Glomalin and Conservation in Humboldt County The 1996 discovery of the soil glue glomalin is changing our understanding of the impact of elevated carbon dioxide, while giving important clues to forest health, watersheds, revegetation, wildfire and carbon sequestration. Here I share what I have found so others may read and draw their own conclusions, and relate it to my own experience, Humboldt County issues and stories from the news.

Friday, January 19, 2007

220.NC Land Trust, salamanders, NEC and PL bankruptcy 

North Coast regional Land trust recently made an agreement with the Nature Conservancy that will help it preserve more North Coast operating lands of a rural nature. They said it would help with expertise and resources and help develop a plan to protect other environmentally key properties. While the Nature Conservancy may add some clout, they were investigated for allowing some members to trade up for better parcels several years ago, in a series printed in the Washington Post. Further confusing the issue is the Times-Standards reporting of conservation easements by owners not to develop property. This is actually agricultural set asides where landowners are paid not to develop or sell to developers, fairly common back east and south of here. Conservation easements are set up by the landowners as decisions not to harm property in specific ways and an endowment is necessary for someone to guarantee compliance. Both types of measures are attached to the Title of the property and are supposed to stat in place into the future. One problem conservation easements have had is not having partners to hold the easement that survive in perpetuity. Agricultural set asides are government deals and so long term compliance is more of a sure thing. But even then, when they saved the remaining truck farms in Suffolk County by paying to keep the land as ag land, farmers sold out to vineyards and horse breeders, defeating at least part of the original intention. Open space was still preserved.
Land Trust Teams Up With The Nature Conservancy, Times-Standard, Jan 12, 2007
http://times-standard.com/fastsearchresults/ci_4999739
Then the Land Trust applied for funding for studies and planning from federal funds available for non-County purchases for four purchases worth several millions of dollars. JIll Geist said she'd like the Planning Commission involved while government was named as the reason for higher prices in the first place by Roger Rodoni. Part of the money was to be used for easement costs, which should not exist in straight forward purchases, so something isn't clear here, unless they are talking about utility and right of way easements.
Conservation Funding Approved By the County Times-Standard, Jan 17, 2007
http://times-standard.com/fastsearchresults/ci_5029540
It looks like the Northcoast Environmental Center's Board has made an astute selection choosing Greg King to pick up the pieces after Tim McKay's unexpected demise. He was a very advocate of seeing the need to protect Headwaters Forestand has founded two non-profits, Smith River Project and Siskyou Land Conservancy, and has written for the Bohemian and Lake County Record Bee. He seems to have the skills needed to reinvigorate Tims dream. Good luck to him.
Environmental Center Names New Chief Times-Standard Jan 19, 2007
http://times-standard.com/fastsearchresults/ci_5029548
An interesting scientific issue was in the news as a decision to list a salamander closely related to another was issued.The ruling said DFG could not delist one species just because a close relative is seemingly abundant. The real issue here is how far genetics will be applied in creating new species as happens often in the plant kingdom. Few plants have the same protections as listed animals and genetic testing could result in many species of small populations with slightly different characterisitics coming out of existing species, raising major problems for policy makers.
Salamander Dilemma:Split or Lump Times-Standard Jan 18, 2007
http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_5036802
Last but not least, Pacific Lumber and its subsidaries filed for bankruptcy in federal bankruptcy court in Corpus Christie, Texas, siting the State of California as not living up to its obligations under the Headwaters Agreement to allow it to log enough to pay its debts. The company claims that regulatory agencies have made it impossible to meet their financial obligations and has sued the State of California in December 2006. The state claims non-signatory agencies rulings are relevant and must be abided by.
Palco, Subsidaries File For Bankruptcy Eureka Reporter Jan 19, 2007
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=19580
Palco Bankruptce Follows FIling of December Lawsuit Eureka Reporter Jan 19, 2007
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=19581

Earlier in the year, Humboldt County District Attornet Paul Gallegos appealed a ruling in a fraud suit against Pacific Lumber for the same agreement.
Comments:
You write very well.
 
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