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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Moratorium
on gold dredging permits in California<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Sacramento
Bee – 7/29/09<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>By
Jeff Barnard<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>The California Department of Fish and Game
has stopped issuing permits for gold miners to use suction dredges in rivers
until it develops new rules to protect salmon.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>The moratorium announced Tuesday stems
from an injunction out of Alameda County Superior Court barring the department
from spending state general funds to issue the permits after it missed a June
2008 deadline to develop new rules protecting threatened and endangered salmon.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Department spokeswoman Kirsten Macintyre
said that rulemaking process has now begun. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Meanwhile, a bill that would go even
farther and stop suction dredge mining until a scientific review is conducted
is awaiting the governor's signature.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>The injunction stems from continuing
efforts by the Karuk Tribe, salmon fishermen and conservationists to force Fish
and Game to enforce regulations barring suction dredge mining where it harms
fish.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>"It is morally reprehensible and
illegal for California Fish and Game to continue to use tax dollars to
subsidize the destruction of our salmon fisheries, especially so in the midst
of a budget crisis," said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's Associations, which represents California salmon fishermen and was
a plaintiff in the latest lawsuit.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Since 1994, state regulations have barred
suction dredge mining unless it can be shown it does not harm fish. About 3,500
permits are issued each year.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>A 2005 lawsuit from the Karuk tribe argued
that the department was violating that regulation, and a judge ordered Fish and
Game to conduct an environmental review and write new rules, if necessary, to
protect fish listed as threatened or endangered by June 20, 2008. But it was
not done.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Arguing there was no line item in their
budget concerning the mining permits, the department did not stop issuing them
after the injunction was originally issued July 10. The moratorium was imposed
after Judge Frank Roesch told the department that the injunction covered any
expenditure of state funds, including turning on the office lights, in
conjunction with the permits.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Telephone calls and an
e-mail to the New 49'ers gold mining club in Happy Camp, Calif., and a
telephone call to their attorney in Portland, Ore., were not immediately
returned.</span></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><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>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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