Thousands of Sonoma County residents represented by the Sonoma County Water Coalition and the local Democratic Party seek permanent protection of the headwaters of Felta Creek. Why is this, you may ask?
Felta Creek, west of Healdsburg, is the last place where wild Coho salmon have been found to survive in the Russian River basin. And upper Felta Creek is threatened by logging. This is occurring despite the fact that only restoration and removal of threats to this creek — a “core area” — are permitted.
On the bright side, the 160-acre property on which logging is proposed, is also on the market for resale. The public through our local government, or other conservation organizations in partnership with the county, is well positioned to acquire the property and thereby do an enormous service to protect the last wild Coho, a small subset of an already very small population, in the Russian River.
Why are wild Coho so important? Coho once migrated up the Russian River in droves and supplied food and nutrients to people, animals and plants. They are a vital part of a sustainable redwood system. Their numbers tell us whether we are actually stopping the slide toward a polluted and damaged environment or not. And, are we moving toward balancing our activities with nature in a manner that sustains us both?
Wild Coho are important also because they have proven themselves over time and know how to survive. The wild salmon are strong and provide an important buffer against diseases and other problems that may arise during recovery efforts. In other words, their DNA is “survival” DNA that all salmon need especially now.
Logging operations, which are at the heart of this story, threaten this fragile stream to which the Coho now go to lay their eggs. The logging will cut down hundreds of trees, cut down trees in the zone near the creek, drag downed trees off steep slopes above the creek, and run approximately 1,200 logging trucks out on the dirt road along the creek and then by the elementary school. Although understandably a business opportunity for the landowners, a conservation deal could also meet many of the goals the landowners have.
The importance of Felta Creek cannot be overstated. The survival of fish facing extinction occurs only when critical habitat, like Felta Creek, are effectively protected. Despite the many years of heroic efforts to compensate for the loss of the 200-plus miles of important spawning habitat now blocked off by Warm Springs Dam and other challenges, the Coho and Steelhead still face challenges including the destruction of places just like this where young fish must live, eat, grow and hide from predators. This area must be treated like the critically important area it is.
To date, the concerned community has contacted Senator McGuire’s and Supervisor Gore’s offices with good result — the logging approval was delayed. The logging threat, however is still absolutely real.
If you like the idea of a permanent safe harbor for the salmon, you can contact your representative today to urge them to lead an expeditious effort to acquire this 160 acres of relatively undeveloped watershed land.
Time is short for the Coho. We urge the landowners in this case to accept a reasonable offer. You can call the county supervisors at 565-2241. Or email any of your elected representatives personally at their websites asking them to contact CalFire and the landowner indicating their strong interest in conserving this critical wild Coho habitat and their desire to make a conservation deal.
Kimberly Burr is a resident of Forestville
