LITTLE RIVER, 2/18/21 — The Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians has requested a government-to-government consultation with Cal Fire (the California Board of Forestry) and the Jackson State Forest Manager Mike Powers, to discuss Cal Fire’s proposed timber harvest plans in the forest and on the Tribe’s ancestral territory.
The Tribal Chairman, Michael Hunter, sent the consultation request to the following people on Tuesday:
- Helge Eng, deputy director of resource management for the State of California
- Kevin Conway, California State Forests programs manager
- Mike Powers, forest manager at Jackson Demonstration State Forest
- George Gonzalez, Cal Fire Mendocino Unit chief
- George Morris III, Cal Fire northern region assistant regional chief
An Executive Order 13175, signed in 2000 by President Clinton, set up a procedure, known as government-to-government consultations, for United States governments to confer directly with sovereign tribal nations.
The Tribe designated the following five people to represent them in the consultation:
- Priscilla Hunter, tribal historic preservation officer
- Polly Girvin, tribal representative
- Richard Campbell Jr., tribal historian
- Tristen Hunter, certified cultural resources tribal monitor
- Victoria Patterson, tribal consultant
Chairman Hunter expressed his and his tribe’s concerns over the timber harvest plans in the request he sent to California government and Cal Fire leadership.
“As the indigenous caretakers of this region, from time immemorial the Tribe is concerned with not only the protection of our ancestral archaeological sites located in the [timber harvest plans] but also with; the cumulative impact of the proposed logging at Jackson State Forest on carbon sequestration in this time of dire climate change; the impact of the proposed logging activities on our native plants, medicines and foods and the overall threat posed by the proposed logging to the health of the forest and the critters big and small who live there.”
The Coyote Valley Band of Pomo is not the only group concerned about the timber harvest plans Cal Fire has lined up for Jackson. To read about a small conservation group that is pushing back against the logging planned for Jackson, follow this link.
I thought JSDF was Mto’m-kai historic use area not Shodakai?
Good luck negotiating with California about logging! There’s no sucha thing.
Appoint (and somehow reward or compensate) some smart body to do public relations, press and media. If you get enough civilians steamed, you can get somewhere, maybe. Otherwise, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME! Good people have worked themselves to the bone and died in exhausted driving accidents for this cause. The State doesn’t give a hoot.
Cal Fire believes that the way to prevent forest fires is to get rid of the dangerous flammable substances…..trees. Makes sense to me!
Calfire is a department in the state government. Seems to me you should have notified Secratery of State of California for state to state consultation. I,m sure they’ll forward your request. Anyways all your concerns were addressed in the project plan. You were also notified and invited to participate.