Opinion

  The original Earth Day on April 22, 1970, billed as “The First National Environmental Teach-In,” came about with the mounting concern that the global environment was slowly being disassembled. Humans were consuming natural resources faster than the planet could renew them and future sustainability of life on the planet, as it was then known, was questionable.

  Rapid population growth, disappearance of plant and animal species, and air and water pollution were combining to bring mounting pressure on the environment.

    The history of Plumas County has always included episodes of wildland fire. Some of it has been the result of lightning strikes, while other fires were the result of human activity, planned or otherwise.

  Long before the settlers arrived, the native Maidu used fire as a tool for understory clearing. Accidental fires became more frequent as greater numbers of humans interacted with the forest. Along the way, most of us lost our understanding of the beneficial natural role of fire in our environment. Instead, we embarked on a century-long campaign to eradicate all wildland fire, as quickly as possible, while minimizing any compensating activity to reduce the inevitable buildup of understory fuels in the forest. Our intentions were good, but the result wasn’t.

  Living in small-town America is a choice most of us make for specific reasons.

  We would rather avoid the hustle, bustle and traffic of busy cities. We prefer to greet the people we meet on downtown streets or while out shopping, instead of averting our eyes. We wave and give a friendly smile as we approach people or cars in the country — whether we know them or not.

  And we actually know who our neighbors are and look out for and interact with them on a regular basis.

  The key to solving the problems that plague Plumas County is visible from virtually every vantage point in the county — our national forests. Twenty years ago a group set out to grab that key and open the door that would protect the long-term viability of our communities.

  But many in that group are tired. Last week, the group that used to draw dozens to its monthly meeting could only muster a handful.