Bob Laskodi
11-11-2009, 12:55 PM
Alert: Public Access to the Lower Yuba is at risk!
It has come to my attention that a plan to close access to the public below the Highway 20 bridge (Park's Bar area) has been in the works for months. As many know who fish the river, most access above the bridge was closed off a few years ago, leading to formation of a private fishing club, Yuba Outdoor Adventures. As a result, most public fishing now happens below the bridge, or within walking access up stream from there. Now, it appears that if this plan goes through that access will become severely limited, or blocked.
Western Aggregate, the company that owns the land below the bridge on the south side of the river has been negotiating with the South Yuba River Citizens League, SYRCL, a non-profit environmental organization, about a conservation easement. Apparently, this easement will allow a restoration project in the flood plain below the bridge. SYRCL has a statement on their website, www.yubariver.net, about this project. The key statement in the article on the project is, "appropriate public access." SYRCL has not been open about what this means, and the comments made by a board member indicates access will be very limited in the three miles of lands below the bridge.
Call to action:
Phone calls to SYRCL, 530 265-5961, requesting they not agree to reduced or limited access to fly fishers. Tell them you do not agree with broad closure of the three miles of land in order to proceed with this restoration project.
Letters to SYRCL - 216 Main Street, Nevada City, CA. 95959 - Tell them you do not agree with blocking access to the public in order to facilitate this project. The Yuba is a highly valued fishery to many in the central California area, and should remain open to the public. Motorized vehicle restrictions should be started if ATV activity is a problem, not blocking all access. If you have or are supporting SYRCL financially, please consider telling them you will stop that support if they proceed. Purse string pressure will have great impact. Be passionate in your appeal.
Fly Club Response - It is critically important that as many clubs do letters and calls as possible! We cannot win this battle without a good response from all our clubs who may have members who fish the Yuba. Please encourage your club to do a letter immediately! Time is of the essence!
Sample letter:
Dear________:
It has come to our attention that SYRCL has entered into an agreement with Western Aggregate Co. and others that would lead to closing public access to the lower Yuba River, below Highway 20 (south side). We/I call on you to terminate this agreement and withdraw from this agreement immediately. It is not in the interest of SYRCL or the public to close off the remaining access to prime Yuba River fishing. The public has few good locations to fish many rivers and streams in the area already, and further limiting access on the Yuba is simply not acceptable.
We agree that recovery of spring Chinook and Steelhead is and should be a goal of SYRCL, but it is our understanding that the flood plain below the Highway 20 bridge is not a good location for a restoration project, and the money could be spent in other areas better suited for fishery efforts. Using this project as justification to close off the land to the public is inappropriate, especially since you are using public money to fund it. You seem willing to say, "thanks for providing public tax money for the project, and by the way, the public will not be allowed in the area." This is fundamentally wrong. Many restoration projects in California have been done without any public access restrictions. If some restriction is required, then do so in the area of the project only, not throughout the entire three miles below the bridge.
We ask you to reconsider what you are proposing. If you proceed, we certainly will no longer promote SYRCL as a good environmental organization to support financially. We will spread the word about your negative impacts on fly anglers, and willingness to block the public from good fishing access on our California Rivers.
Sincerely,
Thanks for your help with this effort. Losing this river to fly fishers simply is not acceptable!
Mark Rockwell
VP Conservation, NCCFFF
530 432-0100
It has come to my attention that a plan to close access to the public below the Highway 20 bridge (Park's Bar area) has been in the works for months. As many know who fish the river, most access above the bridge was closed off a few years ago, leading to formation of a private fishing club, Yuba Outdoor Adventures. As a result, most public fishing now happens below the bridge, or within walking access up stream from there. Now, it appears that if this plan goes through that access will become severely limited, or blocked.
Western Aggregate, the company that owns the land below the bridge on the south side of the river has been negotiating with the South Yuba River Citizens League, SYRCL, a non-profit environmental organization, about a conservation easement. Apparently, this easement will allow a restoration project in the flood plain below the bridge. SYRCL has a statement on their website, www.yubariver.net, about this project. The key statement in the article on the project is, "appropriate public access." SYRCL has not been open about what this means, and the comments made by a board member indicates access will be very limited in the three miles of lands below the bridge.
Call to action:
Phone calls to SYRCL, 530 265-5961, requesting they not agree to reduced or limited access to fly fishers. Tell them you do not agree with broad closure of the three miles of land in order to proceed with this restoration project.
Letters to SYRCL - 216 Main Street, Nevada City, CA. 95959 - Tell them you do not agree with blocking access to the public in order to facilitate this project. The Yuba is a highly valued fishery to many in the central California area, and should remain open to the public. Motorized vehicle restrictions should be started if ATV activity is a problem, not blocking all access. If you have or are supporting SYRCL financially, please consider telling them you will stop that support if they proceed. Purse string pressure will have great impact. Be passionate in your appeal.
Fly Club Response - It is critically important that as many clubs do letters and calls as possible! We cannot win this battle without a good response from all our clubs who may have members who fish the Yuba. Please encourage your club to do a letter immediately! Time is of the essence!
Sample letter:
Dear________:
It has come to our attention that SYRCL has entered into an agreement with Western Aggregate Co. and others that would lead to closing public access to the lower Yuba River, below Highway 20 (south side). We/I call on you to terminate this agreement and withdraw from this agreement immediately. It is not in the interest of SYRCL or the public to close off the remaining access to prime Yuba River fishing. The public has few good locations to fish many rivers and streams in the area already, and further limiting access on the Yuba is simply not acceptable.
We agree that recovery of spring Chinook and Steelhead is and should be a goal of SYRCL, but it is our understanding that the flood plain below the Highway 20 bridge is not a good location for a restoration project, and the money could be spent in other areas better suited for fishery efforts. Using this project as justification to close off the land to the public is inappropriate, especially since you are using public money to fund it. You seem willing to say, "thanks for providing public tax money for the project, and by the way, the public will not be allowed in the area." This is fundamentally wrong. Many restoration projects in California have been done without any public access restrictions. If some restriction is required, then do so in the area of the project only, not throughout the entire three miles below the bridge.
We ask you to reconsider what you are proposing. If you proceed, we certainly will no longer promote SYRCL as a good environmental organization to support financially. We will spread the word about your negative impacts on fly anglers, and willingness to block the public from good fishing access on our California Rivers.
Sincerely,
Thanks for your help with this effort. Losing this river to fly fishers simply is not acceptable!
Mark Rockwell
VP Conservation, NCCFFF
530 432-0100