,” he said. “Public safety is our number one concern.”

Regarding vaccines and the rallies and protests that have been held, LaRue said vaccination should be a “personal choice. We need to protect our freedoms and we need to care for each other.”

I thought it was interesting when he told us that the Mexican cartels growing illegal marijuana in the Klamath National Forest is again on the rise. Twenty years ago, foreign cartels were considered the biggest growers, but those numbers decreased for a few years. Then, the expectation of legal commercial grows saw the purchase of hundreds of properties in Siskiyou County. But, that didn’t pan out so well, when the Siskiyou Co. Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that did not permit commercial grows within county-governed lands. Hum, so this is not so surprising that the Hispanic grows are on the upswing.

Etna Veterans’ Parade

Be sure to call me or Heather Ford at 530-467-3193 to get entered in the Etna Veterans’ Parade that will be held Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. Time is 11 a.m. Check-in at the Etna High School with Rotary members starting at 9:30 a.m. A port-a-potty donated by Duane’s Drain will be available, while waiting for the parade to start.

Sure do hope for a sun-shiny day and a great crowd of supporters on Main Street. See you there!

Nov. 11^th services

The American Legion Perry Harris Post #260 will hold services at four cemeteries in Scott Valley on Veterans’ Day, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. The American Legion honors all soldiers that served or are presently serving in the U.S. military.

Color guard services will be held at Callahan Cemetery at 9 a.m. Then, the group will meet at the Burcell Cemetery on Star Access near Etna Creek at 10 a.m. Services will be at 11 a.m. at the Etna Cemetery with noon services at the Fort Jones Cemetery. The American Legion invites all community members to attend any of the services on Nov. 11^th.

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 10-27-21 D.A. Kirk Andrus and water surveys by helicopter

Oct. 27, 2021

Liz Writes Life

Last week, I shared information from the Siskiyou Conservative Republican’s meeting where Siskiyou Co. Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue, Siskiyou Co. District Attorney Kirk Andrus and Ray Haupt, chairman of the Siskiyou Co. Supervisors’ Board, spoke about the “state of the county.”

Today, I will continue with D.A. Kirk Andrus, who said is he “very concerned” about public safety in the county. Many prisoners are being let out of prison early and when dealing with “lifers” he works especially hard on the opposition side -- hoping to keep them out of the public realm. He is quite frustrated with another issue in California that no longer allows him, as the prosecution, to tie gang affiliation to other charges. As most can understand, gang crime is also involved in many other arrests and charges. So, this does not make sense, but then not much at the California legislative level makes much sense (to me) nowadays.

On a positive note, Kirk said his department has the best stable of lawyers that Siskiyou Co. has ever seen working to prosecute crimes. He then commended the county board of supervisors for the difficult stand they have taken regarding the eradication of illegal cannabis, especially knowing that lawsuits would be brought against the county. They have stood strong. Kirk also praised the work, investigations and arrests by the sheriff’s department. He emphatically stated that his goal is to protect liberty and honor the Constitution.

For nearly two years, because of the pandemic, the Siskiyou Co. Grand Jury has not been able to convene, but our D.A. said that will change before the end of the year. There are alleged local civil crimes that will be brought before the Grand Jury and he is eager to move that process along.

During the question period, Kirk was asked about the illegal meth business in Siskiyou. He responded that things have changed in the last 20 years, because very little meth is cooked locally and meth is now a misdemeanor offense. He explained that Interstate-5 is a huge problem, because it is used to traffic meth from Mexico along with huge amounts of other illegal drugs. Illegal cannabis is sent south and east, once again first utilizing I-5.

During the question period, illegal cannabis, drug cartel grows, building permit violations, environmental pollution from toxic chemicals used to grow illegal cannabis, enforcement of environmental codes, lawsuits brought against the county, covid vaccine mandates, possible destruction of four hydro-electric Klamath dams and curtailment of water use were discussed.

A question was asked Sheriff LaRue about an upcoming rally to protest vaccine mandates. Would he arrest attendees? His answer centered around the Constitution and free speech saying that peaceful protests were legal and he would not be looking to arrest anyone.

Regarding code enforcement, D.A. Andrus said the county needs more code enforcement officers along with a significant number of residents that are able to bring evidence to him that would support civil lawsuits.

Supervisor Ray explained the county’s frustration regarding environmental codes and violations on private property. Codes are set by the state and violation charges must be sent to the owner of the property. But, many properties change hands – sometimes every few weeks – making it quite difficult to find the property owners.

Several in the audience were concerned of the curtailment of water by the State Dept. of Water Resources. One said that the curtailment letter does not allow for water that will grow food for cattle – only enough water can be used for livestock to drink. Not practical. Ray agreed it is frustrating.

He said the county is actively opposing the recent curtailment by DWR citing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act that was specifically designed to allow for local control over groundwater management, providing all communities with the ability to address short and long-term sustainable groundwater needs. Siskiyou Co. has pro-actively produced a groundwater plan for the Scott River watershed and is midway through the Shasta Valley, Butte Valley and Tulelake area plans.

Surveys by helicopter planned

On that note, many with domestic wells along with adjudicated water right owners recently received a letter letting us know that DWR is scheduling low-level flights by helicopters for water surveys. A large hoop will be towed beneath the helicopter that will collect the airborne electromagnetic geophysical data. DWR said the method is safe and surveys have already been conducted in several locations in California. The surveys will only be conducted during daylight hours and the helicopter will not fly over business, homes, other inhabitable structures or confined animal feeding operations.

So, it looks like the state will be gathering more data on water, where it is and possibly how much is there.

Veterans’ Parade

It’s time for all of you veterans to get entered in the Etna Veterans’ Parade. It will be held Saturday morning on Nov. 6, 2021 at 11 a.m. All other individuals and groups are also invited to participate in the parade. Call Heather Ford at 1-530-467-3193 or me at 1-530-467-3515 ASAP.

This year, Keith Bradley, will be honored as the grand marshal. Keith has served as Chaplin for the Siskiyou Co. Sheriff’s Dept. for many years and pastors the Callahan Community Church.

Change in local phone calls

If you are having problems getting your local phone calls to go through, this is a reminder about the new ruling by the FCC. We now need to add 1 and the area code to make local phone calls. – Just thought I would mention it, cuz old habits are hard to break!

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 10-20-2021 State of Siskiyou County and Assemblywoman Dahle gets a bill protecting livestock passed

Oct. 20, 2021

Liz Writes Life

State of the county

The room was packed, last week, when the Siskiyou Conservative Republicans met for their monthly meeting. “State of the County” was the question asked Siskiyou Co. Sheriff Jerimiah LaRue, Siskiyou Co. District Attorney Kirk Andrus and Ray Haupt, chairman of the Siskiyou Co. Board of Supervisors. It turned into an hour-and-a-half discussion with each one first giving a synopsis from their position.

Because my deadline for this column has been moved to Thursday, I will give you my synopsis of the meeting and will provide more depth in next week’s column.

Sheriff LaRue spoke first and he fully admitted, “We all know that things are very rough.” He has been in office one year and is dealing with a tremendous amount of illegal cannabis grows and lawsuits from the county’s eradication efforts. But, he still hasn’t lost his sense of humor and reminded the group of about 70 that his heart is in this county and for its people.

Lawsuits, water, Public Trust Doctrine, the Grand Jury, crime and covid issues were also discussed. I thought it was interesting that Supervisor Ray and D.A. Kirk ended-up explaining their roles and the limits of their power.

To explain this, Ray said that he receives calls from constituents asking him to fix issues happening at schools or in county departments. He made it clear that as an elected official he has no authority over any other elected official. In other words, he cannot dictate to the county superintendent of schools or to school district boards, because they are elected. So, citizens need to approach and talk with those elected individuals regarding issues and programs.

Kirk said the California Constitution gives certain authorities to the district attorney and the sheriff. When dealing with tough situations, Kirk said he is allowed discretion and he also employs common sense. But, there are new (and old) laws on the books that are extremely frustrating.

I’ll end there and share more next week.

Protecting livestock

Assemblywoman, Megan Dahle, authored a bill that passed both state houses and was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. AB 1103 is called “Livestock Pass” and will create a program allows ranchers access to their property -- during an emergency -- to save their livestock. The curriculum will be developed by the State Fire Marshal within the next year.

Dahle praised the passing of AB 1103 claiming it is a victory in improving response efforts when disaster strikes. She said: In the North State, we know all too well what happens when a wildfire hits. Road closures to ensure the residents’ safety also prevent ranchers from doctoring their animals, providing them essential water and feed, or evacuating them. And while emergency responders and volunteer groups can assist in rescuing household pets and a few large animals, they lack the ranchers’ expertise necessary to handle large numbers of cattle or livestock.

This is a great move and I am very thankful the Democrats, who are the majority in both state houses, agreed to protect ranchers and livestock.

Congressman LaMalfa explains

With all the haggling in Washington D.C. (and that is just within the Democrat party), Congressman LaMalfa released a short comment saying why he is opposed to increasing the debt limit.

On Oct. 12, 2021, Congressman Doug LaMalfa said he voted against a resolution which will automatically raise the debt ceiling without allowing the House to fully debate on it.

 “House Democrats continue to use parliamentary tricks to mask increasing the debt limit by another $500 billion,” LaMalfa said. “Democrats have brought the full faith and credit of the United States to within a week of disaster in an effort to shield vulnerable members from blame next year. I voted to prevent a government shutdown and provide disaster aid to my constituents earlier this year, but I will not support Democrat attempts to put their electoral concerns above our national interests.”

Garden

Those freezes last week finished-off the garden and flowers. A week before that, I pulled a few more rhubarb stems that were still firm and made a batch of Rhubarb/Strawberry Jell-O jam and froze enough for another batch. And the week before that, I made a large batch of Green Tomato Sweet Relish getting 13 pint jars. They all sealed! I did not grow onions or bell peppers this year, so I purchased them at the local grocery stores.

So, I am getting my 16-year-old grandson, Bryce, to help me clean up the garden. He pulled out the giant pumpkin vines and the six tomato plants, while I worked on a flowerbed that was tangled with lots and lots of volunteer purple morning glory vines. Oh, they are a pain to pull out, even though the freeze wilts the leaves, so I used big shears to chop the tall amaranths, fever few, and glads that were entwined with the glory vines. Got it done, whew!

Veterans’ Parade is Nov. 6

The Etna Veterans’ Parade is just two weeks away, so get entered by calling Heather Ford at 1-530-467-3193 or me (number at the bottom). Please encourage U.S. military veterans to participate. This is a great time to show our appreciation for their service. The parade starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021.

Remember to dial a 1 and the 530 area code, if you are making a local phone call – if you want your call to go through.

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 10-13-21 -- Change in dialing local phone numbers, County leaders will speak and Veteran's Parade is Nov. 6

Liz Writes Life

Oct. 13, 2021

Conservatives will meet

The “State of the County” is the theme for Thursday’s meeting by the Siskiyou Conservative Republicans and the three slated speakers will share what has been happening this summer -- on several fronts.

Ray Haupt, chairman of the Siskiyou Co. Board of Supervisors, along with Siskiyou Co. Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue and Siskiyou Co. District Attorney Kirk Andrus will be speaking. Hot-button issues from illegal cannabis grows and wildfires to who has authority over groundwater will be discussed.

The meeting will be held Oct. 14, 2021 at the Montague United Methodist Church at 150 S 12^th St. in Montague. Meet and greet is at 11 a.m. with the meeting starting at 11:30 a.m. Lunch of smoked ham, zucchini bake, golden potato cheese medallions, soup, Popeye bread and triple chocolate cake by Jackie is available. To reserve lunch, call Annie at 842-2350. Admission to the meeting is free.

New telephone number additions

Sunday, October 24^th is the start date for a change in land-line phone calls or local calls. Residents should have received a large card in the mail explaining that we will now need to dial a “1” and the area code to call local numbers. Yep, it is a pain. The Federal Communications Commission adopted an order that made the change.

Because I had questions, I called Siskiyou Telephone Company and Sarah explained how it will work. Apparently, cell phones will not need to have the numbers changed if those numbers already have the area code in front of the seven-digit number. The “1” will be added automatically or is already added. Whew, that is a relief!

But, any cordless phone that you may have programmed local numbers will need to be reprogrammed with the “1” and the correct area code. This also means reprogramming your fax machine phone numbers.

“Yes, it is a big deal,” Sarah said, knowing that Siskiyou Telephone will likely receive phone calls asking why local phone calls don’t go through, that is – if they know to punch-in all 10 digits to Siskiyou Tel. To test the system, I made a local Etna call on my land-line. I punched-in all 10 numbers and the call went through. So the new 10-digit number system is already in effect.

For us older folks, it will be frustrating because we will now need to dial the extra four numbers on local calls and those within our 530 area code. Yep, things keep changing. I remember, when I was a kid and first allowed to make phone calls, we only had to dial the last four digits to call an Etna number. Fort Jones was long-distance and cost more, so I was rarely allowed to call my friend, Candace Seaver, who lived on Island Road.

Oh, and when I say “dial” I mean dial. Remember the old rotary phones where you put your finger in each numbered-hole and rotated it to the right one at a time?

Veterans Parade

Yay! After a year hiatus because of the pandemic, the Etna Veterans’ Parade is back on. This is the 20^th parade and will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 6, 2021.

Back in 2001, after the 911 terrorist attack on United States soil, Etna’s Fr. Sergis instigated the parade to honor our service men and women. Karen Wresch stepped-in and organized it for many years. Now, Heather Ford and I are the grass roots volunteers doing the organizing.

A big thank you goes to several entities and individuals, who literally make the parade happen. First, the Etna City Council gave its approval for the parade to be held on its streets and Etna Police Chief, Josh Short, will organize the barricades and traffic. Then, the Rotary of Scott Valley kindly agreed to host the parade under its insurance umbrella and will have three members do the line-up at the Etna High School. And, this week, the American Legion Perry Harris Post #260 will be choosing the grand marshal.

So, now we need veterans and current soldiers to participate in the parade. Family and friends, please encourage your veteran to get in the parade. All other groups and individuals, who like to support our USA military and veterans, are also invited to join in the parade. Let’s make this a great celebration for our U.S. military honoring the service given by so many men and women.

To get signed-up for the parade, call Heather at 1-530-467-3193 or Liz at 1-530-467-3515. Vinnie and Bob McNeil and Prudence Magnuson from the Rotary will give participants a number for the line-up at the Etna High School starting at 9:30 a.m. Duane’s Drain is providing a (free to us) port-a-potty outside the high school that morning.

Anyone who would like to sell items during the parade, should contact the Etna City Hall for approval.   

Garden

We didn’t get much of a rain on Oct. 7, 2021, but it sure feels like fall has arrived. The two tomato plants hadn’t received any irrigation for several weeks, but they continued to pump-out ripe tomatoes. The raccoon has reappeared (well the remnants of eaten-on-red-tomatoes can be seen) to snag some of the final ripe tomatoes. There were a few zuccs growing and I picked them on Friday before the predicted freezes started. So the garden is done! Yay, I am OK with that. It was a long, very hot season and I sure can’t complain.

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life - 10-5-2021 -- Newsom agrees to $138 million for wildfire prevention

Liz Writes Life

Oct. 6, 2021

 These days of blue skies have been wonderful! The two mornings of frosts last week did not kill-off my garden, but most plants are certainly slowing down. The pumpkin, cucumber, cantaloupe and several old-looking tomato plants need to be pulled out. The zucchini plants are still tall and producing, so I will leave them in a while longer. That means I need to irrigate them, two healthy tomato plants and the rhubarb every few days, so I will be gardening a bit longer.

Wildfire prevention

California Senator Brian Dahle and his wife, California Assemblywoman, Megan Dahle, sent out a press release celebrating support for wildfire prevention. After pushing negotiations in this year’s wildfire prevention funding, they identified a list of shovel-ready projects to protect communities in their district and received $30 million in grant funding. This is a big win out of Governor Gavin Newsom’s recently announced allocation of $138 million for the entire state.

“We are excited to announce the data we gathered on unfunded projects was prioritized in the governor’s funding and thankful for his trust in our local Fire Safe Councils’ abilities to do this critical work,” said the senator and assemblywoman.

 The projects will give communities resources necessary to prioritize and establish much-needed firebreaks. The Dahles stressed that over six million acres have been destroyed by wildfire in the past two years and the state is late in funding the much-needed clearing of unnatural undergrowth and using controlled burns. Our legislators also stressed the need to focus on mobilizing the timber industry, reducing environmental regulation and costly red tape that hold up projects – and to commit substantial, ongoing funds to wildfire prevention.

Klamath dams

The deadline to submit public comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding its proposal to transfer the hydroelectric license of the Klamath dams to the non-profit entity Klamath River Renewal Corp. closed the end of August.

CA. Dist. 1 Congressman Doug LaMalfa sent out a press release explaining why he submitted opposition. I decided to use the congressman’s response, because it puts in a nutshell the comments made by Siskiyou County, Siskiyou Water Users Assoc. and many individuals that oppose the license transfer and ultimate destruction of the Klamath dams by the KRRC.

“Clear evidence rebukes the idea that salmon would have naturally traveled above the current site of Copco 1. But, undeterred by facts, zealous environmentalists continue their dogmatic pursuit of dam removal even if it sends millions of cubic yards of toxic sediment and silt downstream, forces school closures, wrecks the habitat of other threatened and endangered species, reduces our ability to manage water in the Klamath watershed and eliminates a key source of water for wildfire air attack craft with any liability placed firmly on the backs of California and Oregon Taxpayers. The dam removal plan will create a man-made natural disaster that will cost billions to clean up,” said LaMalfa.

Boy do I agree.

Then, if we add the destructive wildfires and declining water levels at reservoirs throughout the state into the comments, it makes one wonder at the sanity-level of anyone wanting to destroy any reservoirs. The current drought shows the desperate need for more water storage – in reservoirs – not less.

With the threat of rolling blackouts compounding the crisis of water shortage, it has been reported that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is looking at constructing five “temporary” gas-fueled plants. The California Energy Commission approved licenses for the emergency gas generators (for up to five years) with the ability to generate 30 megawatts of energy from each generator. Hum, 30 megawatts times five generators is 150 megawatts. Keep that number in mind.

In researching the Klamath dams hydropower ability, I found that 151 megawatts of energy is generated and 70,000 customers receive power. The same amount the “temporary” gas-fueled plants will produce!

Once again, why in the world would anyone want to decrease our current ability to produce power and store water from a project that is already in place? I just don’t get it! Thank you to everyone that objected to FERC’s license transfer of the Klamath dams and provided facts to FERC regarding dam removal.

Update on FERC situation

I have read FERC’s Sept. 23, 2021 “Order Addressing Arguments Raised on Rehearing” by Siskiyou County that tried to appeal FERC’s June 2021 Transfer Order that allows the potential license transfer of the Klamath dams to the non-profit entity Klamath River Renewal Corp. In this mix of procedures -- that I admit are complicated to me -- the California legislature decided (negated) its need to be involved. This included the state ignoring its mandate to do the environmental assessments accomplished through California Environmental Quality Act, which is state law. For a state that is so environmentally aware, I find this shocking because demolishing the Klamath dams will be a huge detriment to the environment.

So, this puts the environmental assessments regarding the removal of the Klamath dams directly on the federal National Environmental Policy Act, which must be done by FERC.

Once again, I called our Siskiyou County Supervisor, Ray Haupt, for clarification.

Ray said that FERC refuses to hear the county’s arguments. As a result, the county has two choices: One is to fight the current license transfer order that did not have a NEPA, but has no case law to support the county. The second is to wait until NEPA is completed and then challenge -- if it is insufficient.

“We must be prudent in the challenges we make,” Ray said. “It is the public’s money, not my money.”

As most folks know, lawsuits cost lots of money and I agree the county must be careful to use the best process that could provide a win in court.

Typically, NEPA takes about two years of environmental studies and several public comment periods to complete.

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 9-29-2021 - More concern over state water board's certified letters

Liz Writes Life

Sept. 29, 2021

More concern over groundwater wells

I received several phone calls from folks concerned over the recent new “Emergency Regulation” by the State Water Board that stopped water use by adjudicated water right allocations on Aug. 30, 2021.

Folks with domestic wells, including non-adjudicated wells, received a certified letter from the Water Board explaining the “drought emergency minimum flows” in the Scott and Shasta River watersheds and the need to report water use and immediate stoppage of using adjudicated water. This is because the water flows in the Scott and Shasta Rivers are considered much too low by the Water Board.

After talking with a Water Board staff person and emailing with another, I learned that you do not have to report water usage and you do not have to stop using your groundwater well – if it is not adjudicated and you use a minimum amount. And some domestic adjudicated wells can continue to be used. Deadline to report was Sept. 24, 2021.

Questions have arisen. One is the need to understand “adjudication.” Adjudication typically means two or more people argued over water use and a court decision “decreed” who would receive how much water and when from a single source. In a differing situation, many groundwater wells were included in the 1980 Scott River Adjudication. The county or state water law involving that adjudication process is way beyond my knowledge or understanding, but it occurred in a Siskiyou County Court.

I talked with Ray Haupt, our Dist. 5 Siskiyou Co. Supervisor who is also chairman of the board. He said the board discussed the new “Emergency Regulation” at their Sept. 22, 2021 meeting. The supervisors voted to send a letter to the Water Board asking for the science behind their minimum flow requirements on the Scott and Shasta Rivers. Our board is also asking where and how the state has authority over domestic wells that were permitted by the county and are not adjudicated.

“The letter caught the public off-guard,” Ray told me, referring to non-adjudicated well landowners that were fearful and confused by the (possible) demand to stop using their domestic well. He and the other board members are also requesting Water Board representatives attend a Siskiyou Board meeting to discuss these issues regarding this potentially year-long “Emergency Regulation.” So, we will see what happens next.

In phone calls and emails with the Water Board staff, I learned that folks whose domestic well has gone dry should report it. There are grants and resources to help with domestic health and safety due to the drought.

So, I called Bryan Schenone, the director of Siskiyou Co. Office of Emergency Services, and asked him about reporting dry wells. He said it helps the county vie for financial help from the state that would directly aid the domestic well owners. In the past month, only one dry well has been reported to him. In comparison, Bryan said that Glenn Co. has reported more than 60 domestic wells going dry and Tehama reported 48 domestic wells going dry in the last month or so. They will be higher up the totem pole, when asking for state help.

There are several reasons folks don’t report their well going dry. One is that they don’t know the county could possibly help with finances to drill the well deeper or other possibilities. And, there are rumors that their well will then be in adjudication or metered. Bryan assured me that these rumors are not true. And, I agree. The wells cannot be adjudicated if they have not gone through a court system and order. Also, I don’t think domestic wells are metered in or by Siskiyou County jurisdiction. But, I will check on that one. Some wells are metered in our local towns and cities, but that is decided by that city council.

So, if your domestic well has gone dry, at least call Bryan and discuss the situation and the possibilities of help.

Garden

Oh, it is so nice that autumn is here and the skies have been pretty clear of smoke since that Sept. 18 and 19^th rain! My garden is winding down. Some of the bush zinnias are already dying, along with bee balm and the cantaloupe vines are turning yellow – so I picked the last four good-sized cantaloupes although they really didn’t look ripe. They should be ripe, because these are an 85-day variety and it has been more than 140 days since they were planted.

With the cooler nights, I decided to cut the five giant pumpkins off the vines. These are not extra huge, probably 40 to 50 pounds with the biggest at maybe 70 pounds. I could barely roll the big one out of the patch! The side they have been laying on is flat, but two-thirds is orange and looks like a pumpkin. It was fun growing them and they certainly did put on the most growth in August.

I’ve been picking ripe tomatoes and need to make several batches of Green Tomato Sweet Relish. Several tomato plants are already dying back as well. So, now it is time to start pulling plants out of the garden and cleaning it up. I tend to procrastinate and not get this done until winter or spring, but have already started. We will see how well my energy and attention-levels hold out to get it done!

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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