Mendocino Trail Stewards June 15, 2020

Dear Cal Fire Staff--

We the founders and supporters of Mendocino Trail Stewards are writing to inform you of our new group and its aims. Our mission is to promote recreation in Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) with the aim of preserving more of these publicly-owned wild lands for recreation, the coastal economy, education, health, and the environment. We are petitioning the legislature to elevate recreation to the same level of consideration as logging in your planning process—at least in some areas of the forest--and to return more of the revenue generated here back to JDSF in order to accommodate this. We recognize that the employees and staff of Cal Fire work hard and do well at their jobs. We know that you are people who love the outdoors as much as we do, and we want the state to give you the direction and funding to create a different kind of demonstration forest, one that is groundbreaking in how it balances timber interests with those of recreation and healthy outdoor living. We are not trying to create more work for individuals at Cal Fire, but to bring in more funds to support you in making the changes that our community is asking for. We are not against logging, but we see a forest and a community that is wholly different from when JDSF was purchased from Caspar Lumber Company in 1947. Fort Bragg is no longer a mill town. The harbor no longer hosts hundreds of commercial fishing boats. Outdoor recreation has gone from the pastime of a few to a driving force of rural economies worldwide. Local residents use, maintain, and value the trails in JDSF; tourists come to bike, walk, and forage mushrooms in the groves, while they and their families spend substantial sums of money at scores of local businesses. Estimates are that mountain biking tourism alone could—with coordinated promotion--generate between $2,000,000 and $4,000,000 per year. We have to ask: what will be the future foundations of our coastal economy? Like the rest of the nation, we have been extremely hard-hit by the covid-19 pandemic and resultant economic down- turn. Our fisheries, both sport and commercial, from abalone to crab, sea-urchin, ground fish, and salmon, have nearly collapsed. The timber industry, with no mills left on the Mendocino Coast and limited valuable timber still standing, will never return to its boom days. Even the marijuana industry, for many decades the third pillar of our economy, has collapsed. As in any economically afflicted area, mental health and socioeconomic indicators here are alarming. Over 60% of students in the Fort Bragg Unified School District qualify for free and/or subsidized meals. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, suicide rates are far above the national average; Healthy Mendocino (www.healthymendocino.org) reports domestic violence and mental health issues overall at least 20% higher than the California average; adult drug and alcohol abuse is far more prevalent here than elsewhere. We can not afford to lose any more jobs—timber or otherwise. Yet a look at the breakdown of employment in our county is revealing: according to DataUSA, tourism-related services, including food service, lodging, and sales create between 5,000 and 10,000 jobs in the county, while forestry, including transportation and harvest, creates between 500 and 1,000 jobs. Like all statistics, these need to be questioned (and reevaluated in the wake of the present economic collapse), but the bottom line for us is that tourism employs many times more people than timber does. We can’t sacrifice one for the other. We must have both, sustainably and compatibly. Tourism, in all its forms, whether we like it or not, is our present and our future. A forest managed not just for silvicultural research and to generate revenue for a cash-strapped state, but also to bring people to our area so they can experience the multitude of benefits outdoor recreation provides, is what we propose, what Mendocino Trail Stewards was founded for, and what we will do all in our power to achieve. We hope you agree.

Thank You,

Chad Swimmer, Fort Bragg, California, Career Educator for the Fort Bragg Unified School District, Mountain Biker, Hiker, Mushroom Forager Gene Parsons, Caspar, California, Manufacturer and Machinist, Musician, Hiker Sid Garza-Hillman, Fort Bragg, California, Race Director-Mendocino Coast 50k Trail Ultramarathon, Nutritionist, Writer, Podcaster, Trail Runner Star Decker, Caspar, California, Friend of the Forest Marc Jensen, Fort Bragg, California, Engineer, Medical Device Designer, Mountain Biker Myke Berna, Caspar, California, Bike Store Owner, Mechanic, Mountain Biker Roo Harris, Little River, California, Guidebook Author, Mountain Biker, Hiker Mary Kay Murche, Little River, California, Mountain Biker, Hiker Lara Swimmer, Seattle, Washington, Architectural Photographer, Trail Runner, Hiker Amanda Koch, Fort Bragg, California, Fort Bragg High School Math Teacher, Trail Runner, Mountain Biker, Hiker, Mushroom Forager Emily Levy, Seattle, Washington, Dental Hygienist, Hiker Art Mielke, Mendocino, California, Feral Trail Hound Robert Zimmer, Seattle, Washington, Architect, Hiker Carrie Fishman, Fort Bragg, California, Fort Bragg High School English Teacher, Trail Runner, Hiker Isaac Fishman, Fort Bragg, California, Therapist, Runner, Hiker Carol Becker, Fort Bragg, California, Retired Teacher, Hiker David Fishman, Sacramento, California, Attorney, Hiker Brandyn Davis, Sacramento, California, Social Worker, Hiker Tracey Coddington, Caspar, California, Real Estate Business Owner, Massage Therapist, Hiker, Mountain Biker, Mushroom Forager Lachlyn Soper, Richmond, Virginia, Diplomat, Department of State, USA, Hiker, Runner Dalen Anderson, Caspar, California, Retired Caspar Community Center Director, Hiker Paul Schulman, Caspar, California, Cobbler, Hiker Andrew Lembke, Fort Stewart, Georgia, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, Hiker, Runner, Mushroom Forager Annie Lee, Caspar, California, Caspar Community Board Member, Hiker Marina Cochran-Keith, Fort Bragg, California, Fort Bragg High School English Teacher, Runner, Hiker Kris Reiber, Caspar, California, Retired RN, Hiker Paul Reiber, Caspar, California, Wood Worker, Hiker Daniel Keen, Mendocino, California, Retired City Manager, Mountain Biker Miguel Crawford, Sebastopol, California, Spanish Teacher WSCUHSD, CEO/Creator Grasshopper Adventure Race Series, Co-Founder El Molino HS MTB Team, Cyclist Dan Fifer, Windsor, California, Engineer, Mountain Biker, Hiker Michael Swimmer, Ojai, California, Landscape Architect, Hiker Caspar Community Board of Directors Tim Anderson, Fort Bragg, California, Math Teacher, Fort Bragg High School, Basketball Coach, Hiker, Mountain Biker Juliet Anderson, Independent Studies Teacher, Fort Bragg High School, Runner, Mountain Biker Steven Sandberg, DuLuth, Minnesota, Special Education Teacher, DUSD, Runner, Mountain Biker