Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
National Sponsors
| May 4, 2011 Indian Valley Record |  |
|
©
Indian Valley Record. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 23 (23 of 38 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
May 4, 2011 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
Wednesday, May4, 2011 11B
COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE
$ #
#
tton
The restriction to park with-
WHERE I STAND
in one vehicle length of the
CORKY LAZZARINO
SIERRA ACCESS COALITION
For the past six years, Sier-
ra Access Coalition (SAC) has
been attempting to work with
the Plumas National Forest re-
garding the Travel Manage-
ment Plan.
On the positive side, we be-
lieve the environmental is-
sues raised in the Environ-
mental Impact Statement re-
garding wildlife, clean water
and other concerns have been
addressed and mitigated.
However, as the Forest Ser-
vice Travel Management deci-
sion shows, we have not been
very successful in preserving
the forest access that SAC's
1,100 members and the county
residents need. We filed an ap-
peal, along with the California
Off-Road Vehicle Association,
and our appeal was denied on
all points.
In our appeal, SAC didn't
simply complain that we didn't
like the plan. We tried to be
proactive and took the time to
develop seven key solutions for
improving the Travel Manage-
ment Plan. The Forest Service
appeals committee rejected
each of our solutions:
road is dangerous and inade-
quate for everyone who trav-
els roads in the forest, which
includes non-motorized recre-
ation after a person parks
their vehicle (i.e., equestrians,
hikers, skiers, fishermen, bi-
cyclists, miners, motorhome
users, etc.). This restriction
makes many historical family
campsites -- that have been
used for generations -- inac-
cessible by vehicles. In re-
sponse to this need, SAC pro-
posed details for a Dispersed
Camping Permit Program,
which was rejected by the ap-
peals committee.
Considerations need to be
made for the disabled and el-
derly. SAC proposed a detailed
Motorized Mobility Program,
which was rejected by the ap-
peals committee.
County residents need to
have the ability to drive their
trucks off the road more than
one vehicle length to load
their firewood. SAC made pro-
posals to modify the existing
fuelwood permits to allow one
trip in and one trip out
to retrieve firewood, but it
was rejected by the appeals
committee.
Hunters need to have the
ability to drive their vehicles
• off the road more than one ve-
hicle length to retrieve their
game. SAC proposed an
amended permit to allow this,
but it was rejected by the ap-
peals committee.
SAC demonstrated that the
GIS map data used to make de-
cisions were very inaccurate,
which led to the unnecessary
elimination of many routes.
SAC asked the Forest Service
to fix their data and reanalyze
the affected routes, but this re-
quest was rejected by the ap-
peals committee.
The Travel Management
Plan was made without proper
coordination with the coun-
ties, which is required by law.
The Board of Supervisors
holds an enormous amount of
power on this issue. The fail-
ure to coordinate on local is-
sues has an impact on county
citizens and landowners, but
the appeals committee reject-
ed this point.
SAC asked the Forest Ser-
vice to analyze routes using
county roads to provide a
seamless transportation sys-
tem with forest roads, to pro-
vide good loop opportunities
for recreation, and to allow
green-sticker vehicles on
maintenance level 3 main
gravel roads. This request was
rejected by the appeals com-
mittee.
The denial of our appeal
leaves SAC members with on-
ly two options. We can either
accept the plan as is, or we
can take the Forest Service to
court and litigate the decision.
Since the plan is unaccept-
able to the SAC members
whom we represent, we have
no option left except to liti-
gate. Litigation isn't some-
thing anybody wants to do,
but the consensus of SAC
members is that we must take
this case to court to lift the un-
reasonable restrictions that
are being imposed on our pub-
lic lands, on our heritage and
on our way of life.
The counties are in a simi-
lar situation. The Board of Su-
pervisors represents the citi-
zens of its county, and it has
been extremely supportive of
our position regarding travel
management. Now is the time
for them to carry their sup-
port to the next level.
Time and again, the needs ,
of county residents have
been disregarded and rejected
by the Forest Service. We
believe there is no aRernative
left except to litigate the For-
est Service decision.
With the huge decline in the
timber industry, the Forest
Service promised to support
the local economy by replac-
ing logging with recreation.
The Travel Management Plan
decision is not consistent with
that promise. It is critical that
changes be made to the Travel
Management Plan to provide
economic support for our
county by encouraging recre-
ation use.
Historically, the Forest Ser-
vice has been taking away the
ability of the counties to make
their own decisions. Tom Tid-
well, chief of the Forest Ser-
vice, in Washington, D.C., has
a vision called the "All Lands
Approach" for land manage-
ment. This approach extends
across private property
boundaries, potentially affect-
ing what landowners can do
.with'their own land. This can-
not continue in out county.
Our rights are being taken
away one piece at a time, and
the cumulative effect is huge.
SAC is very serious about
litigation. We have already
started our fundraising
campaign.
Our major fundraiser is
planned for July 23 with a
Snowmobile Grass Drags
event at the fairgrounds in
Quincy. See the website at
quincysledwars.com for infor-
mation.
There are Plans being made
for three other smaller
fundraisers.
Since our appeal was de-
nied, contributions to SAC
have increased steadily,
demonstrating community
support.
We are asking businesses,
citizens and other groups to
join us.
For more information, see
our website at sierraac-
cess.com. We are a 501(c)(3}
nonprofit group run by un-
paid volunteers, and all con-
tributions are used 100 per-
cent for legal defense.
Your support is important
to our county and to the gener-
ations that follow us.
If people aren't able to go in-
to the forest, they won't care
about the forest. And if they
don't care about it, they won't
care about managing it for the
future. Sierra Access Coali-
tion is committed to caring for
and managing our forest for
future generations.
WHERE I STAND
JOHN STEFFANIC
FAIR MANAGER
PLUMAS-SIERRA COUNTY FAIR
Are fairs and fairgrounds
relevant anymore?
We all start asking ques-
tions like that when our bud-
get gets strained. Do we really
need that subscription to
Sports Illustrated? I guess the
real answer is no. We would
survive without that subscrip-
tion, and we could survive
without a fair: Btit that wasn't
the question, was it? Are any
of those things relevant to our
county?
Some would say time is up
for our fairgrounds. It is an
apparently expensive piece of .
property to maintain and it
doesn't generate enough cash
to pay for itself. Maybe the
problem is efficiency. Maybe
this is just another govern-
ment facility that is running
fat and the time has come to
cut the fat? All are valid ques- '
tions that should be asked. Let
me try to answer them.
The existence of the Plumas-
Sierra County Fair and the
0
fairgrounds is absolutely rele-
vant. If from only a traditional
point of view, they are rele-
vant. This is the one event and
location in Plumas County that
represents every community,
industry and person of the en-
tire county. It has done so for
most of our lifetimes. Whether
we know it or not, every time
we walk under those logs at the
front gate, we are acknowledg-
ing the reasons we exist as a
county. When you drive along
Lee Road and see those barns
andcorrals, you are seeing a
representation of a still vi-
brant lifestyle in places like
Sierra and Indian valleys. We
have a building called the Min-
eral Building. There's a reason
for that. Just because we take
these signs for granted, doesn't
mean they are not relevant.
Each community in Plumas
County has something to be
proud of. But name something
unique to the whole county
that we are all proud of. It's a
short list, but any list is going
to have our fairgrounds on it.
Folks, I've been to many fair-
grounds, ours is a gem. All of
us who have spent any
#
ty
#
amount of time at our fair- floods. Where does a commu- might not have the time to get restrooms, has tables and
grounds hav to have felt that nity take animals in those sit- those off the ground. As for do- chairs set up and then cleans
pride as they walked down the uations? Even people, where nations; well, our community up for the next tenant. This
lane by the family gardens un- do several hundred people go has always been generous but goes on seven days a week, all
der a canopy of leafy trees, in an emergency situation? we all know this isn't the best year long. Meanwhile, lawns •
Most will agree that the fair- The fairgrounds have bath, time to be out panhandling, get mowed, weeds trimmed,
grounds are a wonderful rep- room facilities, showers, even That leaves the county, repairs made, horse arenas
resentation of the natural a.kitchen. When you need that The fairgrounds are not the groomed, manure shoveled
beauty of Plumas County. sort of facility at that time, only entity looking to the and bathrooms cleaned. Some-
As an event center, it can you don't have to ask about county for funding. Our Board times we get inmate help or
hold up to facilities much larg- relevancy, of Supervisors has a long list community service workers,
er. If an ongoing economic I guess the real question is, of programs it has to consider, but a staff of one does all this
goal of our county is to lure "Is it worth it?" These fair- The board, and the public, with a positive attitude. So
visitors here, we are way grounds generate a huge wants to know if its money is yes, the public's money is be-
amount of money, but not all being spent frugally. Over the ..... ing spent frugally. I,can tell
of it goes to the fairgrounds, past two years, the fair- ~ you, there's no fat on the fair-
ahead of the curve with the
fairgrounds. Events at the
fairgrounds draw tens of thou- I've shared the figures before: grounds have become the
sands of visitors to Plumas over million in total eco- poster child for frugal. Consid-
County. Four major meeting nomic activity, the equivalent er: as recently as 10 years ago,
halls, barns and stalls for hun- of 79 full-time jobs, $96,000 in this fairground had a mainte-
dreds of animals, large open direct tax benefit to the coun- nance staff of three full-time
grassy areas, a large horse ty and state. However, in rev- employees with 12 seasonal
arena, a covered arena, a enues and hard cash, it comes workers. We currently have
3,000-seat grandstand with up short. In the past, the state one full-time maintenance
racetrack, and parking for has made up that shortage, person and maybe two season-
hundreds of ears. Oh yeah, a but that resource is now in se- al workers. What's even more
couple hundred RV and camp- rious doubt. That leaves three interesting: we generate more
ing sites. Wait! We have a go- other sources: the county, do- revenue now. Anyone who
kart track too. And some cool nations and increased rev- rents any part of our fair-
historical buildings, enue. I can assure everyone grounds is given personalat-
All right, I'll stop there. Let I've worked non-stop on ideas tention, which means some-
me take just one aspect of to improve our revenue. We one (by that I mean Oran
those assets. We've had natur- have some real exciting pro- Morrison) usually meets
al disasters before ---, fires and jects in the works, but we just them, opens any buildings or
ground's bones.
But that still doesn't answer
the question, "Is it worth it?"
What do you think? If we have
a valuable facility that is be-
ing run as efficiently as possi-
ble, but still needs financial
help, do we spend the money?
I will tell you, we have some
ideas -- almost all of them are
ways to generate more rev-
enue. Even then, it is a very
slim chance the Plumas-Sierra
County Fairgrounds will be
self-sufficient, at least in the
next few years. I would like to
see that happen, but we need
more time, and time is money.
L E T T E R S T o T.H E E D I T O R
Guidelines for Letters
All letters must contain an ad-
dress and a phone number.
We publish only one letter per
week, per person and only
one letter per person, per
month regarding the same
subject. We do not publish
third-party, anonymous, or
open letters. Letters must be
limited to a maximum of 300
words. The editor will cut any
letter in excess of 300 words.
The deadline is Friday at 3
p.m. (Deadlines may change
due to holidays.) Letters may
be taken to any of Feather
Publishing's offices, gent via
fax to 283-3952, or e-mailed to
mail@plumasnews.com.
Boondoggle
A week ago I got an info-
pack from PG&E in my mail-
box saying the utility is going
to be installing new "Smart-
Meters" (SMs) in our area. I
• looked up the subject on the
Net. In my opinion, those of us
on fixed incomes may be fac-
ing a nightmare of epic scale.
PG&E went to the Califor-
nia Public Utilities Commis-
sion (CPUC) for a rate hike of
$2.2 billion from ratepayers
for this "green" program. Now
PG&E rates have skyrocketed
to some of the highest in the
country. This is a boondoggle!
The alleged savings could only
be realized once a microwave
network is completed and an'
active power-management
module is installed inside
your home. These two ele- is studied. Let's raise taxes?
ments are not included in the This fun and educational Inflation is hardest on those
foreseeable future. Once the presentation is brought to the with fixed incomes; cost of liv-
meter goes in the new rate . students by our new district ing increases have been ig-
schedule will apply! attorney, David Hollister, who nored by Obama's administra-
More than 100 outraged onhis owntime and own dimetion over the last two years.
members of the public packed has paid for the movie rental Obama did give $25 million to
a recent CPUC meeting in San and rental of the Town Hall Brazil to'help them drill for off-
Francisco-- a perfect storm of Theatre. shore oil; and he started a $400
outrage against PG&E over Special thanks to DA Hollis- million war in Libya. Senior
San Bruno, Diablo Canyon, ter for his generous and patri- cost of living is stagnant, but
new rate hikes and especially otic contribution to Plumas we spend millions building
the "smart" meter debacle -- County children! trails and giving money to con-
the company had an opportu- With enthusiasm for what servationists so they can close
nity to redeem itself. PG&E DA Hollister is doing, private down our national forests.
failed miserably, citizens, out of their own re- The United States cannot
The SMs were installed by a sources, will be contributing continue to print "worthless"
Texas utility that has installed copies of the Declaration of In- money (QE l&2) to pay its
nearly 800,000 of these meters dependence to each fifth grad- debt. Imagine owning your
and insists that they are high- er. These beautiful and color- own business, lending your
ly accurate. An example: "My ful pamphlets containing the wife dollars to spend at your
bills averaged between 1,500 Declaration of Independence store, then counting her pur-
and 2,000 kilowatt-hours, and also contain the full U.S Con- chases as a profit to pay your
it goes up a little more in the stitution and will convenient- bills. Obama believes he can
spend his way out of this bad
summer, the first month with ly fit in a pocket, economy with the Federal Re-
the SmartMeter was 4,383 kilo- Sherry Halverson serve's "monopoly" money;
watt-hours." Plumas County Watchdog shovel ready jobs anybody?
What is to fear? Privacy Committee Plumas County's unemploy-
gone, liability shifted to cus- Portola ment is 22 percent or higher.
tomers, billing errors galore, Cut spending on all "non-es-
hack-able networks, more big Adolescent
sential" programs and entitle-
brother! If you place social justice ments for illegals. Cut funding
Call 3rd District Assembly- ahead of economic reality, you to all foreign governments that
man Dan Logue, 895'4217. are a "liberal adolescent" in are not allies or pro-American.
Glenn Odell California. Bring home all the troops in
QuincyLiberal elitists in California Germany and Bosnia. Stop all
know businesses are in exo- federal/state grants involved
Patriotic dus to other states; now the so- with the environment, rede-
All fifth graders in Plumas cialists are running out of oth- velopment, parks, recreation
County will be treated to a er people's money. Yet, new and arts. Drop all social pro-
special musical presentation contracts for California prison grams not related to the health
about the Declaration of guards include an extra $130 or welfare of seniors or dis-
Independence on May 19. Fifth per month if they make an abled. We should maintain the
grade is when this important "annual" appointment with infrastructure, police, emer-
part of American history their doctor for a physical, gency services and military at
current levels only. We must
promote private enterprise,
self-reliance, stop new spend-
ing and pay down our national
debt.
Dr. Trent Saxton
Lake Davis
Stage 1
I attended a significant pub-
lic meeting last week put on by
the California Office of Court
Construction and Management,
concerning the location and
building of a new courthouse in
Quincy. The project manager
outlined the four-stage, five-
year process involved.
Last week's gathering pri-
marily concerned Stage 1, the
site selection and acquisition
process. The project manager
made it clear that while two
particular properties were to
be discussed (Dame Shirley
and the nearby Highway 70
swamp), no final decision was
near and local public input
was seriously desired.
The architectural team gave
an excellent presentation and
responded to audience ques-
tions and suggestions. Superi-
or Court Judges Kaufman and
Hilde participated knowl-
edgably. Supervisor Lori
Simpson clarified a number of
issues. The audience chimed
in with great passion.
A fine meeting. Except:
A woman whom I took to be
the state's real estate representa-
tive sat in a back corner of the
courtroom and seemed reluctant
to respond to any questions
regarding her province. The
few responses she did offer
were vague, bringing me to
my primary concern:
While the state management
team seems serious about
making the whole project
transparent and "local friend-
ly," the site selection process
seems about as clear as Span-
ish Creek at flood stage. Sup-
posedly 32 (or 39) properties
were considered, and then
winnowed down to the afore-
mentioned pair, both having
serious warts. These, and oth-
er concerns, were touched up-
on during the open discussion
segment of the meeting, but
lack of time precluded their
being fully explored.
With due respect to the sin-
cere, dedicated people saddled
with the thankless chore of
picking a site, I strongly feel
that the process should be re-
addressed, beginning with a
well-publicized public meeting
at a venue large enough for all
interested parties to partici-
pate, allowing enough time to
thrash out the myriad isstles
-- parking, traffic congestion,
effects upon local businesses,
downtown vs. East-town, etc.
Afterwards, hopefully, we
can unite as a community and
move on to face the really im-
portant question of the day --
is Donald Trump really the
love-child of the Dali Lama
and Mother Teresa?
Win Youens
Meadow Valley
......... IIIIIIIIII ......III III ...........,i