Butte County Resource Conservation District
2009 Stakeholder’s Meeting
Public Comments Summary– 8/6/09
1) Public needs Blue Oak education
 Lack of regeneration education
 Oak regeneration plan incorporated into NRCS conservation plans
2) Dredger tailing along Feather River
 Is there somewhere to take the tailings off site?
 Can the gravel be used on native surface roads for sediment/ erosion
control?
 Can the Feather River Wildlife Area be better restored?
3) What is the RCD role in the Butte County General Plan?
 Pia serves on CAC as private citizen from Dayton
 BC-RCD provides technical assistance such as NRCS Soil Survey
4) Can the RCD help with youth through agricultural literacy?
 Speak off Contest.
 Earth Team Volunteers for Restoration Projects
5) What is RCD role with Water Conservation and Water Quality?
 Vina, Durham-Dayton, & Cherokee BMO areas received funding priority
points for EQIP for water conservation projects due to distressed levels
 May or may not continue in 2010 based on BMO levels
6) Promotion of Beginner Farmer and Rancher Programs available through increased
cost share NRCS programs for qualifying applicants and through USDA’S Farm
Services Agency (FSA) low interest loan programs.
7) There is a need for increased funding of conservation easement programs for the
protection of wetland, rangeland and farmland protection.
8) The BC-RCD can help with producer compliance for the irrigated lands program
for the Regional Water Quality Control Board. There is a natural fit because of
the educational programs for best management programs and EQIP programs.
9) The Upper Ridge Fire Safe Council is interested in buying a parcel of land in
order to get permanent access to the shaded fuel break. Could the RCD assist the
Upper Ridge Fire Safe Council with the ownership/ purchase/ insurance?
10) Lake Madrone/ Berry Creek – local issues are fuel load, mastication, sediment
flows from native roads
 Can the gravel from the Feather River be used on the Berry Creek Roads?
11) USFS - Stewardship Contracts are available for the Plumas National Forest
through the Quincy Library Group for fuel reduction work, maintenance and
thinning work. The work is paid for through eventual receipts from the forestry
receipts.
12) Friends of Ruddy Creek – Concerns for Ruddy Creek.
 It is near City of Oroville development
 How will the Creek be maintained?
 There are detention ponds being installed to hold flood waters
 Can the BC-RCD help the landowners stop the State Water Quality Control
Board?
13) Upper Ridge Fire Safe Council would like to start campaign to reduce fuels to
pre-European settlement levels on upper ridge and along Feather River. This
concept is currently being studied by the USFS after the Angora fire in the Tahoe
National Forest and in Weaverville in the Trinity National Forest.
14) Air Quality concerns in orchards
 Shredding orchard pruning
 Reducing emissions for diesel engines emissions
 These concerns should be covered by RMS level conservation plans
currently being written by NRCS conservation plans
15) Dredging for gold on Butte Creek seems to destroy habitat and negatively affect
water quality.
 There is currently state legislation pertaining to gold dredging
 State permitted activity therefore legal activity
 RCD is non-regulatory agency.