There's a series of tongue-in-cheek commercials that have been around for years for XX Beer, perhaps you've seen them. The main character in the commercials is a guy that they call "The Most Interesting Man in the World". As I was thinking about what I wanted to write down for you about who Carl was to me, I realized a couple of weeks ago that Carl was, to me, "The Most Interesting Guy". I only ran into Carl every once in a while, but it seems that every time I did, I learned something new about him that was so interesting. I remember him telling me about the pollen collecting business he had, which was interesting enough, but then one time we got into a fascinating discussion about his knowledge of the evolution of the allergy pharmaceutical industry and how they finally chemically figured out how to develop effective medicines from pollen. Then, once I was giving a public presentation in Redding about some monitoring I was doing of a mitigation site for the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle. At the end of the forum, Carl came up and was telling me about how he, at one time collected longhorn beetles! What a fascinating guy, his in-depth knowledge of many different things impressed me greatly.

When I first took the job managing the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District, I was new to the Redding area and it didn't take me long to figure out that Carl was a significant local figure in the resource management arena. My take on him was that he was well-respected by those that had worked with him over the years dealing with some pretty contentious issues. He seemed to be a significant member of the local brain trust that recognized that lower Clear Creek was the best local watershed to try implementing the new "ecosystem restoration" idea that had become a new buzz word. He and others were so right, Clear Creek was, and still is a major success story in terms of the restoration of sustained salmon and steelhead populations, and the fact that we were able to export what we learned there to other local and California restoration programs. That successful program, for which I'm so fortunate to have been a part, has Carl's fingerprints on it for sure.

I'm so sorry for you loss Marti, and mine, I'll miss talking with The Most Interesting Guy.

Jeff Souza
President / Senior Biologist
Tehama Environmental Solutions, Inc.
Red Bluff, CA

I first met Carl during the time the spotted owl was being listed as a threatened species in 1990. He sat behind me in a public meeting at a local hotel and politely introduced himself and shared why he was there. I had not met an environmentalist with such a presence and scientific knowledge about the environmental landscape. I knew that I could learn a lot from him, if I could keep my mind open.

I was working for Wheelabrator Shasta Energy at the time as the Wood Supply Manager, was a member of SHARE, a local industry group, and I spent time working on key bills and legislation that would affect the industry. But when the spotted owl was listed as a threatened species, our industry group decided it was time to talk to local environmentalists and the only ones we had heard about was Melinda Brown and Carl.

We contacted them and arranged to meet in a safe place. After a few hours, we all agreed it might be worth our time to try to bring a larger group together to talk, so we each invited several others to what we hoped would be a civil discussion. Well, it was not a pretty sight, but we kept trying. We held monthly meetings and they were hot, and people often walked out, but enough kept coming back so we continued, picking different topics or issues to discuss, sort of.

Initially everyone assumed everyone else was an extremist, so it took a long time just to find words that weren't inflammatory. Heated discussions went on monthly for almost two years, and eventually enough people stayed at the table instead of walking out that we felt we were making some headway.

Then, without asking, one of the agencies showed up to a meeting with an outside facilitator to help us come together. It was the best thing that could have ever happened. Within a half hour everyone was so angry at the facilitator for trying to take us back to where we started two years ago, everyone started arguing with the facilitator. There was a lot of shouting, people walked out, and finally the facilitator left and everyone sat back down and something had shifted, because from that point on we knew there was at least something we could agree on.

Around that same time, the California Resources Agency mapped areas into bioregions and the one for this area went from the coast to the Sierras to Oregon. People in our group tried to participate, but the area was too large and the issues too broad to get any traction. Our local meetings continued.

Then along came the Northwest Forest Plan. When this plan was presented to the public by President Clinton at a Forest Summit in Portland, industry could see the writing on the wall. We would lose most of the raw materials from the national forests and industry was in danger of collapsing, along with many of our rural communities. To focus on local issues, our group agreed to take a step up and formed the Shasta-Tehama Bioregional Council.

STBC was comprised of members from state/federal/local agencies, industry and the business community, conservation organizations, local elected officials, labor, the academic community and the general public. The newsletter listed 30 members and 16 advisors from local, state, and federal agencies.

The vision of STBC was pure Carl Weidert:

The vision of STBC is the belief that the best decisions for natural resource management combines local knowledge about specific landscape conditions with the best scientific knowledge.

The STBC mission was to serve as a forum and clearinghouse for information regarding natural resource management issues and projects with environmental and economic benefits.

STBC held many community-wide meetings on forest thinning, forest management, and water management. Carl was almost always present when we worked in collaboration with the Applegate Partnership, Plumas Corp, the Quincy Library Group, Trinity Bioregional Council and the many watershed groups that formed in the north state. He was instrumental in serving on committees to write papers on things like the Bay Delta Process, the Draft EIS for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, the Northern Sierra Nevada Biomass Study, the Forest Recovery and Economic Stability Act, and many more

STBC proved their worth as an integrated group, when BLM invited members to consider developing an integrated, multi-agency management plan for the Lower Clear Creek Watershed. After weeks of intense meetings and walks through the creek, no one could deny that this watershed, turned upside down by gold and gravel mining, would greatly benefit from major restoration.

STBC members recognized this plan would require broad-based participation that would transcend overlapping jurisdictions, take a lot of money, and several years of single-focused effort. STBC members became the Technical Team for the project, and the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District applied for state and federal grants to complete the $15 million project.

Carl's presence was felt every step of the way from the spotted owl debates to the work of STBC and the restoration of Clear Creek. Carl joined the RCD Board of Directors later in the project.

Carl's scientific mind and ability to communicate across the aisle to finding common ground will be forever missed.

Mary Mitchell

Carl was remarkable. You all know that. He observed details and patterns and processes far beyond that ability of most people. He saw these relationships almost three dimensionally and understood deep time. He knew that every aspect in nature was useful to something else. He thought that even the dense smoke from wildfires was likely important for mushrooms and/or other species. Who but Carl would think of that!

He saw deeply into people, too. And they honored and respected him -- and his ideas. He was a friend to Forest Supervisors, forest workers, toddlers, teenagers, conservationists, biologists, environmentalists (not in that order!) and to all plants and creatures -- vertebrates, invertebrates and things which just crawled out of the primordial soup. He loved mystery and knowledge and perfection and imperfection. He loved his friends and family deeply. He was interested in everybody.

He was not cloistered as an observer, a bystander. He was a participant -- and at the ground level of new thinking about forests, communities and science.

Way back in the early 1990's, Carl and a few of us got together to start a conversation called Shasta 2000. What could the shape of our region become and how could we influence that? We invited economists, educators, artists, people in various industries, natural resources, candlestick makers, etc. And we asked around to find who the people were who were creative, bright and interested in working to improve things, not just critics. It was remarkable. At that time, even the local agencies and organizations working on economic issues had not even been in the same room before. Together. AT THE SAME TIME. From that visioning session, relationships were constructed that lasted for years.

So, a few years later, when a federal judge was poised to shut down all logging in Federal forest to protect the spotted owl, President Clinton held a conference in Portland and told communities that they had better come together and work it out. Come up with some plans and recommendations. Dave Rutledge from the timber side of the aisle, came back from that conference and called Carl and I. Because of the Shasta 2000 conference, we had a good idea of who to ask to come to the table. From then on, we had one of the first collaboratives when collaboratives were a new animal.

The Shasta Tehama Bioregional Council had many useful and great outcomes. Carl never doubted that good people working together could make progress and bring others along in the wake. We identified areas of joint concern, opportunity and management alternatives. Carl was always clear that many things were possible if we based decisions on the health of the forest and monitored activity and outcomes. The STBC was a valued participant with agencies on many plans and projects. Carl was one of the STBC's key commenters basing everything on science, specific local conditions and on the health of forest. He was a visionary and he was also realistic. He had such a great working knowledge of agency culture, management, policies, capacity and potential and how those all interacted. His ideas were so clear, others could see them, too. In meetings, he brought a calm wisdom and everyone listened closely. Carl had the ear of the people in the highest levels of academia and government and organizations.

And he was a poet. He was gifted in making his thinking come alive through poetry. He turned biology into poetry. We have 30 copies of his books here today if you have not already received one.

I think Marti was his biological destiny. They were a perfect match. Any of us would be fortunate to have the life they built together.

Carl was unique, beloved, and respected. He was a dear friend to me and to my husband, Howard. He will be missed but his many contributions, his impact, his words and his good will live on.

Melinda Brown,
retired executive director, People of Progress, Shasta County
One of the founders in 2018 of progressive radio station KFOI REDDING VOICE FM 90.9

I met Carl at Minnie and Tex's home for a dinner. We became friends and he had a profound interest in Native Americans. We spoke of basketry resources in Inwood. He offered to show me where he saw them. the Maiden Hair, Redbud, Willow roots, Cedar roots, all I could hope for. he was proud to show me, and offered to gather with me. we became good friends, He met most of my family. They enjoyed his company also. When I had cancer in 2000, he came over and would read his poetry to me. when my eyes began to close from the drugs I was taking, he would stand up and say "Angela, time to go to bed and rest, I will be back tomorrow." Carl was so knowledgeable he could speak about most of the things I felt interested in. Many times He had dinner with us, Pop would cook enough for three. Pop liked Carl but rather do other things because Carl's vocabulary was using big words that Pop could not understand and they would laughed about it. When Pop and I went on a trip Carl would say, Don't worry I will keep an eye on the Red Cloud Mountain for you. Carl was also very supportive when I came down with Shingles and would bring article of ways to relieve the pain. He is my friend and always will be in my heart. I am thankful for the many years he was a part of my life.

Angela Moore 2018

I am saddened to hear of Carl's passing, and wish to share a few thoughts and memories of mine to honor his life. I best knew Carl and Marti through the late 1980s and the 1990s through the Sierra Club. We met through meetings and outings with the local Shasta group, and for about a decade, I served on the Group's Management Committee with Carl and his brother Stan. During the meetings themselves, Carl frequently brightened them with his big smile and a touch of lightness and humor when some others of us could get overly serious.

I also remember Carl's passion for knowledge of the botanical world. I think he knew at an instant every plant encountered, and at least something of interest about it. He came to a meeting once at my home near Burney, CA, and afterward had observations to share about all the non-native trees growing about my yard. I joined a Sierra Club backpack trip with Carl, Stan, and a few others in western Nevada; one of my strongest memories of that trip is that they toted along a copy of Phillip Munz's A California Flora to help with identifying some of the Great Basin flora. This is a huge book not less than 4 inches thick, hardbound! I think that it was the most important item that Carl brought on that trip! I'll also mention that Carl's economic contribution to the country and world was his business with Stan in harvesting pollens around California for sale to others who would use them.

Carl, as I recall, was always a firm believer that the preservation of the natural features of the planet is essential to our own preservation.

Steve Moore,
National Park Ranger, Bend, Oregon
currently working seasonally at
Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

My thoughts of Carl: I didn't know Carl well because of his distance from us but when we would visit we talked about the beautiful salads Carl would make. In see-through glass bowls full to the top of almost every fruit you could imagine...they made a gorgeous addition to whatever was on the menu. He did it with love and and it showed by his presentation of a lot of tedious work. In other words it was clear that his heart went into it and we enjoyed them so much. Carl was kind and thoughtful and caring to all of us and there are many great things I could say about him but I'm sure many have said these things about him. We will miss Carl very much and will always be grateful to him for his contributions to all our lives.

Anne Hughes
Sister-in-Law

It is hard to talk about Stan or Carl without mentioning the other. I first met Carl and Stan back in the 80's when they would periodically represent the Sierra Club at the Modoc/Washoe Experimental Stewardship meetings in Cedarville. It was a group of federal and state agencies, conservation organizations and private citizens much like the Bear Creek Watershed Management Group that they helped to form here. And then to show how small the world is, the next time I seen them was when I retired from BLM and went to work for the Western Shasta RCD in 2007 as a Watershed Coordinator. I started as the WC for the west side of the Sacramento but I kind of wangled my way in as the Watershed Coordinator for the east side when I realized it matched better with my experience and knowledge.

Within a couple of days, I got a call from Carl and he said he and Stan would like to give me a tour of the Bear Creek watershed. That was one of the most fun and informative days of my life. Carl and Stan knew the area like the back of their hands. I have never met two people with such vast knowledge of and compassion for natural resources. Their brains were like computer data banks! They knew scientific and common names for all of the flora and fauna in the Bear Creek Watershed as well as the geologic formations and types of soils. I think they ever knew each plant personally! I can truthfully say I never enjoyed any field tour as much as that day. I am in awe of their knowledge and commitment to proper resource management. I also came to realize over the years how well respected they were by everyone.

Carl personally participated in the inventory of every transect that we did in 2010 and 2011 (and probably after I left the RCD) in Bear Creek to determine the health of the stream. I chuckle as I remember Carl wading in water up to his chest with no boots or waders. He also would carry a backpack full of equipment as we struggled up and over boulders as big as a house! Those were fun days.

Rest in peace old friend. You and Stan not only left your marks on resource management around Shingletown, but up and down the Sierras in the many other conservation groups that you participated in. You guys will always have a special place in my Natural Resource Management Hall of Fame!!

Lee Delaney
Past watershed coordinator paid by Western Shasta Resource Conservation District (Anderson, Ca)
working with Bear Creek Watershed Group

Carl Thank You... for the gift of You... for showing up in my life and having the courage to do so in the face of what would justifiably be insurmountable odds, with kindness and consideration and clear-eyed non-judgmentalism and yet honesty and humilty and humor, all born out of perhaps your own wrestling match with the Mystery of The Universe... Thank you for the conversations, for the games of horseshoes, for being quietly and yet passionately convinced of what you were perhaps most recently able to capture in a poem.. Thank you for tolerating me tagging along to come alongside and help you pick pollen a time or two... Thank you for loving rocks and all things living and everything and system all about you and for understanding the interconnection between everything and the necessity for wise stewardship and balance.. Thank You for being the Wise Elder of our tribe that I could never quite get enough of as in conversation with you were a heady distillation of millenia and of the microcosm in the Macrocosm.. Thank You for fathering me through the few years that I knew you in being who God chose to be through you as if the Universe were looking back at me through your eyes with a calm yet sparkling beneficence that radiated acceptance and wonder... Thank you for loving Marti in the way that you seemed to do so perfectly and yet imperfectly well I am sure... Thank you for loving all of us in loving her... Can't wait to see you again and to discover what you've discovered fresh and anew as I am sure you have and continue to... Can't wait to throw another set of shoes as I am sure we will get to... dear friend, and brother, and father, and son of The Creator that He gave you to be and do.....\Shalom dear one----/ we love you-----

Richard and Michelle Manley

Carl was a kind, warm-hearted brother-in-law, friend to many and advanced student of several scientific and environmental disciplines. He always seemed to me able to share knowledgeably on crossover topics others of us can hardly wrap our minds around. Greatly appreciated for his intelligence, faithfulness and steady hand (which I personally, and other family members as well, also knew to be very good at horseshoes), we will miss him.

Steve Hughes

Carl, I want to thank you for being a great brother. For all the trips to the desert looking for snakes on the road and camping and mapping and catching K Rats. For all the times I went with you to the beach at Corona Del Mar. Thanks for the trip to Arizona, the Salt river and Boggs Springs, where you got your nickname. Also it was you who first let me drive a car, your little white Datsun, up there around the ranch property. And then there was the lobster diving at your beach in Santa Barbara.

I felt you are always the scholar of the family. I always admired your vast knowledge and memory.

So, I just wanted you to know that you will always be part of me from my childhood and your young adulthood me. Linda and I hope to see you on my return from Africa.

Lovingly, your littlest brother, Jim Weidert

Carl W. is a great friend of mine. He has the brain of a genius. His thinking is outside the box. He is so kind and thoughtful. I can tell he loves Marti his wife very much even though he disagrees with her sometimes. Carl is a happy person. We have had many discussions about the universe and how to solve world problems. Carl's ideas are way ahead of his time. As a friend of mine Carl is completely non-judgmental. He has a kindred spirit with Native Americans and is deeply respectful of all races and people. His knowledge of nature and ecology is very extensive and Carl is probably the most knowledgeable scientist in Northern California. I value Carl as a very good friend.

John Livingston, Friend

...The magic [of Carl]... Complete unselfish- he was a magnificent person. He was not focused on himself.

Once Carl was leading a tour on the watershed at the Parkville Ranch. He said "stay away from certain vegetation and trees." But people didn't get it. People walked into poison oak. But Carl didn't get upset. He had self-control.

Another time our watershed group was gathering Great Valley Oak acorns down at the Battle Creek Wildlife area. He did not hurry us and we were free to go at a leisurely pace.

Sandy Dubose
Co-owner of the Parkville Ranch
Member, Bear Creek Watershed Group

I think I first met Carl in the 80s on some of Jim Stokes back packing and car camping trips. I didn't know him as well as I would have liked to but I was always impressed with his depth of knowledge of the natural world. He was always observant and was always exploring. Even at the end of a long trek he and Stan would be up for a hike to check out a creek or rock outcrop or something they had heard about. And he didn't take himself overly serious about his knowledge.

I think he helped me look at things a little more closely. Even the bugs can be interesting at the bottom of a canyon!

George Horn

I am so sorry for the loss of your wonderful husband and beloved friend. Carl was an amazing person he was so humble and kind. His gentle but strong fortitude for caring for this planet makes him another Saint. Thank you for being the lovely wife to this dear man. You both are very special human beings and the world is a better place because of you both. One thing I have learned to do is talk out loud to Kelley for I do believe they hear us.

Marti if I can do anything please do not hesitate to call me. I am a good listener and would love to be your friend. If you ever make it to Chico call. Carl's presence on this planet will be missed! I have hope even good works can be carried on in all different spheres where ever spirits take us.

You are both in my thoughts.
Elizabeth Clark

My thoughts of Carl ...

He was very welcoming, kind and such a handsome smile.

He made the very best fruit bowl. He got in the kitchen and whatever he made he did it with vigor.

Very smart and He loved his Marti. He hated being in a position to put someone out. I liked Carl and he will be very missed. Thankful for Carl's life and how he was a faithful man and so sorry for his struggles at the last months of his life.

Anne Hughes

Memories of my Friend Carl

Sincerely,
Mary Dunn

I spent many times collecting pollen with Carl and his brother. I learned many things, especially about plants from him. He was always a part of our family and visited my grandparents often. He was always at our Christmas parties, and a positive member of our local community. I will miss him!

Erin Johnston

I met Carl after he married my long time friend Mary. When spending time with Carl I was always impressed with his extensive knowledge of so many things but especially his knowledge of plants. I could always count on him to know the name of a tree or flower when we hiked or talked together.

I'll always remember the time Mary, Carl, I and some other Sierra Club members biked and camped on the Biz Johnson trail. I have many memories and pictures of that time together.

Carl was also the one to teach me how to play Casino (cards) of which I loved and am happy to say I was even able to beat him at a few games!

Mary and Carl always opened their home to me when I needed a break from the hustle and bustle of San Diego. Their home and their home cooked meals were a haven and a treat for me several times over the last several years.

He will be truly missed.
love, Donna Ramirez

I am so sorry for your loss, but Carl did not have to suffer long. We will all miss him and all the work he has done over the decades to protect the environment and educate people with his talk, walks and great displays at many festivals. He left a very positive impact on our society. We will be praying for you in this time of sadness. Please continue to reach out to your friends.

David

I am writing to offer my condolences on Carl's passing. I knew him briefly through his work with the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District. He was very kind to me and I was endlessly fascinated by his knowledge of science and his life experiences. I hope you are doing alright and are surrounded by love and support.

Sincerely,
Sara J. Letton
Project Coordinator
Western Shasta Resource Conservation District

Dear Aunt Marti, I'm sending you the sincerest condolences, love and hugs. Carl was an amazing man and I'm proud to have called him Uncle. What a blessing he was to our family. I'll remember his brilliant smile, sharp wit and warm way for the rest of my life. I'm certainly better for having had him in my life.

I love you and am sending you big hugs! Delisa

Here's what we remember about Carl's work in Nevada and on the national Sierra Club Public Lands Committee:

We know little about Carl's participation in the Sierra Club in California - probably in the Mother Lode Chapter.. Maybe Vicki Lee can help on describing his California work.

We do know that Carl has worked on gaining political support for using California's 1,000 miles of water canals as solar arrays. Covering the canals with solar panels would both generate electricity and reduce evaporation.

For the Toiyabe Chapter in Nevada and Eastern Sierra, Carl was our resource person for all forestry issues, including the federal agency proposals to chain Pinyon Juniper woodlands, and on other plant issues, such as agency projects to eradicate sagebrush and replace it with crested wheat grass. Carl taught us about the value of microrrhizal fungi and plant roots to forest health.

Carl was also a member of the national Sierra Club Public Lands Committee in the 1980's and served as chair of the Forest Subcommittee when the PLC was initially chaired by myself and then by John Hopkins.

Rose and Dennis, Reno, Nevada

Carl was a kind and gentle soul who was a natural teacher. He had the ability to engage in wonderful conversations and I was fortunate to have been a part of those at various gatherings in this beloved community. Please accept my heartfelt condolences on your loss. It is a loss for us all.

Blessings to you all.
Jane Delehanty

I do not recall exactly where, when or how we met, but it was probably at Black Butte School where his mother and Kimi taught. Much of my interaction with Carl occurred when I was on a field trip with the Forest Soils Council, STBC, or Coop. Extension. Carl would be there representing the conservationist side of the issues, concerns about management practices. I think eh rather enjoyed playing the devil's advocate which he did quite handily.

Later, when I got to know him better, I was fascinated by his business of collecting pollen for allergy medications; and the processing he and Stan developed. Carl was also a habitue of the Pacific Southwest Forest Research Station. Bill Oliver and Bob Powers would marvel, actually shrink back in horror at the mushroom covered, spore-leaking wood Carl would bring to their office to get them engaged in research into wood-decaying organisms to reduce fuels and fire hazard in the forest. Wouldn't it be great to have such organisms?

Gary Nakamura
retired forester from U.C. Cooperative Extension

Carl, You were an inspiration to all of us . With your dedication to tech environment and our natural resources, you have accomplished so much-We are proud to have been y our friends.

Steve and Kathy Callan

I recall all those poems written so long ago. Worthy of publishing! Very profound!

Bea Nevins

Carl, my nephew, the one who always came by to check on his old Aunt. I miss you already and will always do so.

Love, Aunt Aylene Arnette

Carl-you and Marti have been lights for so many. Thank you for shining in my life.

Debra Atlas, McAllen, Texas

Carl, thank you for giving me your time and kindness and Love

Tracy Ford

Carl was the most interesting man in the world - I'm glad I met you.

John Snider

Our World will miss you.

Joannie Baracz

Loved every time we were together. Blessings where you are now. Love you. Love you Marti.

Ray and Juli

My dear Carl . In all the monthly meetings of the Bear Creek watershed group, I felt your love for Marti and our wonderful environment. Thank you for contributing so much to our local watershed and beautiful neighborhood.

Love, Tricia Parker Hamelberg

As my daughter said, Carl was an amazing man. We loved his curiosity and interest in nature. He was also such a teacher. You had to love him for his wonderful self.

Carol A Winter

I wasn't blessed to have known you for very long, but I will treasure the few times we got to visit. Thank you for being you Carl, and thank you for sharing y our love for nature with this fellow nature lover. I wish I had more time to learn the names of all the birds.

Love you Carl, Michelle Manley

Carl and Mary Love to you both. Carl was the smartest man I ever knew! ...anonymous

You have both been friends of the heart for me. And Carl, who else will I ever be able to find for our interesting conversations?

Love you both - Elaine Kite

Will miss your stories.

Kraig and Twila Arnett

When Wayne and I visited Carl at the Marquis in early July I noticed how handsome he was and then thought "How could I not have noticed before?"

Laurie Kessler

What I remember most about Carl, is that he is the only Sierra Club member that was willing to listen and also agree with many of things that a forester believes, in particular how to "Manage" a forest.

Dennis Bebensee

Your love of nature will live on.

Patricia Lawrence, Bear Creek Watershed

Love you Carl!!

Tina Brovan

Dear Carl,

Shortly after moving to Shingletown in 2008, I attended my first Bear Creek Watershed Group meeting, where I met you and your brother Stan. You introduced yourselves as environmentalists! Not too many people can say that, or are willing to ... you made me feel welcome and I knew I was in the right place with knowledgeable people. I think we should dedicate the Bear Creek Watershed group in your name. If it was not for your dedication and attention to facts and details, it would not have continued to exist. You have set the example, it's up to the rest of us to follow your lead.

Throughout the years, you shared freely with your knowledge. You solidified my conviction that ecology matters. You always taught the interconnectedness of nature and humanity.

Last spring, when I visited you, I enjoyed your upbeat and positive energy, full of life you were, albeit in a worn out body. We sat by your window and watched your beloved wildlife, of course you knew all about each species. A few years ago when we were on a Sierra Club walk to Thousand Lakes Wilderness, we saw a bird at one of the high lakes and you knew right away that the species, before climate change, would not be living that high up. You impressed me to say the least.

All of the work that you did for the Bear Creek Watershed is invaluable. Your legacy will live on in the genes of the salmon and other species whose intact ecosystems you helped to protect with science based information.

I am really going to miss you, and knowing that you are there with your watchfulness to see that the Bear Creek Watershed remains healthy.

Eternally Grateful,
Patricia Lawrence
Shingletown 7/30/2018

September 22, 2018

A Remembrance of Carl Weidert, My Friend

I am John Livingston and I considered Carl a friend of mine. We met about 10 years ago at a Sierra Club potluck held at the Redding City Hall. Carl was a thoughtful person with a great smile, and of course full of answers to environmental questions. After getting to know him for several years I consider him to be a model Sierra Club member. We became closer friends through his wife Marti. I had planned a 7 day hike in Yosemite Park and I had invited Marti to join my Oregon buddy and me to hike into some rugged backcountry. Marti told me that her husband Carl would be able to resupply us around day 5. Carl was willing to drive from Redding to Yosemite just to drop off some food and then drive back home to Redding! Wow what a wonderful Guy.!!!!

Through little chats with Carl I learned of his pollen collecting career and his genius in natural ecosystems and engineering facilities. His mind was filled with everything scientific. He knew something about everything. He was a great gardener. He had an extensive irrigation system which was more complex than the fingers of the Sacramento River system. His weather prediction skills were far superior to the local Redding and Chico news channels. I would go to Carl for the 30 and 60 day weather forecasts and he was right most of the time. He loved to tell me stories of where he obtained his pollen and what he did in the Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico areas.

Over the past year I was privileged to be with Carl during some of his hospitalizations and doctor visits. I would go if Marti needed a break or Carl needed someone to talk to. Carl was a very brave patient. Many times l could see that he was in great pain but Carl would only say that it hurt a little. He was an optimist and when presented with facts from a doctor, he would carefully weigh the possible outcomes and choose the most hopeful from a scientific view.

Carl's wife Marti is one heck of a lady. She has been going through a period of time which is like climbing to the top of a high mountain each day with little to no rest between days. She keeps lots of notes and was always on top of what Carl needed. Marti is a great wife. In Carl's final months she asked for help and many people came to help in all sorts of ways. She and Carl disagreed once in a while and Carl would confide to me that when Marti put her head to something, Carl would object and then move out of the way!

The world is a much better place because of Carl Weidert. His efforts to save wild places and to maintain protections for our environment will have lasting effects for many future generations. If only we had a thousand Carl's we could really make some noise in political halls. Thanks Carl from a grateful community.

With Love for My Friend Carl, John Livingston

Marti,

I first met Carl (and Stan) when I was in my early 40's. Carl must have been in his 30's, a bit younger than Stan. They were inseparable and Stan did the talking at that time.

I met them through Sierra Club. There were other members around my neighborhood who were very active and we met at one member's house frequently. One of the first things I remember Carl (and Stan) organizing was seeding the hills around Old Shasta after a fire. Then there was the ta do about the Mt. Shasta Ski area. The brothers were up in arms about that and I went with other Sierra Club members to meetings in Mt. Shasta although I was never clear what it was about other than the brothers believed a new resort on Mt. Eddy was the best choice for a site.

Other years between meetings, which seemed more like socials, I went cross country skiing, hiking and backpacking with the local Sierra Club members. You knew some of them, Fritz and Ethel.

The brothers were always passionate about some area of nature, yet they told a strange story of murder which I never did figure out.

I guess I have never met people more deliberate about saving our planet than those two guys. After Stan died Carl really seemed to take the lead in so many areas and have more confidence, too. I bet you noticed that.

So many people go through life without making much of a difference, but the Weidert brothers devoted their lives pursuing what they honestly believed to be the most effective activities to save our planet. Carl read and researched filling his brain with so many facts that he could always recall.

Marti, I always admired you for living so happily with such an intense person! Now there must be a gigantic void in your life and the question of how to bring meaning to your life. You have your artistic talent and your special zest for adventure. You are still young and healthy with abundant friends.

We will all miss Carl in so many different ways. But the influences he left, especially with the BCWS are enduring and have made a difference. He had an enormous impact on our world and how we care for it. It is up to the rest of us to do what we can to keep that fresh and alive in all we do, and to pass it on to others.

May God grant you the peace and serenity you need to blend your past and future together so that you can live as Carl would have wanted.

Be happy, be active, be loved! Bea

Oct. 3, 2018

Marti Weidert
7577 Sparky Lohr Lane
Shingletown, CA 96088-9692

Dear Ms. Weidert,

Let me start by sharing my sincere condolences on the passing of your husband, Carl. He was a fine man and exceptionally public-spirited. He left the world a better place.

I understand you have asked for a written response to his proposal to cover the California Aqueduct with solar panels to generate renewable electricity while reducing evaporation. It is an appealing concept, but one with several practical hurdles. My staff has consulted with the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences; the state Department of Water Resources; and Next 10, a nonprofit think tank focused on economic and environmental innovation.

What they've learned is that evaporation from canals and aqueducts is much less than we might expect. Compared with other means, such as building new storage, fixing leaks or capturing urban stormwater, there's not much water to be gained. On the energy side, California has invested so heavily in solar energy that the state frequently has a surplus. As the Los Angeles Times reported last year, the state at times even pays Arizona and Nevada to take our excess solar megawatts. California's major energy needs these days involve developing large storage and flexible baseload generation. We seem to be too far into the system we have to make significant structural changes in a cost-effective way.

I receive thousands of letters every year from people in my district who complain about problems they see with government. I always found it refreshing to get illustrations and letters from Carl because he was always a man with answers for the problems that we face. I will miss hearing from him and I appreciate so much the time and effort he put into looking at the world and trying to make it a better place.

Again, I wish you all the best in this time of mourning for Carl.

Sincerely,

    

Carl, a deep and profound thinker, developed a cosmology, a theory based on motion. Carl authored a large amount of wonderful and varied poetry. some published. He contributed articles on a variety of local issues and observations to the local news papers as well, supplying weather data. He had a deep historical understanding locally and global planet's weather dynamics related to changes deep and surface ocean currents, atmospheric effects of civilization, global warming and climate change. A warm and generous friend to many, Carl listened with deep emotional intelligence sharing caring insight and empathic concern.

Howard "Luke" Lucas

Carl and I served together as Directors at Western Shasta RCD for several years. Those were difficult times for the RCD and, in part thanks to Carl's advice and guidance, we were able to deal with some serious finance and management issues and revitalize the RCD program. Carl is very much missed by myself, the other Directors, and staff at WSRCD.

Dennis Heiman, Board President, Western Shasta Resource Conservation District

Walking together, monitoring Bear Creek, identifying wildflowers and birds together, are some of my favorite memories.

Esther Cox, Bear Creek Watershed member

Carl was a good man who dedicated his life to saving natural resources and making the world a better place. We are proud to have known him.

Steve & Kathy Callan

Carl's idea of covering California's canals with photovoltaics was great (3% of Calif. Electricity is used to pump water).

Dick Ruhlman

Where are the fish in Bear Creek? Carl always reminded us of the primary reason we as a group exist.

Patricia Lawrence

The Bear Creek Group is enjoying our annual picnic near the headwaters of Bear Creek. A bunch of your favorite people are here ... Marti has been very busy this year making sure your legacy is preserved. But she needn't worry, there's no way any of us are going to forget you.

Eda Eggeman Ebe

I knew and worked with Carl for several years on the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District (WSRCD) board. Carl always had good ideas and a good grasp on what we should, and should not be doing in our WSRCD programs. We (the entire staff at WSRCD) very much miss him.

Dennis Heiman, President WSRCD