In this edition of the ReCAP…

1. Next Calaveras Planning Coalition (CPC) Meeting
2. Board of Supervisors & Planning Commission meetings
3. Board of Supervisors candidates address local issues
4. Calaveras County Voter Approve Measure A Sales Tax Starts Today
5. Angels Camp Council Candidates To Discuss Range Of Issues
6. Ready for service
7. TuCare Hosting Natural Resources Expo And Welcoming New Executive Director
8. Calaveras County confirms second West Nile virus case this year
9. Opinion: How a California community helped prevent the Bridge fire from destroying their town
10. ‘Incredibly efficient’: TUD deploys goats to reduce invasive weeds near dam
11. Sierra Nevada Conservancy Funding Opportunities
12. Poem: Dreams

Join Us!

Get a glimpse into what CPC membership is like by attending a meeting. There is no commitment, just show up and listen in!

Next Calaveras Planning Coalition Meeting
October 7, 2024
New Members Welcome at CPC Meetings

Organizations, groups, and individuals (known as associate members) may join the Calaveras Planning Coalition (CPC). Prospective members may attend two consecutive meetings before making a final decision on membership in the Coalition. The membership form is a pledge to support and advocate for the Coalition’s twelve Land Use and Development Principles, which you will find on our website:
 www.calaverascap.com. 
There is no membership fee. However, members are encouraged to donate to the Community Action Project/Calaveras Planning Coalition.  Visitors and prospective members will, by necessity, be excluded from attorney/client privileged discussions.

If you are interested in membership, please email CPC Facilitator Tom Infusino, tomi@volcano.net, to receive a membership form, agenda, and the Zoom meeting connection.

To help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in our county, all CAP and CPC meetings will be held online via Zoom.

Board of Supervisors candidates address local issues

Lance Armstrong / Calaveras Enterprise / October 2, 2024

Calaveras County Board of Supervisors candidates addressed fire protection, natural lands preservation, small businesses, and other issues during a candidates’ debate in Valley Springs last week.

The event, which was held at the Valley Springs Veterans Hall on Sept. 25, was presented by the Calaveras Chamber of Commerce and hosted by CJ Singh, an 18-year resident of the county.

Among the candidates participating in the event was Supervisor Gary Tofanelli, the District 1 incumbent, who is being challenged for his seat by Tim Grant.

Grant, a Valley Springs resident who owns a criminal defense business that handles the legal aspects of investigations, did not attend the debate.

District 1 includes the communities of Circle XX, San Andreas, Valley Springs, Campo Seco, La Contenta, Camanche, Burson, and Wallace.

Also participating in the debate were Mokelumne Hill residents Autumn Andahl and Trevor Wittke, who are vying to win the seat of District 2, which includes the communities of Mokelumne Hill, Paloma, West Point, Wilseyville, Glencoe, Rail Road Flat, Sheep Ranch, Mountain Ranch, and Calaveritas.

The winner of the District 2 general election will succeed current District 2 representative Jack Garamendi, who opted not to seek reelection. His current term will end on Dec. 31.

Both the District 1 and District 2 elections will be held on Nov. 5.

During the Sept. 25 debate, Tofanelli was asked if he would support having the county’s long-awaited animal shelter presented as a bond issue and placed on a ballot to fund the shelter. He was also asked whether he has a plan to address the new animal shelter, which would be built in his district.

As for a bond issue, Tofanelli said that while he is not opposed to it, he is not sure if the proposed project “is at that point yet.”

Calaveras County District 1 Supervisor Gary Tofanelli speaks about a local issue during the candidates’ debate at the Valley Springs Veterans Hall on Sept. 25.

Tofanelli mentioned that the supervisors are currently awaiting construction drawings that are scheduled to be presented to them in November.

“That’s very important, because we have the land for it (in San Andreas),” he said. “Once we have those drawings, now it’s a shovel-ready project, plus we have $4 million in the bank for matching funds for any grants; go out for a grant. And the way grants are right now, they’re looking for shovel-ready projects, and we have that once those plans come back.

“They’re coming back in November. I’m sure we can get the votes to do that, and we’ll go from there. We may make some changes on that, but we will have a shovel-ready project, and that’s what grant we’re looking for.”

The District 2 candidates were asked the following public safety question: “Given (the) increasing risk of wildfires in California, what are your plans to improve fire protection response and overall public safety in your district?”

Andahl recognized the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, local fire districts, and the county’s Office of Emergency Services.

She stated that she is interested in having more staff to deal with fire prevention in her district in order to take a proactive approach to be “prepared for that next catastrophic wildfire that will come our way.”

Andahl also stressed a need to have more community support to work collaboratively in preparation for the next large fire in District 2.

She noted that she would be interested in having local residents develop Firewise communities.

Calaveras County Board of Supervisors District 2 candidate Trevor Wittke responds to a question from the moderator during the candidates’ debate at the Valley Springs Veterans Hall on Sept. 25.

“They can absolutely do that,” Andahl said. “That is a community-driven initiative that happens at the community level. It does not happen from the top down.”

The Firewise USA program is a national program aimed at providing “simple, effective steps to help communities reduce the risk of destruction from wildfire.”

Wittke called fire safety the No. 1 issue in the county and in District 2, specifically.

“I think that this is the thing that we have to spend all of our time and energy focusing on, and we need to coordinate all of the resources that we have,” he said.

He added that he has a comprehensive plan for fire safety in District 2.

“That comprehensive plan starts with the creation of an office of wildfire prevention and resilience,” Wittke said. “It also focuses on the need to create Firewise communities throughout District 2. Along the Highway 4 corridor, there are eight Firewise communities. In District 2, there are only two Firewise Communities. I would like to see more of those.”

Among the questions that were asked to all the candidates was “How do you plan to balance development with the need to preserve our local environment and resources?

Tofanelli noted that within the county’s general plan is an open-space policy.

“(If) you’re going to develop a certain plot of land (in the county), you have to mitigate that, which means you have to buy some land somewhere else to put into nondevelopment and keep it natural forever,” he said.

Responding to the same question, Wittke noted the need to implement the general plan.

He stated that work is currently being done in this county on an oak woodland management plan.

“The oak woodland management plan is a way that we can manage our oak woodlands, make sure that we maintain and preserve our oak woodlands while also allowing for development in areas where it’s appropriate,” Wittke said.

Wittke also mentioned that there is a need to update the county’s open-space element in 2026.

“The (state-mandated) open-space element is essential to maintaining agricultural resources and engaging in resource conservation,” he said.

Andahl expressed her support for preserving open spaces and natural areas.

“We are lucky to have a lot of open space and natural areas, and that’s one of the reasons that I’m running, to preserve that and to honor that and to keep it what it is moving forward, and keep the rural character that it is,” she said. “So, if elected, I would draw from the many, many hardworking groups that we have in place working on these plans and goals and bring it forward and update it at the county level.”

All three candidates were told that small businesses make up about 85% of the county’s businesses.

They were asked, “With many small businesses still recovering from the (COVID-19) pandemic, what strategies will you put in place to support these businesses? Can you provide examples of specific programs or incentives that you believe would benefit local entrepreneurs?”

Tofanelli stated that he is a strong advocate for small businesses and that he has assisted many businesses in the county.

“As a supervisor, I don’t have complete control over everything,” he said. “I know a lot of times people think I do, or supervisors do, but we’re limited. But I can help any way that I can, and will.

“If you have a problem, any business has a problem, either opening or staying open or is having some issues with anything that has to do with permits that they’re required to have, I can help, and I have and I do.”

Autumn Andahl, a candidate for the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors District 2 seat, speaks during the candidates’ debate at the Valley Springs Veterans Hall on Sept. 25.

Responding to the same questions, Wittke mentioned that he helped to start up and create 80 small businesses in the county.

“In addition to this, I believe that we need to do more to reduce red tape on small businesses,” he said. “Specifically, it’s not a state mandate that local counties like ours issue business licenses. For instance, Nevada County, Butte County, they don’t issue business licenses.”

Wittke expressed concern with business licenses, when they prevent one from establishing a small business.

Andahl called for significant changes to the process for starting a business.

“The fees, the permits, the hoops that they jump through are very intimidating, very confusing,” she said. “And I also know many small businesses that have given up, gone elsewhere, because it’s just too overwhelming.

“What they need is an advocate, somebody that helps them through the planning department, to this department, and navigates a checklist of what to go through and how to get things done there.”

Tofanelli responded to the District 2 candidates’ comments.

“I understand what both of these candidates are saying here, but a lot of those regulations, a lot of things you go through to get a permit for a business, the county has to enforce the state codes and their requirements,” he said. “And a lot has to do with environmental and building codes right now that the state requires on them. There’s just a lot of state requirements.”

The candidates also spent two minutes each speaking about themselves and their campaigns.

Tofanelli shared why he is running for reelection for the District 1 seat, which he has continuously held since 2017, and that he also held from 2009 to 2012. His current term expires on Dec. 31.

“There’s a lot of different reasons to why I am running, (with) a lot of them having to do with some of the projects that are going on in the county right now that I’ve been involved in for a long time that I would like to see completed,” he said. “Some of them will probably be coming up in questions today that I’ll be answering, elaborating on it as to where they are, opposed to maybe what you’re hearing or reading in the newspaper, or whatever you’re hearing. I will be here and tell you with transparency exactly what’s going on in each one of these projects.”

He also mentioned that it is important to him to be active in local communities.

“Wherever I can be involved in the communities I am, and I’m very proud that I do that and I’m out there hearing people, talking to people, listening to people,” Tofanelli said.

Andahl spoke about why she desires to run for the District 2 seat.

“I am running because I have a deep love, a sense of pride and understanding of the history and the traditions and the values of our ways of life here in Calaveras County,” she said. “I’m running for supervisor to elevate the voices and the concerns of D-2 residents. I have the experience required to preserve the quality of life we enjoy and improve it for our next generations.”

Andahl added that she has been advocating, volunteering and working throughout Calaveras County since she was 16 years old.

“I have worked in tourism, social services, agriculture and education,” she said. “If elected, I will represent you free of conflicts of interest, with absolute and complete transparency, honesty and unmatched integrity.”

Wittke told the event’s attendees that his campaign has been actively helping him spread his views on local issues.

“Since the primary, my campaign has held public meetings, town halls, meet and greets,” he said. “We’ve been out knocking on doors, meeting with voters on the doorsteps through this process of talking to residents.”

He mentioned that he has worked on drafting and implementing public policy on a range of issues.

Wittke additionally noted that he grew up in Calaveras County, and that while attending Columbia College, he helped found that institution’s debate team and was a national speech and debate competitor.

Calaveras County Voter Approve Measure A Sales Tax Starts Today

Tracey Petersen / mymotherlode.com / October 1, 2024

San Andreas, CA – The voter-approved Measure A one percent sales tax in Calaveras County begins today.

The measure was approved in the March elections and is expected to generate about $5 million annually. That money will go to ten local fire districts, including the City of Angels Camp Fire Department, for staffing, training, equipment, and other costs. The tax for the City of Angels Camp is now 8.75 percent and the county is 8.25 percent.

It took two tries to pass this measure, which narrowly failed by 266 votes in the 2022 November election. That resulted in the temporary closing of the Valley Springs Fire Station several times due to staffing shortages, as reported here. Then in the March primary election this year, the measure passed with just over 55 percent of the vote.

Angels Camp Council Candidates To Discuss Range Of Issues

B.J. Hansen / mymotherlode.com / October 2, 2024

Angels Camp, CA — Five candidates are running for three open seats on the Angels Camp City Council.

Tonight, hear about their backgrounds and positions on issues facing the city. A candidate forum will air at six o’clock on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML and be archived here at six o’clock on myMotherLode.com for playback at any time.

The top three vote-getters during the upcoming November election will win the seats. The candidates are Mary Kelly, Scott Behiel, Caroline Schirato, Michael Chimente, and Michael Fish. The forum was recorded earlier and will air in its entirety. The candidates were not provided the questions ahead of time. They will discuss what they feel are the most pressing issues facing the city, and speak about topics like water, business activity, housing, crime, park improvements, city finances, and infrastructure needs.

 

Ready for service

Lance Armstrong / The Valley Springs News / September 25, 2024

 The fleet of the Central Calaveras Fire and Rescue Protection District gained a new addition last week as the district welcomed its newly acquired fire engine.

This 2005 four-wheel drive engine, which was built in Woodland by Westates Truck Equipment Corp., includes a 750-gallon water tank and can carry four to five firefighters in its cab.

The Central Calaveras district purchased this vehicle from El Dorado County, which had bought it new and was its only owner until it was sold to this Calaveras County fire district. It has been driven about 100,000 miles, all of which were local miles.

With the integration of this engine into its fleet, the district expanded its resources and capabilities for calls within its 200-square-mile coverage area that stretches from Mountain Ranch Road to Sheep Ranch, to the town of Rail Road Flat to Highway 26 in the Glencoe area, and part way down that highway to Mokelumne Hill.

The long-anticipated arrival of this engine came after it had spent six months in West Sacramento at the Riverview International Trucks repair and refurbishment facility where fire engines from throughout Northern California are worked on.

As a used engine, it underwent various repairs, upgrades and alterations before it was deemed ready for service on the roads of Calaveras County.

While at the West Sacramento facility, it underwent such work as suspension, electrical and air conditioning repairs.

Upon the engine’s arrival in this county from West Sacramento during the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 19, Central Calaveras Fire District Chief Bill Wennhold and Capt. Chris Miller met with the Enterprise en route to the firehouse in Mountain Ranch, where the engine will be housed when not in use.

Miller dedicated one of his days off to go to the repair and refurbishment facility with Wennhold, review the work that was performed on the engine, and drive it to Mountain Ranch.

Wennhold told this paper that his district was fortunate to have the finances to add this engine to its fleet.

“We had been able to put some money into our savings and reserve account over the last few years, going out and helping with other fires across the state, so that allowed us to go out and buy this engine now and get the refurbishment done,” he said.

“And then the other big help for us, the same as you probably heard from other fire departments, is the fact that the Measure A (a ballot measure to provide additional funding for local fire districts and the Angels Camp Fire Department) passed. We’re looking for those funds to start coming into our budget after the first of the year.

“(Measure A) has given me the ability to put three firefighters on duty every day. So, at this point, we’ve got a better quality, safer piece of equipment to the run, and I have a consistent staffing model, so I send the right amount of people with the right tool based upon the emergency.”

Wennhold noted that there was a tremendous cost savings by purchasing this used engine for $43,000 from El Dorado County and then having it refurbished, compared to the cost of buying a similar new engine.

“The price of a new one is running probably $800,000, and we’re into this for not even a quarter of that (cost),” he said. “When you compare (this used cost and the refurbishment to the new cost) and the time delayed to get a brand new engine, this is going to be a huge benefit to us for Mountain Ranch and Glencoe and Rail Road Flat and the rest of the parts of our district.”

He added that a used engine like the one the district recently acquired typically costs in the range of $200,000 to $250,000.

“We’re still money ahead, even with the repairs that we (did),” Wennhold said.

Asked about why the engine spent a half-year in a repair and refurbishment facility, Wennhold explained that much of the delay was associated with the acquisition of parts.

“The biggest problem that we had with it being in the shop is because of the specialized equipment that’s on it,” he said. “We’re kind of at the mercy of the parts suppliers. So, for example, we had to have leaf springs made for it, for the back end. And rather than them being something that you could get here in California, they came from the East Coast, and they were six to seven weeks to get here before we could even get them installed.

“So, that kind of stuff. The parts that we did for the pump, the parts that we did for (the) electrical system, we were at the mercy of the suppliers of getting the right piece that works for them, rather than trying to modify something that you could get today and hope that it is equivalent.”

Wennhold mentioned that another factor related to the period of time that the district’s newly acquired engine was in West Sacramento was the large workload of the facility.

“Riverview does work for basically all the fire departments in the Sacramento Valley,” he said. “They also work on stuff for the U.S. Forest Service and for the Office of Emergency Services. So, while they started to work on ours, while they were waiting for a part to come in, they would shift their crew to another engine.

“It’s been kind of in that back and forth between their office getting their guys back on our rig when the parts they ordered came in. It’s taken a lot longer than we had hoped, but we’re happy and confident with the work that these guys have done.”

Also part of the work completed on the engine was changing the direction that two of the engine’s seats faced, Wennhold noted.

“In older style fire engines (like this one), there were two seats that face forward, the driver and the upfront passenger, and often the back seats for the firefighters face towards the rear,” he said.

“That’s fine when you’re going down the street in a big city, and you’re at the call in five or 10 minutes, but you get the mountain roads up here, and if you’re facing backwards, it tends to make people a little nauseous going around the curves and the hills up here. So, a significant thing that we did was we took those rear facing seats and turned them around, so they face forward and you’re looking out the windshield again.”

Wennhold explained how the district learned about the availability of this fire engine.

“We were made aware of it through one of the fire brokerage firms,” he said. “It was built in California. It (was) built on what they call an HME (Hendrickson Mobile Equipment) chassis, so it has a short wheelbase that’s maneuverable for the roads and the driveways that we have up here. A big feature that made us pursue this engine is that it’s four-wheel drive, so it will be able to access all of our district needs year-round.”

Wennhold stated that the engine needed a “pretty fair amount” of refurbishment work done on it before it would be ready to be placed into service for the district.

“It needed some tender loving care there at International,” he said. “So, all the work has been done by a dealership. It’s been done to industry standards.”

He added that the shop foreman at International informed him that although the cost of the refurbishment for this engine was a little more than what the district originally expected to pay, the refurbished engine will be very strong and do a great job for the district.

With the engine now ready for service, it will have equipment placed on it, and firefighters of this district will then begin to become familiar with the features of this vehicle, Wennhold noted.

“Our folks (will become) oriented on how it works (and get) comfortable with driving it,” he said. “We have another similar engine at the department already, so we believe it’s going to be a good fit for our needs and for our people.”

Speaking about his district’s fleet, in general, Wennhold mentioned that it is in “pretty good shape.”

“We’re very proud that we’ve been able to help out other fire departments over the summer, was sending engines out on strike teams and helping out Cal Fire when they’ve had their resources committed,” he said. “We’ve been able to do that and still have enough equipment to protect our home base, both with engines and water tenders.

“But this (newly acquired engine) just gives us a little bit more depth to our resources. I think, eventually, we will probably end up retiring one of our other engines that’s a little bit older and a little bit more tired. And then this rig will fill that gap nicely.”

TuCare Hosting Natural Resources Expo And Welcoming New Executive Director

B.J. Hansen / mymotherlode.com / October 1, 2024

Sonora, CA — The Tuolumne County Alliance for Resources and the Environment (TuCare) will be hosting a community expo this coming weekend at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds.

It is also one of the final events for longtime Executive Director Melinda Fleming, who is retiring at the end of the year. A new leader, Amy Dunlap, will lead the organization.

For over 20 years, TuCare held an annual Fall Natural Resources Summit, often held on Friday mornings, that attracted anywhere from 100-200 people, including regional lawmakers. It has evolved into a Saturday expo with activities planned for all ages. Outside, there will be a heavy equipment display in the arena, along with a presentation by Kodama Systems.

There will also be food trucks and a tree-planting kids activity in the Sierra Pacific Industries booth.

The keynote speakers this year will be District Three Tuolumne County Supervisor Anaiah Kirk and California Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil. Kirk will speak at 2 pm and Alvarado-Gil at 2:30 pm. The free event will conclude at 3 pm.

Calaveras County confirms second West Nile virus case this year

Staff / Union Democrat / September 17, 2024

Health officials on Monday confirmed the second human case of West Nile virus in Calaveras County this year.

The county Health and Human Services Agency stated in a news release that the cases were confirmed through the county Public Health Division’s Communicable Disease Program, though it did not provide any details on the people who were infected or the severity of their illness.

West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes and can make both people and animals sick, according to the California Department of Public Health. It’s considered the most common and serious vector-borne disease in the state since the first case was detected in 2003.

Most people with West Nile virus will not have symptoms, the release stated. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems, such as those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, are more susceptible to developing serious illness when infected.

About 20% of people who become infected with West Nile virus will experience mild symptoms that include fever, headache, body aches, nausea and vomiting in the days after being bitten by a mosquito.

Less than 1% of people infected with West Nile virus will develop serious symptoms, which can include high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, muscle weakness, loss of vision convulsions, numbness and paralysis.

Serious symptoms can last several weeks and cause permanent damage to the nervous system, the release from the Calaveras County Health and Human Services Agency stated.

The disease can also be fatal in rare instances.

Merced County public health officials confirmed on Aug. 30 that an elderly person there had died from West Nile virus, the first recorded fatality from the disease this year, the Modesto Bee reported.

Dr. René Ramirez, health officer for Calaveras County, said the best way to prevent infection from mosquitoes is to take steps to avoid being bitten, including:

• Empty all standing water on your property to reduce areas in which mosquitoes may breed, including flowerpots and pet bowls.
• Make sure your window and door screens are in good condition.
• Use insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or products containing IR3535, and always follow the label directions.
• Limit outdoor activity at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.

Lisa Medina, environmental management administrator for Calaveras County, added that it’s important to safeguard pets from mosquito bites, as well. She said pet bug spray formulated for animals is available at pet stores, or people should ask their veterinarian about other options.

Dead birds and tree squirrels are also a sign of West Nile virus being active in an area. Anyone who finds a dead bird suspected of West Nile is encouraged to report it to state public health officials at www.westnile.ca.gov or call (877) 968-2473.

The state website that tracks West Nile virus cases showed Tuolumne County had no human or animal cases this year as of Friday, though cases have been reported in the past. There were 51 human cases recorded this year throughout the state as of Friday.

Dr. Kimberly Freeman, health officer for Tuolumne County, confirmed that no cases had been reported in the county this year as of Tuesday. She said the last confirmed case in the county was in July 2018.

Opinion: How a California community helped prevent the Bridge fire from destroying their town

Chad Hanson / L.A. Times / September 23, 2024

On the evening of Sept. 10, things looked bad for the mountain ski town of Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Angeles. Driven by extreme fire weather, the Bridge fire, which had started on the other side of the mountain range, grew from just a few thousand acres to 34,240 acres that day, and was spreading toward the town. By the next morning, it had reached Wrightwood’s boundaries.

This could have been a catastrophe, like the Camp fire in 2018, which claimed dozens of lives and destroyed thousands of homes in the northern Sierra Nevada town of Paradise. Instead, out of more than 2,000 residences in Wrightwood, 13 were destroyed by the Bridge fire. It’s tragic that homes were lost, yet the fact that more than 99% of residences survived and all of the people were safely evacuated is a significant wildfire success story. What explains it.

In recent years, Wrightwood got very serious about community fire-safety measures. Long before the Bridge fire began, the local Fire Safe Council held educational events, coordinating with multiple agencies and governments. They promoted the importance of simple “home hardening” measures to make homes more fireproof, such as sweeping pine needles and leaves off of roofs and installing modern exterior vents that prevent flaming embers from entering houses. They preached about the effectiveness of “defensible space,” advocating that residents prune grasses, saplings and lower limbs immediately adjacent to their homes. And they created an evacuation plan.

The Bridge fire is still burning, but slowly being brought under control. It’s currently 81% contained, with some zones still under evacuation and evacuation warning. As it threatened Wrightwood, wildland firefighting teams prioritized the kind of direct community protection the town had been preparing its residents for, rather than focusing on remote wildland areas, and trying to stop a wind-driven fire that could not realistically be stopped.

They found that most homes in the town had defensible space, thanks to pruning done by owners. Firefighters concentrated aerial drops of fire retardant and water adjacent to the community, to keep the fire from entering the town. And they helped people evacuate, following the plan the townspeople had made.

Wrightwood’s success in keeping most of its homes safe demonstrates that focusing directly on at-risk communities, rather than on forest management activities out in the wildlands, is a significant way to protect towns from wildfires. We have seen the grim results of logging vast areas of remote forest under the guise of “thinning” and telling communities that these zones would act as fuel breaks, preventing wildfires from reaching towns. Paradise, Greenville (destroyed in the Dixie fire in 2021) and Grizzly Flats, which is still rebuilding after two-thirds of it was lost to the Caldor fire that same year, are all examples of the fallacy of this approach.

Yet there are those who would ignore examples like Wrightwood and want to double down on the failed strategies of the past. The most dangerous current example is the deceptively named Fix Our Forests Act, a bill sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.). If passed it would roll back bedrock environmental laws and allow for clear-cutting — taking out most or all trees in an area — and logging of mature and old-growth trees on federal public lands. The bill is wrong on the science.

While certain forest management practices, such as controlled burns and prescribed natural fires, are important wildfire management tools, there is growing consensus among ecologists and climate scientists that “thinning” and other logging activities do not curb wildfires and more often tend to intensify their behavior and effects. Some of the Forest Service’s own scientists are now criticizing their agency for the failures of the old approach, noting its ineffectiveness and urging a direct focus on community protection. Other Forest Service scientists are reporting that denser forests tend to burn less intensely in wildfires because of their shadier and cooler microclimate, while “thinned forests have more open conditions, which are associated with higher temperatures, lower relative humidity, higher wind speeds, and increasing fire intensity.”

We cannot afford to go backward and stubbornly repeat costly mistakes, as the Fix Our Forests Act would do. Vulnerable communities need officials to take heed of examples like Wrightwood and begin prioritizing community wildfire safety over logging industry profits.

 

‘Incredibly efficient’: TUD deploys goats to reduce invasive weeds near dam

Guy McCarthy  / Union Democrat / September 24, 2024

Tuolumne Utilities District hired a herd of about 150 goats in August to munch their way through overgrowths of invasive species and other vegetation on earthen slopes near the dam that impounds Phoenix Reservoir.

The goats grazed continuously for six days, from Aug. 13 to Aug. 19, and managed to significantly reduce star thistle, blackberry bushes, and cured grasses on a 2.5-acre area near the dam. The vegetation was 2 feet tall, as tall as the goats, in some places.

The goats, primarily Boer X and Savannah breeds, were hired from contractor Motherlode Goats for $3,500, TUD staff said.

“The goats were incredibly efficient at clearing the vegetation, and their impact was immediately noticeable,” TUD Raw Water Superintendent Kurt Bayers said in a press release distributed Wednesday. “We are very pleased with the results and see this as a sustainable solution to a persistent problem.”

The primary objective was to reduce the invasive plant species that have proliferated around the dam, “hindering the natural ecosystem and posing a maintenance challenge,” TUD staff said.

Deploying the goats is an innovative and eco-friendly approach to vegetation management at the dam, and a sensible land management alternative for the district, TUD staff said. The goats were so successful, TUD plans to hire more goats for vegetation management projects in early August 2025 and August 2026, near the Phoenix Reservoir dam, the Tuolumne Water Treatment Plant on Cedar Street in Tuolumne, and other locations to be determined.

“The use of goats for vegetation management offers numerous benefits, including reducing the need for harmful chemical herbicides, lowering carbon emissions from machinery, preserving the natural landscape, and offering a cost-efficient land management solution,” TUD staff said.

Phoenix is a reservoir, not a natural lake. Its surface area is about 88 acres when full, and it’s the primary drinking water source for about 10,000 TUD customers in Sonora, Jamestown, Mono Village and the Phoenix Lake area, according to TUD. The water also serves as a principal fill source for Cal Fire helicopters fighting fires on the Highway 108 corridor.

Historians say a dam was first built there in the 1850s to enable hydraulic mining in the immediate aftermath of the Gold Rush. The original dam was destroyed in 1862. The dam that created Phoenix the way it looks today was completed in 1880, according to the California Division of Dams Safety.

Major creeks that flow into Phoenix are Sullivan, Power and Chicken creeks. Two smaller, unnamed watersheds drain to the southern side of the reservoir. The reservoir has lost about one-third of its storage capacity due to sedimentation over the past century.

The TUD Board of Directors voted 4-0 in January 2023 to seek more than $23 million in additional grant funding to continue efforts to improve water quality and increase storage capacity at Phoenix Reservoir.

Goals of the Phoenix Lake Preservation and Restoration Plan include reducing future silt buildup; increasing wetlands habitat value and functionality; improving fire protection; educating reservoir-adjacent property owners about appropriate land maintenance practices; evaluating public access; and determining necessary levels of environmental analysis and permitting requirements for potential construction and maintenance projects at the reservoir.

Dreams

BY LANGSTON HUGHES
1901-1967

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
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Copyright Credit: Langston Hughes, “Dreams” from The Collected Works of Langston Hughes.