Community packs the Miners Foundry for the Town Hall

Over 400 community members packed a Town Hall meeting co-sponsored by the South River Citizens League (SYRCL) last Monday evening (December 12^th) to launch a major grassroots campaign to save the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks. In the week since, dozens of volunteers have collected over 2,500 signatures on letters and petitions addressed to Governor Brown demanding that he remove these two parks from the list of 70-state parks now slated to close on July 1, 2012.

“Last week, SYRCL challenged the community to collect 5,000 signatures in 30 days to tell Sacramento that we will not stand by and allow our treasured parks to close,” said SYRCL Executive Director Caleb Dardick. “Within hours, dozens of volunteers of all ages were on the street, in front of grocery stores, at both Victorian and Cornish Christmas asking people to support our campaign to ‘Save Our Yuba State Parks.’ I am so proud of this community for boldly taking on this campaign during these busy days leading into the holidays.”

“The support by SYRCL and our local community, as well as businesses and organizations, has been immense,” says volunteer Cara Wasilewski.  “Everywhere I go I see a signature form on a restaurant counter, or someone gathering signatures at a local market.  This is an issue dear to many in our community and it seems everyone is willing to help in any way they can to keep the South Yuba River State Park and Malakoff Diggins State Park open.”

Miriam Limov, SYRCL’s RiverPeople Coordinator concurs: “The Town Hall sparked a community tornado of activity! Folks walk into the SYRCL office nonstop picking up petitions to take everywhere they are going. Restaurants like Lefty’s have them in their menus. People are Facebooking about it too. It’s awesome!”

Caleb Dardick, SYRCL Executive Director, explaining the Petition Campaign

The Nevada City Council unanimously approved a resolution last Wednesday in support of SYRCL’s efforts to keep the state parks open. The resolution was initiated by Councilmember Robert Bergman who reported that the Grass Valley City Council may follow suit in January. “We applaud Councilmember Bergman for his strong leadership on this important issue. He has been among the first to recognize that with over 350,000 visitors to the South Yuba River State Park annually, park closures could have a devastating impact on the local economy,” said Dardick. A 2009 Sacramento State University study estimates that each visitor on average spends $33 per visit, while out of state visitors spend an average of $185 per person. This translates into $9-11 million into the local economy.

Several state parks have recently been removed from the closure list as a result of community involvement and alternative funding contracts with the State. Parks removed from the closure list include Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve and Henry W. Coe State Park. Organizers at SYRCL are hoping to replicate these successful efforts in Nevada County with a full-scale letter writing campaign to Governor Brown, visits to the State Capitol, and new public-private partnerships with the State Parks Department.

Prior to last Monday evening’s Town Hall, 40 elementary school students from Grass Valley Charter School traveled to the State Capitol for a formal audience with Resource Secretary John Laird, and representatives for Assemblyman Dan Logue and Senator Ted Gaines. The students appealed to Secretary Laird, stating that “nature is our teacher, and parks are our classrooms” and asking that these key regional parks be removed from the closure list immediately.

In addition to SYRCL, the Town Hall meeting on “The Fate of the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks” was co-sponsored by KVMR 89.5 FM, Yubanet, and the Miners Foundry. Panelists included Matthew Green, District Superintendent, State Parks Department; Linsey Fredenburg-Humes, California State Parks Association Grassroots Manager; Alden Olmsted, Executive Director, Olmsted Park Fund; and Dardick.

To support SYRCL’s grassroots campaign to save South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks, download a petition at www.yubariver.org/saveparks or pick one up at the SYRCL office, 216 Main Street in Nevada City.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is now less than a month away! Volunteer or attend the festival – just be a part of an event that inspires activism. As SYRCL continues work to save our Yuba state parks, the festival’s theme this year, “a decade of inspiring activism” is especially fitting. We hope you’ll join us this January to celebrate our 10^th anniversary—tickets are on sale now and make great holiday gifts!

Volunteering is a wonderful way to take part in the festival. We have many volunteer roles still available, but the favorite jobs are filling up fast. Sign up via our website. We are using new and simplified technology this year for film screening (thanks, AJA!), so becoming a member of our tech crew requires less experience and many tech crew positions are still available To help us fill these vital roles, please email techcrewsyrcl@gmail.com for more information.

Not feeling techie? We also have many other volunteer positions available. Welcome attendees to the venues as a pass checker, prepare or serve food with BriarPatch, help out at our festival store, take part setting up and breakdown all venues, and more.  To thank volunteers for their work, a free session pass will be provided.  Details available online.

Many of our sessions sold out last year, so hurry and buy your tickets soon. Advanced weekend pass pricing of $99 ends December 31^st. In addition to our traditional ticket options, we are also excited to announce new special events including an evening with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! on Saturday, and late night music at the Haven Underground both Friday (featuring Professor Burns & the Lilac Field) and Saturday night (Dead Winter Carpenters). Tickets for the Wild & Scenic Film Festival make a wonderful holiday gift! Buy yours online or at the SYRCL office (216 Main St, Nevada City) in the afternoons Monday-Friday. Please note: The office will be closed starting Friday December 23 and will re-open Tuesday December 27.

May your holidays be wild & scenic!

Reforestation crew planting cuttings in one of the 140 pods completed on Hammon Bar

With the help of volunteers and project partners, SYRCL completed the planting of 1680 cottonwood and willow cuttings on November 30.  This was the first riparian habitat enhancement project ever for the lower Yuba River, and the first of a two year pilot project designed to test methods for riparian restoration while directly benefiting habitat at Hammon Bar.  A story in the Appeal-Democrat provides some quotes from SYRCL’s scientist and project manager, and a video of the planting activity.

The Lower Yuba River has been subjected to habitat destruction dating back to the 1850s.  Hydraulic mining sediments devastated the river by 1906, at which time dam building and massive dredger mining  activity began. Finally, actions are being taken to rehabilitate this area which remains critical for salmon and steelhead, and many forms of wildlife.

The project began less than one year after SYRCL produced the groundbreaking report, Concepts for Rehabilitation of the Parks Bar Reach of the Lower Yuba River.  The riparian enhancement pilot project makes good sense from the standpoint of developing a rehabilitation program.  In the future, projects that rehabilitate the river by creating new floodplain surfaces or side-channels and and backwaters will draw on this experience of revegetating the floodplain with desireable tree species.  The cuttings are primarily cottonwoods (and two select species of willow) which quickly grow to tree height and produce woody structure for the river.

SYRCL staff and volunteers spent hundreds of hours locating and marking the 1680 cuttings, some as large as six inches in diameter and 12 feet long.  MM Reforestation of Marysville provided the crews and machinery for harvesting and planting. Funding is in place for planting three times as many cuttings in the fall of 2012. The two-year project aims at planting over 6000 cuttings in a five-acre pilot project area.  Volunteers will remain an important part of this project, and their role resumes with monitoring the success of the cuttings during the spring.

Funding for this project comes from the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Transportation and Western Aggregates, LLC.  The Bureau of Land Management provided the land they manage and valuable staff assistance.  More details can be found at the Fact Sheet provided on the Restoration Page.

Historic Covered Bridge at Bridgeport, South Yuba River State Park (Photo: Dave Anderson)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 8, 2011

Contact:
Caleb Dardick, Executive Director, South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL)
265-5961 x207, caleb@syrcl.org

South Yuba River Citizens League Co-hosts Town Hall Meeting to Save State Parks

Grassroots effort to save two local state parks kicks off next Monday night (12/12)

Nevada City, CA – A grassroots effort to save two local state parks kicks off with a major Town Hall meeting next Monday night in Nevada City. Co-sponsored by the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), several hundred community members are expected to attend the meeting to learn how they can take action to remove the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks from the list of state parks now slated to close on July 1, 2012.

“We will not stand by and allow these treasured parks to be abandoned by the state,” said Caleb Dardick, SYRCL’s executive director. “SYRCL is co-sponsoring this Town Hall to rally parks supporters to take action: Write the Governor and ask your state and county elected representatives to make saving the parks a priority. Years ago, the community rallied behind SYRCL’s motto that ‘People Can Save a River’ and won Wild and Scenic protection for the South Yuba River. Today, we’ll show how by working together, ‘People Can Save the Parks.’”

SYRCL and its colleagues from the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins Parks Associations are very concerned about how the closure plan might impact the community. To date, the State Parks Department staff hasn’t revealed how they plan to close the 20-mile park or protect the historic Bridgeport Bridge and Malakoff Diggins.

“Over 350,000 people visited the South Yuba River State Park in 2010.  If the current proposal for closing the State Parks is not corrected, many of these people would visit the Park to find the park’s visitor center and toilets closed, tours eliminated, and most concerning of all, no Park Rangers to manage law enforcement needs, emergency medical help and wildland fire problems,” said Dave Anderson, president of the South Yuba River Park Association (SYRPA).   “The two local State Parks are a vital part of our history and our community; they contain irreplaceable resources that would be endangered by fire, vandalism and theft.  The beauty and recreational value of the river may be severely diminished.  SYRPA is continuing to do all we can to support the local Park Rangers in finding ways to keep these areas safe and open to all park visitors.”

Local parks supporters are heartened by news that a grassroots effort succeeded in moving Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve off California’s 70-park closure list. Organizers at SYRCL are hoping to replicate that effort in Nevada County with a full-scale letter writing campaign to Governor Brown and visits to the State Capitol. Elementary school students from Grass Valley Charter School have secured meetings with Resource Secretary John Laird, and representatives for Assemblyman Dan Logue and Senator Ted Gaines Monday morning prior to the Town Hall meeting that evening.

Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Association, will join the panel discussion to provide a statewide perspective on efforts to save state parks. “Closing California state parks is bad for business, and many communities would be greatly affected by park closures,” said Goldstein. State Parks staff estimates that more than 350,000 people visit the South Yuba River State Park annually, for example, which in turn generates millions of dollars to support local businesses.

What:                    Town Hall on “The Fate of the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks”

When:                  Monday, December 12, 6:30-9:00PM (Live Broadcast on KVMR 89.5 FM at 7:00PM)

Where:                 Miners Foundry, 325 Spring Street, Nevada City [http://g.co/maps/sbcp9]

Who:                     Panelists include: Matthew Green, District Superintendent, State Parks Department; Elizabeth Goldstein, President, California State Parks Foundation; Caleb Dardick, Executive Director, South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL); Alden Olmsted, Executive Director, Olmsted Park Fund

Guest speakers: Supervisor Hank Weston, Sheriff Keith Royal, Fire Chief Tim Fike, South Yuba River Parks Association President Dave Anderson, Malakoff Diggins Park Association President Tom Stark and other community representatives

Co-sponsors:     KVMR 89.5 FM, Yubanet.com, Miners Foundry

About the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and the South Yuba River State Park:

Throughout the 1990’s, SYRCL worked to secure both formal designation of the South Yuba River as a State Park as well as Wild and Scenic protection of the river, a designation that would protect the river from dam proposals.

With the support of hundreds of local businesses and thousands of residents, the California State Parks Commission unanimously voted to add the South Yuba River to the State Parks system on September 30, 1997. Since then, the State Department of Parks & Recreation has managed and protected these resources, which include the historic Bridgeport Covered Bridge, the Independence Trail – the first wheelchair accessible trail in the United States, more than 80 miles of hiking trails, unsurpassed whitewater kayaking and boating, fly-fishing and bird-watching, gold panning and the beautiful natural beaches that span its entire stretch.

In 1999, SYRCL was successful in securing protection for the South Yuba River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for 39 miles of the river. In passing this landmark legislation, SYRCL had amassed support from dozens of agencies, hundreds of businesses, and thousands of Californians.

As a preview of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and the Nevada Theatre Film Series present a special screening and panel discussion of Green Fire December 4, 2011, 7 pm.

Following the film will be a panel discussion titled, “Igniting the Green Fire – Inspiration and Conservation in Nevada County”, with Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gary Snyder; UC Davis Professor of History, Louis Warren; and Deputy Forest Supervisor, Tahoe National Forest, Eli Ilano. The panel will be moderated by Steve Frisch, President of the Sierra Business Council. Green Fire filmmakers Steve & Ann Dunsky will attend the event and introduce the film.

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” – Aldo Leopold

Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac calls for us to expand our human communities to include as he wrote, “soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.” In doing so, he encouraged us to extend our code of ethics to all communities. Leopold’s influence did not fade after his death in 1948, but rather became entrenched in the environmental movement.

Green Fire, a documentary of Leopold’s life and legacy, includes wildlife biologists who are bringing back threatened and endangered species, from cranes to Mexican wolves, to the landscapes where they once thrived. Green Fire portrays how Leopold’s vision of a community that cares about both people and land—his call for a land ethic—ties all of these modern conservation stories together and offers inspiration and insight for the future.

Green Fire was produced in partnership between the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the Center for Humans and Nature, and the US Forest Service. Leopold’s biographer, conservation biologist Dr. Curt Meine, serves as the film’s on-screen guide, and actor Peter Coyote narrates.

The evening will benefit SYRCL and Sierra College’s ECOS, a local student environmental organization. ECOS formed in 1990 and is considered to be one of the most active clubs on Sierra College’s campus, and was named “Club of the Year” the past three years. Both SYRCL and ECOS include Leopold’s land ethic in their daily work.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased at the BriarPatch or at SYRCL’s office (216 Main Street in Nevada City).

Mountain meadows are areas of exceptional biodiversity and critical groundwater storage, and most meadows in the Sierra are are degraded and in need of restoration.  SYRCL leads the way in this priority type of watershed restoration by providing a handbook titled Sharing Stewardship: A Guide to Involving Volunteers in the Assessment, Monitoring and Restoration of Sierra Meadows.  The handbook is available as a pdf at SYRCL’s Restoration page.

The handbook reports on SYRCL’s experience with meadows assessment over the last four years, reviews the emerging field of meadow restoration, and provides a comprehensive description of how volunteers can contribute to this diverse and growing set of stewardship activities.   The handbook reviews the work of other organizations and provides guidance for expanding the role of volunteers. The handbook represents SYRCL’s commitment to conduct citizen-engaged restoration in the Yuba River watershed, and inspire similar work throughout the region. The handbook was created in partnership with American Rivers with a grant from the National Forest Foundation.

Sarah Phillips at work on the Meadow Aspen Regeneration Project

After years of monitoring and assessment projects, SYRCL began direct restoration activities in 2011.  Restoration project volunteers will gather on December 1 to celebrate the year’s accomplishments and honor Sarah Phillips, Watershed Restoration Coordinator, who just completed her Americorps year of service.  Sarah contributed to the Meadow Handbook, and her many accomplishments provide a foundation for ongoing restoration work in our watershed.

Bridgeport Covered Bridge, South Yuba River State Park

The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) strongly encourages river lovers to take action to keep both the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks open. Please join us for a Town Hall meeting on “The Fate of the South Yuba River & Malakoff Diggins State Parks.”

Confirmed speakers include State Parks District Superintendent Matt Green, Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation, as well as Caleb Dardick from SYRCL and Alden Olmsted from The Olmsted Fund.  For more information about the event and the park situation.

December 12, 2011
6:30 – 9:00PM
Miners Foundry, 325 Spring Street, Nevada City

Live Broadcast on KVMR 89.5 FM begins at 7:00 PM

Please download our event poster and help spread the word!

Please RSVP on Facebook

Volunteer registration is now open for our 10^th Anniversary Film Festival happening January 13-15, 2012.

Kids Film Session

We have dozens of volunteer opportunities including ticket sales, kitchen help, promoting SYRCL to festival-goers, concession sales, ticket taking and much more.

SYRCL would not be able to produce the Wild & Scenic Film Festival without the more than five hundred volunteers who make the event possible. By volunteering, you play an integral part in inspiring thousands of people to make a difference in their communities and inspire, celebrate and explore through film.

Please visit our website to sign up and read additional information about volunteering. Include your first and second choice for times to volunteer and the job of your choice. To thank you for your time, you will receive a FREE Saturday day or Sunday day pass.

After signing up online, we will email you a confirmation within 2 weeks of your submission. Every volunteer is greatly appreciated. Join us in celebrating our 10^th anniversary—a decade of inspiring activism.

Kaitlyn Hacker with some of the critical resources for the River Monitoring Program

Thanks to some very special volunteers, SYRCL has completed an 11th year of water quality monitoring throughout the Yuba Watershed. River Monitors spend one Saturday a month traveling

to a site in the Yuba Watershed to sample water and measure conditions.  Other volunteers assist with this program by maintaining equipment and caring for the data.  The program hibernates for 3 months in winter, but not before completing our work of data analysis, and celebrating the volunteers.

River Monitors will be gathering to celebrate on December 1.  We will also be honoring Kaitlyn Hacker, River Monitoring Coordinator for 2011.  Kaitlyn has completed her Americorps year of service with excellence, and continues to work on the annual data report in order to leave this program in good shape for year #12.   Training for new River Monitors will occur in March.

Tickets for the 10^th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival go on sale today!  Tickets may be purchased online or at the SYRCL office (216 Main Street in Nevada City) between 12-5 pm Monday-Friday.  Coming mid-December is Wild & Scenic merchandise—a ticket and a tee make a great holiday gift.

SYRCL Members receive a discount on the purchase of a weekend pass.  Members will be emailed a special discount code for online weekend pass purchases in a separate email.  To check on your membership status or to purchase with your discount over the phone,  call (530) 265-5961.