National Academy Report Cites Need For Research On
Animal Air Emissions

California - A National Academy of Science report on estimating emissions from animal feeding operations completed in July bolsters the dairy industry's contentions that more research is needed on quantifying air emissions coming from dairies before new rules are promulgated to control them. Proposed at the request of the EPA and the USDA the scientific report pointed to difficulty in estimating air emissions from animal feed operations (AFOs).

UC Davis professor Dr. Bob Flocchini who sat on the NAS committee who drafted the report agrees concerns over such emissions are recent "just in the past 3 or so years" and that USDA and colleges like UC Davis are just now focusing research efforts on quantifying the extent of the problem.

"Lots of time people are talking about the smell" of manure, says Flocchini who has recently been funded to carry out some valley research on dairy emissions he expects to publish in the next 6 months. "What we need is baseline of what we have out there" before improvements in management or control technology can be measured to compare to the baseline number, he says.

The prestigious NAS scientific report is likely to be put before judges as clear evidence that holding up dairy construction for a problem that has not been thoroughly quantified may not be justified.

Complaints by the California Farm Bureau over the recent settlement with the environmental group Earth Justice and EPA requiring farmers to meet provisions of the Clean Air Act point to the NAS study as proof that EPA has erred in requiring farmers to cut emissions. In a June 20 letter to the EPA the Farm Bureau argues that the NAS report demonstrates that regulators can't rely on the small amount of data available on air emissions, ammonia emissions factors and reactive organic gas emission factors. The state's California Air Resource Board adopted a number of 74 lbs/head/year as the basis for estimating ammonia emissions. In fact that is the basis of the environmental group Center for Race, Poverty and the Environment's legal challenge to a number of dairy permits including Tulare County. But the Farm Bureau letter points out the NAS report concluded this state adopted figure does not provide "a reasonable and appropriate estimate of emissions." The factor adopted by the CARB came from a 6-day field study of a single dairy, the Farm Bureau letter argues. Similarly, the reactive organic gas emission factors also adopted by CARB also was based on a single 1938 study - a study that "does not simulate conditions of modern dairies in California," says the Farm Bureau letter.

Pressing the EPA is a court ordered mandate to establish new water quality rules by December 2002. The final report will try to insure that the water quality rules don't have negative effect on air emissions.

The NAS reported noted that dairymen apply manure on crop land that decreases the leaching of nitrogen migration into ground water. To the degree these practices are encouraged or discouraged by regulation emission variability could result.

The report also suggests a wide variability in management practices, it suggests it is possible to do a statistical estimate of a subset of dairy farms with more research.

How much air emissions are the result of a dairy operation can depend, the report says, on animal type, nutrient inputs, manure handling practices, output of animal products, management of feed operations, confinement conditions, physical site characteristics, weather and climate.

The report suggested fault with an EPA model farm construction proposed to attempt to quantify emissions. But another method using mathematical modeling may be more useful says the interim report.

The bottom line - how do you put on best available control measures until you quantify the extent of the problem? Regulating emissions has been the argument that environmental groups like CRPE have been making calling for cutting air emissions at dairies - the single largest concern raised in public testimony and lawsuits brought against the industry.

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Pappas Plays Reduced Role In
Spanish TV Competition

Visalia - A hugely ambitious project to head up a new Spanish language TV network reaching the entire USA has resulted - at least to date - with far more modest returns for Visalia TV broadcaster Harry Pappas. The well-known owner of TV 26 announced nearly two years ago that his company - Pappas Telecasting - would own an 80% share of a new broadcast TV network with the big Mexican program producer TV Azteca partnering at the 20% level. Pappas Telecasting was billed as "the largest private owner of television stations in the US" and Mr. Harry Pappas himself was chairman and CEO for Azteca America - as the new network was called.

The project promised an equity investment of $500 million initially to help build a network of stations across the nation to reach the rapidly expanding market for Spanish language programing - said to be a $421 billion market.

Considered a sharp businessman, Mr. Pappas wasn't the only observer to note the potential in the Hispanic market in the US. As it turns out there are today five players working to build a Spanish language television network.

Now two years later the market for Spanish language TV is dominated by such players as the number one TV network in Mexico - Univision. Univision is now number one in the Spanish language US market with a reported 95% market penetration including Channel 21 Hanford locally. To try to crush any competition after the Azteca-Pappas deal was announced Univision launched a second Spanish language network in the US - Telefutura with Univision purchasing $1.1 billion worth of 12 full power TV stations across the US from Barry Diller just as Mr. Pappas was working to finance the Azteca network with the potential purchase of a number of stations to fulfill his promise to partner TV Azteca.

Mr. Pappas had vowed to contribute 10 stations to the network and in late 2000 had reportedly 7 stations under contract to purchase. Univision's purchase hurt the Pappas negotiations and all but one of those purchases fell by the wayside with Mr. Pappas losing substantial earnest money he had put up, say reliable sources.

For Mr. Pappas used to years of growth and success since he launched Channel 26 in Visalia in 1971, the loss came as a tough blow, say friends.

Meanwhile, Telemundo - then owned by Sony - has now been purchased by NBC and is aggressively pursuing the same target market.

Nearly two years later, Mr. Pappas has contributed only four stations of the 10 promised and the deal with partner TV Azteca is off. Last October it was announced that the 80-20% split was out and that Azteca America network was now a wholly owned subsidy of Mexican-owned TV Azteca.

Mr. Pappas now splits revenues at the Azteca affiliates he owns - LA, San Francisco, Reno and Houston - and has sold a 25% stake in some of those stations to Azteca - the most a foreign business can own. Mr. Pappas said the sale of the 25% stock brought in $75 million apparently helping to stem loses the company suffered from the stations he had under contract that he was unable to buy in places like Miami, New York, El Paso and Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Azteca network continues to pursue expansion through other affiliates - not Pappas - and recently announced four new affiliates in three markets taking the percentage to a 31% coverage of the US market.

"We are working with other affiliates - not Pappas - to expand in the US," says Azteca America's Roland Villeareal - a move that would "give us a little more credibility as the number three network."

Villeareal says they are working on a plan to cover the huge San Joaquin Valley market where Hispanic population runs at a 50% level in some areas. "We expect to be in that market," says Villeareal.

In fact, the Azteca network, sources say, is working with an affiliate, but not Pappas Telecasting. A company is considering buying two low power stations available in the Valley - one in Bakersfield and one in Fresno to broadcast in the Azteca signal - a deal awaiting Azteca approval, sources say.

The Azteca network signal would compete against Univision - Channel 21 as well as a new Telefutura station recently purchased - Channel 61 from Porterville (currently PAX TV) that is expected to go on the air by the end of 2002.

Not to be outgunned Telemundo who has NBC backing them up now will upgrade their signal to a reported 5 million watts - the most powerful UHF signal you can get when they move their tower above Fresno.

Now there will be four Spanish language powerhouses in this Hispanic market but Mr. Pappas - if this prediction comes true - will not be part of them.

Not that Mr. Pappas has nothing to show for his considerable effort. Four TV stations owned by Pappas Telecasting are broadcasting the Azteca signal. Included in those two are LA's Channel 54 and a San Francisco station. According to a recent Azteca America release, Channel 54 in LA has increased its Nielsen's rating from 6.5 % in March to 8.7% in May with plans by Pappas to put a local TV news on the air to boost ratings later in the evenings. Pappas has the broadcast signal on its Houston and Reno TV stations.

All this according to Mr. Luis Echarte who is now CEO of Azteca America.

Still the Hispanic market has seen a retreat with plenty of comers including Hispanic Television Network - a start-up TV network from Texas that filed for bankruptcy late last month.

As for TV Azteca, Mr. Villeareal says there are plenty of small stations looking for more revenue than offering home shopping, religious or other paid programing who might consider affiliating.

Indeed, in the Valley there is a surprising 52 low and full power TV stations on the UHF dial - free TV stations (as opposed to cable TV) available to the Valley viewer if they put up the old rabbit ears. And you thought cable TV has a lot of stations, which of course they do.

But dividing the Spanish language or even the English language market into many players leaves a small piece of pie in the end.

Azteca has an uphill battle with or without Pappas Telecasting against muscle bound competition like Univision that now owns 46 broadcast TV stations in the US and has 33 other US affiliates and Telemundo who owns 23 stations with affiliates in 60 markets.

That compared to only a handful of stations that TV Azteca is affiliated with.

To make it even harder for this up-start network to have been successful, Azteca and Pappas were launching this initiative just as the stock market had peaked. Last August Pappas' assistant Michael Angelos was quoted in Hispanic Business that "it's no secret that financial markets tanked late last year, which couldn't have helped." Still you've got to give the Pappas group top marks for moxie for pursuing a really big dream even if the pieces to the puzzle haven't come together.

Incidently, don't look for all these Spanish language stations to get on the local cable system since many Hispanic's don't have cable. "They like free TV," says a local media source.

Mr. Pappas was unavailable for comment.

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The Beauty of Allensworth

by Elizabeth F. van Mantgem

The Dusty Allure

Allensworth - On a sweaty summer day, it's hard to imagine the allure of visiting the historic town of Allensworth. It seems dusty and desolate on the southwestern corner of Tulare County, smack in the middle of some of the flattest land in the world. Approximately 8 miles Southwest of Earlimart on highway 43, Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park (CASHP) appears at first glance as a stereotypical Old West ghost town, complete with tumbleweeds, fence lizards, abandoned shacks and dilapidated railroad cars.

Regardless of this stark first impression, thousands of people love the place, both for its beauty and for the concepts that it embodies: equality and freedom. It's a place where minorities, blacks in particular, have really lived and prospered, without the incredible frustrations of segregation.

The Minority's Wild West

In organizing an economically productive, socially progressive town in the 1910's, the people of Allensworth spectacularly refuted the fallacy that Blacks were genetically inferior. In this township, Blacks freely bought property, governed, and pursued interesting careers. Without the interference of racism, the town started several intellectual societies, including the Debating Society, a symphony orchestra, and the Women's Improvement League. Black businessmen, farmers, educators, and health care workers invested their lives in the land, bringing the population to a high of over 300 prosperous families in only a few short years.

James Calbert, current resident of Oakland and born in 1920, remembers being a young boy living in the historic district of Allensworth from 1930 to 1934, right in the Hackett House, which is currently under reconstruction on Stowe Street. He remembers buying Babe Ruths at the Hindsman General Store for a nickel a bar and swimming in canals that no longer exist. Of the wildlife, he remembers that horned toads were common, much to the delight of young boys, and lightning bugs were everywhere. It was a fantastic place to live, a sentiment shared by other living ex-residents, and their memories help state archeologists and historians reconstruct this bustling time-period and circumstance.

According to Mr. Calbert, the most important reason to visit the historic town is to discover history from a new perspective, a minority perspective. So much of what is known about the settling of our country is biased by racism, that many of the positive contributions of minority figures are irretrievably forgotten. Allensworth is a chance to remember a good, significant chunk of how African-Americans fit into the western puzzle. The place will give you the flavor of what those days were all about.

This important chunk of history wouldn't exist but for a few progressive thinkers, the members of the California Colony & Home Promoting Association (CCHPA). Without them, the entire town would probably have been incorporated into a nearby farm for growing alfalfa, cotton, or corn. Luckily, the dream town became real in 1908, when this prominent group of Los Angeles black leaders sealed a 20,000-acre land deal with Tulare County.

The group was under the guidance of a former slave, Colonel Allen Allensworth, and four of his colleagues: Professor William Payne, an educator and administrator, John W. Palmer, a miner, William Peck, a minister, and Harry Mitchel, a real estate expert. It was the first California town to be governed, financed, and operated completely by African-Americans.

The Colonel (1842-1914) is the most famous of the Allensworth founders, with an amazing list of accomplishments on his resume. An escaped slave, he fought with the Union Army during the civil war. During his military career, he also served in the Spanish American War, as well as the Philippine Liberation. During his free years, he and his brother owned and operated some lucrative St. Louis restaurants. Allen Allensworth was also free to pursue a formal education in theology and education.

By 1877, Allen Allensworth had become a minister, and he had married Josephine Leavell, a schoolteacher and pianist. In 1886, he was offered the prestigious position of chaplain in the 24th Army infantry of the U.S. colored troops. He retired to Los Angeles in 1906 with the highest rank for a black officer (Lieutenant and Colonel) and the highest rank achieved by any Army chaplain of the period. In his retirement, he dedicated his life to improving the social status of African-Americans through education and economics at Allensworth.

The women of Allensworth were no less involved than the CCHPA founders in establishing the town. The Colonel's wife, Josephine Leavell Allensworth, was the main impetus for the creation of a town library. Mary Jane Bickers ran the first store in town, supplied weekly by train from Fresno, Stockton, and San Francisco. Ms. Bickers also became the first postmistress in 1909, conducting business right from her own house, which also served as a restaurant. Others worked as librarians, teachers, hotelkeepers, midwives, and more, all essential roles for a productive community. The women of Allensworth drew some of their inspiration from the words and written works of such outspoken black leaders as Lydia Flood Jackson, Mary Church Terrell, and Ida B. Wells.

With so many people working together toward success, it's hard to believe the town could deteriorate, but a combination of events seems to have lead to its near demise, none of which reflect poorly on Allensworth's citizens. The start of the decline came with the Colonel's death in 1914 in Los Angeles, where he was fatally struck by a motorcycle. Suspicion of foul play colors most descriptions of the event, but as Vera Botelho, Historical Researcher for CASHP, points out, it's easy to imagine anyone absentmindedly stepping off of a streetcar in L.A., directly into the path of the 1914 traffic. With the Colonel's death, Oscar Overr, a major Allensworth landowner who studied law, and Professor Payne stepped up as leaders of the town.

Ms. Botelho said that the major cause for the town's slow demise was the increasingly inadequate water supply, brought on by upstream diversion and ground pumping for agriculture. The same problem overwhelmed towns through the entire San Joaquin Valley, where water really was more precious than gold, much like today.

Another heavy blow to the Allensworth economy was the 1914 construction of a $10 million dollar Santa Fe railroad spur diverting business away from Allensworth to the town of Alpaugh, compliments of the affluent Spreckles sugar beet empire. Historian Botelho said she suspects that being rich, white and politically influential clearly benefited the town of Alpaugh, while directly hurting Allensworth through racially weighted competition.

Because Allensworth's water was depleted and its train depot was bypassed, people were financially forced to leave town through the 1920's and 1930's. Add World War I to the equation and the population was further depleted. The war deprived the town of its young men through the draft and wartime jobs away from home. The town of Allensworth basically suffered because there was no leverage to prosper without adequate resources and manpower. Although it continued to exist as a social and productive community for a while, the odds against it were too overwhelming. The result is that the remaining town of Allensworth, existing on the southern outskirts of the historic district, is nothing like the social and economic hub that was envisioned by the CCHPA founders.

Living History

By impressing racial equality on the United States and the West through example rather than rhetoric, the town of Allensworth in its prime became an inspiration for future generations. Now, in 2002, people come from all over California and the country to absorb the Allensworth ambience that combines freedom with equality and integrity.

People come for the rich cultural and natural histories that continue to thrive here. They visit for the sense of community it gives to the people involved with the restoration and upkeep of the historic town, and they love it as an inspiring symbol of African-American independence, against all the historically conventional and racist odds.

Happily, every year there are at least seven rousing celebrations at the park for greeting the Allensworth visitors. The combination of these annual events is an excellent year long introduction to black California history, teaching through live music, event-specific news, and guests of honor, as well as docent (Friends of Allensworth) and ranger guided tours of the historic town. The special events include a Black History Month Celebration in February, Women's Victory Day (March), Gospelfest (April), Old Time Jubilee (May), Juneteenth (June), Founder's Day (August 10, 2002), and the Annual Rededication Ceremony in October (Oct.12th & 13th, 2002). Call the park for more details on these events at (661)849-3433 or (661)248-6692.

In contrast to the throngs of people during celebration days, off-days in the park seem solitary. But those quiet days are the days to privately enjoy the historic significance of the place, as well as the scenery and wildlife. Even when the human party has gone home, there's a host of ongoing animal activity.

If you look into the low vegetation around you, you'll see that this scrubby environment is a party place for several interesting animal species, like whip-tail lizards, cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, loggerhead shrikes and burrowing owls. In the winter, sand-hill cranes fly overhead, white-crowned sparrows sing plaintively, and long-billed curlews forage in the fields. In the summer, owl fledglings are learning to fly, gopher snakes are hunting, and ground squirrel pups are wrestling amongst themselves.

The 244-acre historic park was founded in 1976, thanks in part to the efforts of Willie Brown, then Speaker of the House, and Cornelius Ed Pope, who worked for the state as an architect. Col. Allensworth State Historic Park now welcomes tired travelers with a comfortable campground, conveniently equipped with hot showers, bathrooms, and barbeque pits. The historic town core now consists of a hotel, a library, a church, a school, Colonel Allen Allensworth's house, a grocery store, and several other historic buildings and historic sites to be toured at your leisure. A few new historic structures are well under construction and plans will see at least nine more buildings finished by 2008.

Because the state holds Allensworth as a top-priority park, it gets first consideration for funding. The result is that there are several full-time rangers and support staff stationed there, with newly hired staff on the way. Significant land acquisitions are in store for the future, along with the mandatory cultural and natural history management planning that comes with expansion.

Allensworth Revisited

The grassland and scrub habitats on which the historic park is situated are perfect for several California special status species, like kit foxes, blunt-nosed leopard lizards, kangaroo rats, and burrowing owls. On the southern edge of the historic park sits a modern town of Allensworth, with a school and approximately 100 families in residence. While the majority of Allensworth's current residents are Hispanic instead of Black, their presence lends the town its fetching nickname, "the town that refuses to die." However you decide to interprete that phrase, either literally, spiritually or both, it's worth a visit to the area before finalizing your opinion. Visit and learn, then come back to CASHP again. You'll find yourself appreciating the significance of the town's bold efforts toward equality.

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Options Could Mean New Life For
Exeter Memorial Hospital

Exeter - There could still be life support for the shuttered Exeter Memorial Hospital, according to officials of Kaweah Delta District Hospital which owns the 50-plus bed facility.

Lindsay Mann, CEO of KDDH told the Voice the district, which has retained the hospital’s license, is considering selling or leasing the old hospital at the intersection of Crespi and San Juan. Mann said serious consideration is being given to three options, a skilled nursing facililty, a residential assisted living complex or a Veteran’s residential facility. Mann told KDDH board members this week that the Veterans Administration had made inquiry about the possibility of using the old hospital as a veterans residential facility but no details were discussed. Other that the Veterans Administration inquiry Mann did not disclose to the Voice what other entities are interested nor did he indicate if consideration is being given to KDDH being involved in any joint venture.

“Right now we are looking into what might be done to put this facility back into productive use,” said Mann, who met with Exeter City Manager Roy Chase prior to this week’s KDDH board meeting. No action was taken at that meeting.

Chase said he is preparing a memo to the Exeter City Council outing the options which KDDH officials discussed with him. Chase said reopening the single-story facility would certainly be a favorable economic move, since many of the former local employees of Exeter Memorial had to travel out of town for other jobs.

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