The Quincy Library Group Members

Photographs and Text by Debra Moore, Editor, Feather Publishing

See associated story by Debra Moore, "Who is the Quincy Library Group?"

  THE FOUNDERS

Who they are and why they're involved

Bill Coates
Former Plumas County Supervisor, college baseball coach and business owner

"Concern for the communities — their jobs, their stability and their ability to move forward prompted my involvement in the Quincy Library Group. And of the course the threat of fire. Instead of fighting about how the forests should be managed, I knew we had to work together. And that's when I called Michael Jackson."


Michael Jackson
Attorney

"I became involved because Bill Coates called me after 15 years of war. We were not friends then but we knew we had to work out a solution."


Tom Nelson
District Forester, Sierra Pacific Industries

"Economic certainty and stability were the prime objectives. These reasons continue but have also been joined by two more basic questions from within the communities in which our mills and employees reside — 'can a broad, diverse coalition of concerned local citizens effect a positive change on their surrounding by enlisting the help of their elected representatives?' Not surprisingly to me, the answers have all turned out to be a resounding yes."

KEY PLAYERS

Bob Allen Fuel Supply Manager for Burney Forest Products

"I became involved with the QLG because there had to be a way to solve the resource and forest health issues. Gridlock and inaction were only making the problem worse. Federal forests are in a state of declining health and the threat of forest replacing fires is becoming greater. The logical solution to solving these issues is by consensus of local interested parties."

Susan Baremore Policy/Resources Consultant to QLG and other rural interests

"I am involved in QLG because it is a positive solution and process, that by being inclusive of all interests, holds the best potential for a lasting solution to the environmental and economic issues in the area. Also, Bill Coates made me participate."

Linda Blum Environmental Consultant

"I am involved to solve problems. 'If you want peace, work for justice" — I think it applies here because we're working to get a solution that's fair to everyone and that's real and sustainable. If any side thinks they're losing, eventually they'll go to war."

Jim Chapman Lassen County Supervisor

"I'm involved to provide representation for the Board of Supervisors and help facilitate communication with the Lassen County portion of the QLG boundary. And assist in bringing to the table the variety of interest on the Lassen National Forest for inclusion in the overall QLG proposal."

Rose Comstock Safety Compliance Officer, Clover Logging

"My hope, by committing myself to the QLG process for the last four years, is to allow the working families to stay intact, local businesses viable, the forest health, and the environmentalist and the timber industry able to settle some long time conflicts. We can be an example of what can be done if the people's voices are heard."

Brian Dahle
Lassen County Supervisor

"I care about what happens with our forests. And it's a proactive approach, rather than arguing. It will help our communities and put our people to work."

Michael DeLasaux Naural Resource Advisor, U.C. Cooperative Extension

"For personal reasons it's a concept I support — people working together to resolve their differences. From a professional level it's something I want to be involved in to help in any way I can."

Paul Harris Business Representative for the Western Council of Industrial Workers Local Union 3074

"I've seen the impact of timber shortages on the local work forces, both in the mills and in the logging crews, and I viewed the QLG as a workable plan to help resolve the issues that lead to the timber shortages as well as the fire and environmental problems. The work force that I represent is and has been directly affected by the issues that the QLG has been addressing."

Michael Kossow Biological Specialist

"I'm involved with the QLG for my family. It's hard to have family stability unless you have community stability. I was part of the problem — now I want to be part of the solution."

Tad Mason Manager at Pacific Wood Fuels Company

"I joined the QLG in 1993, with the clear objective to collaborate with the other steering committee members to jump start what I could not accomplish alone — successfully move the forest service in the direction of proactively thinning forests (treating fuels) on a landscape level. When I think of the people who make up the QLG steering committee, two words come to mind — integrity and tenacity."

Photo not availableRobert Meacher Plumas County Supervisor, business owner

I became involved because I wanted to make sure that the small logger was represented. I was also concerned about the local economy and the threat of fire danger. Lately I have been focusing on the watershed management issues surrounding forest health."

Brooks Mitchell Sierra County Supervisor and Mitchell Family Logging

"I am with the QLG to economically stabilize our small county and to reduce the fire threat that we all live with everyday."

Ed Murphy Registered Professional Forester, Sierra Pacific Industries

"After seeing the kind of gridlock that resource management was grinding towards, I wanted to work on a potentially more powerful local consensus for moving forward, building trust and monitoring. As a professional forester, I wanted to bring to the table a better technical understanding of the biological process that must be understood for any successful plan to be implemented. As an industrial forester I wanted to work for the long term ecologically sustainable supply of forest resources, which would lead to more stable local communities."

Harry Reeves Outdoor sports enthusiast

"Traditionally the environmental movement has been most effective at stopping things. QLG is unique in that we have zeroed in on ways to turn things around and use government, business and community resources to constructively improve the management of our forests. I see this as a positive opportunity to make things better rather than to simply make things 'less worse.'"

John Sheehan Plumas Corporation Director

"I'm involved in the QLG for a couple of reasons. First, the most important job in economic development is business retention — that means helping the loggers, truckers and mills operating in a sustainable manner. Secondly Plumas Corp has been involved in stream restoration for the last dozen years. QLG will help expand the efforts."

Frank Stewart Forester, Resource Manager, Collins Pine Company

"The collaborative efforts of the QLG provides active forest management for the national forests involved. The management practices of the QLG meet the social, economic and environmental needs of our rural communities. The silvicultural practices provide a kinder and gentler imprint on the landscape. The fuel reduction strategy will hopefully serve as a 'base target strategy' for other national forests."

George Terhune Retired airline pilot

"Very simply, QLG is the best game in town, and these are the best team-mates I've ever had. My idea of a great play is to do something that 'everybody knows' is impossible, so it's been nice to see Congress and the Forest Service actually move in the direction we've been pointing."

Pat Terhune Homemaker, mother, grandmother and political volunteer

"I was attracted to QLG because of my strong interest in conflict resolution. An added benefit was observing not only the progress the QLG has made, but also how much individual members have grown through this experience."

Brian West
Timber Manager, Sierra Pacific Industries

"I am involved as a local industry representative to ensure continuous wood product flow from our 'local' forests to maintain historic community stability levels through sound forestry and collaborative involvement."

Michael Yost
Forestry Instructor at Feather River College Member of Friends of Plumas Wilderness

"I have contributed to the QLG by delineating the boundaries for roadless areas and the timber land base of the QLG map and the development of silvicultural strategies."

Other Members Not Yet Included

Bob Baiocchi, Calif. Sportfishing Protection Alliance
Dick Castaldini, Retired Forest Service
Fred Duchi, Siskiyou Plumas Lumber
Anne Eldred, Sierra County School Board
Lenny Gallegos, Supervisor, Sierra County
Tom Gregory, Sierra County Conservation Club II
Bill Howe
, Forester, Collins Pine Company
Howard Hughes, Safety Officer, Sierra Pacific Industries, Quincy
Don Huston, Forester, Collins Pine Co., retired
Jackie Mithcell, Mithcell Family Logging
Claud Neely,Supervisor, Lassen County
Carl Pew
, Pew Logging and Lumber Co.
Wally Roney, Roney Land & Cattle Company
Steve Self, Wildlife Biologist, Sierra Pacific Industries
Loretta Stringfellow, California Women in Timber, Quincy Chapter

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