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February 2, 2011     Indian Valley Record
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February 2, 2011
 
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Indian Valley Record Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 3A i Plumas-Eureka, Lake Davis campgrounds slated for water upgrades, hazmat clean-up Delaine Fragnoli Managing Editor dfragnoli@plumasnews.com Finding a camping spot in Eastern Plumas this summer could prove challenging, and local tourism providers could suffer, as a result of several planned campground closures. The California Depart- ment of Parks and Recre- ation (CDPR) announced Jan. 25 that Plumas-Eureka State Park (PESP) would be partially closed this summer for a hazardous materials cleanup. Although some ar- eas of the park will remain open, the campground, mu- seum and other selected sites will be closed temporar- ily. That closure will be exac- erbated because the Plumas National Forest plans to close two of the three camp- grounds at Lake Davis for water system upgrades. A lo- cal contractor will install new pipes at Grasshopper Flat and Grizzly camp- grounds, which are on the same system. The project us- es American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. At the state park, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is leading the cleanup of toxic materials, primarily arsenic, lead and mercury left over from the days when the site was a working gold mine. The work will begin in the spring as soon as weather conditions allow and will proceed through the fall. If the cleanup finishes ahead of schedule, state parks will re- <)pen portions as soon as fea- sible. The campground is sched- uled to be treated first, so that camping can resume. ReserveAmerica will con- tact campers with reserva- tions and offer to transfer those reservations to anoth- er date or anther park, pend- ing availability• If reserva- tions cannot be transferred, customers will receive a full refund. Larry Fites of the Plumas Eureka State Park Associa- tion (PESPA) said his group hopes the work will "go faster rather than slower." Fites said the association's hugely popular Gold Discov- ery Days, usually scheduled the third weekend of July, was in a "holding pattern. We hope to have some ves- tige of the event." Suzi Brakken of the Plumas County Visitors Bu- reau called news of the clo- sures "disturbing." "Obviously, we don't want "Lightning Tree Campground will be open, and we have about 40 overflow campsites with limited amenities for a reduced price.," Judy Schaber, Recreation Officer, Beckwourth Ranger District a poisonous park, but that campground is one of our most popular, best-loved campgrounds." She said the visitors bu- reau stands ready to help displaced campers find suit- able alternatives in Eastern Plumas. Judy Schaber, recreation officer fo/" the Beckwourth Ranger District, said other sites at Lake Davis would be open this summer. "Light- ning Tree Campground will be open, and we have about 40 overflow campsites with limited amenities for a re- duced price." While Brakken said she understood the need in both cases, the timing is "unfortu- nate. I wish it didn't have to happen the same summer•" She noted that camping is very popular in Plumas County -- it's the number one page view on the bu- reau's website. In addition to the dis- placed campers, Brakken worries about the larger im- pact on the tourism econo- my. The state park attracts about 50,000 visitors a year. Transient occupancy tax is collected at the Forest Ser- vice campgrounds but not at the state park campground, according to staff at the' Plumas County Tax Collec- tor. The larger impact will be on the restaurants, retail shops, gas stations and gro- cery stores in the area, said Brakken. This summer's shutdown comes after the fully booked campground was closed last August, when a plague-car- rying rodent was discovered at the park. That closure oc- curred immediately before the Railroad Days weekend, but officials were able to re- open the campground in time for the fully booked La- bor Day weekend. The park has a history of plague outbreaks. Such an outbreal¢ closed the park in 1992-93, and in 1976 a 6-year- old girl contracted the plague after being bitten by a flea in the park. In recent years, the park has faced another threat: clo- sure because of state budget cuts. In 2008, it made then- Gov. Schwarzenegger's list of 28 parks to shutter. But lo- cals protested en masse to save the county's only state park. The California parks department said it received more letters regarding PESP than any other park. The clo- sure was averted -- for the time being. But under Gov. Jerry Brown's budget pro- posal, state parks are once again on the chopping block in Sacramento• A list of pro- posed closures is expected by mid-February. While future funding re- mains uncertain, local groups agree that this sum- mer's cleanuP is necessary. PESPA, the Eastern Plumas Chamber of Commerce, The Sierra Fund and Trout Un- limited supported the 2009 grant application that is funding the remediation work. The California Depart- ment of Conservation, CDPR and the Department of Toxic Substances Control collabo- rated on the grant under the EPA's Brownfield Program. The $600,000 grant is actu- ally three l200,000 grants, each for a particular site in the park: the Jamison Creek Day-Use Area picnic site, the historic Powerhouse site and the ADA-accessible site. Grant funds will also be used for planning and community outreach activities. According to the EPA, the park sites have "elevated levels of hazardous sub- stances from former mining activities." Visitors to the sites may be exposed to the tailings by direct contact (contact with skin), inhala- tion of dust or ingestion (if children or adults directly consume the soil). Tailings that erode into ad- jacent Jamison Creek may cause environmental im- pacts. The EPA rates nearby sections of the Middle Fork Feather River as "impaired." The cleanup plan proposes to cover contaminated soils with a filter fabric and then approximately one foot of clean soil. In some areas, contaminated soils may be removed and disposed of in hazardous waste landfills. The portion of the day-use area that may erode into Jamison Creek will be stabi- lized and replanted. New Eagle lake district ranger reports for duty Ann Carlson, formerly the northern regional aquatic ecologist for the Forest Ser- vice in Missoula, Mont., has officially taken over the reins as district ranger on the Ea- gle Lake Ranger District• From 1989 to 2003, Ann served as the forest fisheries biologist on the Tahoe Na- tional Forest. She is excited to be back in California be- ginning in her new leader- Forest says it will spare snowmobiles Joshua Sebold Staff Writer jsebold@plumasnews.com The Plumas National For- est recently announced its intention to not regulate snowmobile travel under its Travel Management Plan. Forest transportation planner Pete Hochrein ex- plained that Subpart C of the plan's procedure for all na- tional forests includes an op- tion to restrict or prohibit the use of snowmobiles on forests but "the Plumas has no need or intentions of pro- ceeding with Subpart C." Hochrein explained that the regulation of off-road ve- hicle use, in contrast, isn't optional; rather, it is man- dated. Need help REPI :ING SINCE: 1984 General Building Contractor Calif. Lic. #453927" (530) 283-2035 ship position here on the Lassen. "The Eagle Lake District has outstanding employees and natural resources• I look forward to building partner- ships within and outside the agency to pursue opportuni- ties for land stewardship," said Carlson when asked about her expectations in her new position. For several years, Carlson has been interested in pursu- ing a leadership position within the Forest Service. In 2009, she completed the For- est Service Senior Leader Program and later that year served as the acting district ranger on the Wall Ranger District (in South Dakota) of the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands. The following year, Carlson served a 120-day detail as the Boise National Forest deputy forest supervisor• Describing what she brings to the new position, Carlson said, "I have worked in several regions of the For- est Service and in the Wash- ington office on a couple of short assignments. My breadth of experience and passion for resource manage- ment and the Forest Service File Your Taxes Today Individual • Business • Non-Profit .... ,  :, : ElectroniCMary Cheek, EA, CPA  Filing • Quick Refunds : il' Certified Public Accountant Licensed to practice by the IRS 258-1040 130 E. Willow St., Chester (Next to Chevron) MaryCheekCPA@FrontierNet.Net Over 18 years experience FRIDEN OPTOMETRY Jonathan Friden, O.D. • Joshua Baer, O.D. 68 Central Ave. • Quincy • 283-2020 Complete vision and eye care, Optometrists and Ophthalmologists on staff, Vision and Eye examinations, treatment of eye disease, cataract surgery, foreign body removal, threshold visual field analysis, contact lenses, glasses (large selection of inexpensive to designer eyewear), low vision aids for the visually impaired, and vision therapy for learning related vision problems. will help me to provide sound leadership for the dis- trict." Carlson recently moved to Susanville. Her husband, Howard, is retired from the Forest Service and is self-em- ployed as an emergency re- sPonse instructor assisting agencies and private sector organizations in incident management. He plans to join Carlson in Susanville within the next few months. They look forward to enjoy- ing the many recreational opportunities in the area, in- cluding cross-country skiing, hi,ing and biking. Their daughter, Tess, is a sophomore at the University of Oregon in Eugene, study- ing human physiology. Howard's son, Ryan, and granddaughter, Claire, live in Grass Valley. "Moving to Susanville puts us closer to family," said Carlson. "And it is such a beautiful area; we feel very lucky to be here." ENJOY SUPER BOWL! TRI TIP JOHNSONVILLE BRATWURST OR MILD ITALIAN 99 EA SAUSAGE HOT DOG BUNS 30 PE., CANS BUD OR BUD LIGHT s2Og00,00 + CRV "Located In the Northeast corner of the Taylorsvllle Mall"