McCLoud, Upper Sac, Klammath in DANGER!!

[sacfly]

The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors recently created a draft "Natural Resources Plan" which would designate every river in Siskiyou county (except the Klamath) as non-navigable -- a designation which would make it illegal for you to wade the rivers adjacent to private property.

In other words, they want to take away your legal right to access the McCloud, Upper Sac, Scott, Shasta and Salmon -- rights you already enjoy.

The plan is largely focused squarely on timber, mining and cattle interests, and in one spot it even stipulates that all cattle grazing allotments must be managed to produce maximum forage for cattle, and that all other interests are secondary (and that includes fisheries). There's also a section protecting suction dredge mining, but not a single mention of protections for fisheries.



You can compose a single, polite e-mail to the supervisors saying you oppose their Natural Resource Policies document and its provisions -- which include taking away your legal right to access public waterways and promoting policies that damage economically significant fisheries -- and send it to all Siskiyou County's Board of Supervisors (emails below). All the supervisors should hear from you, but keep in mind that Marcia Armstrong is pushing this plan, and that Michael Kobseff also serves on that committee.

Michael Kobseff
mkobseff@co.siskiyou.ca.us
(530) 918-9128

Marcia Armstrong (it's her plan)
marmstrong@co.siskiyou.ca.us
(530) 468-2824

LaVada Erickson (she’s on our side, but isolated politically)
erickson5031@sbcglobal.net
(530) 926-1285

Jim Cook (McCloud rep and supporter of the plan — let him know how much the town stands to lose)
jimcook@snowcrest.net
(530) 459-0459

Bill Overman
bandm@nctv.com
(530) 842-5389

You can also take that same letter, and send it to the letters to the editor at the siskiyou daily, very easy to do, just go to http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/
look at the far top right for letter to the editor, click on it, fill out the info and paste you letter in the box. If you cant find it, http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/shared-content/perform/?domain_name=siskiyoudaily.com&form_template=letters should take you there.

Try to pass this on so every day 10 letters to the editors are posted in protest from people who fish this area from all over the world!

[bruce mace]

How about a link to the document? I would like to read the draft language before sending any comment.

[chapmag]

http://users.sisqtel.net/armstrng/draftnatrespolicy.htm

Water Resources section, item 12.

[jhaquett]

I sent opposition to all of them and sent a letter to the siskiyou daily... 8)

[bigtj]

OK I read the plan and in at least two places it says fishing and hunting won't be affected, only access for scientific survey. Where does it say that fisherman can't access the river?

That being said I don't think they have a prayer at this...the state has jurisdiction on navigability and they would have to overturn history on this since logs were floated down all these rivers (floating logs is usually evidence of navigability).

The scariest part of the proposal for me is the idea of no new wilderness areas or roadless areas. Obviously, this was written to avoid federal land-grabs of private property. I can understand their concern but I think the wording in the document is too strong, too absolute. I'll write to oppose.

[OregonSalmon]

SacFly,

Thanks for the post since measures like these have a huge impact on our resources. Keep that eyeball out to keep us informed. The best way to be an American is what you did with your post SacFly: information on what the government is doing. The Founding Fathers would buy you a mug of beer and give you some sort of barley hug for doing what you do. Keep it up pal.....never give up....never look back....they might be gaining on you.

BigTj,
The issue of navigablity has been driving me nuts since I was 15. Couple of rat bastards on the Illionis River (Oregon) told me I had to stand in the river to fish since they owned the property. Since then it has come up over and over and no one seems to have a solution. I did research this 5 years back because of a dispute on the Dechutes in Bend and found one case: Muckleshoot Tribe vs. U.S. In that ruling, a river was deemed navigatable if ceder logs had been floated down it. It was specific to the wood. What was so frieakin' funny, is the people who objected to deeming that part of the stream navagatible are the owners of the Old Mill District in Bend!!!! The place is being devolped on the old mill and ceder is everywhere!!!! Hence my insanity.

The only way to settle the issue is to take it directly to the ballot with an initiative because there is no way the legiislature is ever going to do a damn thing. They fail every time in Oregon. It is more simple than wiping my ass yet never gets anywhere. I'm taking this issue to my grave or getting it on the ballot. Then again, I might just bite off Mike Tyson's ear.

[BigBill]

A profile of the culprit.

http://www.co.siskiyou.ca.us/bos/bios/district5.htm

27 years in the corporate world, no wonder she is a pro development greed monger. She probably doesn't even remember when she sold out. And to think, she is from my alma mater, the UW.