Water key to protecting economic future

Calaveras County Water District General Manager Mitch Dion on protecting the county’s water rights. He also makes a pitch for managing forests to produce more water, a hypothesis that has yet to be fully proven. Calaveras Enterprise op-ed, September 17  Read More

River Canyon Acquisition Advances Protection of Free-Flowing River

On August 29th the American River Conservancy completed the purchase of 1,059 acres of Cosumnes River canyon lands from Angelo Tsakopoulos for $4.8 million. These purchased lands protect an additional 1.5 miles of river canyon from future residential development on the North and Main Forks of the Cosumnes River immediately east and west of Highway 49 in both El Dorado and Amador Counties. Acquired lands make up the southern portion of the larger... Read More

A different view on the Rim Fire: Congress partly to blame

Guest opinion by John Buckley | Posted: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 9:58 am http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/opinion/article_501373e0-1a3a-11e3-951b-0019bb2963f4.html Whenever there are major tragic events, such as the huge Rim Fire, they grab the public’s attention and provide an opportunity for some people to get on a soapbox to promote their interest. Dr. Tom Bonnicksen, a consistent spokesman for the interests of the timber industry, provided... Read More

Fires can be restorative, unlike heavy logging

By Dominick DellaSala and Chad Hanson Special to The Bee Published: Sunday, Sep. 15, 2013 – 12:00 am This year, as in every year, fires are occurring in the forests of the western United States. And, as always, we read the predictable headlines about how many acres of forest were “destroyed,” whether in Yellowstone National Park in the famous 1988 fires or today’s Rim fire in the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park. Some... Read More

Student Safety Takes a Detour

By Dana M. Nichols  August 29, 2013 Record Staff Writer SAN ANDREAS – The long-awaited plan to build a safer walking route to Jenny Lind Elementary School in Valley Springs hit another delay this week when the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors rejected the only construction bid. The problem: The $949,950 bid submitted by MCI Engineering of Stockton is for more than the funds available. “The plan and specifications need to be amended,”... Read More

Calaveras County’s budget is nearly finalized and the costs remain high.

The Board of Supervisors held its final budget hearing at Tuesday’s meeting, which is the last step before its anticipated approval Sept. 24. The budget is balanced, but the county’s financial situation remains dire, with the gap between revenue and expenses being filled using $3.4 million in one-time funds from the Teeter Fund. “If I ran my restaurant like this, we’d be out of business long ago,” said District 1 Supervisor Cliff Edson,... Read More

FoCuS Acquires New Potato Harvester

This summer, FoCuS Board Member, Val Dambacher, submitted a grant proposal for FoCuS to the Sonora Area Foundation. The goal was to have the Foundation help our community acquire a piece of farm equipment that could be used to harvest potatoes mechanically for the FoCuS annual Potato Patch. This annual project has been conducted for the past four years, helping to build food security for our community. It has been amazingly productive, but also a... Read More

Pro-growth, no-growth, slow-growth: Placerville BOS listens to public points

A standing-room-only crowd of about 200 packed the Board of Supervisors chambers in Placerville on Aug. 26 to hear about and to discuss growth in the county. Former District 4 Supervisor Bill Center and Camino resident Jim Moore, known as the “Measure Y guys,” delivered a presentation generally showing how growth, as currently planned, will clog local roads and choke transportation, especially in the western parts of the county. Measure Y was... Read More

Blue oaks: from tiny acorns to giant trees

Columnist Paul Stein profiles our local blue oaks. Calaveras Enterprise, August 30  Read More

Editorial: Fix CEQA, end carve-outs for special projects

The Sacramento Bee advocates for changes to the state’s landmark environmental law. Sacramento Bee editorial, September 3  Read More