Amy Wynn steps down as JAG Chair, John Anderson also planning to leave the crucial local forest organization as new proposal nears vote
COME JOIN ME/US for a fascinating forest tour at noon!
Amy Wynn, a prominent Fort Bragg businesswoman, has led the Jackson Advisory Group (Jackson Demonstration Forest (civilians) Advisory Group through some contentious times. Wynn became emotional as she announced she was leaving the JAG at the next meeting, now planned for June. Wynn was asked to step in as chair when George’s Hollister’s term as chair became controversial. Hollister, Anderson and Wynn are among the longest-serving JAG members. Hollister stayed on the JAG. JAG members and the chair are appointed by the California Fire Chief/CAL Fire Director and confirmed by the California Board of Forestry. A HUGE issue in the JAG has been local control. Local environmentalists and timber companies forged a compromise in the first 10 years of the 21st century that created the JAG as HAVING LOCAL input, genuine local input. The Board of Forestry, accepted this local plan and then in a cutthroat manner, destroyed the compromise and ended the genuine local authority of any kind by the JAG. This led directly to the forest being shut down again by the protests of 2020 and it remains shut down.
A new bill seeks to redirect the demonstration state forest. We asked a key question. That bill does NOT have any provision for local anything; it will all be top down run by the state, perhaps less local input than now. The mandate for indigenous co-management will remain, but the idea of any local voice for the JAG, once a huge priority has slipped away. Why not tribal-state and JAG with actual power?
Local/Local is no longer an issue. We are so sad as we think this is the most important issue there is.
The JAG had 7 members on Monday at Lions Hall in Fort Bragg, the other six being men. Mary Rose Kaczorowski, representing the Mendocino Voice, asked when gender parity would come to the JAG. At our last check, there was another woman on the JAG, which has up to 14 members but we are still figuring that out.
Wynn explained that the problem has been getting volunteers, not any effort to exclude anyone.
There are some fascinating discussions going on at this meeting between two local Native American people and the JAG right now. Very interesting, passionate but polite exchanges. We will be reporting on that when the meeting is over. We are at Lions Hall. At Noon we are going on a forest tour. Id love to have company! It used to be my late friend Keith Wyner, we learned so much together. Dr Wade Gray has also been on these, but today, we have a thin audience. You will learn so MUCH!!
In addition to Wynn, Anderson, the prominent timberman on the JAG said he would be leaving but did not set a date.
