Weekend SPORTS entertainment Thursday Wildcat football preview ...................................Page 6 .............Page 3 Nov. 13 2008 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ..........Page 2 Friday: Mostly sunny H 84º L 44º 7 58551 69301 0 Saturday: Mostly sunny H 80º L 43º 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 14 pages, Volume 150 Number 218 email: [email protected] UPDATE HELPING TOURISM WORK IN OUR COUNTY Court’s Willits weekend MJ action DUI checkpoint nets 2 arrests Farms as tourist attractions brings The Daily Journal A driver’s license and sobri- back regs ety checkpoint was conducted at a location in the Willits area Good money or massive intrusion? By LINDA WILLIAMS The Willits News on Highway 101, south of By ZACK CINEK Highway 20, Friday Night. In the last week of October, The Daily Journal the California Supreme Court The California Highway How to make money from - and Patrol has released statistics agreed to review the most perhaps avoid being overrun by - recent case (People vs. from the 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. farm-based tourism was the topic at a checkpoint today. Phomphakdy) which had set conference in Ukiah Wednesday. Area aside, for about two months, Willits checkpoint agricultural tourism proprietors by the numbers the state medical marijuana shared their experiences of how they possession limits. This action DUI arrests: 2 turned their lives into something peo- Citations: 13 restores the statewide limits ple now pay them to be a part of, at an set by the legislature in 2003, Vehicles towed: 1 all day conference Wednesday in Sobriety tests given: 21 which are now part of the Ukiah. state Health and Safety Code. Vehicles screened: 669 About 30 people gathered to listen Friday’s checkpoint was The following minimum to a full schedule of briefings and limits apply statewide, unless staffed by the CHP, Willits talks about agricultural tourism or Police Department officers, counties have approved “agritourism” opportunities at what greater quantities: Mendocino County Sheriff’s was officially named the North Coast Office deputies, the Ukiah CHP “Qualified patients and pri- Agritourism Conference. mary caregivers who possess office stated. Three people currently working on In September, 2008, four a state issued identification their own agritourism operations card may possess eight were arrested at a State Street spoke in the afternoon. checkpoint in Ukiah. ounces of dried marijuana, Anne Austin, of the Lake County- and may maintain no more based Eleven Roses Ranch was first of than six mature or 12 imma- the three to speak. According to ture plants per qualified Dam deal Eleven Roses Ranch’s web page, rid- patient.” It also allows ing in a mule-drawn wagon and eating Sarah Baldik/ The Daily Journal Torrey Olson, right, of Gabriel Farms in Sonoma County and Anne patients to possess more mar- a catered gourmet lunch are some of ijuana if specifically autho- previewed things visitors can do. Austin of Eleven Roses Ranch in Lake County answer questions during the agritourism entrepreneur panel and discussion, rized by a doctor’s recom- The Eureka Times-Standard Austin said that networking and mendation. passion are important things in an ag Wednesday afternoon at the North Coast Agritourism Conference The federal government at Ukiah Valley Conference Center. In early August, and Pacificorp have reached tourism endeavor. Mendocino County Superior an agreement in principal on “You have to have passion,” Austin you can live happily on your farm Court Judge John Behnke set removing the four dams on said, “God knows we are not making a without being overrun by agricultural aside the specific county lim- the Klamath River and have fortune on this.” tourism duties, she said. its imposed by Measure B, floated the deal to tribes, fish- But if a fledgling agricultural “My goal is to maintain some kind referencing the Phomphakdy ermen, farmers and conserva- tourism business finds itself with little of a balance with the farm so that my and Kelly cases until such tion groups. money for marketing it is not the end. family can continue to live and work time as the California The White House intends It has helped sustain the lifestyle there in a satisfying way,” Bates said. Supreme Court ruled on those to release details of the plan that Austin chooses to live, she said. Up to this time Bates said she has cases. today, but sources say the “We would do this whether we got not seen the ill-effects of a slowing Since Mendocino County agreement includes beginning paid for it or not,” Austin said. economy. has adopted no other limits to tear down the dams by Following Austin, Torrey Olson of “We are not seeing a big economic after the repeal of Measure G, 2020, with Pacificorp putting Gabriel Farms in Sonoma County said crisis from our perspective,” Bates it appears likely that state lim- millions of dollars toward the agritourism has challenged him and said, "It has been a good strong year, its apply locally, although it is effort. wife to control their agritourism ven- we had a great crop, the prices were clear that some defense attor- The dams have for decades tures and not the other way. It is tricky good, people want to eat local food neys may disagree. The coun- blocked salmon from migrat- having people come to your house, he and people want to come to the farm ty does have a nuisance ordi- ing into the upper reaches of said. and have a farm experience,” Bates nance passed in December the Klamath River, and The people who called about five said. 2007, which limits the num- salmon and other fisheries years ago wanting to pick some apples Wednesday’s conference on ag ber of marijuana plants have suffered. The California and check out the farm has now left tourism also addressed the topics of allowed to be grown on any Energy Commission and the Olson without an apple to pick on Karen Bates of Philo Apple creating a business plan, county regu- one county parcel to 25 or U.S. Department of the Gabriel Farms. Farm, gives a talk at the lations, managing risk and marketing less, no matter how many Interior has estimated that “This past year I did not pick a sin- Agritourism conference ag tourism. caregivers or patients are removing the dams could be gle box of apples to sell wholesale,” Wednesday. James Dion, associate director at being served. $32 to $286 million less Olson said, “All my apples went to the Center for Sustainable Destinations , In August 2008, the people visiting the farm.” Karen Bates of Mendocino National Geographic Society, then California Attorney General expensive for Pacificorp than County’s Philo Apple Farm was last of leaving them in place but hav- “This year what happened is that talked about Geotourism before atten- issued a comprehensive set of the agritourism ran us and we were the three entrepreneurs to talk of her dees socialized over wine and cheese. “guidelines to ensure the ing to build fish ladders and experiences in agricultural tourism. make other required changes. basically trying to keep up,” Olson Zack Cinek can be reached at security and non-diversion of Agricultural tourism can work and marijuana grown for medical An earlier agreement said. [email protected] among 28 agencies, tribes and See REGS, Page 14 other stakeholders addressed a host of other issues the basin has struggled with, including improving conditions for salmon, improving the CNN Jonestown documentary airs tonight Klamath’s notorious water By ROB BURGESS marking the 30th anniversary quality and securing irrigation The Daily Journal of the tragedy. supplies for farms upstream. Tonight will mark the debut A segment of the program The agreement did not con- of a two-hour CNN documen- was filmed on location at the tain a dam-removal deal, tary featuring Ukiah residents airstrip in Guyana where then however, and some groups Tracy Diaz, and her dad, Jerry 12-year-old Diaz witnessed criticized those who signed Parks. members of the formerly onto the arrangement without Parks and Diaz, (formerly Redwood Valley-based church that provision. Tracy Parks), are survivors of gun down her mother, Patricia the Jonestown massacre that Parks, and four others as they took the lives of more than attempted to defect from the TOP 5 ONLINE 900 members of the Peoples cult. Temple religious movement Diaz said she and a few led by the Rev. Jim Jones. others were lost in the equato- “CNN Presents: Escape rial jungle for three days from Jonestown” is scheduled before being rescued as they to air at 6 p.m. tonight on the were near death. Tuesday Cable News Network and then Diaz said her mother feared 1. Checkpoint tally: 1 DUI again at 9 p.m. The special is what might happen if they left arrest and several citations then expected to re-air at 5 the church. Diaz said it was p.m. Saturday and at 5 p.m. her grandmother, Edith Parks, 2. U.S. Forest Service to Sunday. (All times are who had ran up to Rep. Leo hold vehicle/equipment Pacific.) Ryan during his fact-finding Internet sale Diaz and her friend Annette mission to Jonestown and told Ukiahan Tracy Diaz, left, and CNN’s Soledad O’Brien at the landing strip in 3. The Daily Digest Brockway, (not a survivor, but him they were being held Guyana. who was asked by Diaz to act against their will. Diaz said 4. His name's Lebowski? as a moral support for her dur- Jones’ security guard accused day.