The Shasta Newsletter

VOLUME 23, NUMBER 2 APRIL / MAY / JUNE 2009

Tehama County General Plan Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was
Threatens North State Quality of Life released in September, 2008, and it really was the
worst case scenario. The Shasta Group and 43
Seven years ago Tehama County began the other individuals or organizations submitted
work of revising its outdated General Plan. This comments. Our concerns were grounded in the
document is known as the “Constitution for idea that there is a California Environmental
Growth” in the area. As word of the approach Quality Act (CEQA) on the books, and the
being taken by the County Planning Commission, Planning Commission was making a mockery of
headed by Director George Robson, emerged, it this important law by playing games with the
appeared obvious that the outcome would be a numbers and the facts.
windfall for developers and a huge setback for the For starters, the DEIR skewed the true
environment. In a nutshell, the emerging General numbers by saying that the “maximum buildout”
Plan looked as though it would direct huge growth population of an additional 416,000 people is
into the wonderful and diverse north county area unlikely, so they scaled back the expected
on both sides of the “I-5 corridor” between Red population growth to about 1/16th of the
Bluff and Cottonwood. Imagine if you can a city maximum number, and did analysis on that basis.
the size of Stockton sprawling all over the foothills, We believe that the EIR’s use of a smaller
now covered by vast stretches of oak savanna estimated growth rate, while authorizing
uninterrupted as far as the eye can see. Imagine development on a much larger scale, is misleading
the congestion that would inevitably occur on I-5 and unlawful.
and the narrow county roads that provide Second, doesn’t it seem logical that before
transportation now. Imagine what would happen planning and building a city the size of Stockton
to our air if a city of that size were to be permitted that you would want to know there is enough
in that area. Where would the water come from to water for all those people? Not in Tehama
provide for the needs of a population of 416,000 County. They want to plan huge areas for
new people? Well, the Planning Commission was development without a clue about where the water
imaging just such a scenario, as irresponsible as for almost 200,000 new homes will come from.
that may seem, and they don’t think it’s necessary One thing they do have in mind is raising Shasta
to know right now what exactly should be done to Dam and taking water from the Sacramento River
keep the air from becoming a brown smoggy haze, up north. Never mind that this is not funded or
nor do they think they need to worry about where approved, and even if it does happen there will be
the water will come from. a lot of other thirsty people looking for water too.
When the Shasta Group was notified about the Third, the EIR finds many areas where
grotesque rate of growth that the Planning “significant and unavoidable” negative impacts will
Commission was considering, we and a number of occur, but the County does not try hard at all to
concerned citizens went to a meeting in April 2008, figure out how to minimize them. The County just
and implored them not to “urbanize” the I-5 throws up its hands and declares these impacts,
corridor. We were received with cold stares and such as greenhouse gases and other pollutants in
hostility. I knew then that it was a misnomer to call the air, or impact on farmland or biological
this bunch the “Planning Commission.” They resources, as basically something we will all have to
should more aptly be called the “Leapfrog Growth live with.
Department” or the “We Love Development There are any number of other deficiencies in
Department.” So it was no surprise when the the Tehama County General plan that are too
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numerous to mention here. So why should we care financed cities and counties and their well-heeled
as the Shasta Group? Well, the Shasta group’s developer friends do everything they can to
territory includes the very I-5 corridor that will be a squelch the protests of the public. Well, we are not
sea of homes and strip malls if the Tehama County about to be squelched. It is our constitutional right
officials have their way. Plus, the air and traffic to take matters of this nature to court and enforce
impacts will be regional in nature, so Tehama the law. Recently the City of Tulare tried the same
County officials want to foul their nest AND sort of irresponsible General Plan and was shot
OURS in their rush toward development. down by a trial court. We are optimistic that if we
In November 2008 the Tehama County can raise the money to get into court and show an
Planning Commission ignored virtually all of our impartial judge the facts, that he or she will agree
warnings and approved the General Plan and Final that Tehama County has dropped the ball, and
EIR, sending it to the Board of Supervisors, which must redo the entire EIR.
voted on March 31 to approve both atrocious Anyone who is interested in working to
documents. preserve the oak-studded vistas along I-5 should
The Shasta Group is working with concerned call me or someone with the Shasta Group
citizens in Tehama County and other Executive Committee, and we can find a way for
environmental organizations and is looking right you to help…we must keep the north state from
now at the possibility of a lawsuit to stop the being developed into another Roseville or North
devastation of northern Tehama County. Funds Natomas at all costs. Our quality of life and that of
are scarce, and it is always an uphill battle under our children and their children depends on it.
CEQA to challenge a project or plan of this nature. —Bruce Waggoner
It is a David versus Goliath situation where well-

Thank You to the 2009 Raffle Fundraiser Donors!

With gratitude and appreciation we acknowledge the generosity of spirit and donations given by our
supporters, including the businesses listed in the first column below. We also recognize the Shasta Group
members and affiliates listed in the second column for their very generous contributions toward our
successful fundraiser. Proceeds from the raffle help fund the Shasta Group’s conservation and education
efforts. We encourage all members to show their appreciation by supporting these donors and their products.

Dr. Fran Bennett, J’s Market, Shasta Bianca and Stewart Bennett
Dr. Roberto Dansie (www.robertodansie.com) Karen Little
Fat Daddy's Gourmet BBQ Diane Madgic
Grand Buffet Bill Miesse
Granzellas, Williams Jim Milestone, Whiskeytown NRA
Holiday Inn: Braided Mane Restaurant Mary Ocasion, Churn Creek Organic
Kent’s Market, Anderson Farm
Living Gold Press, Klamath River Ken & Diane Otto
Logan’s Roadhouse Virginia Phelps
Mt. Tehama Winery, Manton Bruce Waggoner
Olive Pit, Corning Carl & Stan Weidert Biological
Sports LTD Marti Weidert
Sun Oaks Tennis & Fitness
Diana Webb, Artist

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The Sierra Club Campaign to Stop In the coming months, I’ll be showing the slide show
Clearcutting California many more places, as well as working with different
groups to table at events and hand out information and
Water. Air. Soil. Climate. The elements of collect signatures from businesses and individuals who
Life. Clearcutting impacts them all. are against clearcutting. A Week of Action will begin
April 13th. The purpose will be the continuation of
The Campaign to Stop Clearcutting continues on. market pressure on companies that sell SPI
Starting last September, I began visiting many Club products. Please contact me to be part of the
groups and chapters as well as other organizations to actions. (Think of the saying: “If you aren’t part of the
present my slideshow “Clearcut Nation.” The goal of solution . . .” Yeah, you know the rest.)
this is to raise awareness and get people involved in
working against the massive destruction occurring in Fast Facts: The majority of clearcutting is occurring
our watersheds, especially that of Sierra Pacific in the headwaters of the watersheds of California. The
Industries (SPI), California’s largest landowner and source of 80% of the state’s urban water supply is the
owner of 58% of the industrial timberland in the state. forested areas.
The clearcutting issue is like a really old, large tree that Clearcutting and the subsequent tree plantations
has a massive root system that spreads out much increase the risk of disastrous fires by removing the
further than the tree itself, because clearcutting is large, fire resistant trees while leaving behind highly
connected to so many other issues: climate change flammable debris (slash) and tree seedlings that will
from deforestation, clean and abundant water, clean air, take (minimally) 30 to 40 years to grow large enough to
biodiversity of animals and plants, and the impacts become fire resistant.
from the massive use of herbicides to kill off native
vegetation that feeds everything from bees to deer. In a clearcut area, scientists find that the temperature
increases 5-10 degrees while the humidity decreases
Last November, people who have joined the campaign 35%. Multiply this over hundreds of thousands of
called in to the headquarters of Home Depot, one of acres.
the larger buyers of SPI products, to put market
pressure on the company not to buy from SPI. In the More Info: www.stopclearcuttingcalifornia.org or
weeks after this call in, Home Depot made a Marily.Woodhouse@mlc.sierraclub.org. Please
commitment to talking more with our partner, contact me to: join the email action list, get involved,
ForestEthics, and SPI met with ForestEthics for the set up a viewing of the slide show, or share info about
first time. events to table at. —Marily Woodhouse,
organizer of the campaign

OHV Update: Many thanks to all who wrote letters at the Winter Program in Redding on February 6 and
also to those who responded to Chair Bruce Waggoner's call to action in the last Shasta Group newsletter.
Local National Forests (NF) are moving slowly at the time. Modoc National Forest responded to Shasta
Group's comments (which California Trout, Klamath Forest Alliance, and California Wilderness Project all
endorsed) with concerned phone calls and requests for peer-reviewed scientific papers! We're now waiting
for their final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Klamath NF will issue a Draft EIS in July, which will
give Shasta Group members a chance to provide crucial input. We're still waiting for the Shasta-Trinity NF
and Klamath NF to set dates for their respective Draft EIS documents. I will be mailing a supplement to our
newsletter in late April with more information, outings, and an announcement for a special program meeting
featuring information on snow leopard conservation in India, from where I'm writing this update.
—Bob Musgrove

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 Shasta Group Outings / Events: April / May / June 2009
PLEASE NOTE: All participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard liability waiver. If you would like to read the liability
waiver prior to the outing, please see: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms/ or call 415-977-5528 for a printed version.

NOTE: Many of our outings involve distances, elevation change and/or altitude, which might make the outing difficult if you are unprepared for
such an outing. It is always a good idea to check with the leader to make sure the outing is a good one for you. Also, when carpooling, please
remember to reimburse the driver at the suggested rate of $.15/mile, split between the passengers.

April 7, Tues., Executive Committee Meeting, giving participants time to drive home that
5:30 pm, Fireside Reading Room, second evening. There may also be a short, optional day
floor, Redding Library Everyone is welcome. hike on Saturday. Possible carpool from the
Redding area. For more information and to sign up,
April 26, Sun., Hike Local Trails (1A) We will
call Bob and Lisa Musgrove at 530.926.1849.
hike about 5 miles on new trails in the west
Redding area (Salt Creek tributary, Belt line Trail May 9, Sat., Fire Recovery at Whiskeytown
and Buenaventura Trail). Meet at 9:00 a.m. at NRA (1A) A short hike exploring areas of
Sunset Market for the short drive to the recovery from last summer's fires with
trailhead. Bring a snack and water. Limit: 12. Call interpretation by park ranger Clinton Kane will
leader Diane Madgic for more information or to take place at Whiskeytown National Park on
sign up: 530.365.5852. Saturday, May 2, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Hikers
May 2-3, Sat.-Sun., Lava Beds Car Camp and will meet at the Whiskey Creek Boat Launch for a
Callahan Flow Roadless Area Hike (2A) Join short hike to examine fire recovery areas from
Shasta Group members to camp/hike in Lava Beds recent and from past fires. We will also explore
National Monument. This outing will feature a an area proposed for a new trail at Whiskeytown,
unique opportunity to explore the pristine, an area with signs of early human habitation as
seldom-visited Callahan Flow Roadless Area in evidenced by abandoned mining activity. Hikers
Modoc National Forest, adjacent to designated should wear sturdy shoes and bring a snack and
wilderness within Lava Beds. We’ll rendezvous and drinking water. Autos must display a daily parking
set up camp in the Monument on Saturday permit ($5.00), an annual park pass, or a Golden
afternoon. On Sunday we’ll hike 10 miles Age Passport. If you have any questions, give
roundtrip, with less than 500’ of elevation gain, leader Bob Grosch a call: 530.549.4872.

Please note: Check the website: http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/shasta Subscribe to the Shasta Group email listserv to receive
notice of new outings or events. Send an email to shastagroup@sbcglobal.net with the word “Subscribe” as the subject. Your email
address will not be shared with any other group, and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.

HIKE CLASSIFICATIONS: Distance rating: Grade 1: up to 6 miles; Grade 2: 6 to 10 miles; Grade 3: 10 to 15 miles;
Grade 4: 15 to 20 miles; Grade 5: over 20 miles
Elevation gain rating: Class A: up to 1000 feet; Class B: 1000-2000 feet; Class C: 2000-3000 feet;
Class D: over 3000 feet.

Chair: Bruce Waggoner, 547-0777, bpw1@frontiernet.net

Conservation: Ryan Henson, 246-3087, rhenson@calwild.org
Membership: Karen Little, 275-0662, littlebear@jett.net
Webmaster: Bob Musgrove, 926-1849, ecoshasta@yahoo.com
SectyNewsletter: Dianna Thrasher, 244-6961,
diannamt@c-zone.net
At Large: Gail Mellow, 365-4008, maganns_1@yahoo.com
At Large: Bianca Bennet, 359-2401, bfrenchgulch@aol.com
At Large: Patricia Lind, 275-3368, lind_57@yahoo.com
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The Shasta Group is a sponsor of the celebration of earth day event below, along with Shasta Land
Trust, Shasta College, CRG, People of Progress, etc. Please plan to attend and enjoy the activities with
friends and family, and stop by our table for information on the group’s latest issues and activities.

Whole Earth Festival & Watershed Festival

Saturday April 25, 2009 • 10am to 3pm
Redding City Hall & Sculpture Park • FREE
Over 60 Awesome Exhibitor Booths including:
Government Agencies, Educational Organizations
and Businesses • Non-profits • Live music • Great food
Fantastic children’s activities • Engaging presentations
www.sceancplanet.org

Whiskeytown Waterfall Week:

April 25 to May 2
We are looking for volunteers for our
upcoming Waterfall Week event. Waterfall
Week is an effort to encourage the public, but
in particular our youth, to get out of the house
and enjoy the outdoors now that the weather
is getting warmer. A variety of hikes will be
offered to both the general public and to
school groups. If you are interested in joining
us as a volunteer for this special activity,
please call me! Clinton K. Kane, Park Ranger,
Resource Education, phone: 530.242.3451.

http://www.nps.gov/whis/