Hocus Pocus, these homes need no water?...

Californians, Imagine New Homes That Need No New Water

A bill in California's legislature seeks to take the strain off the water supply and alleviate the housing slump.

By: Doug Linney

Date: May 29, 2009

http://www.alternet.org/water/140354/californians,_imagine_new_homes_that_need_no_new_water/

In February, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a drought emergency in California, citing two successive years of below-average rainfall and dangerously low runoff from the Sierra Nevada snowpack.

Since then, the water-supply crisis has only deepened, and now it coincides with a recession that has severely damaged the state economy. Few sectors of the economy have been as hard hit as the home builders and construction companies.

Enter Assembly Bill 1408, authored by Democratic Assemblyman Paul Krekorian. This unique bill would offer significant dual benefits for improving our water supply and alleviating the housing slump. Imagine new homes that require no additional water supplies but have the same, or better, amenities than the current housing stock. Imagine builders being able to construct these new homes in areas where, without AB 1408, the lack of water would preclude new development.

Should Humboldt become another L.A.?...

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Humboldt County Drawing up future plans: infill or sprawl into the forests?

excerpted from May 2009 issue of Eco News:

http://yournec.org/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=3&pid=707

How Will Timberlands Fare In GPU? By Jen Kalt

What’s A General Plan Update?
The General Plan provides long-term direction for the growth and development of the unincorporated areas of the county, and state law requires that it be reviewed and revised about every 20 years.

The current General Plan Update will shape the future of Humboldt County for years to come. Three different options are currently under consideration:

Alternative A is identified as the “environmentally superior” option, and its consideration is required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This option emphasizes resource land protections by meeting housing needs through infill development in existing communities.

Alternative B is the county’s current preferred alternative and, among other things, is designed to allow some residential development through focused development in currently served areas and some urbanization expansion.

Alternative C would allow residential expansion in resource lands and would recognize existing large lot entitlements.
For more detailed information, visit http://co.humboldt.ca.us/gpu/overview.aspx

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Exploding Myths About Ag Land Zoning

http://yournec.org/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=3&pid=708

Extra Protection for North Coast to Cascades Land Bridge...

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Campaigning for a National Monument on the Calif-Oregon Border

KS Wild proposes the creation of the Siskiyou Crest National Monument to preserve this ecological and recreational centerpiece of the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion. To view the map image larger, click here.

from May 2009 issue of Eco News:
http://yournec.org/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=3&pid=704

http://www.kswild.org/programs/WildlandProtection/siskiyoucrest

Kern County Fossil Hill is for sale...

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Scientists fear sale of Sharktooth Hill will stop research

excerpted from http://www.turnto23.com/news/19738515/detail.html

6/13/2009--BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Last week, scientists said they solved an enduring mystery about the origins of a prehistoric boneyard of gigantic marine creatures in the desolate desert here.But another mystery has arisen: Will the looming sale of the land mean the end of research into the one of the largest finds of mid-Miocene fossils?...

Two years ago, Robert Ernst, the amateur paleontologist who owned the property, died unexpectedly and without a will.Since then his widow, Mary, 53, has suffered through heartache, probate and a back injury, which is forcing her early retirement next month from the Bakersfield Parks and Recreation Department. She said she is selling the site on Sharktooth Hill to pay her husband's loans, taxes and legal fees."To the right person, it could really be special. Like it was to Bob," said Ernst, who with her attorney, Stephen Boyle, sent out 35 prospectuses to potential buyers, including some of the nation's top paleontology museums. They decline to say how much they are seeking for the 342-acre site, appraised at roughly $132,000 as marginal grazing land. The land--which has yielded priceless intact specimens, such as the ancient sea lion Allodesmus--is slated to go July 17 to the highest bidder...
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excerpted from: http://www.sharkteethrus.com/stuff/teeth/2usa-ca.htm

Imagine you've sailed through the narrow waterway south of present-day San Francisco, leaving the Pacific Ocean and entering the Temblor Sea. You caught a rising tide and effortlessly rode the current eastward. You've sailed for hundreds of miles southeast across this huge body of water. Occasionally you were accompanied by a whale or pod of dolphin. All the while, you knew that just below the surface lurked the largest predator that ever lived - the Megalodon shark. You've just reached the southeastern shore, not far from present-day Bakersfield, California. It is a lush tropical location, with reefs, lagoons, palm trees - plants and animals as far as you can see. Along the shore there is a rookery of sea lions and a strange hippopotamus-like animal. In the shallows is something that looks like a sea cow. The water is alive, with all types of fish and aquatic mammals. "Snap" - you're back to the present. The photo to the right shows the way that shoreline looks today. It's not so lush and tropical anymore. In fact the surface is significantly different, with hills and valleys where there was once sea floor. If you go there today, be sure to bring plenty of water with you. Fossil adventures in this semi-arid region, are not for the faint hearted.


What's so special about Sharktooth Hill?

First, why is it called "Sharktooth Hill"? Some say it refers to the shape of a mountain in the area. Some say it's because of the fossil shark teeth that are found there. It actually refers to a small hill where fossil shark teeth had been excavated many years ago. Among all the other hills in the area, it's not likely it would impress you much, if you saw it. These days, the term "Sharktooth Hill" has grown to refer to the general area, which is more precisely called the Round Mountain Silt portion of the Temblor Fossil Formation. Much of the land is owned by Oil Companies, as evidenced by the prolific oil wells in the area. Some of the most fossil productive areas are owned by private individuals, who obviously don't want just anyone coming out and digging up their land. In the surrounding area though, are a shrinking number of other locations where the fossil layer is still exposed and accessible to the public (don't ask). It's a small area and likely to be developed soon, so those of us who know about it don't advertise it's location.

Monterey Co. says Whoa! to federal oil leases...

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Monterey County seeks delay of leases for oil, gas exploration

excerpted from Monterey County Herald, June 10, 2009

Agency to auction off oil, gas on private land
By Larry Parsons

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2009/monterey-county-hereld-06-10-2009.html

Just delay, baby, delay. That was the message from Monterey County supervisors to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over the pending auction of oil and gas exploration leases on about 35,000 acres in South County. The proposed lease sale, which is part of a 2007 management plan for BLM holdings on the Central Coast and in the Southern Diablo Mountain Range, is scheduled for June 23 in Sacramento. County supervisors voted unanimously Monday to ask the federal agency to hold off the lease sale for at least three months to give county planners time to weigh the possible impacts. Most of the proposed oil and gas leases are on private land for which the federal government owns the mineral rights. County planners said they only became aware of this month's scheduled lease sale on June 1. A three-month delay would allow "property owners, responsible agencies and other concerned parties time to understand and properly respond to the proposed lease sales," supervisors said in a letter sent to Jim Abbott, acting state director for the BLM. A BLM spokeswoman said Tuesday that Abbott has the authority to delay the sale and would weigh Monterey County's request very carefully. County planner John Ford said leases on private lands "raise some interesting questions we haven't had a chance to look into." Several groups, including the Ventana Wilderness Land Trust, Center for Biodiversity and Las Padres National Forest Association, joined the county in seeking to delay the lease sale. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, also has asked for the delay, said county Assistant Planning Director Carl Holm. This would be the first BLM oil and gas lease sale in at least a decade in Monterey County. And past ones have usually been for leases on publicly owned lands, Holm said...

Bush's So-Cal Natl. Forest Plan dumped by court...

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So-Calif. Forest plans didn't consider endangered species, Court rules

excerpted from http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2009/ventura-county-star-06-10-2009.html

Ventura County Star, June 10, 2009
A coalition of environmental organizations won a lawsuit on Monday after a judge ruled that federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act when they reviewed plans on how to manage Los Padres National Forest and three other Southern California forests. The judge ruled that both the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not do an adequate biological opinion that quantifies how decisions in the forests affect threatened and endangered species. “Today’s ruling recognizes the important role that our national forests play in the survival and recovery of endangered plants and animals, giving them the attention they so desperately deserve,” said Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch, which brought the suit along with the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife...

San Diego River Fundraising Appeal...

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El Cap is At Risk

6/2009: Our beloved El Cap which towers over El Monte Valley and the San Diego River is on the market for sale.

http://www.sandiegoriver.org/el_cap.php

Can you imagine this landmark with a cell phone or other structure on it?

We can't either! Join us as we work to purchase 385 acres that are for sale. The owner has given us until the end of the year to raise the money to buy this land. We have negotiated a terrific price of just $1300 per acre.

Not only is this landmark visible from many communities, but it is also an important wildlife area. Golden eagles are known to nest in the area. A well known trail also provides access to a stunning view of the San Diego River and El Capitan Reservoir.

Join us in this race against time. Please consider making a donation today of $10, $100 or more.

If you can do more, please consider adopting one acre. $1300 saves an entire acre of El Cap. Either make a donation or pledge to raise the money by December 1, 2009. Send us an email to let us know of your pledge. Get your friends, co-workers and family to join you. Make this your personal cause! Together we can save El Cap!

Priority Acquisition Areas:

1) Santa Ysabel
2) Eagle Peak Preserve
3) Highlands
4) El Cap Mtn.
5) Chocolate Creek

State Lands Commission rejects more Santa Barbara coast oil drilling...

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Thumbs down again for PXP Santa Barbara Oil Plan

excerpted from:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-oil-drilling2-2009jun02,0,2849193.story

6/2/2009 --The State Lands Commission on Monday lashed out at an attempt by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to allow the first new oil drilling in California waters since 1969.

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, chairman of the three-member panel, called the governor's effort "a naked power grab." At a contentious hearing in Santa Monica, the commission passed a resolution urging legislators not to go along with the plan, which would revive a drilling proposal off the Santa Barbara County coast that the commission killed in January.

At issue is a complex arrangement crafted by Plains Exploration & Production, a Texas oil company, and a coalition of Santa Barbara environmental groups. Under the plan, the oil company would drill into the state's seafloor from a platform it owns in federal waters, just beyond the three-mile limit. In return, the company would agree to shut down that platform and three others by 2022 and to donate 4,000 acres of land for public use....

Even the environmentalists behind the Tranquillon Ridge compromise criticized the governor's eagerness to get it done. Linda Krop, an attorney for the Environmental Defense Center, told the panel her group has "grave concerns" about the precedent that would be set in bypassing the commission.

In January, the commission concluded that it would be impossible to enforce the part of the deal that would require the oil company to end its drilling. Some environmentalists and legislators also feared it would encourage U.S. officials to allow further drilling in federal waters off California.

But the plan can be modified, Krop said, and it should be the Lands Commission that reconsiders it....
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more on this story:
http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/2009/01/states-lands-commission-rejects-deal-to.html

"Even the land donation was in question. Company lawyers told Lands Commission staff that some of the parcels had title problems that made their transfer uncertain."

Desert Land Rush by energy companies...

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Too Hot and Distant for tract houses...But Seems Like Everyone wants a piece of the Mojave Desert...

excerpted from
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar1-2009jun01,0,6845540.story

6/1/2009--A rush to stake claims for renewable energy projects in the California desert has triggered a federal investigation and prompted calls for reforms to prevent public lands from being exposed to private profiteering and environmental degradation.

Officials said last week that the inspector general's office of the Department of the Interior was investigating Tempe, Ariz.-based First Solar Inc.'s recent acquisition of Hayward, Calif.-based OptiSolar, and its unfinished renewable energy projects, for $400 million. The deal gave First Solar control of what the company described as OptiSolar's "strategic land rights" to 136,000 acres of public land in San Bernardino, Riverside and Kern counties.

Bureau of Land Management officials, however, said First Solar acquired OptiSolar's applications to develop that land.

"There is no value associated with a mere application, which could be rejected by us for a variety of reasons," said Greg Miller, renewable energy program manager for the BLM office in Moreno Valley...

...Three years ago, the bureau had six applications for solar energy projects on file. Over the last year, it has received 130 additional applications from 50 companies, covering about 600,000 acres -- much of it in one of the sunniest regions on Earth, the Mojave Desert.

Some applicants are asking for parcels as small as 250 acres. Then there is Cogentrix Solar Investments, which is seeking more than 300,000 acres...

...A coalition of a dozen environmental groups led by the Wildlands Conservancy has identified 137,000 acres of public and private agricultural and degraded desert lands -- all near existing transmission lines -- that could be used for solar energy farms.

"On these alternative lands we can unite what otherwise would be conflicting environmental interests," said David Myers, executive director of the Wildlands Conservancy.

"It would be a real shame if the public policy for our new green economy was driven haphazardly by speculators," he said.

Save it for a while...then pave it?

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Deals to Save Forests Temporarily Using Carbon Credits Worries Some; others like it

excerpted from
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-forests-carbon1-2009jun01,0,3122894.story?page=1

June 1, 2009

...This 2,200-acre spread in Humboldt County does well by doing good. For the last four years, Van Eck's foresters restricted logging, allowing trees to do what trees do: absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The conservation foundation that oversees the forest then calculated that carbon bonus and sold it for $2 million to individuals and companies trying to offset some 185,000 metric tons of their greenhouse gas emissions.

"Forests can be managed like a long-term carbon bank," said Laurie Wayburn, president of the Pacific Forest Trust, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that oversees Van Eck. Selling offsets, she said, is like "writing checks on the account."...

..."California leads the world with regard to the role of forests in combating climate change," said Chris Kelly, California director for the Conservation Fund, a Virginia-based nonprofit that has sold offsets from Mendocino County preserves. "I just had an inquiry from a Canadian buyer who's expecting Canada to move in the direction set by California."

But so far, big timber operators, including Sierra Pacific Industries and Green Diamond Resource Co., have yet to enroll in California's offsets program. Current standards require owners to agree to a permanent conservation easement, a legal agreement that would guarantee carbon-storage measures in perpetuity. Companies have found that too onerous, and as a result only a handful of woodlands have registered, mainly those managed by conservation groups.

For the last 18 months, members of a task force of environmentalists, timber operators and state officials have been locked in contentious negotiations to revise the rules. The new draft, to go before the Air Resources Board next month, substitutes a 100-year contract for the easement, thus allowing development after a century. It also clarifies rules for companies to quantify and verify carbon.

At least one environmental group is uncomfortable with the changes. "By removing the easement, you leave the system open to gaming," said Brian Nowicki, a forest specialist with the Center for Biological Diversity.

"The timber industry wants 'business as usual' practices, like clear-cutting, to qualify for carbon credit."

But groups represented on the task force, including the Environmental Defense Fund, the Nature Conservancy and Pacific Forest Trust, say that century-long contracts and strict accounting rules will guarantee that offsets will be granted only if additional carbon is stored above and beyond conventional forest practices.

David Bischel, president of the California Forestry Assn., the industry trade group, said he expects more landowners to sign up but cautions, "It is an opportunity in its infancy: When you add up the numbers, it is not a huge source of revenue."...