The following is a press release issued by CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit:
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is partnering with Trout Unlimited and the California Conservation Corps to add pieces of large wood to the North Fork of the South Fork (NFSF) Noyo River and Brandon Gulch, a tributary to the NFSF Noyo River. The project starts along the NFSF Noyo River, just upstream from the confluence with the South Fork Noyo River within the vicinity of public campgrounds.
All campgrounds north of the South Fork Noyo River will be closed starting August 16th through the remaining 2024 camping season. Closed sites include Redtail, South Bend, Wagon, Tilley, Tin Can, Trillium, and Teacher’s. All other sites along Road 350 will remain open until the end of the 2024 camping season on Monday, October 7th. Closure area
signage will be placed at the Camp One Day Use area, Iron Ranger, and along project boundaries.
JDSF contains important habitat for threatened and endangered listed fish species within the Noyo and Big River watersheds, including Coho salmon and steelhead. Many creeks and rivers that support these fish are deficient in large wood. Several non-profits and agencies are working with CAL FIRE to implement restoration projects aimed at improving habitat. These projects will add over 350 pieces of large wood within the stream channel, creating pools, areas for fish to rest, avoid predation and increasing spawning habitat.
This notice is in accordance with Sections 1438 and 1439, Title 14, of the California Code of Regulations to ensure the health and safety of the public.
For additional information, including a map of JDSF, please contact our office or the website listed below.
For more information about the Jackson Demonstration State Forest visit:
https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/natural-resource-management/demonstration-state-forests/jackson-demonstration-state-forest
What safety hazard is anchoring logs in the, river/creek/small streams/, for campers?
Why such short notice?
Why not just put up some signage saying “stream rejuvenation project” “people at work” etc.
Why Cal-Fire, must you close sections of the forest to the public while you screw it up? Cutting, burning , dozing, masticating just out of sight?
What evil deeds are you up to using fish restoration as your excuse?
I find it hard to believe you really give a shit about the fish when I see the aftermath of your winter mastication projects silting up the spawning grounds.
Why not do some work on other creeks like James creek.? The used to be public forest down the 100 Rd. That you’ve had locked since you didn’t want the public to see all the trees marked for felling? That is prime spawning grounds to roll logs in the water that you don’t have to close the campground.
P.S. I’m extremely concerned about all the public mastication that is happening by Cal-Fire enlisted crews where entire ridge tops and the drainages that flow into the spawning grounds are stripped of duff and huckleberries and young trees. Most living and the forest floor being eroded and tore up. Entire ecosystems that supported hundreds of pounds of commercially desirable mushrooms. Black trumpet patches, golden chanterelles , matsutake, completely destroyed. Along with the animals, amphibians , insects, and humans these supported.
For what? Under the guise of fire prevention experiments. In a forest that rarely has any wildfires. Not because of good management, but because of the natural fire resistance the area has. It’s disgusting what cal fire has been doing just out of sight of the road. You want to masticate in the privacy of your own property, fine. Please stop masticating in our public forest. There are children around.
Also please stop targeting known producing mushroom patches. Many people depend on them. The money put back into local economy by serious pickers is nothing to ignore either.
One more rant. Fuck you Cal Fire. Because of you the forest is drier with more airflow than it ever has been. And with the PGE clearing along the power lines… Like a giant bellows to feed a fire, god forbid.
You make some good points, Mike. I miss being able to drive road 100. It is barely worth visiting that forest anymore because of all the locked gates and heavy timber harvesting.
A lot of this fish restoration stuff is a waste of public money, too. Some of it does more harm than good. Every time I saw the “fish counters” walking in little river they are stomping all over the salmon reds while they “count” them. Sometimes they put a fish trap in the campground there. We would find dead fish all over the creek downstream from that trap, whatever the otter and birds can’t eat. The trap checker kids just said that happens sometimes and it’s normal. And this is the agency in charge of restoring the salmon…
The whole fish restoration thing seems to exist only to provide some convenient, feel-good PR for politicians, corporations, and state agencies that want to look busy or need a distraction. Sure it creates a few low-wage government jobs, but that’s the limit.
Really it’s all just another convenient reason to limit public access and shuffle around public money.
I mean, maybe we should just stop eating salmon for a minute or two