"Save Serene Lakes" update for July 2009:
Note: Tell friends to go to www.saveserenelakes.org and sign up for these monthly email updates.
News: (for a complete news timeline see "news timeline")
- Placer County Planning reports that they have not heard anything from Royal Gorge. They also say they have not heard anything more about Valen Brost's planned Majesty Suites project across from Sugar Bowl's gondolas on Hwy 40.
- Access to forest service lands across Royal Gorge property continues to be a problem, with reports that people have been told to leave. This is particularly a problem for accessing Forest Service lands on Palisades Peak to the west of the lakes, as it is almost impossible to get to Palisades Peak without crossing Royal Gorge lands. Anyone having problems accessing Forest Service lands should contact district ranger Joanne Roubique at 530-587-3558, or jroubique@fs.fed.us
- The water district (SLCWD) reports that eminent domain to acquire the lakes is still proceeding, but at the same time they are negotiating with Royal Gorge to obtain lake access and other rights needed to properly manage the water supply. The district is also applying to the state water board to modify their permit to match how they actually operate by including direct diversion rights, not just storage. The district, however, has been advised that they will likely only receive rights to how much water they currently need, and will not be able get rights to water for speculative future development. Royal Gorge's plans fall into that category as they have not filed any plans with the County.
- The DSPUD sewage treatment plant needs fixes to meet their new permit requirements and is waiting for Eco:Logic (their engineering consultants) to present their cost estimates for various upgrade options. SLCWD and their engineering consultant will be reviewing and advising DSPUD on what can be done. For more read www.moonshineink.com/articles.php/0/1311
Upcoming Events:
- August 14: Friday 5 PM, SLCWD Water district offices. The water board meeting for July.
- August 14-16: Clair Tappan's 75th Gala Anniversary Celebration. For details see motherlode.sierraclub.org/sierranevada/gala.html
- August 15: Saturday 10AM to 4PM, Grand opening celebration of the new Donner summit Historical Society building at the corner of old Hwy 40 and Soda Springs Road. Join the fun and learn about the Summit (www.DonnersummitHistoricalSociety.org)
Recent Publications: (for links to these and other publications see "articles")
Current County Status:
Other somewhat related news:
- A new twitter feed with save Donner Summit information can be found at www.twitter.com/savethesummit
- The Summit is the headwaters of the Yuba and American Rivers, which eventually flow down through the Central Valley to the Delta and the Bay. A new concern is the revived proposal to build a Peripheral Canal (yes, the one that was resoundly defeated as an expensive boondoggle 25 years ago) and divert water away from the Delta, damaging the Delta's already fragile health. To read more see www.RestoreTheDelta.org or www.CalSport.org.
Quotes of the month:
"Man is a complex being; he makes the deserts bloom and lakes die."
-Gil Stern
"We cannot command nature except by obeying her."
-Francis Bacon
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority."
-Elwyn Brooks White
"We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap."
-Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Web Sites of Interest:
www.SaveOurSummit.org
www.saveserenelakes.org
www.savedonnersummit.org
www.sierrawatch.org
www.syrcl.org
www.saveVanNordenMeadow.org
www.savethesummit.com
www.donnersummithistoricalsociety.org
www.saveroyalgorge.org
www.pissdsociety.com
www.Slpoa.com
www.sldsca.org
www.donnersummitareaassociation.org
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