A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 24, 2008
3. Watersheds -
Judge has clear choice in Headwaters settlement -
San Francisco Chronicle
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Judge has clear choice in Headwaters settlement
Sacramento
By Mike Chrisman - Special to The Bee
Mike Chrisman is the secretary for the California Resources Agency.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has weighed in on the Pacific Lumber Co. reorganization decision that could be made very soon by a
For the second time in nearly as many months, the governor sent a letter to the judge in
In his letter, the governor endorsed the Marathon/Mendocino Redwood Co. plan as the best way to ensure that these principles are met and that the agreement is preserved in the bankruptcy proceedings.
Time and again, we have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting our state's natural resources. As
As the governor said in his letter, "For the people of
A successful outcome of the Pacific Lumber Co. bankruptcy will turn on the sound management practices for the future of these lands. We believe the Mendocino Redwood plan does just that and is better suited for this purpose than either of the two other plans being considered by the court.
On Jan. 29, Schwarzenegger asked the court to consider a set of principles in selecting a plan:
• Ensuring that timberlands will be managed in accordance with the Headwaters Forest Agreement and the habitat conservation plan, in keeping with all state and federal regulations.
• Maintaining a level of commercial harvest that will ensure sustainable, high-quality timber production over the long term while preserving and enhancing watershed and wildlife protection.
• Minimizing adverse impacts to the local economy and preserve as many local employment opportunities as possible.
• Maximizing the greenhouse gas reduction benefits that could be generated in timberland management.
Following the governor's articulation of these principles, plan holders were given the opportunity to make presentations before a group of federal, state and local parties at the California Resources Agency so we could fully understand and fairly evaluate each plan using the governor's principles as a guide. Each of the plan holders presented their plans, each of which addressed our concerns in keeping with the principles, but in the end when all plans were analyzed and compared, one stood above the rest in adhering to these principles: the
The Mendocino Redwood plan, as the governor said in his letter, "offers the best opportunity by far to advance and protect both the economic and environmental value of these assets over the long term," our paramount interest in these proceedings from the beginning.
The company is committed to sustainable forestry practices that will actually harvest fewer trees, while growing more, than either of the other organizations.
The plan provides old growth protection for the property, meaning old growth trees cannot be cut except for safety reasons. This is a higher level of protection than provided in the habitat conservation plan. The plan will also protect more jobs – Marathon is the only bidder that has said it will affirmatively invest $7.5 million into a sawmill in the town of
Moreover, the company is based in
We have every hope that U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Richard Schmidt will recognize the importance of California's interests and give strong consideration to the governor's opinion in working to approve a solution that secures the public trust.#
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/885550.html
San Francisco Chronicle – 4/24/08
By Tom Stienstra, staff writer
The best trout fishing of the year in
In a mission to re-establish
Before pike were introduced illegally into the lake,
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/23/SP2Q10B35P.DTL
San Francisco Chronicle – 4/24/08
By Peter Fimrite, staff writer
A state task force recommended Wednesday a permanent ban on fishing in selected spots of ocean from
The proposal by the Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force would protect dozens of species, including rockfish - yellow eye, canary, bocaccio - northern red abalone, seabirds and sea lions and other marine mammals underwater and all along that section of coast.
Salmon are not among the fish whose habitats are targeted for protection, but the beleaguered species would undoubtedly benefit if a ban on salmon fishing is ever lifted.
The network of state marine reserves would include Point Arena in
The plan, hashed out during a two-day hearing at the Embassy Suites Hotel in
Last year, on recommendations from another task force, the state Fish and Game Commission established 29 similar reserves, protecting from human activities 110 square miles along the central coast, from
The task force has negotiated for months over the newest proposal with environmentalists, commercial fishermen, sport anglers, divers, citizens, civic leaders and other stakeholders from coastal towns up and down the coast.
'The hard part'
"We know that marine protected areas work. Creating them is the hard part," said Karen Garrison, co-director of the Natural Resources Defense Council oceans program. "The result isn't all that we wanted, but the task force has protected real iconic places. They're recommending a new set of underwater parks that we hope will provide a long-term legacy."
The task force recommendation, which will go before the Fish & Game Commission during a special meeting in June, would create 18 marine protected areas. In all, 11 percent of state coastal waters between
The regulations, which cover only state-controlled waters, would establish varying levels of protection for numerous other areas.
Bodega Marine Reserve covers the north central coast, but it takes in only 0.2 nautical square miles, according to regulators.
The north central coast is the second of five regions in
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger initiated stakeholder discussions four years ago and is in charge of appointing a five-person task force to come up with recommendations for each region.
In addition to the central and north central coasts, the network of reserves will eventually include the north, south and
"In drafting the legislation, our objective was to protect these areas and marine life resources and preserve and protect the fishing population from overuse," said former San Francisco Assemblyman Kevin Shelley, author of the legislation. "The stakeholders and the task force have done a remarkable job in coming together in achieving what the Legislature intended in passing the law."
Not everyone pleased
Not everyone was happy with the plan that state wildlife officials are calling "a legacy of thriving Yosemites of the sea."
"They set aside 11 percent as fully protected reserves, which means almost 90 percent is open to some kind of fishing," said Samantha Murray, program manager for the Ocean Conservancy. "At the end of the day, not all habitat is created equal, and I think they missed out on protecting some really special places."
On the other hand, Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, complained that the process focuses only on fishing and not other environmental problems.
"What is so grating is that people are pretending that this is about conservation when all it really does is shut down fishing," Grader said. "These guys are deathly afraid to take on any sort of water pollution that is going to affect these fisheries. In the end, fishermen will be stuck with these closures forever whether they work or not."
The proposed ban comes in the shadow of a collapse of the salmon fishery and a pending decision to halt ocean fishing of chinook. It is hoped that the latest proposal will help resuscitate flagging populations of rockfish, a complex of bottom-dwelling fishes that was once a mainstay of the state's commercial and sport fisheries.
Environmentalists say the proposal could also protect crucial habitat that helps sustain everything from sea slugs to gray whales.
The task force recommendation is a compromise of three different proposals developed over the past year by an advisory group of conservationists, fishermen, scientists, boaters and divers.
The three other alternatives will be reviewed by the Fish & Game Commission along with the preferred alternative. The June hearing will be followed by public hearings. A final decision is not expected until December.
What's next
-- The proposal and three alternatives will go before the state Fish & Game Commission for review.
-- The commission will hold a public hearing in June followed by a public comment period.
-- A final decision is expected in December.#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/23/MNG810AHQJ.DTL
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