PG&E Concedes, Plans to Bury Power Lines by Potter Valley Eagles’ Nest
Joseph Seidell, a tenant on the property, grew to love the birds. Their nest is just a few yards from the driveway on one side, and a few more yards away from the public road on another, making them local celebrities in the bird-watching community. Seidell started a GoFundMe campaign to underground the lines last year, but it fizzled.
“It made the most sense,” he said. “It was a very obvious solution because the nest was very happily sitting up there with plenty of years to go, according to the arborist. So we said, why should we take it down? It’s provided all this habitat, and there’s an obvious solution to put the lines underground. PG&E didn’t want to [bear] the expense, so we started a fundraiser. And we weren’t raising the money. It was a very large amount of money, close to a quarter million dollars…finally we found out recently that they said they were going to do it, through a lot of pressure…this would be the perfect win, win, win: win for the eagles, win for you, and win for us.”
Polly Girvin is an environmental and social justice advocate who has long been affiliated with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. She marveled at the effectiveness of the seven activists who kept vigil at the tree for over a week, saying, “I really want to say, it was the seven valiant souls who endured an atmospheric river downpour for seven days to document that the nest was active, and to stay until the federal nesting protective period under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife regulations was activated, which was January 16th.”
On January 11, activists rebuffed an attempt by PG&E crews to cut down the tree, just hours before the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, requesting government to government consultations. Congressman Jared Huffman also weighed in, telling us that he has “had deep concerns about Fish and Wildlife’s ability to fulfill its mission with integrity for a number of years…If this was a permit U.S. Fish and Wildlife had to grant; if the law, facts and science compelled them,” he insisted; “They should have included tribal consultation. But they dropped the ball.”
Some neighbors say they remember first seeing the nest, which is just across the Eel River from Cape Horn Dam, in the mid-eighties. It’s consistently produced young, though not every year, and PG&E biologists believe that in some years, the pair has used an alternate nest site less than a mile away. But last year, the pair fledged at least one eaglet in the much-contested nest. This year, they returned, shortly after U.S. Fish and Wildlife issued the permit to take it down.
But Peter Galvin, who is the director of programs and co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as a member of EPIC, the Environmental Protection Information Center, wondered if the agency had satisfied all the requirements before giving PG&E the nod.
“I suggested we look into whether the Section 106 Consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act had been done,” he recalled; “and because EPIC had been working closely with the Coyote Valley Band on the Jackson Demonstration State Forest, they already had good communications set up. And just maybe ten or fifteen minutes after the inquiry, the answer came back no. No, that didn’t happen, and they’re concerned about this and they’re upset that that didn’t happen. So we caucused further and by later that day, the tribe had sent in a letter of objection that they had not received the necessary and legally required government to government consultation. We found out further that the Fish and Wildlife Service had issued a permit in early January for this action, only days after sending a letter, asking if the Coyote Valley Band had any concerns, and that this letter was sent over the holidays, and they didn’t wait for a response, and it turned out they did have concerns.”
Linda Marlin, the owner of the property where the eagle tree resides, said last week that PG&E was preparing an easement document for her to sign, so that the work can commence. PG&E had shut off electric power to the property, and was supplying generators and fuel to the residents. A fuel delivery truck had damaged the driveway during one of the storms, and Marlin reported that the company was repairing the damage, “as we speak.”
In a statement, PG&E spokesperson Megan McFarland confirmed that the company is “working with the property owner on options and next steps;” and wrote that Ron Richardson, PG&E’s Vice President for the North Coast, had visited the site and spoken with community members and the company’s tribal relations representative. Richardson is quoted in the statement saying, “Undergrounding is now PG&E’s preferred solution for the lines on the Potter Valley property and we are working with the landowner in an attempt to secure the necessary land rights. This solution allows us to protect our hometowns while also taking into account the values of our local tribe, property owners and environmental advocates.” McFarland added that PG&E has also installed wildlife cameras on the site to monitor the nest, to “ensure that any current or planned PG&E work on the property is not disruptive.”
Girvin summed it up: “So basically, this boils to a direct action, front line, a tribal assertion of sovereignty, legal assistance, and many, many concerned citizens expressing their desire to not see this tree come down. So I’ll say, once again, it takes a village.”
Earlier:
- Tree Holding Bald Eagle’s Nest in Potter Valley Gets Stay of Execution After Bird of Prey Comes Home
- PG&E Agrees to Hold Off Cutting Tree Hosting Eagles’ Nest in Mendocino County
- Potter Valley Bald Eagles Could Lose Nest as PG&E Cites Closeness to Power Lines
- With Only Days Remaining Before the Permit to Remove the Potter Valley Bald Eagle Nest Expires, Wildlife Photographer Calls for Action
- Potter Valley Eagle Tree Still Stands After Activists Cause PG&E and Deputies to Retreat Yesterday
- Potter Valley Eagle Tree Given Short Reprieve
- Potter Valley Eagle Tree Spared; Congressman Huffman Blasts US Fish and Wildlife Service
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Hopefully, they have someone come out and survey the tree’s root footprint. There should be a setback of 100 ft
Everyone is shaking their head at you. You’ve been awoken.
Nah. They’re shaking their heads at you. Lorax is right about the root system. But all you’ve done is point out that you hear dogwhistles.
Ponderosa Pines do not have a 200 foot wide root system
While pursuing a master’s degree in forestry taught to always remember that what’s above the ground is what’s below the ground. Whatever you see above is below in root system. Whether it’s deteriorating or not the depth and the span is equal to the live portions above ground. ❤
So there’s a compromise and you think it’s a good idea to ruin that compromise with a dumb idea. The tree is dead, who cares about its roots. Best way to jam up bureaucracy is this kind of BS. Then people complain on things not getting done. Run around in your circles.
Pine Trees are known to extend their roots way beyond the dripline, but since this tree is dead as it gets and its weight is around 50% less then when it was green from water loss, the only thing they need to do is not cut the lateral anchor roots and the around the ball I would suggest that being a dead pine the limbs and the top will crumble over time.(could be years) Its only a guess, but a guess from many years of climbing and working in trees but I would never guarantee it LOL
Houses are both out of dead wood right?
built…idk how I missed the typo. Lol.
Really good news humans can do good things! That being said we do not know all there is to know about mother nature and her mysterious ways. That tree could stand longer than any of us or go down tomorrow. ❤
It’s already dying so I doubt it will stand longer than any of us
You ever seen those amazing old snags that are bleached white and twist up into the sky? Spiraling above us, all older than us when they died yet still standing. Many a eagle and osprey nest has been built on the preferred top of a decrepited snag.
Meanwhile..
The juggernaut of human society lumbers forward with a strange interplay of appeasement and desecration
Yes indeed. The cynic in me me says, of course, PG&E has a highly paid PR team that saw gold in this decision. Especially if you have a tribe involved.
A quarter million here, a quarter million there…. Pretty soon you are talking big money.
Thank you PGE! Bueno. Kudos activists. You are the light.
It would be nice if people had a protected status like the eagle.
It’s great that they are going to bury the lines but I’m still mad about all the lives uprooted because Mendocino county wouldn’t fix a sinkhole!
It’s not Mendocino county’s job to fix a sinkhole on private property and it’s also not the states job (CalTrans), nor is the taxpayers job of any kind. It’s the property owners responsibility.
Preventing homelessness should be priority one in any community.
Hooray for the eagle but a simple fix could have saved some people too.
Good.
I was wondering if in the future there’s going to be a Tower built where the birds can build their nest in the same area when the tree does fall I don’t know maybe somebody has mentioned that but and I didn’t see it but I thought if it was there for a while you know they’d be used to it maybe I don’t know just a thought
So pg and e decides for their power lines they profit from to destroy the national birds habitat. This is disgusting that our country is ran like this. It’s sad there’s is no police to call to protect animals anymore. It’s a publicly traded company that decides for their profit.
Excellent decision…