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172 Monday, June 5, 2023
C ali forn ia’s Olde st Ne w spaper
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mtdemocrat.com
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Volume 172 • Issue 63 | $1.00
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE A6
Judge allows fire retardant use as permit pends Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
Courtesy photos
Albert Fausel kneels at the riverside, sifting through his find with a gold pan to separate gold flakes from sand. Fausel’s preferred method is “sniping,” where the gold hunter dives underwater to find the gold at the riverbed.
Winter’s storm clouds had a
golden lining Odin Rasco Staff writer
A
lbert Fausel has been answering calls to his family’s store Placerville Hardware almost nonstop for weeks. With the publication of a New York Times article in late April, the secret is officially out; there’s still gold in those hills and Fausel has the inside scoop — or pan, in this case. When winter’s storms beat against California and set records for rain and snowfall the excessive saturation of the soil and accelerated erosion meant just one thing to eager treasure hounds; a good year for gold was just around the corner. Erosion over time has long operated as a kind of golden drip feed, bringing bits of gold into the region’s waterways after millennia underground; understanding this natural n See Golden Lining, page A6
Not all days produce such a haul, but Fausel loves the surprise that comes when he sees a pan bottom coated in gold.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruled the U.S. Forest Service can continue to use aerial fire retardant to fight wildfires while waiting on a Clean Water Act permit. The ruling, which came May 26, comes out of the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics v. U.S. Forest Service case where the advocacy group sought to stop the service’s use of the firefighting tool without the CWA permit. Judge Dana Christensen asked the Forest Service to update him every six months while it pursues the required permits to drop retardant. Former Cal Fire director and Mount Aukum resident Ken Pimlott, who also chairs the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council, states in a press release the use of the aerial fire retardant is critical in the Forest Service’s firefighting strategy, noting it reduces the spread and intensity of a wildfire. He adds the court’s decision will “literally save lives.” “Taking this tool away would undermine the health and safety of our communities and cause significant economic harm to businesses navigating the constant threat of wildfire,” Pimlott comments. “Because the court rightfully chose to prioritize public safety, Americans across the West can breathe a sigh of relief.” The group filed the lawsuit against the Forest Service in October. FSEEE claims the USFS dropped about three-fourths of a million gallons of fire retardant from 2012 to 2019 into U.S. waters without a National Pollutant Discharge system permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, which would allow the Forest Service to drop retardant in waterways when necessary. They claim to do so was a violation of the Clean Water Act, which helps regulate pollutant discharging into U.S. waters. In the case, various firefighting experts and n See fire retartdant, page A3
Veterans alliance is assemblyman’s nonprofit pick
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Eric Jaramishian Staff writer California’s 5th District Assemblyman Joe Patterson recognized the El Dorado County Veterans Alliance as his pick for nonprofit of the month. Patterson presented the congressional recognition to Veterans Alliance President Gary Campbell in front of the El Dorado County Veterans Monument in Placerville May 26. Patterson said it was fitting to honor the organization, which is a charitable nonprofit as Memorial Day was right around the bend that weekend. Patterson chose to honor the alliance for its mission in assisting local veterans. “This is a very special month for families who lost a loved one in the military, and we wanted to n See Alliance, page A2
Mountain Democrat photo by Eric Jaramishian
Assemblyman Joe Patterson presents El Dorado County Veterans Alliance President Gary Campbell with a certificate recognizing the alliance as Patterson’s selection for his district’s nonprofit of the month.
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