-Brian
---------
Dear Friends,
The San Jose Water Company wants permission to log, in perpetuity, 1,000 acres of redwood and Douglas-Fir trees near Los Gatos Creek in
What’s Happening
San Jose Water Company proposes to log 1,000 acres near Lexington Reservoir, in an area used as an important water source for thousands of County residents. The plan would give the company permanent rights to repeatedly log various parts of the property on a rotating basis – even if problems are discovered later, the plan cannot be amended by government authorities. The proposal would remove nearly half of the trees that are over three feet in diameter and many smaller trees, a controversial provision that maximizes profit but could significantly increase fire risk. The logging proposal will damage environmental values and threaten water quality, and could even bring sprawl development to the hillsides.
Why This is Important
While almost all of the old-growth forest is gone from this area, much of it was logged over a century ago and is now regaining environmental significance. Removing large trees can dry out the forest and increase the undergrowth that fuels dangerous fires, so the alleged fire benefits of the project are disputed by leading fire scientists. Besides potentially impairing water quality for thousands of people, the plan could destroy water sources for hundreds of rural residents – this would invite the extension of city services up into the
What You Can Do
Attend the California Department of Forestry hearing TOMORROW, if you can, and send comments opposing the plan to CDF (something you can do even if you can’t go to the hearing).
1. Attend the CDF hearing TOMORROW, if you can, and announce your polite-but-firm opposition to the plan when public comment is received. The hearing will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 at Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Chambers,
2. Please write, fax or email CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY by February 7th and ask them to deny this plan. Ask instead of the logging that CDF and
Leslie Markham, CDF,
Fax: (707) 576-2608
Email: SantaRosaPublicComment@fire.ca.gov
Important! Be sure to reference Timber Plan #1-06NTMP-012 SCL
3.
70
Fax (408) 298-8460
4. Please send a copy of your message to CGF so we can track our efforts on this issue: fax 650-968-8431 or email: action@GreenFoothills.org.
To learn more:
Read the Fall 2005 Green Footnotes article warning about the upcoming plan.
Read the January 27, 2007 article in The Mercury News.
Visit the community website opposing the plan, Neighbors Against Irresponsible Logging (NAIL).
You can attempt to read the timber harvest plan, by clicking this here, and find Plan 1-06NTMP-012 SCL, although it is split into many files. You can also find comments from agencies here.
Thanks for speaking up for open space. Your voice does make a difference!
-the folks at Committee for Green Foothills
No comments:
Post a Comment