In the past, logging has been a major source of revenue in the Guerneville area. For the last century logging has also been the number one contributor to the desecration of hundreds of species of plants and animals. It has also been a major contributor to mud slides that have destroyed several homes and left hundreds of people homeless, if even for a short time. All of this destruction could have been stopped by stricter regulations on the logging industry.
For example, the mud slide in Canyon Three in February of 1998 was said to have been caused by logging on private land. But more than the logging itself, the construction of an unstable logging road was the major culprit in this case. There were no permits for the construction of this road, due to the fact that it is located on private property. Because of these loose laws many families lost their homes and everything inside of them.
Logging has also had a great effect on the river and it's inhabitants. The erosion caused by the removal of trees causes more sediment to be deposited into the river. This sediment will settle on the bottom of the river where it will eventually begin to clog the gills of fish, slowly cutting off their oxygen supply, in effect suffocating them. The removal of trees along the banks of the river causes the temperature to rise. The removal of trees allows the river to absorb more of the sun's rays and ultraviolet radiation which causes the temperature to rise. Because the native fish in the Russian River prefer the cooler water, the rise in temperature causes these fish to die off or seek cooler places in which to spawn. This process is known as temperature pollution (Libeu).
The most publicized case of logging harming wildlife is the listing of the Coho Salmon and Steelhead Trout in the Russian River as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act. These native fish prefer the cool water and as water temperature rises the fish population declines. In the early part of the century the Coho Salmon numbered in the 90,000's. Today it is estimated that only 10,000 Coho Salmon inhabit the river.
There have even been estimates as low as 1,000 (Gitti). Logging has also been the chief cause for the near extinction of the Shoy Indian Clover (Trisolium Amoenum). This plant was native to the Guerneville area until it's habitat fell victim to logging, agriculture, and housing developments. At one point in time the Shoy Clover was thought to be totally extinct. After 15 years of research and searching, one specimen of the plant was discovered by accident (Libeu).
This last year a proposal was brought before state timber official to tighten logging restrictions in this area. The proposal contended to require loggers to post bonds for potential road damage and allow greater public participation in the state's Timber Harvest Plan(THP) process. It would also require affected public agencies to be given timely notification of impending THP's (Gitti). This proposal would have protected property owners from having to pay for repairs in cases where logging created damage to homes or land, by enabling them to sue logging companies for damages. After many months of consideration the proposal was rejected. It is unfortunate that this proposal was rejected as it would have protected the many families that lost their homes in this years terrible slide. It may not be possible to bring back the hundreds of species that the logging industry has pushed into extinction, but we do have the power to stop it from happening to any more of our precious wildlife. As a society we need to set our priorities on saving the animals that we share our space with instead of fattening our pockets. Only then will they be safe.