Wednesday, December 4, 2024

State Agrees to Tribal Co-Management of Jackson Demonstration State Forest and Tribal Amendments to Current Management Plan

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The following is a press release issued by the Coyote Valley Tribe:

[Photograph of JDSF from Calfire.gov]

The Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians just learned that Thomas Porter, the Director of the State Department of Forestry, at the September Board Meeting of his agency called for the redrafting of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest Management Plan to address Native American cultural resource protection issues, including access to and co-management of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF).

The Tribe also confirmed today via phone conversation with Kevin Conway, State Forest Manager, that, at the Nov. 16, 2021 meeting of the Jackson Advisory Group, a subcommittee has been formed to address redrafting the Jackson Demonstration State Forest Management Plan, specifically to address tribal cultural and biologic resource protection concerns and to bring the Management Plan into conformity with current State administration policies

One of the current State administration’s policies is the Statement of Administration Policy Native American Ancestral Lands September 25, 2020, which declares that “in the spirit of truth and healing in recognition of past harms done to California Native American communities, it is the policy of this administration to encourage every state agency, department, board and commission (collectively, “entities”) subject to my executive control to seek opportunities to support California tribes’ co-management of and access to natural lands that are within a California tribe’s ancestral land and under the ownership or control of the State of California, and to work cooperatively with California tribes that are interested in acquiring natural lands in excess of natural lands that are within a California tribe’s ancestral land and under the ownership or control of the State of California, and to work cooperatively with State California tribes that are interested in acquiring natural lands in excess of State needs.”

We have extracted the following verbatim quote from the Director of the State Board of Forestry at this meeting addressing his call for the redrafting of the JDSF management with the local Tribes whose ancestral territory is now the Jackson Demonstration State Forest

“I am asking the Board and Chair Gillis to consider a review of the Management Plan [at the Jackson Demonstration State Forest]. It is several years old and it is not due for renewal for a few years out but the reason I am asking for a review is that the Newsom Administration and Governor Newsom himself have been very clear to me and my colleagues and agencies as well as departments encouraging us as department and agency heads to seek opportunities to support tribal access to and what is termed co-management. In the context I am talking about is access to and ongoing dialogue to culturally important plants and animals and how these can be managed in conjunction with each other’s desires and needs on the landscape and so this is my primary reason for calling for a review of the management plan.

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I believe that the Management Plan is whole and complete and points to all of the issues that were of value and of need at the time. I think that under the current administration and the direction the state is going related to tribal engagement I think it warrants a review at this stage before its regular time for renewal”. [Emphasis supplied].

The Tribe thanks Governor Newsom for advocating for tribal co-management of State lands that are within a California tribe’s ancestral territory and looks forward to ongoing Government to Government consultation with the State to address this matter.

Also, there are current provisions in the California Forest Practice Act (CFPA) and the accompanying regulations on Native American cultural resource protection that fall far short of adequately protecting the Tribe’s ancestral sites while clearly favoring the timber industry. We mutually agreed upon Agenda for Government to Government consultation with the state includes discussing amendments to the CFPA and its accompanying Timber Harvest Plan regulations as well. The current Timber Harvest Plan process has proven to be a process whereby tribal input is not sufficiently sought and obtained by the Registered Professional Foresters determining the boundaries of the Tribe’s ancestral cultural sites.

The Tribe has therefore reiterated its call for a moratorium on logging at JDSF while these Management Plan amendments are being crafted, “…for we cannot accept the continuing and systematic destruction of ancestral sacred sites and other cultural resources at JDSF while we are at the Government to Government consultation table seeking to protect these resources.

Priscilla Hunter, Tribal Elder, Coyote Valley Tribe

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Here we go…thanks protesters!! They’re gonna ban hunting, mushroom foraging and anything else they can now. Although I’m sure the protesters are glad that folks won’t be able to use their public land, that the citizens pay taxes to maintain for self reliance anymore.

    • But thankfully they stopped any logging to destroy this perfectly pristine forest! Just look at all the areas that HAVE been logged, which is everywhere, and how irreversibility decimated they are… But somehow return to being pristine.

  2. We gotta make sure to keep the bicycles out of the Caspar area so as no to crack precious acorn harvest, compaction of delicate Redwood and Fir roots and most importantly disturbing yet to be discovered burial sites. Bikes are THEEEE most damaging to the forest in the summer as the soil is loose and the tires kill the roots and all the loose dirt then is delivered to our precious salmon streams first few rains in concentration then trickles all winter long. Let’s see just how crazy we can get , keep all out !!!!

  3. Great, let’s give it to them so they can build a casino, and complain about how oppressed they are. Jackson state is the only public hunting land within an hours drive of fort bragg, so let’s make it so kids cant have amazing memories with their fathers and teenagers can’t go drive around to have harmless fun.

  4. Killing/hunting animals is making amazing father son memories? Animals have to die, to create amazing memories? How bout just hitting them with a non toxic paintball gun. You can still see exactly where you hit em and you still get to dress up in your matching swat gear. At the end of the day, they bound off back to their families and friends, like you do and there’s no blood and guts and terror. Or is that what it’s about? The blood, the control, the overpowering, the violence, the conquering, the chase…the power trip…you just gotta make the kill. Hold that dead head up, for the camera, with a big grin on your face. Boys love their killin’. Ain’t manly otherwise…we feel good when we kill.

    • Are you dense? You are suggesting shooting animals with paintball guns for sport? And hunting exists for the purpose of managing the wildlife population, because we destroyed the ecosystem long ago, and it’s a means to help fix it. How many animals do you think die for you to drink your soy milk? Hint: it’s a lot more than 1.

      • ‘Whitefeather’ thinks up any excuse he can, to keep killing and interfering. Stay out of their habitat. They do their best to stay out of ‘yours’. Shoot em with a Nikon, paintball…whatever keeps them alive. They don’t belong to you. Manage your own population downy ass.

  5. The land belongs the The Creator. Father God.

    All of it.

    Regardless of who holds the deed down here.You won’t take any land with you when God calls your number Let’s try to remember that we are ALL caretakers of the land and should be good stewards. We will be held accountable to God for how we treat the land and how we treat each other.

    Here’s a crazy thought… What if in the end all we have is what we did in the spirit and absolutely none of the physical matters? Just something for all you philosophers out there to ponder.

    Did you love? Not lust. Big difference. Did you help? Or did you pass by the suffering and feel inconvenienced or worse? Do you even care anymore? Did you ever?

    Are we too proud to ask for forgiveness? From each other and God. Too hard hearted and self righteous to grant forgiveness? Desiring it for ourselves from God, but unwilling to forgive others?

  6. So inspiring yet again I’m starving from fasting and the Christian church has asked me kindly to not return for fear I may wear out their pew, please stop making me feel so worthless. Oh kindred spirits from the heavens above please shave your long white hair and long white beard as I’ve often wondered what if anything is under that guise or could it be possible that we are all living in redneck he’ll and the god that they all see is truly so red skinned, Amen baby Jesus I can donate more hay to your manger if need be, you know where to find me ??

  7. The BIBLE is yours to worship, and that is your choice, good for you all who chose to believe that your god has okayed the murder and rape and submission of people all over the world who believed in their own version of spirit, not biblical or forced, Cristian and Catholic denial of crusades that forced peoples without guns to worship what the Bible says. WOW Let’s pretend it never happened and talk in tongue, sha shundakai eholykai mamones aye punanie hi ??, I will now continue my fast and tomorrow I will put 30% of my salary in the basket and ask forgiveness for the week of evil that men do behind the name of sister Mary and brother becephus in the name of baby Jesus Amen ??

    • ??People have been given free will no matter which God or gods they choose to or not to worship. Our choices are what makes the world an icky place dear… God bless you honey…?

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Matt LaFever
Matt LaFeverhttps://mendofever.com/
For the past seven years, Matt LaFever has covered the North Coast of California in both print and radio news. A Humboldt State graduate, he has lived in the Emerald Triangle for nearly 20 years. His reporting spans local issues like crime and wildfires. When not writing, Matt is an avid outdoorsman, exploring Northern California’s rugged landscapes. Reach out to him at matthewplafever@gmail.com.

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