THEATER:'rm aVep'hastw o actors pay m any ro es MORE IN WEEKENDER: Darryl Worley hits BlackOakstage tonight; Open peading puts spotlight on 'Sequoia the Storyteller'
THE MOl HERLODE'8 LEADING INFORMATION SOURCE SINCE1854 • SONORA, CALIFORNIA
THURSDA Y
NOVEMBER 19, 2015
Numdersdown
TOD AY'S READER BOARD
Salmon struggle inlocal rivers
KNIGHTS FERRY
BRIEFING
.„- n
i /u .
By LACEY PETERSON The Union Democrat s
Festive adornmentS — Dianne Stearns paints holiday adornments on windows Wednesday in downtown Sonora.A2
WeatherForecasts unclear for Thanksgiving.A2
DOnatiOn —Calaveras Community Foundation gets donation from neighboring community group.A2
Grab for CashAnnual Black Oak Casino events nets more than $15,000 for local nonprofits.A3
FEMA aid- Deadline nears for Butte Fire victims to sign up for FEMA aid.A3
Columbia College — Dormitories up to code as study highlights fire safety.AS
Suspect sought — Police urge public to come forward about driver of white Isuzu. AS
Tioga HighT hieves target recyclables, cut camera.AS
NEWS ELSEWHERE • PHYSICIAN' S FAREWELL:Dr. Terril Spitze will say goodbye after 37 years in practice.B1 • DENTAL TECH: Sonora prosthodontist brings new technology to practice.B1
SPORTS • JUMP START NEEDED:Columbia Claim Jumpers return to action tonight.C1 • TCAM:Swimmers participate in open water events.C1
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Joey, the Knights Ferry camel that hundreds of people visit every year, has died. Joey, 10, was owned by Lisa and Fred Dolling, of Knights Ferry. He stood in their farm's corner lot and gaineda sortoffam e for greeting passersby for nine years. He's mentioned on biking websites and various other websitesthat listsightsto see
By GUY McCARTHY The Union Democrat
Two hundred years ago, before there were any dams in the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced watersheds, hundreds of thousands of salmon and other migrating fish teemed in the open, unrestrained rivers.
On the Stanislaus River,
in the area.
chinook salmon and
rrrs
Joey died Sunday, Nov. 8, in the early evening. For a few days prior, he had been a little lethargic and wouldn't eat. Lisa Dolling grew concerned and called the vet out, but the vet couldn't pinpoint
s t eel-
head troutranged as fareast and up in the mountains to just below where Beardsley Dam is now. Today, they only get as far as Goodwin Dam, above Knights Ferry, 40 miles downstream.
On the Tuolumne River, salmon and steelhead climbed the river high in the mountainsto points east ofGroveland. Today, they make it as far as La Grange Dam, below Don Pedro Reservoir, about 30 miles downstream. On the Merced River, migrating fis swam and jumped upstream as far as El Portal
the cause.
T hey aren't sure i f someone fed him something that didn't agree with his stomach, or if it was just his time. The averageli fespan of a camel r anges from 17 t o 4 0 years, according to online sources. "I'm not saying someone fed him something," Dolling said. "Animals and people die, so who's to
near the entrance to Yosem-
ite National Park. Today, they can get to Crocker Diversion Dam east of Snelling, 40 miles
e
say?
downstream.
Dolling checked on him Sunday afternoon and
and bouquets stretched
These days, salmon and steelhead populations are fractions of what they used to be in Mother Lode rivers, thanks to factors including drought, competition for scarce water, man-made obstructionsand regulated river flows. "They' re all struggling and they' re way less abundant than they should be," Zachary Jackson, a fisheries biologist and habitatrestoration coor-
See JOEY/Back Page
See SALMON / Back Page
PLEASE Cit
went to run some errands.
Purchasephotos online at www.uniondemocrat.corn.
When she returned, Joey had died. " It j us t b r oke o u r hearts," she said tearfully. "I cry just thinking about him." The Dollings got Joey nine years ago from a rancher in Oakdale who
Joey, the camel of Knights Ferry, died Nov. 8 at age 10.
often has random animals
forsale.The year prior to buying Joey, the couple bought a zonkey (zebra-
donkey) named Zippy from the same ranch. Over time, Joey accumulated quite a following and becamepartofthelocalattractions. "He really is famous," Dolling said. Thousands of people have stopped and taken his picture.
Lacey Peterson / Union Democrat
"He was so sweet. He loved people and people loved him," Lisa Dolling said Wednesday. Animal fame runs in the family — Dolling's uncle, Walt Taylor, owned Cricket, the locally famous horse that lived in a pasture along Highway 108 near Lover's Leap.
The 36-year-old buckskin horse became something of a local legend by standing by the side of Highway 108 for more than 30 years. Cricket died on Jan. 1, 1993, and a m emorial of cards,letters
Butte Eire Community helpers: More fire Crews continue removal of
assistanceis always needed
fire debris, hazardous waste
By JASON COWAN
By GUY McCARTHY
have electricity. You want to stay as
The Union Democrat
long as you can without putting yourself in danger." Sara Watson wanted to help. Power returned on Sept. 11, alBut she could not leave her home lowing for flexibility with the plans. in Plymouth, just miles north of the Shortly following, Watson and her Amador-Calaveras border,during the daughter decided to help out at onset of the Butte Fire. Laughton Ranch in Jackson under the Instead, Watson and her family pretense that they would probably be stood by the door, bags packed, with- feeding animals or cleaning stalls. As out power, under voluntary evacu- they arrived though, they saw how ation orders, waiting for a change in badly help was needed. "When we got there, I realized the status that would determine the next move. volume of what was going on. Over the "We were just sitting at home, wor- course of the two weeks there, we had rying and wondering and worrying 857 animals come through there," said and wondering," Watson said. 'We Watson, who added that she assumed wanted to help, but weren't able to leave our home because we didn' t See HELP/Back Page
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Hellohumankindness™
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The Union Democrat
Officials monitoring Butte Fire recoveryefforts said Wednesday that 93 propertieshave been cleared of burn debris, and 733 properties have been cleared of hazardous waste materials in Calaveras County. In late September, local, state and contractedofficials set a targetdate for completing property cleanups by Jan. 1. There are 25 debris removal crews working seven days a week, weather permitting, Calaveras County officials said. The crews are working in west and central Jesus Maria areas, as well as Old Gulch, Wendell, Moke
Weather Page C6
ON PAGE A6:Lawmakers focus on power lines as top cause of wildfires
Hill, East Murray Creek, Avenue A, W hiskeySlideand Hawver Road areas.
Hazardous waste removal is being monitored by state and environmental protection agencies.
"Air monitoring will continue to
ensure airborne contaminants are
contained," Calaveras County officials said. "However, residents are
reminded that dust and ash may contain concentrated levels of heavy metals, asbestos, and other harmf'ul materials and care should be taken See DEBRIS / Back Page
Today:High ee, Low aa
Friday:High Sa, Low 39 Saturday:High 71, Low 39
Dignity Health,. Mark Twain Medical Center
s
511 5 3 0 0 10 3
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