A stark contrast in visions for Siskiyou County’s future emerged during the January 15th Planning Commission meeting, highlighted in discussions about the 2050 General Plan update.
*county page is 404 error – I attached the draft meeting PDF and Scott Valley Plan at the bottom.
Community Development Director Rick Dean advocated expanding the Scott Valley Area Plan’s 80-acre minimum requirement countywide to preserve agriculture. As noted on page 10863:
“Mr. Dean gave an example of Scott Valley having an 80-acre minimum for AG-2 ground under the Scott Valley Area Plan, and that requirement should be made countywide in order to preserve agriculture.”
Continued with, “the purpose is to allow more opportunities for manufacturing, processing, etc., on portions of agricultural ground thus creating more opportunities for farmers to make a living. He said those are things that can be put into place, but it is impossible to control what water will do.
Chair Fowle strongly opposed this approach. From page 10863:
“Chair Fowle said he is trying to be cognizant about the language used in the General Plan because it will influence future ordinances and policies. He said the Scott Valley land plan was a good idea in the 1970s and 1980s because larger acreage minimums for agriculture made sense back then, but they no longer reflect current challenges.”
The commission raised serious concerns about the county’s direction.
On page 10862,
Commissioner Hart said he reviewed the comments submitted by the Karuk Tribe and wondered how to meld them into the General Plan. He said he did not know how to put together a vision statement based on the current political, regulatory, and physical climates, keeping in mind what is and what is not allowed, as well as dealing with state and federal laws. He is concerned about agriculture not surviving in the county.
This fundamental disagreement led to postponing approval of the Vision and Guiding Principles.
As recorded on page 10863:
“Commissioner Hart said he could not approve the current document as it was presented today. The Commission said they wanted to invite Karuk Tribe representatives to a meeting because the Commission wants to delve deeper into their comments and learn how the Tribe would like to see their suggestions implemented.”
A special meeting is scheduled for March 5th to continue these crucial discussions about the county’s future direction.
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Bummers, they chose Ash Wednesday for the meeting. What a great way to eliminate the voices of many citizens
This is ridiculous… the tribes don’t let Siskiyou County citizens have any say in HOW they manage tribal lands. So why are we considering giving them say over our lands? Just is not equitable! And keep in mind that the last big fires (Slater Fire) etc. originated on tribal lands… so much for ‘indigenous wisdom’… didn’t prevent a major wildfire… Merv George (indigenous) managed 6-Rivers National forest for a decade, and it burned catastrophically every couple years… reducing the old-growth tree population and wildlife and damaging fish-runs with excessive post wildfire sediment covering fish eggs and spawning beds with sediments… (Is that an example of so-called ‘indigenous wisdom’? Now he’s extending the record of failure over on the Smith River and Rogue River forests where he’s the USFS Ranger there, also burning to the dirt… track records MATTER! A resume of failure! ) According to numerous scientists, indigenous wisdom has a shelf-life of 100-years.. and it’s already significantly diluted because it’s NOT a written history… story telling is proven to morph over time. Not science… it just sounds nice…
“The Commission said they wanted to invite Karuk Tribe representatives to a meeting because the Commission wants to delve deeper into their comments and learn how the Tribe would like to see their suggestions implemented.”