A precious gem of coho salmon habitat just became more rare and special. Felta Creek watershed did not burn in the firestorm, but a whole lot of Sonoma County’s forest and wildlife habitat did. The streams that flow through the burned areas of the Russian River watershed are perhaps irreparably damaged. They will still carry water but without the shade of surrounding trees, that water will be warmer, will dry up earlier and erosion from the scorched hillsides will choke spawning gravels with fine sediment.
Only time will tell if these streams will ever carry cold water loving salmonid species in the near future. As one of the last native coho salmon bearing streams in the Russian River watershed, the fires just made Felta Creek even more important and raised the imperative to protect this creek and its watershed.
Felta Creek is still threatened by an ill-conceived timber harvest plan that Cal Fire may approve on Nov. 1. The proposed timber harvest is on a 160-acre parcel in the Felta Creek headwaters owned by an attorney from Eureka who bought the property in 2015 with the intention to log and quickly resell.
The proposed plan includes an overly aggressive cut of the largest trees on steep, unstable hillsides which will erode into the streambed. The removal of so many trees destroys shade canopy, which keeps the waters of Felta Creek bone-aching cold and flowing through the hottest days of summer, critical to endangered coho and the more abundant steelhead salmon.
This parcel is zoned for timber production and logging can be done in a responsible and ecologically sensitive way. This timber harvest plan is neither of these things. A responsible plan would thin crowded, smaller trees and leave the mature trees standing to better preserve the canopy and decrease fire danger with minimal soil disturbance. Foresters call this “thinning from below” and “selective harvest.”
This approach can improve forest health and eventually grow a healthy stand of more valuable timber that would provide wildlife habitat and protect the watershed. This healthier forest can be managed for future harvests or left untouched for its ecological value.
During the public comment period Cal Fire received 139 letters of opposition by concerned neighbors, private citizens, parents of Westside School and the following organizations and elected officials: Russian Riverkeeper, Forests Unlimited, Brigette Mansell of Healdsburg City Council, Jason Boaz of Healdsburg Fire Department, California State Senator Mike McGuire, Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore, West Side Union School District, Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma County Open Space, Community Foundation of Sonoma County, Conservation Land Trust and Sonoma County Water Coalition among many others.
Efforts are currently underway to purchase the property and put it into permanently protected status. A conservation easement can be placed on the land that will ensure its good management into perpetuity. The Friends of Felta Creek was formed to carry out this effort and is building a coalition to purchase and preserve the land.
Here’s to hoping that Cal Fire does the right thing and rejects this timber harvest plan.
Lucinda Kotter lives on Felta Creek, studied forestry at UC Berkeley and worked as a forestry technician for six years. She is also the Watershed Coordinator for Friends of Felta Creek and a Licensed Acupuncturist with a private practice in Healdsburg. She can be reached at fr*****************@gm***.com.
