BYPASS DEBACLE
Editor,
Caltrans' bulldozers bulldoze more than wildlife and migratory bird habitat. Big Orange – Caltrans bulldozes the law just as thoroughly. Because ninety percent of U. S. wetlands have been drained for agriculture and development, the Clean Water Act has granted federal protection for all remaining marshland such as Little Lake Valley.
HABITAT PROTECTION. This is what environmental law is meant to accomplish. This translates into no draining of any more wetlands. No phoney, sci fi pseudo science to displace migratory birds. Will they become illegal avian immigrants when they attempt to return to their stopover on the Pacific Flyway? Increasingly, scientists, ornithologists, naturalists and bird watchers report reductions in the numbers of migratory birds. Climate change, drought and timing kill some birds, However, habitat destruction is the primary reason for the largest ongoing wildlife extinction in human history. The two legged culprit called man is responsible for this destruction.
MITIGATION. The authors of the Clean Water Act would be horrified at Big Orange's plan to “mitigate” the illegal destruction of the marsh headwaters of the last intact Coho salmon stream in California. Caltrans plan to construct a new marsh ignores the symbiosis of plants, animals, birds, insects, reptiles and microlife which have evolved in the Little Lake Valley over thousands of years, since ancient times. Instead, Caltrans will present the birds with a new marsh. Will Caltrans send notarized letters to the migrating water birds explaining that their marsh is being drained? Or is email more acceptable for our fast flying friends? Will they be labeled illegal avians when they try to return?
Caltrans, in cahoots with the domestic military, the California Highway Patrol, are engaged in criminal activity of destruction for an obsolete transportation plan. The supposed legal court protection, so far, has been no protection at all. Since when is the decision of one man, a court judge's refusal to sign an injunction to halt work until the Epic, Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity's lawsuit could be heard, be called democratic? What about the blue and black oak, Oregon ash woodlands in the southern section of the plan?? This is habitat for yellow warblers and other threatened songbirds.
Is this China, India, or Israel where autocratic big governments decides for the people, no or little dissent permitted? Mega government in a supposed democracy like India has enabled the hated Monsanto to destroy all local seed saving so that farmers in increasing numbers commit suicide as their genetically engineered crops fail and their land is foreclosed by debt holders. In China, air pollution ruins the health of generations as mega government ruins environmental wonders like the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. In Egypt, the Aswan Dam has destroyed natural agriculture practiced into antiquity so that petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides impoverish the soil, once yearly renewed by the flooding of the Nile River. Israel has polluted its rivers and drained its water tables, needing ever more of neighbor land to expand rather than halt destruction and renew. Where is the democracy in any of these activities?
Mega development destroys our one precious planet. In India, a young friend describes her once wildlife abundant native Punjab Province as having no nature at all. All formerly wild areas have been destroyed by development and industrialization. Wild animals. Birds. Traditional village life. Gone.
What will we do here? How can we prevent Caltrans from brutalizing our environmental law? Have not our overseas wars come home?
Who are the decision makers in Caltrans? Names and addresses, please. Who are these unseen beaurocrats in the California Highway Patrol writing the agendas? Why does a one man court decision, refusal to honor an injunction, permit mega agencies to over ride years of legislative environmental law? Is this the court's excuse for due process?
Why aren't our local Peregrin Audobon Society and California Native Plant Society filing Friends of the Court briefs on behalf of an endangered ecosystem in the Pacific Flyway? Why does the Peregrine Audubon Society refuse to participate, relying on an obsolete rule to refuse help in any issue labeled “political”? Habitat protection, stopping habitat protection is political. I think that is Audubon's mission.
Group thinkers, you who think that official agencies' acquiesence to a disastrously destructive bypass plan is good enuf to go along with mega government planning, please reexamine the citizen proposed alternatives. Democracy rules from the people up to the representatives, not from the officials down to the people, as in plutocracies. Democratic governance requires a well informed electorate. Which do we have?
Sincerely,
Dorotheya M Dorman
Redwood Valley
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MORE THAN A HAND SLAP
Editor,
I read the story of Kyle Stornetta’s legal problems with shock and disgust.
As I read it, in all likelihood he faces some light work for the sheriff because of his possession of some 30-plus illegal salmon and a bunch of marijuana and equipment. Apparently District Attorney Spokesman Mr. Mike Geniella and his department are willing to discount all the dope. I don’t have a great problem with that — this county and the rest of the country is swimming in it and prosecuting it is probably simply wrong on the face of it.
However, such a light sentence for the fish is where the disgust comes in, in a gusher. Many local professional fishermen no longer fish the Garcia River due to a lack of fish. The reason for this is not a matter of poor habitat. The Friends of the Garcia River and Mr. Craig Bell spent long years fixing those problems and succeeded.
Fish and Game personnel and others have told of finding nets and even field fencing spread across the river sweeping up all the upstreamers very low in the watershed before they can reach any major tributaries that might serve as incubators for the next year’s fish. Though nets were found, netters were never caught.
Although I can’t know the source of all Stornetta's many fish, he would have to be one hell of a fisherman to have done so well when so many other accomplished fishermen came up blank.
As for the county’s prosecution team, so light a sentence is tantamount to authorizing the continuance of the devastating practice of overfishing which is destroying the local economy in non-marijauana revenue.
Peter Dobbins
Point Arena
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BREACHES
Dear Editor,
In the wake of the events of the last week, I would like to clarify the basic mission of Save Our Little Lake Valley (SOLLV) and reaffirm our principles and commitments.
The work of SOLLV is focused on public education, legislative communication, judicial review and fund-raising to stop the Caltrans Bypass from moving forward and encouraging support for better alternatives.
While SOLLV as an organization is not directly involved in non-violent, civil disobedience, we do support, respect and honor the tree-sitters and all of those who choose non-violent civil disobedience.
There is a long tradition – Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others – of people who have been willing to risk arrest to stand for what they believe. Without the inspiration and dedication of Warbler, and all the tree-sitters, this movement to stop the Bypass would hardly have been noticed or grown as it has over the past few months.
SOLLV is aware that the tree-sitters, and all of those involved in civil disobedience, receive training and make a pledge to uphold principles of peaceful non-violence and no property destruction.
The non-violence pledge includes a commitment to avoid verbal violence and abusive or disrespectful language. The pledge also includes a commitment to have an attitude of friendliness, respect and openness toward all people, including employees of Caltrans and officers of the CHP.
We understand that in the heat of passion during the extraction of the tree-sitters on April 2 (during part of the extraction the CHP had guns – with a type of bullets unknown at that time – pointed at a tree-sitter), aspects of the non-violence pledge were breached.
We feel that it is important to acknowledge – and we deeply regret – any breaches of the non-violence code. SOLLV supports the effort to move forward with a strong, public reaffirmation of the commitment to the non-violence code and a renewed program to expand non-violence training for everyone.
While much debate and emotion has been directed at the extraction of the tree-sitters on April 2, there remains much important work to be done.
We encourage all residents of Willits (and beyond) to educate ourselves. Learn the facts about the Caltrans Bypass. Come to the Bypass Bootprint Tour: Meet at the Little Lake Grange, 291 School St., at 1 p.m. each Sunday and join a guided walking and driving tour. Educational literature is also available at the new SOLLV office located at 716 S. Main Street. We all have an obligation to be informed.
Sincerely,
Sara Grusky, Save Our Little Lake Valley (SOLLV)
Willits
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REPEAL BYPASS SUPPORT
Editor,
We are seeking repeal of the Brooktrails Township Board of Directors decision to support CalTrans' Willits bypass.
Tony Orth, president of the board and longtime supporter of the bypass, placed this on the agenda for the March 26 Brooktrails board meeting. The board approved its support of the bypass on a 5 to 0 vote.
Earlier in the day, 150 Brooktrails and Willits residents jammed Mendocino County Supervisors chambers and delivered more than three hours of statements and opinions unanimously against the bypass. There was one exception, Phillip Dow, owner of Dow & Associates, the paid private consultant and executive director of the Mendocino Council of Governments. Mr. Dow spoke in favor of the bypass, representing MCOG.
Mr. Dow has pushed for the partial funding of the bypass with our local MCOG funds to the tune of $31 million.
Tony Orth's wife, Janet, who is employed by Dow & Associates and attends MCOG meetings with Mr. Dow, is MCOG's deputy director for administration. She has prepared the last several years of MCOG budgets.
Monies from MCOG are intended to be distributed to towns, cities, and areas around the county for improvements to transportation from roads to bike paths. There have been substantially fewer funds available to Willits and other communities due to diversion of this transportation budget to support CalTrans' Willits bypass.
Tony Orth's unflagging support of the bypass, and his wife's positions with MCOG and Dow & Associates, appear to be a conflict of interest and a violation of the Fair Political Practices Act. A formal complaint against Tony Orth has been filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission.
Let us not be fooled by slimy, conflicted political maneuvering. If MCOG had not committed $31 million to the Willits bypass boondoggle, we would have money for the improvement of Sherwood Road and its intersection with Highway 101, as well as funds for other in-town alternative routes to improve traffic flows in Willits.
There will be a Brooktrails board Meeting at 7pm on Tuesday, April 9, at the Brooktrails Community Center.
Brooktrails and area residents are encouraged to attend this meeting to express their opinions about these matters during the public comment period.
John Wagenet
Willits
Ed note: We wrote to Phil Dow asking him about possible conflicts of interest as suggested by Wagenet's letter. Dow promptly replied:
“Mr. Anderson: I only have two contracts, one is with the Lake County City/Area Planning Council (APC) and the other is with the Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG). My responsibilities with both agencies are to provide comprehensive administrative and planning services. These contracts were awarded in a competitive process. I have no other private or public contracts. All Dow & Associates profits are generated through these two contracts. My responsibility as the Executive Director is to carry out MCOG Board policy. The US 101 bypass of Willits has been the top highway improvement priority of every MCOG Board for over three decades. — Phillip J. Dow, P.E., MCOG Executive Director
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FIREHOUSE PREFERRED
Dear Sir:
It has come to my attention that there is a meeting Monday the 15th at the Veterans Building on EMS and the organization for the Ambulance. Since the Ambulance involves the entire community I think it would be appropriate to move that meeting to Wednesday the 17th at the CSD Board meeting which will give it a more formal status.
Sincerely,
Fred Martin
Philo
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MARGIE’S PRO-BYPASS
To The Editor,
It was brought to my attention that the people opposed to the bypass went on record at the Board of Supervisors meeting as saying that I oppose the bypass. I had a call from one of the supervisors asking if that was true. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have supported the bypass for more than 40 years.
I have testified at the CTC meetings when we were asking for funding. I have written countless letters of support. It infuriates me when people twist the truth and give misinformation if it seems that it will suit their interest.
Several years ago, a group of people from the Environmental Center came to me and asked if I would support a two lane bypass. They thought this would be a solution to the problem, as they saw it. In the spirit of compromise, even though I didn't think it made a lot of sense, I signed the petition and went along with the idea, because I know that in order to live in a peaceful community, compromises must be made when there is a burning issue at hand.
Now, the very same group of people are objecting to their own idea that the two lane option is "dangerous"... History shows that there are some people that object to everything...and especially to anything purporting to be progress.
The only alternative to the current imperfect design is a continuation of the status quo for the indefinite future. The truth is....the birds will fly to the next tree, the frogs will hop to the next pond and 10 years from now life will go on and most won't notice that anything unusual has happened. They will just be happy they can get through Willits and enjoy our downtown area.
Margie Handley
Willits
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INVITING DISASTER
To the Editor:
Unlike last year's battle to keep Walmart from expanding and threatening the economic future of the city of Ukiah and its residents, the ongoing drive by the city, represented by the City Council, to build a giant Costco superstore at the end of Airport Blvd. seems like a headless juggernaut that has become unstoppable, despite some serious problems such as traffic and air quality which cannot be mitigated.
The City Council, governing a Ukiah already in debt, has, I believe unwisely, voted to borrow another $4 million with which it trusts it can resolve the present traffic problems at the Talmage/101 interchange and the Talmage/Airport Blvd. intersection which the EIR correctly concedes is unmitigatable should Costco be built as planned, even taking into consideration the proposed changes.
One of the key problems with Costco's proposal is its plan to build 16 self-service gas pumps, with an option to build four more in an area that threatens the adjacent wetlands. Given the projected rise in gas prices, the presence of those gas pumps alone with their lower than market rates is guaranteed to create traffic jams along Airport Blvd. that will come to resemble the gas lines during the 1973 oil embargo. One does not need to be a rocket scientist or a climate expert to know what that will do to the level of air quality not only in the Redwood Business Park area, but in nearby neighborhoods.
Imagine also what that will do to the other already existing businesses in Redwood Park. Costco requires neither the gas pumps nor the planned tire center to make a profit. Both are apparently seen as loss leaders, particularly the former, to induce people to purchase Costco memberships and thereby upping their profits on in-store merchandise. It's obviously a good business plan for Costco, but is it good for the people of Ukiah? Not at all and it would be hard to make an argument that it is. Eliminating the gas pumps and the tire center from the project would serve to mitigate some of the problems that are sure to be created with the proposal as it now stands. Not to do so is to invite disaster.
Jeff Blankfort
Ukiah
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