The North Coast is still recovering from hundreds of fires started by lightening storms on September 3. Fifty-nine fires started in Humboldt County alone. Many of these were put out by volunteer fire departments. CDF (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) was spread thin dealing with these lightening fires throughout the region -- mostly in Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Trinity Counties.
In CDF's necessary triage, two remote fires were left to burn: one in the headwaters of Honeydew Creek on the northeast flank of King Peak, and another in the middle of the Canoe Creek Watershed between Myers Flat and Weott on the west side of the South Fork Eel River. They did not immediately threaten homes, and were in wilderness settings, Honeydew in the BLM King Range Conservation Area, and Canoe Creek in a predominately old-growth unit of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. For almost two weeks the Honeydew fire smoldered and burned in one area, and the Canoe fire generally stayed on the forest floor. Then strong winds came up out of the northeast and fanned the flames.
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At the height of the fire 2500 personnel aided surppresion efforts, including `hotshot' units from all around the west, CDF and Conservation Camp Crews, BLM, U.S. Forest Service, and California Municipal Fire Departments. Smoke conditions were drastic at times, especially when controlled back-burns to create firebreaks were conducted while temperature inversions concentrated the smoke in the valleys. Smoky conditions plagued the area between Eureka and Leggett, and were most intense in areas between the coast and Garberville, Myers Flat, and Weott. Fire fighting costs so far total more than $30 million. Over 60 firefighters were injured, some seriously.
No dwellings were destroyed in Salmon Creek, but it was close at times. Large areas of Salmon Creek were under precautionary evacuations. Most fire damage was to the Chapman Ranch. It was only through more heroic efforts that the Grasshopper Peak fire lookout tower between Canoe and Bull Creeks was saved. Strong and shifting winds created very hazardous conditions, and there were several emergency evacuations of firefighters. The Honeydew fire actually circled back around King Peak to the south and east and at one point was an imminent threat to the Wilder Ridge and Ettersburg areas.
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Speaking of salmon and steelhead recovery, watershed and habitat restoration work has been going on all over the North Coast. There's a huge road decommissioning and crossing removal project underway in the Sinkyone Wilderness. Sanctuary Forest continues its work in the upper Mattole. Parks and Recreation is hard at it in Bull Creek. And these are just a few higher profile local examples. Some of the work continues to be controversial and will be examined in this column.
Sanctuary Forest has included one grade control in this season's work at a critical site to prevent erosion from adversely affecting fisheries habitat. Work being done in Hollow Tree Creek, a very important and large tributary of the South Fork Eel River, includes erosion prevention measures with large wood placement to help control sedimentation and improve fish habitat. Hopefully restoration practices will improve in the next couple of years to include adequate stabilization and habitat improvement measures. Appropriate protocols for various types of situations need to be established. The cost issues also need to be dealt with and adequate funding allocated at all levels.
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*EPIC and the Sierra Club won their Headwaters Deal/Sustained Yield lawsuit against the State and Pacific Lumber/Maxxam (PL), but the judge failed to grant an adequate remedy.
*The fight over Waste Discharge Requirements for timber operations continues with the State Water Resources Control Board and others.
*The saga of the Five Adversely and Significantly Cumulatively Impaired by Sediment Watersheds, so declared by State Agencies in December of 1997, continues. Elk River and Freshwater, Bear, Jordan, and Stitz Creeks have been a sore issue for several agencies. The second Report of the Independent Scientific Review Panel is out and contentious debate amongst PL, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (WQ), other agencies and the public continues unabated. A couple of the latest developments include calls for dredging parts of Elk River and Freshwater Creek to give a quick fix to aggraded reaches from sedimentation that have increased the frequency and magnitude of flooding. WQ has also nominated the Elk River for designation as a `Sensitive Watershed' at the Board of Forestry (BoF) -- very strange as the BoF couldn't even bring itself to designate the Mattole as such several years ago. If a watershed is impaired and needs measures beyond the Forest Practice Act and Rules, it is supposed to be designated as a `Sensitive Watershed' and appropriate measures undertaken. The Five Watersheds qualify de facto. We'll see how this exercise plays out.
*In a recent federal ruling in an EPIC case over Bear Creek, Judge Patel contends that point source control of pollution under the Clean Water Act applies to culverts and ditches. PL and others contend that they only need to meet non-point source guidelines which are generally less rigorous and
more subjective.
*The Department of Fish & Game's (DF&G) Coho Recovery Plan/Strategy process to deal with the listed coho salmon issue continues. The Plan/Strategy is supposed to be done by December. Lots of paper has been generated and many `good positions and measures' have received majority votes by the Recovery Team - (comprised of over twenty `stakeholders'), but how it will be implemented is the big deal.
*In the midst of the big flurry over the recall election, legislation has been signed by outgoing Governor Davis. Some noteworthy examples:
*SB 810 (Burton) -- Gives WQ a voice equal to CDF's in approving harvest plans in sediment-impaired watersheds in range of the coho. Much amending compromised this bill, but this is a significant advance. Kudos to Joe Nation, John Burton, Paul Mason, and others in getting this made into law.
*AB 47 (Simitian) -- A bill initially dealing with various aspects of cumulative impacts. It was amended mercilessly. The only surviving provision of the original bill states that the BoF must map harvests and other projects conducted for the previous 10 years, as well and current and future projects, in the Watershed Assessment Area .
However, the bill specifically prohibits mapping of projects older than 10 years as well as projects that have proprietary information. Projects older than 10 years often have the biggest adverse impacts on a watershed. Also, the industry usually won't divulge future projects, claiming proprietary information. Sad situation. At one time AB 47 required that riparian areas lacking shade and other essential elements be mapped. This would have provided information vital for replanting of those areas to benefit salmon and steelhead and other aquatic life and watershed residents. Apparently that was too controversial.
*SB 297 (Chesbro) -- A modest bill that allows DF&G to contract for watershed restoration work for up to five years, rather than the current two years. This is seen to benefit complex projects, monitoring needs, reduction of adverse short term impacts, and worker benefits such as greater certainty of employment and better training.
Other quick notes:
*SB 754 (Perata) -- The Heritage Tree Protection Act failed to get enough votes in the Assembly and as a result is now a two-year bill. A rule petition for disclosure, notification, and facilitation of old growth protection is in the Policy and Management Committee of the BoF. An Old Growth Rules Package should be heard before the BoF in 2004.
Again: Stay tuned and get involved whenever and wherever you can.
Please pray for rain and abundant fish runs.
See you out there.