First News
Sonoma County First News for August 5, 2024
a shallow blanket of fog. I see mostly mid 50s out the door. Today turns sunny with highs near 87. I'm Mark Prell. Good morning from the KRCB Sonoma County Newsroom. Here's your first news from Monday, August 5th, 2024. 224 acres of Redwood Forest near Gurnville will not be logged. That's after a small group of local activists filed a lawsuit against Cal Fire. KRCB's Amore Alvarez headed west to check out the forest known as the Russian River Redwoods and files this report. That's traffic from State Route 116 between Gurnville and Monte Rio. The mostly second group Redwood Forest in question is right in the middle of a busy residential and recreational area. The Russian River flows below with people tubing and kayaking. Houses and cabins perch on both sides of the highway. On the other side of the river, the forest of Redwoods and Douglas Furs stretches out. After a few years of legal battles, a settlement has been reached against Cal Fire. The state agency had approved a logging plan put forth by the company Redwood Empire owned by the Roger Birch Family Trust. A 2021 press Democrat story says the owners maintain the forest is "overstocked and badly in need of thinning to promote the growth of larger trees and reduce excess fuels." It's a touchy subject with public comments saying the logging plan is reasonable and needed and opposing is why "California continues to burn." But according to the Gurnville Forest Coalition, the Silver State's timber harvesting plan could have wreaked havoc on the forest, the Russian River itself, homes in the area, and local tourism. Environmental attorney Edward Yates represents the coalition. "This is a fantastic one. Not only did we get them to stop from logging, but now the area will be protected in eternity. This area is very touristic. A lot of people spend their lives working here based in the tourism industry like kayaking and cycling groups." The coalition describes itself as a small group made of local residents and businesses who wanted to protect the forest. "Perhaps one of the most important things is this will protect the Clark tree, which is the oldest and tallest tree in Sonoma County. It's 278 feet tall and it's 2000 years old." The forest is also a habitat for Koho Salmon, who live in the Russian River, listed as endangered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. After a Sonoma County judge stopped any further logging on the property in 2023, Redwood Empire sold the land between Neely Road, May's Canyon Road, and the Bohemian Grove to save the Redwoods League. The league says over 2000 donors from around the country helped to raise enough to cover the $6.5 million dollar sale price. The Great and Rancheria tribe kicked in half a million. "We were able to capitalize on that excitement and reach out not only to the league's donors that we're constantly working with, but really to the entire community." That's Jeff Stump, land protection manager would save the Redwoods League. He says he thinks it's remarkable that a tree as large as the Clark tree has survived. "We don't know why, but we're really fortunate that that survived because it's this iconic reminder of what we once had and really what we can have in the future." Yates and the Guernville Forest Coalition say it's now dropping its lawsuit against Cal Fire and that the Russian River Redwoods will eventually be transferred to Sonoma County for long-term preservation under a conservation easement and management plan. Reporting in Guernville, I'm Amrae Alvarez, KRCB, Sonoma County News. For this November, voters in Sonoma County will decide on a first-of-its-kind proposal known as Measure J that seeks to ban large, concentrated animal feeding operations. These industrial farms known as CAFOs primarily raise chickens, ducks, and cattle. Christina Garfinkle, with the coalition to end factory farming, says CAFOs tend to have poor records when it comes to animal welfare and spark environmental concerns with the odor and runoff from the lagoons of animal waste. "They pollute water with nitrates, phosphates. They also pollute the air through greenhouse gas emissions, and they're also just perfect vectors to spread very contagious diseases, such as avian flu and things like that." The EPA and the state monitor the water supply near large farms on a regular basis. The operations are also subject to state rules on animal welfare and often participate in voluntary organic certification programs. The measure would give the CAFOs three years to either reduce the size of their herds or flocks or wind down operations, and it would require the county to retrain any CAFO workers who lose their jobs. Randy Black is a dairy advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension. She says Measure J would cost the county millions. "There is a pretty large impact on both our local agricultural economy, but also on our workforce, both being able to be employed, but also on our county budget in order to provide the mandated training." A similar proposed ban will also be on the ballot in Berkeley this fall. That city does not have any CAFOs, but their measure would prevent any future large animal farms from coming in. You're listening to Sonoma County First News. Last week, you heard a story about how the park fire burning since July 24th, northeast of us near Chico, could impact inland salmon. Want to learn more? KRCB's Greta Mard spoke with the journalist behind that story. I'm Rachel Becker. I'm a water reporter at CalMatters. So what do we need to know about how wildfires are impacting salmon? The concern is that the park fire has spread into the mill and deer creek watersheds into Hama County, and these are really vital habitats for spring-run Chinook salmon. There are two of the three remaining creeks where wild independent populations still spawn in the central valley. And the big concern is that if the park fire consumes the habitat, especially in the upper watershed, that it could be a major blow to these salmon that are already in really catastrophic declines. Tell us about what you report in your recent story. The headline says this species could blink out. The flames themselves are not actually considered to be an imminent threat. What folks are especially concerned about is what comes later and what comes this winter when heavy rains wash ash, debris, chemicals, contaminants potentially into these waterways. And that could have a number of devastating effects for these fish, which will have just spawned. The fall run Chinook salmon are really the mainstay of commercial and recreational fishing. And the salmon that we're talking about here are spring-run central valley Chinook salmon. These are considered threatened at both the state and the federal level. And so a very different situation. Both have seen serious declines, but what's really concerning about the spring run right now is just how low their numbers have been in the last several years. And the concern is because they're on a three-year life cycle that if there's another blow to this cohort as well, what will it mean for the future of these fish? In the face of such threats, what are some of the things experts or scientists are doing? Because of the record low numbers of adults, spring-run Chinook salmon that returned to these waterways last year, state and federal wildlife officials actually began a conservation hatchery program at UC Davis. And they described it as sort of a like a bank of genetic material, you know, an insurance policy, so that there is something to work from if we see these fish really unable to produce subsequent generations because there are just too few. Got it. So just wrapping up, Rachel, what do you really want folks to know about this particular story? The thing that really stood out to me from reporting this story was just how vital and how unusual this habitat is for these species in California because of just how California's history of damming and re-plumbing its rivers and streams has really reshaped its waterways. And these tributaries to the Sacramento River are, at least in the upper reaches, really sort of wild and remote still. And one environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife described it as these creeks have always represented this exceptional habitat piece for the salmon. And even despite that, conditions have made it so that these salmon are experiencing really catastrophic declines. And now the big concern is what happens if that habitat piece gets taken away by this fire? That was Rachel Becker, water reporter with the non-profit news agency How Matters Speaking With KRCB's Greta Mart. You can find a link to Becker's story at krcb.org. Now this. New from the Embedded Podcast. Female athletes have always needed grit and talent. But for decades, they've also needed a certificate. There was chit chat about, is that really a woman? And even now, they're still being checked and questioned. Their story is the newest series from CBC and NPR's Embedded. It's called tested. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. The top of the ballot is getting a lot of attention as we head towards November, but down ballot races, especially local ones, can impact our daily lives as much if not more. If you want to run for elected office, now is the time to get your paperwork sorted and signed. The nomination deadline is at the end of this week. That's for positions like City Council seats up for a vote this fall. You can visit the Sonoma County Register on our voters website to find information like candidate statements and disclosure forms and a list of filing deadlines. Looking at your full forecast? Partly to mostly sunny today, after some morning clouds, highs near 87 tonight. Look for increasing clouds again, lows around 53. Tomorrow becomes gradually sunny, highs near 92. Wednesday, sunny and slightly cooler. Look for highs near 89 Thursday, continued cooling with highs near 84, then warming slightly into the weekend. We'll see overnight lows this week in the 50s. At the coast today, partly sunny, West Northwest winds will be 10 to 20 miles per hour. Badega Bay, you're reaching 66 later, Cloverdale and Hillsborough climbing the 93, Windsor 91, Forestville and Greaton. You'll see 90 for a high Sonoma 88, Sebastian Pull 85, Petaluma 84, Greenville 83 and 87 on the way for Santa Rosa. Well, thanks for starting your day with us. We are your local member supported public radio newsroom and you can become a member anytime at krcb.org and that's where you'll find more local reporting plus any updates to the stories you just heard. And join us for morning edition and all things considered for more North Bay news coverage, weekday mornings and afternoons on krcb 104.9. From Sonoma County's NPR station, I'm Mark Prell, stay safe out there and have yourself a good day.