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To the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
Regarding Midstream Partners Subdivision Appeal 07-2005
We are requesting that you deny this appeal for a 66-acre subdivision.
We are opposed to the conversion of forestland into residential lots. Keeping forest lands in timber production is the stated priority of the Mendocino County General Plan thus giving some regulation and oversight through the timber harvest permits. Once these lands are developed as a conversion there is almost no regulation and oversight, which can lead to far greater environmental damage both to the forest and to endangered coho salmon habitat than takes place with timber harvests. With the fragmentation of forest lands, the possibility of restoring the productivity of the forest and restoring the coho salmon habitat is lost.
Mid-Stream Partners purchased 470 contiguous acres, of which this 66-acre is only a part. When the sale closed in December 2004, Mid-Stream Partners moved in bulldozers, cleared brush and fall trees (apparently to create views), scraped up downed wood, burned huge piles of vegetation, graded, opened a new road through sensitive habitat and in general, 'parked up' the property. Thousands of cubic yards of dirt were disturbed, all during the wet winter and spring seasons. In December 2005 three culverts on the 66-acre part of this property failed, resulting in more erosion and sedimentation into the Albion River. These culvert failures were a direct result of the rapid runoff from the many acres cleared of protective cover. This happen without regulation because Mendocino has no grading ordinance and since the project falls under being a conversion it is no longer regulated by California Forest Practice Rules.
We request denial of any new subdivision until adoption of a General Plan Amendment including a grading ordinance and reaffirming the policy of keeping forest lands intact.
If the project is not denied, we request that you require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), due to the cumulative impacts across the entire 470 acres. A recent report on this 66-acre subdivision by the California Department of Fish and Game points states, "due to unregulated grading activities, two California State and Globally sensitive vegetation types have been adversely impacted". The same report reads, "in addition to the unclean hay mulch, annual ryegrass, a well recognized invasive non-native grass, was utilized for erosion control seeding non-native species are considered a worldwide threat to biodiversity their effects are severe, complex, and extensive to the environment." California Regional Water Quality Control Board has sent Mid-Stream Partners a Cleanup and Abatement Order to Mid- Stream Partners for "threatened sediment discharges to Big Salmon Creek watershed" from logging on a part of this 470 acre property. |
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(fields marked with * are required)
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The mission of the Mendocino Forest Restoration Coalition is to promote the maitinance of forest lands so that they efficiently provide jobs and timber as well as a sustainable habitat for local wildlife.
Contact us:
kshubeck@hotmail.com |
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