Light a Spark in our Community & slay apathy!

Light a spark!


by Judy Bushy
Isn’t it amazing the conflicts that we have these days!! Seems hard to discuss with anyone that disagrees with a person’s viewpoint. Learning about each others viewpoints seems to me to be the best way to get the balanced view of a topic and proceed to coming up with solutions.

Dr. Blue quoted the historian Alexander Tyler, professor at Edinburgh Scotland back in the early 1800s. He was talking about the fall of the Athenian Republic 2000 years earlier. He said, “A democracy is always temporary in nature. It simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate who promises the most benefits from the public treasury. With the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to lose fiscal policy which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

No nation in the history of the world has lasted forever, according to historian Alexander Tyler. I wonder if his views were as apparent in his day as they are in our own We have been very grateful that our forefathers came here out of bondage, to spiritual faith to great courage, and achieved liberty and have had such great blessings and abundance in this nation. We are going through some of the things that other countries have gone through when they have abundance and descend to complacency, to apathy and to dependence, which leads back into bondage.

So much has changed with our technology of the day. Dr. Royal Blue, who was telling about Alexander Tyler’s views, asked people listening to him each morning to let him know if they are listening by Streaming audio from Redding to the uttermost parts of the world via Internet. It is amazing that people around the world who can hear the same talk.

There’s an old saying, “Dead wood can light a great blaze if it comes in contact with a little spark.’ We hate to see that when it makes a great wildfire that threatens homes and towns, such as we are seeing this week on the Salmon River, Sawyers Bar, and over the hill in the same area that the Biscuit Fire was years ago. I remember visiting Dan when he was working at Lake Selma, the same place that the Incident Command for the Complex is now stationed.

Today, you can be the spark to make a difference in the hearts & Lives of our neighbors. Volunteer to make a difference. Attend Town Meetings like the one Tuesday, August 13th with Sheriff Lopey, whatever your vies so that you can be well informed and express your viewpoint. He was elected to be the Sheriff of all Siskiyou County citizens. Take part in respectful debate.

Let’s not be complacent but light a spark by using the wwisdom and kind respectful words which may just be the spark to light a blaze for good among our friends and neighbors along the Klamath. Light a spark!!

What do the “No Monument” signs mean??

The most common question that we hear in Happy Camp is about the meaning of all the “No Monument” signs you see all along out highways and Byways.

We live in the most beautiful place along the wild Klamath River. Our area is definitely different that the crowded, polluted, ugly urban California and we love it! We have the beautiful Klamath River as well as lakes where to enjoy fishing. There are so many things to do and see in our forests and so many critters live there that you could explore the rest of your life and still find new things to learn and see.

We are surrounded by wilderness areas which are even more lacking in “civilization” than the typical forests. To the south of us down Elk Creek Road is the premier Marble Mountain Wilderness Area comprising 241,774 acres of meadows, streams and 89 lakes! To the east of us is the Red Buttes Wilderness with 19,940 acres straddling the Oregon and Californian border and managed by the U. S. Forest Service. To the West is Siskiyou Wilderness; 182,802 acres spanning parts of the Klamath, Siskiyou and Three River’s National Forests. The wilderness is home to rare species, like wolverines, martin, fisher, spotted owl and elk. So are our backyards! Nadine McElyea had a black bear grazing on her lawn in the moonlight last night. We often see black-tailed deer driving home, and feed many varieties of birds in our bird-feeders. The clear streams teem with steelhead, Chinook salmon as well as trout. Further north is the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, 179,775 acres that’s mostly part of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Its named after a plant that is related to the rhododendron, and is a challenge for me to spell.

With all these beautiful pieces of Creation all around us, we haven’t heard any good reasons to change all the area from Dillon Creek above Highway 96 all the way to Ashland Oregon, into a Bureau of Land Management property, “Siskiyou Crest National Monument” Even the writer of the original proposal, Laurel wasn’t willing to address the Siskiyou ‘County Board of Supervisors when they asked him to present the proposal, which happened after a leak that there was such a proposal came from the Department of the Interior In Washington, DC. The sneaky way it came out and the impossibility of getting accurate forthright information on the project is what makes some Siskiyou County residents uneasy about the whole plan.

That is the reason for the frequently seen signs “No Monument” you will see! For the love of our home, we see no benefit in making it a monument or a national park.

Investment Stragtegy for 2013

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

As the New Year begins, we often have hope that we will be able to make changes in our lives. We call these well-intentioned hopes New Year’s resolutions. Some resolve to exercise or lose weight, eat right, get up earlier, fix or build something, get finances under control, learn something new, or quit something (smoking, drinking, swearing, overeating, watching too much TV, etc.). Maybe it’s time to do something out of the ordinary – like writing a book, painting a picture, or climbing a mountain. So many things you could do, but there is something more I believe you must do – invest in your children.

Schools teach academics, but there are things a parent, grandparent, uncle, or aunt can teach better than anyone else: love of God and family, faithfulness, self-control, kindness, diligence, a work ethic, respect, patience, personal worth, and self-discipline. These things generally don’t just happen but are the result of training by family.

In my own life, I had an Uncle and Aunt that had profound impact on my life. The values they helped to instill in my life are still with me today. What will you invest in this coming year? Purpose to invest in your children or grandchildren – physically, morally, mentally, and spiritually.

The return will surely be worth the investment.

Ephesians 6:4says, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

Dave Gordon

Dave Gordon

In Christ,
Pastor Dave Gordon
Community Bible Church
Cave Junction

PacifiCorps grant for Coho Salmon Restoration

PacifiCorps has announced grants through the National Fish and Wildlife Federation. Projects to help the survival and recovery of coho salmon in the Klamath River Basin will receive a combined $614,000 in grants from Pacific Power’s parent company PacifiCorp.

The Karuk Tribe will receive $250,000 to complete the implementation of a large-scale channel restoration and habitat enhancement project on Seiad Creek to enhance the survival and fitness of coho salmon through the restoration of floodplain function and the creation of spawning habitat.

The Mid Klamath Watershed Council, based in Orleans, will receive grants for three projects totaling approximately $214,000. The projects will: create and enhance habitat for coho rearing in side channels of key Klamath tributaries; continue the creation of anadromous fish passage at the mouths and lower reaches of 72 Klamath tributaries in California; and take initial steps to improve conditions for coho in the Stanshaw Creek area near Somes Bar.

Caltrans District 2 will receive $150,000 to assist in removing an existing 15-foot diameter culvert on Fort Goff Creek, in Siskiyou County, and replace it with a single span bridge to restore a channel and facilitate coho passage. This culvert replacement has been identified as a high priority project for coho by both the California Department of Fish and Game and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

“The grants to our local partners, who are restoring important habitat, connecting cold water springs, and increasing stream flows in tributaries, are making a significant difference to the survival and abundance of coho salmon in the Klamath River,” said Krystyna Wolniakowski, Western Director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The projects, selected in October 2012, mark the fourth year the grants have been issued as part of PacifiCorp’s Coho Enhancement Fund, which was established during the development of the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. PacifiCorp is providing $510,000 annually to this fund which is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Klamath views: ‘Happy Camp’s Got Talent!’

Judy Bushy
Happy Camp, Calif. —

It’s been so lovely along the Klamath River for the past couple of weeks. Summer has finally arrived and the warm summer days are wonderful.

Last Wednesday the Happy Camp Community Computer Center had new computers and monitors installed! What a delight! Everything is faster and so efficient. The new towers have a slot for the memory card of cameras, so we don’t have to borrow the card reader any longer. The computers are also connected to three possible printers, an HP laser jet with black ink (for $.10 a page), an HP Laser Jet with color printing (for $.50 a page) and an Artisan for photos and can be done on photo paper, which are $1 a page.

The computer center is a nice quiet place to work and check e-mails, write things, browse the Internet or check out Google Earth! It is nice to have a staff of very knowledgeable computer experts on hand to answer questions when you get stumped on how to do things or how a certain problem could be solved. Emma Lee Johnson, Randy White and Kelly Worchester and Eric Paulare on hand to help you. They also can solve the problem you are having on your home computer for a reasonable fee. They are open to the public from 1-5:30 p.m. most days except Sunday.

Bob and Vicki Schmalzbach have moved back to Happy Camp to their home on Druery Road. Kevin Anderson also came up from Antelope. They’d left Happy Camp over five years ago, but have stayed in contact and it is great to see them back. We did run into Vicki and Kevin at Hometown Buffet on Antelope Avenue when we were down in Sacramento for doctor checkups for Dan a couple of years ago. It will be so much nicer to see them here right back home!

JavaBob was in on the start of the Fire Safe Council and was the president of the Chamber of Commerce just before they left. There was a gathering of friends for a barbecue Sunday afternoon at the Klamath River Resort Inn to enjoy catching up on news and hearing a few of Bob’s Bigfoot tales.

My husband, Dan, spent a couple of hours last night watering the garden of a neighbor who is on a vacation trip. It is a job that brings him much pleasure, as he brings home the Swiss chard and other greens, cauliflower and strawberries! That’s the fun part of the job. He was also watering. He came home and took a shower and by then, the pleasant summer shower had begun. Oh well. At least he was conscientious in his care of the garden!

Suggestions for Ecomonic Plan

Happy Campers received an invitation to a meeting by the Karuk Tribe for input on an economic development plan for our local area. We applaud the Karuk Tribal leadership for taking seriously the importance of economic vitality of this area and look forward to that meeting. In the meantime, a Happy Camper has suggestions…..

Dear Sirs

In response to your letter concerning the public meeting to develop a 5 to 10 year economic development plan.

A 5 to 10 year economic plan is a laudable project.

The things that can be produced from the 1.2 million acres of Karuk Ancestral Territory are mining, farming, logging and tourism.

On mining the Karuk Tribe needs to pressure the California legislature to end the moratorium on gold dredging which will bring back the gold tourism activity. This would have an immediate economic benefit to the community.

Tourism includes hunting, fishing and camping. The Karuk Tribe needs to set up a fish hatchery and begin stocking the Klamath River and its tributaries with fish species that can be caught and kept. This can provide jobs for community members running the hatchery and delivering the fish as well as boosting fishing tourism.

The Karuk Tribe needs to take over management of the forest and resume logging to clear land so as to increase the grazing for deer and elk. This will produce larger herds and increase hunting tourism. Before 1850 the Karuk Tribe managed the tree density by burning portions of the forest to create feed for the deer and elk.

The Karuk Trbe needs to build a saw mill to take the logs cut by community members and turn them into lumber that can be sold to produce income for the community members.

The Karuk Tribe needs to encourage local farming of organic vegetables and grains so that local people can buy locally grown foods that are more nutritious than the stuff available from the super markets.

There may be other possibilities but these are the obvious ones.

Sincerely
Pete McLaughlin
Happy Camp, CA

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