Field Trip to the Sierra Nevada’s Only Rainforest Threatened by the USFS Community Destruction Project

Did you know that the only rainforest in the Sierra is located in our backyard near Quincy, CA?

Join Feather River Action! Sunday November 12th at 10am at Pioneer Park in East Quincy for a hike and tour of ancient old growth forest threatened by the USFS Community Destruction Project.

Event is rain or shine. Significant snow cancels. Carpooling encouraged.

We will caravan up La Porte Rd. to the Strawberry Valley area, have lunch and then go for an easy-moderate hike. Bring hiking shoes, rain gear, warm clothes and plenty of food and water. Get your questions answered about what the Forest Service has planned, experience beautiful ancient old growth rainforest (before it’s gone), and find out how we can protect it (and avert truly catastrophic climate change).

Please RSVP if you plan to join us.

Questions: please contact Feather River Action!  See you there!

Take Action: Comments on Eastside Community Destruction Project Due 11/6

 

The US Forest Service has already targeted the Central and West portions of Plumas National Forest (PNF) for aggressive “thinning” (AKA industrial logging)– near communities such as Quincy, La Porte, Graeagle and Portola. This heavy handed approach decimates habitat and releases massive amounts of carbon.

Now, they are targeting Eastern portions of the PNF near Janesville, Milford and Doyle with herbicides and mechanical devastation. You can read the plan here. You have until the end of the day on November 6th 2023 to submit your comments.

Every comment matters! Please comment now.

E-mail: comments-pacificsouthwest-plumas@usda.gov

Cc: public@countyofplumas.com

ryan.bauer@usda.gov

Rep. Kevin Kiley

Make sure to e-mail Ryan to confirm that your message was received. The USFS “lost” our comments during the Central and West Slope comment period, so do not trust the system!

Example comment (please add your own language):

Dear Supervisor Carlton,

Thinning projects such as the “Eastside Community Protection Project” are known to damage habitat, increase carbon emissions that are driving high intensity wildfires, dry out forests and increase wind speeds through forests, reducing evacuation times for communities and putting our lives at risk. ‘

Yet, the USFS refuses to consider this scientific evidence, relying on outdated and discredited studies to promote timber extraction at the cost of community safety and ecological integrity. We support Feather River Action!‘s campaign to halt these ill-conceived and inappropriate projects. This is not “caring for the land” or “serving people”– this is serving the timber and biomass industries at the expense of both.

Scientific research (Syphard et al. 2014) indicates that only the 100 ft. directly surrounding communities has any impact whatsoever on structure survival. I am outraged that the nearly billion dollars of our tax money being spent on these projects is not going where it is really needed– community hardening, defensible space, evacuation planning and grants for low income people to harden their homes. This is government corruption at its worst.

Please abandon the “community destruction project” immediately. I plan to take personal action to ensure that our communities stay safe and local forests protected from industrial exploitation.

Thank you,

<your name>

<your town>

Ridin’ the Rails Through Feather River Country

Shame one has to break the law or be a railroad employee in order to ride the beautiful rail route through Plumas County! A few years back there was an excursion passenger train on offer, but we’re not sure that is planned again. We need a better passenger rail system in the U.S.!

If we took the nearly billion public dollars that the Forest Service is handing to the logging industry instead of actually protecting homes (as part of the Community Destruction Project) maybe we’d have at least the beginnings of passenger rail along the Feather River from Oroville to Reno so people would have choices. Anyway, enjoy the scenery in these videos…..Plumas County portion in first video starts around 17:40 and second video at 6:45.

RIP Stobe the Hobo. Gone but not forgotten…..