Friends of Gualala River Protecting the Gualala River watershed and the species living within it
P.O. Box 67
Gualala, CA 95445
January 31, 2002
To: J. David Colfax, Chair, Mendocino County Board of Supervisors
From: Gualala Municipal Advisory Council, Members: Jim Lotter, Britt Bailey, Jack Neth, Russ Olsen, Doug Hammerstrom
Re: THP #1-00-101 MEN, Cassidy, Gualala Redwoods, Inc.
Dear David,
On Wednesday January 30, 2002, at a special meeting, the Gualala Municipal Advisory Council had a community hearing on THP #1-00-101 MEN (Cassidy Plan), Gualala Redwoods, Inc., owner. This meeting was the second community forum regarding this proposed timber harvest plan. During the meeting community members expressed overwhelming opposition to the proposed Cassidy Plan. The Council voted 4-0 (1 abstention) to urge the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to deny the appeal by Gualala Redwoods, Inc. of the October 5, 2001 denial of the Cassidy Plan by the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF).
The approved Gualala Town Plan mandates that the County work to protect and restore the fisheries in the Gualala River. For that reason the GMAC held these hearings. The proposed Cassidy Plan includes approximately 148 acres lying adjacent to 21,000 linear feet of the fish bearing North Fork and Little North Fork branches of the river. The Little North Fork is one of two in the Gualala watershed known to contain Coho salmon.
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the California Department of Forestry, the Cassidy Plan could seriously impact the recovery efforts of the salmonid species listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (Central Coast Coho since October 1996; and, Northern California Steelhead since June 2000). The consensus reached by the audience and the Council members, that the utmost of care be taken to protect and ultimately restore the salmon populations, is reflected by the above recommendation.
Sincerely,
Jim Lotter, Chair
Cc:
Stan Dixon, California Board of Forestry & Fire Protection
Bill Snyder, California Department of Forestry
Charlotte Ambrose, National Marine Fisheries Service
Henry Alden, Gualala Redwoods, Inc.
Dave Hope, Regional Water Quality Control Board
