by Dr Richard Gierak 1/30/11

Perhaps we are dealing with an urban legend when a large segment of the citizenry of Siskiyou County were under the premise that Walmart would not go super size. Now, we are told that WalMart is planning on doing just that and it will be completed by January of 2012. Have we all forgotten the number of businesses that closed after Walmart opened its doors in Yreka. The various grocery stores that are in Yreka would be devastated by a super size Walmart and would probably go under. Perhaps Walmart could absorb all of the employees that would lose their jobs, however, the union grocery stores would now be replaced by a non-union one. This would of course mean that their wages would take a terrible hit and their retirements might vanish.

Walmart, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), created Acres for America, a 10-year, $35 million commitment to purchase and preserve one acre of wildlife habitat in the U.S. for every acre of land developed by the company. Shasta Big Spring Ranch, Calif.: The Nature Conservancy will use this $750,000 grant to acquire more than 4,000 acres in the Shasta Big Spring Ranch in Northern California. The property includes six miles of Klamath River tributaries. The property is adjacent to 2,000 acres of ranches that are also protected by conservation easements. Although this sounds laudable I wonder what property owners, ranchers and farmers think about this

I believe that competition is the basis of our economy, however, a Walmart super size store would destroy a great number of jobs on the negative side and allow residents to purchase food at lower prices on the positive side. Funding Nature Conservancy to take our lands and water rights do not sit well with me. I do not believe that a super size Walmart in Yreka is justified based on our economy and number of residents in the County. Perhaps the Yreka City Council and the Supervisors should consider the impact of a super size Walmart.

Dr. Richard Gierak