Långå FVOF has warned local government leaders about the future needs of bygdemedel. Society needs 1,5 million investment over the next two to three years. The majority relates Långåljusnan and measures to safeguard the future stock of trout. All investment needs are directly linked to damage caused by regulations. The investment is our commitment to correct the damage and instead create a pay-co resource and asset both in terms of money, ecosystem, nature- and quality of life. And we must do it now, while the opportunities available, says Helgi Jonsson and Allan Blomkvist in the letter to the municipality chairman, Anders Häggkvist.
The letter sent to the municipality chairman is because it is the municipality that examines and prioritizes requests for bygdemedel and determines how millions to be distributed. County Board manages payments. The money comes from the power industry with about 25 million annually for Jämtland which about 5 million relates Härjedalen.
– It is not an easy process to make the distribution sometimes consistent with the original intentions, sometimes the money for purposes that are not considered priority. Of course you can complain about it, but we also have a responsibility to create projects and make investments in line with the regulatory funds real intention. We can not require someone else to do it for us. We actually have a legitimate right to be assessed as a priority area of interest, which requires that we ourselves define needs.
– And we do that in several ways, including fish conservation plan based on that we forever will preserve, care and use the original fish species Långåfiskets water that provides the bio-logical diversity and survival, says Helge Jonsson.
SOCIAL BENEFITS HAS A PRICE
The environmentally friendly water transport in Ljusnan used for floating timber to the forest industry on the coast. Timber floating was replaced by diesel-powered transportation in the 1960s. We are fully aware of the benefits to society as a floating operations meant. The consequences need to be fixed should most agree. We believe that the tax community in Sweden has good possibilities to finance the necessary steps to replace the benefits that business and society had of floating operations, you write in your letter.
– Therefore, we ask for the support of the government funding for fisheries. And this year, we have half a million to Långåljusnan project, says Allan Blomkvist. The grant is managed by the provincial government who have expressed continued interest in investments in Långåljusnan.
As for hydropower, we have the same understanding of the consequences for nature and the social benefits, is said in the letter to the municipality chairman. The power industry compensates annually intrusion by putting the millions of remuneration and compensation for the regulation of Lossen and Basic Lakes. The intention is the same as that from the beginning, and belongs to one of the stated "promises" that contributed to the acceptance of hydropower. The funds will primarily be prioritized and used to compensate the damage caused by power expansion, secondarily for other purposes.
The board in long FVOF has decided to apply for bygdemedel for further action in Långåljusnan and to rehabilitate fish pond, 'Skansen pond' of western Långå. The dam was built in the 1950s. A lease agreement has been established with land owners who own the dam and measures have been initiated.
The application period for bygdemedel expires on 31 October. Decisions on granting bygdemedel will sometime in the first quarter 2019, probably in February, giving enough respite for the procurement of services and planning.