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PROTECTING OPEN SPACE
AND FAMILY RANCH LAND VALUES ON
CALIFORNIA’S NORTH COAST
C O N S E R VA T O R
Spring 2015
The Newsletter of The Buckeye
2015 Stewardship Award - Fort Seward Ranch
T
he Satterlee family began their legacy at Fort
Seward Ranch in 1945 when they purchased the
ranch. At The Buckeye Annual Meeting 7 members of
the family were present as they were recognized for
their 70 years of caring for their ranch by receiving The
Buckeye Stewardship Award.
Buckeye Director and VP of American Ag Credit, Julie
Houtby introduced the family followed by these
remarks, “I have had the pleasure of working with this
family for more than
25 years, and their
goal has always been
to keep the ranch
intact and to avoid
fragmentation. Despite
continuing obstacles to
this goal over the
years, the Satterlees
have succeeded in
keeping this beautiful
ranch in one piece.”
time the Satterlee family raised pigs, sheep, cattle and
hay. Currently, four generations of the Satterlees’s
continue to own and manage one of the largest working
ranches in Humboldt County. Norm expressed his
appreciation to everyone over the years that have
helped with their success.
During the presentation, Registered Professional
Forester Bill Dann told of his 11 years association with
the Satterlee's and their efforts to continually improve
the ranch (roads,
springs/wells, fences,
wildlife habitat, etc.)
and implementation of
timber management
strategies from timber
harvesting, timber
stand improvements
and reforestation.
These activities not
only contributed to
improvements to onsite facilities and
Norm Satterlee
infrastructure for the
addressed the crowd
ranch, but also to
on behalf of the family
improvements in the
emphasizing that his
water quality and
mother’s love of the
natural resources of the
ranch was the driving
Eel River watershed.
force behind their
Some activities were
success. He spoke of
done under the
growing up at Fort Seward with his
guidance, and with some cost sharing, of
Satterlee Family
brother Bob and sister Peggy and the
various governmental agencies, specifically
many changes they witnessed over time. They watched
CA Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources
their small community grow into a thriving town in the
Conservation Service. Other activities and associated
timber boom years. During that time a sawmill was
costs were borne entirely by the Satterlee's.
built, the railroad was running and the town had a store,
a burgeoning school, churches and many residents that
In spite of continued cost increases, often brought on
came to fill the jobs provided by the commerce. At that
(cont. page 2)
Spring 2015 - 2
The Buckeye
Fort Seward Ranch
by ever changing and increasing regulatory burdens,
the family presses on to be good stewards of the land;
not only because it is their livelihood, but because of
their appreciation of what was left to them and their
desire to pass it on in as good, or better, condition to
future generations.
Closing remarks were made by Peggy Satterlee who
said, “We have an amazing ranch and we are so proud
of it. We have a legacy and a love for the land, and we
love what we do.”
The presentation concluded with Chairman Bill May
awarding the Satterlees with a redwood burl plaque
engraved with: “The Buckeye 2015 Stewardship
Award – Fort Seward Ranch - In recognition of
exemplary care of ranch resources – balancing
ecology, economics, and natural beauty in the finest
tradition of family ranching.”
Chairman’s Message
I
write from the California Forestry Association
meeting, just having heard a panel of California
forest regulators share their plans to increase
interagency communication, move to electronic forms
to increase efficiency,
and make timber
harvest data available to
all – including the
public, as timber
harvest reviews occur.
Today I got to say,
face-to-face, how
Buckeye members are
fine stewards of their
lands and need certainty
and economic
reasonableness in the
State’s regulation of
Claire McAdams
those lands. A lot is
happening: Buckeye has joined with groups such as the
CA Farm Bureau and Forest Landowners of CA to
mutually comment upon the proposed NCRWQB Basin
Plan Amendment Regarding Temperature. And we will
be watching the Legislature and building relationships
with its members and staff.
I am honored and excited to serve as your new Chair,
and am thrilled to use my years of citizen involvement
in governmental arenas, my college teaching (and
listening!) experience, and what I have learned
from my family forestland management, to keep
Buckeye “in the conversation”.
I am most excited about the Buckeye’s
upcoming Forest Workshop (which is in the
planning stages), in which regulatory staff and
landowners will share a field visit, learn more
about each other’s perspectives, and begin and
build relationships with agency staff. I hope you
will attend, and bring other forest landowners.
More than ever, Buckeye members, as part of the
“regulated community”, need to pay attention
and make our needs known. This workshop will help
do that.
Thanks for your support,
Claire McAdams
Buckeye Board of Directors Elects 2015 Officers
A
t The Buckeye’s February Board of Directors
meeting, officers of the association were elected
for a one year term. The new officers are:
Chairman - Claire McAdams
1st Vice Chairman - Jim Able
2nd Vice Chairman - Tim Renner
CFO - Sarah Mora
Immediate Past President Bill May will join the new
officers as a member of the Executive Committee.
The Buckeye
Spring 2015 - 3
Buckeye Annual Meeting
F
ortuna River Lodge Conference Center was the
setting for The Buckeye 2015 Annual Meeting.
The event began with the afternoon Business Meeting
at which membership held an election to select 5
Buckeye Directors. Elected to 3 year terms were Scott
Downie, Claire McAdams, Marty McClelland, Tim
Renner and Joe Russ IV.
Led by Buckeye
Chairman Bill May,
the meeting included
reports on Humboldt
County General Plan,
Board of Forestry,
Cal Fire, California
Fish and Wildlife,
Water Quality
Control Board and
Legislative updates as
well as a report on the
recent Membership
Survey and
announcement of a
planned Forestry
Workshop.
The Membership
Forum during the
meeting gave
members and guests
an opportunity to
share information and
opinions on a number of
issues.
hosted by UCCE: February 9 – 11 Marketing and
Stockmanship/Cattle Handling and Winter Livestock/
Range Health Seminar scheduled for February 18. He
reported on GRAP – Statewide Grazing Regulatory
Action Project (see article page 7).
Following adjournment of the business meeting,
Buckeye members joined family and friends in the
Chinook Room for the soiree. The evening was filled
with comradery, music by Falling Rocks, live and
silent auctions and barbecue New York steak cooked
by Pete Bussman with side dishes catered by Dorris
and Daughter. Each table was skillfully decorated with
handmade western center pieces crafted by Sandy
King, flowers donated by Sun Valley Group and wine
donated by American Ag Credit.
Following dinner, 1st Vice Chairman Claire McAdams
presented out-going Chairman Bill May an engraved
redwood plaque in appreciation for his service to the
organization.
175 people were in attendance to honor Fort Seward
Ranch with The Buckeye Stewardship Award in
recognition of exemplary care of ranch resources –
balancing ecology, economics, and natural beauty in
the finest tradition of family ranching. (see article page
1).
2014 Chair William May and
2015 Chair Claire McAdams
UCCE Forest Advisor and County Director Yana
Valachovic reported UCCE has been here for 101
years. She announced they have recently hired a new
4H Program Director. She spoke hopefully about
helping stakeholders to resolve conflicts in Elk River.
Yana reported Board of Forestry is looking at douglas
fir encroachment on oak woodlands issues and hopes
that policy will be implemented to allow timber harvest
without having to replant in oak woodlands.
Jeff Stackhouse, UCCE Livestock and Natural
Resources Advisor thanked Buckeye members for
welcoming him to Humboldt County and extended an
invitation to call him with questions or concerns. Jeff
announced upcoming workshops at the Ag Center
The Annual Meeting is the main fundraiser for The
Buckeye and as always, our members and guests
enthusiastically supported the spirit of the event by
attending and bidding on and purchasing items ranging
from vacation packages to handmade items, guided
hunts, sporting event tickets, private airplane rides and
much more.
Thank you
for your
support!
Music by Falling Rocks
Spring 2015 - 4
The Buckeye
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
T
he Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of
2014 is a comprehensive three-bill package that
provides a framework for sustainable management of
groundwater supplies by local authorities, with a
limited role for state intervention only if necessary to
protect the resource.
The act requires the formation of local groundwater
sustainability agencies (GSA) that must assess
conditions in their local water basins and adopt locallybased management plans. The act provides substantial
time – 20 years – for GSAs to implement plans and
achieve long-term groundwater sustainability. It
protects existing surface water and groundwater rights
and does not impact current drought response
measures.
The following information has been excerpted from the
staff report with attachments prepared by the County
Department of Public Works and presented to the
Board of Supervisors at its meeting of February 24,
2015:
• Groundwater Legislation: On September 16, 2014,
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed three bills: AB
1739 by Assemblymember Roger Dickinson and SB
1168 and SB 1319 by Senator Fran Pavley which
creates a framework for sustainable, local groundwater
management for the first time in California history. The
legislation allows local agencies to tailor groundwater
sustainability plans to their regional economic and
environmental needs.
• Two key principles to the groundwater legislation:
Groundwater is best managed at the local or regional
level, and local agencies should have the tools they
need to sustainably manage their resources. Some local
and regional agencies do not have the necessary tools
to be successful. The legislation ensures that local and
regional agencies have the resources they need to
sustainably manage groundwater, including the
necessary authority, better technical information and
financial resources. When local or regional agencies
cannot or will not manage their groundwater
sustainably, the state will intervene until the local
agencies develop and implement sustainable
groundwater management plans. This limited state
intervention would be temporary – until an adequate
local program is established – to ensure the protection
of the groundwater basin and its users from overdraft,
subsidence and other problems stemming from
unsustainable uses of groundwater resources.
The Groundwater Act included a policy statement
which expresses the Act’s overall intent: It is the policy
of the state that groundwater resources be managed
sustainably for long-term reliability and multiple
economic, social, and environmental benefits for
current and future beneficial uses. Sustainable
groundwater management is best achieved locally
through the development, implementation, and
updating of plans and programs based on the best
available science. (Water Code 113)
In the report prepared by the County Department of
Public Works to the Board of Supervisors, the
following points summarize Public Works’ analysis of
the Groundwater Act and its applicability to the
County:
1. Limited Applicability. The Groundwater Act
provides an overall framework for managing and
regulating groundwater with a focus on protecting
reliable water supplies. In the initial phase of
implementation, the Act only applies to the Eel River
Valley groundwater basin. Priority levels for
groundwater basins in the County could change in
the future based on extraction levels, drought
conditions, and/or new data.
2. Local Control. The Groundwater Act emphasizes
local control and provides the opportunity to develop
community-based solutions by establishing a local
groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) to protect
beneficial uses and avoid conflicts. However, the State
Water Board is authorized to intervene in order to
remedy
3. Discretionary Powers and Authorities. The GSA is
allowed, but not mandated, to exercise powers and
authorities such as requiring meters, limiting extraction
rates, and imposing fees.
4. Data and Information Gaps. The concept of
sustainable yield is a reasonable basis for managing a
groundwater basin. However, existing data and
information on groundwater levels, groundwater use,
and groundwater/surface water interactions are limited.
Public Works is not aware of existing water budgets for
(cont. page 5)
The Buckeye
Spring 2015 - 5
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
any of the groundwater basins in the County. (Water
budgets quantify recharge, extraction, discharge, and
storage at the basin scale.)
Sustainability Agency for the Eel River Valley
groundwater basin and developing a groundwater
sustainability plan does not appear unrealistic.
5. Cost Burden. The Groundwater Act does not
convey funding for local agencies to implement the
Act requirements. DWR will be developing a
groundwater planning
grant program in late
2015/early 2016 with
funds from Proposition
1 (2014 Water Bond;
Funding for Water
Quality, Supply,
Treatment, and
Storage Projects). A
portion of the costs for
implementing the Act
can likely be covered
through a Proposition
1 grant, if awarded by
DWR.
Following the presentation and discussion, the Board of
Supervisors approved the recommendations of the
Department of Public Works. Further, it directed Public
Works to convene a
workshop for ‘stakeholders’
in April and return to the
Board with a summary of
stakeholder feedback.
6. Reasonable Timeline. Assuming adequate funding,
the timeline for organizing a Groundwater
www.buckeyeconservancy.org. Click on the Agencies
& Issues tab.
The Buckeye will continue
to monitor and participate in
our members’ behalf as the
program unfolds. For further
information, please see the
full Humboldt County
Public Works Staff Report,
with attachments, on The
Buckeye website
Ties to the Land: Succession Workshop Series
F
orest landowners, ranchers, dairy producers, and
farmers and their families are invited to a
workshop to learn techniques to help with passing of
land and its legacy on to the next generation. This
two-part educational series will be held on Tuesday,
April 28 and Tuesday, May 5. The seminar is
scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Humboldt
County Agriculture Center located at 5630 South
Broadway, Eureka, California. The fee to attend the
event is $25 per family for the workbook and DVD,
but you must call 707-445-7351 or visit
for the family properties/business; 3) take home tools to
determine heir’s interests; 4) gain knowledge of legal
and business considerations; and 5) understand the
financial impacts of ownership transfers across
generations. We encourage multiple members of the
family to attend both workshop sessions.
to register by Friday, April 24. Light refreshments
will be supplied.
"Family forests create many benefits through their
stewardship actions, but the legacy can fall prey to the
confusing details of land titles, permits, and inheritance
if families have not crafted a succession plan," said Bill
Stewart, UC Cooperative Extension forestry specialist
and organizer of the series. "This is especially true for
owners whose heirs have probably spent little time on
the land and the lack of shared goals can become a
problem."
At the workshop attendees will: 1) learn the steps to
succession planning; 2) clarify their values and goals
The meeting is sponsored by UC Cooperative
Extension and The Buckeye.
www.cehumboldt.ucanr.edu
Spring 2015 - 6
The Buckeye
The Buckeye thanks the many businesses and
individuals who donate to make the
Annual Meeting a success
Auction donors – Frog Alley Wine, Nilsen Company, Wyatt and Whitchurch, Inc., George
and Luzangela Brightman, Green Diamond, Loving Hands Institute of Healing Arts, Coast
Seafoods Company, Ken & Jackie Fulgham, Shamus T Bones, Banderas, Shawn Griggs,
American Ag Credit, Mel & Holly Kreb, Tractor Supply, Jerry & Ceva King, Humboldt
County Sheriff SWAP program, Dazey’s Supply, Benbow Inn, Hensell’s Ace Hardware, Don
Brown, Humboldt Grassfed Beef, Ferndale Clothing Company, Jay Russ – Green Barn
Ranch, Marshall Ranch & Garden Ministry, Shafer’s Ace Hardware, Fortuna Ace Hardware,
Mercer-Fraser Company, College of the Redwoods Agriculture Department, Camp Weott
Guide Service, Sequoia Gas- Shannon & Dede McWhorter, Holly Yashi, Boot Barn,
Grundman’s Sporting Goods, Ken & Julie Houtby, Maggie Griggs, Claire McAdams,
Humboldt Redwood Company, R & L Bulk, Tim & Renee Renner, Ivanhoe, Marty
McClelland, Great Western Clothing Company and Johanna Rodoni.
Auctioneer - Rex Bohn.
Auction Committee – Chairman George Brightman, Sarah Mora, Bill May, Ceva King,
Johanna Rodoni and Mel & Holly Kreb.
Auction runners – Monica Willburn and Kris Holman.
Barbecue – Chairman Pete Bussman, Barney Barnhart and Rich Olson.
Bar Crew – Chairman Aleda Cloud and friends.
Credit Card Service - Eureka Payments
Flowers – Sun Valley
Registration – Future Farmers of America
Wine – American Ag Credit
And a special thanks to all who bid on or purchased Live and Silent Auction items!!!
The Buckeye
Spring 2015 - 7
Statewide Grazing Regulatory Action Project
O
f great concern to The Buckeye is the proposed
Statewide Grazing Regulatory Action Project
a.k.a GRAP - a statewide effort by California Water
Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to regulate
livestock grazing in California. Public and private
grazing lands comprise about 40 million acres of the
state's total 100 million acres.
According to Water Boards Fact Sheet, “The goal is
to develop a regulatory strategy that will set forth
requirements for livestock grazing that address
potential impacts to water quality, while at the same
time limiting, to the extent feasible, the cost of
compliance for the livestock community.”
plan. For example, ranchers have been working with
University of California Cooperative Extension and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service to create ranch water-quality
plans and install various measures and infrastructure to
protect water quality.
SWRCB is engaging stakeholders in five invitation
only focused listening sessions soliciting comments
from Government and local agencies; Tribes;
Environmental and Environmental Justice
Organizations; Ranching and related industries and
Academia.
The Focus Group meeting held in Redding was
attended by 150 folks
from the public.
According to UCCE
Livestock Advisor Jeff
Stackhouse who was in
attendance, there was a
sense of frustration to
Water Boards responses
by many who attended.
Some of the big concerns
are the unclear motives
for GRAP, lack of
science and lack of
transparency. Currently
there is no DRAFT plan
for the public to review
or comment on which
adds to the exasperation.
No what does this mean to livestock grazers?
Apparently they perceive grazing is a threat to water
quality that needs to be regulated. No proposed
regulation has been developed at this time, but it
appears their intent is to craft a State-wide, one size
fits all grazing regulatory plan.
Since 1995 significant investments by ranchers have
been made in water-quality improvements with the
adoption of the rangeland water-quality management
California Cattlemen’s
Association adopted a
resolution during their
2015 convention stating, "CCA staff and officers
oppose GRAP, and will work to eliminate and/or
minimize GRAP's impact on cattle ranchers." CCA is
developing a GRAP advisory group in conjunction with
CA Farm Bureau to provide input and direction on
GRAP.
The Buckeye will continue on behalf of our members
to engage in the GRAP issue as it develops.
P.O. Box 5607, Eureka, CA 95502
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Board of Directors
Contact Information phone 725-8847
Email us at
buckeye@humboldt1.com
On the web at
www.buckeyeconservancy.org
Chair - Claire McAdams,
Timberland Owner
1st Vice-Chair - Jim Able,
Forester
2nd Vice-Chair - Tim Renner,
Rancher, Logger & Dairyman
CFO - Sarah Mora,
Marketing Director
Scott Downie,
Fisheries Manager
William C. May,
CPA & Landowner
Ken Fulgham,
Certified Rangeland Manager
Marty McClelland,
Consultant
Tom Herman,
Attorney
Joe Russ IV,
Rancher
Julie Houtby,
Agriculture Finance
Gary Rynearson,
Registered Professional Forester
Mel Kreb,
Organic Produce
Tom Schultz,
Registered Professional Forester
Elizabeth Marshall,
Rancher
Staff - Johanna Rodoni,
Executive Director & Rancher
Staff - Linda Maire,
Administrative Assistant