Ione creek committee schedules Fish and Wildlife site visit, seeks permit amendment and funding options

The Ione Creek Committee discussed plans to amend its Fish and Game permit, scheduled a site visit with California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff for next Thursday at 10:00 a.m., and reviewed persistent erosion and blockages along Spring Creek that members said are threatening banks and nearby homes.

Committee members told the meeting they have been coordinating with agency staff and volunteers to remove fallen trees, clear debris and seek a permit amendment that would allow additional work this summer. "The update is we actually, we have things going on in the creek right now," a committee member said during the presentation. Members said California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff — including Zach Kern and a newly introduced staffer, Haley Donaldson — plan to walk the creek with the committee to identify locations for potential removal or stabilization work.

The permit and timeline were a central concern. Committee members said the current Fish and Game permit for creek work expires in April and that they will seek an extension that would cover another five years; one member said staff advised starting the extension by February to avoid a shorter renewal window. The committee discussed fast-tracking specific removals — such as large trees that threaten banks near residential properties — while noting agency approval will be required.

Residents described severe bank erosion in several locations. One homeowner recounted emergency work: "The rancher gave us the rock for free, and we paid a crew $16,000, and we went ahead and dumped it on our bank," the resident said, explaining why they felt forced to place riprap to protect their property. Committee speakers pointed out that some storm drains and engineered fixes elsewhere (including an emergency riprap repair near a city yard) have altered flow patterns, accelerating erosion downstream.

Technical concerns raised at the meeting included a storm drain that was dug too deep and now allows backflow when creek levels rise; a committee speaker said the drain was "built or dug in 17 feet deep" and that the incorrect construction has reduced its effectiveness. Members also noted an island forming in the channel, deep undercut banks (one oak tree’s root-zone was described as 15 feet deep), and debris jams that split the creek flow and erode banks near homes and a trailer park.

Committee members discussed resources and next steps. Stacy, a city staff member who spoke at the meeting, offered to post a Google map of access points and to put permits and engineering documents on a city website link so the group can track sites and documents between meetings: "What I'll do is I'll get you guys a big Google map of the creek, and we'll put it up every meeting," she said. Members also discussed soliciting donated riprap from local quarries and noted Cal Fire or other agency crews could do larger removals; volunteers or high-school community-service crews were discussed for less hazardous tasks, subject to liability waivers.

Funding possibilities were raised: a member said she had researched grant opportunities and found programs that could contribute substantial sums — including grants at roughly the million-dollar scale — if the committee develops a comprehensive project and hires an experienced grant writer. The group identified Debbie Mackey (who previously secured a grant for Howard Park) as a potential local contact with grant experience.

The committee took no formal action to award contracts or accept donations at the meeting. Formal actions recorded during the session were administrative: approval of the meeting agenda, election of a chair and vice chair, and adjournment. Members volunteered to engage county staff about regional drainage mitigation and to coordinate with Fish and Wildlife for the on-site assessment. Several public commenters urged the committee to press the county to require mitigation funding for downstream impacts from new development.

The committee said it will walk the creek with Fish and Wildlife staff next Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and will pursue a permit extension before April; members also planned to compile access maps and engineering documents and to continue exploring grants and donated riprap as potential funding sources.