A Brief History of the San Juan Ridge Taxpayers Association:
The roots of the Taxpayers Association go back to 1972 when a few dozen local residents founded the San Juan Ridge Study Group to explore issues of community concern. Meetings focused on issues such as county planning and building department policies, permits and code requirements for owner/builders; fire preparedness; forestry practices; and involvement with the Ridge’s public schools. In 1975 the group founded the SJRTA, membership includes residents and non-resident landowners of the San Juan Ridge and other concerned citizens (bylaws). The Association accomplishes its purpose by research, education, analysis, community outreach and advocacy. Our current focus is the proposed reopening of the San Juan Ridge Mine.
Mission Statement:
The primary purpose of the San Juan Ridge Taxpayers Association is to promote the environmental, social and economic well-being of the San Juan Ridge community, located in Nevada County, California.
Issues that the association has been involved in include:
1977 to 1985: SJRTA represents the community for the eight years that Placer Service Corporation is applying for permits to conduct exploratory gold mining operations and an open-pit mine in the North Columbia diggings.
1980: The association provides community input into Nevada County’s 1980 General Plan.
1980 to present: SJRTA hosts “Meet the Candidates” forums for supervisor, sheriff, and other county-wide electoral races.
1984: SJRTA responds to a proposal by CitiGold American, Ltd., for an open-pit cyanide leach heap mine near Sweetland.
1985: SJRTA ensures that environmental and community protection measures are included in a use permit for exploratory mining in the North Columbia diggings by Coastal Mining Company.
1985–1986: The association works to draft a “noise element” and “minerals management element” for the 1980 General Plan.
1989: Despite hundreds of hours of SJRTA efforts in hammering out yet another use permit for exploratory mining in the diggings, county planning commissioners approve a new permit that contains intolerable noise levels and other unacceptable conditions. SJRTA files an appeal with the Board of Supervisors, but the appeal provides little relief from the onerous use permit.
1990–1993: The association is involved in the update to Nevada County’s General Plan, doing what it can to protect the rural quality of the San Juan Ridge in the face of strong pro-development forces on the planning commission and board of supervisors.
1994: SJRTA sets up a series of social get-togethers and meetings with its members and residents of Ananda Village. Prior to this, the relationship between the groups has been strained due to SJRTA opposition to Ananda’s sustained efforts to create more dense zoning versus taxpayers’ efforts to maintain rural zoning.
1992–1997: SJRTA’s Mining Committee recognizes that a project proposed by Siskon Gold Corporation for an underground mine might be less damaging than previous open-pit mine proposals. The committee crafts a use permit with Siskon and the county and spends thousands of hours riding herd on the project and the agencies responsible for monitoring it.
2012: San Juan Ridge Mine applies for a permit to reopen mine. History of mining on this property.
2012-2016: SJRTA mounts a vigorous campaign opposing the re-opening of the mine. In 2016, Nevada County closes San Juan Ridge Mine permit application.
2020-2024: SJRTA submits extensive scoping comments on the proposed reopening of the Idaho-Maryland Mine in Grass Valley, signs onto a coalition of organizations opposing the project and is represented by President Sol Henson speaking against the mine at county Planning Commission and Supervisors’ meetings.
2016-2023: SJRTA monitors the San Juan Ridge Mine property, remaining in contact with property ownership and exploring options for alternative use. Additionally SJRTA becomes more active in addressing wildfire in the region: hosting fire awareness events, coordinating with Firewise Communities, and advocating for the use of prescribed fire in the community.
Board of Directors:
Sol Henson, President – I have been assisting the Taxpayers with the water supply based issues on the mine. I was raised on the San Juan Ridge and attended Grizzly Hill School from 1993 to 1997 and have a childhood full of memories attending community events and spending time at the river on the ridge. I received a master’s degree in hydrology at UC Davis in 2004. Since then I have worked in Ethiopia and Uganda on community development projects and with the group Sierra Streams Institute in Nevada City as a staff researcher. Recently I returned to Grizzly Hill School to substitute teach and to support the school that prepared me so well.
Sara Greensfelder, Secretary – Sara has lived on the San Juan Ridge for 49 years, and as a homesteader, raised her two children here. Working primarily in the non-profit world, she was one of the earliest directors of the North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center in the 1980’s, and went on to help establish and direct the California Indian Basketweavers Association. Sara joined the SJRTA board in 2012, and serves as secretary and media coordinator.
Cedar Hennings – I have been a lifelong resident of Nevada County and called the San Juan Ridge home for 30 years. I’ve been a sawyer, a woodworker, and a general contractor for much of that time. I am committed to land stewardship and community awareness around land use issues. I would like the opportunity to join the board of the Taxpayers Association and get more involved in playing a helpful role in our diverse community.
Kim Smith has lived on the San Juan Ridge since 1997. She served on the board of the North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center for several years, and looks forward to having the opportunity to serve her community in this way once again. She is interested in helping to continue the efforts made by the SJRTA to educate and assist this area we call home to become as fire safe as possible.was born in upstate New York and spent many of his earlier years searching for a community to call home. Daniel has a diverse background of small business management, commercial orchid cultivation and culinary arts. He found his way (back) to California and Nevada County around 2010. Seeking refuge from a faltering economy he found the San Juan Ridge to be a welcoming and vibrant homesteading community.
Jeff Lauder is a recent (re-)transplant to Nevada County, having lived and worked here from 2011-2015. He is completing a PhD in forest ecology, drought, and tree physiology this Spring, and is transitioning into work with Sierra Streams Institute and other local organizations on issues related to forest health, drought resilience, fire resilience, and general environmental management. He has worked on forest management in tropical and temperate forests, stream health and water quality, phytoremediation (the use of plants to clean up heavy metals from mine waste), and monitoring of rare and endangered plants and amphibians. Having grown up in Southern California and spent his formative years hiking, camping, and backpacking in the Sierra, Jeff is intimately familiar with Sierra ecosystems. Jeff and his wife Alicia, who works in child development, jumped at the opportunity to return to Nevada County, and the San Juan Ridge in particular, and are excited to be a part of this unique community. Jeff’s interests in serving on the SJRTA board lie in providing information and capacity related to forest management, education (in consultation with Alicia!), and community engagement with these issues. Jeff’s goal as a member of the SJRTA board is to provide unbiased scientific input on issues of interest to the San Juan Ridge, including mine impacts and fuels reduction. While they are new in town, Jeff and Alicia are familiar with and love the Ridge, and Jeff is enthusiastic to do his part to serve the community.
Brian Vogelgesang became a resident of the San Juan Ridge in 2019 and has been spending time in the area for the prior 10 years. Backpacking in the Sierra Foothills and spending time on the Yuba River has always been his draw to the area. Being a new steward of land locally, he has brought his focus to working with the forest through controlled burns and clearing. Brian has assisted with several community organized burns on the Ridge along with participating in the Yuba-Bear Burn Cooperative. He’s excited to play his part in being a good steward to the forest and continue deepening his participation within the community.
Contact Information:
San Juan Ridge Taxpayers Association
P.O. Box 421, North San Juan, CA 95960
(530) 210-0509
info@sjrtaxpayers.org