May 15, 2018
Liz Writes Life
Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA
Bright orange Oriental poppies are blooming in several parts
of Siskiyou, but mine are a bit slower. I have been irrigating them quite often
and that made them very happy. Hopefully,
they will pop-out this week. I can hardly wait!
Finally harvested the rhubarb and after cutting the giant
leaves off, there was about 30 pounds. Yes, gave most of it away! Found eight
volunteer potato plants. Made circle trenches around them and gave them a good
soaking. The chives are huge with puffy purple blooms.
Jack dug holes for the tomato plants and I had one bag of
steer manure left from last year. I divided it into the holes, when I planted
the six small tomato plants. Then, I also planted seeds of lemon cucumbers,
zucchini and pickling cucumbers. There are six or seven dill pickle quarts on
the shelf, left from last year, so I won’t need to make very many pickles.
Couldn’t believe how dry the soil was already, so will need to keep everything
moist. Yep, gardening-in-earnest has begun!
Bad news! The USFS Snow Survey showed a terribly low-to-no
snowpack in our surrounding mountains! There were only two of five
historically-measured spots that had any snow. Surprisingly, Swampy John behind
Etna on Salmon Mt. did have a foot, which is 24 percent of the historic
average. It is at 5500 ft. elevation. The highest spot, Middle Boulder 1, at
the south end of Scott Valley is at 6600 ft. elevation and there was only an
inch-and-a-half of snow giving a three percent of historic average. The other
three areas measured -- Middle Boulder 3, Dynamite Meadow and Scott Mt. -- didn’t
have any snow! Drats! Forest fires will have the potential to be catastrophic
destroying so much wildlife along with the trees. Just makes me sad!
POW
With that being said, our Dist. 5 Siskiyou Co. Supervisor Ray
Haupt, has been able to participate in several significant fire meetings. He
told us at the Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting, last month, that he was
requested by the Fire Committee of the National Association of USFS Retirees to
meet with retired and current high-ranking USFS chiefs and agriculture under
secretaries. It was a two-day meeting in Sacramento, where he discussed the
technical aspects of fire and fire behavior. Ray also explained the
environmental and economic hardships on Siskiyou County to this national
leadership group and that there needed to be changes made in policies -- immediately.
A fun aside: The new USFS National Director of Fire and Aviation
is an acquaintance of Ray’s that he met fighting fires in California. With her
was the Deputy Chief of State and Private Forestry, which is another dept. in
the USFS. So, Ray made sure he told them that we are “sick of the smoke” in
Siskiyou County.
He added that the prolonged exposure from smoke has become a
public safety threat. Ray also said the lack of reforestation after fires is
changing timberland to brush; and discussed policy issues and technical differences
between the federal and state agencies. (I think this means the two agencies
need to work together better.) He felt they were truly listening.
There were also meetings last month with the North Coast
Regional Water Quality Control Board staff. One was in Weed, which was a review
of the 10-year listing of the Total Maximum of Daily Loads of Sediment that the
state will allow in Scott and Shasta Rivers. Apparently, the agency reviewed
some of its own project failures, which is a good thing. After a field trip, Ray
said the agency staff was impressed with the watershed recovery work being
accomplished by ranchers in both Shasta and Scott Valleys, which includes groundwater
recharge projects. And -- drum-roll please -- that flood irrigation is a
beneficial use of water because it goes into the groundwater system. True fact!
Scott Valley’s use of Thomas Harter Ph.D. and his groundwater
model for recharge has helped to prove the benefits of ditch and flood
irrigation water.
Erin Ryan was also at the April POW meeting representing our
Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Although most conservatives are complaining about the
recently-passed omnibus bill, she said there were some good things in it
relating to threatening forest fires. More fire salvage will be able to be
accomplished after a fire and there was funding for more fuels treatments to
help communities at risk.
Erin and LaMalfa are constantly working to save the dams.
Both are extremely frustrated with U.S. Dept. of Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke,
and his Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner, Alan Mikkelsen, who continue
to support the destruction of four Klamath hydro-electric dams. Erin attended
several meetings in Klamath Falls to voice concerns to Mikkelsen and LaMalfa
was able to get a meeting with Zinke, but came away disgusted by his uncaring
attitude.
Ammon Bundy
Believe it or not, Ammon Bundy is coming to Siskiyou County.
He was released from prison last January after his trial was declared a “mistrial”
by a federal judge. Federal prosecutors were caught lying on major issues! Ammon
will speak Saturday, May 26, 2018 at the Yreka Community Center located at the
North end of town. Grill Master Dave Tyler is barbecuing pulled pork for dinner.
Yum! Doors open at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. and Ammon speaking around 7
p.m.
There will be a no host bar by Friends of the Fair, raffles,
auction items and door prize. It is the Siskiyou Co. Republican Women
Federated, who worked to get Ammon and his wife here. It will be quite interesting
to hear from Ammon about the tragedies perpetrated by our government agencies. Tickets
are $25. Call Kathleen Bergeron at 842-4400 to get your ticket. I already
purchased mine!
Next POW
Scott Valley Protect Our Water will hold its next meeting on
Thurs. May 31, 2018 at the Fort Jones Community Center at 7 p.m.
Liz Bowen is a native of Siskiyou Co. and lives near
Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515.
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