Watershed still in harm’s way

Local volunteers were spreading straw mulch for the 47th time in the Butte Fire burn area on Saturday in an effort to protect the Calaveras River and help the soil retain water. Soon that will have to come to a stop. “It’s going to be too hot and actually unsafe for fire,” said Sean Kriletich, a board member of the marketing cooperative for agricultural producers, Calaveras Grown. Kriletich has been spearheading the erosion control effort in... Read More

Wagon Trail realignment project may be in jeopardy

A recent cut in a portion of the state gas tax may at some point put a halt to the realignment of 6.1 miles of Highway 4, although county transportation officials say they are hoping a sizable grant from the state Department of Transportation will keep the project rolling for the time being. Calaveras Enterprise  Read More

Calaveras is part of study linking fed lands to growth

The study looked at Calaveras and every other nonmetropolitan county in the 11 contiguous states from the Rockies to the west.  It found that rural counties with the highest percentage of federal land averaged quicker expansion in population, jobs and income than other western counties. From: The Daily Yonder    Read Study Here  Read More

Dirty runoff could temporarily close Jenny Lind treatment plant

The Calaveras County Water District is watching closely as increasingly dirty, clouded water contaminated with ash and sediment flows from the Calaveras River watershed in the Butte Fire burn area and into the district’s treatment plant in Jenny Lind. Read Article Here  Read More

Coalition has not filed any lawsuits

I am writing on behalf of the Calaveras Planning Coalition in response to Vicky Reinke’s Feb. 26 letter to the editor in which she writes, “It is not uncommon for MyValleySprings.com and the Calaveras Planning Coalition to file lawsuits against our county when they don’t get their way. Read Article Here  Read More

Black cloud over Calaveras

To the Editor / Union Democrat / February 26, 2016 On Feb. 9, the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors denied us the appeal on the proposed asphalt plant at Hogan Dam Quarry. The boardroom was packed, mostly with residents who opposed the asphalt plant being allowed to go in without an environmental impact report and a conditional use permit. It seemed to fall on deaf ears, as each one of the appellants and community members pleaded with the board... Read More

Tribe and Conservationists File Suit to Protect Wild Salmon, Rural River communities‏

Groups seek to protect rural communities from fire risks, restore watershed health, and provide economic opportunities for locals. The group is challenging a post-fire timber sale, the Westside Project, which fails rural river communities by implementing the same management practices that have for decades resulted in a landscape prone to dangerous fire events, degraded water quality, and contributed to declining salmon populations. The suit alleges... Read More

How Local Food Is at the Heart of America’s Rural Renaissance

What happened? How did downtown Corbin land more than 20 new businesses since 2012, pushing its 40 percent vacancy rate to practically zero? You will want to read this here  Read More

New Fire Fees and Planning Fees on BOS agenda Tuesday

Fire Mitigation Fees Ordinance and Planning Fees Resolution first on BOS Regular Agenda Tuesday Feb. 23 Click the link below for complete Board agenda, reports, and ordinances: http://calaverascountyca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=1957     REGULAR AGENDA ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE Introduce, after a waiver of the reading requirements, an Ordinance relating to Fire Mitigation Fees* The staff report for the Fire Mitigation Fee Ordinance... Read More

Valley Springs Asphalt Plant Update

 CALL TO ACTION !!! PLANNING COMMISSION (PC) OVERRIDES COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT DECISION— NO CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT (CUP) REQUIRED FOR HAZARDOUS HOGAN QUARRY ASPHALT PLANT? SIX APPEALS OF PC DECISION FILED; TO BE DECIDED AT PUBLIC HEARING AT BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHAMBERS, GOVERNMENT CENTER, SAN ANDREAS FEBRUARY 9, 2016 at 9 a.m. or soon thereafter RISKS of No CUP, Local Control, & Oversight: Contamination of Your CCWD Drinking... Read More