news story / By Cristina Bauss

Drive-Thru Redwoods

At a public meeting at the River Lodge in Fortuna on Dec. 15, Piercy fire commissioner Jeff Hedin questioned why a recently released Draft EIR (DEIR) does not mention emergency first responders. Highway 101 in Southern Humboldt and Northern Mendocino is served almost exclusively by volunteer fire departments; Hedin asked how they would be expected to respond to a potentially increased number of accidents in the narrow corridor. Caltrans recently dropped the speed limit from 40 to 35 m.p.h. in sections of the grove, “but the truckers and the tourists don’t even notice the speed-limit reduction,” Baleme alleged. “There’s safety only as long as the CHP is on either side of the grove, writing tickets. As soon as they’re gone, it gets crazy again. I don’t have a problem with the big trucks, but I don’t think the road can handle it — I think they either need to do much more work, or not do it at all.”

Paradoxically, in this case there’s agreement between a business owner and an environmentalist — namely, Scott Greacen, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Information Center. Like King, Greacen feels passionately about bicycle access through the grove, which is, after all, a state park. “Caltrans has said that this is about access, not safety,” Greacen said on Jan. 2. “But the [Highway Code] policy specifies that bicyclists and pedestrians must be taken care of at the same time. It’s appalling that some of the places that are a real draw — the old-growth groves — have virtually no bike access. The policy exists because whenever they’re split [drivers’ and bicyclists’ concerns], the bike stuff never gets done.”

Does this mean that Greacen is in favor of a substantially larger project? Not exactly. “We would prefer a solution that wouldn’t change the roadway, like signalizing the grove, and — I know this won’t be a popular idea in some quarters — making it one-way through the narrowest portions, so the trucks do have the space. It would cost a lot less than $6 million.” In that vein, Greacen asked, “Why, with the budget being what it is, does this rise to the level of ‘must be done immediately’?”

On another note, Greacen touched upon “the pervasive lack of trust” in Caltrans that has long permeated the environmental community. “The overall take is, there’s a tremendous amount of skepticism over the rush to develop the place, and the need for it. Certain cattle trucks can travel through it at this point, but we’re hearing they might not be able to at some point in the future. Why they should be exempt, when small manufacturing trucks are not, is very confusing to me.”

While the naysayers may feel stymied in their attempts to get clear answers from Caltrans, their efforts certainly haven’t been undertaken in vain: In early May 2008, the agency agreed to a full EIR “after getting input from all over the state,” Caltrans spokeswoman Julie East said. A DEIR was released in early December 2008, and about 50 people braved snow and rain to attend the Dec. 15 meeting. On Dec. 19, East said the agency had not kept a running tally of the number of comments received to date, but a full accounting will be made before the final EIR is released. She added that, in response to continued concerns about the number of trees that would be removed, the agency has “refined and reduced the [proposed] tree take,” especially in the area where the retaining wall would be built.

How many trees? East couldn’t say, but a map on page 82 of the DEIR indicates that a maximum of 89 trees would be removed, 41 of which would be where construction of the retaining wall is proposed. On page 80, Caltrans states: “The majority of the tree removal occurs outside the park (67 percent). Over half the trees to be removed are tan oaks, with the majority ranging from four to ten inches in diameter. About 30 percent of the trees to be removed consist of Douglas fir trees ranging from 4 inches to 24 inches in diameter. Seven redwood trees would be removed, ranging from 4 inches to 16 inches in diameter. The two redwood trees to be removed from the park are 6 inches and 7 inches in diameter. Understory vegetation including smaller ‘seedlings’ would also be removed.”

Want your own copy of this exciting, 181-page read? Go to the Caltrans website, www.dot.ca.gov/dist1/d1projects/richardson_grove/reports.htm. If you’re a troglodyte, you can pick up a hard copy, available at both branches of the Humboldt County Library. Additionally, the DEIR may be reviewed or purchased at the Caltrans District 1 office, 1656 Union St. in Eureka. To cover the cost of printing, $10 will be charged for each copy purchased.

A May 2009 “target date for [project] clearance and approval” has been set. If approved, Caltrans will seek a contractor in late 2009. Written comments will be accepted through January 30; they should be addressed to Kim Floyd, Project Manager, P.O. Box 3700, Eureka, Calif., 95502. Floyd can also be contacted directly at 441-5739, or via e-mail at Kim_Floyd@dot.ca.gov.

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