Oroville Trails: Please thank Rex Burress
In the long term (and a fifty year license if the Oroville dam is a long term), the Oroville area is very attractive to retirees because of the beauty, serenity, and access to a variety of recreational opportunities. Adding bikes to most trails is a one size fits all approach that does not need to occur in Oroville because of the great amount of available DWR and DPR land.Dear Editor,
Please thank Rex Burress for his excellent letter on preservation of the traditional hiking/equestrian trails in the new license for the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area. In the future, retirees who move to the area will appreciate having access to hiking trails without mountain bikers roaring down a fast slope towards them. Retirees do ride mountain bikes, but usually on a more flat and wide surface like the Railroad Grade or in the Afterbay area.
A petition to support preservation of Oroville's hiking/equestrian opportunities garnered over 1,000 signatures in ten days! I don't think it is too late for people to continue to voice their opinions to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting that they preserve a variety of trails experiences by not converting the 17.5 miles of traditional hiking/equestrian trails to multi-use. Readers can send letters, or even a hand written postcard to:
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street N E.
Washington, D. C. 20426
Re: Feather River Project, Project No. 2100 .
The City of Oroville General Plan supports providing a variety of opportunities for recreation. It would be sad to see all the trails in Oroville except a small segment at Loafer Creek converted to add bicycle use. It's hard to count Sycamore Hill as a hiking/equestrian trail because in the new license there isn't access to it without competing with mountain bikers. Other areas in California have many opportunities for hiking and equestrian use without bikes. Oroville would kind of set a precedent in California by eliminating that opportunity for relaxed hiking.
By the way, his moss editorial in Wednesday's Oroville Mercury Register evoked picturesque images of a lovely area.
Valerie Fischer Gates
NCCC Cut from President Bush's Budget
Please write letters & Help
Save AmeriCorps National Civilian Community
Corps. They help both at CNPS' Demonstration Garden and with the
Sacramento
Weed Warriors.
[mailto:savethenccc@mac.com]
Hello friends,
I am writing to inform you of some very disturbing news. Today, the
President announced his budget. In this budget, he proposed cutting
the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. I was a Corps Member and Team Leader in the NCCC and it has a deep
place in my heart. I owe a great deal of who I am today to my NCCC
experiences. The thought that it will not be around is deeply
disturbing to me and I plan to fight to save it.
As a former or current NCCC project sponsor, you understand the
valuable service NCCC teams provide to communities in need. I encourage you to join me in this fight. Please forward this
message to other NCCC alumni and friends.
Please visit www.savenccc.org
for information on how you can get
involved.
I thank you for your consideration and together we can SAVE the NCCC!
Yours in service,
Thomas Howard, Jr. Class IV CM, Charleston Class IX TL, DC
SacValley CNPS Conservation Committee
The SacValley CNPS Conservation Committee is always looking for new volunteers to help save the common and rare plant species and communities in our large chapter area that includes: Sacramento, Yolo, Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, lower Placer and northern San Joaquin County areas. There are various ways you can help. You can alert the committee about planning documents that affect the local flora, by adopting a site. You can attend your local city council meetings as a CNPS representative (fully supported by CNPS staff or on your own). You can help review environmental documents that pertain to areas you are familiar with. Or you can participate solely by e-mail, weighing in with your expertise when questions arise (and they arise on a daily basis). Help turn the SacValley CNPS conservation program from re-active to pro-active, by getting involved in any of the issues or on-going conservation programs noted below TODAY!
CONSERVATION MISSION STATEMENT We seek to improve conservation of rare plants and vegetation through:
Each of these activities contributes to the conservation of rare plants and vegetation; and the participation and leadership of volunteers is needed for each of these on-going efforts. There is so much work for us to do, and this work will make a difference in the future of native plants in the Sacramento region. If you are interested in any of these general activities, or any of the specific activities noted below please contact either of our conservation chairs: Mary Maret or John Hunter; Rare Plant Chair: Russell Huddleston; or Chapter Botanist: Glen Holstein.
CONSERVATION ACTION ALERTS and REPORTS Below are action alerts/reports provided by our the Chapter Botanist,
Glen Holstein.as well as Conservation and Rare Plant committee members:
Dramatic Increase In
Herbicide Use Proposed By BLM
January 9, 2006 Forwarded from American Lands Alliance
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to dramatically increase herbicide use on almost 1 million acres (932,000) of public land across 17 western states. A new draft Environmental Impact Statement was prepared to address the explosion of aggressive invasive weeds that subsume native vegetation that sustains wildlife and biodiversity.
Logging, road building, off road vehicles and livestock grazing are the primary causes for the massive introduction and establishment of invasive weeds. Invasive weeds “hitchhike” on the tires of logging trucks and ORVs, on livestock hooves and in feces, and are easily established wherever the ground has been disturbed.
Rather than address the causes of spreading invasives by eliminating these activities, the BLM proposes to address the symptoms by increasing the use of herbicides that poison the air, land, water, wildlife and humans and require the use of mechanized equipment for application. Until the agency addresses the causes of weed invasions, its proposed treatments for the weed invasion and other undesirable vegetation will fail.
Your Help is Needed
Please help by submitting comments to the BLM on the PEIS and
PER,
[If this link does not work go to: www.blm.gov
and scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Vegetation EIS.]
Send your comments (due February 10th 2006) to:
Mr. Brian Amme
PEIS Program Manager Bureau of Land Management Nevada State Office
PO Box 12000 Reno, Nevada 80520-0006 Fax: 775.861-0006
Cordylanthus at Woodland, CA site Threatened: Action/Letters Needed
I was at the Woodland site (north of Rd 25 at Rd 103; south of the treatment ponds) on Sunday 4/24 with a volunteer from Humboldt State. We had planned to hand-clear some of the
Lolium that has taken over out there. We focused on cordylanthus plants.
The Lolium is tall this year (three feet ±) and forms the dominant cover
on the site. The only place it has not established is on the few alkali
scalds. The contrast was striking. The scalds support Hemizonia,
Lasthenia, Spergularia, Deschampsia danthonoides, Atriplex cordulata etc.
No weeds. We observed fewer than 100 COPA plants initially. However, after
lifting lodged Lolium, we found quite a few small seedlings that had been
crushed by the rye grass. We cut back the rye grass from around the plants
and seedlings and attempted to clear some from a couple of the remaining
salicornia plants. Dave and I plan to revisit the site later on to see how
many plants actually survive to reproductive size and produce seed.
However, in the absence of active management, I do not believe that
cordylanthus will persist at this site for more than two seasons. Atriplex
joaquiniana seems to be doing ok, however.
Other weeds are becoming established as well. Black mustard, perennial
pepperweed, and Italian thistle are coming in. The site has been further
disturbed by installation of a very large concrete culvert on Woodland
property at the junction of Rd 25 and 103. A large area adjacent to the
culvert has been cleared of all vegetation. There used to be Salicornia
there. Visqueen and rip-rap have been placed there along with a straw
mulch. The culvert and drains are part of the drainage system for Spring
Lake development. I would expect new or the same weeds here now.
We did not walk to the northeastern part of the field at the toe of the
treatment ponds. This area had also been graded before. A large pond has
formed there in previous years, but has been breached, probably by mosquito
abatement folks. To our knowledge (Carol Witham and I were out there awhile back)
no one has surveyed this pond for vernal pool invertebrates and it would
likely support the tadpole shrimp. Downingia can be found there on
occasion.
To summarize, there are several issues: 1) lack of management at the site will likely result in the loss of cordylanthus; 2) a survey should be taken to determine if tadpole shrimp could have occupied the pond if it can be done- I don't know if cysts can be found in drying mud; 3) the city has not finalized the contract with the Center for Lands Management to manage the site; 4) the developer is pushing to just fence the site, restrict access, and go away; 5) a management plan needs to be developed and implemented. CNLM will not work on one until a contract is signed; 6) I know of no one who has checked to even see if the "salvaged soil" for the astragalus even grew plants this year. This was also supposed to be mitigation for pond construction.
DFG has written a letter to the city asking for resolution on the issue of weed abatement and focused on the listed species. It recommended immediate grazing by goats. It stated that the tall lolium and lodged grass does not provide suitable foraging habitat for Swainsons hawk. The preserve is supposed to provide habitat for both of these species.
I believe it would be very helpful for the city to hear from other concerned individuals and organizations. Any letter should stress that the alkali area is a significant type of habitat and that management should focus on weed abatement and restoring the site to some semblance of its natural condition. Hydrology has been altered and should be fixed to allow overland flows again. I believe that many of the native species, especially distichlis, will rebound if the weeds are eliminated. Ecological burning may also be valuable. And a letter should also let the city know that others are watching and concerned about what is going on out there.
I leave the rest to you. Thanks again,
Glen Holstein
SacValley CNPS Chapter Botanist.
GENERAL PLANS
General Plans serve as the blueprint for development and resource
management. They contain goals, objectives, policies, and implementation
measures that are revised periodically. The following counties and cities
are in the midst of such revisions, and for each there is a website and
the names of CNPS contacts who can provide further information.
Yolo County
Visit the General Plan site. CNPS Contact: Glen Holstein.
Sacramento County
CNPS Contacts: Mary Maret, Glen Holstein,
John Hunter.
Lincoln
The city of Lincoln may be getting ready to update its general plan. If you live in Lincoln, and have an interest in conservation, you could contact the
City's Community Development Department at (916) 645-3320 for further information.
Rancho Cordova
Visit the General Plan site. Currently there is no CNPS contact, but there are plenty of vernal pools. If you live in Rancho Cordova, you could contribute to conservation in your community by participating in the update of your general plan. For further information see the Notice of Preparation (NOP) posted at the web address above, or contact Paul Junker, Planning Director, (916) 942-0277. (If you do become involved, please let one of our Conservation Co-Chairs know.)
Wheatland
Currently there is no CNPS contact, but there are plants and their ecosystems to conserve. If you live in Wheatland, you could contribute to conservation in your community by participating in the update of your general plan. For further information on the update of your general plan, contact Lisa J. Welch, City Clerk, City of Wheatland, 530-633-2761, or e-mail the city. (If you do become involved, please let one of our Conservation Co-Chairs know.)
CONSERVATION PLANS
Besides general plans, there are several long-term plans being developed that are focused primarily on conservation. These are especially important for native plants and plant communities. Several of these are described below.
American River Parkway Plan Update
This plan guides resource management for the American River Parkway. For further information, contact Frank Wallace or Peggy Berry, or
see the Web site.
Yolo County HCP/NCCP
Just as General Plans guide development, Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and Natural Communities Conservation Plans (NCCPs) guide long-term conservation. Right now, Yolo County is trying to create an HCP/NCCP for the entire county. For further information contact
Glen Holstein..
Yuba/Sutter HCP/NCCP
Yuba and Sutter Counties are jointly developing an HCP/NCCP for a portion of their lands. There is no CNPS contact for this project and they are currently forming a stakeholder group. So if you live in these counties, please
see the site for further information. (If you do become involved, please let one of our Conservation Co-Chairs know.)
BLM Ukiah District RMP
This Resource Management Plan will guide future uses of the botanically rich Bureau of Land Management lands in the inner North Coast Ranges, including Walker Ridge (which looks down on Bear Valley). The alternatives for the plan are now being developed, and our chapter has participated in the process to date. However, our comments and concerns have not been recognized. For further information contact
John Hunter., or see the site.
ONGOING CONSERVATION PROJECTS
Mather Field Vernal Pools | Longview Oaks |
American
River Parkway | Weed Warriors