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Deal Seals Protected Status for 140,000 Acres of State Watershed

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Times Staff Writer

In this wet, green valley 120 miles north of Sacramento, the long, sloping spine of the northern Sierra catches moisture that eventually flows through the taps of 20 million Californians.

Now, for the first time, this watershed, where the Feather River begins, and others on 140,000 acres scattered across the state, are guaranteed permanent protection under a new agreement with Pacific Gas & Electric, whose hydroelectric power-generating facilities are on the land.

The deal -- forged by the state Public Utilities Commission and a host of conservation groups -- was the outgrowth of PG&E;’s bankruptcy reorganization. The details were recently announced by the PUC.

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As of last week, the utility’s holdings came under the control of the newly formed Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council, which has three years and $100 million to plan the future for some of California’s prime fishing streams, wildlife habitat and dense stands of big trees.

The widely spaced parcels range from eight acres in Mariposa County to 47,000 acres in Shasta County and extend from Northern California to the veld-like Carrizo Plain in southern San Luis Obispo County.

The agreement prohibits new development on the properties -- about 1,000 separate tracts in 22 counties -- that contain some of the state’s best wildlife habitat, prime fishing streams and densest stands of big trees, as well as scores of trails and campgrounds. Some cattle grazing and commercial logging is likely to be permitted on land where it is currently allowed.

Conservation groups call the deal a blockbuster, providing protection for land that in some cases could have been developed.

“There are few opportunities that come along like this; the stars were aligned,” said PUC President Michael R. Peevey, who brokered the deal. “I think it ranks at the very top, since the state’s national parks were created. I hope this will spur others to contribute lands that are adjacent. Over time, who knows, landowners may want to have a legacy themselves and contribute adjacent acreage. That’s what I envision for the Sierra. I don’t think this ends here. It’s an impetus for more.”

California has a long history of land conservation, using easements and land transfers to preserve special places. Similarly large, complicated deals protecting open space or staving off development have been reached elsewhere in the state.

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But these watersheds are especially prized. The headwaters of the Feather River, notched in the northern Sierra’s granite, provide the vast majority of the water for the State Water Project, which funnels water to the Bay Area, the Central Valley and Southern California.

In fact, it is water, more than land, that is the focal point of the PG&E; deal. About 40,000 acres of the newly protected areas are underwater. A few miles from Humbug Valley, Lake Almanor is now under the management of the Stewardship Council, as well as Mountain Meadows Reservoir a few miles to the east.

Among the more thorny issues the council will work out is how watershed conservation, public recreation, grazing, logging and PG&E;’s ongoing hydroelectric activities can coexist in areas that also contain fish, wildlife and native plants.

The Humbug’s Valley’s 2,100 acres of PG&E; land offers a case in point. Yellow Creek gurgles through a valley once filled with willows, native grasses and the endangered Southwestern willow flycatcher. Now, cattle grazing has diverted the creek, damaged the waterway’s banks and decimated the willows. The flycatchers are gone.

Mike Kossow points up the valley, where the mountains pinch in to form a green V. The former state Fish and Game riparian specialist said the creek still manages to provide excellent trout fishing, notwithstanding stream sedimentation and lack of vegetation.

“I’ve argued with them about this before,” said Kossow, who is now a fisheries consultant with PG&E; as a client. “There’s really not much good that can come of grazing in a place like this. The good news is that it can be repaired.”

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But David Sutton, a member of the 16-member Stewardship Council, said it’s likely that historical uses such as grazing would continue under the agreement. The same goes for commercial logging, which also takes place on many of the PG&E; parcels.

“We’ll have to look at it on a watershed-by-watershed basis,” said Sutton, who works for the conservation group Trust for Public Land. “There are more than 40 campgrounds spread across these lands. There are river corridors renowned for their fishing and fisheries. There’s all sorts of wonderful trails on different properties. We’re going to support public access where it’s appropriate.”

Although policy will be formulated far from the rural locales, the preferences of local residents will help shape the major outline of the lands’ management. Local groups have stressed the importance of retaining public access to the land.

Walking around PG&E;’s Yellow Creek Campground, Paul Hardy of the Feather River Land Trust rhapsodized about the excellent fishing in the nearby stream, which anglers in towns such as Chester and Westwood have prized for generations.

“We’ve been trying to get this land preserved for some time,” Hardy said of his local conservation group. “I’m excited by these PG&E; lands. There is a disproportionate amount of biodiversity here. The important thing is that it will be protected. All of this could have been developed.”

The same is true at Mountain Meadows, where PG&E; has a hydroelectric facility. As he drove into a broad valley with sandhill cranes in the foreground and a view of snowcapped Mt. Lassen in the distance, Steve Robinson of the Mountain Meadows Conservancy pointed across the broad reservoir.

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“As far as scenic qualities, I’d put this up against any place in California, including Yosemite,” he said.

The Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council met for the first time April 29. The group has three years to formulate its land-use plans and determine how best to use the $100 million. Most of it will go to replanting forests and improving trails, campgrounds and recreational opportunities.

The money will come from an assessment from the utility’s 5 million customers.

Even though the deal concentrates on watersheds, to make the agreement more palatable to some urban ratepayers, the council agreed to address recreation in cities. About $30 million is earmarked for programs for urban youth. Of that, $20 million is set aside to acquire and maintain urban parks and $10 million will be used to provide urban children with a wilderness experience, through day trips and camping.

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