| Member
Spotlight: Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) (Editor’s note: This is the first in a regular series of articles to be written by representatives of California Biodiversity Council member agencies and organizations. A different member will be profiled, in their own words, in each issue of this newsletter.)
Hearing Rural County Voices As the Regional Council of Rural Counties’ newly-named liaison to the Biodiversity Council, I feel somewhat presumptuous beginning my relationship with the Council with a lecture-like description of our counties’ needs. But here goes… First, the Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) is comprised of 27 members from a region shaped much like a crescent moon, beginning with Del Norte in the far northwest corner of the state and running east, then south, down the Sierra Nevada range while picking up members in the Sacramento valley. Counties such as Sacramento and Fresno are too populous to qualify for membership. As both federal and state representatives are aware, residents of rural counties (our membership) are keenly independent and frequently earn their living directly or indirectly from the land around them. They have chosen a rural or small town environment in which to live and work. It is there that they are raised and, in turn, raise their own families, and maintain an investment in a certain way of life. The setting they have chosen—which, of course, varies considerably from that of urban California—is extremely important to them. Add to this fact that huge tracts of land in many of our counties are controlled—if not owned outright—by federal or state government entities. In the past, key decisions regarding those lands have been made with (we contend) too little input from those who are directly affected. To make certain that the record is straight, we in the rural counties do believe in the following: clean air, maintenance of our rich natural resources, efficient transportation systems, and, most importantly, the right to have an ongoing voice in land use decisions that affect our citizens. Toward that end, two of our coterie of County Supervisors, Robert Meacher of Plumas County and Nancy Huffman of Modoc County, have taken active roles in Biodiversity Council activities. Their interests and mine are directed at representing the views of our wide and divergent constituency. I assure you that there is no divergence on the question of rural citizens’ need to have a voice when our larger governments consider matters that impact us heavily. We understand that our points of view may not be in agreement with the nation’s and the state’s greater needs. But we also contend that we have a right to express our concerns in a rational setting. We understand the impact of reduced logging. We understand the impact of increased drawdowns of the water levels in our recreational levels. Those impacts are vital to our ability to earn a wage, to make a living that provides for our families, and to carry on the rural life we have consistently chosen. It is for those reasons that we consider the Biodiversity Council’s activities paramount. We need a forum where our needs can be explained in a rational and calm demeanor. What better setting than the Council’s informal collegiality, where various government levels can express ideas and exchange information? We—and I speak for our counties’ Supervisors—truly welcome the opportunity to meet with representatives of government. Rural county representatives have a firm grasp on the need to protect and enhance the land. After all, it is the attractive setting and the amenities available in many of our member counties that give rise to a major economic force for us: tourism. We look forward to the continuing opportunity to share our points of view, to explain in detail the impact of decisions made outside our boundaries, and eager to continue meaningful dialogue. Valerie Justice and The Regional Council of Rural Counties can be reached at: 1020 12th Street,
Suite 400 |
