Letter regarding dynamiting in Silverado Canyon AGAIN
BOMBING the CREEK AGAIN
Who benefits from this?
Developers?
RMV?
Dear Friends,
After significant media coverage, meetings, letter writing campaigns, a petition and phone calls, our community thought we saved one of the two beloved swimming holes in Silverado Creek, Orange county California but the United States Forest Service just sent this notification indicating that they intend to use the same methods (military explosives in the creek) to destroy the remaining historic stone dam, which will destroy our last swimming hole, including sensitive wildlife habitat. The other swimming holes were destroyed last year during peak flow and mating season for California newts and other sensitive riparian species.
After significant media coverage, meetings, letter writing campaigns, a petition and phone calls, our community thought we saved one of the two beloved swimming holes in Silverado Creek, Orange county California but the United States Forest Service just sent this notification indicating that they intend to use the same methods (military explosives in the creek) to destroy the remaining historic stone dam, which will destroy our last swimming hole, including sensitive wildlife habitat. The other swimming holes were destroyed last year during peak flow and mating season for California newts and other sensitive riparian species.
Note: Arroyo Toads are in this area and a pair of Kit Fox have two young babies within site.
In May of 2017, a rare western pond turtle was reported to be found by a bicyclist in the national forest along Maple Springs Rd. Photos were taken of the turtle to positively identify the turtle. There is a risk of killing this turtle and potentially others because they hibernate underwater during several months in the winter. They cluster in the shallow end of the pond. A pond turtle will estivate during summer droughts by burying itself in soft bottom mud.
Forest Supervisor Will Metz, Biologist Kirsten Winter & District Ranger Darrell Vance are not interested in altering their project to address our concerns. They are not interested in the simple, cost effective option of leaving the remaining historic dam ruins in Silverado, Trabuco and San Juan Creeks to erode away naturally over the next few wet seasons. I have included the contact information of their supervisors below. The question remains, what are we, as tax-paying citizens, going to do to obligate our public servants to address our community's concerns?
1) Chief Tony Tooke - 800-832-1355, 201 14th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024
2) Regional Forester Randy Moore, Pacific Southwest Region (R5) - 707-562-8737
Sincerely,
Joel Robinson
In May of 2017, a rare western pond turtle was reported to be found by a bicyclist in the national forest along Maple Springs Rd. Photos were taken of the turtle to positively identify the turtle. There is a risk of killing this turtle and potentially others because they hibernate underwater during several months in the winter. They cluster in the shallow end of the pond. A pond turtle will estivate during summer droughts by burying itself in soft bottom mud.
Forest Supervisor Will Metz, Biologist Kirsten Winter & District Ranger Darrell Vance are not interested in altering their project to address our concerns. They are not interested in the simple, cost effective option of leaving the remaining historic dam ruins in Silverado, Trabuco and San Juan Creeks to erode away naturally over the next few wet seasons. I have included the contact information of their supervisors below. The question remains, what are we, as tax-paying citizens, going to do to obligate our public servants to address our community's concerns?
1) Chief Tony Tooke - 800-832-1355, 201 14th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024
2) Regional Forester Randy Moore, Pacific Southwest Region (R5) - 707-562-8737
Sincerely,
Joel Robinson