TOO LATE TO WADDLE IN, ROTARY DUCKS ARE ALL SOLD OUT! The Modoc County Vol. 133, No. 14
RECORD Alturas, California
June 26, 2025
$1.00
Serving Modoc Since 1892 16 Pages
Public-Land Sale Plan Could Put Modoc’s Backyard on the Auction Block A new proposal in Congress could let federal agencies sell millions of acres of public land, and much of the talk in Washington reaches straight into Modoc County’s back yard. The draft bill orders the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to list “excess” parcels that could be auctioned to private buyers or local governments. Supporters say the plan would trim federal costs, raise cash to ease the national debt and finally put tax-exempt ground on county rolls. They argue that isolated tracts of sagebrush or heavily logged timberland do little for the public and drain agency budgets through road upkeep and fire protection. If counties or businesses owned the land, they say, it could be logged, grazed or developed in ways that create jobs and new revenue. That promise lands on ears eager for relief. Modoc County is already more than two-thirds federally owned, leaving a tight tax base and few places to expand housing or industry. County supervisors have long complained that any new sawmill, housing project or tourist lodge must compete with a checkerboard of federal parcels and red tape. Some leaders see the bill as a chance to buy targeted areas for local projects—maybe thinning overgrown forests near towns or setting aside ground for new homes where water and roads already exist. Nearby Siskiyou and Lassen counties face the same squeeze, and officials there also talk about better fire
protection and small-mill timber jobs if locals had a bigger say. But the measure’s critics read the fine print and see more risk than reward. The bill never lists which lands would be sold, and its definition of “disposable” is so wide that it could include roadless forests, hunting grounds and favorite trailheads. In Northern California’s mountains, public land is the foundation of a growing recreation economy. Hunters, anglers, backpackers and recreational vehicles fill motels and cafés across the area. Public lands in the region support wildlife, protect water supplies and act as natural fire breaks, benefits that reach far beyond recreation. The Warner Mountains and southern Cascades store snow that feeds ranches all summer. Old pine stands slow wildfires that threaten towns. Sagebrush flats support dwindling populations of sage grouse and pronghorn. Some parcels hold cultural sites important to Native tribes, who fear seeing ancestral ground posted with “No Trespassing” signs. Once public land is gone, history shows it is rarely recovered. Economists also question the payoff. Rural counties often lack the buyers or infrastructure to turn raw land into immediate revenue. Timber markets are tight, and big housing projects need roads, water lines and fire stations— costs that counties must cover. Outdoor tourism already brings steady dollars without heavy infrastructure, and locals warn that blocking
access could undercut that income. Political odds keep shifting. The Senate dropped the land-sale plan from a budget bill on a technicality, but sponsors say they will bring back a slimmer version targeting BLM parcels. Even that rewrite must clear 60 votes in the Senate and then pass the House, where Californians are split. Supporters call it
common sense; critics say it’s like selling the family ranch to pay the power bill. For Modoc County residents, the debate is no longer abstract. It touches the places where people hunt quail, cut firewood or teach their kids to fish. Conservationists encourage residents to contact congressional offices now, arguing that early pressure can
decide whether beloved public ground stays in public hands. Even leaders who like the idea of local purchases warn that community voices must shape the outcome; otherwise, the highest bidders could come from far outside the region. Whether the bill survives this summer or fades under public outcry, it forces a hard question for rural communities: how to balance sorely
needed economic growth with the open spaces and traditions that define life on the Modoc Plateau. For now, the trails, forests and sagebrush flats remain public, but the conversation in Washington— and soon, perhaps, in Sacramento— could change that map in ways that will last for generations.
Alturas Police Arrest Non-Compliant Sex Offender Following Traffic Incident Just one week after heightened public attention to sex offender enforcement in Modoc County, Alturas Police arrested a registered sex offender who was found to be out of compliance with California law. According to the Alturas Police Department, officers responded on June 24 to a traffic incident involving a bicyclist and an SUV at the intersection of West 4th Street and North West C Street. During their investigation, officers identified the driver of the SUV as 67-year-old
Michael Stephen Mead of Pasadena. A routine records check revealed that Mead is a registered sex offender. Further investigation showed that he was not in compliance with California’s sex offender registration requirements. Mead was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Modoc County Jail for a felony violation of Penal Code § 290.018(b), which pertains to knowingly failing to meet mandated registration obligations. Officers later determined that although
Mead had been living in Modoc County for over a year, he continued to report his residence as transient out of Pasadena. Police say this amounted to an attempt to circumvent the law. The Alturas Police Department emphasized that it takes compliance with sex offender laws seriously and will continue to enforce public safety standards. The case remains under review, and authorities said additional charges may be submitted to the Modoc County District Attorney’s Office.
Michael Stephen Mead- Photo Provided by Modoc County Sheriffs Office