SHOOTING RANGE FIRES, POWERLINK MITIGATION MONEY AMONG HOT ITEMS AT JAMUL-DULZURA PLANNING GROUP MEETING

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By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left:  Michael Johnson volunteered to lead cleanup efforts to keep shooting range open on public land.

June 16, 2017 (Jamul) -- A fire alarm going off at the Oak Grove Middle School, where the Jamul Dulzura Community Planning Group held its June 13th meeting, provided a jarring start to the session at which fire danger was top of mind for many present. 

The most heated agenda item sparked a robust debate on whether a shooting range on public land should be permanently closed following a string of brush fires caused by shooting locally in recent years. The issue pits Second Amendment rights against safety concerns of residents.

The meeting started with another burning issue.   Planning Group member Hannah Gbeh (right) shared concerns raised by Deerhorn Valley residents over mitigation grants promised by SDG&E for property owners living near Sunrise Powerlink.  “A lot of people were denied this year,” she said.  The service area was extended to include Alpine, but grants have been paid on an inconsistent basis.  Some homes in Alpine got grants, while some homes closer to the Powerlink high voltage line in Deerhorn Valley got no money, while others got only partial funding. Supervisor Dianne Jacob has filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission.   

Planning group member Michael Casinelli chimed in that “no explanation was given to those who were denied.”  Gbeh said SDG&E has been “stonewalling.”  But fellow member Randy White explained that SDG&E merely provided money for the fund. He suggested the planning group invite whoever administers the fund to come to a future meeting of the planning group.

Gbeh announced that she’s been appointed by Supervisor Jacob to serve on the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Commission, which is funded through fines on illegal hunting and fishing activities.  “They have grants to people who fish and hunt,” she said, encouraging any eligible groups to apply.

White raised concerns over graffiti tagging on signs along Proctor Valley Road. He wants to see the signs replaced or cleaned.  Planning Group member Janet Mulder said more patrols are also needed.  Member Joe Stuyvesant said the County’s new graffiti tracker program helps identify who taggers are and hold them responsible.  Casinelli encouraged everyone in the community to download the County’s “Tell Us Now” app which allows users to take a photo of problems such as graffiti or potholes and send it in to help get things fixed. 

Casinelli said that a letter sent to the Jamul Indian Village requesting an update on traffic improvements has not been responded to thus far. 

Michael Wonsidler, program coordinator from County Public Works, gave a presentation on ambitious waste management goals for unincorporated areas. Currently, 475,000 tons are sent to a landfill currently from San Diego’s unincorporated areas.   Of that, 76% could be recycled.   Major areas for improvement in recycling are organics such as food waste and construction/demolition.  By 2030, the county aims to attain 75% diversion of from landfills (currently 62%) and 90% by 2040, which is considered zero waste.  The County will ask haulers to meet diversion targets, have deposits to encourage construction and demolition recycling, and encourage more recycling in communities, such as with food waste recycling centers and on-site composting.   The state has also set its own goal of 75% diversion from landfills by 2020, though that’s not yet required of cities or counties.

White voiced concerns over higher costs potentially and asked if anyone was looking at new landfill sites. The County representatives said there is landfill capacity through 2050 at current diversion levels, which will be extended longer once recycling increases.

Next came the hot topic of the evening:  unofficial shooting ranges on Bureau of Land Management properties.  A video on social media appeared to show shooters starting the May 20th Gate Fire; Cal Fire is investigating, but numerous past fires are known to have begun on BLM lands by shooters locally.  The Gate fire charred 2,056 acres and took 665 firefighting personnel to finally douse it.

After the Gate Fire, the BLM closed all federal public lands in our county and nearby ones to target shooting, implementing Stage 3 fire restrictions for the rest of fire season. The ban does not prohibit hunting.   Some people have called for a permanent ban on target shooting at the site where the Gate Fire started, while others oppose this.   Everyone present, even shooters, agree that seasonal closures are appropriate for fire safety reasons.

Gbeh opened the discussion, stating, “We know how important wildfire safety and gun rights are.”   She said she’s been talking with Calif Fire and the firefighters, and can see both sides.  “The street I live on has one way in and one way out,” she said, adding that is concerned about fire danger but also supports shooters’ rights.  She added that 22 fires in the past five years have started at the site in the vicinity of Donohoe Mountain.  Supervisor Jacob has asked Interior Secretary Zinke to prohibit target shooting on all federal lands in that area; violators of the current ban can be fined $1,000 and got to prison for 12 months.  Jacob wants a permanent ban, after hearing complaints for years from residents.

Then the public was invited to speak.

But Michael Johnson spoke up on behalf of a group, SDMUST, that he says has been doing cleanups for 14 years, spending thousands of hours to try and make the shooting site safe.  He voiced concerns that the amount of public land available for target shooting has dropped to less than 1% of the total, with many public lands now protected as wildlife preserves or reserved for other uses.

“There’s more shooters every year, and less places to shoot,” he attested. “We actually offered to go out with volunteers and cut the brush down,” he added, but said he received no response to his repeated offers in the months before the Gate Fire.  His group could also add markers to clearly identify shooting lanes.  Gbeh voiced interest in his proposal.

Mark Gable of Dulzura said he’s a hunter but feels sorry for residents near Marron Valley Road due to shooters using “explosive and illegal materials.” He said the “Pink Gate” site linked to the Gate Fire isn’t a good place for shooting and should be permanently shut down due to safety concerns but added that a pre-cleared place needs to be provided for shooters. 

Tyler More, an “avid hunter” spoke passionately. “I don’t want to see this area get shut down. We need to regulate...I want to teach my two little boys how to shoot here.”  He said our county has “quite a bit of public land, but it’s all land locked.”  Shooting ranges at Kitchen Creek and Jacumba in East County have both been shut down.  He likes going out in the hills to hunt, but “they’ve closed down this whole area.”

Michael Connelly stated he thinks it’s unfair to punish all shooters for the actions of a few “bad apples” adding, “The government should not take away our freedoms.”

Robert Williams said that after a BLM ranger retired, it took a long time to find a replacement and that the new ranger has too large an area to patrol.  “We need someone full time down here,” he said, also calling for more education of the public. 

Another man from Jamul agreed that seasonal closure is fine, but not year-round. “We keep losing more and more freedoms.”

An elder from La Mesa Church of Christ said their youth group takes gun safety classes at the range in question, also learning range etiquette and respect for “God’s resources…You can’t believe the different in these kids.”

Yet another speaker recalled a former ranger checking for illegal ammo and explosive devices, which he said is needed more here. “He opened a lot of landlocked areas for us,” he said, adding that the officer also made shooters clean up trash. 

Tracey Nelson (left) was the only audience member who spoke in favor of a permanent ban, though numerous others have been outspoken on community online forums supporting a ban.

“I’m all for shutting it down,” she said. Apart from fire danger, she says there is “no peace, even on Easter…there is constant noise.”  Worse, she says, “Every year there’s a fire there. Every year it’s getting worse. This is threatening my house and my kids and my pets.”

She did offer a solution, however.  “I grew up target shooting.” Turning to the shooters, she suggested, “I think you should all get together and buy a piece of land where you can do it.”

Planning group member Judy Bohlen voiced anger over the amount of public lands no longer available to shooters, including some lands owned by the BLM as well as wildlife agencies.  “We get to pay for [in our taxes] but we don’t get to go see it.” The vice chair cautioned her not to speak out of turn.

Daniel Bray criticized those who bought land near the shooting range and now want it closed. “I live near an airport, I knew the consequences…If you live out in the country, there is shooting out in the country.”

Planning group members discussed the matter after public comment.  Bohlen said she believes BLM is not managing the land properly and wants it maintained and opened during non-fire season.  “They need someone monitoring and managing it.”  Member Earl Katzer voiced agreement.

Gbeh concluded, “There must be a safe shooting area for the public” but made clear that it must be mowed, have signage improved, and a ranger present. She approves of seasonal closures but said a total shutdown “goes against our rural values.”  She proposed sending a letter to the BLM and Interior Department which oversees the BLM to request these things.

White said he can shoot on his own land and has empathy for the shooters.  Stuyvesant suggested a safe shooting area that might be funded by licenses, to which shooters objected. “We already pay too much,” one exclaimed.

Other planners agreed that the BLM should be more responsible in managing the land and that shooters should have a safe place to shoot outdoors, though not in fire season.

Jamul resident Dane Weisner spoke on the merits of shooting on “open, natural land” as opposed to an indoor private range. He doesn’t want to see berms or lanes on public lands, but hopes the BLM would approve allowing shooters help monitor and clean up the Dulzura-area shooting range to keep it accessible for everyone.

Vice Chairman William Herde proposed that Gbeh drat a letter to the federal agencies and bring it back to the group for approval at the next meeting on June 27th.


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Comments

Have always been a Jacobs supporter. No more

The careless action of the ultra small minority should not stop the freedoms of the majority. The people who target shoot pay for those BLM lands just the same as the ones that off road, hike, or camp. I have always been an avid supporter of Diane Jacobs but that has come to a swift end with her hard left turn to socialism. It is awful to see her dramatic change. There are hundreds of volunteers that will clean shooting areas of all the garbage that is mostly the fault illegal trash dumpers with shooters getting the blame. Responsibility not restrictions are the law of the land. Many people or killed from automotive accidents yet we don't make them illegal and driving is a privileged not a God given right like the 2nd Amendment.