Aspen Assists CPUC In Bringing WIFI To Siskiyou County
The rustic landscape view over looking the Klamath River along the Project route.
Highway 96 is a long, winding, two-lane road that matches the dramatic twists and turns of the Klamath River. The long stretch of road from Yreka to Happy Camp greets visitors with steep valley ridges, heavily forested mountains, and soaring bald eagles. The highway is sparsely populated with quaint homes, cattle ranches, and small towns dispersed throughout the rural area. With Pacific Coast Ranges to the north and Marble Mountain Wilderness, Six Rivers National Forest, and Klamath National Forest to the south, this region is a haven of pure, primitive backcountry.
Aspen Environmental Group’s monitors travel Highway 96 to reach the Siskiyou Telephone Company’s Happy Camp to Somes Bar Fiber Connectivity Project, funded by a grant from the California Advanced Service Grant Program, and ultimately the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Siskiyou Telephone Company is installing a fiber-optic broadband facility cable underground to bring reliable telephone and broadband service capability to underserved communities and tribal lands between Happy Camp and Somes Bar.
Active Osprey Nest observed with two adult birds tending to it.
The California Advance Services Fund (CASF) was established in December of 2007 to provide grants that support projects that provide broadband services to areas currently without these services by building facilities in underserved areas. Happy Camp, the starting point of the project, has a population of 1,190 individuals. Somes Bar, the endpoint, accounts for a mere 203 residents. There are approximately seven residences along the Project alignment. This underserved area is the missing middle-mile link that, once installed, will improve network reliability to the larger region by completing a critical fiber-optic link. Currently, residents have minimal effective use of cell phones, satellite, or radio due to the mountainous and remote location. Additionally, there are no land-based telephone or broadband services. The nearest amenities and emergency service providers are located 70 miles northeast, on Highway 96, in the town of Yreka.
The Project consists of 17 miles of directional boring for underground cable installation and the installation of above-ground utility boxes. Aspen completed the environmental review and document preparation for the Project and is currently conducting environmental monitoring. Nesting birds, wetland habitats, and sensitive amphibians are of primary concern to Aspen’s monitors. There are several active and historic osprey, bald eagle, cliff swallow, and northern spotted owl nests throughout the 17-mile stretch of the Project. These birds, along with black bear, coastal giant salamanders, banana slugs, turkey vultures, and red-tailed hawks make up just a few of the many species observed by biological monitors.
Of the many streams that cross the Project’s 17 miles, boring has recently occurred near Wyman Gulch. This is a stream that waterfalls down the mountainside, above the Project site, before flowing under the road and down the rest of the mountain to be received by the Klamath River. Wyman Gulch has a small natural pool that is dammed at its outflow to create a larger swimming hole during the summer months. This pool provides habitat for salamanders, frogs, and other water-loving species. The waters are now icy-cold, but it won’t be long before the hot summer days warm the water.