Editor’s note: Yesterday morning I wrote how a grassroots effort was coming together on Facebook among our locals to help keep South Yuba State Park from closing. I pointed to the discussion led by Shawn Garvey, and there was a thread on Sierra Foothills Report too. In the time it took to fly from Sacramento to Nashville this afternoon, I opened my email to see that a meeting and game plan had materialized. Thanks to Shawn, the Miners Foundry and others.
You can count on our family – and our tourism-related business – to put up posters, get the schools involved and write the needed press releases. The South Yuba State Park draws hundreds of thousands of tourists to our area annually, who eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores. This is a job retention initiative. I hope our “electeds,” from Dan Logue to our supervisors, will get on board. This is a true nonpartisan, economic effort. Social media is changing how we communicate. Here’s the email I received:
Friends:
So many of you responded to my plea about the closure of the South Yuba River State Park and Bridgeport Crossing. I am touched by the depth of your comments and your thoughtfulness and I have been inspired to take the next step. I am hoping that you will continue to be supportive and that this also calls you in some way to take a small action to restore and protect our river.
After hearing from so many of you, I began asking various public officials if they would be interested in attending a CITIZENS HEARING on the future of the South Yuba River State Park. I heard from several folks, ranging from the Legislative Director for the Assembly Parks and Wildlife Committee to folks in the Secretary of Resources office. They indicated that they would be willing to come and hear from our community on this issue.
Miners Foundry then generously offered to Co-Sponsor this Community Event on December 7, 2011 from 7 to 9. Still waiting and hopeful that KVMR will agree to live broadcast the event as well.
The objective here, I think, is two-fold — first, to hear from those who have answers what the impacts of these closures will be — whether the river will be off-limits, will your car be towed for parking at Purdon, whether there will be any rules enforecement at all at Bridgeport, whether trash will be removed, etc. Second, to allow decision-makers to hear from us — those who live here, drawn here by the Yuba River, who have raised our children at the river, have basked in its waters, have awaited the return of salmon, and have worked for 25 years to protect the river from so many dam proposals.
So, I’ll ask you to consider the following:
1. Save the date of December 7 from 7 to 9 at Miners Foundry so that Parks officials can see that our community cares about the outcome.
2. Consider if you have some time between now and then whether you are available to put up posters in Penn Valley, or NSJ, or Washington, or NC, or Grass Valley.
3. Also, consider whether you have the inclination to participate at a higher level — coordinating schools, inviting dignataries, writing a press release, managing social media and a FB site.
If you do, please email me. If you don’t, thank you for your consideration.
/shawn
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