Jeff Crumley

Posts Tagged ‘MLPA’

by Dan Bacher

In the most absurd episode in the bad action flick that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has starred in since being elected Governor in 2003, the “Fish Terminator” on Saturday morning spouted off about the need for “transparent” government in his weekly radio address.

“Ever since I became Governor, I have pushed to make California government more transparent,” Schwarzenegger claimed. “Now, I don’t have to tell you that this is a time of deep recession, all around the world.”

“It is more critical than ever that government be held accountable for every dollar it spends, that it live within its means, and that it show total transparency at all levels: at the local level, the state level and the federal level,” said Schwarzenegger.

This is coming from the guy who has demonstrated more of a penchant for secrecy than any other Governor in California history. This is coming from the corporate-controlled political hack who was a keynote speaker on July 30, 2010 at the highly secretive Bohemian Grove near Monte Rio on the Russian River (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100728/ARTICLES/100729459).

The Bohemian Grove is an exclusive, men’s only club where the heads of global corporations, select politicians, bankers and the elite members of the ruling class from throughout the globe “relax” and network to devise their schemes to pillage the world’s resources, launch wars and control the population while making the rich richer and the poor poorer.

On the first night of the annual encampment, the members of the club perform a bizarre ritual called the “Cremation of Care.” “This ceremony involves the poling across a lake of a small boat containing an effigy of Care (called ‘Dull Care’). Dark, hooded figures receive from the ferryman the effigy which is placed on an altar, and, at the end of the ceremony, set on fire,” according to wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cremation_of_Care). “This ‘cremation’ symbolizes that members are banishing the ‘dull cares’ of conscience.”

Many believe that the elite, meeting at Bohemian Grove, picked Schwarzenegger to run for Governor in order to plunder the California economy and resources through increased privatization of public trust resources to benefit the super-rich.

On July 21, 2003, Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, “From what we’ve heard, the Republican hierarchy — especially those close to former Gov. Pete Wilson — would favor Schwarzenegger. At least that’s the word that came out of the Bohemian Grove this past weekend, where a number of state and national GOPers, including presidential adviser Karl Rove, happened to have gathered at a club getaway.”

However, we’ll never know exactly what transpired in Schwarzenegger’s annual appearances at the Grove because all proceedings, events and speeches are kept secret, even though the lives of billions of people throughout the world are greatly impacted what is discussed behind close doors at the annual event.

Schwarzenegger’s speech on “transparent” government then devolved into an attack on the Senate for refusing to pass a bill that would require them to post their salaries and expenditures online, followed by a shameless rant praising all of his alleged initiatives for “transparency” in Government.

“I opened my own calendar to the public,” Schwarzenegger gushed. “No other sitting Governor has ever done that.”

Schwarzenegger sure didn’t open his calendar to the public on July 31, when he spoke along with Rupert Murdoch, media magnate and owner of Fox News, to the gathered elite at the Bohemian Grove! In fact, he didn’t even disclose what topic he was speaking about.

According to Mary Moore, an organizer of yearly protests in front of the Grove’s gates, Schwarzenegger’s appearance was described as follows on the Grove’s program: “Friday, July 30: Topic undisclosed: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger” (http://dailycensored.com/2010/08/06/speakers-at-the-2010-bohemian-grove-include-rupert-murdoch-david-gergen-and-arnold-schwarzenegger/).

My experience with covering water and environmental politics under Schwarzenegger administration is the exact opposite of his claims that he is the “Transparent Governor.”

In contrast with the Governor’s claims of “transparency” in government, Schwarzenegger’s Delta Vision and Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) officials went out of their way to exclude the input of California Indian Tribes, anglers and environmentalist justice communities, the groups most impacted by the Governor’s plan for a peripheral canal and new dams, from these rigged fiascos. Only after an action alert went out complaining about the lack of tribal and recreational fishing representation was one lone tribal representative and one lone recreational fishing representative appointed to Delta Vision Stakeholders Group.

Likewise, the Governor, the Legislative leaders, Westlands Water District, the Metropolitan Water Agency and corporate environmental NGOs met in secret, back door negotiations last year to craft the water policy/water bond package that creates a clear path to a peripheral canal and new, unneeded dams. The Governor and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg did everything they could to ram this package through the Capitol without input from California Indian Tribes, fishermen, Delta farmers and residents, and environmental justice communities.

Fortunately, the massive opposition by the public to the water bond forced the Governor to go to the Legislature and get the bond delayed until November 2012. However, the Governor is still pushing his plans to build the canal and new dams through the BDCP process and the Delta Stewardship Council created by last year’s legislation.

Another process that the Governor and his collaborators claim is “open, inclusive and transparent,” the privately funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, is anything but. It was only after outrage by First Amendment advocates and the Newspapers Publishers Association over the arrest of David Gurney at an MLPA “working session” in April that MLPA Executive Director Ken Wiseman was forced to allow the sessions to be photographed and filmed, as is required by the Bagley-Keene Public Meetings Act.

The Resources Legacy Fund Foundation, a shadowy organization that is totally unaccountable to the public, has funded this illegitimate process since Schwarzenegger launched the MLPA Initiative in 2004. Schwarzenegger has appointed oil industry, real estate, marina development and other private operatives with conflicts of interest to the MLPA’s Blue Ribbon Task Forces that choose the marine reserve proposals that are submitted for approval by the Fish and Game Commission.

If the MLPA is such an “open, transparent and inclusive” process, why did 300 Tribal members, fishermen, immigrant workers and environmentalists feel so left out of the process that they had to organize a march and direct action to take over a MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting in Fort Bragg on July 21 so their voices would be finally heard?

Schwarzenegger’s regular appearances at the Bohemian Grove and his pushing of rigged processes including the Delta Vision, BDCP, MLPA and the water policy/water bond fiascos show that his call for “transparency” in government is a hypocritical lie. His claim that he is the “Transparent Governor” rings just as hollow as his claim that he is the “Green Governor.”

Schwarzenegger’s 2-minute, 52-second radio address is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fb0yv_5rS8.

It is not the enviro movement but the hitch-hikers and highjackers that use environmentalism as a vehicle to extort and terrorize the ignorant. The only way to liberate environmentalism is to remove the terrorists by exposing their “misinformation.”
There is a lot of $ in environmentalism.
As stated in scientific papers, there are three main effects on the marine ecosystem…
1. Water Quality ( we used to call this pollution).
2. Marine Mammal Take ( the MMPA has done a very good job, one species, California sea lions are now thought to be above historic numbers. There are probably more California sea lions now than 500 years ago).
3. Human take (In 1995, DFG estimated the California sea lion population at 186,000 and consumption at 500,000 tons (1.billion lbs.) annually of squid, salmon, anchovy, rockfish and flatfish. Commercial fishing for these species in 1995 totaled 281.million pounds or 28% of California sea lion consumption).
Yet, the MLPAI does not address these other issues. POLLUTION being the worst!!!, it only targets humans use fisheries.
There is a movement underway that is bringing the truth and exposing these extreme idealists and the Big Green Monster that is making them rich off the dollars you donate(as if they need more money). These extreme, idealistic preservationist are now threatening other species existence with their theoretical experiments on the peoples public property. It’s an orgy of marine science bidding for billions in grants and big oil getting the fishermen out of the way.
Yes, big oil!
How is it even considerable to have the queen of the Western Petroleum Assoc.(Cathy Reheis-Boyd) as the chair for the Blue Ribbon Task Force? (Arnold’s fast track MLPAI force)… Fishermen are one of the biggest obstacles to offshore oil.
Even if this is a coincidental chain of events, someone ought to have enough common sense to recognize a clear conflict of interest and the required need for a holistic and adaptive approach.

The Marine Life Protection Act was designed to act as conservation tool to protect marine ecosystems.

Instead, it has become a tool for progressive preservationists. Special interest groups, funded by big private corporate foundations have seized on the opportunity to advance the agenda for their ideals.
In a published scientific paper, three things were cited as the main issues for dealing with ecosystems and species management…Human take, Marine Mammal take, Water Quality. The current flavor of the MLPA process has evolved into a bashing of any fishing activities, blaming fishing totally, for any perceived decline.

Are you aware the Blue Ribbon Task Force, that Gov. Schwarzenegger assigned to “fast-track” the MLPA, is of “PRIVATE” peoples? The MLPA implementation is being paid for by private, progressive corporate environmental, NON-governmental foundations. There is a facade of a diplomatic, democratic approach to the decision making process…leading one to believe that the citizens of the state are involved in the process.We are NOT!

It seems the Greenpeace corp. has shown that green is big business…and VERY profitable. Lies, cons and greed…the years of not producing results(and telling lies that they have) are coming full circle. The truth has now become public. Greedy profiteers secrets are now out in the open for all to see.

In this video, Vern Goehring, Representative of the California Fisheries Coalition and Executive Director of the California Sea Urchin Comm., explains very simply to the Dept. of Fish & Game the lack of full oversight in the MLPA implementation. Yet, they do not listen.

This hits the nail right on the head !

The debate over implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act of 1999 (MLPA) and Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) has become the hot marine resource debate of the year. It seems for the past few years, each year there is a new crisis of one sort or another heaped on commercial and recreational fishermen Meeting after meeting after meeting must be attended, all over the state. And even thought the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) knows what days they allow fishermen to fish, meetings always seem to be scheduled for those few work days. It’s amazing how often this happens.

Each year, new laws are imposed, yet, time isn’t given to see how they work, before the next new law is introduced.

The State of California has approximately 90 marine parks, reserves, preserves, etc. Most have been around for decades. At Pismo Beach, for example, we have had an Invertebrate Reserve since 1977 and a Pismo Clam Preserve since 1985. DFG established these next to areas open to clam fishing to measure human use versus sea otter predation. Locals and DFG know the results: sea otters have eliminated most legal clams in both areas. While this result remains a subject of debate, DFG has published these findings by several scientists.

In the rush to impose even more restrictions on commercial and recreational fishermen, DFG, environmentalists, politicians and others seem to ignore two even larger impacts on coastal fish: pollution and marine mammals.

Commercial fisherman Tom Capen raised these issues with DFG marine biologist, John Ugoretz in Morro Bay July 17th. Mr. Ugoretz responded by explaining that DFG had no jurisdiction over water quality (pollution) and that marine mammals were protected by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and so DFG had no authority there either. No, but what they can do is regulate fishermen.

To me, restricting sewage disposal, dog and pet waste, urban run-off, etc. would do far more to protect the nearshore marine environment. My marine reserve would run along the coast for miles and extend inland, not out to sea.

As for marine mammals, one species, California sea lions are now thought to be above historic numbers. There are probably more California sea lions now than 500 years ago. The lack of mainland predators– grizzly bears and wolves– has allowed sea lions to occupy habitat not formerly used. And, there are five other species of seals and sea lions common to California.

In 1995, DFG estimated the California sea lion population at 186,000 and consumption at 500,000 tons (1.billion lbs.) annually of squid, salmon, anchovy, rockfish and flatfish. Commercial fishing for these species in 1995 totaled 281.million pounds or 28% of California sea lion consumption. Yet, the MLPA does not address marine mammals, it only targets humans use fisheries when it can be demonstrated humans take less than some marine mammals.

If these laws are truly to address suspected declines in fish stocks, they must be holistic, meaning they address all sources of fish mortality. Unfortunately, the current examples of good intentions and wishful thinking by politicians will predictably continue to fail, just like the Pismo clam preserve failed.

Well the good news is..the White House Office of Science and Technology has announced the new policy to make available the scientific research funded by the Fed. This would mean that you and I could go on the internet and read scientific research results, then watch the peer reviews of this research. This would prompt the private research community to the obligatory transparency required to meet the needs of data to determine any decisions being made in the MLPA process. Full disclosure?…Transparency? Well, maybe.

The bad news is…the back door of the White House is busy with the traffic of Obamas “special appointees” to widen the control of the federal government. Obama has set up EVERY drop of water in this country to be under federal jurisdiction. Do you know how many different entities of government, state and federal, that control the same drop of water? Redundant is an understatement!!!

This is a typical far left Democratic agenda of taking away control from states and building federal control.
There is already too many redundant controls. Occams Razor would apply well right now!!!

Here she goes! As if Jane Lubchenco, the administrator for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,doesn’t already have enough to do (having only three months to establish a comprehensive plan for all US waters)… told the House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming that evidence that has come to light since 2004 shows carbon dioxide pollution makes the oceans more acidic as they absorb the gas.
“Carbon dioxide is a plant food, not a pollutant;” says Ian Plimer,professor at the University of Adelaide.
“Human activity only produces three percent of the worlds carbon dioxide emissions each year. Early earth had 1,000 times more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than now…through five ice ages, yet there was no run away greenhouse effect, tipping points or acid ocean. Even if we burned all the fossil fuels on Earth, the atmospheric carbon-dioxide content would not double.” Pilmer goes on to say that “dissolving CO2 in ocean water has not created acidity. The constant chemical reactions between ocean water and sediments and rocks(limestone), on the sea floor have kept the ocean alkaline. When we run out of rocks, then the ocean might become acidic.”
Jane, your just another tool in the workshop of the out of control, money hungry, hypocritical, “Big Green Propaganda Machine.” You are part of the problem, not the solution.
Stop the lies!!!

Laguna Beach city council members admit…They are ignorant and don’t know the facts. “I haven’t seen any of the science,” says Elisabeth Pearson. She goes on to explain…” I don’t know that we are over fished I don’t know that we need replenishment.” Yet, without knowing the facts, the city has endorsed the six mile closure in Laguna. In a recent article, the council members have heard testimony on issues like water quality(pollution), and sustainability. Yet Ms. Pearson expresses disgust at sport divers actions, like the take of Garibaldi. This is directly due to lack of educating the public.
There is a bigger issue in this closure than a couple of Garibaldi. It is the FACT that North Laguna has become an “Urchin Barren.” Nobody seems to be aware of this except a couple of us Commercial Urchin Divers.
Watch this video…this is from a sport diver,who unknowingly, filmed Shaws Coves’ Urchin Barren. See it for yourself.

I just can’t leave this one alone!!! This is straight out of the Science Daily one of the best examples of “junk science propaganda” on the internet. Do they really think you are that stupid? Maybe we should hire these guys to find Osama Bin Ladden!!!

“Scientists matched the park service data to data provided by SeaWiFs, a satellite monitoring project that photographs and analyzes ocean color for information about ocean life.
“Organic coastal run-off — from fertilizers and sewage overflow — increases the amount of organic material in the near shore ocean. According to the study, differences in the amount of organic material do not have much effect on the delicate food chain of the kelp forest ecosystem. However removal of the fish at the top of the food chain has a profound effect.” Kelp forests are so sensitive,” said Halpern. “If you remove some of the predators, then you can have an effect on the entire kelp forest ecosystem.”
He explained that until now studies of kelp forests looked at either overfishing or increased nutrients. This is the first study to put both variables together to see which is more important.”
Watch this video…it’s from one mile in front of UCSB campus, where this story comes from…

Pro Tem Senator Darrell Steinberg, an employee of the Packard foundation(?), the man who squashed the investigation of private money from the Packard Foundation financing the MLPA allowed by Gov. Schwarzenegger, is disregarding the thousands year old subsistence fishing by some small local tribes of California natives. This MLPA process that claims involving all of the people in the decision making did not even consider these tribes. They were only acknowledged after they showed up to voice themselves. Still this had no importance in the non-science based random cookie cutter mapping for the MPAs. The entire port of Pt.Arena is in jeopardy of collapse. Taking away from what little these folks have left is outrageous. Environmentalists take their lessons from these people who are well known for using mother earth with respect and conservation, yet they now seem to be irrelevant. That is just wrong!