Our November Letter to the Editor: A lot to be grateful for in Calaveras County

Dear Editor,
As we approach Thanksgiving, the members of the Calaveras Planning Coalition are thankful
for fat cattle grazing on rangeland, for wine grapes that hang like clusters of grace on the vine,
and for olive trees that thrive in hardscrabble soil. We are thankful for our open landscapes, our
historic communities, and our good and generous people.

We are thankful for the Planning Commission as they work to draft and recommend a
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan to the Board of Supervisors. We ask that they seize this
opportunity to recommend the preservation of resource production lands with conservation
easements so those protected lands can remain as open space carbon sinks that will clean our
air.

According to California’s Climate Change Scoping Plan, natural and working lands “hold the
ultimate solution to addressing climate change and its impacts,” but “action must begin now to
restore and conserve these lands.” We can’t afford to wait.

As the United States Department of Agriculture notes, “It is estimated that over 25 million metric
tons of CO2 can be sequestered annually on natural and working lands in California by 2045.
For reference, 1 million metric tons is equivalent to removing over 215,000 cars from the road
each year.”

As the cap and trade market grows, Calaveras landowners could have the opportunity to sell
carbon offsets that result from sequestration. Additional environmental benefits achieved with
conservation easements include habitat conservation, sediment retention, water purification,
recreation, and support for traditional ranching. That’s a lot to be thankful for.

Megan Fiske
Outreach Coordinator
Calaveras Action Project & Calaveras Planning Coalition
San Andreas