[env-trinity] SF Chronicle `1 7 11

[Byron Leydecker]

Plan to mine gravel in Russian River draws fire


Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer <mailto:pfimrite at sfchronicle.com> 

San Francisco Chronicle January 7, 2011 04:00 AM Copyright San Francisco
Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Friday, January 7, 2011

*
<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/07/BAGS1H5GT4.DTL&
type=newsbayarea> Assembly bill caps public worker pensions 01.07.11

A lawsuit was filed Thursday challenging a plan to resume gravel mining in
the Russian River through the picturesque Alexander Valley
<http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/Alexander_Valley_AVA> , the first project
of its kind in a decade. 

The conservationist groups Russian Riverkeeper
<http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/Riverkeeper>  and the Redwood Empire
<http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/North_Coast_(California)>  chapter of Trout
Unlimited <http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/Trout_Unlimited>  sued the Sonoma
County <http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/Sonoma_County,_California>  Board of
Supervisors over the board's approval of a plan to combine in-stream gravel
mining with habitat restoration along 6.5 miles of the river near
Geyserville <http://topics.sfgate.com/topics/Geyserville,_California> .

"This approval fast-tracks the mining of gravel at a rate beyond what nature
can replenish," said Don McEnhill, executive director of Russian
Riverkeeper. 

The proposal by Syar Industries Inc. was approved by the supervisors Dec. 7
. It calls for the restoration of native grasses along 26 acres of the river
and the annual removal of 350,000 tons of gravel for 15 years. Workers would
shore up eroding banks next to vineyards. 

The removal of millions of tons of gravel from the Russian River over the
past century has been blamed for ruining water quality and helping wipe out
tens of thousands of fish. As many as 80,000 coho salmon once spawned in the
Russian River, but the species is now functionally extinct in the watershed.


"Our kids and grandkids should be able to have the experience of finding,
and maybe even catching, native California trout, salmon and steelhead in
their historic range," said Julie Carlson, president of the local chapter of
Trout Unlimited. "That is our vision." 

 

Byron Leydecker, JcT

Chair, Friends of Trinity River

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 land

415 519 4810 mobile

 <mailto:bwl3 at comcast.net> bwl3 at comcast.net

 <mailto:bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org
(secondary)

 <http://fotr.org/> http://www.fotr.org 

 

 

 

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