Forestry and TMDL News

FORESTRY/TMDL NEWS - WATER QUALITY INITIATIVES RELATED TO FORESTRY

I think we all agree that WATER QUALITY INITIATIVES RELATED TO FORESTRY have an important role in attaining our objective of forestry reform. Some interested parties have bought into the idea, more or less, with some actually taking an active role.

This message is intended as a heads up for those who are interested and those who care.

I accidentally ended up at the North Coast Regional Board meeting Friday the 27th.. Chris Rowney, EO of the BOF, was there to give the Board a presentation. A summary of the presentation would look like the following::

* CDF and the Board of Forestry are very interested in water quality issues related to forestry and are working hard to resolve outstanding issue.

* They have worked, and adopted, on different rule packages language to address water quality issue.

* They have adopted new rules to for stream protection (not mentioning class II & III streams have no new increased protection).

* They have adopted new rules for RPF responsibility.

* There are now in place severe fines for violators.

* They have worked hard to develop watershed assessment programs to allow site specific management (under WEMA, WIMP, WAMP, or WARP - what ever they call this bullshit). They are not giving up on the idea of site specific management guided by such analysis and will eventually adopt such a program.

Fears of cost and flawed process will be overcome. Watershed Analysis will guide management in the future and will address water quality concerns. (This all sounds so wonderful. I was ready to puke. None of their language includes nexus with TMDLs. Rowney assured me afterwards TMDLs will be dealt with - they are just not sure how.) Then they all went out to lunch. The Board wanted to hear more.

So the up and out (that is football terminology - we are playing football here, are we not?) of all of it is that the plan for CDF and the BOF is to slather the Regional Water Board with BULL SHIT including rules without substance. And, taking it to a bit higher level; the same treatment is being given to Art Baggett, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board. The ante just has to be upped (now we are into poker). Unless those of you who want to make progress in this area meet the challenge of informing the Regional Board and the State of where forestry on the North Coast is really at, then you all will be shit out of luck. Sounds like a job to me. Who is volunteering????

Alan Levine
Coast Action Group
P.O. Box 215
Point Arena, CA 95468
(707) 882-2484
(707) 542-4408 - Weekdays