COMMITTEE ON AGING: A sub-committee on
aging has been formed under the Siskiyou County Community Services Council. The committee
is initially looking at strategies other California counties are taking to focus on the
needs of Seniors and aging communities. Among future ideas under consideration are: 1) the
assessment of unmet needs; 2) the avoidance of duplication of services, coordination and
opportunities for collaboration and grant writing; 3) countywide program development; 4)
advocacy and cutting through red tape; 5) proposed legislation and policy recommendations;
6) developing volunteers and registries; 7) resource directories and web presence; 8)
accessibility and a countywide transportation plan; 9) health issues; and 10) grandparents
raising grand children.
The new committee meets once a month in Yreka at Human Services. If
you would like to participate, please give me a call at 468-2824 or e-mail me at marmstrong@co.siskiyou.ca.us and I will
make sure you are included on our mailing list and advised of future meeting dates.
FIVE Cs: The Five
County Salmonid Conservation Program was created in the late 1990s with a proactive goal
of striving “to
protect the economic and social resources of Northwestern
California by
providing for the conservation and restoration of salmonid populations to healthy and
sustainable levels and to base decisions on watershed rather than county boundaries.”
Participants include Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou, and Trinity County.
http://www.5counties.org
The
initial focus of the counties was to remove fish migration barriers, (such as bridges and
culverts); to remove sediment sources; and to improve fish habitat and water quality
through public projects. Among the five counties, an inventory identified 245 migration
barriers. So far, 51 barriers have been removed, opening more than 126 miles of habitat.
Completed projects in Siskiyou County include:
Kelly Gulch; Barkhouse Creek; Deep Creek; Rail Creek; Masterson Creek; Walker
Road; and Merrill Creek. The
County is currently working on projects at Horse Creek and Whites Gulch. Siskiyou County does a lot
of the work on these internally. The 5Cs helps in funding geotechnical and design work,
providing biological assessment, facilitating permitting and helps in finding grants. http://www.5counties.org/Projects/MigBar800/MigBarSisk800.htm
Another
focus has been sediment source reduction on the County road system. A “Direct
Inventory of Roads and Treatments” (DIRT) is in the process of being completed for
370 miles of the Scott and Salmon
River
watersheds. This inventory will identify significant sites that currently deliver sediment
to salmon bearing streams. (Initial indications are that close a thousand sites have been
identified. These will be prioritized and funding will be sought to address them in an
orderly basis. Many are in low population areas and they must be addressed within the
context of limited and decreasing county resources available to maintain road systems and
safety in populated areas.
5Cs has
also developed “A Water Quality and Stream Habitat Protection Manual for County Road
Maintenance in Northwestern California Watersheds.” This includes best practices such
as rolling dips, outsloping of roads and engineering standards. Several educational
workshops have also been held among the road departments. The manual has received ESA and
Waste Discharge Requirement (WDR) approval.
The 5C
program also has a component that has been historically controversial in Siskiyou County. This
includes an assessment of the impact of each County’s practices and policies on
anadromous salmonids and their habitat. An initial report card/ assessment was done in
1998 by Dr. Harris of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and
identified 13 county “deficiencies.” Currently, a more comprehensive review is
proposed to assess if and how prior deficiencies were addressed and to sample various
permit approvals to assess compliance. Barrier removal and sediment reduction programs
were results of the original assessment. Grading ordinances were passed in three of the
counties. Building in the flood plain is also a current issue. The concept of model
ordinances and the movement toward regional standardization is part of this.
The Board
of Supervisors is currently discussing whether or not to participate in this second study,
which will be considered again at our April 1 meeting.
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