Adopt coordination protocols NOW!

Pioneer Press

Fort Jones , CA

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

page E30, column 3

pioneerp@sisqtel.net

To the Editor:

Lacking any discernible plan, the county Board of Supervisors passed a resolution rejecting the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and reiterated their opposition to dam removal.

All fine and dandy. But where do we go from here? The BOS did reserve a place at the negotiating table, but that's where they got into trouble in the first place;  why continue? As one of 26, do they expect a different result? Don't they understand the deck is stacked against them? The environmentalists, four tribes, project farmers, and agencies have targeted the dams as either their scapegoat and/or their means of financial gain. Let's face it, these folks aren't our friends; they only mean us harm and there's nothing to be gained from negotiation.

From our perspective, it's time to remind the dimwitted environmentalists, the tragically misled tribes, the conniving project irrigators and the failure-at-any-cost fish managers that Siskiyou County has a comprehensive land use and resource management plan, one passed by the adults of the county, a plan that has served the county for many years. It's past time to bring the wayward agencies into compliance with the people of this county, and direct them to quit trying to rob the people of the few remaining opportunities left to them.

We know this group of 26 would like to depopulate the county, but we're not going anywhere soon.

PFUSA Grange, assisted by the good folks at Stewards of the Range and other western lands groups have developed a plan to use federal and state mandated “coordination protocols” to truly resolve whatever issues the agencies think they're resolving; resolving them in a way that does not harm Siskiyou county's economy or its residents. Congress and the state legislatures have given the counties the tools they need, but the counties are required to initiate the resolution processes. Several western counties have already undertaken the steps and have been successful developing solutions to many of the issues that currently face Siskiyou County .

In 2006, PFUSA Grange conducted a workshop to help inform the BOS and others of the process and how to implement the “coordination protocols.” The BOS went so far as to attempt to pass an ordinance, but it failed to pass for inexplicable reasons ... well, almost inexplicable ... actually, explicable, but understandable ... not really understandable, but expected. To be frank, Siskiyou County suffers from NIH syndrome ... Not Invented Here Syndrome. The BOS attempted to put a “Siskiyou Twist” to an otherwise simple ordinance, and got itself twisted in the process.

In the coming weeks, PFUSA Grange and others will again press the county to adopt the coordination protocols and begin picking up the pieces of flotsam left by the Restoration Agreement. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. If we, as a community, fail to engage and begin acting responsibly, another version of the Restoration Agreement will undoubtedly surface with equally disastrous potential.

Take the time to get yourself acquainted with “coordination.” You can begin by visiting the PFUSA Grange website at www.grange-pfusa.org and visiting the Stewards website at www.stewards.us. While you're at it, join PFUSA Grange and help us get our county out of the predicament it's in. Your membership will help immeasurably and help get our county back on track. We need your support.

Larry Toelle
Fort Jones

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