Current threats to Shaahnaa’ Lhook’
At this time, two Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) are proposed for the Shaahnaa’ Lhook’ watershed and immediately adjacent areas which, if approved, would have devastating effects. You can help prevent this irreparable harm to the imperiled ecosystems, habitats and species of this important cultural landscape and the heritage of the Cahto Tribe.

How to help
Help support the Cahto Tribe and its allies' efforts to protect and conserve the Shaahnaa' Lhook' watershed and landscape. Please submit public comments on the two THPs, asking that the plans be denied and advocating for the conservation alternative proposed by the Cahto Tribe.

CAL FIRE is currently accepting public comments on the two plans now threatening Shaahnaa' Lhook':
1-25-00083-MEN (still open for public comment, but expected to close soon)
1-25-00121-MEN (tentative deadline is Sept 25)

Submit public comments asking CAL FIRE to deny these plans by sending an email to santarosapubliccomment@fire.ca.gov with “THP 1-25-00083-MEN” or “THP 1-25-00121-MEN” as the subject line depending which plan you are commenting on. Please do submit comments on both plans.

Below is a sample public comment letter. Feel free to copy any or all of this example into your email to CAL FIRE, and customize it or rewrite in your own words. For more detail on the kinds of harmful impacts of these THPs that must be prevented, see the Threats to Salmonid Habitat letter. Please note that the letter was submitted for a 2021 THP that was never approved, but which covered much of the same geographic area as the two currently proposed THPs. Also note, while the creek and nearby surrounding area is referred to as Shaahnaa' Lhook' in the Cahto language, the agencies currently refer to the stream as Dutch Charlie Creek. Therefore, please include the latter name in your public comments.

Dear CAL FIRE,

This Timber Harvest Plan is located in the unique and special watershed of Shaahnaa' Lhook' (aka Dutch Charlie Creek). This top priority coho salmon habitat must be protected.

[introduce yourself and why you care]

I will name some of the reasons the Plan is problematic.

First, the plan threatens the endangered coho salmon population
- Construction and use of roads in the THP areas in close proximity to Dutch Charlie Creek and Little Charlie Creek and their tributaries would increase erosion, delivering fine sediments into the streams that would kill coho and damage their habitat.
- Construction of roads and skid trails and cutting of trees on steep and unstable slopes creates risk of various kinds of landslides that will ultimately lead to additional delivery of fine sediment into streams as well as damaging the ability of the landscape to retain water.
- Removal of the forest canopy upslope of the creeks would increase runoff, increasing flooding risk and reducing summer flows, and raising water temperatures, further degrading coho habitat.
- Drafting of water in the summer would reduce summer flows and kill juvenile coho.
- Impacts caused by the above activities, combined with similar impacts from previous timber harvest, will result in severe cumulative impacts to coho habitat. The THP fails to adequately assess or address these cumulative impacts. These impacts would result in illegal and immoral "take" of federal and state listed coho salmon. It is CAL FIRE's responsibility to not allow this.

Second, the plan threatens to impair the long term resilience of this forest.
- The plan would remove the largest trees in most of the THP area. These stands would regrow denser and be more vulnerable to catastrophic fire over the next few decades.
- The plan intends to kill 75% of hardwoods in the THP area and leave them dead standing. These stands of dead and dried out tanoak and madrone would create a significant and extremely hazardous  fuel source that would greatly accelerate any future fires.
- This plan to poison and leave tens of thousands of trees dead standing is in direct violation of Mendocino County's "Measure V" which prohibits the leaving of dead standing trees as a public nuisance for public safety reasons. It is CAL FIRE's responsibility to reject a plan that openly intends to violate local regulations and put the public at risk.

Third, the THP threatens to apply toxic herbicides across all THP areas in a watershed where this has not previously occurred, to kill hardwoods and to non-selectively kill understory plants. The long term impacts of these herbicides are not yet fully known, but are likely to severely damage the watershed's habitat and species for many generations to come.

Finally, it would seriously disrupt the cultural heritage and values of the Cahto Tribe of Laytonville Rancheria, who remain connected to their traditional territory, including the Shaahnaa' Lhook' watershed and cultural landscape.

These negative impacts can be avoided through the adoption of a viable conservation alternative.

I urge CAL FIRE to give due attention to all Tribal and public comments on this plan, to do its duty in requiring appropriate mitigations, and to refuse to grant exceptions to the rules given the unique and special cultural-ecological values of this place. And, if the plan cannot be significantly modified to ensure avoidance of these harmful impacts, I urge CAL FIRE to disapprove the plan.

Sincerely,

[your name]

The Timber Harvest Plan documents are here:

1-25-00083-MEN Hot Tuna  (The Plan in searchable pdf format)

1-25-00121-MEN Lincoln Logs  (The Plan in searchable pdf format)

And below you may find the public comments we have already submitted on the “Hot Tuna” THP:
FSL comments on hot tuna pdfs
Allies’ comments on hot tuna pdfs