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July 2007
California Oak Report
Forest Service Says Uncle
Three years ago the California Oak Foundation (COF), California Basket Weavers Association, California Native Plant Society and others jointly filed suit to halt gross violations of the 2004 Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (Framework) by the Larson Reforestation and Fuel Reduction Project, Stanislaus National Forest. The Larson fire occurred in 1987.
The Sierra Framework, governing 11 national forests, specifically designates California black oak habitat conservation and enhancement as one of five management priorities. For Larson, the US Forest Service claimed the Framework allowed them to damage and kill thousands of black oaks using indiscriminate aerial herbicide spraying to establish conifer plantations. Promoting conifer plantations is not a Framework priority.
The Larson black oak planning was diametrically opposed to the Framework’s priority directives: "Encourage hardwoods in plantations...Promote hardwoods after stand replacing fires...Where young plantations are included within area treatments, apply the necessary silvicultural and fuels reduction treatments to promote hardwoods".
Recently the Forest Service agreed to withdraw aerial herbicide spraying from the Larson plan. Settlement talks continue between COF’s co-plaintiffs and the Forest Service regarding other plan modifications to make Larson acceptable.
Hopefully the Stanislaus National Forest, one of only four California national forests still using significant amounts of herbicides for management and the user of more herbicides than all other national forests in the country combined, has learned its black oak lesson. COF invites you to speak up for healthy oak futures.
The Attorney General
June 27, 2007
Attorney General Edmund G. Brown
Office of the Attorney General
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244 2550
Re: Public Resources Code §21083.4 Compliance
Dear Attorney General Brown:
The California Oak Foundation writes to alert you to the fact that not all California counties are complying with Public Resources Code (PRC) §21083.4, county oak woodlands mitigation. Recent examples include the Yuba Highlands project in Yuba County and the Rockville Trails Estates project in Solano County.
Your office is familiar with Yuba Highlands, having authored a six-page letter cataloguing the deficiencies in the environmental impact report and urging Yuba County to "reject the EIR until these deficiencies are corrected." Deputy Attorney General Lisa Trankley noted Yuba Highlands failure to adequately analyze threats to biological resources but it appears no mention was made of the blatant PRC §21083.4 violations. The Yuba Highlands EIR not only violates the oak woodland mitigation standards established by state law, it fails to acknowledge that PRC §21083.4 is even applicable to this project.
In the case of Rockville Trails Estates, the EIR vaguely references PRC §21083.4; then ignores all the tree planting mitigation standards established by state law. By adopting pre-PRC §21083.4 mitigation measures Solano County affords less protection to oak woodlands than to other project resources, thereby defeating the purpose of PRC §21083.4 to provide greater protection to oak woodlands than they previously received.
In 2004 Senate Bill 1334 (Kuehl) was enacted because of unscientific California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) oak woodland analyses and the insufficient mitigation of significant oak woodland impacts by counties under the general provisions of CEQA. California’s citizens and their representatives have declared their resolve to conserve oak woodlands under CEQA. It is past time for counties to comply with state oak woodlands mitigation law.
Thank you for your consideration and cooperation in conserving California’s very important oak woodland resources for future generations.
Sincerely, Janet S. Cobb, President
California Oak Foundation
cc: Senator Sheila Kuehl
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Trankley
Rocklin Poll: No To Clover Valley Project
The City of Rocklin, Placer County has released the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Clover Valley project, setting the stage for the most rancorous Sierra foothills oak woodlands confrontation since Bickford Ranch in 2001.
Clover Valley is a steep-sloped, two-mile long valley located in Rocklin. For a decade developers have proposed a new urban vision for the 622 acres of oak-covered hillsides, with the latest subdivision incarnation proposing the removal of at least 7,400 old growth blue, black, interior live and valley oaks.
Local and regional organizations like Save Clover Valley, Clover Valley Foundation, United Auburn Indian Community, Sierra Club Motherlode Chapter, Placer Land Trust and others, have an alternative vision: Protecting and preserving in perpetuity one of the last spectacular landscapes in western Placer County by conserving scenic values and wildlife habitat in the area between the cities of Loomis, Rocklin, Lincoln and the rest of Placer County.
A recent survey conducted by Sacramento based polling service Capitol Campaigns and partners Viewpoint USA of Madison, Connecticut found that Rocklin voters would support a referendum to stop development of Clover Valley.
About 400 registered Rocklin voters were asked in May if they would support stopping development of the 622-acre project site. Sixty four percent of those polled said they would definitely or probably support the referendum, while 14 percent were undecided.
Capitol Campaigns owner and chief consultant Bryan DeBlonk said those most likely to support a referendum to block development were long time residents of Rocklin, those 65 years of age or older and frequent voters.
Announcements
Congratulations to Lynne Plambeck, a 2007 recipient of the Special Service Award from National Sierra Club. This award honors individuals, committees, or groups for strong and consistent commitment to conservation over an extended period of time. Lynne was awarded this honor for her many years of work to preserve the Santa Clara River. Plambeck also has been working with COF to save oaks in her sphere of influence.
Congratulations to CNPS -- Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette ruled that the city of Rancho Cordova, in Sacramento County, did not adequately spell out how it would mitigate the loss of vernal pools in the so called "Preserve at Sunridge," a development of 2,700 homes. The California Native Plant Society sued in September contending that the Preserve, as designed, would have a devastating effect on some of the finest vernal pool habitat in the Sacramento region.
A fond farewell to Barrett (Barry) Garrison, our friend and past board member, who died June 8, 2007, at the age of 49. Barry enjoyed a distinguished career as a wildlife biologist working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and for the last 18 years, the California Department of Fish and Game. Barry served on the Board of Directors of California Oak Foundation from 1993 through 1998. California’s oaks salute Barry Garrison.
Merchandise
Pocket Guide to Creek Birds of California - This pocket guide was a project of California Partners in Flight and PRBO Conservation Science, with the pocket-guide concept developed by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) and was funded by several organizations including California Oak Foundation. Eighty-eight page, full-color pocket guide to help identify bird species of riparian habitats – the plant life that borders creeks, rivers, lakes, etc. $5.00 ($4.50 members) plus sales tax, shipping and handling.
Compatible Plants Under and Around Oaks, once available for $12 at our website on the Merchandise Page, is no longer in inventory, but will be posted on our website as our second free, downloadable web-book (the other being Acorns & Eat ‘Em by Suellen Ocean). It’s currently being proofed -- look for it in the next 30-days.
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Fax: 510-208-4435 oakstaff@californiaoaks.org
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