Letter to the Editor: Ruddick-Please stop dumping trash! Cal Fire may close more roads to all of us, including Egg Take if it can’t be stopped

Dear Editor:

I want to thank you for your excellent article about the epidemic of trash dumping in Jackson Forest. As a long time user and member of the Rec. Task Force, the amount of trash be in dumped in the forest has grown worse over the years. I am worried that more closures are coming unless we can get a grip on this. Again, many thanks as this was needed.
Best regards,

Chris Ruddick
Ruddick Ranch Inc.

Editor’s Note — Plenty of people cheered the idea of a dirt‑bike track, but not one of them responded when we asked for help dealing with the appalling amount of trash being dumped along Highway 20. It’s hard to imagine the city or county taking a project like that seriously when so few residents are willing to step up and report vandalism, burglaries, theft, and illegal dumping. Community projects only work when the community shows up.

We have learned that Cal Fire will be considering closing Egg Take, at least during nighttime hours. A string of vandalism incidents has pushed the agency to that point. This week alone, someone broke into the historic shed and caused significant damage. It’s the latest in a series of destructive acts that threaten one of the forest’s most storied sites.

Our second story on the trash dumping…

What is Egg Take? It’s the local name for a spot deep in Jackson Demonstration State Forest where, historically, returning salmon were diverted into an underground concrete bunker. Biologists would collect eggs and milt from a portion of the fish, send them to a hatchery, and eventually return young salmon to local rivers and creeks.

The area around the old station is a gem—an old campground, weathered picnic tables, and mile after mile of hiking, biking, and riding trails. If this were anywhere near a major city, or in any other state we’ve lived in (except Alaska), it would be a marquee destination. Here, you have to actually go there to understand its quiet wonders. We’ve included some photos.

Egg Take is now 63 years old, dedicated in 1962, with renovations completed in 1985. At its peak, the station counted roughly 2,000 silver salmon a year. But in the early 21st century, those numbers collapsed, dropping below twenty fish at one point. Since the end of the drought, returns have climbed again and are now approaching their historic levels.

Some more photos of Egg Take…