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.
Dennis Day mentioned that he had been to an event Saturday in Yreka where featured speakers were Sheriff John Lopey, Jim Wilson and Paul Crites. “They all, dynamically with eloquence , offered heartfelt inspiration. I appreciate having the right and privilege to speak out and reiterate that : “It is time to rise up , folks,” These speakers did not just hope for a transformation , they all offered profound insights from which to proceed, according to Dennis. We in Siskiyou county are especially fortunate to have a Sheriff – the Caliber of John Lopey. His talk was uplifting and encouraging. The other featured speakers followed suit. All were dynamic and eloquent, and the music was joyful.
This event was presented by BRAVE HEART WEST COAST. These Inspired Mavericks not only would like to see a renewal – a restoration and a rebuilding of a great Vision, but also sincerely believe that it is our natural birthright to reclaim it. They all displayed faith and trust in the fruition of such a Vision. It was a great honor to have attended! …. braveheartwestcoast.org ,” according to Dennis. Sheriff Lopey will also be in Happy Camp for the next government to government Coordination meeting next Monday at the Grange.
There will also be a meeting at the Grange in coming days with Department of Fish and Game and other speakers who will explain some fish situations. It is a hallmark of Happy Camp that we all care deeply about our natural world and appreciate the wild country in which we live. that is why most of us moved here, not for prosperity, or entertainment, but for the same things that people around the world come here to see as they raft the Klamath, bike our highways, and backpack our wilderness!
One of the very best marriage advice tips I ever received was “Don’t marry anyone without playing at least one game of monopoly with them.”
I’ve done that, intentionally with a few friends and, even with people I’ve known for years, there’s something about the Monopoly experience that will reveal something about your former friend that you never dreamed was lurking inside.
Yard-saling is kinda like that, which is what happened this weekend in Happy Camp, CA. Over one hundred years ago, one of my most favorite authors, James Allen, said, “Circumstances don’t make the man, they reveal him to himself.” And, like a rousing game of Monopoly there is something about being at the helm of a yard sale that reveals qualities in my neighbors, friends, and other visitors that any other normal village activities would not provide the necessary catalyst for; revealing the some time scary depths of an individual or group.
An artist may kindly inform you that the picture you have priced at $.50 is really worth $25 and then gladly pay it. Another “bargain hunter,” and hunter is the operative word, may stomp out of your yard in an indignant huff because you refuse to sell earrings, marked down to $20 for only $.25 cents.
To offer another comparative example, like golf, yardsaling can be a character building experience. In the game of golf, for a right hander, if it curves to the left it’s called a hook, to the right it’s a slice and if shot straight, it’s a miracle!” So there are some who will try and slice your potential profits down by 90% or more.
Others will recheck you up with the inherent true worth of your beloved treasure. But if you are lucky, your day will mostly provide the middle of the road folk who will gently haggle, usually leave with something, including good feelings in you to accompany the few dollars that changed hands. These good vibes are the daily miracles in life and, in the end, are the only really good reason to interact with anybody.
So what does the “Art & Treasure Weekend mean to me? I have, yet again a much DEEPER APPRECIATION for the gentle Art of respectful dialogue and the absolute Treasure of those gentle souls who never lose contact with the with the inner knowledge of the inherent value of every individual we came in contact with!
This weekend, including the preceding days of preparation, have been an enjoyable, exhausting, trying, aggravating, mix of cheerleaders, those diseased with what I call “monopoly heart” and a completely refreshing breed of those who cannot help but breathe life into every situation they bless with their presence.
Things were going kinda slow down at the Fly Tying Love Center and it bothered Marvin Pincus a lot.
He found it hard to believe that, out of all the people in the valley, none of them needed love advice and the proper type of fishing fly to illustrate it. He had the sign made and put in the yard, and he’d obviously had great results with the Jones kid and good ol’ Dewey. Since Marvin’s advice to Dewey to shower before asking a girl for a date, Dewey Decker, the Fertilizer King, had had several dates with nice young women.
Now the fishing-fly earrings part of the business was going great. Women all over town were wearing dingle-dangle earrings with Marvin’s point-clipped fishing flies hanging therefrom. He learned that short ladies tended to go for the smaller dries, like Griffith’s Gnats and Royal Coachmen, and the taller ladies leaned toward salmon streamers. Some of the ladies slipped Marvin’s wife, Marjorie, a couple of bucks to help buy more feathers and hooks.
But on the love advice front, there was a dearth of heartbroken customers.
“What would you think,” Marvin said, “if I ran an ad in the Valley Weekly Miracle?”
“For what?” Marjorie said at breakfast.
“You know … love advice.”
“Well, you have the sign out front. I think everyone in the valley already knows about it.”
“But they’re not coming in.”
Marjorie smiled. “Honey, some people find it hard to talk to others about their personal problems. That’s probably it.”
Marvin got a piece of paper and began writing. Then he’d scratch it out and start again. This went on through both bacon and toast.
“How’s it coming, Honey?”
“About got it right, I think, Marge.”
“May I see it?”
He handed it to her.
The best love advice in the valley, tied up with the appropriate fishing fly. Call the Fly Tying Love Center for an appointment. Results guaranteed.
“What do you think?”
Marjorie just smiled and nodded her head. What she thought, however, was that retirement isn’t for sissies.
——————
Brought to you by Slim’s new book “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Learn more at http://www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim.html.
Delbert McLain dropped in at the Mule Barn truck stop yesterday for a quick cup. He was wearing his usual suit and tie, despite the heat. Usually Delbert does his coffee drinking and socializing out at the country club where the business guys go. We’ve been there, and the chairs don’t fit as well.
For the past 10 years now, Delbert has run the local Chamber of Commerce. We all have to admit he was a good choice. His job is to promote our town and the surrounding area, which he does by prowling through the town – his ample belly flying under a full spinnaker – looking for out-of-state plates on the cars during tourist season, and then convincing the visitors they should 1. live here forever, 2. hire locals to build them a huge house, and 3. to start a business that will hire as many of us as they can stand.
According to Delbert, several things are certain about our little valley here: it is the only place in the world that will grow, our water is so good we don’t need dentists except during our tourist season, the deer in the surrounding hills are easy to hunt and are the size of horses, the fish in Lewis Creek are so big children are afraid to swim there and our average life expectancy is right around 104.
“Boys,” Delbert said with his constant grin, “it’s looking like a good summer. I can’t tell all the details now, but it looks like we may be getting three factories and you know how many houses they’ll have to build out on the flats to hold all the employees.”
“Delbert,” said Doc, “you know they shouldn’t build out on the flats. That thing floods out about every six years.”
Delbert saddened there for just a minute as he stirred his coffee, then the sales gleam relit the surface of his face.
“That’s it!” he yelled. “We can call it ‘seasonal waterfront!’”
When our four children were little, Michael, Esther, Elizabeth (who was Betsy when little) and Stephen, it was such fun to see what they would make in school or church for Mother’s Day! A mother always enjoys the art work or plaques or flowers that are put together through the assistance of teachers. These days, Mother’s day is different. Our four children have grown up, left for college and now live in faraway places. But it is always good to hear their voices when they call on Mother’s Day.
But I remember how my mother used to enjoy the children so much when they were little, At least she adored Michael and Esther and their cousins Tim and Jeff, as she passed away when they were all preschoolers. She’d wake up from coma in the hospital when she heard the sound of little voices enter her hospital room, and the nurses allowed them in because of the effect on her.
Her parting wasn’t unexpected, even when I was 17 and graduating from John Marshall High School (which no longer exists) iin Minneapolis, Minnesota, she had reached the end of the six months of life the doctor’[s had predicted for her when she was diagnosed as having systemic lupus. It was a new malady at that time and treatment for autoimmune illnesses weren’t known. Amazingly, she lived thirteen years longer! Finally, treatment options had run out, and the Lord called her home. Together with my two younger sisters and an Irish uncle, I was with her every day during her final five weeks in the hospital.
She had been single for the past 23 years, giving her total time and attention to raising three girls. Except for dinner in a restaurant when one of her five sisters had a birthday to celebrate, she had no other social life. Back in those days, even in sixth grade, none of my classmates knew what a “divorce” was or why we lived with mother, grandparents and aunt, and hadn’t seen our father for years.
In sixth grade, however, mother’s saving and job as an administrator in a union health program allowed purchase of a neat little green three bedroom house in a quiet tree lined neighborhood on Elm Street, Our new home was only five blocks from Grandma Hudson’s home and two blocks from Uncle John and Aunt Vera’s home. It became my job to take care of my youmeger sisters, and see that the house was cleaned and dinner started after school each day.With no brothers, it was also my duty to mow the lawn, shovel the sidewalk and be carpenter’s helper when Uncle John needed shingles on the roof, aying tile in the basement rec room, or doing repairs.
A mother with a full time career was definitely an oddity in a world where the “Beaver” came home to his mother in the kitchen daily, Where a mother wasn’t home, Aunt Bea would be there to care of Opie! Single mothers are more common these days, and mothers with jobs outside the home, also. We sometimes forget the huge undertaking that they are attempting in being there to guide and direct their children while shouldering all the responsibilities of bringing home the bacon and cooking it too. I could take care of ten or twenty children fo the day but I’d have been really sad to have left my children to go out to work. The goal to see children safely raised was our goal, in a world often seeming to work against the raising of wise and responsible children. Those mothers deserve our appreciation and commendation today! they can also use a helping hand on occassion!
Raising the child from infancy through the toddler years sometimes seems as if it will last forever, but as all us older grandma’s tell those young mothers, “enjoy them while they are little.” Before long they’ll be off to college or brides walking down church aisles, or perhaps even astronauts in flight to the moon. The world is changing so fast all around us. My mother was a very special lady, and even though she hasn’t been here to talk to or to share the joys of her grandchildren, still she helps me in the day to day things she taught me to do and her hopes of what we’d achieve with our lives. I miss my mom even now, 35 years since she left.
So if your mother is still on earth for you to thank, Be sure to take time off this weekend to give her a call, pay her a visit, or find a way to thank her for the impact that she made in your life. You don’t remember the countless times she changed your diapers, fed and clothed you day by day, cared for you when sick as well as healthy and taught you social graces, but where would you be if she hadn’t done those things? Us mothers have human frailties, and always wish we could have helped our children more, but you are our joy and we will love you for all of our life.
Happy Mother’s Day to every Mother, Grandmother and person mothering children! You are great and lthe lives of the children are certainly blessed by your loving care!!!
At this glad time of year when there is so much celebration with Hanukkah and Christmas and all they bring, sometimes sadness creeps in, like the Grinch that stole Christmas. Sometimes there are sad memories or missing loved ones who are far away now, but that is usually balanced with the happy and joyous memories of Christmas past.
However, should sad things come along that might ruin the celebration, remember the Rule of the Garbage Truck applies. A recent e-mail explained that “many people are like garbage trucks, they run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger and disappointment.
As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally, Just smile, wave, wish them well and move on.
Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home or on the streets of Happy Camp.
The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.
So Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don’t. Life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it. Have a blessed, garbage-free day!”
A new California bill called AB 2376 (Hutchensen) has passed the legislature. This is an injustice and will cause economic injury to Californians.
Governor’s office is 916-445-2841.
We must call the Governor and request a veto of this bill.
AB 2376 gives California Department of Fish and Game the power to establish a FEE structure; and will serve to reduce or eliminate any dependence it may have on the general fund.
This gives the agency the ability to place un-levied taxes on the water users of California. All agencies will follow suit.
This will affect all citizens. We must demand that the governor veto this bill. We have no money left to give. The bucket is dry. The government is killing us with these oppressive regulations.
Please call the
Governor’s office at 916-445-2841.
to request he veto this bill immediately. There is very little time to act. CALL NOW.
A new California bill called AB 2376 (Hutchensen) has passed the legislature. This is an injustice and will cause economic injury to Californians.
Governor’s office is 916-445-2841.
We must call the Governor and request a veto of this bill.
Please send this urgent request to everyone in the data base and to anyone you can. We must act NOW!!!!!!
National Monuments are a land-grab by the federal government and greatly restrict access and use to lands that were designated for “public” use.
Thank you to Tim Grenvik, a Scott Valley resident who used to live in Happy Camp, for bringing his concern with his short comment:
I’ve been hearing snippets off and on for some time now regarding this move, but nothing official. Having seen how establishment of the Smith River system as a “national recreation area” drastically changed what I can, and can no longer do over there, has me worried about the Siskiyou Crest proposal. I’ve enjoyed many years of various ”outdoor activities” in the Siskiyou’s and have grave concerns should it be defined as a “national monument”. I can say with some certainty, you would no longer be able to enjoy that country the way you used to. If you stop to take a moment and reflect on the many changes you’ve personally witnessed over the years, the many activities you can no longer enjoy on public lands, then you may see there has been a shift in policy that denies you your right to enjoy the outdoors. This proposal, should it be enacted, would be the final straw on a huge expanse of land in our back yard that is already partially denied to us. Just think LSR’s (spotted owls), wilderness expansion, road removal, stream course protection, and gates on public land – all deny us access or use in the name of “management”.
I have always asked but one question — ‘MANAGEMENT FOR WHO?’
This viewpoint on the Siskiyou Crest National Monument was written in response to a letter from Rita of the Happy Camp Chamber of Commerce and since the issue directly affects the lives of all of us living along the Klamath River Valley, her views, and other views expressed by Tom Waddell below are published for your information.–editor
Thank you for contacting us about this proposal. There is much misunderstanding about the likely impacts of a monument designation, though there is a long history to refer to see what has occurred in other places in similar situations.
The view of the Siskiyou Crest National Monument from the viewpoint of Laural of Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center
First, it is important to understand that 100% of the proposed monument is already federally managed land, and no limits to access or property use would occur on private land. Residential land values would be likely to increase due to their proximity to a protected area, as would larger tracks of privately held land.
I just yesterday visited with an economics professor at Southern Oregon University to initiate an economic analysis of the likely impacts to local counties, and we will post the results on our website and to the press. There is a large body of economic research that shows that counties and communities adjacent to protected areas have more robust and diversified economies than those based solely on resource extraction, agriculture and the like.
I have attached our just completed campaign profile document for you to review. There is a small section on ‘gateway communities’ you may find of interest. We also are proposing an active management of this area that would create jobs doing thinning of plantation forests, fire hazard reduction and other restoration based activities.
Another major concern people seem to express is a lack of access to the landscape. The vision we are proposing would likely involve the decommissioning of a small amount of remote forest service roads that were built for timber extraction and now have no budget for maintenance while they erode into the salmon bearing streams below, but all major and even most minor routes would remain open and accessible throughout the area. Hunting, fishing, and other outdoors activities would all continue to be allowed.
I hope this helps clarify things a bit, and I would be happy to answer further questions or hear your concerns if you have them.
Please help support Happy Camp News' free news on the web by using our Amazon links whenever you need to purchase something from Amazon.Com. Your support of this news service is very much appreciated.
Amazon.Com carries almost everything a person might want to buy - besides books they have music, clothing, housewares, and much more.