Yolo County votes to support a Wild & Scenic Cache Creek

Board of Supervisors votes to support Assemblywoman Wolk's AB 1328

"Today's vote was a win for all friends of Cache Creek," said Assemblywoman Wolk. "The Board has recognized that Cache Creek is a vital resource for our community that must be protected in perpetuity. I'm very pleased with the Board's decision, but we still have a lot of work to do. I will continue to work with all interested parties, and look forward to putting the bill across the Governor's desk for his signature. We want to make sure a dam is never placed on this extraordinary stretch of Cache Creek."

AB 1328 would designate the portion of Cache Creek spanning from just below the Clear Lake dam to Camp Haswell at the upper end of the Capay Valley, as well as the creek's north fork downstream from Highway 20. The creek watershed is home to the largest wintering population of Bald Eagles south of the Klamath Basin. If added to the state system, Cache Creek will join a prestigious list of California rivers, including portions of the Smith, Klamath, Scott, Salmon, Trinity, Eel, Van Duzen, Gualala, Albion and the South Yuba.

"This is our threshold opportunity to do something for Cache Creek and I don't want it to slip away," said Board Chairman Helen Thomson. "But everyone needs to be at the table from here on out and this Board needs to be kept informed as the bill develops. Lois has done a great job to this point. I trust her to bring this home."

"Cache Creek is a key part of the fabric of what makes Yolo County Yolo County," said Supervisor Mike McGowan, who represents the county's first District. "We need to do whatever it takes to protect it for future generations. The Board made that very clear today. We also made it very clear that we expect a lot of work by our assemblywoman and the other participants in this process to bring this around to a consensus."

County Supervisors Mariko Yamada (4th District) and Frank Sieferman (3rd district) also spoke in favor of AB 1328, which will be heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee this Spring.

"Cache Creek is the lifeblood of this county," concluded Wolk. "Not just for us here today who get to enjoy the many resources of the creek, but for future generations. We need to do whatever we can to make sure Cache Creek is as clear and beautiful a hundred years from now as it is today. That is my goal with this bill."