Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 5-0 not to support a “Wild & Scenic” designation for the Mokelumne River, but agreed to discuss legislative options with all stakeholders involved.
Board Chairman Brian Oneto said he asked for the item to be considered for either support or rejection, based on the Foothill Conservancy drafting federal legislation seeking a law to create Wild & Scenic designation on the Mokelumne River, which separates Amador and Calaveras counties.
Supervisor Ted Novelli asked the board clerk to read a letter from Katherine Evatt of the Conservancy. Evatt, who was unable to attend the meeting, said in the letter she knew Novelli supported landowners’ rights along the river, but did not know why he would not support the designation.
Novelli said he “thought people on both sides of the river should have a say” in the designation, and when Foothill Conservancy first approached the board, it was “a smaller portion than they are speaking of now.”
He said if the federal government makes the designation, “what happens three administrations later?” He worried about eminent domain, whether the government can change riparian easements, and fighting fire after a federal designation, saying: “Can local, state and federal people go down there and fight a fire?”
Novelli said he wanted to get the landowners and everybody else in the decision room, and he always told Evatt the same. Novelli said Dan Lungren knew his feelings on the matter and “would do what our board wants.”
Supervisor John Plasse said the Foothill Conservancy has “already sought legislation in Washington, D.C.” to designate the Moke River as Wild & Scenic, and “repeatedly advocated without the cooperation of the board of supervisors, and we need to take action today in response to that, and set a date to talk.”
Plasse said: “I don’t think we can do nothing today.”
Boitano said he didn’t mind taking a collaborative approach with the Foothill Conservancy, but he wants “to be true partners” and if anyone writes legislation on the matter, it should be Supervisors. He said Amador County should “sponsor” the legislation.
Executive Director Chris Wright in a presentation said the designation may not fit, and it could be discussed. He said the efforts were made to protect the Moke River from the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which has a plan to raise Pardee Dam and inundate the Middle Bar Bridge.
Wright said the Conservancy is suing East Bay MUD, and could have used the county’s help with that.
Supervisors’ motion included sitting “down to discuss legislative options with all of the stakeholders.”
Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
