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b"A Ponderosa pine tree in Potter Valley, and the decades\\u2019 old bald eagle nest high in its branches, appear to be safe from PG&E crews that tried to remove them two years in a row due to their proximity to powerlines. Now, after protesters from all over the state joined local activists and a nearby tribe to ensure that the tree remained standing, PG&E has declared that its \\u201cpreferred solution\\u201d is to bury the lines. That would obviate the utility\\u2019s stated safety concerns about the tree possibly falling onto the line and sparking a fire. The pine, which is dying and shows damage from a beetle infestation, did not budge during the recent series of atmospheric rivers, though other trees went down all over the county.\\n\\nJoseph Seidell, a tenant on the property, grew to love the birds. Their nest is just a few yards from the driveway on one side, and a few more yards away from the public road on another, making them local celebrities in the bird-watching community. Seidell started a GoFundMe campaign to underground the lines last year, but it fizzled. \\n\\n\\u201cIt made the most sense,\\u201d he said. \\u201cIt was a very obvious solution because the nest was very happily sitting up there with plenty of years to go, according to the arborist. So we said, why should we take it down? It\\u2019s provided all this habitat, and there\\u2019s an obvious solution to put the lines underground. PG&E didn\\u2019t want to burden the expense, so we started a fundraiser. And we weren\\u2019t raising the money. It was a very large amount of money, close to a quarter million dollars\\u2026finally we found out recently that they said they were going to do it, through a lot of pressure\\u2026this would be the perfect win, win, win: win for the eagles, win for you, and win for us.\\u201d\\n\\nPolly Girvin is an environmental and social justice advocate who has long been affiliated with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. She marveled at the effectiveness of the seven activists who kept vigil at the tree for over a week, saying, \\u201cI really want to say, it was the seven valiant souls who endured an atmospheric river downpour for seven days to document that the nest was active, and to stay until the federal nesting protective period under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife regulations was activated, which was January 16th.\\u201d\\n\\nOn January 11, activists rebuffed an attempt by PG&E crews to cut down the tree, just hours before the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, requesting government to government consultations. Congressman Jared Huffman also weighed in, telling us that he has \\u201chad deep concerns about Fish and Wildlife\\u2019s ability to fulfill its mission with integrity for a number of years\\u2026If this was a permit U.S. Fish and Wildlife had to grant; if the law, facts and science compelled them,\\u201d he insisted; \\u201cThey should have included tribal consultation. But they dropped the ball.\\u201d\\n\\nSome neighbors say they remember first seeing the nest, which is just across the Eel River from Cape Horn Dam, in the mid-eighties. It\\u2019s consistently produced young, though not every year, and PG&E biologists believe that in some years, the pair has used an alternate nest site less than a mile away. But last year, the pair fledged at least one eaglet in the much-contested nest. This year, they returned, shortly after U.S. Fish and Wildlife issued the permit to take it down. \\n\\nBut Peter Galvin, who is the director of programs and co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as a member of EPIC, the Environmental Protection Information Center, wondered if the agency had satisfied all the requirements before giving PG&E the nod.\\n\\n\\u201cI suggested we look into whether the Section 106 Consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act had been done,\\u201d he recalled; \\u201cand because EPIC had been working closely with the Coyote Valley Band on the Jackson Demonstration State Forest, they already had good communications set up. And just maybe ten or fifteen minutes after the inquiry, the answer came back no. No, that didn\\u2019t happen, and they're concerned about this and they\\u2019re upset that that didn\\u2019t happen. So we caucused further and by later that day, the tribe had sent in a letter of objection that they had not received the necessary and legally required government to government consultation. We found out further that the Fish and Wildlife Service had issued a permit in early January for this action, only days after sending a letter, asking if the Coyote Valley Band had any concerns, and that this letter was sent over the holidays, and they didn\\u2019t wait for a response, and it turned out they did have concerns.\\u201d \\n\\nLinda Marlin, the owner of the property where the eagle tree resides, said last week that PG&E was preparing an easement document for her to sign, so that the work can commence. PG&E had shut off electric power to the property, and was supplying generators and fuel to the residents. A fuel delivery truck had damaged the driveway during one of the storms, and Marlin reported that the company was repairing the damage, \\u201cas we speak.\\u201d\\n\\nIn a statement, PG&E spokesperson Megan McFarland confirmed that the company is \\u201cworking with the property owner on options and next steps;\\u201d and wrote that Ron Richardson, PG&E\\u2019s Vice President for the North Coast, had visited the site and spoken with community members and the company\\u2019s tribal relations representative. Richardson is quoted in the statement saying, \\u201cUndergrounding is now PG&E\\u2019s preferred solution for the lines on the Potter Valley property and we are working with the landowner in an attempt to secure the necessary land rights. This solution allows us to protect our hometowns while also taking into account the values of our local tribe, property owners and environmental advocates.\\u201d McFarland added that PG&E has also installed wildlife cameras on the site to monitor the nest, to \\u201censure that any current or planned PG&E work on the property is not disruptive.\\u201d\\n\\nGirvin summed it up: \\u201cSo basically, this boils to a direct action, front line, a tribal assertion of sovereignty, legal assistance, and many, many concerned citizens expressing their desire to not see this tree come down. So I\\u2019ll say, once again, it takes a village.\\u201d"