December 8, 2021
Liz Writes Life
Christmas Parade entries
There is still time to get entered in the 53rd Fort
Jones Christmas Parade, but you better do it ASAP because Dec. 9, 2021 is the
deadline.
The Christmas Parade starts at 1 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2021 at the
Fort Jones Elementary School. The parade will march up Main Street, which is
also State Route 3.
There are a variety of categories for participants to enter,
including divisions of adult, adult organization, children’s organization,
individual child and commercial. The categories include Float, Mounted or Horse
Drawn, Foot, Band, General and Vehicle with three divisions of Before 1940,
After 1940 and Commercial.
To enter the parade, call Mark Eayrs at 530-598-2162.
Fort Jones will be full of other fun activities on Dec. 11.
Starting at 7 a.m., the Fire Dept. will hold its annual fundraiser breakfast.
The annual Craft Fair sponsored by the Marble Mt. Rim Gallery will be held outside
at The Towers (old bowling alley) from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. And, the raffle
that includes cut and wrapped beef quarters from the Hullquist Ranch will be
held right after the parade on Main Street.
Republicans meet
The Siskiyou Conservative Republicans will meet Thurs., Dec.
9, 2021 at the United Methodist Church in Montague. Start time is a bit earlier
with Meet and Greet at 10:45 a.m. and the meeting at 11:15. Lunch featuring
prime rib and salmon is at noon. Dave Tyler is the grill master with Jackie
Twilliger making desserts. Cost of lunch is $15. Call Annie at 530-842-2350 for
a reservation.
Remember to bring pajama donations for the Domestic Violence Program
and canned food or gift cards for the Christmas family.
Craig Thompson, executive director for Rockside Ranch near
Etna, is the featured speaker. He is the leader for a Christian-based
life-restoration program. Ranch life is a great way to change a person’s
perspective. Yes, there is fresh air and open space, but it is the consistency
of chores and realizing that the animals depend on humans for daily feeding and
care.
The ranch is located at Crystal Creek along State Route 3. As
I drive by, I can see the giant movable chicken house, on wheels, and the chickens
scratching out in the field. There is also a nice herd of sheep. The clients
work on the ranch learning life skills. They gather lots of eggs each day,
which means washing and taking proper care of them before selling. The ranch
caters to young men.
A quote from their Rockside Ranch website explains: “We understand
that living in crisis feels hopeless. If you are struggling or searching for
meaning and purpose in life, we can help you overcome crisis and find a new
path. Over 80 percent of our graduates are employed or in school right now
living a positive, meaningful life. If you are ready to overcome your crisis,
we can help.”
I am looking forward to hearing from Craig at the meeting.
Drought continues
Because the water flow amounts in the Scott River are not as
high as the California Dept. of Water Resources deem they should be, the
department re-issued curtailment orders for the Scott River watershed starting
on Dec. 1, 2021. This means that all water right adjudications must stop using
water, except for a minimum amount of water that is needed for livestock.
The water use curtailment was suspended temporarily from Oct.
25 to Nov. 30, 2021, because the rains and snows had increased the water flow
in Scott River. But, things changed the last few weeks. At 8:40 a.m. on Nov.
29, 2021, the flows at the Fort Jones gage were 107 cubic feet per second (cfs),
which is 43 cfs less than the required drought emergency minimum flow
requirement of 150 cfs for December.
DWR cited the lack of recent precipitation, current flow,
snowpack conditions and anticipated water demand for the curtailment order.
I talked with Siskiyou Co. Supervisor of Dist. 5, Ray Haupt,
about this situation. He said we are in the time of year when we should be
flood irrigating maximum amounts of water to replace the aquifer because of the
long drought we have had. Of course, this is in direct opposition to what the
state demands.
I agree with Ray. During the last 30 years, the local
Siskiyou Resource Conservation District, Scott River Watershed Council and the
county have studied, monitored and learned much about above and underground
water systems and how they work. Amazingly, what has been learned reflects
information shared by old time ranchers: Irrigation, especially in ditches,
replenishes the aquifer. This information is also based on the U.C. Davis
modeling and studies of the Scott River during the past two decades.
Ray fears that this drought order will be a detriment and
will not allow the Scott River groundwater aquifer to do a full recharge.
Also, ranchers are having a difficult time getting enough
adjudicated (legal) drinking water to cattle and livestock, because of the
curtailment of irrigation water.
And if the drought does not ease, the curtailment order could
be enforced next spring when irrigation must occur to green-up the pastures and
grow the crops. Yep, it is a mess and it is affecting the livelihood for those
who work in agriculture.
But, I will once
again reiterate: 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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