🚀 go-pugleaf

Dear L. Needham Sutter County, California:

Your below post is most interesting and shows your sharp perception.  I
wish more shared your sharp perceptions.  

I have heard from a great distance that the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
also contributed to the floods.  By preventing needed maintenance on
damaged levees for the sake of the Long-Horned Elderberry Beetle.  In
this case there is room for adjustment in the ESA and also for those who
blindly act under its name displaying archaic environmentalism.

Mark, from the land of the Mighty Columbia!!
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needham@syix.com wrote:
> 
> LESSONS LEARNED BY A FLOOD AREA EVACUEE:
> 
> The article by "Friends of the River" entitled "California's Best
> Opportunity to Achieve Improved Flood Control While Restoring Wetlands &
> Wildlife Habitat" was disingenuous and misleading.  When a follow up
> post by (a self proclaimed dam engineer) suggested dams too should be
> considered as one of many viable flood control alternatives, the
> environmental elitists came out of the woodwork to hurl personal
> attacks, junk science and anything else at this person in order to
> suppress the idea of yet another dam. Whether or not people died in
> floods was just down right irrelevant; they just couldn't have cared
> less. One such poster's reply was "Move to higher ground" D-O-Y! The
> problem with elitist environmental groups is they believe "THE ENDS
> JUSTIFY THE MEANS." It's either their way or the highway and they always
> claim to own the high ground!
> 
> While they accuse farmers of having lobbyist that pour money into
> politicians pocket books, they fail to disclose how many politician's
> coffers they've filled. What hypocrites! It seems as though there's
> always someone else available for them to blame. It would be taboo for
> them to accept responsibility for any cause & effect relationship
> attributed to their own actions. For example with respect to agriculture
> & other development in flood plains, how long ago do you suppose these
> advances have been going on in the California? at least a century. The
> suggestion to move is a little LATE, and the mere idea that stopping
> further development will somehow rescind the need for flood control is
> ridiculous.
> 
> The silting of dams was yet another red herring to flood control, and
> still there are those who will continue to argue this point into
> eternity. Not to suggest that silting doesn't occur, but this was
> explained in great detail by the professionals. One example discussed
> was Folsom dam. This project is now over 40 years old which would put it
> at its near half design life point. Yet at the peak of the drought just
> several years ago when the dam was nearly empty, just a couple hundred
> yard upstream from the dam were old fences heading down to the old
> stream bed. It was amazing. However according to some, this location
> should have been buried in silt by at least a hundred feet. How is this
> explained? I would say that the professional's estimates are more
> accurate than some of these elitist would have us believe.
> 
> On another note, it was suggested that all dams kill the salmon runs.
> Yet the Nimbus Fish Hatchery has been in operation ever since the
> Folsom/Nimbus dams were built which would be nearly 20 salmon
> generations ago. Since then, there have been good years and bad years
> for the salmon, and yes I'm sure it's true that their numbers have been
> declining. But is this all the evidence needed to condemn the dams
> responsible. What about toxins in the rivers? or off coast ocean
> fishing?  and poaching?  What about the mines that are seemingly
> discovered every couple years that are spuing poisons into the rivers?
> As can be found in the California fishing regulation handbook, no one
> should eat more than 2 fish per month out of the Sacramento river
> because of mercury poison. What about that? Doesn't it hurt the salmon
> runs?
> 
> Was the original post a pre-emptive measure on the part of "Friends of
> the River" to silence California flood victim's cries for more dams?
> According to an article in the Appeal Democrat, environmental groups
> such as "The Sierra Club" and "Friends of the River" had called on its
> members (not long after the Yuba County levee breach) to begin a letter
> writing campaign to politicians and local newspaper editorials
> suggesting that structural solutions (dams) for flood control are an
> unnecessary evil. Other articles in the Appeal Democrat called on
> environmental measures as reasons why the river channels have not been
> cleared of debris and levees properly maintained. Both US Representative
> Wally Herger & California Assemblyman Bernie Richter have stated their
> concerns that a pond habitat built just 600 ft from the Yuba levee
> breach may have contributed to the flood disaster. The Army Corp of
> Engineers denies this assertion, yet Levee District 784 has filed a law
> suit over the matter. It wouldn't be the first time one agency was
> pitted against another because they were worried about a law suit!
> 
> How much junk science was presented in these elitist arguments? It
> wouldn't be the first time that the snake oil approach has been utilized
> to sell a bucket of dead fish as a cure for whatever ails ya! I used to
> think that Rush Limbaugh's claim to Environmental Wackos was just a talk
> show gimmick. Now I have to wonder, some salesmanship & some truth. That
> wouldn't be to different from the environment elitists approach now
> would it!
> 
> For more information on the connection between environmental elitist and
> junk science, go to http://www.junkscience.com.  There you will find a
> link http://www.hookup.net/~rsirvine/ which helps explain why
> environmentalist dislike the agriculture industry. This web page though
> Canadian based provides shocking information that every American needs
> to know.
> 
> L Needham
> Sutter County, California