* establish a 200' wide riparian protection zones along natural watercourses. Most activities which degrade streams, rivers and lakes would be prohibited in this zone. Permits would be required for most activities having a potentially adverse impact on riparian habitat. Both Fish and Game and the Regional Water Quality Review Board could require mitigations before any permit would be issued;
* prohibit any activity which would further degrade a distressed watercourse;
* create a watershed and habitat restoration fund in every county, financed by penalties and timber depletion fees;
* require each county to include an endangered habitat protection element in its general plan, including a no net loss requirement
* prohibit clearcutting (defined as removing more than 60% of the volume of timber on stands larger than two acres) and shelterwood methods of silviculture;
* extend the application of the California Endangered Species Act to activities likely to cause a significant population decline in any threatened or endangered species, requiring alternatives rather than just mitigations;
* establish a moratorium on cutting ancient forests until the Board of Forestry develops standards for identifying such forests. Imposes severe restrictions on any subsequent logging in ancient forests - no more than 20% of the overstory canopy could be removed, entry limited to once every 40 years, selection logging only;
* require that at least 15% of the forests in every watershed be managed so they evolve into ancient and late seral stage forests;
* mandate sustained yield forestry (total volume logged in ten year period may not exceed volume of timber grown, volume of mature timber cut may not exceed volume of mature trees grown), create fees for any harvesting above sustainable levels;
* require new cumulative standards for measuring cumulative impacts of logging;
* require the Department of Fish and Game to adopt and implement regulations protecting oak woodland habitat, based on best scientific standards, including no net loss policy and preservation of the largest possible number of the oldest trees;
* allow departments within the Resource Agency to collect fees covering the full cost of project review and inspection;
* create Citizen Attorney General rights for all restrictions covered in this Initiative, and prohibit courts from demanding large bonds for such actions.
For further information or to volunteer to help call Joy LaClaire or Don Lipmanson at 707-895-2043.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2004
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited