May 14, 2013
Liz Writes Life
A great day is planned this Sat. May 18th at the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds, when our annual Armed Forces Appreciation Day will be held. All soldiers and veterans are invited to attend, because we do want to show our appreciation for your service and sacrifices. A breakfast kicks-off the day at 8 a.m. There will be booths, displays and military vehicles. Entertainment begins at 9 a.m. and the ceremony with Young Marines Color Guard, 21-gun salute to honor Siskiyou soldiers Killed-In-Action and speaker Lt. Colonel Kevin Charter at 11 a.m.
But the day is not over, because so many groups and individuals are supporting this Appreciation Day, there will also be a lunch at noon. Siskiyou Veteran’s Service Officer, Tim Grenvik, says to bring the whole family. It will provide a fun education of our military for teens and children. For more info, call Tim at 842-8010.
Storms bring rain
Oh, my the thunderstorms, with much needed rain, were wonderful last week. We even received significant rain of several inches in pans and a bucket here near Callahan. I sure did like not having to irrigate all. I was already behind. Those following days of 90 degree humid-heat were not much fun and I decided not to transplant the tomatoes, peppers, broccoli or cabbage plants over the weekend ‘cuz of the heat.
I have gathered the seeds that need to go in the ground and used the hoe to make rows, so I guess I will be busy gardening during the evenings this week planting and setting up soaker hoses with timers.
The rhubarb is finally growing and I did get some potatoes planted. I am surprised at the amount of volunteer potatoes that are now 10 inches high. I thought I had dug up most of the potatoes. Guess not. The peonies are blooming and I see lots of lilacs in the valley. The Fowler lilac that my brother dug up and gave me still didn’t bloom and it is now 6 feet tall. Several years ago, he was able to find the owner of the property outside of Red Bluff, down in Tehama County, where our great-grandfather Andrew Jackson Fowler owned a ranch in 1900. When Steve visited several years ago, they even found where the old house had sat and there were roses and lilacs growing, so he dug some starts.
Fire Tax
Some updated info on the Fire Fee (tax) on residences in the State Responsibility Area, called SRA, of California came out last week. Because of so many complaints, Cal Fire did review its maps and corrected properties that were in the SRA or were not. By the end of the process about 12,000 acres were removed from the SRA. Unfortunately, from looking at the maps and info, I do not see any changes in Siskiyou County.
For those new to this Fire Fee, it was implemented by the state legislature to raise money for the state’s general fund (it doesn’t go to fire fighting) by taxing rural residents $150 per year for being in a rural area, where the state is the main entity responsible for fighting fire. The Howard Jarvis Tax Payer’s Assoc. has filed a lawsuit against the state calling it a “tax”, but that process will take at least a year. Until then, Howard Jarvis says to pay the annual Fire Fee, so we won’t be fined.
New bills for the current year should be coming out any time.
Defending farms
A trial for a Wisconsin farmer milk will begin May 20. A State Wisconsin agency claims the farmer, Vernon Hershberger, was selling milk without a retain license. “Retail” is a key word here. Hershberger argues he was providing food products to paid members in a private buying club. This is another situation where the state agencies are over-regulating and outrageous penalties are in store for the farmer if he is found guilty: Up to 30 months in jail with fines of more than $10,000. Yea, wow!
Hershberger believes, “This is about the fundamental right of farmers and consumers to engage in peaceful, private, mutually-consenting agreements for food, without additional oversight.”
Last year, food-rights activists from around the country stood in support of Hershberger. Locally, the Greenhorn Grange, in Yreka, discussed providing protection for small farmers and cottage-type of industry at its meeting last week. Small family-farms cannot afford the costs for increasing permits, fees and fines that bigger commercial farms and businesses must adhere to. Grange member, Leo Bergeron, said one solution to over-government regulations lies in the local county establishing an ordinance to protect small farms – something the Grange is looking into.
Liz Bowen lives in Callahan, writes biographies, radio news and blogs. Check out: Pie N Politics.com, Jefferson News Service.com and Liz Bowen.com
May 7, 2013
Published in Siskiyou Daily News
Green, green, green is Scott Valley. Oh, so beautiful. Usually the leaves are not out on the trees before the May Rodeo in Etna, but they were this year. Farmers had to jump in early to irrigate their fields and they are growing with lush alfalfa and pasture grasses.
Several hard frosts last week took out a few leaves of my volunteer potatoes, but didn’t hurt them. There are actually more volunteer potatoes growing than I thought there would be, so I bought five red potatoes and five Russet potatoes to cut in half and fill in the spaces. Need to get the soaker hoses hooked-up on this row, cuz the onions and strawberries need water about every other day. Did lose a few green onion transplants. Strawberries are blooming and look great.
Dug more carrots. The tops are really growing and I didn’t know if the carrots would still be good after those batches of hot temps, but they are. I will juice these and there is one more batch to dig. Hope to get them next weekend.
Been leaving the six-pack of tomatoes, broccoli and cabbage outside at night, so they are hardened pretty good. I did cover them at night during the frosts and a few times they have gotten pretty dry, so they really should be ready to survive transplanting.
Dry, dry, dry
Yep, it’s dry out there and the State Department of Water Resources made it official saying there is only about 17 percent of the average water content in snow left in the Sierras making this one of the driest winters on record. Be ready to conserve water.
Dance in Sawyers
Sawyer’s Bar will be hopping like the old days on Sat. May 25, when the Salmon River Snipers hold their annual Town Hall community dance from 8 p.m. to midnight. Six McBrooms will play oldies, but goodies, with Earlene on the piano, Hank and Clint playing fiddles; Dean, Mitzi and Hunter accompany on guitars. Two friends from downriver also join them. The dance is free, so be sure to attend.
Speaking of dances – thanks to those who organized the Rodeo Dance. It was great fun. Unfortunately, I didn’t climb the long flight of stairs nearly as fast as I used to, but the Etna Dance Hall was still in great shape from the last refurbishing. A big thanks to Siskiyou Telephone Co. for paying The Slapshoefly Band, so admission was free. Delta Christ was probably the oldest one there and could out-dance almost everyone. For many years, Delta, and others, organized Square Dances that were packed at the Dance Hall. Many rodeo, teen and prom dances have been held there as well. It brought back fun memories. Yes, growing up in Etna had wonderful perks.
Water Rights
CA. State Attorney General Kamala Harris has filed a “Notice of Appeal” in the Siskiyou Superior Court against Judge Karen Dixon’s ruling that favored Siskiyou Farm Bureau over CA. Dept. of Fish and Game on a Water Right issue. Judge Dixon ruled that opening a headgate to obtain a legal Water Right allotment does not need a 1600 Permit as demanded by DFG.
Mark Baird, president of Scott Valley Protect Our Water, was disgusted, saying, “Once again DFG ignores the law and ignores the facts.” He added: DFG is wasting more taxpayers’ dollars trying to take property rights from Siskiyou citizens.
More DFG
Richard Marshall, president of Siskiyou Water users Assoc., recently chastised the Dept. of Fish and Game over the continuing in-stream flow water study, by a private company called Normandeau, in the Scott and Shasta Rivers. DFG sent a letter asking for “input” to the study stating there would be no more public meetings and all data will be gathered electronically.
Marshall alleged the state agency is no longer allowing any transparency in the Normandeau study and with no public meetings, there is no way to determine if the results will be “honest and above board” – or if the study is bogus.”
Wolf
The Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife reported that the infamous wolf OR-7 recently crossed Interstate 5 several times just north of Yreka and lived to make it back into Oregon’s Jackson County. OR-7 left his Eastern Oregon pack 19 months ago and has traveled as far south as Tehama and Plumas Counties, usually catching the Eastern portion of Siskiyou in his travels.
The four-year old, OR-7 wolf is collared with a GPS that sends coordinates at 6 a.m. each morning, so wildlife biologists in both Oregon and California keep a close eye on his whereabouts.
Liz Bowen lives in Callahan writes biographies, radio news and blogs. Check out Pie N Politics.com, Jefferson News Service.com and Liz Bowen.com on the web.
April 30, 2013
Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA
Thanks to McQuoid Well Drilling for fixing my frost free faucet last week. Unfortunately, then the real work began trying to catch up on the first round of irrigation. Boy is it dry. It took forever for the soil to soak up water around the strawberry plants and the furrow I made to finally plant the onions.
By the end of the week, I decided to turn on the rest of the outside water, so I didn’t have to drag as many hoses around. The fruit trees really need water and two rhubarb plants are pretty stunted. Saved the lungwort plants that have blue and pink bell-shaped blossoms; and gave the peonies a huge drink. Purple iris are starting to bloom and I even saw a pink diascia flower and the dinner place dahlia is starting to grow.
Was surprised that a few stalks from 12 asparagus plants shot up. I picked and ate them raw. Sure good. Last summer, I couldn’t keep up with irrigating everything and sacrificed the asparagus. But, I have now decided to plant 12 more plants inside the garden fence, where it will be easier to water them. It is late to be planting asparagus, but the Feed Store still had them so I will give it a try.
The biggest problem with trying to garden this time of year is dealing with possibility of frosts that can crack your faucets. I use several hand-turn-on timers and a frost will break them, so they must be removed from the hose and brought in the house at night if I think it is going to freeze. Sure ads extra work.
POW meeting
Scott Valley President Mark Baird brought us up-to-date on the proposed California gun ban bills. He printed out 25 pages of bills in the legislature! The California Rifle and Pistol Assoc. has an easy-to-find list on the internet. Mark stresses that we must continue to email and phone our assemblymen and senators to defend the Constitution and 2nd Amendment.
POW is planning a gun safety and target shooting day. It will be led by Etna Police Officer Tony Stacher. Should be a nice social activity.
Rodeo May 5
It is the 66th Annual Pleasure Park Rodeo over in Etna this Sunday. Be sure to contact Drew Travis with your Etna Rodeo Parade entry before Friday. Livestock contractor, John Growney, will serve as Grand Marshall. John says Etna holds a special place in his heart, because it was his first rodeo; which was back in May 1977. The Growney Brothers Rodeo Company, based in Red Bluff, grew and still provides stock to top professional rodeos in the U.S.
On May 3-4, the District 1 High School Rodeo Finals will be held at the Etna arena. There is a Rodeo Dance at the Etna City Hall May 4 from 7 to 10 a.m. and the Kid’s Calf Riding starts at noon before the rodeo. The Parade starts at 10:30 a.m.
Callahan Bridge
Gerald Carver, Western Siskiyou Co. Road Crew Supervisor, called several of us in Callahan last week. The road crew will be inspecting the metal bridge on May 1 at 10 a.m. Gerald invited anyone who has questions or would like to see just what the problems are with the bridge to show up and chat. Sure do appreciate the invitation and those of us who care will be there.
A Town Hall meeting is planned for next Mon. May 5th at the Mt. Bolivar Grange to discuss the Callahan bridge closure and brainstorm how we could raise funds to restore it. Also, several robberies and vandalisms have been reported. Maybe it is time to start a Neighborhood Watch and a phone tree. Time for the meeting is 7 p.m.
Mill closing
With the over-abundance of trees, it is truly a shame that “sacred cow” over-regulations still win out. Our Northwest forests are too thick and should be harvested for forest health and to bolster our economies. So it is with a sad heart, the owners of Rough & Ready Sawmill in Cave Junction, OR. recently announced, it is closing and cited a loss of a steady supply of logs as the major reason. Many local timber folks sent or hauled logs to Rough & Ready, which produced high quality wood products used in doors, windows and exposed beams.
There will be a direct lost of 85 jobs up there in Josephine County, which is quite a slam to their local economy. A window-making company in Klamath Falls will lose its major source of wood product creating a further-reaching domino effect. Yes, rural America is getting hammered by archaic “the sky is falling” attitudes towards the environment.
Liz Bowen lives in Callahan, writes news, blogs and biographies. Check out her websites: Pie N Politics.com and Jefferson News Service.com
April 23, 2013
Liz Writes Life
Can’t believe extra warm temperatures are expected this week. I am really used to a cold, blustery April, so these warm temps have me confused. It will be easy to think you can plant your summer garden and, normally, I would advocate against it. But this dry winter after the pounding snowfall at the New Year is unusual for me.
I only mention this, because typically we can get hard frosts throughout May and I have had plants killed by frost as late as June 22. That was back in the early 1990s. So when the forecast says it won’t even be freezing at night or before sunup this week, I don’t know when to plant. If you want to get those tomatoes in the ground, it just might work this year. Just be ready to cover them at night.
I haven’t planted the onions, peas or potatoes, because my frost free-faucet was defective and cracked sometime this winter. Hopefully, Matt McQuoid will be by soon to fix it. Because it is so dry, I really think the fruit trees need early irrigation. Ugh, I think that the summer chores may start early this year.
POW meeting
Scott Valley Protect Our Water will meet April 24 (Wednesday) at the Catholic Parish Hall in Fort Jones at 7 p.m. We will share our potluck desserts first and then hear about the newest hypocrisy by the State Department of Fish and Game, which has not paid its taxes owed to Siskiyou County for 10 years. Yes, DFG is $22 million in arrears to 36 counties.
I spoke with Siskiyou Co. Auditor Jennie Ebejer and she said DFG owes $512,626 to our county in back taxes. She is quite the go-getter and is frustrated the State has not paid. Jennie has even communicated with DFG’s council John Long on the subject.
The DFG owns two fish hatcheries, including the big Irongate Dam Hatchery on the Klamath, several large wildlife areas and property for offices. And, yes, DFG must pay taxes on property.
The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted to support a unique study presented by Foresters Ray Haupt and Bruce Courtright last week. Ray explained that a comprehensive study must be done that takes into all aspects of rain, snow, evaporation, affects of trees and vegetation. I spoke in support of the proposal, because agencies, Tribes and Greenies continue to gather data on stream flows in Scott River, without taking into account just how much rain, snow, trees and vegetation, and even temperatures from the uplands affect the Scott’s flow.
Called an “Evaporative Transpiration Study,” this project will address the entire Sugar Creek uplands and creek. Haupt reiterated that substantial change has occurred in our forests from historic conditions; and valuable data of pre-commercial logging and fire suppression from back in 1940 is available on Sugar Creek and will be utilized.
Ray will explain the study at the POW meeting on Wednesday.
Rodeo Queen
Kah’lena Hayes, from Yreka, won the Scott Valley Pleasure Park Rodeo Queen contest on Saturday. She is 16, competes in Barrel Racing, High School Rodeo and horse shows. Princesses for the 2013 year are Kyliegh Kirkbride and Michaela Bray, who live in Scott Valley.
This year there will be a Rodeo Dance on Sat. May 4, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Etna City Hall. The Slapshoefly Band’s cost has been donated by Siskiyou Telephone Company, so admittance is free. The 2013 Rodeo Queen will be presented with her crown around 9 p.m.
Callahan Bridge
Cal-Trans employees inspected the old Callahan Dump Road Bridge and found it needs work to make it reliable. So, the County Road Dept. has temporarily closed the bridge, but many Callahan locals are not happy about it. I have spoken with the county’s acting Public Works Supervisor and our Western Siskiyou Co. roads supervisor. Of course, it comes down to money, which it is tight. It will cost $40,000 to make the bridge sound. Hum, what to do?
Fran, owner of the Callahan Emporium, and I addressed the Board of Supervisors on the concerns of Callahan area residents last week. We submitted more than 70 signatures from individuals, who are questioning the closure of the bridge.
I am concerned about the liability aspect, because locals have been using the bridge and dump road (the dump was closed 25 years ago) to pick blackberries and for access to swim in the Scott River for decades. Even if the bridge is closed, it will still have foot traffic.
A Town Hall meeting is being planned, but we do not have the date yet, but should have that for you next week.
Liz Bowen is a native of Siskiyou County and lives in Callahan. Check out her websites: Pie N Politics.com and Jefferson News Service.com
April 16, 2013
Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA
Scott Valley Protect Our Water will hold its monthly meeting on Wed. April 24th at the Catholic Parish Hall in Fort Jones. Bring desserts to share. We eat first at 7 p.m. and then start our meeting. President Mark Baird will provide an update on State legislation on the gun issue and 2nd Amendment rights.
Boy, the CA. Dept. of Fish and Game sure has been quiet on the status of the Normandeau/Dept. of Fish and Game’s redundant project to do another stream flow study of the Scott and Shasta Rivers. In a letter to Siskiyou Co., DFG’s Regional Manager Neil Manji asked for comments to be sent by email because Normandeau/DFG would not be holding public meetings. Hum, sounds like more behind-closed-door manipulation of data using the non-transparent electronic process.
Bits of info
The U.S. Postal Service is frustrated, because Congress decided mail must be delivered on Saturday. After two years of pushing hard to close several thousand Post Offices, reduce Post office hours or threatening Post Masters with office closures, the USPS claimed it was still losing money and needed to stop mail delivery on Saturdays.
But federal Post Office officials jumped the gun. It is only Congress, who can make that decision and last week, Congress voted the US Post Office would have to find other ways to reduce costs.
U.S. South Dakota Senator John Thune has brought the federal Environmental Protection Agency to task on one issue. According to Senator Thune’s website, EPA officials have been caught unlawfully releasing confidential information on 80,000 farmers and ranchers to radical enviro groups like Earth Justice, the National Resources Defense Council and Pew Charitable Trust. Senator Thune said, “The EPA has threatened the health and safety of agriculture producers and their families and damaged the security of our food system.”
Critics have characterized Earth Justice and other organizations as “extremist groups.” Nebraska cattle rancher, J.D. Alexander is concerned saying, “This information details my family’s home address,” and added, “The only thing it doesn’t do is chauffeur these extremists to my house.”
There is an abundance of Canadian gray wolves in Idaho. According to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission’s latest decision, wolf hunting season in several areas of the state will be extended for three months. The wolf hunts were scheduled to close on March 31st, but will be open through June 30th.
Hunting is used as a management tool. It is a proven fact that as soon as wolf packs are established, wolf populations skyrocket. As of April 1, hunters had killed 192 wolves in Idaho and trappers had taken 114 for a total of 306 wolves. But this was down from the 379 wolves killed in Idaho during the 2012 season.
The Yreka Tea Party Patriots have two powerhouse speakers to share information the next two weeks. Tonight, April 16, at 6:30 p.m., the integrity of elections will be discussed. Linda Paine is president of Election Integrity Project, Inc., which she considers a non-partisan issue. Voter fraud, dead people voting, repeat voters, late military ballots, voting machine malfunction and voter intimidation are all on the rise.
Personally, I appreciate and trust our local County Clerk Colleen Setzer. She truly has an open-door to the county’s election process. But, unfortunately other counties, cities and states are not so lucky.
Then on April 23rd, researcher Dane Wingington, who lives in Mt. Shasta, will speak on chem trails and the environmental dangers from these chemicals. Dane has extensive background in solar energy and was a licensed contractor in CA. and AZ.
He owns a 1,600-acre “wildlife preserve” next to Lake Shasta in Northern California, which was featured in a cover article of the world’s largest renewable energy magazine called “Home Power.” Dane’s efforts became focused on the geo-engineering issue, when he began to lose significant amounts of solar uptake due to an increasing “solar obstruction,” which seemed to be caused by aircrafts spraying something in the atmosphere.
Yreka Tea Party meets at 1301 S. Main at the Decision Life Church on the corner of Oberlin and Main Street. Visitors are welcome. The meetings are free and start at 6:30 p.m.
Good news in salmon numbers for the 2013 ocean salmon seasons were announced by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which sets quotas for commercial and sport fishermen. It was interesting that significant credit was given to the strong returns of salmon to the Sacramento and Klamath Rivers as one of the reasons fishing would be good. Steve Williams, with the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife said, “A solid salmon season could be a real economic shot in the arm for coastal communities.”
Liz Bowen is a native of Siskiyou County and lives in Callahan. She writes biographies, radio news and blogs. Check out Pie N Politics.com and Jefferson News Service.com.
April 9, 2013
Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA
With the extra warm day and night temperatures last week, many of us start getting serious about planting our garden. Kathy Bergeron asked me to speak at the Greenhorn Grange meeting last week on gardening and I felt like I was preaching to the choir. So for a change, I decided to take some dry herbs and talk about growing and harvesting herbs. I even found some two-inch tall mint, thyme in the garden and decent sage leaves to take in as fresh herbs.
One thing I forgot to mention is that parsley tends to be an annual plant, but I have had it grow back the next spring. It likely depends on how long our hard winter freezing cold spell lasts – and this last one in December and January lasted for weeks, so marginal plants may not have made it.
I forgot to mention at the meeting that herbs should to be harvested before they go to blossom, which is usually in late July. Parsley will quickly re-grow and can be harvested again at the end of August or September. I was surprised how quickly parsley re-grows.
Now is a good time to plant parsley seeds, just below the surface of the soil. But beware, the tiny plants may need some protection in late May or June if they are up and we get some late hard frosts. Basil is extremely sensitive to the cold, so don’t transplant it into the garden until late May or June.
Oregano is a perennial, like mint, and comes back every spring. Bees really like oregano blossoms. Lemon balm is also a mint, but is a little later in starting to grow. I use lemon balm and mints for tea.
If you decide to grow rosemary, be sure to put it in a spot it can stay for several years or forever. It is like the old-fashioned lavender plants and will grow for years.
Several years ago, I had a marjoram plant, but didn’t make it through the winter. So I need to get a new one. But thyme and sage are so hardy, they are even useable during winter.
The rain did the garden soil so much good and already some weeds are coming back. Guess I better get the push plow and get it cultivated out. Then I really need to plant bush peas, onions and lettuce. The row for the potatoes needs to be dug deeper and readied. I probably won’t get the potatoes planted until late April, but now is the time to pick up your seed potatoes from the garden stores.
A bit of history
I need to get back to re-writing my dad’s family history. I wrote it in the early 1990s and didn’t keep up with converting it into new formats as computer word programs changed. This is a fun story, my dad, Hearst Dillman, told me.
Dick Mathews suffered mentally and physically from the Great Depression, which hit Wall Street Oct. 29, 1929. Dick was going broke. His ranch was located near Fort Jones on the East side of Scott Valley. He was still trying to get back on his feet from 10 years before, when the cattle market dropped at the end of World War I. Dick had over 200 head of steers fattened and ready for market, but after the War there was no market for the beef.
With the many struggles, Dick felt that he was going insane. If it wasn’t for back luck, he’d have no luck at all. It was 1931. Dick decided to sell his weaner pigs and use the money to check himself into a mental hospital down south. My dad’s family purchased the 82 pigs for $1 a pig. Dick even threw in a few extra weaners. Hearst used a stock truck to haul the pigs to their ranch and they all fit in one load.
After several months, the hospital released Dick with a clean bill of health saying he was never crazy. Back then, folks didn’t understand “depression” like we do now. But Dick was still pleased with his hospital stay, because he was released with a certificate stating he was mentally sane. He carried the certificate in his wallet and showed it to acquaintances with pride. My dad said Dick was the only man he knew, who could prove he wasn’t crazy.
Dad’s family did well raising the pigs. When they were 200 pounds, they sold for four and a half cents a pound rendering about $9 per hog. There was the cost of feed, but the Dillman family did well financially on this deal and Dick Mathews learned he wasn’t crazy after all.
Liz Bowen lives in Callahan and writes biographies, blogs and radio news. Check out Pie N Politics.com and Jefferson News Service.com.
April 2, 2013
Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA
Many of us breathed a small sigh of relief with this recent rain. I am surprised at how warm the temperatures were last week, when March rains tend to bring in the last of the “winter lion” bluster and cold. Folks who planted crops were especially grateful for nature’s irrigation.
I decided not to procrastinate getting my garden roto-tilled, mostly cuz it hadn’t had a good grinding up for several years. The last two springs, I have just used my push plow to dig up rows or resorted to my grubbing hoe. Jarom Hiett came out last week and roto-tilled just before it rained. Boy the soil looks nice.
Yep, it is time to get peas, greens and more lettuce planted. But don’t let these warm temperatures catch you off guard as we still have at least two months, where it could freeze and will sure take out beans, corn, cucumbers and tomato plants.
Wolves
A big “thank you” goes out to Congressman Doug LaMalfa. He joined 72 members of Congress in writing a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urging the agency to delist the gray (Canadian) wolf from the Endangered Species Act. Currently, the USFWS is re-evaluating the ESA listing of the wolf, so now is the perfect time for the letter, which states that wolves are not an endangered species and do not merit federal protections. The letter adds that State governments should manage wolf populations according to its needs.
Gold heist
I was surprised to see that Siskiyou County made the front page of FOX news on the internet on Sunday with an article about the gold heist. And that story was led by an L.A. Times story.
Siskiyou Sheriff Jon Lopey and his detectives have been diligently investigating all leads on the robbery of the gold from the courthouse last year. To finally release the names of two suspects means evidence must be pretty conclusive. Felony warrants were issued for David Dean Johnson, 49, of El Cerrito and Scott Wayne Bailey, 51, of El Sobrante. This is good news indeed.
Fire Fee
At the Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting last week, we learned of two more home owners who received a second billing for the Cal-Fire Protection Fee (tax). But, Cal-Fire claims it has not sent out a second billing due to the fact that it received over 87,000 complaints of incorrect billing and or demands for refunds. So it is in the process of going through those 87,000 complaints. Yet, it is the State Board of Equalization that sends out billings, so I wonder if the two state agencies are communicating; or if there is a computer that has decided to send out only a few bills?
Bottom line: If you receive a second bill (which we knew we would receive for the 2012 – 2013 year) call the Cal-Fire Suisun City number and ask to speak to a supervisor to make sure it is legit.
Integrity
I commend the Siskiyou Co. Board of Supervisors, who will likely have approved a formal complaint letter to the federal Dept. of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar regarding scientific integrity of Klamath Dam removal at their meeting today. I read the draft letter on the county website and it is hard-hitting with facts.
One paragraph states: Despite the tremendous amount of time and taxpayer money that has been devoted to this process proves the Overview Report and underlying materials are completely overshadowed and tainted by Sec. Salazar’s publicly-announced, predetermined outcome “dam removal will not fail!”
The letter then outlines 14 major issues that have been blatantly ignored and adds: The Overview Report is replete with examples of bias, distortion and circumvention of legal, scientific and scholarly standards.
This letter also cites the fact that the federal agency’s own scientific integrity officer was fired after questioning these bias, distortions and fraudulent science.
Which brings me to Paul R. Houser Ph.D., who was the first scientist to stand up to the Dept. of Interior bureaucracy. He was fired last year for doing his job as the integrity officer questioning Salazar’s biased statements and the agency’s distorted science. Last week a DOI internal panel rendered a decision of not guilty. Yep, this is the fox watching the hen house.
Dr. Houser quickly responded that the panel did not address or respond to all of his complaints and then the panel admitted scientific inaccuracies were “normal practice.” Yes, the charades and lies continue. But, I still say “thank you” to Dr. Houser for standing up to Goliath.
Liz Bowen lives in Callahan and writes biographies, blogs and radio news. Check out Pie N Politics.com and Jefferson News Service.com on the internet for more info. If there is anything in this column you question, please investigate it and find out for yourself.
March 26, 2013
Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA
Scott Valley Protect Our Water will meet on Wed. March 27th at the Catholic Parish Hall in Fort Jones. We share desserts first at 7 p.m. and then will follow with Mark Baird discussing his meeting with Senator Jim Nielsen in Sacramento about the state Water Bond initiative.
Looks like there is some backroom wheeling and dealing going on, but the Water Bond could be detrimental to Siskiyou County if $210 million is included for Klamath dam removal. So far the state has not designated the amount of monies needed to pay for its portion of the cost of dam destruction – and we would like to keep it that way.
When someone disagrees?
False piety is all the rage. How dare someone have a different point of view? And express it! Better shut them up and quick.
Up in Oregon, at Benson High School, a teacher has been placed on leave, because he is outspoken against Planned Parenthood and abortion. One would think that under the Bill of Rights, a school teacher should able to express many points of view. Heaven knows, teachers are caught many times spouting the liberal-progressive stance; and I do not recall those teachers being muffled or expelled for their views.
Oh, to make things even more unbalanced, Planned Parenthood it a partner to the school district where the controversial school teacher works. Now that brings in another question about “ethics.”
Yes, hypocrisy is reigning supreme. But, for those of us who still believe the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights are the law of the land, we will speak up with our views and, if given the chance, can even prove our statements are truth and fact. I applaud this school teacher, Bill Diss, for not caving. In a tolerant society, which we are touted to be, Diss has a right to his opinion, just like the pro-abortionists have a right to theirs.
I, too, will continue to share the truths that I know — along with facts. And I allow that those with differing opinions will to try to silence or mock.
Mark Baird
Speaking of distorting facts, the CA. Dept. of Fish and Game (Wildlife) was put on notice last week, when Mark Baird, the president-elect of Scott Valley Protect our Water, wrote Regional 1 Manager Neil Manji. Baird explained how the agency’s newest project is wasting $200,000 of California taxpayers’ monies; and contracted with a company under false pretenses. You see, Baird explained that under the Public Resources Codes 10000 to 10005, no further water rights are possible in a watershed where the water is fully adjudicated. Both the Scott and Shasta River watersheds are adjudicated.
“Use of public money to perpetrate a fraud is poor judgment on your part, as well as a misuse of public funds. This may possibly be a crime,” states Baird.
Next Baird calls out Manji and the department for continually claiming salmon numbers are declining; and that they are declining, because of agriculture.
Funny, but we can prove by DFG’s own statistics that the salmon numbers have increased significantly, including the coho. And recent news articles are proving that state and federal agencies are expecting another great year for returning salmon. And agriculture is co-habitating with salmon like it has historically.
But the lies just keep coming.
Bottom line: Baird said that POW supporters will not cooperate with poorly and fraudulently conducted instream flow studies.
Mark Baird’s letter can be read at Pie N Politics.com. Type Baird’s name in the search box and it should come up.
Fire Tax
Only one person that I know of has received a second bill for the Cal-Fire Protection Fee (tax). The first bill last fall was for the year 2011, I believe. This next one that rural home owners will receive is for 2012; and, yes, there will be another bill this fall for 2013.
Right now, I have am trying to learn if we need to file for a refund, called the Petition for Redetermination, again or if the paperwork we sent in with the first paid-in-protest-bill is sufficient. I don’t trust the State of California, so would lean towards re-doing all that paperwork.
I did learn that a surprisingly high number of California property owners opted not to pay the $150 tax. More than 850,000 bills went out from the State Board of Equalization with an expectation of bringing in over $84 million. Less than half the property owners have paid, which brought in only about $41 million.
Also, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assoc. announced it is moving forward with its lawsuit against the State to have the fire tax declared illegal in court and refunds issued to residents. Last week, it performed in-person service on Cal Fire, the board of Equalization and Dept. of Justice. But the wheels of justice do move slowly.
Liz Bowen lives in Callahan. She writes biographies, radio news and blogs. Check out Pie N Politics.com and Jefferson News Service.com.
March 19, 2013
Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA
After the warm weather last week, my daffodils are blooming. Also noticed the boy-girl plant with a few pink and blue blossoms. The ground is really dry and I should try to irrigate some plants, but that means dragging a bunch of hoses around from the main faucet, which now leaks when you turn it on. Yep, I am praying for lots of rain and snow in the mountains.
Wolf meeting
This Fri. March 22nd will be a workshop on the Canadian wolves that are migrating from Idaho, Oregon and into California. A rancher and a farm advisor will share information they have gathered up in Wallowa County after wolf packs began killing livestock in Oregon. Farm Advisor, John Williams, is doing scientific studies to show the anxiety significance of wolves among cattle herds.
Siskiyou County Ag. Commissioner, Pat Griffin, organized the meeting and it will be well worth your time to attend. It will be at the Greenhorn Grange in Yreka at 6 p.m.
I participated on a telephone conference call a few weeks ago with a sheriff, county commissioner and wildlife investigator from Catron Co. New Mexico, where the expanding Mexican wolf packs are killing livestock and threatening humans, especially children waiting for the school bus. It is against the law to kill a wolf in New Mexico and this is causing havoc to not only the livestock business, but trauma to families.
In order to protect the children waiting for school buses, students in the ag. class at a local high school are building cages for the children to get into as a protection from wolves. Pretty scary. Yes, there is nothing romantic about wolves.
2nd Amendment
I saw an article in the Siskiyou Daily News, complaining that the sheriff’s department didn’t respond fast enough to a 911 call to the school in Somes Bar. First, I think we need to hear the 911 tape, because it wasn’t until the end of the article that the actual 911 discussion was brought into the article. And those statements were different than what the beginning of the article implied.
But what I want to address right now are the laws or codes that govern law enforcement. As much as Siskiyou Sheriff Jon Lopey has set a mission statement to “Protect and Serve,” law enforcement is not compelled by law to protect citizens. Yep, that is true. Look it up yourself.
In several recent presentations, Mark Baird, of Scott Valley Protect Our Water, has cited the California Government Code sections of 821, 845, 846, which detail why the police are under no obligation to protect you against crime or violence. This is backed up by U.S. Supreme Court decisions and significant lawsuits.
Law enforcement is compelled to investigate crimes and arrest alleged criminals. That’s it.
Because most police and sheriff departments have high ideals, they wish to protect the citizens. But, because police can’t be everywhere within a few minutes’ notice, the citizenry must be able to protect themselves. This is the biggest reason for the 2nd Amendment and the right to own a gun and use it.
The 2nd Amendment is not about hunting. It is about protecting yourself. It is also about defending yourself from a tyrannical government.
Folks, we need to change our attitude towards the 2nd Amendment and law enforcement. Good police officers will try their darnedest to protect us, but the real reason to own a gun, or any other weapon, is the ability to defend and protect ourselves and our families.
New school curriculum
Yes, the latest education program implemented by the Obama administration in 2009 is already being taught in Siskiyou schools and it is a Trojan horse that will drastically reform the teaching and mentoring of our children, said Orlean Koehle at the Yreka Tea Party Patriots meeting last week. History is being rewritten and the U.S. Constitution is being ignored.
Last year, Orlean Koehle, who is president of the California Eagle Forum, a family-based grass roots group, uncovered tragic aspects of this new school curriculum called “Common Core,” which allegedly dumbs down the students, turns teachers into facilitators and does not allow parents to see what is being taught.
When fully implemented, there will be no texts books. The students will use ebooks and parents are not allowed to see or examine the content. That alone should scare the heck out of you. Common Core pretends to be a benign “state” program, but it is not. Common Core is driven by President Obama and the federal department of Education promising stimulus monies to the first schools that signed up. Did you know that under the U.S. Constitution, the federal government is not allowed to dictate to the states in the area of education. Yet, this has been going on since the first George Bush presidency.
It is worth checking with your school board members to see just what is being taught to your children.
Liz Bowen writes biographies, blogs and radio news. Check out Pie N Politics.com and Jefferson News Service.com.
March 12, 2013
Published in Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA
Folks are enjoying the sunshine and warm days, but the snowpack level does not look good for California. The February snowpack measurements taken by the USFS crew in the mountains here in Scott Valley were below normal and then the results of the snowpack survey the first of March were even worse at 64 percent of average.
We need water for crops, livestock and residential wells. Oh, and the City of Etna receives its water through a Water Right from Etna Creek. And Swampy John, on Salmon Mt. at the 5,500 foot elevation, showed 58 percent of the average amount of snow depth. This measurement has been taken since 1951, so it is not a short-term average.
It is the depth and pack of the snow that provides water through the hot summer. Sorry, but we need to pray for a “Miracle March” and an “Awesome April” with blustery rain and a lot of snow.
Garden
Daffodils are six inches tall under the pine tree and should bloom by Easter. Tiny purple violets are blooming although they look really dry. I need to pull out the thick pine needles from under the tree, so the columbine plants will grow better. I didn’t get that area cleaned out last year and the pine needles chocked out the columbine. Pine needles do make a good mulch. Just wear your heavy gloves, cuz they also poke through skin.
I want to transplant some raspberry plants to a spot that will be easier to irrigate. March is a good time to do that, so I better get it done. I see buds on the lilac bush that is protected by the house. Yum, I may get a nice batch of blooms this year.
St. Pat’s Dance
Life in Callahan will be lively this Sat. March 16th as the Callahan Emporium hosts a St. Patrick’s Day Dance. It starts at 8:30 p.m. with fun music from Michael O’Flaherty and The Meteorites! Now that does sound Irish!
Support our soldiers
Earlier on Sat. March 16th, please join us as we officially welcome home the 132nd California National Guard Multi-role Bridge Company. I believe there were 16 soldiers from Siskiyou County, who served in Afghanistan last year. This celebration will be held at the Mt. Shasta High School gym with a reception to follow right next door at the Armory. Starting time is 11 a.m.
Dan Dorsey, who organized support here at home calling it the “Home Guard,” is thrilled so many groups and individuals are lining up to show appreciation.
Siskiyou Sheriff Jon Lopey asked Major General David Baldwin to speak and he accepted. This is a pretty high ranking General from the California Military Department. This sure makes our soldiers feel important. Also the commanding officer of the 132nd, Capt. Adam Rix, will speak.
Republican Women
Today, the Siskiyou Co. Republican Women Federated invited Orlean Koehle to speak. Orlean is the California State President of Eagle Forum of California, which is a conservative, pro-family organization. She is speaking out against the “Common Core Curriculum” that is starting to be taught in schools and the worst thing about it is that parents are not able to preview it. Also, this new curriculum is flat-out changing history and dismissing our heroes of liberty and the Constitution.
Orlean will also speak at the Yreka Tea Party Patriot’s meeting tonight, March 12, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at the Decision Life Church on the corner of Oberlin and Main St. I met Orlean at the Defend Rural America Event in Oct. 2011 and she is a dynamic gal. This will be well-worth your time to attend and it is free.
Wolf meeting
Mark your calendars for March 22, 2013, which is next week. Siskiyou Co. Ag. Commissioner Patrick Griffin is setting up a workshop for the public regarding wolves. Pat has invited John Williams, who is an agricultural extension agent with the Oregon University in Wallowa County up by the Idaho border. John claims he is not a wolf expert, but after listening to him for two hours last September, I was impressed with the scientific information he has gathered.
I encourage ranchers and folks living in our rural areas to attend this meeting. It will be held at the Greenhorn Grange and I think the time is 6 p.m. Commissioner Griffin said John Williams’ scientific research is valuable and our decisions should not be based on fear, when it comes to dealing with wolves.
Some good things continue to happen at the federal level of government agencies. Fraud, myths and lies are being exposed by more scientists and Congressmen. Please check out Pie N Politics.com as I post articles and comments every day.
Liz Bowen is a native of Siskiyou Co. and lives in Callahan. She writes biographies, blogs, radio news and printed news. Contact her at 530-467-3515.
