State News:
March Chapter Conservation Chairs Meeting
Walker Ridge, now Molok Luyuk
Nick Jensen, CNPS Conservation Program Director, reported at our March Chapter Conservation Chairs meeting that progress is being made on HR 6366, which would add nearly 4,000 acres of land in Lake County to Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Introduced by Congressman John Garamendi as Snow Mountain Expansion Act, House Resolution 6366 is a bill that sets the stage for the conservation and long-term management of Walker Ridge. Jensen also reported that Bureau of Land Management has removed the area from consideration for wind development.
Walker Ridge will now be called Molok Luyuk, Patwin for Condor Ridge, a name suggested by various tribes working in a broad coalition with environmental groups to protect this area, which has many rare plants. The bill still has to pass the House and Senate.
Rooftop Solar
CNPS has opposed efforts by California utilities to drastically reduce incentives for rooftop solar energy by changing California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regulations. These proposed changes would increase hookup fees for rooftop solar and drastically reduce the amount that utilities would pay rooftop solar owners for electricity they supply to the grid. Due to overwhelming opposition to the proposed changes at a public meeting in January, the CPUC has taken no action on the proposal. CNPS is opposed to disincentivizing rooftop solar as this would lead to greater development of large solar farms that destroy native plant habitats. Rooftop solar also means less land used for transmission lines and less electricity lost over long transmission lines. Let’s hope a compromise can be worked out that will continue to incentivize rooftop solar without putting utility overhead costs onto those without solar rooftop energy.
Local News
Progress on Oregon Gulch
Oregon Gulch is a natural preserve on City-owned land in southwest Redding at the end of Kenyon Drive. Due to the work of our Shasta Chapter, with support from Wintu Audubon, Shasta Group of Sierra Club, Horsetown-Clear Creek Preserve, Trails and Bikeways Council of Greater Redding, Streams and Greenways Alliance, and other groups, and working in tangent with the support of Redding Community Services (RCS), we were able to get the City to designate this land as permanent Open Space, protected from development.
Shasta Environmental Alliance, using a grant from the Bower Charitable Foundation, has put up fencing and cables to keep dirt bikes off some of the steep slopes and has purchased 20 concrete barriers to be placed at entryways to keep 4 x 4s and quads from causing erosion damage. Travis Menne of RCS has arranged to place the concrete barriers at entry points and just got Western Area Power Administration to agree to buy two large yellow iron gates to keep off-highway vehicles from trespassing on their service roads. Redding Community Services has agreed to install the gates. All of these improvements will bring a great deal of protection to the area. Thanks to all who have worked to get to this point.
~David Ledger, Conservation Chair
