Amador County - The Board of Supervisors discussed and took action on a Pacific Land and Forest Stewardship Council Land Conservation Plan presented by county consultant John Hoffman and General Services Director Jon Hopkins at Tuesday’s meeting. The proposed plan dates back to 2000, when a bankruptcy settlement agreement with the state required PG & E to donate their surplus lands to public entities or non-profit organizations. Hopkins said he thought the state’s controversial dealings in that situation were “nothing less than legalized extortion.” After expressing much concern over the lands and some backroom deals, the Stewardship Council was designated to spearhead designation of donees. Donees can be land owners or conservation easement holders with a say over land use, but not both. It is expected that approximately half of the 140,000 acres of PG & E lands will ultimately be donated. Under discussion Tuesday were PG & E lands in Amador, Alpine and Calaveras Counties and the process of choosing donees interested in holding conservation easements within a specific watershed area. “These decisions are going to effect ecology, wildlife and the ability to transfer water back and forth,” said Supervisor Richard Forster. PG & E lands in Amador County are grouped into two planning units: the North Fork Mokelumne River Unit and the Lower Bear Area. Of the 3,445 acres in the North Fork Mokelumne area, 2,607 acres are likely to be donated. Of the 1,798 acres in the Lower Bear Area, 914 are likely to be donated. Representatives of two eligible donees were present: Steve Cannon, President of the Amador Resource Conservation District and Ellie Route of the Mother Lode Land Trust. Cannon said his organization would be a good candidate for land ownership because “the directors are all landowners themselves” who agree with the recommend focus of the Stewardship Council, including recreation and sustainable forestry. Route said her group has already applied as a conservation easement holder. Supervisor Louis Boitano asked who would pay the property taxes on these lands. Hoffman said there was a stipulation in the agreement that the county must remain tax neutral. The Supervisors unanimously agreed to register the county as both land owners and easement holders in order to be considered as part of the process. Registration ends in 30 days but does not require that entities become a donee. Hoffman described it as “keeping our oar in the water.” The Stewardship Council will continue the process of choosing donees, to be decided by September. Hoffman said the council plans a “field trip on September 18th to gather the public’s input on how they feel the lands should be used.” Story by Alex Lane. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sobon Estate Winery took the overall “Best of Show” award and 2 other top awards at the prestigious Amador County Fair Commercial Wine Competition, among nearly 500 entries from the Sierra Foothills. Sobon Estate also took double gold medals for its 2007 Primitivo and 2007 Zinfandel. Sobon Estate’s 2007 Primitivo, besides Best of Show, also won the award for Best Red and Best Amador Italian wine. The wine was among the final 4, along with 2 other Amador County and Shenandoah Valley wines, and among 20 wines local wines taking awards. Bray Vineyards of the Shenandoah Valley won Best Rose for its 2008 Barbara Rosato, along with class awards of a Silver for a 2006 Red Table Wine, and a double gold for its 2008 Barbera Rosato. Shenandoah Valley’s Karmere Winery won Best Amador Rhone with its 2007 Syrah, and double gold with a 2007 Red Dessert wine. Obscurity Cellars of Amador County took Best Amador Red Zinfandel with its 2007 Zinfandel, and gold medal for its Zin. Wilderotter Winery of Shenandoah Valley took Best Sauvignon Blanc with its 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. In Best of Class, Cooper Vineyards took a gold medal for its 2006 Pinot Gris. Avanguardia Wines took gold for a 2008 White Varietal Blend, and a double gold for its Italian Red Blend. Macchia winery took gold for its 2007 Sangiovese. Jeff Runquist Wines took gold for its 2007 Barbera. Terra d’Oro Winery took gold for its Teroldego 2007, gold for a 2007 White Zin, and double gold for a 2008 Rose Table Wine. Il Gioielio Winery won double gold with a 2005 Petite Sirah. Wine Tree Farm took Gold with a 2006 Red Rhone Blend; and Lucchesi Vineyards & Winery took gold with a 2006 Merlot. Sierra Foothill American Viticultural Area is a 170 mile long, 12-mile wide swath of farmland, stretching from northern Yuba County through the Foothills to Mariposa County in the south. Amador County sits in the middle of an area with a Mediterranean climate and shallow mountain soils that stress the vines, giving moderate and low yields of high quality grapes. Competition supervisor Dick Minnis said the May 30th competition in Plymouth had a 25 percent increase in wines entered. 383 medals awarded, with 73 wines taking gold and double gold. More than 40 of the top winemakers of the 2009 competition will be pouring at the annual Amador County Fair Wine Tasting event, Friday, July 31st in Plymouth. See www.AmadorCountyFair.com. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Plymouth City Council hosted a public hearing last week on its General Plan update, and heard that the city’s projected growth rate can be handled by county schools. Superintendent Richard Glock said told Plymouth City Planner Paula Daneluk previously that Amador County Unified School District could handle the impacts of Plymouth’s housing developments. Since then, he heard 4,000 homes and 10,000 people could be in Plymouth’s growth future. That’s why he went to the meeting last Thursday, he said. Then he heard from Daneluk that the growth would be about “40 homes a year, for 20 years.” Glock said that would be an increase of about 12 students a year, noting: “We can handle that.” He said he was part of a school district in Temeculah that built 18 schools in 10 years, and he heard the same questions and answers as he heard in Plymouth. Mayor Jon Colburn asked if existing facilities would serve those new students. Glock said the new students, about 130 to 140, or 12 a year, in 20 years, could be accommodated in current facilities. He said the city could look at options of keeping the Kindergarten to 6th grade school in Plymouth, or moving the school. He said if a developer wanted to give the city a site, they would have to be able to consider building, at a point when the district could afford it. He said district student enrollment has stabilized, and actually went up 37 students last year, which meant $187,000 dollars for the district. But student numbers are low and they have room at the schools. Joyce Stone of Amador Childcare Council urged the importance of services for pre-kindergarten aged children. She said overall, only 27 percent of children who have parents in the workforce have licensed childcare available. Stone said the median age in Plymouth is expected to go down because developments will attract younger families. Art Marinaccio of Amador Citizens For Responsible Government told the council that its General Plan needs to reflect the city council’s policies. And he warned against flowering up the document by the planners. He urged that they should try to tie annexations to municipal service reviews. Marinaccio said he thought “not doing so is inconsistent with the properties of” the Local Agency Formation Commission. Plymouth will resume the public hearing July 9th, and look at further staff work. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The July 4th weekend passed in a safe and sane manner, with no major fires reported, despite the dry state of the region. Thousands of people gathered in Jackson to view the annual Jackson Lions Club fireworks shoot. Families and friends gathered on blankets on the Jackson Junior High School football field as firefighters stood by to keep the sparks from igniting fires. The city of Plymouth hosted its Main Street parade with the annual appearance of the 1920s Ahren Fox Fire Truck. Ione hosted a downtown dinner on Main Street, and the Upcountry 4th of July Carnival was held at Pioneer Park on Buckhorn Ridge Road in Pioneer. The Upcountry event was reportedly very well staged, and even had an Uncle Sam making rounds in the crowd. The weekend boasted no major fires, and a roadside fire on Highway 88 last Friday drew a quick response and was quickly extinguished. The Bureau of Land Management’s Mother Lode Office last month announced fire restrictions that became effective July 1st. The BLM implemented fire restrictions on all BLM-managed public lands within the Mother Lode Field Office boundary. That includes about 230,000 acres of BLM-managed public lands in Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne and Yuba counties. The fire restrictions will remain in effect until further notice. Bureau Fire Management Officer Gerald Martinez said the “restrictions prohibit all open fires on public lands because of extremely dry conditions.” He said “With recent high temperatures, fuels are extremely dry.” Campers are urged to be familiar with special limitations prior to visiting any public lands in Mother Lode counties. Mother Lode region restrictions include: No open fires, campfires or open fire stoves, except lanterns and portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel. Also prohibited are welding or torches with open flames; explosives; internal combustion engines; the firing of tracers or incendiary devices; and fireworks. Violations are punishable by up to $1,000 fine and/or up to a year in jail. For info, call BLM Mother Lode at (916) 941-3101. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.