spring dogwood blossoms

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Windy Point TrailWindy Point Hike Sunday, 4/8/18 - It's spring and time for a hike on the Windy Point Trail to enjoy the wildflowers and river. Join us on this short, but steep and challenging, hike that has beautiful views of the canyon and Spring on Windy Piont Trailriver with the added bonus of the spring wildflower bloom. We will meet 10am at the Windy Point trailhead for the 3 mile round trip hike to the river below Windy Point. This section of the North Fork, which is only a couple miles from Colfax, is amazingly wild and proposed for inclusion in the California Wild and Scenic Rivers system. Bring your lunch and we will enjoy it at the river before our return to the trailhead.

Contact Ron Gould by email (preferred) or at (530) 878-9232 for more information and directions if necessary. Rain cancels this hike.

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suction dredge mining resultSuction Dredge Mining - NFARA is part of a coalition of tribal, conservation and fisheries groups that has been seeking to uphold and reform California’s laws regulating suction dredge mining (SDM) since 2012. This effort, which included lawsuits and legislation, has been successful. A new state law (SB 637) was passed in 2015 and requires that all small-scale miners using motorized suction pumps obtain a Clean Water Act Permit from the State Water Resources Control Board before mining in California waterways. Currently there is a state-wide moratorium on SDM until new regulations are developed. Miners have argued that the moratorium is illegal because the Federal Mining Act of 1872 pre-empts state law. In 2016, California Supreme Court ruled the moratorium was not preempted by federal law. In January, the US Supreme Court rejected miners request to overturn the State Court’s decision. Of course the fight is never over. Recently, Senator Jeff Stone introduced SB 1222 which would change the definition of suction dredge mining equipment as laid out is SB 637. SB 1222 would create a major loophole in the law and would allow mining on the beds and banks of rivers, streams, lakes and riparian areas. Our coalition is fighting this bill.

Land Acquisitions - NFARA supports the acquisition of sensitive private lands by land trusts to prevent inappropriate development. We have given financial support to the various land trusts in region over the years for their efforts protecting lands in the NF.

Public Access - We are deeply concerned with maintaining access to our public lands. We have taken successful legal action in the past and monitor the issue throughout the area.

Codfish Falls Trail in springOutings - In 2016, NFARA started purchasing insurance so we could expand our outings beyond the few cleanup trips we did as volunteers for public agencies (BLM, USFS). This past year we not only did our annual Great Sierra River Cleanup event, but organized four hikes into the North Fork. The hike down to Euchre Bar and Southern Cross Mine was cancelled due to high temperatures. However the other hikes, to Green Valley, to China Bar, and to Loch Leven, were very successful. We hope to expand this program in 2018.

Other Activities - Last year, NFARA was involved with several conservation issues. We opposed the Bear River Centennial Dam, supported our current National Monuments, supported extending Wild and Scenic River protection from Colfax/Iowa Hill Bridge to Shirttail Canyon, and opposed a congressional proposal that would allow bicycles in designated Wilderness areas. We also supported the Maidu Bike Park but opposed the proposed location.

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