Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisor allocated $94,000 in “Title 3” funding over the last three fiscal years, with $43,000 going to the Amador Fire Safe Council and $51,000 going to the Amador County Sheriff’s Department.

Title 3 funding, established by the “Secure Rural Schools & Community Self-Determination Act,” requires annual allocation renewals. In a 5-0 vote, supervisors re-allocated $23,000 from fiscal year 2008 to the Fire Safe Council to be used specifically for a Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Pine Grove and Volcano, which also will be paid with a $50,000 grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. As reimbursed or if not needed for up front expenses, the funds were allocated to also be used to develop the next priority Community Wildfire Protection Plan in Fiddletown.

The Board also allocated $20,000 in 2009 funds to be used to develop the Upcountry Community Fire Protection Plan, from Dew Drop and eastward, estimated at $15,000, with the balance to be used for public outreach in connection with Fire Wise Community development.

The Board allocated the balance of 2009 funds, of $17,317 and all of the 2010 funds of $33,631, for a total of just under $51,000, to the Amador County Sheriff’s Department for reimbursement of search and rescue and other emergency services on federal lands.

Undersheriff Jim Wegner said if Title 3 funds had been allocated, the Sheriff’s Department would have been able to reimburse the county General Fund for up to $53,000 in work done on National Forest land since 2009.

Wegner said the Sheriff’s Department has a reimbursement contract with the U.S. Forest Service for up to $23,000 in annual patrolling services in national forests. He said there is another contract for up to $15,000 in controlled substance investigations. He said in 2009, the department had 398 hours of deputy and response time that would have been reimbursable by Title 3 funds, and another 310 hours in 2010.

The funds can be used to reimburse the participating county for search and rescue and other emergency services, including fire fighting, that are performed on federal land in the National Forest system. It also can be used to carry out a “Firewise Communities” program, or be used to develop Community Wildfire Protection Plans.

Amador Fire Safe Council Executive Director Kathy Coos-Breazeal said the federal Firewise program was “putting the onus of labor and cost on the homeowner” for fire protection, with “intrinsic” rewards, for which the council must be a “cheerleader.” The board spoke more in favor of developing the Community Wildfire Protection Plans, but also supported the Firewise outreach, which could be used to secure other grants for work “on the ground,” such as fire-break clearing.

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Amador County – The Ione City Council last week joined other local council jurisdictions last week in proclamation honoring long-time fireman Butch Martin for his 48 years of putting out fires in Amador County.

City Manager Kim Kerr recommended adoption of the proclamation that “congratulates Charles ‘Butch’ Martin on his retirement from the Sutter Creek Fire Department” and “his public service to Amador County and dedication to the fire services in the County.”

The proclamation said “Martin is retiring from Sutter Creek Fire Protection District after 48 years of service. City staff, including Fire Chief Ken Mackey, City Clerk Janice Traverso, and Kerr helped construct the proclamation.

The proclamation said Butch Martin was born in Sacramento on May 28, 1946 to Joseph “Babe” Martin and Marie Martin. Butch Martin joined the Sutter Creek Fire Department in 1962 at the age of 16. After graduation from Sutter Creek High School in 1964, Martin became more involved with the Sutter Creek Fire Department.

In 1969, Martin “married the love of his life, Peggy Martin” and they have two children, Chuck Martin, Jr. and Lynie Harmoning and have two grandchildren, Dustin and Megan.

As a California Department of Transportation worker for most of his career, Martin was assigned to the Ione Cal-Trans maintenance yard. During that time he was always there to lend assistance to the city of Ione Maintenance Staff when needed.

Martin’s dedication to “Amador County fire services reflected in his desire to get full-time firefighters in each fire station to provide the necessary fire suppression and medical services to the residents in the County,” reflected by his “supporting the two sales tax measures to ensure funding,” including Measure L, which narrowly lost, and Measure M, which succeeded and is now funding fire departments county-wide.

The proclamation said “if Butch was in the area when an emergency call went out in the Ione area, he was always there to assist us no matter how long of a day he may have already had.” His “priority was always to help others, ranging from medical care to performing ventilation on a roof of a working structure fire or even the interior fire attack.

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Amador County – Motherlode Taxed Enough Already Party members asked the Amador County Board of Supervisors Tuesday for a chance to comment on a draft county General Plan that was released earlier this month and will be subject of an April joint meeting of supervisors and Planning Commissioners.

Board Chairman John Plasse said he would “take the fire on this,” saying it was his idea to limit public comment at the April meeting so the Board of Supervisors could make sure staff had followed through on directions given them by the board. He said the board has “heard from lots of you” and also heard lots of criticism asking when the General Plan would be done. He said “there were 27 to 29 General Plan advisory committee meetings,” with discussion on what should and should not go into the plan. They had individual meetings on seven elements, and four joint meetings of Supervisors and Commissioners.

Plasse said “we were hoping to avoid rehashing the same issues over and over again,” but rather to see that staff had followed through on direction given.

TEA Party member Virginia Manner said they “did not have the time or take the time to attend the meetings.” She and others asked for more time to read the new pages in the General Plan.

Manner said they were “not familiar with the language,” and a TEA Party speaker explained the faults of language in the General Plan, specifically regarding property rights.

Supervisor Richard Forster said they recognize not everyone has been able to attend, but they would like to get it done so it will not cost the county more money than it already has. Forster said the county has been “fairly thorough” about getting the public involved.

Plasse said a full public comment period was intended to follow at a later meeting on the draft plan.

One TEA Party member said “socialists are taking over this country.” He criticized the term “sustainable” in the General Plan and said the county did not need affordable housing in the plan. He said: “We don’t really need this. We need to take a better look at it before we head down that road, the road to socialism.”

Sherry Curtis said she had asked that a definition of sustainability be included in the glossary. Plasse said “it’s in there,” and the glossary is one of the things they would be going over, because they “have not had ample time for public comment” on that.

Supervisor Brian Oneto said the “whole General Plan is a work in flux.” He said he did not speak for the whole board, but he thought people would get a chance to speak at the next meeting.

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Amador County – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public nominations for three open positions on its Central California District Resource Advisory Council, which advises the bureau on public land issues.

Public Affairs official David Christy said BLM will consider nominations until May 2. BLM’s Resource Advisory Councils are “composed of citizens chosen for their expertise in natural resource issues” and they help the BLM “carry out its stewardship of 245 million acres of public lands.”

Christy said BLM “manages more land than any other Federal agency.” Each Council consists of 12-15 members with an interest in public land management, including such individuals as conservationists, ranchers, outdoor recreationists, state and local government officials, tribal officials, and academics.

Diverse membership of each RAC is aimed at managing the public lands for multiple uses. The Central California RAC advises BLM officials for the Hollister, Mother Lode, Bakersfield and Bishop field offices.

BLM Director Bob Abbey said “people who live, work, and recreate near or on BLM-managed lands deserve a formal voice on public land issues. Their input will enhance our agency’s ability to manage the public lands for multiple uses while conserving resources.”

Individuals may nominate themselves or others to serve on a RAC. Nominees will be judged on the basis of their training, education, and knowledge of the council’s geographical area.

Nominees should “demonstrate a commitment to consensus building and collaborative decision-making,” Christy said. Nomination forms and additional information are available on the BLM’s website. Three RAC positions open in the Central California District include two categories. Category One, with one open position, is open to “public land ranchers and representatives of organizations associated with energy and mineral development, the timber industry, transportation or rights-of-way, off-highway vehicle use, and commercial recreation.”

Category Two, with two open positions,” is open to “representatives of nationally or regionally recognized environmental organizations, archaeological and historical organizations, dispersed recreation activities, and wild horse and burro organizations.”

For nomination info, call (916) 941-3146.

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