Tuesday, 19 March 2024

Regional

Copco No. 1 Dam. Photo by Shane Anderson/Swiftwater Films.

HORNBROOK, Calif. — Following Friday’s successful test blast, the Klamath River Renewal Corp. reported it will proceed with the removal of the Copco No. 1 Dam, the second dam to be removed as a part of the Klamath dam removal project.

The Copco No. 1 Dam, constructed in 1918 for the sole purpose of hydroelectric power generation, has blocked fish passage for over 100 years and is expected to be fully removed by the end of August 2024.

“We are excited to get to work,” said Mark Bransom, CEO of the Renewal Corp. “With the initial phase of drawdown complete, the dam is fully exposed and can safely be disassembled.”

Copco No. 2, a diversion dam that was located just downstream of Copco No. 1, was removed last year.

The remaining three dams, Copco No. 1, Iron Gate, and JC Boyle created reservoirs that needed to be drawn down before removal could begin.

The initial phase of drawdown concluded last month, and shortly thereafter FERC approved an advancement in the schedule, allowing for the removal of Copco No. 1 ahead of the other remaining dams.

Iron Gate and JC Boyle, which are clay core earthen dams, will remain at their full height until the spring runoff period has concluded and the Klamath River has returned to baseline flows. Work on their deconstruction will likely begin sometime in May, depending on precipitation.

Deconstruction of the Copco No.1 Dam, which will be performed through a repetitive cycle of drilling, blasting and chipping, can begin before the spring runoff period has concluded because it is a concrete arch dam.

Officials said that, should the Klamath River experience a significant flow event this spring, water could safely pass over the partially removed concrete dam and the dam would remain securely in place.

The Copco No. 1 Dam removal plan was specifically designed to allow for this safe flow passing, should it occur.

\The removal of Copco No. 1, Iron Gate, and JC Boyle Dams is expected to be complete sometime this fall, in time for the Fall run of Chinook salmon.

The restoration of the former reservoir footprints is currently underway and will continue for several years until vegetation is successfully established and water clarity has returned to baseline conditions.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said three people were injured in a plane crash on Friday.

On Friday at 1:15 p.m. Mendocino County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to a possible airplane crash in the area of Usal Road in Whitethorn.

Deputies from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire, Southern Humboldt Tech Rescue, and members of the Whale Gulch, Shelter Cove and Whitethorn Fire Departments responded to assist.

Upon locating the crash site, the three occupants from the airplane were found to have only suffered minor cuts and scratches. The three occupants of the airplane were identified as a 38-year-old male, 38-year-old female and 2-year-old female, all from Santa Rosa.

During the investigation, sheriff's deputies learned the airplane's engine lost power about five minutes after taking off. The pilot began to troubleshoot why the airplane lost engine power, but had noticed the plane's altitude was too low for recovery.

At that point, the pilot deployed the airplane's Cirrus Airframe Parachute System which slowed the airplane's descent. The parachute carried the airplane until it ultimately crashed into trees in a heavily wooded area of Yellow Road in Whitethorn.

Deputies initiated the aircraft accident protocols and contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, who have the primary responsibility for investigating accidents involving civilian aircrafts.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office thanked the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire, Southern Humboldt Tech Rescue, and members of the Whale Gulch, Shelter Cover and Whitethorn Fire Departments who quickly responded to assist with this incident.

The greater sage-grouse. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking data and public comments on a petition to list the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) under the California Endangered Species Act, or CESA.

On Nov. 21, 2022, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to list the greater sage-grouse as a threatened or endangered species under CESA.

The commission published findings of its decision to make the species a candidate for listing as a threatened or endangered species on June 30, 2023.

As a result of the status review process, the greater sage-grouse now receives the same legal protections afforded to an endangered or threatened species until that process is completed.

CDFW has 12 months from June 30, 2023, to conduct a status review that will inform the Commission’s final decision on whether to list the greater sage-grouse under CESA. As part of the status review process, CDFW is soliciting information regarding the species’ ecology, genetics, life history, distribution, abundance, habitat, the degree and immediacy of threats to its reproduction or survival, the adequacy of existing management, and recommendations for management of the species.

CDFW requests that data and comments be submitted before April 12, 2024, to allow sufficient time to evaluate this information during the status review period.

Please submit data and comments to CDFW by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and include “greater sage-grouse” in the subject line.

Data or comments may also be submitted by mail to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Diversity Program, Attn: CESA Unit, P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090.

CDFW will produce a peer-reviewed report based upon the best scientific information available, which will include a recommendation as to whether the petitioned action to list greater sage-grouse as threatened or endangered under CESA is warranted. The report will be publicly available on CDFW’s website for at least 30 days before the Commission considers acting on the petition.

The commission, which is a legally separate entity from CDFW, is charged with making the final determination on whether to list a species as threatened or endangered under CESA. CDFW serves in a scientific advisory role to the Commission during this process. See the California Fish and Game Commission webpage for details on submitting comments to the Commission and receiving email alerts for upcoming Commission meetings.

The listing petition, CDFW’s petition evaluation report and updates on the listing process are available on the Commission’s website.

The greater sage-grouse is found in sagebrush habitat throughout two distinct areas of California. The bi-state sage grouse population consists of birds from Alpine, Mono and Inyo counties, while the northeastern California population occurs in Modoc, Lassen, Plumas and Sierra counties. Greater sage-grouse are lekking birds, which means males perform elaborate displays to attract mates at communal breeding sites.

The birds’ primary food source is sagebrush, but they also eat a variety of other plants, including chicory, dandelion, clover, buckwheat, yarrow and milk-vetch. Insects like grasshoppers, beetles and ants are an important food source for chicks and hens. Threats include the loss, modification and fragmentation of habitat, as well as predation, climate change, loss of genetic diversity and disease.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, or ABC, teamed up with more than 50 law enforcement agencies throughout the state in an operation that netted 175 citations on March 9.

Shoulder tap operations focus on adults who purchase alcohol for people under the age of 21. The statewide effort’s goal is to raise awareness about the dangers of underage drinking and the potential legal repercussions on those who supply minors with alcohol.

“Each year, hundreds of officers from partner agencies across California join with our agents to draw awareness to the fact that it’s illegal to purchase alcohol for minors,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “These operations will continue throughout the year to enhance public safety.”

During a shoulder tap operation, minors supervised by law enforcement stand outside stores that sell alcohol and ask customers to make a purchase for them. The minor says they are underage and cannot purchase the alcohol. Adults who agree may be arrested and cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor.

The purpose of the operation is to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage individuals. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. Of those crashes, 27% of drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 had a blood alcohol content of .01 or higher.

The operation resulted in citations for 159 individuals who allegedly furnished alcoholic beverages to minors. At least 16 other individuals were cited for driving under the influence, parole violations, or other infractions.

The operation demonstrates the serious consequences for adults that buy alcohol for minors. The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.

The local operations were funded by ABC’s Alcohol Policing Partnership program and the California Office of Traffic Safety through NHTSA.

The Eureka Slough Bridges. Photo courtesy of Caltrans.

Caltrans invites you to participate in a virtual meeting on March 12 to discuss the proposed replacements of the Eureka Slough Bridges along U.S. 101 in northern Eureka.

The meeting will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12.

Join the meeting at tinyurl.com/eurekasloughmeeting.

The project aims to replace the northbound and southbound Eureka Slough Bridges located near Target.

These replacements are intended to address seismic deficiencies and improve the function and geometrics of both bridges. The project involves replacing the existing bridges with two new, mirrored structures.

Each bridge will feature two traffic lanes, standard inside and outside shoulders, and a separated bicycle and pedestrian path on the outside edge.

The project is currently in the environmental phase and construction is targeted to commence in 2029.

For more information about the project, visit tinyurl.com/eurekaslough or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A rock slide on Highway 70 in Butte County, California, has resulted in an extended closure. Photo courtesy of Caltrans.

BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. — Caltrans is alerting motorists that State Route 70 (SR-70) will continue to be closed from Jarbo Gap to the Greenville Wye in Butte County after another large rockslide in the area this morning.

The closure is expected to extend for an additional two weeks. Once the boulders have been cleared and the road is safe for travel, Caltrans will reopen the route to one-way traffic control.

Neil’s Controlled Blasting, in collaboration with Caltrans' Geotechnical engineers, is actively scaling the mountainside along SR-70. Caltrans assures motorists that safety remains paramount during these operations and every endeavor is directed toward restoring the highway to save travel.

Motorists are encouraged to check Caltrans’ QuickMap before traveling for current road conditions and chain requirements or download the QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.

Road information is also available on Caltrans’ website or by calling the California Highway Information Network automated phone service at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623).
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