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<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=articleheadline1><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:windowtext'>Taxpayers Sue to Stop Hobby Mining</span></span><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><br>
<span class=sidesubhead1><span style='color:windowtext'>Taxpayers sue Cal Fish
and Game for misuse of tax dollars</span></span></span><span
class=sidesubhead1><span style='color:windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=sidesubhead1><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
color:windowtext'>Yubanet.com – 2/5/09</span></span><span style='font-family:
"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><br>
</span><span class=articlebyline1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:windowtext'>By:
Karuk Tribe</span></b></span><span class=articlebyline1><span style='color:
windowtext'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Oakland, CA Feb. 5, 2009 – Today
taxpayers filed suit against California Fish and Game for using taxpayer
dollars to fund an illegal recreational gold mining program in Alameda County
Superior Court.</span></b></span><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"Its morally reprehensible and illegal
for California Fish and Game to use tax dollars to subsidize the destruction of
our fisheries in the midst of a budget crisis," said Dave Bitts, a
commercial salmon fishermen from Humboldt Bay.</span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Suction dredges are powered by gas or
diesel engines that are mounted on floating pontoons in the river. Attached to
the engine is a powerful vacuum hose which the dredger uses to suction up the
gravel and sand (sediment) from the bottom of the river. The material passes
through a sluice box where heavier gold particles can settle into a series of
riffles. The rest of the gravel is simply dumped back into the river. Often
this reintroduces mercury left over from historic mining operations to the
water column threatening communities downstream. Depending on size, location
and density of these machines they can turn a clear running mountain stream
into a murky watercourse unfit for swimming. </span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>In 2005 the Karuk Tribe sued Fish and
Game for allowing the practice of suction dredge mining to occur in areas known
to be critical habitat for endangered and at-risk species such as Coho salmon,
Pacific lamprey, and green sturgeon. At the time, Fish and Game officials
submitted declarations to the Court admitting that suction dredge mining under
its current regulations violates CEQA and Fish and Game Code §§5653 and
5653.9 (the statues which authorize the Department to issue permits for suction
dredging under certain conditions) because the activity causes deleterious harm
to fish – including endangered fish, such as the Coho salmon.</span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The suit ended in a court order
directing Fish and Game to conduct a CEQA review and amend its regulations by
June 20, 2008. Fish and Game has yet to initiate the process.</span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"Looks like DFG actually stands for
Department of Frontier Greed," said Leaf Hillman, Vice Chairman of the
Karuk Tribe. "While legislators are cutting basic programs for our
children and elders in an effort to balance the budget, DFG is subsidizing
hobby mining. Miners should not be allowed to mine in critical habitats and
they should pay their own way if they mine at all."</span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Specifically, the suit charges that the
suction dredge program violates: (1) the previous court Order; (2) CEQA, for
failure to conduct a subsequent or supplemental EIR in order to provide
protections for endangered and threatened fish listed since 1994; and (3) Fish
and Game Code §§5653 and 5653.9, for failure to promulgate regulations in
compliance with CEQA and for issuing permits when it has determined that the
activity causes deleterious harm to fish. </span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The suit comes two weeks after Fish and
Game Director Don Koch rejected a petition from the Karuk Tribe, PCFFA, and
others to use emergency rule making authority to enact modest restrictions on
where and when suction dredging could take place. </span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>"Fish and Game is quick to kick
California's 2.4 million fishermen off the river, but they continually go to
bat for 3,000 hobby miners," said plaintiff Craig Tucker. "As a
taxpayer I am sick and tired of government handouts to hobby miners that are
destroying California's rivers."</span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;color:black'><br>
<br>
</span></b><span class=articletext1><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Arguments for a preliminary injunction
will likely be heard in early spring.</span></b></span><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends
of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA
94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810
land</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810
cell</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"><span style='color:blue'>bwl3@comcast.net</span></a></span></i></b><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="http://fotr.org/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fotr.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
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