Ukiah Daily Journal from Ukiah, California • Page 2

j-Uklah Pally Journal, Supervisors get the lay of the land at Round Mountain Monday, March 29,1982 By CHARLES RAPPLEYE Journal Staff Writer It was. about four In the after- oon, when the small band of men, with cameras, arrived at the illectlon of barns and animal pens at mark the Parduccl Lane entrance to the ranch. I They were greeted by three or four residents, hands were shaken Ml around, and the group headed put onto a 50-acre field northwest of main buildings. A cool, steady wind swept the alley floor, hemmed in by steep bills crowned by sparse brush, fir and manzanita. A small creek jarved the valley's southern rim, yrhile a well-tended dirt and gravel foad marked the boundary to the jporth.

It was a scene from any of the scores of big ranches that mark the remote reaches of Mendocino that cradled an ethic of individualism that forms the moral backdrop. But this ranch is different. It is dlose to Ukiah, only a few minute's drive up Highway 101. And its owners are not the venerable old families of lore, but a loose-knit group of recent young emigrants, leaders in the county's back-to-the- Eand ethic. i Despite the pastoral setting, (here was tension in the air.

Last Wednesday's visitors to Round Mountain Ranch included county Supervisors Jim Eddie and John (Jimolino, Agricultural Commissioner Roberto de Grassi, and two Reporters. The officials were there to decide (he future of the ranch's status as an agricultural preserve, a special ftatus that allows tax breaks in return for keeping the land in agricultural production. i De Grassi had made an inspection the previous month, and had found the agricultural operations forely wanting. A ranch spokesperson had protested that decision, fad boardmembers decided to. take look for themselves.

Round Mountain has bad its pro- lems with the county since rchologist Claude Steiner bought dilapidated old ranch as a col- tive venture in January 1978. Their practice of living in I 'detached bedrooms," small structures off the main dining and Jiving area, incurred the wrath of land use planners.and officials. A suit was filed charging zoning and building code violations, and the matter is now in court. The dispute was exacerbated by neighbors Lee Howard and Jack Cox. Howard and the SANE committee singled out Round Mountain as a land, use violation in their 1980 suit calling for strict code enforcement, and realtor Cox's complaints about the influence of the "alternate lif estylers'' are legion.

Technically, the agricultural Question is a separate issue. Ag preserve status was granted by supervisors last year to recognize jjnd encourage Round Mountain's farming operations. When de (jtrassi inspected the ranch in February, lie dismissed their efforts as "minimal and futile." But that inspection itself implies special attention from the county. Cimolino meets ranch residents at the beginning of the tour. Cimolino and de Grassi inspect a chicken coop.

Over 80 county ag preserves were found in violation of their contracts by Commissioner Ted Erik sen in a report to supervisors last December. But while investigation of those violations has been relegated to the bureaucratic back burner, scrutiny of Round Mountain's contract continues apace. In a larger sense, it is all one dispute. Ranch members see their lives as something of an experiment, a new approach to the land and its resources. They live in small buildings, do small-scale ming, and keep chemical applications and major construction to a minimum.

They chafe at the county's constant scrutiny. They feel targeted, and misunderstood. One ranch member explained their non-conformist approach with a question. "Have you ever read 'Small is by E.F. Schumacher?" Most likely, Jim Eddie has not.

A large man himself, his family has run cattle on their ranch outside Potter Valley since before the Civil War. His mother, he notes, still runs cattle from horseback, and once a year, pays a visit to his sister, who runs a ranch of her own in Oregon. But Eddie had come to try to understand. He knew before he got there this would not be the kind of ranching to which he was ac- Photoa by customed. After changing from city clothes to boots and a work shirt, he listened closely to the explanations offered by young ranch residents as they showed him around the property.

And so the inspection began. First on the route was the winter garden. In his report to the board, garden, no planting of vegetables was evident, nor was the ground prepared for planting." the reality was substantially different. Gardener Shaun McCloskey showed the group two fenced acres planted in a variety of herbs and spices, including peppermint, woad, angelica and catnip, as well as the more common thyme and sage, most in double-dug beds. "There's an excellent market for organic herbs," McCloskey said.

De Grassi was skeptical. "That winter garden was Just a flat field. There's been a lot done since I was here," he said. But Eddie and Cimolino reserved judgement, following their guides and saying nothing. Next was the 80-odd acres of bottomland, about half planted in a hay crop of oats and peas.

peas add nitrogen to the soil, so we don't have to use chemical fertilizer, a resident explained.) Here Eddie was in his element. Faced with a five-foot-wide stream that lay between hint and the field, Eddie launched into a run and cleared It easily, leaving the others to slop across as best they could. Striding up the valley, he spoke of farming, and of his experience on the land. "You've got to plan ahead, you have to have some idea what you're trying to do," he told residents Mlmine Govatsbs and Bruce Carroll. Govatsos agreed, but said they had underestimated the cost and work it would take to bring the ranch back into production.

Eddie nodded, and repeated, "That's what it's all about. You need to look One year, 10 years, 20 years." Govatsos and Carroll listened quietly. The tour continued, past the two barns and other agricultural; buildings, a small, sickly orchard, and out to the rangeland where residents say SO head of cattle will begin grazing this week. Clearly, the ag operations fen; short qf the ambitious plan submit-; ted to the county by ranch residents when they applied for preserve status last year. Berries and grapes had not been ag buildings showed evidence of other uses, grazing had not commenced.

But Just as clearly, agricultural operations are under way at Round Mountain. Fields are planted, irrigation systems in place, and grazing stock are on the way. In the final analysis, the decision on ag preserve status will be subjective. While the law technically requires commercial ag uses on the land, Its primary purpose is to preserve ag land from development. "We're interested in land use," Govatsos said.

"That's why we want cluster development, not a subdivision. Govatsos, who has lived on the ranch since Steiner first bought It, said full-scale production is Just a matter of time. 4 'Money is the main kind organic farming we want to do, takes money and labor. We're getting there, but it is taking longer than we thought." No final decision was reached, but Eddie seemed to accept their explanation. "We're looking for a real commercial operation.

From what we've seen, well, there's some activity that points to the fact that they're trying." It's not the bustling, large-scale program that Eddie knows firsts hand. But he also knows the ficulties in working the land, and the frustration it can bring. "The fields have been and there are cows coming lru That's what I wanted to see. "It's hard to decide on someone else's operation; we all have ouf problems he said. As for the county's ongoing tangle with the ranch residents; Eddie said, "One thing we should do is Just lay down these neighborhood disputes and let pepi pie live awhile." Al Foster's Tire Service HARRIS PHARMACY Computer triggered Saturday power outage PORTLAND, Ore (UPI) A computer malfunction has been Blamed for electrical outages affecting about 1 million people In six western states, a Bonneville Power Administration spokesman said.

Bill Murlin said the reason for the malfunction at the main BP A computer at Celllo, Just east of The $alles, may not be know until late Along with Oregon and California, Muxlm said there were some itages in Nevada and Arizona lasted less minute and minor outages in Mexico anil fa Texas, In Men- jCMft outages lasted eight controlling the hydroelec- two SOO-kilovolt alternating- current lines running parallel to the direct-current line. Because those lines were loaded, there was an automatic shutdown at a BPA substation at Malin, southeast of Klamath Falls, and near the California-Oregon border, Murlin said. While all three lines were restored within 22 minutes, a domino effect on the power system had begun, he said. "It was just like being at the head end of a tidal wave," he said. Donald Baxter, public information committee chairman for the Western Systems -Coordinating Council, said the break caused other blackouts throughout the power, grid syptem as automatic safety devices tripped and local uttUtiea switched to other power The, spokesman for the council, at which coordinates power transmission ior 14 western states, said parts of Berkeley, and Richmond, were without power for about Vh hours, while brief outages were reported as far away as El Paso, Texas.

Baxter said the outages affected about 500,000 Pacific Gas Electric Co. customers in Northern and Central California, 250,000 Southern California Edison Co. users, and 10,000 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers. An estimated 150,000 customers were affected in Arizona, including some in the Phoenix area for up to 90 minutes. A spokesman said the Western States Coordinating System in Utah then took over distribution to prevent a massive failure.

Baxter said the automatic circuit breakers and switches that prevent a -massive power system overload worked as designed to prevent a "New York-type" blackout. He said similar incidents occur about two or three times a year. "Sometimes they're a little more serious. Sometimes they're not at all," he said. "Murlin said three power generating dams on the Columbia and John.

Day riverssin the Pacific Northwest also shut down during the outages because the. power had no outlets, Al TRAVEL AIR-SEA-RAIL-BUS 462-2931 -ukiah 459-6894 Willlts 'Your 1-Stop Travel One Day Recap Service Top Quality Recaps 970 N. STATE 462-8644 TODAY'S THOUGHT miMmmnimmwrniM Presented by Rod Zimmerman A pergonal letter or note at a bereavement can mean a tot to the person who receives it. Permission was graciously given to publish the following letter In the hope that others may write similar letters to those In "Words sound and seem empty. But even so.

I'll In the pattern of life, a person's mettle is measured when compelled to face a very realistic decision of a Higher Power. We are proud of you; proud of your courage, your fortitude. We're proud of the way you handled yourself during the tough and trying ordeal of these past several days, as well as the preceding months. A beneficent and kind Creator has given all of us many blessings. You have a rare blessing In the precious possession of pleasant memories.

We, too. are grateful for our blessing that allows us to share some of these memories with you. You don't have to be told. You know are and will be thinking of you ZIMMERMAN'S MORTUARY 925 N. State St.

462:3001 Genealogists have sfiowa that Franklin Delano: Roosevelt related tyr blood or through marriage to; 11 former Washington, John Van Buren, William Henry; Harrison, Taylor, Grant, Benjamin Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt and Taft. ADVERTISEMENT Hearing Loss Is Not A Sign Of Old Age Chicago, U.S. Government Report on hearing loss includes 36 pages of information on all hearing problems. It also tells how surgery or aids can help, and is offered free to anyone requesting it. This Report doesn't sell anything but is full of helpful facts.

It is yours without the usual Government charge, so write for your copy now. There's no cost and certainly no obligation. Thousands of copies have already been mailed, so write today to Dept. 27887, Bejtone Electronics 4201 W. Victoria St.

Chicago, Illinois 60646..