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[NOTE: We Won! This was defeated thanks to the avalanche of emails]
I know that most of my readers have nothing or want to have nothing to do with California. BUT... Precedents set elsewhere have a tendency to ripple!
The Jackson watershed was destroyed for us by the decision by the Virginia Supreme Court to recognize the validity of the "King's Grant" from the 1600s that gave the landowners ownership of the fish in the river. What was a great asset for all of us is now destroyed. We must respect that law and this decision until it is overturned.
The same thing is about to happen to the prime fisheries in Northern California. The spectacular McCloud, Upper Sacramento and other rivers are about to be declared as "non-navigable". As soon as this happens, nobody has access to fish.
What happens there, may happen here.
The Trout Underground surfaced this issue earlier this month and I just read about it.
We all need to step up and send emails to the County Supervisors to fight this. Who knows? You may want to fish California someday. Please send a quick email to these guys.
More Info - click here
Here's the note I sent:
I live in Virginia and visit the Redding / Dunsmuir area two or three times a year to fly fish for trout in your great rivers and streams. I was shocked to read about the current initiative under consideration that would designate many of your great rivers as non-navigable.
If that happens, I'll go to Montana instead. I imagine you get a lot of tourist traffic headed to Northern California that would go elsewhere - probably a bigger impact on your economy if you consider the folks that drive up to the Mt Shasta area from other locations in California.
I don't know how much your region depends on sportsmen for economic health - but passing this resolution will certainly cut off a chunk of the money that flows into the economy and the associated taxes from folks like me. In my case, you lose the hotel, guide and meals revenue. In addition, I always stop at the local fly shops and purchase the latest top producing lures and other equipment. That will be gone as well.
I just do not see an upside to this decision... and urge you to vote it down.
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From Trout Underground:
"Contact the County Supervisors (e-mail or call — contact information below) and let them know you don’t support the Environmental Resources Plan, and that if enacted, it will harm the sustainable tourist economy in Siskiyou County.
The first two Supervisors actually sit on the committee (Armstrong is driving this policy), and if you only contact two people, they’re the two. (My advice? Send e-mails to everyone, but call Kobseff and Armstrong.)
Michael Kobseff
mkobseff@co.siskiyou.ca.us
(530) 918-9128
Marcia Armstrong
marmstrong@co.siskiyou.ca.us
(530) 468-2824
LaVada Erickson (she’s on our side, but isolated politically)
erickson5031@sbcglobal.net
(530) 926-1285
Jim Cook (McCloud representative — let him know how much the town stands to lose)
jimcook@snowcrest.net
(530) 459-0459
Bill Overman
bandm@nctv.com
(530) 842-5389 "
Here's a draft email for you to cut and paste:
I heard about the pending decision to declare key waters in your area as non-navigable as part of the Environmental Resources Plan. I urge you to reconsider this. Doing this will cut off your tourist traffic and have an economic impact on hotels, restaurants, guides and other local businesses.
I live on the East Coast and will go elsewhere if this passes - why bother to go someplace where my choices are limited and the welcome mat has been yanked from the doorstep?
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