Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 05/16/2009 12:33 AM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 05/16/2009 12:33 AM
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 AM
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Calaveras Consensus Group Takes Action On Key Issues in Calaveras County....Coalition of local, State, Federal, non-profit and tribal groups meet regularly to address economic, social, and environmental issues through collaborative process
West Point, CA..... The Calaveras Consensus Group has been convened in order to foster partnerships between private, non-profit, local, State, and Federal entities that all hold common interest in the health and well-being of California’s forested lands. With the intention of serving as a model for other areas of the Sierra Nevada, the group has developed an initial strategy through which job creation, industrial and commercial development, fire-safe forests and communities, and a heightened degree of environmental stewardship will result......
“We in the Sierra have spent a great deal of time and energy defining and arguing over our differences,” says Calaveras County District 2 Supervisor Steve Wilensky. “In contrast, this project is designed to find those areas upon which we can agree, and more importantly to take action on those agreements to the benefit our economic, social, and environmental well-being.”
Active participants in the meetings that have been ongoing for several months include:
Calaveras County Supervisor Steve Wilensky
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Bureau of Land Management
USDA– Stanislaus National Forest
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Cal Fire
California Department of Fish and Game
West Point Fire District
Calaveras Foothills Firesafe Council
Calaveras County Parks and Recreation Commission
Calaveras County Air Pollution Control District
Calaveras County Water District
Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions (CHIPS)
Sierra Forest Legacy
National Forest Foundation
Sierra Nevada Alliance
Sierra Business Council
Ebbetts Pass Forest Watch
Foothill Conservancy
Central Sierra Resource Conservation and Development Council
Sierra Nevada Construction Company
Motherlode Job Training
California Indian Manpower Consortium
Calaveras County Mountain Mi-wuk Indian Council
California Valley Miwok Tribe
Blue Mountain Community Renewal Council
Calaveras-Mariposa Community Action Agency
Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Council
The Calaveras Consensus Group has identified a series of challenges which, while not exclusive to this area of the State, are likely surmountable given the collaboration and innovative thinking currently taking place. Those challenges include, but are not limited to:
Extremely High Risk of Severe Catastrophic Wildfire
Unemployment and Lack of Economic Vitality
Large-scale Waste of Potentially Valuable Forest Material
Air Quality Impacts Associated with the Burning of Potentially Valuable Forest Material
Threats to the Watershed Due to Forest Health Degradation
Vulnerability of Invaluable Native American Heritage Sites
Renewable Energy Generation through Biomass Utilization
“This effort illustrates the power of working together to achieve positive outcomes for the community,” said Sierra Nevada Conservancy Executive Officer Jim Branham. “Taking actions that protect our communities and watersheds from fire while creating sustainable economic activity is a model that can work across the Sierra Nevada Region.
To date, nearly $350,000 of Federal and State grants have been acquired in support of this effort, with the result being the creation of new jobs in the fuels management arena. It is essential that the next steps, namely the establishment of a value-added cottage industry, be completed in order to utilize the treated materials which would otherwise go to waste.
With such a broad coalition in place, the Calaveras Consensus Group is uniquely positioned to initiate a series of actions in support of the broader goals of the group. To date, projects have been prioritized, agreements in principle have been reached, and a vision has been established which will benefit the area in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:
Job Training and Creation
Commercial and Industrial Development
Fuel-Reduction and Forest Restoration
Economic Stimulus and Revitalization
Local Economic and Environmental Sustainability
Enhancements to the Watershed to Benefit 1.2 million downstream users
Protection of Cultural, Historical, and Archaeological Resources
Promoting Environmental Stewardship and Awareness
Renewable Energy Production through Woody Biomass Utilization
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