From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jan 6 17:48:18 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2010 17:48:18 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Salmonid Restoration Federation and CA-NV American Fisheries Society Annual Conference Message-ID: <00b301ca8f3b$7c7c3e00$7574ba00$@net> PSA: 28th Annual Salmonid Restoration & 44th Annual AFS Cal-Neva Conference Agenda and Registration Online at www.calsalmon.org The joint conference will be held March 10-13 at the Redding Convention Center in Redding, CA. The conference theme is "Fisheries Science and Restoration in a Changing Climate" and will include watershed tours, workshops, outstanding scientific presentations on coastal stream habitat restoration and salmon recovery. The conference will features special events including a screening of The film River of Renewal , an AFS Social at Turtle Bay, a Poster Session and Job Fair, a 5 K Spawning run, and a wild salmon banquet with cabaret and music by Absynth Quintet http://www.absynthquintet.com/ Conference Announcement: 28th Annual Salmonid Restoration & 44th Annual AFS Cal-Neva Conference Agenda and Registration Online at www.calsalmon.org Salmonid Restoration Federation and the California-Nevada American Fisheries Society chapter will co-host the 28th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference and the 44th Annual Cal-Neva AFS Conference in Redding, California. We are truly excited about this new collaborative effort. The theme of the conference is Fisheries Restoration and Science in a Changing Climate. The first two days of the conference will be filled with symposia, full-day workshops continuing education classes, and field tours. A half-day plenary session will be followed by 1.5 days of technical, biological, and policy-related concurrent sessions. This conference will focus on a broad range of salmonid, fisheries, and watershed restoration topics of concern to restoration practitioners, and the scientific fisheries community. This year the conference will feature workshops on topics including Water Quality and TMDLs, Floodplain Restoration, a Fisheries Engineering and Stream Restoration Symposium, Stormwater Pollution Workshop, and continuing education classes on presentation skills, acoustic tag training, and River 2 D technology. Concurrent sessions include: the State of California Salmonids, Anadromous Salmonid Monitoring, Stream Channel Restoration, Central Valley Salmonid Recovery Planning, Marine and Estuarine Fisheries Research: Conservation and Management, Status, Ecology and Management of Inland Fishes and Anadromous/Migratory Fishes, Water Diversions and Fish Impediments, FERC Relicensing and Restoration Opportunities, Planning, Documenting, and Evaluating Fish Restoration Activities, Instream Flow for Salmonids, and a Contributed Papers session. Field Tours will visit restoration projects in Clear Creek, Battle Creek, the Upper Trinity River, the Shasta River, the Upper Sacramento River and Redding urban streams. The Plenary session will feature David Montgomery author of King of Fish: the Thousand Year Run of Salmon and Dirt: the Erosion of Civilization, Larry Brown from the US Geological Survey who will discuss climate change and native fishes in the San Francisco Estuary and watershed, and Dan Bottom from the National Marine Fisheries Service will discuss "Pacific Salmon at the Crossroads and how Resilient are Salmon Ecosystems." Maria Rea from NOAA will discuss salmonid recovery planning efforts for salmon in California. SRF and AFS have created a dynamic conference agenda that addresses pressing issues that affect salmonid recovery and fisheries throughout the Pacific Northwest. We are also combining some of the unique features of each of our conferences. AFS will host a social at Turtle Bay, a job fair as part of the joint poster session, and a Saturday morning 5K Spawning Run. SRF will feature our annual meeting, the film screening of River of Renewal, a poster session and reception, banquet, awards ceremony, cabaret, and dance band Absynth Quintet. For more information about the conference, to see the agenda, or to register, please visit www. calsalmon.org Best, Melissa Scott Salmonid Restoration Federation PO Box 784 Redway, California 95560 (707) 923-7501 melissa at calsalmon.org www.calsalmon.org Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jan 7 15:00:22 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2010 15:00:22 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times Standard 1 7 10 Message-ID: <008b01ca8fed$356d3110$a0479330$@net> Analysis under way for 2010 salmon season Eureka Times-Standard-1/7/10 By John Driscoll State biologists will be crunching numbers and counting fish over the next several weeks in a process that will determine the quality of the West Coast salmon season this year. Early reports that poor adult salmon runs in the Sacramento River system foretell a bleak season have begun to circulate, but biologists are cautioning that it's far too early to tell. It will be early February before biologists have a clear perspective on the potential for commercial and sport salmon seasons in 2010 -- particularly important after two years that devastated the California salmon fishing industry. In 2008 and 2009, commercial salmon fishing was shut down on much of the West Coast because of dire predictions for salmon runs in the Sacramento River watershed, the key fishery for the region. In 2009, big estimates for returns to the Klamath River allowed a token 10-day ocean sport fishery in the Eureka and Crescent City areas. Eureka commercial fisherman Dave Bitts said that he's fed up by media and other reports claiming 2010 may be a bust, too. He said it's too soon to know what kind of a season fishermen have to look forward to in the coming year. "We're not going to know until February," Bitts said. "That's just the way it is." While some hatcheries in the Sacramento River system are reporting poor returns of 3-year-old adult fall chinook salmon, others have reached their quota for spawners, said California Department of Fish and Game spokesman Harry Morse. Adult fish aren't the best indicator of the abundance of salmon in the ocean in the coming season. A better measure is 2-year-old salmon called jacks, a certain number of which return to the river early. A clear picture of how many jacks swam up the Sacramento River has not been put together yet, so it's not possible to estimate how many adult fish may be at sea this coming year. "What we're doing right now is tabulating all the information including the jack count," Morse said. Federal and state fisheries biologists also must consider runs of chinook and coho salmon in other rivers on the coast in determining how many can be taken, when, and in what areas. The Klamath River salmon run -- which can stifle fishing opportunity in the ocean if it is poor -- appears about average so far, said California Department of Fish and Game biologist Wade Sinnen. But a careful analysis needs to be done to determine how many adult fish and jacks swam up the Klamath and Trinity rivers, he said. "Really, it's too early," Sinnen said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jan 7 15:45:50 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2010 15:45:50 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times 1 6 10 Message-ID: <00ac01ca8ff3$929602d0$b7c20870$@net> 2009 another bad year for Delta ecosystem Contra Costa Times-1/6/10 By Mike Taugher The latest survey of Delta fish populations shows another ominous dip. Despite ramped-up regulations meant to protect Delta smelt, the imperiled fish that has come to symbolize the conflict between the Delta ecosystem and statewide water demands fell to a record low, beating out the previous year's record low. But the survey numbers, posted late Tuesday, show the problems are not restricted to Delta smelt, which some biologists believe are dangerously close to extinction. Longfin smelt and young-of-the-year striped bass, a popular sport fish, both fell to their second-lowest measures ever. And the number of threadfin shad, a widely used baitfish, plunged last year. "The Delta smelt numbers are disappointingly low but not too surprising considering dry year conditions," said Peter Moyle, a UC Davis fisheries biologist and one of the leading experts on California's fish. Threadfin shad, he said, are plentiful upstream of the Delta. Their absence in the Delta reflects a shortage of food or other environmental problems in the Delta, but those fish should bounce back quickly once the underlying problem is solved, he said. Delta smelt, however, are so few that they could have much more difficulty reproducing fast enough to recover their numbers, he said. Government biologists said it was not surprising, given dry conditions, that the Delta smelt numbers have not rebounded in response to new federal regulations on water deliveries. Those restrictions are meant only to prevent Delta pumps from driving the fish to extinction and are not, by themselves, designed to lead to a full recovery of the fish. "The fact that the fish are not extinct might mean (the regulations are) doing their job," said Marty Gingras, a supervising fisheries biologist at the California Department of Fish and Game. Still, the low measures increase the likelihood of water supply disruptions this year, because they will trigger tougher limits on how many fish can be killed before regulators intervene at the Delta pumps, which siphon water into canals that feed farms and cities around the state. Once a certain number of fish are killed at the pumps, water managers will have to ask federal biologists for direction. "We would consult with them as to what actions would be necessary at that time," said Victoria Poage, a fisheries biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency that wrote the rules after its old regulations were nullified in 2007 by a federal judge who found them inadequate. Since 1967, state biologists have trawled for fish from September to December to measure the health of a half-dozen Delta fish species. The numbers show that since about the time the big Delta pumps started running, the numbers for all those fish have fallen dramatically. The index used to measure Delta smelt numbers was typically in the hundreds and occasionally reached over 1,000. Now it's at 17. For longfin smelt, the index regularly reached over 10,000 and now sits at 65. For striped bass, the number was well into the thousands 40 years ago and now is at 70. Still, experts say the problems are not limited to Delta pumping. The Contra Costa Water District, for example, has found a strong connection between Delta smelt numbers and the saltiness of Delta water during the fall months. The connection points to the possibility that salt-tolerant clams that have moved into the Delta are filtering out food that small fish need. Among the factors contributing to the increased fall salinity is the way state and federal water managers operate upstream dams and Delta pumps, which has resulted in less fresh water flowing through the Delta in the fall. Discharges into water upstream of the Delta, particularly from Sacramento's large sewer treatment plant, are also being considered as possible culprits. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jan 11 09:40:43 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:40:43 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 1 8 10 Message-ID: <00bb01ca92e5$338e72a0$9aab57e0$@net> El Ni?o may still give us a wet winter, weather experts say Sacramento Bee-1/8/10 By Matt Weiser El Ni?o was predicted to dominate the weather this winter, but a look out the window suggests that forecast has fizzled. Sacramento rainfall so far this winter is merely normal, and the Sierra Nevada snowpack is only 84 percent of average. But don't give up on El Ni?o just yet. Several weather experts predict El Ni?o will soon crank open the faucet and blow away the cold, gray skies that have gripped the Sacramento region for weeks. They expect much wetter weather through March. "I'm not wringing my hands terribly much," said Tim Barnett, a climate researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. "Odds are good to see some pretty good storms later in the winter," he said. "How much rain, nobody can really tell you. All I can tell you is, it will be in the upper third of all the wet years." John Monteverdi, a professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University, said he expects El Ni?o to begin showing its hand in California next week. "There are lots of indications that a pattern shift is about to occur," he said. A crucial point is that El Ni?o typically doesn't deliver its punch until later in the winter. So it's too early to fear a fourth drought year. "I don't expect a whopper," said Maury Roos, a hydrologist at the California Department of Water Resources. However, he added, "I'm optimistic we will wind up getting a fairly decent January and February, probably above average." El Ni?o is defined as a warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean that's typically in place around Christmas ? hence the name, which is Spanish slang for "Christ child." This warming of the vast Pacific typically alters weather patterns throughout the Western Hemisphere. In the United States, the Northwest usually gets drier and the Southwest wetter. Sacramento and Central California, however, sit between these effects, so El Ni?o effects here can go either way. The Sierra Nevada snowpack ? all-important to the state's water supplies ? is also hard to predict in an El Ni?o winter. Yet El Ni?o is often overhyped in the media because it has, on occasion, brought memorable and sometimes damaging storms to California. "There is no doubt that we're having an El Ni?o," said Bill Patzert, a climatologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. "Now, that doesn't mean it's going to rain. The impact of the El Ni?o has often been exaggerated." Patzert doubts this year's El Ni?o will bring major rains. He said its effect is muted by another phenomenon called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a longer-term change that is actually trending toward cooler ocean temperatures. This winter is considered a moderate El Ni?o, meaning the ocean warming isn't as great as the historical maximum. This makes rainfall predictions even more difficult. In an updated forecast released Thursday, the National Weather Service said El Ni?o strengthened in December. The service still predicts improved odds for above-average precipitation through Jan. 20, especially for Central California, and continuing through March. In the near term, though, expect more fog through Monday, followed by a chance of rain Tuesday and Wednesday. A more ambitious prediction comes from Gregg Suhler, whose company, Dynamic Predictables in Columbia, Mo., developed a unique forecasting tool called ATLAS. Unlike traditional forecasting that relies on climate observations and historical trends, ATLAS uses thermodynamic principles to tap into recurring energy cycles that drive global weather. Simply put, Suhler said, there is a certain amount of energy in the atmosphere that has to be spent every year in the form of storms. If it isn't ? for instance, during a stretch of drought years ? that energy eventually builds up to produce very big storms on a regular cycle. Suhler said that cycle for the Sacramento River basin is about 16 years, and is starting to come back around again. As a result, Suhler predicts 15 to 20 inches of rain in the Sacramento River watershed in February. If it comes to pass, this could refill some of the state's most important reservoirs, from Shasta to Folsom. It also could cause damaging floods. Normal February rainfall in the city of Sacramento is 2.8 inches. "January and February are looking to be a really wet sucker," Suhler said. "We want people to know about it." He developed the forecast after DWR expressed an interest. The state didn't come through with funding, so he shared it with The Bee. The ATLAS computer model has been presented at science conferences but has not been published in a peer-reviewed science journal yet, Suhler said. Experts in conventional forecasting are skeptical. "Over the last decade, we've had a lot of false alarms about El Ni?o," Patzert said. "As you look back in the historical record, there really haven't been that many of what I call 'macho El Ni?os.' " On the other hand, it's worth looking at the winter of 1994-95. It started out dry. Californians feared that one of the worst droughts in history ? officially recorded from 1987 to 1992 ? wasn't really over. Then El Ni?o caused major floods in many areas of the state in January and March 1995, including $220 million in damage and 28 deaths. "It turned out to be a heavy year when it was done, but it was a late bloomer," Roos said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jan 11 16:55:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:55:09 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Science Symposium THIS WEEK Message-ID: <01a601ca9321$e3ce1c60$ab6a5520$@net> From: Peterson, Eric B. [mailto:ebpeterson at usbr.gov] Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 4:31 PM To: Subject: Trinity River Science Symposium - See You Soon! This should be my last broadcast email about the 2010 science symposium. I just want to check in that everyone knows: 1) The pre-symposium field tour will start from the TRRP office in Weaverville at 1 PM on Tuesday (tomorrow). 2) The symposium itself will be held at the Trinity Alps Golf Course in Weaverville, starting at 9 AM on Wednesday (the 13th) and at 8:30 on Thursday (the 14th). Click here for a Google map. 3) The symposium website includes the agenda (don't print - all registered attendees will receive this with the full set of abstracts). After the symposium, we plan to also provide the presentations on the website much like the 2007 symposium. Website address is: http://www.trrp.net/science/2010scienceSymposium.htm Thanks and I hope to see you all soon at the science symposium! Eric Peterson, Ph.D. Data Steward Trinity River Restoration Program (contracted through SAIC) 530-623-1810 http://www.trrp.net http://www.saic.com Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Jan 12 12:23:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:23:02 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Klamath Coalition Crab Dinner January 15 Message-ID: <004b01ca93c5$0ab05890$201109b0$@net> Klamath Justice Coalition Crab Dinner Friday, January 15th at the Panamnik Building (next to the post office) Orleans 5:30 pm Fresh Crab, Green Salad, Brio Bread and Local Wines. Sliding Scale $5.-30. Come help support the Justice Coalition's work in the Klamath Basin and our community! What is the Klamath Justice Coalition? KJC is a local group of Natives, Community Members and Commercial Fishermen that came together when it became obvious that the Klamath River was in need of advocacy. Since that time, we have traveled across the country and even to Scotland to protest the Klamath Dams and push for change. More recently, it has come to the attention of the coalition that the Forest Service is flagrantly allowing the violation of Karuk Ceremonial sites. With these new developments, KJC is mobilizing a campaign to shed light on the USFS policies and persons allowing these violations. Check out our flyer for the Forest Action Camp we're putting on the first week of February! It's Open to ANYONE interested in positively influencing the local Forest Service policies and halting further environmental injustice. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jan 13 10:43:07 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:43:07 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] CC Times 1 12 10 Message-ID: <00cc01ca9480$40914f30$c1b3ed90$@net> Top lawyer moved by Schwarzenegger administration; key lawmaker wants to know why Contra Costa Times-1/12/10 By Mike Taugher A key lawmaker wants to know why Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration moved a top lawyer out of the agency charged with making sure the state's water policies adhere to environmental laws. Assemblyman Jared Huffman, chairman of the water, parks and wildlife committee, said it looks like the administration may have simply wanted to remove an obstacle to its ambitious plans to reshape California water policies. So far, Huffman said, he has been unable to get answers to why Ann Malcolm was removed as general counsel to the Department of Fish in Game to an unspecified position at the state's Natural Resources Agency. "Someone in that critical role is sent to the bureaucratic equivalent of Siberia. It's a big concern," said Huffman, D-San Rafael. Malcolm, a Democrat with a reputation for taking a strong view on how environmental protection laws are enforced, had worked in the department's legal office since 1989 and served as general counsel for most of Schwarzenegger's term as governor. She was appointed general counsel in 2005 and was acting general counsel before that. The move comes as the administration enters its final year in which new water policies will be crafted under laws passed last year and the administration continues to press to build a new aqueduct to move water around the Delta. The Department of Fish and Game will ultimately decide whether the plans for the aqueduct meet environmental protection laws. "This couldn't come at a worse time," said Barry Nelson, a water policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The Delta environment and our salmon fisheries are in a state of crisis." "The new state water legislation gives Fish and Game new and important responsibilities," Nelson added. "What they need are experienced personnel and strong and independent legal advice." Thomas Gibson, a staff attorney, was promoted to acting chief counsel. Gibson is well regarded but does not have the same experience within the department, according to one environmental lawyer. Huffman said he was concerned that with Malcolm out, the Department of Fish and Game would be weakened as a regulator, which would make it easier for the administration to pursue plans to increase water deliveries from the Delta at the expense of environmental protection. The decision to remove Malcolm came from the administration and not from the agency's new director, John McCamman, Huffman said. He said he asked McCamman last week about the move and was told the decision came from higher ups in the administration. In an email to Fish and Game staff, McCamman said Malcolm "has been asked to continue her public service" at the resources agency. Resources Agency spokesman Sandy Cooney said the move coincided with several other personnel changes - including new heads at the Resources Agency, the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Game. "You're not going to see any changes in Fish and Game upholding its mission," Cooney said. Malcolm, reached at home Friday, declined to comment. The Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Water Resources are both housed in the state's Natural Resources Agency, but the water department has traditionally been seen as much stronger and better funded than the agency that is supposed to regulate it. "History has been that when Fish and Game and DWR clash on these environmental legal issues, DWR wins," Huffman said. For example, the State Water Project, one of the biggest water delivery projects in the world, operated until last year without a permit required by the state's endangered species law. In 2007, the Times detailed how state water officials knew years earlier that they needed the permit but never applied for one, while Fish and Game biologists complained in internal emails about being shut out of the permitting process. Because of a series of court rulings forced its hand, the water agency now has the permits needed to comply with state and federal endangered species laws. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jan 13 11:13:15 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:13:15 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] High Country News 11 19 01 Message-ID: <00d601ca9484$75d22260$61766720$@net> A November 2001 story on Westlands' contaminated drainage problems. Meanwhile, more than $100 million, yes more than $100 million has been spent on state and federal studies seeking a solution to the problem. None has been found other than land retirement. Byron InfoWill salt sink an agricultural empire? >From the November 19, 2001 issue of High Country News by Jim Downing http://www.hcn.org/external_files/allimages/2001/nov19/graphics/011119.010.j pg Feds still plugged up over disposal of irrigation waters FRESNO, Calif. - From an unassuming office of the federal Bureau of Reclamation here, Mike Delamore manages a problem that has felled empires since biblical times: salt. Delamore is drainage chief for the largest, richest and most troubled irrigation district in the nation. For much of his career, he has tried to balance two incompatible demands: draining salt from one of the world's most productive plots of farmland, and protecting water quality in the San Francisco Bay Delta. He hasn't succeeded yet. "The agency has been dealing with this for more than 40 years," he says. It might seem surprising the problem is that difficult. All irrigation water carries some salt, but the water diverted from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to farms in the San Joaquin Valley has lower salinity than typical Southern California tap water * about one pound of salt for every 300 gallons. The problem here is volume. To produce more than $1 billion in crops each year, the 1,000-square-mile Westlands Water District imports up to 400 billion gallons containing 610,000 tons of salt. It's the equivalent of a train of salt 6,100 cars long, year after year. When, under the San Luis Act, Congress authorized the Bureau of Reclamation to bring the irrigation water to the west side of the valley in 1960, geologic surveys revealed an impermeable layer of clay beneath the area's sandy loam. In soil like this, irrigation salts build up and will eventually sterilize the land. So Congress told the Bureau to provide drainage from the valley to flush out the salt. But, says Delamore, "I don't think anybody contemplated back in 1960 how difficult" building such a drain would be. The Bureau started a 197-mile aqueduct to the delta, but the effort stalled in 1974, 112 miles short of its goal, when political opposition arose in the Bay Area and funding grew tight. Drain water then poured into a holding pond, forming Kesterson Reservoir, which proved to be an infamous killer of wildlife. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service linked deformed and dead birds at the reservoir to selenium, a naturally occurring but toxic element that had also been flushed from the irrigated soil. So in 1985, the Bureau closed the San Luis Drain. Today, the drain is still plugged and the salt is still building up on the farmland. The land's productivity is falling and, partly as a result, farmers are going bankrupt. Environmentalists and the state water board, worried about threats to wildlife and human health, refuse to consider completing a drain to the delta, an area already impacted by pollutants. "Any increase in the amount of agricultural runoff coming into the delta is going to bring in more salts and more pollution," says Jeff McLain, fisheries biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "And that's not good for the resident fish populations." Yet federal courts, ruling on a lawsuit by the irrigation district, have reinforced the requirement that the Bureau of Reclamation has to do something about the salt. With the courts, Congress and farmers on one side, and laws such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act on the other side, the Bureau is caught in the middle. Habitat hotspot The San Francisco Bay's delta stretches up the two main river systems nearly to Stockton and Sacramento and includes hundreds of miles of channels and islands. The delta receives about half of California's total precipitation runoff. It is the state's hydraulic hub: Water stored in the reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada flows to the delta, then is pumped south to cities and farms. Contaminate the hub too much, and you contaminate the whole system. The delta is also a habitat hotspot. Millions of migratory birds stop in each year. Threatened and endangered chinook salmon, steelhead, delta smelt and Sacramento splittail all migrate through or live in the delta. In all, 230 species of birds, 45 species of mammals, 52 species of fish, and 150 species of flowering plants live in the delta, says Bill Jennings, director of DeltaKeeper, an environmental group based in Stockton. "It really is a marvelous estuary," says Jennings. "And it is in critical condition, suffering the death of a thousand cuts." Already, the delta suffers from high levels of pesticides, mercury, selenium and other toxics along with low dissolved oxygen levels, due to runoff from farms, cities and other sources, Jennings says. "The delta simply can't assimilate increased amounts of salt," he says. Federal and state efforts to find other ways to deal with the salt have cost an estimated $50 million so far, exploring a range of technologies and management schemes, including desalinization plants and salt-concentration ponds. Every strategy has a drawback: Desalinization systems are energy-intensive and leave behind mountains of salt. Evaporation ponds take up huge tracts of land, and also leave salt behind. Researchers have come up with methods to remove toxic selenium from the drainwater, but they also leave salts. All of the technical fixes would be expensive. The Bureau estimates that completing the San Luis Drain would cost $850 million, while the cheapest in-valley disposal solution, evaporation ponds, would run $1.5 billion. Under reclamation laws, that cost would be borne by the project's beneficiaries, the district's growers. "Farming can't support most of the options they've come up with so far," says Thad Bettner, the district's resource manager. Though the district receives only seven inches of rain a year, the farmers grow about 25 crops, including citrus, grapes, beans, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower, thanks to the irrigation diversions and pumped groundwater. A nontechnical strategy - inconceivable until recently - is to take farmland out of production. The district and the Bureau have reportedly been talking about the Department of the Interior buying 200,000 acres - a third of the district - for $500 million. Such a massive land retirement would be a confession that irrigating this portion of the arid West no longer makes sense. It would also mean loss of crop production and a hit to the economy in one of the state's poorest regions. "This concept of taking land out of production is almost sinful when you think about how good that soil was, and how good it could be again with drainage," says Lou Beck, a retired district chief for the California Department of Water Resources. "If the government does nothing (about the salt buildup), then for sure during my lifetime or my children's lifetime, the ground will go out of production," says Ted Sheeley, who grows tomatoes, garlic, pistachios and cotton on 1,000 acres. Salty groundwater is now within five feet of the surface on half of his land and his yields are falling. Suicide irrigation With their only alternative to sell out at depressed prices, the farmers continue what amounts to suicide irrigation. Last year, 10 percent of the district's farmers went bankrupt, which Sheeley says is due partly to salt and partly to shifts in global markets. Sheeley, also a member of the district's board of directors, is one of many people here who feel betrayed by the Bureau of Reclamation. "The Bureau has become very influenced by environmental groups. In the past, the Bureau looked out for our interests." Mike Delamore calls the Bureau's approach these days "an evolution in thinking," based on a succession of federal laws, court decisions and evolving science. Under the most recent court order to settle on some strategy, issued by the 9th Circuit Court last December, Delamore is working toward a 2005 deadline to do an environmental impact statement and decide what to do with the salt. The reasonable alternatives to be considered include, once again, completing the San Luis Drain. At DeltaKeeper, Jennings says any attempt to complete the drain will only trigger a lawsuit in defense of the delta. "We may end up with competing court decisions," he says. From his perspective, "Ultimately the San Luis Drain is an elusive dream. It's not going to happen." Jim Downing wrote this story while taking an environmental journalism course at the Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 8118 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jan 13 11:02:32 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:02:32 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] High Country News 1 11 10 Message-ID: <00d101ca9482$f7325250$e596f6f0$@net> This is lengthy, but valuable background in understanding Westlands Water District, recipient of Trinity River water. It was composed largely of small groundwater irrigated farms and otherwise was largely a desert wasteland before Trinity water was provided. As Floyd Dominy, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation when the Westlands' water contract was signed has said in recent years, the biggest mistake he made as Commissioner was allowing that contract to be signed before the contaminated irrigation drainage problem was solved. The article also provides interesting information on recent legislative activities on California's developed water allocation issues. Byron Breakdown: 'The Cadillac of California irrigation districts' has more than a tiny fish to blame for its troubles High Country News-1/11/10 By Matt Jenkins On Sept. 17 of last year, the famously hypertensive right-wing Fox News commentator Sean Hannity rolled into the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, satellite truck in tow. Months earlier, when it became clear that a 2-year-old drought would grind on for another year, the federal government announced plans to slash water deliveries to local farmers. Hannity smelled blood. He, and many others, quickly blamed the whole crisis on a two-inch-long fish called the Delta smelt, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act. The bright yellow CONGRESS CREATED DUST BOWL signs that began popping up all over the valley were prime-time stuff. And, at least in Hannity's telling, the farmers' fight against the water cutoff was swathed in the populist bunting of a peasant revolt against heavy-handed government. These farms are muscular emblems of American-style production agriculture, and odds are better than even that something inside your fridge right now was grown on the West Side. One of Heinz's biggest suppliers grows and processes tomatoes here, and the green-produce giant Tanimura & Antle sends armies of workers into the fields to harvest lettuce. The relatives of one of the district's founders raise the organic spinach that goes into Amy's-brand pizzas and vegetable pot pies. The farmers are confederated as the Westlands Water District. The largest irrigation district in the United States, it has a reputation for bare-knuckled combativeness. But Westlands has fared badly in the face of the drought, complicated by the Endangered Species Act, which has stringent protections for the smelt and several other fish that are affected by pumping operations. Because farmers received only 10 percent of the water they held federal contracts for, they were forced to leave roughly 156,000 acres -- about a quarter of the district -- unplanted this year. And so Hannity arrived to check out the damage for himself. His retinue set up camp on a fallowed field, clipped microphones to the area's congressional delegation, and began beaming the farmers' plight to the world. As a boom cam floated over the sign-toting, flag-waving throng, Hannity said, "The government has put the interests of a two-inch minnow before all of the great people that you see out here tonight." He brandished a blown-up photo of a smelt and said: "This is what this comes down to: No water for farmers, because of this fish." The crowd gave a hearty boo. Then the cameras turned to the darling of the hour: Rep. Devin Nunes, the hot-headed 37-year-old Republican who represents the neighboring congressional district. "The liberals and the radical environmental groups have been working on this for decades: They've been trying to turn this into a desert," Nunes fumed. "And what's important about you being here tonight -- and the rest of your viewers need to understand -- is this could happen to you. They're on their way. Nancy Pelosi's the speaker of the house. George Miller's her lieutenant. They're on their way to the rest of America." But there was more to the story than the drama that Fox News beamed out of Westlands that day. Congressman Nunes had been hard at work in Washington, D.C., introducing a series of amendments that would force the federal government to ignore the Endangered Species Act when it determined how much water to deliver to farmers this year. His efforts were repeatedly turned back. Then, five days after Hannity's broadcast, Jim DeMint, a conservative Republican from South Carolina, introduced a similar amendment in the Senate, with Westlands' endorsement. That's when the needle skipped off the record. California's warhorse Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has been a longtime champion of Westlands, but she has also tried to negotiate common ground in the state's complicated water politics. And back home, the California Legislature -- after years of ignoring the problem -- was working feverishly to hammer out a sweeping package of bills to relieve the crisis in the Delta. When Feinstein learned of the DeMint amendment, she denounced it as "a kind of Pearl Harbor on everything that we're trying to do." The amendment failed. Several days later, before a press conference at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Feinstein approached Tom Birmingham, the man who runs Westlands, and pulled him aside. The senior senator from California managed a tight smile, and then shook her fist at Birmingham, who has contributed to her campaigns. "Tom, I'm angry," she said. "I'm so angry that I want to punch you." Chastened, Birmingham later made a rare admission that Westlands had gone too far. "We just made a terrible, terrible mistake," he said in early November. "We made a mistake, and we need to acknowledge that." With scant naturally available water, the West Side was an unlikely place for an agricultural empire to begin rising roughly a century ago. Yet the farmers in Westlands have shown a rare knack for overcoming adversity and actually turning a profit in sometimes seemingly hopeless circumstances. Westlands has never been afraid to aggressively seek advantage wherever it could, and the district has played its cards well. But the foundation beneath the entire enterprise has always been unstable. And if the drought is revealing anything, it is not government regulation run amok but an empire that may have seriously over-extended itself. In the 1980s, veteran reporter Eric Brazil dubbed Westlands "the Cadillac of American irrigation districts." Westlands has a defiant air of invincibility, and its leaders have never blinked when trouble materialized -- including at the very start. Farmers first tried to make a go of it on the West Side in the late 1800s. They found themselves blessed with deep, rich, Panoche sandy loams that had eroded out of the nearby hills ?? and cursed with scanty local water. That, in turn, inspired a number of creative efforts to correct the problem. In 1924, for instance, the city of Coalinga paid $8,000 to Charles Mallory Hatfield to make it rain. He set fire to a secret recipe of chemicals, and induced the heavens to pour forth. By that time, though, most farmers were looking not to the skies but to the ground beneath their feet for water. The invention of deep-well pumps allowed them to reach the groundwater beneath the dry scrub, and farms began spreading across the West Side. But by the 1940s, trouble was on the horizon. As the pumps furiously sucked water from beneath the valley, the ground beneath them sank like a collapsing souffl?, leaving some pumps stranded 10 feet in the air. This time, the farmers turned to the government. In 1952, several prominent landowners on the West Side organized the Westlands Water District and began lobbying for water from the delta formed where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet, a hundred-odd miles to the north, before flowing to the Pacific. In 1960, Congress agreed to finance construction of San Luis Reservoir and a canal to the water district, as part of the massive Central Valley Project. On Aug. 18, 1962, President John F. Kennedy helicoptered into the valley to join Gov. Pat Brown. "It is a pleasure for me to come out here and help blow up this valley in the name of progress," Kennedy said, before setting off an explosive blast that broke ground for the reservoir. Today, Westlands sprawls across 605,000 acres. Tomatoes and almonds are the two most-widely grown crops, but farmers grow everything from alfalfa to garbanzos to pomegranates ?? more than a billion dollars' worth of crops in a normal year. Westlands is famously secretive about how many farm operations actually do business in the district. The official line is that Westlands is home to "more than 600 family farmers," but many of those are, in fact, parts of large family partnerships. Farms run from couple-hundred acre operations to Woolf Farming's roughly 25,000-acre spread. When Westlands lobbied for the construction of the San Luis Reservoir, the district's farmers hitched their star to the fate of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. For most Californians, the Delta is a world far from mind, but it is the heart of California's complex water-supply system. Two enormous batteries of pumps on the edge of the Delta feed the federal Central Valley Project and its sister, the State Water Project. Those two projects, in turn, push water south to over 1.2 million acres of farmland and more than 25 million people, primarily in Los Angeles and San Diego. It's a complex system, but the Delta's ecosystem is even more complicated -- and fragile. It is a critical link in California salmon's annual spawning runs, and is home to more than 120 species of fish, including the smelt. By the late 1980s, it was becoming clear that competing demands for the Delta's water could unravel everything. Barry Nelson, a water policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, has called the Central Valley Project "the biggest single environmental disaster ever to strike California." The meltdown that drew Sean Hannity to the West Side last summer had been brewing since at least 1989. That year, the winter run of chinook salmon in the Sacramento River fell so low that the federal government added the fish to the endangered species list. Then, in 1993, the Delta smelt was classified as threatened. For a time, there was a promising shift. In 1992, after a long, hard fight, Congress passed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act; then, in 1994, water users, environmentalists and the federal government reached an agreement called the Bay Delta Accords. Together, the two offered hope for a more balanced approach to juggling the water demands of farms and cities with protection for the Delta's fisheries. For roughly the next decade, California went through a series of gyrations, centered around a joint state-and-federal effort called CALFED, that marked a new period of collaborative management. Yet the Delta fisheries only got worse, and the Delta smelt provided the clearest signal that something was wrong. Bruce Herbold, an Environmental Protection Agency scientist involved in an ongoing investigation into the collective fish decline in the Delta, says that the smelt, unlike other fish, spends its entire one-year life span in the Delta, "so it's a really good animal to tell you what's happening." By 2004, smelt populations had fallen to record lows, even as pumping intensified. Water "exports" to farms and Southern California's cities had topped 6 million acre-feet for the first time in 1989, and then tapered off to a low of about half that during a drought in the early 1990s. Then, fast on the heels of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and the Bay-Delta Accord, exports began climbing. In 1996, they hit 6 million acre-feet again. And by 2005 they had reached a new record high. "We have been steadily ramping up diversions from that system, year after year, for a long time. And we've just hit limits. We haven't yet seen extinctions, but we're on the razor's edge," says Nelson. "And right now, (the Delta smelt protections are) the tool that has prevented the projects from driving the system completely over the edge." Those protections are determined by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analysis called a biological opinion, which is meant to ensure that the pumping plants do not violate the Endangered Species Act. While the pumps themselves kill fish, they have also dramatically reshaped the hydrology of the Delta: they have broken a natural cycle in which salty water from San Francisco Bay would wash through parts of the Delta each winter, and they have re-oriented flows from east-to-west to north-to-south. The biological opinion, which was first issued in 2005, asserted that pumping could be increased without harming the smelt. The Natural Resources Defense Council sued to force the feds to redo the opinion, and in 2007, won a favorable ruling from federal District Judge Oliver Wanger. To protect smelt and other species during key stages in their life cycles, a court-ordered revised opinion limits the times that pumps can be used -- and, by extension, the amount of water that they can send south. With the onset of the current drought in 2007, and with Judge Wanger's ruling, water exports plummeted and have continued to fall. The fish -- and the communities that depend on fish -- haven't done any better. Last year, salmon runs collapsed so badly that federal regulators shut down the state's commercial salmon fishery for the second year in a row, throwing fishermen from San Francisco to the North Coast out of work. Many farmers echo Hannity in blaming the restrictions solely on the fish-protection measures. But Lester Snow, California's top water regulator, and David Hayes, the deputy secretary of the Interior, both point out that fish-related pumping restrictions accounted for only a quarter of the reduced exports from the Delta this year. (A recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California put the number even lower, at 15-20 percent.) The real culprit behind the low deliveries is the drought. In the meantime, the collaborative-management efforts have been crumbling; CALFED collapsed in 2006 in part due to a lack of funding. As a result, the Delta crisis was, for the most part, being immediately addressed only in the courts. Last year, however, even as Feinstein was shaking her fist in Birmingham's face in Washington, California state legislators were hammering out a package of bills that promised to breathe new life into the ideal of balancing water extraction and environmental protection. The package would require the state to establish standards for how much water would be allowed to flow from the Delta out to the Pacific, a critical element for protecting fish populations. It would also create an oversight council and legal backstops to prevent an outright run on the Delta for more water. More controversially, however, the package lays the groundwork for what is most often referred to as the Peripheral Canal, a 25-year-old idea that has generated plenty of contention before. The canal would allow water users to directly tap the Sacramento River -- the major contributor of water to the Delta -- and route water straight to the pumps that push it to the southern half of the state. That could protect the freshwater from a large earthquake- or climate-driven sea level rise that would cause a massive infusion of salt water into the Delta. A canal might also help untangle the snarl formed by competing demands. It would essentially separate the water in the Delta, shunting the water allocated to farmers and cities around the estuary rather than through it, and allowing environmental flows to be used to mimic the Delta's more natural, variable self. The proposal has divided environmental groups. "There's this notion that the best way to restore the Bay-Delta is to separate the fish from the water," says Jonas Minton, the water policy advisor for the Planning and Conservation League. "That's as biologically unsound as it sounds. This is an attempt by large agribusinesses and Southern California developers to take even more water." Other groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council, have endorsed the package. "Five or 10 years ago, NRDC would have said no way, no how" to a Peripheral Canal, says Doug Obegi, a Natural Resources Defense Council attorney. The realities of the collapsing Delta have caused the group to shift its stance. But, he adds, "how it's operated -- whether it's good for the environment -- really does make or break the project." On Sept. 11 last year, the clock ran out on an intense round of negotiations over the water package during the regular legislative session. Schwarzenegger, threatening to veto hundreds of bills, forced lawmakers back for a special session. Finally, on Nov. 4, the Legislature passed the package. All told, the projects in the package could ring in at more than $40 billion. This November, California voters will be asked to approve the publicly financed portion of the plan, an $11 billion bond. It is not at all clear that Californians will have the appetite for new debt when the state is already teetering under a $21 billion budget deficit. And even if voters approve the package, relief could still be far off for Westlands. The canal wouldn't carry any water until 2018 at the earliest. And that raises the question of how far water districts like Westlands will go to protect themselves in the meantime. How are we going to survive between now and the time that these long-term solutions can be implemented?" says Westlands boss Tom Birmingham. "If we have to live with the existing biological opinions until 2018, there are a lot of farmers in Westlands Water District that simply will not survive." As of November, Westlands' fighting spirit was still much in evidence. In a barren field on the west side of the district, a yellow sign screamed, "CHANGE the LAWS or we'll CHANGE CONGRESS!" A passing semi tooted its air horn in approval. Westlands is, somewhat paradoxically, in the most vulnerable class of water users that receive water from the Central Valley Project. During droughts, the project delivers water first to wildlife refuges and to irrigation districts that were formed before the first portions of the project were built in the 1930s. Cities come next, and finally more recently created agricultural districts, such as Westlands. In a wet year, Westlands receives 40 percent of all the water delivered through the Central Valley Project. But in a dry year that percentage can be much less -- in 2008, for example, Westlands' share was only 18 percent. That vulnerability has shaped the district's dealings with the outside world. "We've had to be more aggressive, politically and legally, than water districts with a firmer supply of water," says Frank Coelho, a farmer who has been on the district's board of directors since 1991. "It's just the nature of trying to survive." Tom Birmingham is the man charged with defending the district's interests, and pretty much everyone involved in the state's water politics keeps a close eye on his every move. Water bosses like those at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to 19 million people in Los Angeles and San Diego, have gradually reached out to environmental groups. But Birmingham is not the type to hold up an olive branch, even though Westlands was careful to keep its name out of Hannity's environmentalist-bashing broadcast. "Birmingham is devout. He's a believer," says one Westlands farmer. "He's a believer in the idea that farmers on the West Side should be allowed to farm. And a lot of people on the other side of that proposition" -- a reference to critics who say Westlands is a water-guzzling, fish-killing monster -- "would like to see the end of the district." Birmingham began working as an outside attorney for the district in 1986, after a short stint with the pro-property-rights Pacific Legal Foundation. Fourteen years later he became Westlands' general manager. Birmingham tends not to mince words, and few people are as critical as he is of the effort to save the Delta. "The pumping restrictions have done absolutely no good for the fish," he says. "We've dedicated millions of acre-feet of water per year to protect those species, and they're still declining." Even though, overall, Delta pumping increased between 1990 and 2005, Westlands has seen the reliability of its water supply erode, thanks to a complicated mix of federal and state pumping and priorities. Before 1993, the pumps could run all year long. Then the smelt was listed, and the window during which Westlands could pump water grew smaller and smaller. Because that window now limits pumping to only the second half of each year, water users can't take advantage of the extra water available in the Delta at other, wetter times of the year like the winter. "What we want to do," says Birmingham, "is restore the ability of those pumps to operate at capacity year-round." The quest to re-open the pumping window lies at the heart of Westlands' survival strategy. In search of relief, the district turned to Congressman Nunes and Sen. DeMint for Endangered Species Act waivers last year. Last March, Westlands -- through a broader group of local irrigation districts -- also sued the federal government to overturn the smelt biological opinion. Birmingham is particularly critical of the science behind the opinion, and says that a host of other problems, including pesticide runoff, invasive fish and high levels of ammonia from urban waste-treatment plants, are responsible for the Delta fisheries collapse. That case is still working its way through court, but in December, Westlands and the Water Authority asked Judge Wanger for an injunction to prohibit the pumping restrictions this year -- a motion that the judge will consider this month. Yet even as Westlands aggressively challenges the biological opinions, it is one of the main participants in the quiet, ongoing series of negotiations to create a Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. The plan, which emerged in the wake of CALFED's collapse, seems likely to provide at least the raw DNA for the new governance entity mandated by the water package the California Legislature passed in November. Some environmental groups view that process skeptically. "The environmentalists can sit in the back seat and offer suggestions," says the Planning and Conservation League's Minton, "but they don't have the grip on the steering wheel." But Ann Hayden, a senior water resource analyst with the Environmental Defense Council, who represents environmental groups in the process, says that the conservation plan has kept the water users' quest for better water reliability yoked to a meaningful effort to protect the Delta. In "this world of constant litigation, we've actually been able to make quite a bit of progress in the BDCP," she says. "I think we have a promising foundation to work from." Still, the DeMint amendment and the political wrangling over Endangered Species Act waivers "has created a lot of tension in the BDCP process," she says. The state's environmental groups are watching to see what happens when Congress returns this month. Sen. Feinstein has been working on several fronts to help Westlands and other water users. Last fall, she requested a review of the smelt biological opinion by the National Academy of Sciences; a preliminary report should be out this spring. The Senate will also consider a bill she introduced that would streamline the federal government's review and approval of water transfers. Birmingham says that Westlands has not ruled out asking Congress for help in getting a waiver from the Endangered Species Act. "We will pursue every potential remedy," he says. But "not," he is careful to add, "without the express consent of Sen. Dianne Feinstein." There is an uneasy sense of d?j? vu in Westlands these days. Because its Delta water supply is so unreliable, Westlands, unlike most of the rest of California, has been fairly proactive in managing its groundwater, which is its farmers' insurance policy for dry times. But over the past three years, farmers have been drilling many new groundwater wells, and they have fired up many previously idle ones, too. As its Delta supplies have plummeted, Westlands' groundwater use has dramatically increased. The district estimates that its farmers pumped half a million acre-feet this year. At the edge of an almond orchard on his farm, 41-year-old Shawn Coburn shows off a new well with a mixture of pride and chagrin. "This is a million-dollar hole," Coburn says. It goes 1,800 feet down, and taps into a nasty realm. "Say a prayer, because there is a hell. When this water comes out of the ground, it's 97 degrees." It's also heavily laden with salt and boron, so it has to be used sparingly and mixed with scarce canal water. It is hell on pumps: Many are rotting out from the inside because the chemical concentrations are so strong. And the groundwater has an equally diabolical effect on crops. Farmers who had to rely solely on well water to grow lettuce saw their crops yield stunted, disease-prone heads fit only for shredded salad mix. The drought is already beginning to reshape the district. "A small farmer can't afford to go out and punch a million-dollar hole in his dirt," says Coburn. As smaller growers go bust, one of the district's largest landowners says he is considering whether to buy their ground. District insiders also say that the drought and water restrictions are taking a toll on the finances of the water district itself. Last year, Westlands had to cover a $93 million operating budget with shrinking revenues. Because irrigation districts have to maintain their full pipeline system to deliver even much-reduced supplies of water, they're ill-equipped to trim operating expenses in dry times. "You have a minimum operating budget divided by a smaller and smaller supply, so prices have gone up considerably," says Dan Errotabere, who sits on Westlands' board and whose family partnership farms about 5,500 acres. "We have a little bit of reserve that we try to use to smooth prices out, but you quickly burn that up." Contrary to popular perception, Westlands is relatively water efficient. The district's entire distribution system is underground pipe, instead of open canals that lose water through evaporation. And its farmers have gone in for drip irrigation -- widely recognized as the most efficient form of irrigation -- in a big way. Frank Coelho, the Westlands board member, is the grandson of a Portuguese immigrant who came to the West Side from the Azore Islands in 1917. Coelho's family partnership farms about 8,000 acres, primarily growing tomatoes. "Our first drip went in in 2000, and we'll be 100 percent drip on our ranch (this) year," Coelho says. "Nobody stretches a gallon of water in agriculture like Westlands does." Last year, fully half of the district's farmed acreage was drip-irrigated. Yet the adoption of this method has been driven less by a desire to save water than by the fact that drip increases crop yields by as much as 50 percent. And while farmers have made a major shift away from cotton, a fairly heavy water user, the replacement crops don't necessarily use any less. Almonds, for instance, which now cover more than 68,000 acres, use just as much water as cotton does. Indeed, in spite of the recent irrigation and crop shifts, Westlands' total water demand has not gone down. Birmingham says that the district's annual demand for water is 1.4 million acre-feet per year. That's 210,000 acre-feet more than Westlands holds contracts for from the Central Valley Project. In a year with full deliveries from the project, Westlands could almost make the math work. The amount of water that can be pumped reliably over the long term without depleting the aquifer is roughly 200,000 acre-feet, about what it would take to cover the difference. But in any year with a less than 100 percent supply from the Central Valley Project, the district runs a deficit that it must cover by buying water in the open market (at rates that, this year, were four times what Westlands paid for its own water), or by pumping groundwater at unsustainable levels. Over the past 22 years, a period that extends back beyond the first restrictions in the 1990s, Westlands -- even after buying water and relying on wells -- has only once managed to pull together a full 1.4 million acre-feet. And even as the district's water supply has become less reliable, many of Westlands' farmers have made themselves more vulnerable to water shortages. Today, as much as a third of the district's cultivated acreage is planted to permanent crops like grapes and almonds -- crops that farmers can't fallow in a dry year. Once already, the district has been forced to confront the fact that it is over-extended. In 2002, it settled a lawsuit filed by a group of Westlands farmers because there wasn't enough water to ensure equal deliveries to everyone, by permanently retiring about 90,000 acres. That reduced the farmed acreage in the district by about 15 percent, and increased the amount of water available to the remaining landowners. That may be about to happen again. As the Coast Range eroded to form the Panoche sandy loams that thrill the farmers here, its rocks infused those loams with the toxic element selenium. In 1983, the selenium-poisoned runoff led to an outbreak of gruesome deformities in birds at the Kesterson Wildlife Refuge, which, despite its name, was little more than a sump for the selenium-contaminated water that trickled out of Westlands. For years, Westlands has been negotiating with the federal government to retire as many as 200,000 acres that have selenium and drainage problems. That would shrink the farmed area in Westlands to about half of its former size, in exchange for a firmer, though somewhat smaller, supply of water. Taken together, Westlands' water and drainage problems suggest that, in the future, the district will look quite different than it did in its heyday. And as the entire state grapples with drier times, irrigation districts like Westlands are assuming new importance as a potential source of water transfers for the agencies, like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, responsible for keeping cities supplied through good years and bad. Birmingham, and many Westlands landowners, remain adamant that the district won't sell its water off to outsiders. "It hasn't happened, and it isn't going to happen," says Birmingham. Still, the prospect of selling water does quietly figure into the farmers' calculus. "It's gotten a lot of talk," says Errotabere. "It's the realization that we've been squeezed so hard that now people are giving up water supply to survive. If you're a financial steward of whatever operation you've got, you have to consider whether it's better to park the ground and sell the water next year." Back in November 2003, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California, his predecessor, Gray Davis, left him with a piece of parting advice. "Pray for a good economy," he said, "and rain." Six years later, it appears that Schwarzenegger has not prayed hard enough on either count. For the first time in a long time, however, the state seems ready to confront the Delta crisis. Last year was just the first step in what is sure to be an exhausting process that will go on for years. Over the next decade, the state's water system and its water politics could be dramatically transformed. But peril lurks at every turn. And every winter brings a new roll of the dice that could either push things to the breaking point, or buy the state a year's reprieve. John Diener is the nephew of one of Westland's founding fathers. Although he seems happiest dispensing folk wisdom from behind the wheel of his GMC pickup, he is known as one of the most progressive farmers in Westlands. In November, Diener wheeled the truck through his fields, checking on next spring's crop of organic spinach. It had been an extremely frustrating year: Diener had fallowed about 750 acres, and he hoped that this year would be better. "Just having dirt for the joy of having dirt is great," Diener said. "But our business is about growing things." When I asked what needed to happen next, Diener thought for a moment before saying, "We pray a lot!" He burst out laughing, and then thought some more. "We would like to see some biological opinions reviewed. And, God willing, it rains. "I mean, honest to God," he said, "we do need it to rain." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jan 13 11:31:44 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:31:44 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] High Country News 1 11 10 Message-ID: <00fc01ca9487$0b86f450$2294dcf0$@net> This is lengthy, but valuable background in understanding Westlands Water District, recipient of Trinity River water. It was composed largely of small groundwater irrigated farms and otherwise was largely a desert wasteland before Trinity water was provided. As Floyd Dominy, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation when the Westlands' water contract was signed has said in recent years, the biggest mistake he made as Commissioner was allowing that contract to be signed before the contaminated irrigation drainage problem was solved. The article also provides interesting information on recent legislative activities on California's developed water allocation issues. Byron Breakdown: 'The Cadillac of California irrigation districts' has more than a tiny fish to blame for its troubles High Country News-1/11/10 By Matt Jenkins On Sept. 17 of last year, the famously hypertensive right-wing Fox News commentator Sean Hannity rolled into the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, satellite truck in tow. Months earlier, when it became clear that a 2-year-old drought would grind on for another year, the federal government announced plans to slash water deliveries to local farmers. Hannity smelled blood. He, and many others, quickly blamed the whole crisis on a two-inch-long fish called the Delta smelt, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act. The bright yellow CONGRESS CREATED DUST BOWL signs that began popping up all over the valley were prime-time stuff. And, at least in Hannity's telling, the farmers' fight against the water cutoff was swathed in the populist bunting of a peasant revolt against heavy-handed government. These farms are muscular emblems of American-style production agriculture, and odds are better than even that something inside your fridge right now was grown on the West Side. One of Heinz's biggest suppliers grows and processes tomatoes here, and the green-produce giant Tanimura & Antle sends armies of workers into the fields to harvest lettuce. The relatives of one of the district's founders raise the organic spinach that goes into Amy's-brand pizzas and vegetable pot pies. The farmers are confederated as the Westlands Water District. The largest irrigation district in the United States, it has a reputation for bare-knuckled combativeness. But Westlands has fared badly in the face of the drought, complicated by the Endangered Species Act, which has stringent protections for the smelt and several other fish that are affected by pumping operations. Because farmers received only 10 percent of the water they held federal contracts for, they were forced to leave roughly 156,000 acres -- about a quarter of the district -- unplanted this year. And so Hannity arrived to check out the damage for himself. His retinue set up camp on a fallowed field, clipped microphones to the area's congressional delegation, and began beaming the farmers' plight to the world. As a boom cam floated over the sign-toting, flag-waving throng, Hannity said, "The government has put the interests of a two-inch minnow before all of the great people that you see out here tonight." He brandished a blown-up photo of a smelt and said: "This is what this comes down to: No water for farmers, because of this fish." The crowd gave a hearty boo. Then the cameras turned to the darling of the hour: Rep. Devin Nunes, the hot-headed 37-year-old Republican who represents the neighboring congressional district. "The liberals and the radical environmental groups have been working on this for decades: They've been trying to turn this into a desert," Nunes fumed. "And what's important about you being here tonight -- and the rest of your viewers need to understand -- is this could happen to you. They're on their way. Nancy Pelosi's the speaker of the house. George Miller's her lieutenant. They're on their way to the rest of America." But there was more to the story than the drama that Fox News beamed out of Westlands that day. Congressman Nunes had been hard at work in Washington, D.C., introducing a series of amendments that would force the federal government to ignore the Endangered Species Act when it determined how much water to deliver to farmers this year. His efforts were repeatedly turned back. Then, five days after Hannity's broadcast, Jim DeMint, a conservative Republican from South Carolina, introduced a similar amendment in the Senate, with Westlands' endorsement. That's when the needle skipped off the record. California's warhorse Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has been a longtime champion of Westlands, but she has also tried to negotiate common ground in the state's complicated water politics. And back home, the California Legislature -- after years of ignoring the problem -- was working feverishly to hammer out a sweeping package of bills to relieve the crisis in the Delta. When Feinstein learned of the DeMint amendment, she denounced it as "a kind of Pearl Harbor on everything that we're trying to do." The amendment failed. Several days later, before a press conference at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Feinstein approached Tom Birmingham, the man who runs Westlands, and pulled him aside. The senior senator from California managed a tight smile, and then shook her fist at Birmingham, who has contributed to her campaigns. "Tom, I'm angry," she said. "I'm so angry that I want to punch you." Chastened, Birmingham later made a rare admission that Westlands had gone too far. "We just made a terrible, terrible mistake," he said in early November. "We made a mistake, and we need to acknowledge that." With scant naturally available water, the West Side was an unlikely place for an agricultural empire to begin rising roughly a century ago. Yet the farmers in Westlands have shown a rare knack for overcoming adversity and actually turning a profit in sometimes seemingly hopeless circumstances. Westlands has never been afraid to aggressively seek advantage wherever it could, and the district has played its cards well. But the foundation beneath the entire enterprise has always been unstable. And if the drought is revealing anything, it is not government regulation run amok but an empire that may have seriously over-extended itself. In the 1980s, veteran reporter Eric Brazil dubbed Westlands "the Cadillac of American irrigation districts." Westlands has a defiant air of invincibility, and its leaders have never blinked when trouble materialized -- including at the very start. Farmers first tried to make a go of it on the West Side in the late 1800s. They found themselves blessed with deep, rich, Panoche sandy loams that had eroded out of the nearby hills ?? and cursed with scanty local water. That, in turn, inspired a number of creative efforts to correct the problem. In 1924, for instance, the city of Coalinga paid $8,000 to Charles Mallory Hatfield to make it rain. He set fire to a secret recipe of chemicals, and induced the heavens to pour forth. By that time, though, most farmers were looking not to the skies but to the ground beneath their feet for water. The invention of deep-well pumps allowed them to reach the groundwater beneath the dry scrub, and farms began spreading across the West Side. But by the 1940s, trouble was on the horizon. As the pumps furiously sucked water from beneath the valley, the ground beneath them sank like a collapsing souffl?, leaving some pumps stranded 10 feet in the air. This time, the farmers turned to the government. In 1952, several prominent landowners on the West Side organized the Westlands Water District and began lobbying for water from the delta formed where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet, a hundred-odd miles to the north, before flowing to the Pacific. In 1960, Congress agreed to finance construction of San Luis Reservoir and a canal to the water district, as part of the massive Central Valley Project. On Aug. 18, 1962, President John F. Kennedy helicoptered into the valley to join Gov. Pat Brown. "It is a pleasure for me to come out here and help blow up this valley in the name of progress," Kennedy said, before setting off an explosive blast that broke ground for the reservoir. Today, Westlands sprawls across 605,000 acres. Tomatoes and almonds are the two most-widely grown crops, but farmers grow everything from alfalfa to garbanzos to pomegranates ?? more than a billion dollars' worth of crops in a normal year. Westlands is famously secretive about how many farm operations actually do business in the district. The official line is that Westlands is home to "more than 600 family farmers," but many of those are, in fact, parts of large family partnerships. Farms run from couple-hundred acre operations to Woolf Farming's roughly 25,000-acre spread. When Westlands lobbied for the construction of the San Luis Reservoir, the district's farmers hitched their star to the fate of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. For most Californians, the Delta is a world far from mind, but it is the heart of California's complex water-supply system. Two enormous batteries of pumps on the edge of the Delta feed the federal Central Valley Project and its sister, the State Water Project. Those two projects, in turn, push water south to over 1.2 million acres of farmland and more than 25 million people, primarily in Los Angeles and San Diego. It's a complex system, but the Delta's ecosystem is even more complicated -- and fragile. It is a critical link in California salmon's annual spawning runs, and is home to more than 120 species of fish, including the smelt. By the late 1980s, it was becoming clear that competing demands for the Delta's water could unravel everything. Barry Nelson, a water policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, has called the Central Valley Project "the biggest single environmental disaster ever to strike California." The meltdown that drew Sean Hannity to the West Side last summer had been brewing since at least 1989. That year, the winter run of chinook salmon in the Sacramento River fell so low that the federal government added the fish to the endangered species list. Then, in 1993, the Delta smelt was classified as threatened. For a time, there was a promising shift. In 1992, after a long, hard fight, Congress passed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act; then, in 1994, water users, environmentalists and the federal government reached an agreement called the Bay Delta Accords. Together, the two offered hope for a more balanced approach to juggling the water demands of farms and cities with protection for the Delta's fisheries. For roughly the next decade, California went through a series of gyrations, centered around a joint state-and-federal effort called CALFED, that marked a new period of collaborative management. Yet the Delta fisheries only got worse, and the Delta smelt provided the clearest signal that something was wrong. Bruce Herbold, an Environmental Protection Agency scientist involved in an ongoing investigation into the collective fish decline in the Delta, says that the smelt, unlike other fish, spends its entire one-year life span in the Delta, "so it's a really good animal to tell you what's happening." By 2004, smelt populations had fallen to record lows, even as pumping intensified. Water "exports" to farms and Southern California's cities had topped 6 million acre-feet for the first time in 1989, and then tapered off to a low of about half that during a drought in the early 1990s. Then, fast on the heels of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and the Bay-Delta Accord, exports began climbing. In 1996, they hit 6 million acre-feet again. And by 2005 they had reached a new record high. "We have been steadily ramping up diversions from that system, year after year, for a long time. And we've just hit limits. We haven't yet seen extinctions, but we're on the razor's edge," says Nelson. "And right now, (the Delta smelt protections are) the tool that has prevented the projects from driving the system completely over the edge." Those protections are determined by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analysis called a biological opinion, which is meant to ensure that the pumping plants do not violate the Endangered Species Act. While the pumps themselves kill fish, they have also dramatically reshaped the hydrology of the Delta: they have broken a natural cycle in which salty water from San Francisco Bay would wash through parts of the Delta each winter, and they have re-oriented flows from east-to-west to north-to-south. The biological opinion, which was first issued in 2005, asserted that pumping could be increased without harming the smelt. The Natural Resources Defense Council sued to force the feds to redo the opinion, and in 2007, won a favorable ruling from federal District Judge Oliver Wanger. To protect smelt and other species during key stages in their life cycles, a court-ordered revised opinion limits the times that pumps can be used -- and, by extension, the amount of water that they can send south. With the onset of the current drought in 2007, and with Judge Wanger's ruling, water exports plummeted and have continued to fall. The fish -- and the communities that depend on fish -- haven't done any better. Last year, salmon runs collapsed so badly that federal regulators shut down the state's commercial salmon fishery for the second year in a row, throwing fishermen from San Francisco to the North Coast out of work. Many farmers echo Hannity in blaming the restrictions solely on the fish-protection measures. But Lester Snow, California's top water regulator, and David Hayes, the deputy secretary of the Interior, both point out that fish-related pumping restrictions accounted for only a quarter of the reduced exports from the Delta this year. (A recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California put the number even lower, at 15-20 percent.) The real culprit behind the low deliveries is the drought. In the meantime, the collaborative-management efforts have been crumbling; CALFED collapsed in 2006 in part due to a lack of funding. As a result, the Delta crisis was, for the most part, being immediately addressed only in the courts. Last year, however, even as Feinstein was shaking her fist in Birmingham's face in Washington, California state legislators were hammering out a package of bills that promised to breathe new life into the ideal of balancing water extraction and environmental protection. The package would require the state to establish standards for how much water would be allowed to flow from the Delta out to the Pacific, a critical element for protecting fish populations. It would also create an oversight council and legal backstops to prevent an outright run on the Delta for more water. More controversially, however, the package lays the groundwork for what is most often referred to as the Peripheral Canal, a 25-year-old idea that has generated plenty of contention before. The canal would allow water users to directly tap the Sacramento River -- the major contributor of water to the Delta -- and route water straight to the pumps that push it to the southern half of the state. That could protect the freshwater from a large earthquake- or climate-driven sea level rise that would cause a massive infusion of salt water into the Delta. A canal might also help untangle the snarl formed by competing demands. It would essentially separate the water in the Delta, shunting the water allocated to farmers and cities around the estuary rather than through it, and allowing environmental flows to be used to mimic the Delta's more natural, variable self. The proposal has divided environmental groups. "There's this notion that the best way to restore the Bay-Delta is to separate the fish from the water," says Jonas Minton, the water policy advisor for the Planning and Conservation League. "That's as biologically unsound as it sounds. This is an attempt by large agribusinesses and Southern California developers to take even more water." Other groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council, have endorsed the package. "Five or 10 years ago, NRDC would have said no way, no how" to a Peripheral Canal, says Doug Obegi, a Natural Resources Defense Council attorney. The realities of the collapsing Delta have caused the group to shift its stance. But, he adds, "how it's operated -- whether it's good for the environment -- really does make or break the project." On Sept. 11 last year, the clock ran out on an intense round of negotiations over the water package during the regular legislative session. Schwarzenegger, threatening to veto hundreds of bills, forced lawmakers back for a special session. Finally, on Nov. 4, the Legislature passed the package. All told, the projects in the package could ring in at more than $40 billion. This November, California voters will be asked to approve the publicly financed portion of the plan, an $11 billion bond. It is not at all clear that Californians will have the appetite for new debt when the state is already teetering under a $21 billion budget deficit. And even if voters approve the package, relief could still be far off for Westlands. The canal wouldn't carry any water until 2018 at the earliest. And that raises the question of how far water districts like Westlands will go to protect themselves in the meantime. How are we going to survive between now and the time that these long-term solutions can be implemented?" says Westlands boss Tom Birmingham. "If we have to live with the existing biological opinions until 2018, there are a lot of farmers in Westlands Water District that simply will not survive." As of November, Westlands' fighting spirit was still much in evidence. In a barren field on the west side of the district, a yellow sign screamed, "CHANGE the LAWS or we'll CHANGE CONGRESS!" A passing semi tooted its air horn in approval. Westlands is, somewhat paradoxically, in the most vulnerable class of water users that receive water from the Central Valley Project. During droughts, the project delivers water first to wildlife refuges and to irrigation districts that were formed before the first portions of the project were built in the 1930s. Cities come next, and finally more recently created agricultural districts, such as Westlands. In a wet year, Westlands receives 40 percent of all the water delivered through the Central Valley Project. But in a dry year that percentage can be much less -- in 2008, for example, Westlands' share was only 18 percent. That vulnerability has shaped the district's dealings with the outside world. "We've had to be more aggressive, politically and legally, than water districts with a firmer supply of water," says Frank Coelho, a farmer who has been on the district's board of directors since 1991. "It's just the nature of trying to survive." Tom Birmingham is the man charged with defending the district's interests, and pretty much everyone involved in the state's water politics keeps a close eye on his every move. Water bosses like those at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to 19 million people in Los Angeles and San Diego, have gradually reached out to environmental groups. But Birmingham is not the type to hold up an olive branch, even though Westlands was careful to keep its name out of Hannity's environmentalist-bashing broadcast. "Birmingham is devout. He's a believer," says one Westlands farmer. "He's a believer in the idea that farmers on the West Side should be allowed to farm. And a lot of people on the other side of that proposition" -- a reference to critics who say Westlands is a water-guzzling, fish-killing monster -- "would like to see the end of the district." Birmingham began working as an outside attorney for the district in 1986, after a short stint with the pro-property-rights Pacific Legal Foundation. Fourteen years later he became Westlands' general manager. Birmingham tends not to mince words, and few people are as critical as he is of the effort to save the Delta. "The pumping restrictions have done absolutely no good for the fish," he says. "We've dedicated millions of acre-feet of water per year to protect those species, and they're still declining." Even though, overall, Delta pumping increased between 1990 and 2005, Westlands has seen the reliability of its water supply erode, thanks to a complicated mix of federal and state pumping and priorities. Before 1993, the pumps could run all year long. Then the smelt was listed, and the window during which Westlands could pump water grew smaller and smaller. Because that window now limits pumping to only the second half of each year, water users can't take advantage of the extra water available in the Delta at other, wetter times of the year like the winter. "What we want to do," says Birmingham, "is restore the ability of those pumps to operate at capacity year-round." The quest to re-open the pumping window lies at the heart of Westlands' survival strategy. In search of relief, the district turned to Congressman Nunes and Sen. DeMint for Endangered Species Act waivers last year. Last March, Westlands -- through a broader group of local irrigation districts -- also sued the federal government to overturn the smelt biological opinion. Birmingham is particularly critical of the science behind the opinion, and says that a host of other problems, including pesticide runoff, invasive fish and high levels of ammonia from urban waste-treatment plants, are responsible for the Delta fisheries collapse. That case is still working its way through court, but in December, Westlands and the Water Authority asked Judge Wanger for an injunction to prohibit the pumping restrictions this year -- a motion that the judge will consider this month. Yet even as Westlands aggressively challenges the biological opinions, it is one of the main participants in the quiet, ongoing series of negotiations to create a Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. The plan, which emerged in the wake of CALFED's collapse, seems likely to provide at least the raw DNA for the new governance entity mandated by the water package the California Legislature passed in November. Some environmental groups view that process skeptically. "The environmentalists can sit in the back seat and offer suggestions," says the Planning and Conservation League's Minton, "but they don't have the grip on the steering wheel." But Ann Hayden, a senior water resource analyst with the Environmental Defense Council, who represents environmental groups in the process, says that the conservation plan has kept the water users' quest for better water reliability yoked to a meaningful effort to protect the Delta. In "this world of constant litigation, we've actually been able to make quite a bit of progress in the BDCP," she says. "I think we have a promising foundation to work from." Still, the DeMint amendment and the political wrangling over Endangered Species Act waivers "has created a lot of tension in the BDCP process," she says. The state's environmental groups are watching to see what happens when Congress returns this month. Sen. Feinstein has been working on several fronts to help Westlands and other water users. Last fall, she requested a review of the smelt biological opinion by the National Academy of Sciences; a preliminary report should be out this spring. The Senate will also consider a bill she introduced that would streamline the federal government's review and approval of water transfers. Birmingham says that Westlands has not ruled out asking Congress for help in getting a waiver from the Endangered Species Act. "We will pursue every potential remedy," he says. But "not," he is careful to add, "without the express consent of Sen. Dianne Feinstein." There is an uneasy sense of d?j? vu in Westlands these days. Because its Delta water supply is so unreliable, Westlands, unlike most of the rest of California, has been fairly proactive in managing its groundwater, which is its farmers' insurance policy for dry times. But over the past three years, farmers have been drilling many new groundwater wells, and they have fired up many previously idle ones, too. As its Delta supplies have plummeted, Westlands' groundwater use has dramatically increased. The district estimates that its farmers pumped half a million acre-feet this year. At the edge of an almond orchard on his farm, 41-year-old Shawn Coburn shows off a new well with a mixture of pride and chagrin. "This is a million-dollar hole," Coburn says. It goes 1,800 feet down, and taps into a nasty realm. "Say a prayer, because there is a hell. When this water comes out of the ground, it's 97 degrees." It's also heavily laden with salt and boron, so it has to be used sparingly and mixed with scarce canal water. It is hell on pumps: Many are rotting out from the inside because the chemical concentrations are so strong. And the groundwater has an equally diabolical effect on crops. Farmers who had to rely solely on well water to grow lettuce saw their crops yield stunted, disease-prone heads fit only for shredded salad mix. The drought is already beginning to reshape the district. "A small farmer can't afford to go out and punch a million-dollar hole in his dirt," says Coburn. As smaller growers go bust, one of the district's largest landowners says he is considering whether to buy their ground. District insiders also say that the drought and water restrictions are taking a toll on the finances of the water district itself. Last year, Westlands had to cover a $93 million operating budget with shrinking revenues. Because irrigation districts have to maintain their full pipeline system to deliver even much-reduced supplies of water, they're ill-equipped to trim operating expenses in dry times. "You have a minimum operating budget divided by a smaller and smaller supply, so prices have gone up considerably," says Dan Errotabere, who sits on Westlands' board and whose family partnership farms about 5,500 acres. "We have a little bit of reserve that we try to use to smooth prices out, but you quickly burn that up." Contrary to popular perception, Westlands is relatively water efficient. The district's entire distribution system is underground pipe, instead of open canals that lose water through evaporation. And its farmers have gone in for drip irrigation -- widely recognized as the most efficient form of irrigation -- in a big way. Frank Coelho, the Westlands board member, is the grandson of a Portuguese immigrant who came to the West Side from the Azore Islands in 1917. Coelho's family partnership farms about 8,000 acres, primarily growing tomatoes. "Our first drip went in in 2000, and we'll be 100 percent drip on our ranch (this) year," Coelho says. "Nobody stretches a gallon of water in agriculture like Westlands does." Last year, fully half of the district's farmed acreage was drip-irrigated. Yet the adoption of this method has been driven less by a desire to save water than by the fact that drip increases crop yields by as much as 50 percent. And while farmers have made a major shift away from cotton, a fairly heavy water user, the replacement crops don't necessarily use any less. Almonds, for instance, which now cover more than 68,000 acres, use just as much water as cotton does. Indeed, in spite of the recent irrigation and crop shifts, Westlands' total water demand has not gone down. Birmingham says that the district's annual demand for water is 1.4 million acre-feet per year. That's 210,000 acre-feet more than Westlands holds contracts for from the Central Valley Project. In a year with full deliveries from the project, Westlands could almost make the math work. The amount of water that can be pumped reliably over the long term without depleting the aquifer is roughly 200,000 acre-feet, about what it would take to cover the difference. But in any year with a less than 100 percent supply from the Central Valley Project, the district runs a deficit that it must cover by buying water in the open market (at rates that, this year, were four times what Westlands paid for its own water), or by pumping groundwater at unsustainable levels. Over the past 22 years, a period that extends back beyond the first restrictions in the 1990s, Westlands -- even after buying water and relying on wells -- has only once managed to pull together a full 1.4 million acre-feet. And even as the district's water supply has become less reliable, many of Westlands' farmers have made themselves more vulnerable to water shortages. Today, as much as a third of the district's cultivated acreage is planted to permanent crops like grapes and almonds -- crops that farmers can't fallow in a dry year. Once already, the district has been forced to confront the fact that it is over-extended. In 2002, it settled a lawsuit filed by a group of Westlands farmers because there wasn't enough water to ensure equal deliveries to everyone, by permanently retiring about 90,000 acres. That reduced the farmed acreage in the district by about 15 percent, and increased the amount of water available to the remaining landowners. That may be about to happen again. As the Coast Range eroded to form the Panoche sandy loams that thrill the farmers here, its rocks infused those loams with the toxic element selenium. In 1983, the selenium-poisoned runoff led to an outbreak of gruesome deformities in birds at the Kesterson Wildlife Refuge, which, despite its name, was little more than a sump for the selenium-contaminated water that trickled out of Westlands. For years, Westlands has been negotiating with the federal government to retire as many as 200,000 acres that have selenium and drainage problems. That would shrink the farmed area in Westlands to about half of its former size, in exchange for a firmer, though somewhat smaller, supply of water. Taken together, Westlands' water and drainage problems suggest that, in the future, the district will look quite different than it did in its heyday. And as the entire state grapples with drier times, irrigation districts like Westlands are assuming new importance as a potential source of water transfers for the agencies, like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, responsible for keeping cities supplied through good years and bad. Birmingham, and many Westlands landowners, remain adamant that the district won't sell its water off to outsiders. "It hasn't happened, and it isn't going to happen," says Birmingham. Still, the prospect of selling water does quietly figure into the farmers' calculus. "It's gotten a lot of talk," says Errotabere. "It's the realization that we've been squeezed so hard that now people are giving up water supply to survive. If you're a financial steward of whatever operation you've got, you have to consider whether it's better to park the ground and sell the water next year." Back in November 2003, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California, his predecessor, Gray Davis, left him with a piece of parting advice. "Pray for a good economy," he said, "and rain." Six years later, it appears that Schwarzenegger has not prayed hard enough on either count. For the first time in a long time, however, the state seems ready to confront the Delta crisis. Last year was just the first step in what is sure to be an exhausting process that will go on for years. Over the next decade, the state's water system and its water politics could be dramatically transformed. But peril lurks at every turn. And every winter brings a new roll of the dice that could either push things to the breaking point, or buy the state a year's reprieve. John Diener is the nephew of one of Westland's founding fathers. Although he seems happiest dispensing folk wisdom from behind the wheel of his GMC pickup, he is known as one of the most progressive farmers in Westlands. In November, Diener wheeled the truck through his fields, checking on next spring's crop of organic spinach. It had been an extremely frustrating year: Diener had fallowed about 750 acres, and he hoped that this year would be better. "Just having dirt for the joy of having dirt is great," Diener said. "But our business is about growing things." When I asked what needed to happen next, Diener thought for a moment before saying, "We pray a lot!" He burst out laughing, and then thought some more. "We would like to see some biological opinions reviewed. And, God willing, it rains. "I mean, honest to God," he said, "we do need it to rain." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jan 13 13:24:23 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:24:23 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] High Country News 1 11 10 Message-ID: <013c01ca9496$c7b2ceb0$57186c10$@net> This is lengthy, but valuable background in understanding Westlands Water District, recipient of Trinity River water. It was composed largely of small groundwater irrigated farms and otherwise was largely a desert wasteland before Trinity water was provided. As Floyd Dominy, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation when the Westlands' water contract was signed has said in recent years, the biggest mistake he made as Commissioner was allowing that contract to be signed before the contaminated irrigation drainage problem was solved. The article also provides interesting information on recent legislative activities on California's developed water allocation issues. Byron Breakdown: 'The Cadillac of California irrigation districts' has more than a tiny fish to blame for its troubles High Country News-1/11/10 By Matt Jenkins On Sept. 17 of last year, the famously hypertensive right-wing Fox News commentator Sean Hannity rolled into the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, satellite truck in tow. Months earlier, when it became clear that a 2-year-old drought would grind on for another year, the federal government announced plans to slash water deliveries to local farmers. Hannity smelled blood. He, and many others, quickly blamed the whole crisis on a two-inch-long fish called the Delta smelt, which is protected under the Endangered Species Act. The bright yellow CONGRESS CREATED DUST BOWL signs that began popping up all over the valley were prime-time stuff. And, at least in Hannity's telling, the farmers' fight against the water cutoff was swathed in the populist bunting of a peasant revolt against heavy-handed government. These farms are muscular emblems of American-style production agriculture, and odds are better than even that something inside your fridge right now was grown on the West Side. One of Heinz's biggest suppliers grows and processes tomatoes here, and the green-produce giant Tanimura & Antle sends armies of workers into the fields to harvest lettuce. The relatives of one of the district's founders raise the organic spinach that goes into Amy's-brand pizzas and vegetable pot pies. The farmers are confederated as the Westlands Water District. The largest irrigation district in the United States, it has a reputation for bare-knuckled combativeness. But Westlands has fared badly in the face of the drought, complicated by the Endangered Species Act, which has stringent protections for the smelt and several other fish that are affected by pumping operations. Because farmers received only 10 percent of the water they held federal contracts for, they were forced to leave roughly 156,000 acres -- about a quarter of the district -- unplanted this year. And so Hannity arrived to check out the damage for himself. His retinue set up camp on a fallowed field, clipped microphones to the area's congressional delegation, and began beaming the farmers' plight to the world. As a boom cam floated over the sign-toting, flag-waving throng, Hannity said, "The government has put the interests of a two-inch minnow before all of the great people that you see out here tonight." He brandished a blown-up photo of a smelt and said: "This is what this comes down to: No water for farmers, because of this fish." The crowd gave a hearty boo. Then the cameras turned to the darling of the hour: Rep. Devin Nunes, the hot-headed 37-year-old Republican who represents the neighboring congressional district. "The liberals and the radical environmental groups have been working on this for decades: They've been trying to turn this into a desert," Nunes fumed. "And what's important about you being here tonight -- and the rest of your viewers need to understand -- is this could happen to you. They're on their way. Nancy Pelosi's the speaker of the house. George Miller's her lieutenant. They're on their way to the rest of America." But there was more to the story than the drama that Fox News beamed out of Westlands that day. Congressman Nunes had been hard at work in Washington, D.C., introducing a series of amendments that would force the federal government to ignore the Endangered Species Act when it determined how much water to deliver to farmers this year. His efforts were repeatedly turned back. Then, five days after Hannity's broadcast, Jim DeMint, a conservative Republican from South Carolina, introduced a similar amendment in the Senate, with Westlands' endorsement. That's when the needle skipped off the record. California's warhorse Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, has been a longtime champion of Westlands, but she has also tried to negotiate common ground in the state's complicated water politics. And back home, the California Legislature -- after years of ignoring the problem -- was working feverishly to hammer out a sweeping package of bills to relieve the crisis in the Delta. When Feinstein learned of the DeMint amendment, she denounced it as "a kind of Pearl Harbor on everything that we're trying to do." The amendment failed. Several days later, before a press conference at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Feinstein approached Tom Birmingham, the man who runs Westlands, and pulled him aside. The senior senator from California managed a tight smile, and then shook her fist at Birmingham, who has contributed to her campaigns. "Tom, I'm angry," she said. "I'm so angry that I want to punch you." Chastened, Birmingham later made a rare admission that Westlands had gone too far. "We just made a terrible, terrible mistake," he said in early November. "We made a mistake, and we need to acknowledge that." With scant naturally available water, the West Side was an unlikely place for an agricultural empire to begin rising roughly a century ago. Yet the farmers in Westlands have shown a rare knack for overcoming adversity and actually turning a profit in sometimes seemingly hopeless circumstances. Westlands has never been afraid to aggressively seek advantage wherever it could, and the district has played its cards well. But the foundation beneath the entire enterprise has always been unstable. And if the drought is revealing anything, it is not government regulation run amok but an empire that may have seriously over-extended itself. In the 1980s, veteran reporter Eric Brazil dubbed Westlands "the Cadillac of American irrigation districts." Westlands has a defiant air of invincibility, and its leaders have never blinked when trouble materialized -- including at the very start. Farmers first tried to make a go of it on the West Side in the late 1800s. They found themselves blessed with deep, rich, Panoche sandy loams that had eroded out of the nearby hills ?? and cursed with scanty local water. That, in turn, inspired a number of creative efforts to correct the problem. In 1924, for instance, the city of Coalinga paid $8,000 to Charles Mallory Hatfield to make it rain. He set fire to a secret recipe of chemicals, and induced the heavens to pour forth. By that time, though, most farmers were looking not to the skies but to the ground beneath their feet for water. The invention of deep-well pumps allowed them to reach the groundwater beneath the dry scrub, and farms began spreading across the West Side. But by the 1940s, trouble was on the horizon. As the pumps furiously sucked water from beneath the valley, the ground beneath them sank like a collapsing souffl?, leaving some pumps stranded 10 feet in the air. This time, the farmers turned to the government. In 1952, several prominent landowners on the West Side organized the Westlands Water District and began lobbying for water from the delta formed where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet, a hundred-odd miles to the north, before flowing to the Pacific. In 1960, Congress agreed to finance construction of San Luis Reservoir and a canal to the water district, as part of the massive Central Valley Project. On Aug. 18, 1962, President John F. Kennedy helicoptered into the valley to join Gov. Pat Brown. "It is a pleasure for me to come out here and help blow up this valley in the name of progress," Kennedy said, before setting off an explosive blast that broke ground for the reservoir. Today, Westlands sprawls across 605,000 acres. Tomatoes and almonds are the two most-widely grown crops, but farmers grow everything from alfalfa to garbanzos to pomegranates ?? more than a billion dollars' worth of crops in a normal year. Westlands is famously secretive about how many farm operations actually do business in the district. The official line is that Westlands is home to "more than 600 family farmers," but many of those are, in fact, parts of large family partnerships. Farms run from couple-hundred acre operations to Woolf Farming's roughly 25,000-acre spread. When Westlands lobbied for the construction of the San Luis Reservoir, the district's farmers hitched their star to the fate of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. For most Californians, the Delta is a world far from mind, but it is the heart of California's complex water-supply system. Two enormous batteries of pumps on the edge of the Delta feed the federal Central Valley Project and its sister, the State Water Project. Those two projects, in turn, push water south to over 1.2 million acres of farmland and more than 25 million people, primarily in Los Angeles and San Diego. It's a complex system, but the Delta's ecosystem is even more complicated -- and fragile. It is a critical link in California salmon's annual spawning runs, and is home to more than 120 species of fish, including the smelt. By the late 1980s, it was becoming clear that competing demands for the Delta's water could unravel everything. Barry Nelson, a water policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, has called the Central Valley Project "the biggest single environmental disaster ever to strike California." The meltdown that drew Sean Hannity to the West Side last summer had been brewing since at least 1989. That year, the winter run of chinook salmon in the Sacramento River fell so low that the federal government added the fish to the endangered species list. Then, in 1993, the Delta smelt was classified as threatened. For a time, there was a promising shift. In 1992, after a long, hard fight, Congress passed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act; then, in 1994, water users, environmentalists and the federal government reached an agreement called the Bay Delta Accords. Together, the two offered hope for a more balanced approach to juggling the water demands of farms and cities with protection for the Delta's fisheries. For roughly the next decade, California went through a series of gyrations, centered around a joint state-and-federal effort called CALFED, that marked a new period of collaborative management. Yet the Delta fisheries only got worse, and the Delta smelt provided the clearest signal that something was wrong. Bruce Herbold, an Environmental Protection Agency scientist involved in an ongoing investigation into the collective fish decline in the Delta, says that the smelt, unlike other fish, spends its entire one-year life span in the Delta, "so it's a really good animal to tell you what's happening." By 2004, smelt populations had fallen to record lows, even as pumping intensified. Water "exports" to farms and Southern California's cities had topped 6 million acre-feet for the first time in 1989, and then tapered off to a low of about half that during a drought in the early 1990s. Then, fast on the heels of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and the Bay-Delta Accord, exports began climbing. In 1996, they hit 6 million acre-feet again. And by 2005 they had reached a new record high. "We have been steadily ramping up diversions from that system, year after year, for a long time. And we've just hit limits. We haven't yet seen extinctions, but we're on the razor's edge," says Nelson. "And right now, (the Delta smelt protections are) the tool that has prevented the projects from driving the system completely over the edge." Those protections are determined by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analysis called a biological opinion, which is meant to ensure that the pumping plants do not violate the Endangered Species Act. While the pumps themselves kill fish, they have also dramatically reshaped the hydrology of the Delta: they have broken a natural cycle in which salty water from San Francisco Bay would wash through parts of the Delta each winter, and they have re-oriented flows from east-to-west to north-to-south. The biological opinion, which was first issued in 2005, asserted that pumping could be increased without harming the smelt. The Natural Resources Defense Council sued to force the feds to redo the opinion, and in 2007, won a favorable ruling from federal District Judge Oliver Wanger. To protect smelt and other species during key stages in their life cycles, a court-ordered revised opinion limits the times that pumps can be used -- and, by extension, the amount of water that they can send south. With the onset of the current drought in 2007, and with Judge Wanger's ruling, water exports plummeted and have continued to fall. The fish -- and the communities that depend on fish -- haven't done any better. Last year, salmon runs collapsed so badly that federal regulators shut down the state's commercial salmon fishery for the second year in a row, throwing fishermen from San Francisco to the North Coast out of work. Many farmers echo Hannity in blaming the restrictions solely on the fish-protection measures. But Lester Snow, California's top water regulator, and David Hayes, the deputy secretary of the Interior, both point out that fish-related pumping restrictions accounted for only a quarter of the reduced exports from the Delta this year. (A recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California put the number even lower, at 15-20 percent.) The real culprit behind the low deliveries is the drought. In the meantime, the collaborative-management efforts have been crumbling; CALFED collapsed in 2006 in part due to a lack of funding. As a result, the Delta crisis was, for the most part, being immediately addressed only in the courts. Last year, however, even as Feinstein was shaking her fist in Birmingham's face in Washington, California state legislators were hammering out a package of bills that promised to breathe new life into the ideal of balancing water extraction and environmental protection. The package would require the state to establish standards for how much water would be allowed to flow from the Delta out to the Pacific, a critical element for protecting fish populations. It would also create an oversight council and legal backstops to prevent an outright run on the Delta for more water. More controversially, however, the package lays the groundwork for what is most often referred to as the Peripheral Canal, a 25-year-old idea that has generated plenty of contention before. The canal would allow water users to directly tap the Sacramento River -- the major contributor of water to the Delta -- and route water straight to the pumps that push it to the southern half of the state. That could protect the freshwater from a large earthquake- or climate-driven sea level rise that would cause a massive infusion of salt water into the Delta. A canal might also help untangle the snarl formed by competing demands. It would essentially separate the water in the Delta, shunting the water allocated to farmers and cities around the estuary rather than through it, and allowing environmental flows to be used to mimic the Delta's more natural, variable self. The proposal has divided environmental groups. "There's this notion that the best way to restore the Bay-Delta is to separate the fish from the water," says Jonas Minton, the water policy advisor for the Planning and Conservation League. "That's as biologically unsound as it sounds. This is an attempt by large agribusinesses and Southern California developers to take even more water." Other groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council, have endorsed the package. "Five or 10 years ago, NRDC would have said no way, no how" to a Peripheral Canal, says Doug Obegi, a Natural Resources Defense Council attorney. The realities of the collapsing Delta have caused the group to shift its stance. But, he adds, "how it's operated -- whether it's good for the environment -- really does make or break the project." On Sept. 11 last year, the clock ran out on an intense round of negotiations over the water package during the regular legislative session. Schwarzenegger, threatening to veto hundreds of bills, forced lawmakers back for a special session. Finally, on Nov. 4, the Legislature passed the package. All told, the projects in the package could ring in at more than $40 billion. This November, California voters will be asked to approve the publicly financed portion of the plan, an $11 billion bond. It is not at all clear that Californians will have the appetite for new debt when the state is already teetering under a $21 billion budget deficit. And even if voters approve the package, relief could still be far off for Westlands. The canal wouldn't carry any water until 2018 at the earliest. And that raises the question of how far water districts like Westlands will go to protect themselves in the meantime. How are we going to survive between now and the time that these long-term solutions can be implemented?" says Westlands boss Tom Birmingham. "If we have to live with the existing biological opinions until 2018, there are a lot of farmers in Westlands Water District that simply will not survive." As of November, Westlands' fighting spirit was still much in evidence. In a barren field on the west side of the district, a yellow sign screamed, "CHANGE the LAWS or we'll CHANGE CONGRESS!" A passing semi tooted its air horn in approval. Westlands is, somewhat paradoxically, in the most vulnerable class of water users that receive water from the Central Valley Project. During droughts, the project delivers water first to wildlife refuges and to irrigation districts that were formed before the first portions of the project were built in the 1930s. Cities come next, and finally more recently created agricultural districts, such as Westlands. In a wet year, Westlands receives 40 percent of all the water delivered through the Central Valley Project. But in a dry year that percentage can be much less -- in 2008, for example, Westlands' share was only 18 percent. That vulnerability has shaped the district's dealings with the outside world. "We've had to be more aggressive, politically and legally, than water districts with a firmer supply of water," says Frank Coelho, a farmer who has been on the district's board of directors since 1991. "It's just the nature of trying to survive." Tom Birmingham is the man charged with defending the district's interests, and pretty much everyone involved in the state's water politics keeps a close eye on his every move. Water bosses like those at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to 19 million people in Los Angeles and San Diego, have gradually reached out to environmental groups. But Birmingham is not the type to hold up an olive branch, even though Westlands was careful to keep its name out of Hannity's environmentalist-bashing broadcast. "Birmingham is devout. He's a believer," says one Westlands farmer. "He's a believer in the idea that farmers on the West Side should be allowed to farm. And a lot of people on the other side of that proposition" -- a reference to critics who say Westlands is a water-guzzling, fish-killing monster -- "would like to see the end of the district." Birmingham began working as an outside attorney for the district in 1986, after a short stint with the pro-property-rights Pacific Legal Foundation. Fourteen years later he became Westlands' general manager. Birmingham tends not to mince words, and few people are as critical as he is of the effort to save the Delta. "The pumping restrictions have done absolutely no good for the fish," he says. "We've dedicated millions of acre-feet of water per year to protect those species, and they're still declining." Even though, overall, Delta pumping increased between 1990 and 2005, Westlands has seen the reliability of its water supply erode, thanks to a complicated mix of federal and state pumping and priorities. Before 1993, the pumps could run all year long. Then the smelt was listed, and the window during which Westlands could pump water grew smaller and smaller. Because that window now limits pumping to only the second half of each year, water users can't take advantage of the extra water available in the Delta at other, wetter times of the year like the winter. "What we want to do," says Birmingham, "is restore the ability of those pumps to operate at capacity year-round." The quest to re-open the pumping window lies at the heart of Westlands' survival strategy. In search of relief, the district turned to Congressman Nunes and Sen. DeMint for Endangered Species Act waivers last year. Last March, Westlands -- through a broader group of local irrigation districts -- also sued the federal government to overturn the smelt biological opinion. Birmingham is particularly critical of the science behind the opinion, and says that a host of other problems, including pesticide runoff, invasive fish and high levels of ammonia from urban waste-treatment plants, are responsible for the Delta fisheries collapse. That case is still working its way through court, but in December, Westlands and the Water Authority asked Judge Wanger for an injunction to prohibit the pumping restrictions this year -- a motion that the judge will consider this month. Yet even as Westlands aggressively challenges the biological opinions, it is one of the main participants in the quiet, ongoing series of negotiations to create a Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. The plan, which emerged in the wake of CALFED's collapse, seems likely to provide at least the raw DNA for the new governance entity mandated by the water package the California Legislature passed in November. Some environmental groups view that process skeptically. "The environmentalists can sit in the back seat and offer suggestions," says the Planning and Conservation League's Minton, "but they don't have the grip on the steering wheel." But Ann Hayden, a senior water resource analyst with the Environmental Defense Council, who represents environmental groups in the process, says that the conservation plan has kept the water users' quest for better water reliability yoked to a meaningful effort to protect the Delta. In "this world of constant litigation, we've actually been able to make quite a bit of progress in the BDCP," she says. "I think we have a promising foundation to work from." Still, the DeMint amendment and the political wrangling over Endangered Species Act waivers "has created a lot of tension in the BDCP process," she says. The state's environmental groups are watching to see what happens when Congress returns this month. Sen. Feinstein has been working on several fronts to help Westlands and other water users. Last fall, she requested a review of the smelt biological opinion by the National Academy of Sciences; a preliminary report should be out this spring. The Senate will also consider a bill she introduced that would streamline the federal government's review and approval of water transfers. Birmingham says that Westlands has not ruled out asking Congress for help in getting a waiver from the Endangered Species Act. "We will pursue every potential remedy," he says. But "not," he is careful to add, "without the express consent of Sen. Dianne Feinstein." There is an uneasy sense of d?j? vu in Westlands these days. Because its Delta water supply is so unreliable, Westlands, unlike most of the rest of California, has been fairly proactive in managing its groundwater, which is its farmers' insurance policy for dry times. But over the past three years, farmers have been drilling many new groundwater wells, and they have fired up many previously idle ones, too. As its Delta supplies have plummeted, Westlands' groundwater use has dramatically increased. The district estimates that its farmers pumped half a million acre-feet this year. At the edge of an almond orchard on his farm, 41-year-old Shawn Coburn shows off a new well with a mixture of pride and chagrin. "This is a million-dollar hole," Coburn says. It goes 1,800 feet down, and taps into a nasty realm. "Say a prayer, because there is a hell. When this water comes out of the ground, it's 97 degrees." It's also heavily laden with salt and boron, so it has to be used sparingly and mixed with scarce canal water. It is hell on pumps: Many are rotting out from the inside because the chemical concentrations are so strong. And the groundwater has an equally diabolical effect on crops. Farmers who had to rely solely on well water to grow lettuce saw their crops yield stunted, disease-prone heads fit only for shredded salad mix. The drought is already beginning to reshape the district. "A small farmer can't afford to go out and punch a million-dollar hole in his dirt," says Coburn. As smaller growers go bust, one of the district's largest landowners says he is considering whether to buy their ground. District insiders also say that the drought and water restrictions are taking a toll on the finances of the water district itself. Last year, Westlands had to cover a $93 million operating budget with shrinking revenues. Because irrigation districts have to maintain their full pipeline system to deliver even much-reduced supplies of water, they're ill-equipped to trim operating expenses in dry times. "You have a minimum operating budget divided by a smaller and smaller supply, so prices have gone up considerably," says Dan Errotabere, who sits on Westlands' board and whose family partnership farms about 5,500 acres. "We have a little bit of reserve that we try to use to smooth prices out, but you quickly burn that up." Contrary to popular perception, Westlands is relatively water efficient. The district's entire distribution system is underground pipe, instead of open canals that lose water through evaporation. And its farmers have gone in for drip irrigation -- widely recognized as the most efficient form of irrigation -- in a big way. Frank Coelho, the Westlands board member, is the grandson of a Portuguese immigrant who came to the West Side from the Azore Islands in 1917. Coelho's family partnership farms about 8,000 acres, primarily growing tomatoes. "Our first drip went in in 2000, and we'll be 100 percent drip on our ranch (this) year," Coelho says. "Nobody stretches a gallon of water in agriculture like Westlands does." Last year, fully half of the district's farmed acreage was drip-irrigated. Yet the adoption of this method has been driven less by a desire to save water than by the fact that drip increases crop yields by as much as 50 percent. And while farmers have made a major shift away from cotton, a fairly heavy water user, the replacement crops don't necessarily use any less. Almonds, for instance, which now cover more than 68,000 acres, use just as much water as cotton does. Indeed, in spite of the recent irrigation and crop shifts, Westlands' total water demand has not gone down. Birmingham says that the district's annual demand for water is 1.4 million acre-feet per year. That's 210,000 acre-feet more than Westlands holds contracts for from the Central Valley Project. In a year with full deliveries from the project, Westlands could almost make the math work. The amount of water that can be pumped reliably over the long term without depleting the aquifer is roughly 200,000 acre-feet, about what it would take to cover the difference. But in any year with a less than 100 percent supply from the Central Valley Project, the district runs a deficit that it must cover by buying water in the open market (at rates that, this year, were four times what Westlands paid for its own water), or by pumping groundwater at unsustainable levels. Over the past 22 years, a period that extends back beyond the first restrictions in the 1990s, Westlands -- even after buying water and relying on wells -- has only once managed to pull together a full 1.4 million acre-feet. And even as the district's water supply has become less reliable, many of Westlands' farmers have made themselves more vulnerable to water shortages. Today, as much as a third of the district's cultivated acreage is planted to permanent crops like grapes and almonds -- crops that farmers can't fallow in a dry year. Once already, the district has been forced to confront the fact that it is over-extended. In 2002, it settled a lawsuit filed by a group of Westlands farmers because there wasn't enough water to ensure equal deliveries to everyone, by permanently retiring about 90,000 acres. That reduced the farmed acreage in the district by about 15 percent, and increased the amount of water available to the remaining landowners. That may be about to happen again. As the Coast Range eroded to form the Panoche sandy loams that thrill the farmers here, its rocks infused those loams with the toxic element selenium. In 1983, the selenium-poisoned runoff led to an outbreak of gruesome deformities in birds at the Kesterson Wildlife Refuge, which, despite its name, was little more than a sump for the selenium-contaminated water that trickled out of Westlands. For years, Westlands has been negotiating with the federal government to retire as many as 200,000 acres that have selenium and drainage problems. That would shrink the farmed area in Westlands to about half of its former size, in exchange for a firmer, though somewhat smaller, supply of water. Taken together, Westlands' water and drainage problems suggest that, in the future, the district will look quite different than it did in its heyday. And as the entire state grapples with drier times, irrigation districts like Westlands are assuming new importance as a potential source of water transfers for the agencies, like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, responsible for keeping cities supplied through good years and bad. Birmingham, and many Westlands landowners, remain adamant that the district won't sell its water off to outsiders. "It hasn't happened, and it isn't going to happen," says Birmingham. Still, the prospect of selling water does quietly figure into the farmers' calculus. "It's gotten a lot of talk," says Errotabere. "It's the realization that we've been squeezed so hard that now people are giving up water supply to survive. If you're a financial steward of whatever operation you've got, you have to consider whether it's better to park the ground and sell the water next year." Back in November 2003, when Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California, his predecessor, Gray Davis, left him with a piece of parting advice. "Pray for a good economy," he said, "and rain." Six years later, it appears that Schwarzenegger has not prayed hard enough on either count. For the first time in a long time, however, the state seems ready to confront the Delta crisis. Last year was just the first step in what is sure to be an exhausting process that will go on for years. Over the next decade, the state's water system and its water politics could be dramatically transformed. But peril lurks at every turn. And every winter brings a new roll of the dice that could either push things to the breaking point, or buy the state a year's reprieve. John Diener is the nephew of one of Westland's founding fathers. Although he seems happiest dispensing folk wisdom from behind the wheel of his GMC pickup, he is known as one of the most progressive farmers in Westlands. In November, Diener wheeled the truck through his fields, checking on next spring's crop of organic spinach. It had been an extremely frustrating year: Diener had fallowed about 750 acres, and he hoped that this year would be better. "Just having dirt for the joy of having dirt is great," Diener said. "But our business is about growing things." When I asked what needed to happen next, Diener thought for a moment before saying, "We pray a lot!" He burst out laughing, and then thought some more. "We would like to see some biological opinions reviewed. And, God willing, it rains. "I mean, honest to God," he said, "we do need it to rain." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jan 14 09:34:19 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:34:19 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Pasadena Star-News 1 13 10 Message-ID: <004801ca953f$ce678710$6b369530$@net> Congressional panel coming to LA to discuss water crisis Pasadena Star-News-1/13/10 Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, will hold a rare congressional hearing on the state's water crisis in Los Angeles Jan. 25, she announced Wednesday. The field hearing of the House Natural Resources subcommittee on Water and Power, which Napolitano heads, will be the first congressional hearing on the California drought that has been held in Southern California in at least a dozen years, Napolitano said. Multiple hearings on the subject have been held in the northern and central parts of the state, she added. The congresswoman said those parts of the state could learn a lot from the conservation and water recycling efforts of Southern California. "This is something that Southern California has taken great pride in, and done for a long time. We want experts to tell us what is being done here, what else we need to do, and what role the government should play in it," she said. Besides addressing innovations developed in this region that can be applied across the state, the hearing will more broadly explore climate trends and increased demand for water. "We need to be able to focus on how Northern California issues affect Southern California, particularly when it comes to the cost of water," Napolitano said. Total water consumption in Southern California is similar today as it was in 1980, despite population growth, according to Anthony Fellow, board member of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. Fellow celebrated Napolitano's decision to hold the hearing in Los Angeles. "It's a gutsy move," he said. The hearing will begin at 1 p.m at the Metropolitan Water District, 700 North Alameda Street. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jan 14 14:00:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:00:02 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Modesto Bee 1 14 10 Message-ID: <000701ca9564$eea3a250$cbeae6f0$@net> Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 'Two Gates' proposal for delta is put on shelf The Associated Press FRESNO - A plan to place two removable gates in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to keep threatened fish from getting killed by water pumps has been put off - indefinitely. San Joaquin Valley farmers favored the "Two Gates" proposal as a temporary solution to the water crisis hitting the state and slowing deliveries from the freshwater estuary. Years of drought, coupled with environmental restrictions on pumping, have forced farmers to idle thousands of acres and contributed to the collapse of the commercial salmon fishing industry. Department of Interior officials say the project had to be put off so experts could review the science underpinning the project, which was aimed at protecting a native fish called the delta smelt. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jan 15 10:54:16 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:54:16 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Christian Science Monitor 1 4 10 Message-ID: <003001ca9614$2369a980$6a3cfc80$@net> http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0104/California-s-groundwater-shri nking-because-of-agricultural-use California's groundwater shrinking because of agricultural use In California, NASA satellites show that groundwater has diminished because of aggressive agricultural irrigation. By Garance Burke Associated Press Writer Christian Science Monitor January 4, 2010 A crew digs a well in an alfalfa field in Dos Palos, Calif. Recent satellite measurements show that the aquifer lying below the San Joaquin Valley has dropped, as farmers and developers have drilled deeper wells to tap underground supplies amid the three-year drought. AP Photo/Russel A. Daniels FRESNO, Calif. -- New data from satellites show the vast underground pools feeding faucets and irrigation hoses across California are running low, a worrisome trend federal scientists largely attribute to aggressive agricultural pumping. The measurements show the amount of water lost in the two main Central Valley river basins within the past six years could almost fill the nation's largest reservoir, Lake Mead in Nevada. "All that water has been sucked from these river basins. It's gone. It's left the building," says Jay Famiglietti, an earth science professor at the University of California, Irvine, who led the research collaboration. "The data is telling us that this rate of pumping is not sustainable." Hundreds of farmers have been drilling wells to irrigate their crops, as three years of drought and environmental restrictions on water supplies have withered crops, jobs and profits throughout the San Joaquin Valley, where roughly half of the nation's fruits, nuts, and vegetables are grown. Developers and cities dependent on the tight supplies also have joined the well-drilling frenzy as the crisis has deepened. NASA scientists and researchers from UC Irvine presented their findings at a recent conference, showcasing data from twin satellites that pick up changes in the aquifers coursing underneath the state. The NASA mission represents the first attempt to use space-based technology to measure how much groundwater has been lost in recent years in California and elsewhere in the world. >From October 2003 through March of this year, Mr. Famiglietti and his team tracked how Earth's gravitational pull on the satellites changed as the amount of water stored in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river basins dried up. As river water, snowmelt, soil moisture and aquifer levels declined, the satellites sensed less of a pull to the planet, which allowed scientists to extrapolate over time how much water had disappeared. More than three-quarters of the loss was due to groundwater pumping in the southern Central Valley, primarily to irrigate crops, researchers found. If drilling keeps on at the same clip, scientists warned, more wells could start running dry. "We've known about the conditions in California for a while since it's one of the most pumped aquifers in the United States," says Michael Watkins, NASA's Pasadena-based project scientist for the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission. "Hydrologists were just surprised to see that the deep water conditions had dropped so much, since it was more than we had expected," he says. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 146338 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jan 15 16:16:06 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:16:06 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] 2-Gates Project Message-ID: <582EB079ADF54CC485997EF6D6BDB338@ByronsLaptop> >From Planning and Conservation League: DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR ASKS WATER AGENCIES "WHERE'S THE SCIENCE?" FOR 2-GATES EXPERIMENT IN CALIFORNIA DELTA Governmental scientific integrity made a comeback recently when the U.S. Department of Interior put the breaks on a questionable experiment in the ecologically-fragile California Bay-Delta Estuary. The 2-Gates Fish Demonstration Project is being promoted by the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, an agricultural water user in the San Joaquin Valley, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Their project would attempt to lure endangered Delta Smelt away from the deadly water pumping facilities in the southern Delta to continue the unsustainable export levels. In a December 22nd letter, Interior refused to approve the 2-Gates proposal until the proponents address questions raised by federal agencies and independent science entities about the underlying scientific premise for the project. This decision disrupts the proponents' efforts to avoid scrutiny of their project. The proponents had already obtained an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act through Governor Schwarzenegger's 2009 emergency drought proclamation and had prematurely secured federal funding for project implementation through omnibus federal budget bills. Interior's actions demonstrate the problems inherent in the Governor's wide-reaching drought proclamation. Without vetting the scientific assumptions of the 2-Gates proposal, which the proponents failed to do, it's impossible to determine whether the project will help mitigate the environmental impacts of the drought, a condition for qualifying for the exemption. By complying with Interior's request, the proponents can help determine if the project will actually protect the environment and therefore warrant use of scarce taxpayer dollars. Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Sat Jan 23 10:11:17 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:11:17 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Delta Science Panel Witness List Raises Questions About Commitment to Real Science Message-ID: Begin forwarded message: From: Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla Date: January 22, 2010 11:20:45 AM PST To: dnesmith at ewccalifornia.org Subject: Press Release from Restore the Delta Reply-To: barbara at restorethedelta.org Having trouble viewing this email? Click here Press Release January 22, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 22, 2010 Contact: Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta, (209) 479-2053 Zeke Grader, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen (415) 561-5080 x224 Byron Leydecker, Friends of Trinity River (415) 383-4810 Carolee Krieger, California Water Impact Network (805) 969-0842 Delta Science Panel Witness List Raises Questions About Commitment to Real Science Stockton -- The Department of the Interior has released the draft agenda for the National Academy of Sciences panel reviewing the biological opinion mandating reduced diversions of fresh water from the Sacramento Delta to protect Delta fish populations. The panel's list of outside experts has struck the environmental and fishing community with its blatant bias in favor of agricultural and urban water users. The "expert" invited to represent the Sacramento Delta is a representative from the "Coalition for a Sustainable Delta," an astroturf organization funded by Stewart Resnick, the billionaire owner of Paramount Farms, a San Joaquin Valley agribusiness. The group is housed in Resnick's Paramount Farms headquarters, and three of its four officers are Paramount employees. "This is an insult to Delta residents who will be most affected by the decisions of this panel," said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla of Restore the Delta. Delta farmers and Delta cities rely on water from the Delta, which has suffered from water quality problems from overpumping in previous years. The collapse of Delta fish populations has also severely impacted the Delta's and California Coastal commercial, sportfishing and tourism industries, to say nothing of the natural environment. Neither Restore the Delta staff, nor any of its 4500 members were invited to testify before the panel. Commercial salmon fishermen aren't even represented on the witness list. The group invited to testify before the panel is the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, which studies skipjack and yellowfin tuna populations. These deep sea fish breed in Mexico and in warm years are sometimes found as far north as Point Conception in Santa Barbara. "It is ridiculous to suggest that the West Coast's largest salmon run can be replaced by increased fishing of skipjack tuna in Southern California," said Zeke Grader of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Association. "This leads me to question whether the Department of the Interior is serious about restoring the West Coast salmon fishery and the thousands of lost jobs in coastal communities in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington." Another "expert" witness has been the source of deep skepticism because of the lack of vetting of his research. BJ Miller, who is listed on the panel as a "consultant" is expected to testify that he has found no correlation between Delta smelt populations and Delta pumping. Miller has no University affiliations and his research has never been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. He has been listed as a "Consulting Engineer" for agricultural groups, including the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, a major beneficiary of Delta pumping. The Metropolitan Water District also is slated to testify at the hearing. The District has had its plans for further housing development in Southern California impacted by the biological opinion. Observers wonder whether these industry groups even belong as expert witnesses at a hearing for an independent scientific review of the biological opinion determining freshwater flows needed to restore salmon, smelt, and other species of fish. We had expected better from the current administration," said Byron Leydecker of Friends of the Trinity River. " Seeing that the National Academy of Science review will be an extended process, we hope that representatives from the salmon industry, Delta communities and the independent, University-affiliated biologists who are studying the decline of Delta fish populations will be given an equal opportunity to testify in the near future." Donate Now Restore the Delta is working everyday through public education and citizen activism to ensure the restoration and future sustainability of the California Delta. Your general contribution can help us sponsor outreach events, enable us to educate Californians on what makes the Delta so special, and assist us in building a coalition that will be recognized by government water agencies as they make water management decisions. Restore the Delta is a charitable 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax deductible. Click on the button below to go to our secure PayPal account. Restore the Delta is a grassroots campaign committed to making the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta fishable, swimmable, drinkable, and farmable to benefit all of California. Restore the Delta - a coalition of Delta residents, business leaders, civic organizations, community groups, faith-based communities, union locals, farmers, fishermen, and environmentalists - seeks to strengthen the health of the estuary and the well-being of Delta communities. Restore the Delta works to improve water quality so that fisheries and farming can thrive together again in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Sincerely, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla Restore the Delta Email: barbara at restorethedelta.org Web: http://www.restorethedelta.org Forward email This email was sent to dnesmith at ewccalifornia.org by barbara at restorethedelta.org. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe? | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Restore the Delta | 1019 W. Harding Way | Stockton | CA | 95203 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sari at sisqtel.net Mon Jan 25 15:37:29 2010 From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom) Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:37:29 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] NOAA: Ocean Indicator Report Shows Conditions In 2009 Worsen For Young Salmon In California Current Message-ID: <20100125233745.1E864BF150B@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN: Weekly Fish and Wildlife News www.cbbulletin.com January 22, 2010 Issue No. 516 ------------------------ * Ocean Indicator Report Shows Conditions In 2009 Worsen For Young Salmon In California Current Living-feeding conditions for young salmon took a turn for the worst in that 600-mile wide swath of water off the Oregon and Washington coasts called the California current, according to NOAA Fisheries Service scientists. "During the second half of 2009, the trend of cold ocean conditions that began in 2007 and continued through 2008, changed noticeably," according to "Ocean Ecosystem Indicators 2009," according to the annual update for a research project ongoing since 1996. "After June, the ocean began to warm significantly, leading to detrimental changes in the pelagic food web and likely high mortality of juvenile salmonids." The shift doesn't bode well for returns of coho salmon to the Columbia River basin this year. But researchers say the conditions in 2007-early 2008 should help swell spring chinook returns this year and next. The project, "Ocean Ecosystem Indicators of Salmon Marine Survival in the Northern California Current," is a product of NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center Fish Ecology Division. The update and related information can be found at: http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/research/divisions/fed/oeip/a-ecinhome.cfm The researchers sample a number of physical, biological and ecosystem indicators to specifically define the term "ocean conditions." They use the data collected to forecast the survival of salmon that begin returning 1, 2 and 3 years later. The forecasts are qualitative in nature, with each of the 18 ocean indicators rated "good," "bad" or "neutral" relative to their expected impact on salmon marine survival. The biological indicators measured for the study are those encountered by salmon during their first year at sea through food-chain processes. The biological indicators, coupled with physical oceanographic data, "offer new insight into the mechanisms that lead to success or failure for salmon runs," according to the NWFSC. "The ocean is not so much of a black box anymore," said NWFSC researcher Bill Peterson. The overall score for the indicator data in 2008 was the best ever measured in the 12-year history of the study and those conditions lingered, for the most part, into 2009. But many of the ocean conditions changed drastically about mid-year in 2009. "It doesn't look good," Peterson said of conditions at year's end that left 2009 conditions as the seventh best recorded by the researchers, despite the strong start. "Poor ocean conditions during 2003-2006 began to improve during 2007 and greatly improved during 2008," the update says. The most negative winter Pacific Decadal Oscillation since 2000 and most negative summer PDO since 1955 were seen in 2008. The PDO is a climate index based upon patterns of variation in sea surface temperature of the North Pacific. A negative or cool phase PDO is generally considered to benefit salmon. Likewise a cool El Nino/Southern Oscillation pattern is believed to help boost salmon survival. Both the PDO and ENSO turned from good to bad last year. The PDO typically over the long-term past have persisted in cool or warm phases for decades at a time. But in recent years time spans for either phase have been much shorter, sometimes just a year or two. "It's misbehaving. It hasn't settled into a nice regular pattern," Peterson said. "We need more (cool) years if we're going to build up salmon populations." "Also in 2008, we observed the coldest winter sea surface temperatures of the past 12 years (and probably since the 1970s) and the earliest biological spring transition and highest northern copepod biomass of the past 13 years," according to the update posted on line this week by the NWFSC. "The latter included an anomalously high biomass of the large, lipid-rich subarctic copepods" that bolstered the food chain. "During the first half of 2009, the PDO initially continued the same trend observed in 2008, that is, a strongly negative signal through winter and spring. However, the strong negative PDO began to weaken in June and abruptly turned positive in August." "Based on superior ocean conditions during spring-summer 2008, we expect spring chinook runs in 2010 to rival the high returns of this species seen in 2001 and 2002," the update says. The two highest spring chinook returns on record were in 2001 and 2002. "This was our forecast last year based on ocean indicators, and our expectation is now supported by high returns of spring chinook jacks in fall 2009," the update said. Jacks are spring chinook that return after only one year in the ocean. "We should still see a pretty good return next year," Peterson said. "However, expectations for returns of coho in 2010 are considerably lower due to warm sea-surface conditions throughout August 2009 and low catches of coho salmon in our June and September surveys," the update says. The low juvenile coho count during the trawl surveys may stem from a dramatic cessation of upwelling in late summer that stopped the flow of cool water and nutrients to the surface. The annual transition to coastal upwelling began early, March 23, but "winds were weak and inconsistent, especially after May. An early start to the upwelling season is a necessary condition for good survival; however, despite the early start of the 2009 upwelling season, upwelling was weak, and had ended by early September," the update says. The researchers theorize that warm conditions may have led to the demise of young coho, which reside in the upper few meters of the water column. "It just stopped," Peterson said of the unusually curt end to coastal upwelling season. "That's what hurt the catch" of juvenile coho in September. The metrics monitored by NWFSC researchers include large-scale ocean and atmospheric indicators such as the PDO and ENSO and local and regional physical indicators such as sea surface temperature, coastal upwelling of nutrients, the strength of the springtime transition to upwelling and deep-water temperature and salinity. Biological indicators include measures of the quality and quantity of organisms that build the near-shore food chain and the actual netting, and counting, of young fish. Juvenile salmon caught during June and September trawl surveys off the coast serve as an index or surrogate measure of ocean survival for spring chinook and coho salmon. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bhill at igc.org Tue Jan 26 08:25:55 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:25:55 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] =?iso-8859-1?q?Big_Water_Interests_Hijack_Obama_Del?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ta_Science_Team_=C2=AB_SpeakEasy?= Message-ID: <017601ca9ea4$4004ec10$c00ec430$@org> http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/01/23/big-water-interests-hijack-ob ama-delta-science-team/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Jan 28 19:45:35 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:45:35 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Lawsuits battle clear-cutting in Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges Message-ID: <5D8E0096679A4559B4CB61B6957182E8@homeuserPC> Lawsuits battle clear-cutting in Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges L.A. Times-1/27/10 By Margot Roosevelt Will clear-cutting forests increase global warming? That's a contentious issue as California, which is seeking to slash its carbon footprint, wrestles over rules to manage the state's private forests. Today, the Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson-based environmental group, filed lawsuits against the California Department of Forestry in seven California counties to halt logging plans for 5,000 acres across the Sierra Nevada and Cascade regions. The group contends that the agency approved the projects without properly analyzing carbon emissions and climate consequences under the California Environmental Quality Act. "Clear-cutting is an abysmal practice that should have been banned long ago due to its impacts on wildlife and water quality," said Brian Nowicki, CBD's California climate policy director. "Now, in an era when all land-management decisions need to be fully carbon-conscious, there is no excuse to continue to allow clear-cutting." Sierra Pacific Industries, the timber company that is proposing the logging, responded that its harvesting would result "in a net sequestration rate of carbon dioxide that far exceeds any emissions that might occur." California requires that clear-cut areas be replanted, so that while logging results in emissions of some of the carbon stored in those trees, replanted areas would eventually compensate. "This out-of-state organization...won't be happy until they have taken away every forest-related job in California," said Mark Pawlicki, director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability for Sierra Pacific. "The plaintiffs do not understand forestry and they do not understand carbon sequestration." Dave Bischel, president of the California Forestry Assn., an industry trade group, said that the logging plans "provide significant data on the carbon sequestration benefits" adding that 40% of the state's sawmills have closed since January 2000, boosting rural unemployment. Forests act as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and storing in the trunks and leaves of trees and shrubs and in the soil. Forestry experts say that the state's 14 million acres of private timberland could be managed to sequester twice as much carbon as they do now. But the technicalities of how to accomplish that are a matter of bitter dispute between environmental groups, state agencies and the timber industry. California is poised to adopt a cap-and-trade plan this year that would allow timber companies to calculate the extra carbon they obtain through changing their management practices, and then sell carbon credits or "offsets" to polluting industries, such as utilities and refineries, which are required to cut their carbon dioxide output. Several environmental groups, such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council, worked with industry to fashion the rules adopted by the California Air Resources Board to govern forest offsets. But the environmental community is split, and CBD is demanding that the board rescind the rules for failing to account for their environmental impact. Today's lawsuits were filed in superior courts in Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Modoc, Shasta, Tehama and Trinity counties. "By continuing to rubber-stamp Sierra Pacific Industries' clear-cutting plans, the Department of Forestry is chopping a gigantic hole in the credibility of California's climate policy," Nowicki said. He added that, last August, Sierra Pacific withdrew plans to log more than 1600 acres following CBD lawsuits over the greenhouse gas effect. Several dozen new Sierra Pacific plans are pending.# http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/01/clear-cutting-forests-climate-change-sierra-nevada-global-warming.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jan 29 10:06:24 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:06:24 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Marin Independent Journal 1 28 10 Message-ID: <003a01caa10d$c63f6290$52be27b0$@net> Big rains stir up sturgeon bite; Delta smelt debate takes new tack Marin Independent Journal-1/28/10 By Alastair Bland Opinion Until floodwaters deposit the Marin IJ offices high and dry atop Mount Tamalpais, I will refrain from describing the recent rains as biblical. But they've been epic all right, and they've stirred up the sturgeon bite. Ricci Garzoli, who owns DeMello Roofing in San Rafael, took a guest fishing on Tuesday. The said angler, Larry Jenkins from Wyoming, landed a 56-inch sturgeon and a surprise 25-pound striped bass on Tuesday. Sean Daugherty, salesman at Western Sport Shop, took a friend of his own out the same day. The fisherman was Alan Choy of San Francisco, and Choy wound up with a 57-inch sturgeon - plus the $100-upon-return Fish and Game tag it was wearing. Now, rarely does one catch a fish longer than the water is deep, but when Scott Snyder of Tracy dropped his anchor in just 5 feet of water near Hamilton Field last Sunday, he was bound to come close. In the end, he caught and released a 7-footer. What else is there to say? Grab some mud shrimp and go fishing. I recently reported that the Fish and Wildlife Service issued a biological opinion just over a year ago calling for minimum freshwater flows to assure survival of the Delta smelt. Now further threads unravel from this yarn. It seems that Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, at the request of Stewart Resnick, the wealthy owner of Paramount Farms, called for a review of the opinion, which has mandated limitations on water exports from the Delta (though the drought, not federal agencies, is the root of the problem). So on Tuesday a panel of several experts assembled in Davis to discuss the 2008 biological opinion and debate whether the science on which it's based is sound. Rick Deriso, a San Diego biologist and a member of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, spoke on behalf of farming interests that have challenged the biological opinion. These groups, naturally, want more water, and this tuna expert claimed, through some reasoning, that Delta water pumps have negligible detrimental effects on the Delta smelt. Seems to me unlikely, but what do I know? I'm not the tuna expert. But Tina Swanson, executive director of the Bay Institute in Novato and an expert on fish that actually live in the Delta, says the pumps are undoubtedly killing fish. Swanson, who also attended the meetings in Davis, believes that the 2008 biological opinion is based upon "very high-quality science" and cites a half dozen species, including striped bass, American shad and Delta smelt, now traveling on trajectories toward extinction. The Delta smelt population, for one, hit a record low in 2009, and juvenile stripers are currently scarce, according to DFG trawl surveys. "Clearly, something in the Delta is very wrong," Swanson said. But to those who simply don't care about fish, this is all meaningless. The current review of the 2008 Fish and Wildlife Service's biological opinion is the second such process. The Bay Institute itself challenged the previous federal opinions on how to best protect Delta smelt and Chinook salmon, and the 2008 opinion is the result of that process. Now it's under review. The game could go on for ages. Hang in there, smelt.# Alastair Bland is a Bay Area fisherman. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jan 29 10:08:33 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:08:33 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Associated Press 1 29 10 Message-ID: <003f01caa10e$12c8e410$385aac30$@net> Wine grape watering clashes with salmon protection S.F. Chronicle-1/29/10 By Jason Dearen (Associated Press) In this cool, fertile wine growing county in Northern California, grape growers are stomping mad at a new plan to limit the amount of water vineyards can pump from local rivers and streams to protect their crops from frost - a draft regulation meant to safeguard coho salmon, a species on the brink of extinction here. Sonoma County, next to the more famous Napa Valley, has a fast-growing wine industry - vineyard acreage has increased 30 to 40 percent over the past decade and the county estimates the businesses generate about $2 billion annually. But now that growth has run up against federal protections for coho salmon, an endangered species that once filled the streams and rivers along California's central and northern coasts and now has crashed to nearly nothing. In the spring, when hibernating vines start coming to life, temperatures can drop below freezing overnight, destroying the young grapes. During these frigid nights, growers spray river water onto the vines, encasing them in a protective frozen shell that shields them from the harsh weather. Farmers say one bad night, when temperatures drop five to 10 degrees below freezing quickly, could wipe out huge percentages of their crop. "It could, it very well could. Down here in the bottom, if we don't have the water, it's not going to get it done," said vineyard manager Paul Foppiano, standing in a low-lying field of pinot noir vines near the Russian River. Sprinkers hovered over the gnarled vines in a part of his family's 140 acres, which have been producing wine in Sonoma County since 1896. "The problem with frost is one year you might have to run 15 to 20 nights like we did a couple of years ago," he said. "Last year we only ran three or four nights so you're not using a whole lot (of water)." Foppiano is not against the state managing the use of river water to help protect fish, but believes accurate accounting of water use by other county growers is needed before any regulatory decisions are made. "If the state is willing to work with us, we're willing to work with anybody," he said "But there's got to be some answer to it other than to completely cut us off. It's going to be a problem." At issue is the continued existence of the hook-mouthed coho salmon and the threatened steelhead trout that spawn in these coastal streams and rivers - a habitat that stretches from Alaska to central California. While coho still thrive in Alaska, their once plentiful stocks in California and Oregon are under threat, federal fisheries managers say. Under the state's proposed regulation, any pumping would be illegal unless approved by the State Water Board's management program. The new rule could be in effect by 2011. State water regulators say using river water for frost protection is legal, but are seeking a middle ground that will protect fish and grapes while ensuring some oversight. "The goal is not to shut (pumping) down, but to make sure it's done in a responsible manner with an eye to making sure the resources are protected," said Vicky Whitney, deputy director for the State Water Board. With vineyards spreading quickly in the area, it was only a matter of time before the burgeoning industry ran into a water issue. In 2008 and 2009, both drought years, pumping by vineyards resulted in the deaths of hundreds of coho and steelhead as creek levels dropped, stranding the fish. The kills were well documented in local media, spurring outrage from environmentalists and concern from federal fisheries managers. State water officials and federal regulators said it is likely that many more fish were killed in undocumented incidents, underscoring the need for quick action. Growers have challenged that assertion, saying the problems that resulted in the 2008 incidents that stranded and killed hundreds of coho and steelhead have been addressed. "I question the validity of their assertions of there being several incidents," said Lex McCorvey, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, an advocate for the county's wine industry. "(Regulators) have a responsibility to step forward with that information; that way the problems can get fixed. In 2008, there were two incidents, both have been fixed so they won't happen again." Federal studies show that pumping during cold snaps, especially in recent dry years when river levels are low, has dramatic effects on the river and its tributaries. A study presented by NMFS found that pumping for frost protection in 2004 and 2005 resulted in a 97 percent reduction in surface flow of one of the Russian River's key tributaries, Maacama Creek, and the water diversion's effects were seen throughout the watershed. In April, after documented fish kills, federal fishery biologists at NMFS urged the State Water Board to take control of the vineyard pumping. The water board gave the growers six months in 2009 to come up with their own management plan, but after seeing it, decided to draft their own regulations. "The agriculture industry is not necessarily wanting to self regulate; we want to self-monitor and educate growers so they're using either no water out of the Russian River or (conservation techniques)," said McCorvey. Meanwhile, there remains no regulation in place this year governing pumping from the Russian River, which concerns federal scientists and environmental groups. "It is problematic for us to not have regulatory coverage, because we view the threat of frost protection activities as widespread and significant," said David Hines, a federal fishery biologist and water rights specialist for NMFS. Grape growers say a whole year's crop could be wiped out if temperatures drop below freezing and they're unable to spray. Environmentalists say the regulations might be too little too late for the area's coho. "The state board started looking at frost pumping issues in 1997. They've had over a decade to evaluate this issue," said Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the environmental groups that filed an intent to sue in an effort to spur action. "We can't have more fish kills, that can't happen," Miller said. "If there are further fish kills this spring, we'll probably go to court."# Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jan 29 20:43:39 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:43:39 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] DFG Press Release Message-ID: <6586B2D450CE47659B505C06EB15333F@ByronsLaptop> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 29, 2010 CONTACT: Annie Reisewitz, MLPA Initiative (858) 228-0526 Kirsten Macintyre, Department of Fish and Game (916) 322-8988 MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force Chair and California Department of Fish and Game Director Announce North Coast Regional Stakeholder Group The diverse cross-interest group of marine stakeholders will meet Feb. 8-9 in Eureka SACRAMENTO - The MLPA Initiative and California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) today announced the appointment of the MLPA North Coast Regional Stakeholder Group. The 31-member, cross-interest group (list attached) will provide local expertise and knowledge to improve the design and management of the north coast portion of a statewide network of marine protected areas (MPAs). "These outstanding individuals each bring first-hand knowledge of the marine resources along the north coast," said DFG Director John McCamman. "I am confident that as a group they will successfully integrate the diverse interests of their constituents into a science-based proposal that improves our management of California's ocean environment." Collectively, the stakeholder group members represent broad interests and perspectives from the state's north coast region, from the border with Oregon to the Point Arena area in Mendocino County. The stakeholder group includes, among others, representatives of recreational angling and diving groups, tribes, commercial fishing and other ocean-dependent business interests, ports and harbors, conservation groups, educational and research interests, and government agencies. Under the guidance of a blue ribbon task force, the stakeholder group is responsible for working with a science advisory team and MLPA staff to evaluate existing marine protected areas within the north coast study region in relation to the goals of the MLPA and to develop alternative MPA proposals that meet the act's requirements. Individual stakeholders will also conduct outreach to constituent groups to encourage public involvement in the project. "I look forward to working with this unique and diverse group of ocean enthusiasts," said Cindy Gustafson, chair of the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force. "Their interest in and dedication to this process will make certain that we successfully maximize ocean protections for future generations while minimizing short-term socioeconomic impacts to the north coast community." The first meeting of the stakeholder group will be held Monday, Feb. 8 and Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010 at the Red Lion Inn, 1929 Fourth Street in Eureka. >From Feb. to Nov. 2010 the NCRSG will meet approximately seven times in two-day meetings, including a combination of formal plenary meetings and informal work sessions, in various locations throughout the study region. Plenary meetings are open to the public and videotaped for simultaneous webcasting and later viewing on the Internet. Members of the public are encouraged to participate in a number of ways; they also will have opportunities to provide comments on evolving MPA proposals and other elements of the process. "The appointment of the regional stakeholder group marks the next phase of the north coast MPA planning process," said Ken Wiseman, MLPA Initiative executive director. "It brings together the initial MPA ideas already generated by community groups as well as other interested members of the public to further refine and improve upon them." The MLPA Initiative's MPA planning process began in 2009 with initial outreach and then the development of draft external MPA arrays from community groups. The first-round draft MPA arrays developed by community groups, and subsequent science evaluations, will be used to help inform the stakeholder group as it begins its work in the next two phases of developing alternative MPA proposals in this science-based, stakeholder-driven process. In Oct. 2009, the California Department of Fish and Game appointed the MLPA Master Plan Science Advisory Team (SAT), which is comprised of 21 scientists with a variety of expertise in marine life protection, the use of MPAs as a management tool, underwater ecosystems found in California waters, water quality and other related subjects, most with specific expertise to the north coast region. The SAT is charged with providing scientific advice to the regional stakeholder group regarding issues such as MPA placement, size and habitat considerations. The SAT will further support the process reviewing draft documents and addressing scientific questions raised through the planning process. The California Natural Resources Agency and DFG have partnered with the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation and others in an initiative to help achieve the MLPA goals. The MLPA directs the state to reevaluate and redesign California's system of MPAs to increase coherence and effectiveness in protecting the state's marine life and habitats, marine ecosystems and marine natural heritage, as well as to improve recreational, educational and study opportunities provided by marine ecosystems subject to minimal human disturbance. The MLPA also requires that the best readily-available science be used in the redesign process, as well as the advice and assistance of scientists, resource managers, experts, stakeholders and members of the public. California is taking a regional approach to redesigning MPAs along its 1,100 mile coastline, and has divided the state into five study regions; the MLPA North Coast Study Region, extending from the California border with Oregon to Alder Creek near Point Arena in Mendocino County, is the fourth of the five study regions to undergo the MPA planning process. The MLPA Initiative's north coast MPA planning process is expected to be completed in December 2010, when the MLPA Blue Ribbon task Force will present its recommendations to the California Fish and Game Commission, the decision-making body under the MLPA. For more information about the MLPA Initiative, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa ### Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jan 29 20:50:12 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:50:12 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] DFG Press Release Message-ID: <0EF13C9573A84B94A268E157B8491444@ByronsLaptop> California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Members of the North Coast Regional Stakeholder Group Revised January 27, 2010 Steve Chaney, Superintendent, Redwood National Park Russ Crabtree, Tribal Administrator, Smith River Rancheria Greg Dale, Southwest Operations Manager, Coast Seafood Company John Dixon, Ecologist, California Coastal Commission Henry "Ben" Doane, board member, Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers and Klamath Management Zone Fisheries Coalition Brandi Easter, member, Humboldt Skin Divers Don Gillespie, retired teacher and board member, Friends of Del Norte and Smith River Alliance Benjamin Henthorne, Environmental Coordinator, Hopland Band of Pomo Indians Jacque Hostler, Chief Executive Officer and Transportation & Land-Use Director, Trinidad Rancheria Robert Jamgochian, educator, Mendocino High School of Natural Resources Dave Jensen, President, Mendocino Coast Audubon Society Tim Klassen, Owner, Reel Steel Sportfishing Larry Knowles, Owner, Rising Tide Sea Vegetables Zack Larson, Consultant, Zack Larson and Associates and Chair, Del Norte County Fish and Game Advisory Commission William Lemos, retired teacher and consultant, Natural Resources Defense Council Kevin McGrath, member, Shelter Cove Fisherman's Alliance Kevin McKernan, California Program Director, National Conservation System Foundation Aaron Newman, President, Humboldt Fisherman's Marketing Association Pete Nichols, Executive Director, Humboldt Baykeeper Charlie Notthoff, Owner, Nothoff Underwater Service Megan Rocha, Assistant Self Governance Officer, Yurok Tribe Jennifer Savage, North Coast Program Coordinator, The Ocean Conservancy Valerie Stanley, member, Noyo River Indian Community Atta Stevenson, Acting President, Inter-Tribal Council of California and member, Laytonville Rancheria Thomas Trumper, Owner/diver, Pacific Rim Seafood Adam Wagschal, Conservation Director, Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Rob Wakefield, member, Del Norte Fisherman's Marketing Association Reweti Wiki, Tribal Administrator, Elk Valley Rancheria Harold Wollenberg, professional geologist David Wright, member, NorCal Kayak Anglers and Vice Chair, Surfrider Foundation's Mendocino Chapter Richard Young, Chief Executive Officer and Harbormaster, Crescent City Harbor District Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 1 18:46:45 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 18:46:45 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands Move to Kill Salmon Message-ID: <00d501caa3b1$f5d81b40$e18851c0$@net> PRESS RELEASE Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations Water4Fish For Immediate Release: February 1, 2010 Contact: Zeke Grader, PCFFA: (415) 561-5080, ext. 224, zgrader [at] ifrfish.org Dick Pool, Water4Fish: (925) 825-8560, pool94549 [at] sbcglobal.net Agribusiness Giant Westlands Moves to Kill Salmon Seeks legal permission to double death rate of migrating baby salmon in Delta Fresno, CA Westlands Water District has asked a federal judge in Fresno to issue a temporary restraining order to block a federal salmon restoration plan that protects salmon and other fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Westlands move could put the survival of California and Oregon's multi-billion dollar commercial and recreational salmon fishing industry on the line. The group is requesting a court to order lifting restrictions on the operation of huge delta water pumps and canals from February through May. Pumping water from the delta south is restricted at this time to protect baby salmon that migrate from the Sacramento River to the ocean during this period. The pumps move massive volumes of fresh water from the Delta to farms and cities to the south. Past pumping during the spring salmon migration is known to have killed large numbers of salmon. The request is expected to be heard in U.S. District Court tomorrow. The restrictions in question were put in place in 2009 as part of a federal salmon restoration plan, known as a Biological Opinion. Recent studies indicate that the salmon restoration plan may increase the baby salmon survival by at least fifty percent. The salmon restoration plan protects threatened species of salmon and other native fish. It also helps improve the survival of non- threatened, commercially valuable fall-run chinook salmon. Sacramento River fall-run chinook, commonly known as king salmon, form the backbone of Oregon and California's salmon fishing industry. Fishing families along one thousand miles of U.S. coastline rely on healthy runs of Sacramento River salmon to make a living; they depend on keeping the current salmon protection plan in place, said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations. Too much water is being taken from the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary salmon, fishing families, coastal communities and seafood consumers have paid a heavy price as a result. In a typical year, the Sacramento's fall-run chinook represent ninety percent of the salmon caught off California, and sixty percent of the salmon caught off Oregon. The recent catastrophic collapse of the Sacramento's once mighty salmon runs, driven in large part by poor water management in the Delta, has led to two years of closed fishing in two states, hundreds of millions in lost income, and tens of thousands of lost jobs. The shutdown of the California recreational and commercial salmon fishing industry for the last two years has already erased $2.8 billion dollars and 23,000 jobs from our state's economy, said Dick Pool, program manager of Water4Fish. The 2009 adult salmon returns to the Sacramento are almost assured to reach another all-time record low. The past water export practices have been the root cause of this decline. This federal fish restoration plan is the absolute minimum we need to begin a turnaround of this decline. Salmon, and the fishing families that depend on them, will have even more to lose if Westlands gets its way. According to the National Marine Fishery Service, when the Delta pumps are on, baby salmon are diverted from their natural route in the mainstem Sacramento River into the central and southern Delta waterways, where they suffer mortality rates of sixty five percent. The diverted salmon also fall victim to the Delta pumps. Only one baby salmon in six survives an encounter with state pumping facilities, while only one in three survives after being drawn into federal pumps. The federal fish restoration plans for the Delta have been strongly opposed by Westlands and other western San Joaquin Valley agribusiness, as well southern California land speculators. Western San Joaquin growers and their Congressional representatives have overlooked or belittled clear evidence that Delta water withdrawals have exceeded the ecological carrying capacity of the Delta. Those favoring more water exports have further refused to acknowledge the economic damage done to Oregon and California's multi-billion dollar sport and commercial salmon fishery caused by the excessive water withdrawals from the Delta. The Delta is the single most important estuary on the West Coast of the Americas and provides habitat and a migratory pathway between Sierra Nevada streams and the Golden Gate for the West Coasts second largest salmon run. Biologists have grown alarmed in recent years about the cascading series of crashing Delta fish populations; not only salmon and steelhead, but Delta smelt, striped bass, longfin smelt, sturgeon and Sacramento splittail are all in trouble. In November of 2007, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) fall survey of native delta fish found that five out of the six fish surveyed had declined to all time record low numbers. These surveys make it clear that there are biological limits to the amount of water that can be exported south. ### Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Feb 2 14:32:39 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 14:32:39 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Interior Department Press Release from December Message-ID: <005201caa457$b1bc7b30$15357190$@net> This is from December 22, but I had not seen it previously. Looks like more of the same to me. Byron DOI press release Date: December 22, 2009 Contact: Kendra Barkoff 202-208-6416 Obama Administration Officials Release Interim Federal Action Plan for Water Crisis in California Bay-Delta WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Obama Administration today released a coordinated interim action plan to address the water crisis in California. In accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by six federal agencies at the end of September, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Chair Nancy Sutley of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) joined the Department of Commerce, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Army and the Department of Agriculture to release a list of actions being taken by the six federal agencies. "The California water crisis is a full-blown crisis that requires all hands on deck to help those who are suffering. We are moving aggressively to do our part to address the urgent need to provide reliable water supplies for 25 million Californians, while also protecting the Bay-Delta ecosystem upon which the supplies depend," Secretary Salazar said. "Everything we do will be done in close partnership with the State of California and will build upon the path-breaking legislation recently enacted by the State." "The Obama Administration is committed to robust reengagement in restoring the Bay-Delta ecosystem and addressing California's water needs," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "The actions that Federal agencies announce today will have real, on-the-ground impacts in 2010 and will complement the State of California's ongoing response." The coordinated federal action plan will: . strengthen the federal government's coordination of actions with the state - especially its commitment to more fully engage federal agencies in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the most significant effort currently underway to address critical long-term water issues in California. . help to meet water needs through actions that promote smarter water supply and use such as constructing projects that increase flexibility in the water supply system; enhancing water transfers; ensuring that the best science is applied to water supply decisions; and intensifying and aligning Federal water conservation efforts with those of the state. . help ensure healthy ecosystems and improved water quality through independent reviews of key scientific questions, including a review of all factors that are contributing to the decline of the Bay-Delta ecosystem; investigation and mitigation of other stressors affecting water quality in the Bay-Delta and impacts to its imperiled species; advancing ecosystem restoration projects, including near-term habitat projects in the Bay-Delta; accelerating the restoration and propagation of Delta smelt and other aquatic species; continuing construction of fish screens; and addressing climate change impacts on the Bay-Delta. . call for agencies to help deliver drought relief services and ensure integrated flood risk management, including the prioritization of projects and activities for flood risk management and related levee stabilization projects and navigation. Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes today noted that the federal officials reviewed and considered public comments in preparing this interim plan. "This plan was produced on an expedited basis due to the crisis, and it will remain a living document that is updated and revised on a going-forward basis." The federal agencies will now begin to implement the actions contained in this plan, working in close partnership with the State of California to advance their shared priorities. To view the draft plan, go here: http://www.doi.gov/documents/CAWaterWorkPlan.pdf . Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Feb 2 15:55:06 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 15:55:06 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Interior Department Press Release from December In-Reply-To: <005201caa457$b1bc7b30$15357190$@net> References: <005201caa457$b1bc7b30$15357190$@net> Message-ID: <17E6DFA740CA47439F85E69CB271DC43@homeuserPC> Byron, Attached is what the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) sent to Interior on their Interim Federal Action Plan in December 2009. You can also view a referenced July 30, 2009 letter to David Hayes from the California Water Impact Network and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance at http://www.c-win.org/sites/default/files/FullDHLetter20090730.pdf. In order to submit comments for the Interim Federal Action Plan, they had to be cut and pasted into a web page rather than mailed, e-mailed or faxed to a real contact person. There was no acknowledgement whatsoever that Interior even got the comments. It was obvious that they didn't care what comments they got. >From C-WIN's perspective, they've got it all wrong, except for the 2-Gates Project. Interior made the right decision on 2 Gates to shelve the $60 million project unless and until there is a better scientific basis for the project. All of this is very relevant to the Trinity River, as the Trinity River is original (but not sole) source of water for the San Luis Unit of the Central Valley Project, which includes the Westlands Water District. See http://tcrcd.net/exhibita.htm and "How the Trinity Lost It's Water" at http://fotr.org/news_items/HTTLIW.pdf . C-WIN's comments on all of these projects and a whole lot of other stuff is at our website: http://www.c-win.org/ Best regards, Tom Stokely Water Policy Coordinator California Water Impact Network 201 Terry Lynn Ave (USPS and UPS) Mt Shasta, CA 96067 V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Byron Leydecker To: FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 2:32 PM Subject: Interior Department Press Release from December This is from December 22, but I had not seen it previously. Looks like more of the same to me. Byron DOI press release Date: December 22, 2009 Contact: Kendra Barkoff 202-208-6416 Obama Administration Officials Release Interim Federal Action Plan for Water Crisis in California Bay-Delta WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Obama Administration today released a coordinated interim action plan to address the water crisis in California. In accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by six federal agencies at the end of September, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Chair Nancy Sutley of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) joined the Department of Commerce, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Army and the Department of Agriculture to release a list of actions being taken by the six federal agencies. "The California water crisis is a full-blown crisis that requires all hands on deck to help those who are suffering. We are moving aggressively to do our part to address the urgent need to provide reliable water supplies for 25 million Californians, while also protecting the Bay-Delta ecosystem upon which the supplies depend," Secretary Salazar said. "Everything we do will be done in close partnership with the State of California and will build upon the path-breaking legislation recently enacted by the State." "The Obama Administration is committed to robust reengagement in restoring the Bay-Delta ecosystem and addressing California's water needs," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "The actions that Federal agencies announce today will have real, on-the-ground impacts in 2010 and will complement the State of California's ongoing response." The coordinated federal action plan will: . strengthen the federal government's coordination of actions with the state - especially its commitment to more fully engage federal agencies in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the most significant effort currently underway to address critical long-term water issues in California. . help to meet water needs through actions that promote smarter water supply and use such as constructing projects that increase flexibility in the water supply system; enhancing water transfers; ensuring that the best science is applied to water supply decisions; and intensifying and aligning Federal water conservation efforts with those of the state. . help ensure healthy ecosystems and improved water quality through independent reviews of key scientific questions, including a review of all factors that are contributing to the decline of the Bay-Delta ecosystem; investigation and mitigation of other stressors affecting water quality in the Bay-Delta and impacts to its imperiled species; advancing ecosystem restoration projects, including near-term habitat projects in the Bay-Delta; accelerating the restoration and propagation of Delta smelt and other aquatic species; continuing construction of fish screens; and addressing climate change impacts on the Bay-Delta. . call for agencies to help deliver drought relief services and ensure integrated flood risk management, including the prioritization of projects and activities for flood risk management and related levee stabilization projects and navigation. Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes today noted that the federal officials reviewed and considered public comments in preparing this interim plan. "This plan was produced on an expedited basis due to the crisis, and it will remain a living document that is updated and revised on a going-forward basis." The federal agencies will now begin to implement the actions contained in this plan, working in close partnership with the State of California to advance their shared priorities. To view the draft plan, go here: http://www.doi.gov/documents/CAWaterWorkPlan.pdf . Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: C-WIN comments on DOI MOU Final.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 46443 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Feb 2 19:37:12 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 19:37:12 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] H.R. 4225 (Costa) comments Message-ID: <000601caa482$2dbc7670$89356350$@net> Attached are comments of several organizations on Representative Costa's bill to "authorize drought assistance adjustments to provide immediate funding for projects and activities that will help alleviate record unemployment and diminished agricultural production related to the drought in California." Also attached are comments on the Interim Federal Action Plan on the Bay Delta. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CA enviro groups comments for HR4225 02022010.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 159997 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Drought Response Interim Plan Detailed Comments.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 22445 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 3 11:26:23 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 11:26:23 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] TV Committee Hearing HR 4225 Message-ID: <005d01caa506$c6d1b760$54752620$@net> The Hearing on Costa's HR 4225 will be broadcast live tomorrow morning - early our time. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: WP 2.4.10 Legislative Hearing_Agenda & Witness List.doc Type: application/msword Size: 33792 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 3 11:30:00 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 11:30:00 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 2 2 10 Message-ID: <006301caa507$47af5ef0$d70e1cd0$@net> Water groups fight salmon plan in court Fresno Bee-2/2/10 By John Ellis A coalition of water districts and agencies asked a federal judge in Fresno on Tuesday to set aside a controversial salmon management plan because it reduces water deliveries to urban and agricultural users. U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger is weighing a decision after hearing four hours of testimony. He promised a ruling by Tuesday, the date of another hearing dealing with the salmon management plan. Among those seeking the order were the Westlands Water District, which takes in a large portion of the west side of the central San Joaquin Valley. Also among the plaintiffs were the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 19 million people. All depend on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for water. The temporary ruling, if granted, would be in place while a more permanent measure is sought. The water agencies want the salmon management plan rewritten to allow more water to be pumped. Federal officials had to rewrite the plan after Wanger in 2008 found an earlier set of rules did not adequately protect the endangered fish species. The rules cover salmon varieties that are protected by the Endangered Species Act. On Tuesday, attorneys for the water agencies argued that water cutbacks when salmon are in the vicinity of the delta pumps are causing irreparable harm to water users. They also said the salmon now near the pumps are fall-run salmon -- which are not endangered -- and not the protected winter run. "We submit there is no harm currently to the winter run [salmon], because there is no winter run," said attorney Keith Adair, who represents Westlands and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority. Urban and agriculture users that depend on delta water say they are losing 6,000 acre-feet of water per day because of the new salmon rules. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, or enough water for a family of four for a year. But federal government attorneys and their environmental allies defended the new salmon rules. U.S. Department of Justice attorney Bridget Kennedy McNeil accused the water users of "trying to eliminate protections." McNeil also countered Adair, saying "the winter-run [salmon] are on the move and more of them can be expected in February." Tuesday's hearing was also slated to include the delta smelt, but Wanger delayed action because the species is not currently causing water cutbacks. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 3 11:43:35 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 11:43:35 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] TV Committee Hearing HR 4225 Message-ID: <008c01caa509$2d33ab10$879b0130$@net> Sorry not to have mentioned it originally.It'll be on C-Span. Byron From: Byron Leydecker [mailto:bwl3 at comcast.net] Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 11:26 AM To: FOTR List (fotr at mailman.dcn.org); Trinity List (env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org) Subject: TV Committee Hearing HR 4225 The Hearing on Costa's HR 4225 will be broadcast live tomorrow morning - early our time. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 3 12:38:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 12:38:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Greenwire 2 3 10 Message-ID: <00ba01caa510$da84b370$8f8e1a50$@net> An E&E Publishing Service ENDANGERED SPECIES: Judge signals he'll likely keep ESA limits on Calif. irrigators (Wednesday, February 3, 2010) Colin Sullivan, E&E reporter FRESNO, Calif. -- A federal judge will decide by early next week whether to relax water pumping restrictions to help struggling farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. Judge Oliver Wanger of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California heard arguments here yesterday by the Justice Department, California water districts, farmers and environmental groups on a pair of federal biological opinions that have limited pumping on the south end of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta to help endangered salmon. Pumping in the south end, which feeds irrigators and orchards in the valley, has been limited since Jan. 20 under a bi-op intended to give the endangered winter run of chinook salmon a better path to the Pacific Ocean, where they feed and mature until returning one day to the Sacramento River to spawn upstream of the delta. Attorneys for the Westlands Water District, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and state water contractors, among others, urged Wanger to issue a temporary restraining order that would reopen the pumps for business. They said a recent run of winter storms, which has soaked the coast and dumped several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada, should justify the suspensions so that a percentage of the water could be stored for use later in the year. "There are just volumes of water ... flowing out the Golden Gate Bridge when they should be and can be captured and put to better use," said Eileen Diepenbrock, of Diepenbrock Harrison, which represents the Westlands district. Bridget Kennedy McNeil, a trial lawyer for the environment and natural resources division at DOJ, countered that the water was working just as it was intended to under the federal salmon recovery plan, which Wanger himself implemented last summer. "It's not wasted," McNeil said, in a rebuttal to Diepenbrock. "It's water that's being put to the benefit of endangered species." A separate attempt to attain a restraining order for the delta smelt bi-op was rejected in a preliminary ruling by Wanger. He said the question of raising the delta smelt, which is also endangered, was moot since pumping restrictions under the smelt recovery plan have not yet been put into operation this year. On the salmon bi-op, Wanger seemed to be leaning toward siding with DOJ, the National Marine Fisheries Service and environmental groups. More than once, he implied that he would not likely intervene under the Endangered Species Act because no human dislocation had been caused by the pumping curbs. In a give-and-take with attorneys, Wanger said economic hardship for farmers does not appear to rise to the standard imposed by the ESA to favor humans over a species nearing extinction. The farmers, in other words, might have better luck changing the law or revising the bi-ops, Wanger appeared to imply. "They've got to go persuade their legislators that economics should be on the table," Wanger said. "What is clear is this: The form of any relief in this case cannot jeopardize or otherwise put species or its habitat at further risk." After the hearing adjourned, at least one attorney for the farmers said that exchange convinced him that Wanger would turn down the restraining order. "He seems like he wants to give us the water but just can't under the law," this attorney said. Wanger said he would rule on the restraining order, which could turn the pumps on for as long as 28 days, by next Tuesday. Separate attempts by the water districts to attain an injunction of the bi-ops, to resume pumping through the summer, will proceed in late March or early April. The court cases, which have been consolidated by Wanger into a single proceeding, are moving forward as the National Academy of Sciences continues to review the science behind the bi-ops, a step that was ordered by the Obama administration under pressure from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Findings from that process are due this spring. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 15168 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Feb 4 08:25:19 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 08:25:19 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] HR 4225 Hearing Message-ID: <8F966A1A01074C4E8030AFA32A224D2A@ByronsLaptop> The Hearing on this bill apparently is to get underway soon. It is not a telecast, as I said yesterday, but rather a webcast. Here is the subcommittee link: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content &task=view&id=273&Itemid= The final list of witnesses is here: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro &Itemid=27&extmode=view&extid=319 Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Feb 4 15:03:45 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 15:03:45 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Duel Over the Delta Message-ID: <002001caa5ee$4db27160$e9175420$@net> The attached article, "Duel over the Delta," is courtesy of Dane Durham. It is from California Lawyer, and the article was written by Glen Martin, former San Francisco Chronicle journalist and occasional current contributor to it. He long has been involved in investigating and writing about California water issues. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CA Lawyer 2010.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 1244567 bytes Desc: not available URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Thu Feb 4 16:46:43 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 16:46:43 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Duel Over the Delta In-Reply-To: <002001caa5ee$4db27160$e9175420$@net> References: <002001caa5ee$4db27160$e9175420$@net> Message-ID: <3A6F1934-8AFB-41AE-B48A-E10FE2582AAB@fishsniffer.com> Glen is a great investigative reporter who really knows fish and water issues. I miss having him at the Chronicle. Dan On Feb 4, 2010, at 3:03 PM, Byron Leydecker wrote: > The attached article, ?Duel over the Delta,? is courtesy of Dane > Durham. It is from California Lawyer, and the article was written > by Glen Martin, former San Francisco Chronicle journalist and > occasional current contributor to it. He long has been involved in > investigating and writing about California water issues. > > > > > > Byron Leydecker, JcT > > Chair, Friends of Trinity River > > PO Box 2327 > > Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 > > 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) > > 415 519 4810 mobile > > bwl3 at comcast.net > > bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) > > http://www.fotr.org > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 5 19:07:42 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 19:07:42 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] TRO For More Pumping from Delta Message-ID: Wanger granted TRO for two weeks Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2-5-10 Order re TRO.PDF Type: application/pdf Size: 197807 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 5 20:20:10 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 20:20:10 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Action Alert: Help protect Klamath coho Message-ID: Klamath Riverkeeper Action Alert About | Donate | Contact Scott River on a winter day by Scott Harding Photo The private timber company Fruit Growers Supply owns thousands of acres of mid-Klamath forests, including portions of Beaver Creek, Horse Creek, and the Scott River. The company is trying to get a Habitat Conservation Plan approved for its logging plans, and has also applied for 50-yr Incidental Take Permits to kill species otherwise protected by the Endangered Species Act. Take action now. At risk are threatened coho salmon, already struggling to hang on in these watersheds, as well as steelhead and Klamath and Trinity Chinook - both imperiled species the company would like to kill with impunity should they make the endangered species list in the future. Fruitgrowers' proposed plans do not adequately protect fish habitat, and their killing of endangered fish through logging and road building should not be exempt from the Endangered Species Act. Please tell federal salmon managers they need to protect the Klamath River's threatened coho, not authorize another 'license to kill' in the Klamath Basin! Sincerely, Malena Marvin Outreach and Science Director Klamath Riverkeeper _____ KRK sends geographically appropriate action alerts when absolutely necessary. You can unsubscribe here. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Fri Feb 5 20:51:52 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 20:51:52 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Judge Halts Protection Plan For Winter Run Chinook In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Photo of winter run Chinook salmon in tank by DFG. ? chinooktank_1.jpg Fresno Judge Halts Protection Plan For Winter Run Chinook by Dan Bacher (Fresno) Federal Judge Oliver Wanger on Friday afternoon put a temporary hold on a federal plan (biological opinion) protecting salmon from the fish-killing California Delta pumps that deliver water to corporate agribusiness and southern California. The ruling, in place for 14 days, allows for unlimited pumping, at least unless the projects hit "take" limits for salmon killed at the pumps or until Delta smelt protections are triggered in the Delta. The ruling can be extended by the judge for 14 more days. Westlands Water District, the "Darth Vader" of California water politics, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and other water districts requested the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) so that water exports from the Delta could be increased. The pumping restrictions are designed to protect migrating juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon from being killed in the massive federal and state project pumps. Endangered winter run Chinook salmon are unique to the Sacramento River system. After migrating for thousands of years to spawn in the McCloud River every year, the run was blocked from migrating to its spawning grounds after the construction of Shasta Dam. Since then, the fish has been forced to spawn in the Sacramento below Keswick Dam and has declined dramatically due to increased Delta water exports, declining water quality, unscreened or poorly screened diversions and other factors. The positive news is that Wanger ruled for the federal fishery agencies, Earthjustice and NRDC on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) claim. "He ruled that plaintiffs have NOT shown they are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the Biological Opinion violates the Endangered Species Act (ESA)," said Barry Nelson, senior water policy analyst from NRDC. Unfortunately, the judge also ruled that Westlands and the other plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) applies to implementation of the federal biological opinon as he ruled in the delta smelt case, according to Nelson. "The judge made an erroneous finding of fact that the agencies didn't consider any alternatives or the impacts on the environment," said Nelson. "The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) actually went through the factors, including estimated water supply costs and phased in parts of the RPA (Reasonable and Prudent Alternative). "The judge also found that blocking ESA protections won't cause jeopardy because there aren't 'too many' fish being killed at the pumps - wholly ignoring critical habitat, indirect effects, and the fact that the BO requires all of the components of the RPA to be implemented to avoid jeopardy," said Nelson. Following the above "reasoning," Wanger issued the TRO blocking the salmon biological opinion limitation on Old and Middle River reverse flows below -2,500 to -5,000 cfs. So there are currently no Old and Middle River flow restrictions in place, according to Nelson. NMFS can come back in to show "more harm" to get the TRO dissolved. Meanwhile, NRDC and EarthJustice are considering their legal options. "This ruling has enormous implications for the Delta and the fishing industry," said Nelson. "It also has dramatic implications for the SWP, as my colleague Kate explains here: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/ blogs/kpoole/is_the_department_of_water_res.html" The state's position is in conflict with other state laws, including regarding salmon protection, as Nelson explains here: http:// switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bnelson/state_legal_strategy_in_the_de.html. The ruling also has major implications for The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), a plan that many fishing and environmental groups criticize as leading to the construction of a peripheral canal and more dams. "By the way, the judge specificially was comforted by the state's 'non-opposition' to the TRO request," Nelson observed. Fishing groups are outraged about the court's ruling in favor of Westlands at a time that Central Valley salmon populations are in an unprecedented state of collapse. ?Fishing families along one thousand miles of U.S. coastline rely on healthy runs of Sacramento River salmon to make a living; they depend on keeping the current salmon protection plan in place,? said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations. ?Too much water is being taken from the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary ? salmon, fishing families, coastal communities and seafood consumers have paid a heavy price as a result.? ?The shutdown of the California recreational and commercial salmon fishing industry for the last two years has already erased $2.8 billion dollars and 23,000 jobs from our state?s economy,? said Dick Pool, program manager of Water4Fish. ?The 2009 adult salmon returns to the Sacramento are almost assured to reach another all- time record low. The past water export practices have been the root cause of this decline. This federal fish restoration plan is the absolute minimum we need to begin a turn around of this decline.? The Pacific Legal Foundation, a law firm that advocates on behalf of agribusiness and other corporate interests, praised the ruling. "Water is desperately needed in these parts of California, but even though the Golden State has received a substantial amount of precipitation over the past month, the salmon biological opinion has prevented water from getting to where it?s needed most," the group said on its "Liberty" blog. "Under today?s decision, however, federal agencies will not be able to implement a significant component of the biological opinion for at least the next 14 days, meaning that much more water will be able to be pumped to California water projects," the group stated. "Although the harm from the federal government?s 'fish before people' policy has been clear to many, some have contended that environmental restrictions aren?t that big of a deal. Today?s decision, however, should put to rest the notion that the man-made, regulatory drought is anything but real." The TRO was issued as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and corporate agribusiness are pushing for the construction of the peripheral canal and a $11.1 billion water bond. Delta and fish advocates believe that the water bond, combined with the water policy package passed by the California Legislature in November, creates a clear path to the construction of the peripheral canal and Temperance Flats and Sites reservoirs. The canal will cost $23 billion to $53.8 billion to build at a time when California is in its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression - and the budgets for teachers, game wardens, health care for children and state parks have been slashed. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: chinooktank_1.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 95416 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Feb 7 11:03:19 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 7 Feb 2010 11:03:19 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 2 7 10 Message-ID: <011901caa828$37276f90$a5764eb0$@net> Testing waters for salmon in San Joaquin River Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, February 7, 2010 Water has begun flowing down 64 barren miles of the San Joaquin River in what is being touted as California's most ambitious effort to bring back long-lost native salmon. Images http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/02/06/ba-restoration01_0500661816_par t1.jpg http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Image * DATA POINT 02.07.10 The floodgates of the colossal Friant Dam outside Fresno were opened last week so researchers can study how the water flows down California's second longest river. The releases, which will continue until Dec. 1, will accelerate this spring until enough water is flowing down the parched riverbed to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in less than a minute. It is all part of a historic agreement reached after two decades of legal wrangling over efforts to bring back the salmon that were wiped out a half-century ago when the 319-foot dam was built. "The resumption of restoration flow releases down the San Joaquin River, even at a fraction of its once mighty flows, is a monumental event," blogged Monty Schmitt, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is a party to the agreement along with the Friant Water Users Authority and the federal government. "These flows and the restoration effort are an example of how farmers, fishermen, environmentalists, and state and federal agencies can work together to implement real solutions to California's conflicts over water resources," Schmitt wrote. The Friant Dam was built in the 1940s so that 1 million acres of farmland could be irrigated. It plugged the river gorge and held back nearly the entire flow of water, causing 64 miles of the river to completely dry up. The native chinook - once so plentiful that farmers used to scoop them out of the river to use as hog feed - disappeared by the early 1950s. Environmentalists have characterized the draining of the San Joaquin as one of the most egregious examples anywhere of habitat destruction to quench civilization's thirst for water. The battle to restore the river began in 1988 when the defense council and other environmental groups sued the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies to prevent renewal of long-term water contracts with Friant-area irrigation districts. The releases into the river mark the second time in more than 60 years that water has flowed between the banks of the entire San Joaquin. Smaller pulses of water were released last October and November. Over the next few months, Schmitt said, water temperatures, velocity, channel depth and bank stability will be studied. Problem areas will be fixed in preparation for 2012, when the first salmon are expected to be reintroduced. Year-round flows are expected to begin over the entire 150 miles between the dam and its confluence with the Merced River in 2014. Even when completed, Schmitt said, only about 18 percent of the historic flow of the river will be restored. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/07/BATF1BS147.DTL#i xzz0esVvkTwD Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 8290 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 8 11:05:20 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 11:05:20 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times 2 6 10 on Wanger Delta Pumping Decision Message-ID: <003501caa8f1$b53d7950$1fb86bf0$@net> Judge eases curbs on delta pumping L.A. Times-2/6/10 By Bettina Boxall A federal judge has temporarily lifted pumping curbs designed to protect salmon migration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an action that allows the diversion of more winter storm flows to farms and cities in the south. Friday's ruling is the latest in a tortuous legal fight over Endangered Species Act protections that limit pumping from the troubled delta east of San Francisco, a source of water for 23 million Californians and millions of acres of farmland. The decision was a victory, however brief, for San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts that have tried in the courts and the halls of Congress to loosen pumping restraints that have reduced their water deliveries. Ironically, the ruling was issued by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger, whose earlier decisions forced the federal government to strengthen protections for the delta's collapsing fisheries. Wanger issued a 14-day restraining order, lifting curbs designed to keep migrating Chinook salmon away from the giant pumps that suck water from the south delta. He concluded that the additional pumping would not seriously harm the young winter-run salmon moving through the delta to the sea, whereas reduced diversions were significantly hurting agricultural and urban water supplies. "It is undisputed that every acre-foot of pumping that is foregone during this time of year is an acre-foot that does not reach the San Luis Reservoir where it can be stored for future delivery to users during times of peak demand later in the water year," Wanger wrote. But his decision sent mixed signals about the ultimate outcome of the case. He found that plaintiffs "have not yet established a likelihood of success" on their claims against the Endangered Species Act. Instead, Wanger ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had not performed the necessary analysis of the pumping permit and its restrictions under another federal law, the National Environmental Policy Act. "This is not a decision on the soundness of the [permit], the analysis included in it or the actions required by it," said Chris Yates, a NOAA Fisheries Service assistant regional administrator. "We continue to stand by those conclusions very strongly." Maria Rea, director of the NOAA Fisheries Central Valley office, said the increased pumping would probably result in more salmon losses. The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District, the nation's biggest irrigation district, sought the injunction, along with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. "I think it has much broader implications," said Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis authority, which represents Central Valley irrigators. "I would hope the federal government would take a couple steps back and take another look" at the salmon permit as well as another designed to protect the delta smelt, which is nearing extinction. Most of last year's cuts in water deliveries were a result of the state drought, not the pumping curbs, according to government water managers. But that has not stopped agriculture and Central Valley politicians from attacking the Endangered Species Act protections as the cause of economic hardship. Commercial salmon fishermen, who have endured two closed seasons because of collapsing stocks, have shot back that without them, their entire way of life will disappear. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 8 11:02:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 11:02:09 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Groups File Suit to Block Giant Backroom Water Deal Message-ID: <002f01caa8f1$380c10e0$a82432a0$@net> Press release attached. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Lawsuit_Media_Release Final.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 246577 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 8 12:05:40 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 12:05:40 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times on Wanger Ruling Message-ID: <007601caa8fa$1743a540$45caefc0$@net> Judge relaxes Delta salmon rules By Mike Taugher Contra Costa Times In a win for central and Southern California farmers and cities, a federal judge on Friday suspended salmon protection rules just weeks after they began affecting water deliveries. The decision, which angered salmon fishermen, means that for at least the next two weeks water agencies serving mostly the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California can run Delta pumps to take full advantage of flows from recent storms without regard to restrictions meant to protect salmon, steelhead and other fish. "I thought we were on the path to getting those fish back," said San Francisco fisher Larry Collins, who like other salmon fishers has not been able to fish for two years. "I don't know what we're going to do." U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger suspended a portion of the permit that limits how hard Delta pumps can run, saying federal water managers did not sufficiently analyze the impact of the new rules. "The principle the court applied is very clear," said Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, which represents San Joaquin Valley farmers. "The judge found that the federal agencies should have considered alternatives that would still adequately protect the fish while causing less harm to people." In 2007, Wanger invalidated a pair of key endangered species permits because they were too weak to protect two runs of salmon, steelhead, green sturgeon and Delta smelt. New federal permits were written that environmentalists and fishers have cheered, but farmers have blasted as onerous. The Delta smelt permit was responsible for about 25 percent of the water shortages last year, according to water managers, and the salmon permit had negligible impact on water supplies until two weeks ago. The temporary order is in force for two weeks but can be renewed. Wanger will consider more permanent remedies later. But the decision brings two issues to a head. First, it is unclear whether operations at the state-owned pumps that serve parts of the Bay Area, Kern County and Southern California will comply with the state's endangered species law. The Department of Water Resources ran its water project outside of that law until it got a certification last year, for the first time, from state regulators that determined the new federal permit met the standards of state law. It is unclear if the court order affects that determination. State water officials said they could not address that issue Friday. Second, some of the environmental groups cooperating with an initiative backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to create a canal or other means to deliver water around the Delta are now discussing the possibility of walking away, which could be a serious blow to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, said one of the participants. "(Water agencies) that we're partnering with are out there taking swipes (and) undermining the protections that are in place right now," said Ann Hayden, a water policy analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund. "What's the point in continuing in this long-term solution under the BDCP if actions are taken that will directly harm the salmon in the short term?" Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 8 13:29:07 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 13:29:07 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Judge Wanger's 2/5 TRO based on NEPA, not ESA issues Message-ID: <00ac01caa905$bfa06150$3ee123f0$@net> Below are Bill Kier's comments to the LA Times journalist's (Bettina Boxall) article on Wanger's ruling. Byron To: bettina.boxall at latimes.com From: Kier Associates Subject: Judge Wanger's 2/5 TRO based on NEPA, not ESA issues Bettina I just read your 6 Feb Times piece headlined 'Judge eases curbs on delta pumping' - and picked up on your line "He concluded that the additional pumping would not seriously harm the young winter-run salmon moving through the delta to the sea, .." I read Wanger's TRO, attached, differently 'Tho' I'm a fisheries scientist, not an attorney, I read Wanger's order as turning on a National Environmental Policy Act paperwork glitch (see that sentence that starts at the line 4 on page 21 of the TRO), not on the merits of the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) salmon science, its Endangered Species Act Biological Opinion, nor the merits the 'Bi-Op's' Reasonable and Prudent Action IV.2.3 - that which tried to restrain 'reverse flows' in the southern Delta, they which suck the baby salmon to their deaths at the pumps. That is, Wanger didn't make a judgement about how much harm would be done to the ESA-listed Sacramento River winter-run salmon - at all - he simply did a 'gotcha' because he thought Reclamation should have had another handful or two of action options strewn among their NEPA compliance paperwork That is, it's NMFS that identifies the problems for protecting ESA-listed salmon associated with the federal Bureau of Reclamation's Tracy pumps operations and it's NMFS, in consultation with Reclamation, that crafts solutions to those problems - e.g., RPA IV.2.3 - and it's Reclamation, then, that must do the necessary NEPA compliance paperwork for their 'project', in this case, their pumping operations at their Tracy pumps So here's an agency - Reclamation - that can get their NEPA paperwork right every time for the soaring edifices they create in concert with their water district customers, but can't get a fairly simple piece of NEPA paperwork done right in concert with a fisheries agency from another department of the gov't (NMFS is in the Dept of Commerce) Go figure! Bill Kier Kier Associates, Fisheries and Watershed Professionals P.O. Box 915 Blue Lake, CA 95525 707.668.1822 mobile: 498.7847 http://www.kierassociates.net GSA Advantage Contractor GS-10F-0124U -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Kier's 2-8 notes to LA Times Bettina Boxall re 'Judge eases curbs on delta pumping'.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 29184 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Feb 9 09:29:03 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 09:29:03 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] San Diego Union Tribune 2 8 10 Message-ID: <001801caa9ad$60a5b7b0$21f12710$@net> Ecologists say unrestricted pumping will harm fish San Diego Union-Tribune-2/8/10 Environmentalists say a federal judge's order to temporarily allow unrestricted pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta threatens to push endangered salmon into extinction. Last week's decision by U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger freed up irrigation supplies for farms hammered by years of drought. Farmers had complained that pumping restrictions in place to protect winter-run Chinook salmon worsened their situation. Some of the country's largest growers pressed for the restrictions to be lifted to nurture their fields and orchards. But the Natural Resources Defense Council and Earthjustice argue that the limits are necessary to help keep West Coast fishermen in business and protect their dwindling catch. Wanger will hear their motion in his Fresno courtroom Wednesday Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Tue Feb 9 10:15:32 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 10:15:32 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] San Diego Union Tribune 2 8 10 In-Reply-To: <001801caa9ad$60a5b7b0$21f12710$@net> References: <001801caa9ad$60a5b7b0$21f12710$@net> Message-ID: <8B238812-D1AC-47B6-B952-95CDB5A58042@fishsniffer.com> Wow - that's sure a short article. Six sentences! dan On Feb 9, 2010, at 9:29 AM, Byron Leydecker wrote: > Ecologists say unrestricted pumping will harm fish > > San Diego Union-Tribune-2/8/10 > > > > Environmentalists say a federal judge's order to temporarily allow > unrestricted pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta threatens > to push endangered salmon into extinction. > > > > Last week's decision by U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger > freed up irrigation supplies for farms hammered by years of > drought. Farmers had complained that pumping restrictions in place > to protect winter-run Chinook salmon worsened their situation. > > > > Some of the country's largest growers pressed for the restrictions > to be lifted to nurture their fields and orchards. > > > > But the Natural Resources Defense Council and Earthjustice argue > that the limits are necessary to help keep West Coast fishermen in > business and protect their dwindling catch. > > > > Wanger will hear their motion in his Fresno courtroom Wednesday > > > > Byron Leydecker, JcT > > Chair, Friends of Trinity River > > PO Box 2327 > > Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 > > 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) > > 415 519 4810 mobile > > bwl3 at comcast.net > > bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) > > http://www.fotr.org > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Feb 9 10:55:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 10:55:09 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] New Arcata Project Leader Message-ID: <005301caa9b9$674aa6f0$35dff4d0$@net> It is with great pleasure that I am announcing the selection of Nancy Finley as our new Project Leader for the Arcata Field Office. Nancy will start on March 15, 2010. Nancy has a B.S. in biology from the University of Maine, an M.S. in Environmental Health and Toxicology from East Carolina University, and has completed some doctoral work at Rutgers and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. For the past four years, Nancy has served as the Chief of Resource Management and Science at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In this role, she supervised roughly 60 staff, and oversaw Park compliance under NEPA, ESA, NHPA, and all other environmental laws and regulations. Prior to this position, Nancy was the Chief of Natural Resource Management at Cape Cod National Seashore for seven years. She supervised an interdisciplinary team of scientists, and directed an inventory and monitoring program within the park. Before working for the Park Service, Nancy spent seven years with the Fish and Wildlife Service's Contaminants Program in Arlington, Vero Beach, and White Marsh. Nancy comes highly recommended from past and present supervisors, peers, and subordinates, and is currently enrolled in the 2009/2010 National Conservation Leadership program. Welcome, Nancy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darrin Thome, USFWS Deputy Assistant Regional Director Region 8 Ecological Services 2800 Cottage Way, Rm W-2606 Sacramento, CA 95825 916-414-6533 phone 916-414-6486 FAX Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Feb 9 16:41:18 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 16:41:18 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] CVP contractors seek Temporary Restraining Order on Smelt BiOP Message-ID: <004301caa9e9$d60709a0$82151ce0$@net> Westlands and others today: http://www.scribd.com/doc/26632553/CVP-contractors-seek-Temporary-Restrainin g-Order-on-Smelt-BiOP Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 10 17:45:05 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:45:05 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Judge rejects delay in delta pumping restrictions Message-ID: http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/v-print/story/1816600.html Judge rejects delay in delta pumping restrictions Posted at 02:08 PM on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010 By John Ellis / The Fresno Bee A federal judge today rejected an emergency request by west Valley agricultural and urban water users to delay a new set of water-pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger's ruling means one of five delta pumps operated by the federal government will be shut down at 7 a.m. Thursday. The action is being taken to protect the delta smelt, a fish listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Tom Birmingham, general manager of Westlands Water District - which gets its water from the delta - said the water agencies will seek another emergency order next week from Wanger, though he declined to be specific. "As General MacArthur said, 'we'll be back,'" said Birmingham, who personally argued the matter today before Wanger. The delta pumps - which send water to west-side agriculture, including Westlands, as well as to millions of urban users from the East Bay to Southern California - have been running at full capacity since Saturday. That happened after Wanger put a two-week hold on pumping restrictions that were put into place last week to protect endangered winter-run salmon. Environmentalists and fishing groups had asked Wanger to reconsider that winter-run salmon order, but the judge said the request was now moot because the salmon will be protected by the pumping cuts associated with the delta smelt. http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=9801269 Judge: CA Pumping Limits Needed to Protect Smelt Judge keeps California delta pumping limits in place to protect threatened smelt By GARANCE BURKE The Associated Press FRESNO, Calif. A federal judge turned down California farmers' emergency request Wednesday to suspend water pumping restrictions in the state's delta in a ruling aimed at keeping a threatened fish species from being ground up in the pumps. The decision by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger means regulators will follow federal limits on the amount of water they can draw from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a delicate ecosystem that serves as the hub of California's water supply. The restrictions were put in place to protect the smelt, a finger-sized fish considered a bellwether of the delta's health, as they swim downstream into the Pacific Ocean. "This is good news for the smelt, and it's good news for the smelt," said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, whose members have struggled with the broad decline in wild salmon runs in California. "It means that there will be a better chance that the fish will survive." Farmers across the fertile San Joaquin Valley argued those same limits have caused millions of dollars in crop losses as the shortages have forced them to fallow their fields and lay off thousands of farmworkers. An attorney for the Westlands Water District, which gets its water from the delta, said water districts plan to appeal Wanger's decision. "We can't plant any of our annual crops until we know what kind of water supply we're going to get this year," said Don Devine, a Fresno farmer who grows organic sweet corn and cantaloupes on the valley's dry west side. "It's a heartbreaker to have to lay people off, but we've had no choice because there's no water." Both the state and federal government run massive pumps that siphon drinking and irrigation water from the delta to more than 25 million Californians and the farms that produce half the nation's fruits and vegetables. Last week, Judge Wanger agreed to temporarily lift a similar set of pumping limits aimed at safeguarding native, wild salmon. The federal government began pumping at full capacity on Saturday, freeing up some water for farmers crippled by two years of limited deliveries. But Tuesday, federal biologists announced they had found dead smelt near the pumps and said unrestricted pumping risked pushing the fish into extinction. As a result, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation plans to shut off one of its five pumps on Thursday. Those restrictions will serve to protect both the smelt and salmon, and could last until June 30. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Copyright C 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 10 19:08:32 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:08:32 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal 2 12 10 Message-ID: <00a901caaac7$7eba8fd0$7c2faf70$@net> Groups sue to block water deal A couple days before Christmas, Westlands Water District issued a notice that declared the renewal of six water export contracts valid and harmless to the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta and environment. Westlands had announced that the renewal of more than a million acre-feet of Northern California water export wouldn't require any environmental disclosure of impacts. "These massive commitments of water to less than 600 corporate agricultural users are a direct threat to the Delta and to the Trinity River, which is the source of the water," said Frank Egger, president of the North Coast Rivers Alliance. The North Coast Rivers Alliance and other groups filed suit in Fresno Superior Court demanding full disclosure of impacts of the renewals. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Thu Feb 11 09:24:41 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:24:41 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Is it really the toxic waste dump? Message-ID: Maybe someone should tell the governor that the group should expand their study to include naturally occurring toxic sediments that are being concentrated and made biologically active due to excessive irrigation of the Westlands? The toxic dump is up in the Kettleman foothills, whereas Kettleman is directly below the Westlands, with groundwater flow causing all those white patches of alkali land in the area. If they expanded their study area beyond Kettleman Dump, they may see that the problem goes further than that localized area? Doesn't anyone remember Kesterson? But what do I know, I just grew up in Kings County, and have friends and family still there dealing with health issues... ----- Forwarded Message ---- *From:* Greenaction *To:* m_tolbert2003 at yahoo.com *Sent:* Wed, February 3, 2010 5:26:24 PM *Subject:* Governor Joins Kettleman Fight - 5 Ways YOU Can Help * [image: logo for VR real.JPG] * *GOVERNOR RESPONDS TO PRESSURE; ORDERS KETTLEMAN INVESTIGATION* [image: Kettleman baby LA Times.jpg] Dear friends, In response to the campaign by residents, Greenaction and allies, Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered state agencies to conduct a real investigation into why babies are being born with birth defects and dying in Kettleman City. The fight to stop the proposed expansion of the Chem Waste toxic waste dump and the proposed Avenal fossil fuel power plant is gaining momentum. This campaign is proving to be the litmus test by which we can judge whether the EPA and the White House will live up to their commitment to protect the health of the American people and promote environmental justice. Please help us make history! Please read this amazing Los Angeles Time story, below, and please support Greenaction. -Bradley Angel, Executive Director LA Times article 01/29/10 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger directed state public health and environmental officials Friday to visit Kettleman City to conduct ?a thorough investigation? into the causes of an abnormal percentage of birth defects in the small San Joaquin Valley farming community. Schwarzenegger?s intercession comes more than a year after activists unsuccessfully petitioned state agencies to investigate whether a large toxic dump near the community might be causing cleft palates and other defects among the mostly low-income Latino residents. The dump, operated by Houston-based Waste Management, is the largest hazardous waste facility west of the Mississippi. Earlier this week, Jared Blumenfeld, the regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a federal inquiry, calling the situation ?a human tragedy at a scale...none of us would want to have to endure. We will take our time and spend time on the ground,? he said, alluding to activists? complaints that state officials had refused to visit the beleaguered enclave. ?When I hear about people doing reports without going to the community, it makes my blood boil,? Blumenfeld said. *Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, a San Francisco-based group that has helped organize the community, *called Schwarzenegger?s action ?long overdue? and urged him to order the state Department of Toxic Substances Control to suspend a permit application from Waste Management to expand the facility. In a statement, Schwarzenegger emphasized that the investigation would ?include interviews with families,? as well as ?a scientific review of soil samples and a full examination of medical records.? Officials would also review the overall birth defect rates over a 22-year period in the region. Community members say that five babies out of 20 live births in a recent 14-month period had facial deformities. A review by the Kings County Public Health Department found that six of 63 babies born to mothers living in the town had various birth defects over the same period. The community of 1,500 sits in a region heavily polluted by pesticides and by fumes from diesel-powered trucks. Waste Management said in a statement it is ?pleased? that the state will investigate the birth defects in a ?coordinated interagency approach.? It added, ?We believe our Kettleman Hills facility is highly protective of human health and the environment.? --Margot Roosevelt * [image: donate now.gif] *Thank you! *ACTION ALERT! * *FIVE WAYS YOU CAN HELP!* *1) DONATE! *Now more than ever, we need your support. This campaign is costing thousands of dollars, including for printing flyers, transportation for residents to attend the hearings and meetings, and paying for independent sampling to document pollution that could be causing the birth defects and deaths. Please donate above. *2)* *VOLUNTEER! *Whatever you can do, we can use it! We need people power. Help research, answer phones, attend meetings, events, protests. The phones are ringing off the hook! *3) HOST A HOUSE PARTY! *Tell your friends, help us raise money and awareness! 4) * FORWARD THIS TO FRIENDS*. Help us build the movement. *5) EMAIL THE EPA. *Ask them to protect Kettleman City by denying Chem Waste's permit application to keep dumping toxic PCBs, and deny the permit for the proposed Avenal fossil fuel power plant. *Email reyes.deldi at epa.gov* * * * * * * * * * * * * Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice * 415-248-5010 * www.greenaction.org ------------------------------ If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or simply click on the following link: Unsubscribe ------------------------------ Greenaction 1095 Market St., Ste. 712 San Francisco, California 94103 415-248-5010 Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy. [image: Non-Profits Email Free with VerticalResponse!] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Feb 11 09:38:15 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:38:15 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Times-Standard- Lines are drawn over Klamath dam deals Message-ID: <4573B286A435495FAE952FB257B9255E@homeuserPC> Lines are drawn over Klamath dam deals Eureka Times-Standard-2/11/10 By John Driscoll The Hoopa Valley Tribe's unanimous vote Tuesday not to sign two agreements that look to remove four dams on the Klamath River and restore its fisheries adds to a number of environmental groups' decisions not to back the deals. In a statement, the tribe said it was unable to resolve its concerns over the Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement during talks with the U.S. Department of the Interior, and so could not support the final deals. "The settlements undermine tribal water rights, do not assure dam removal, and rely on unfunded and unspecific fishery restoration goals," Hoopa Tribal Chairman Leonard Masten said. "We cannot stand behind deals that require the subordination of our rights, and that may never result in dam removal." The two agreements set a course for dam removal -- expected to begin in 2020 -- and look to improve conditions for salmon in the river while reducing but securing irrigation deliveries to Upper Klamath Basin farms. Portland, Ore.-based Pacificorp owns the dams and had applied for a new 30- to 50-year license to continue operating them when it agreed to consider a settlement. The agreements are expected to be signed at a ceremony on Feb. 18, though those plans are not final. Members of the 28-party group that helped draft the deals but chose not to support them can change their minds and sign on within 60 days. The agreements also must be backed by federal legislation. The Yurok, Karuk and Klamath tribes have all voted to back the agreements, as have a number of commercial and sport fishing groups, environmental organizations, farming representatives, and Humboldt County. The governors of California and Oregon and the Obama administration are supporting the agreements. Environmental groups Friends of the River, the Northcoast Environmental Center, Oregon Waterwatch and Oregon Wild have chosen not to sign the deals. Friends of the River has claimed the agreements are not likely to stand up, are vulnerable to lawsuits and depend for funding on passage of an $11 billion California water bond for water projects. "Millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies and liberal liability protection for Pacificorp is simply too much to pay for just the possibility that the dams will be removed," said Friends Conservation Director Steve Evans. "The settlement partners need to develop an agreement that fairly apportions costs and liability to all partners, including Pacificorp, and that guarantees dam removal by 2020." Supporting group American Rivers, an environmental organization with years of experience in dam decommissioning efforts, said the deals may not be perfect, but they are a strong means of reviving the river and improving the economies of the basin's agricultural, fishing and tribal communities. He said the deals represent years of hard work by a variety of interests, and that it is always easy to find fault with a collaborative effort. "I am sure some of these folks had lots of advice for quarterback Drew Brees during the Super Bowl last Sunday," said American Rivers California Director Steve Rothert. "We choose not to criticize from the sidelines, but rather to do the hard work building agreement among dozens of formerly warring parties."# http://www.times-standard.com/ci_14379910?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Feb 11 15:10:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:10:09 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 2 11 10 Message-ID: <004b01caab6f$5c3c84b0$14b58e10$@net> Watchdog's suit says hatchery fish hurt natives Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, February 11, 2010 An environmental watchdog group sued the state Wednesday for what representatives called a wholesale failure to protect native species from sickness, death and other harmful effects caused by hatchery-raised fish. * Labor Dept approves new rules on farm workers 02.11.10 The Center for Biological Diversity accused the Department of Fish and Game of harming native trout, steelhead, salmon, amphibians and other wildlife by planting millions of hatchery fish in streams and waterways. Studies have shown that hatchery-raised steelhead trout pass on genetic defects that hamper survival of their offspring and harm the natural balance. Nonnative hatchery fish also eat the eggs and babies of native frogs. "The California Department of Fish and Game has utterly failed to mitigate for the devastating impacts of stocking hatchery fish on native fish and wildlife such as chinook salmon, mountain yellow-legged frogs and long-toed salamanders," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director at the nonprofit center, which is based in Arizona but has offices in San Francisco. The lawsuit challenges an environmental report issued in January that analyzed the state's hatcheries and stocking programs and recommended ways to improve operations. The report, which Greenwald said favors stocking programs over maintenance of wild fish populations, was a response to a previous lawsuit filed by the center. "We stand by our environmental impact report," said Kirsten Macintyre, a Fish and Game spokeswoman. "Unless the court instructs us to do otherwise, we will move forward with the stocking program as it's outlined." Environmentalists claim nonnative hatchery trout have caused declines in mountain yellow-legged frogs, Cascades frogs and long-toed salamanders in high mountain lakes. Unhealthy hatchery salmon have also contributed to the collapse of salmon runs in California and Oregon over the past two years, according to recent federal studies. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/11/BATV1BVJ8E.DTL#i xzz0fGuQj3lj Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Feb 11 15:16:31 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:16:31 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times Standard 2 11 10 Message-ID: <005501caab70$3f32c860$bd985920$@net> Hatchery steelhead returns back on the rise, and local rivers could fish next week Eureka Times-Standard-2/11/10 By Kenny Priest After a couple of sub-par seasons, steelhead are once again finding their way back to our North Coast rivers and hatcheries in good numbers. The 2009-10 season is not going to break any records by any means. Most of the rivers are getting just an average return, but after scratching and scraping for bites the last two years, average sounds pretty darn good. If you've been reading any reports over the last couple months, you're aware the anglers and guides are having a much higher catch rate this year on the Chetco, Smith, Trinity and Mad rivers than in the past two seasons. Reports from the Eel -- which has been at unfishable levels for the majority of the season -- said the steelhead were there during the few days when the river had dropped into shape. In talking with a few of the local fish hatchery managers, they all pointed to favorable ocean conditions as the main reason for this year's solid return. Here's a look into how are local hatcheries are doing this year: Mad River Hatchery This year's return looks good so far and we're on pace to meet our 300,000 egg take goal, according to Jerry Ayers, manager of the Mad River Hatchery. "Last year only 150 adult and 183 half-pounders returned. This year 1,059 adults and 307 half-pounders have come back," Ayers said. He also points out that this year fish are bigger, averaging between 9-12 pounds compared to 6-10 pounds in previous years. Good river water conditions -- getting rain at the right time and favorable ocean conditions played a big part in this year's run, according to Ayers. Also, a lot of the steelhead didn't come back to spawn last year, mostly due to low flows and higher-than-normal water temperatures. "A good amount of steelhead stayed in the estuary and eventually went back out to the ocean last year due to the conditions. This year those fish are definitely coming back," Ayers said. To get 300,000 eggs, it takes approximately 50 females who carry anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 eggs each. In March, 150,000 yearlings will be released. Rowdy Creek Hatchery, Smith River The steelhead return to the hatchery is running just a little above average this year, according to hatchery manager Andrew Van Scoyk. As of Tuesday, 820 adult steelhead have been trapped at the hatchery, 85 percent have been hatchery and 15 percent are wild fish. "Last year was a real down year, only 271 steelhead made it back to the hatchery. Over the last 10 years, we've averaged about 800 fish per season," said Van Scoyk. Each year the hatchery takes 200,000 eggs from 55-60 females, with the yearlings being released the following March. According to Van Scoyk, no one knows for sure why more fish are coming back this year, but he points out that favorable ocean conditions is probably a big reason. Though more fish have returned this year, the average size is smaller than years past. The average adult steelhead we're seeing is about seven pounds, normally they average 9-to-10 pounds, according to Van Scoyk. Trinity River Hatchery, Lewiston So far, we're having a pretty decent year, according to Wade Sinnen, Associate Biologist for the Trinity River Project. To date, we've trapped 3,458 adult fall-run steelhead compared to 1,918 last year during the same time period. Of these trapped fish, more than 95 percent were hatchery-born steelhead. The run-size estimate for 2009-10 is between 22,000 and 28,000, while the average run-size over the last 10 years has been right around 23,000, but last year's estimate was just above 15,000. "Improved ocean conditions, timely rain, and simply more water are all factors in this year's larger return," said Sinnen. The egg-take goal for the hatchery is two million eggs, which takes roughly 571 female steelhead to achieve. Each female will produce right around 3,500 eggs. Eight-hundred-thousand yearlings are then released back into the river the following March. The Rivers -- Chetco River After two to three days of really hot steelhead action, the Chetco could use a nice shot of rain. And if the predictions hold true, they'll get it Thursday night. On Wednesday it was flowing around 2,300 cfs but is predicted to peak at around 5,000 cfs on Friday night and start dropping just in time for the weekend. Guide Alan Borges of Alan's Guide Service has been on the Chetco the last few days and reports the bite was hot on Sunday, but has gotten tougher each day. Sunday his customers landed seven steelhead of the eight they hooked, Monday he was four for four and Tuesday he went one for two. "The bite was real spotty on Tuesday, but there were fish around. It was real cold and the sun was out all day, which may have had something to do with the lack of bites. The good news is we're still seeing quite a few hatchery fish in the mix and very few downers, which indicates the run is still going strong. Once we start to see only wild fish, the peak of the run will be over," Borges said. Smith River Steelhead action continues to be steady on the Smith. Guides are reporting three to six hookups a day while side-drifting roe and a Fish Pill. Much needed rain is in the forecast for Thursday and the river is expected to crest at just under 11 ft. Friday night on the Jed Park gauge. If the forecast is right, conditions for the weekend should be just about perfect. Upper Trinity River Guide Steve Huber of Huber's Guide Service had a great day last Saturday when he landed six steelhead, but the bite has slowed since. Sunday he landed two, Monday he landed one, which tipped the scales at 9 pounds, and Tuesday all he could muster was a German Brown. "It looks like the run is tapering off, there just isn't a lot of fish around right now -- even the downers are gone. The few fish that are here are all wild. The river is starting to clear, we'll need rain to bring in some new fish," Huber said. Mad River If we don't get much rain on Thursday, we could be fishing the Mad by Sunday with bait, according to Justin Kelly of Eureka's Redwood Marine. "The river had about a foot of visibility on Wednesday and I heard of a few fish hooked. With the higher water, a size 10 Spin-N-Glow and a bigger piece of roe will be more effective," Kelly said. Eel River The main stem was just starting to get a green tint, but the river is still really big according to Paul Grundman of Grundman's Sporting Goods in Rio Dell. "We're forecasted to get up to a quarter inch of rain Thursday night, but I don't think it will hurt the river that much. We're still a week to 10 days away from fishing this section of the river. On the south fork, the river has a couple feet of visibility in the Leggett area according to Darren Brown of Brown's Sporting Goods in Garberville. "I talked to a couple people who landed nine on Tuesday in the Richardson Grove area. Down below, the river is just beginning to turn green all the way down to Sylvandale. It's currently at 9.2 ft with about a foot of visibility at the bridge, and it will be fishable at eight ft. You'll want to keep an eye on how much rain hits the area," said Brown. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From frankemerson at redshift.com Thu Feb 11 16:30:15 2010 From: frankemerson at redshift.com (Frank Emerson) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:30:15 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 2 11 10 References: <004b01caab6f$5c3c84b0$14b58e10$@net> Message-ID: <007001caab7a$8d2d5a80$9108664c@bedroom> Dear All: Without removing the dams, restoring cold water flows, recreating healthy wetlands, off channel habitat, estuaries, riparian shade trees of Old Growth size, clean gravels and riffles for BMI and spawning\rearing, etc. How does this help really? When all those salmonid habitats where taken away from the public for some or another municipal or business interest the Hatcheries were built as a substitute. So now we will have neither? I am supportive of wild only managed watersheds and some rivers with hatchery runs for harvest. This just smells of an agenda to put the Fishing Industry: commercial salmon, catch and keep recreational salmon and steelhead angling, guiding, lodges, boat builders and tackle shops out of business. Without an economic contribution there will be less political, business or public interest in preserving California's Fisheries, SF Bay species, the Delta, the San Joaquin, the Sacramento, the Klamath, the Eel River. Or right here in my backyard the Carmel River. Where, coincidently. the local Editor of the "Carmel Pine Cone" is already claiming the expense to restore the unique (yes all wild) strain we have here is not worth the money spent because (his words) technically they are nothing more than trout. Which he frequently tells his reading public are one of the most common species in the world. As a fisherman I work many volunteer hours to restore the Carmel River. I also advocate for fisheries and public trust rights. It looks hopeless with the Political Environment we have now in California between Corp Ag, SoCal Water Agencies, the County and State Water Agencies wanting the water for business and the preservationists working to put these resources out of reach forever for the average person. Sincerely, Frank Emerson ----- Original Message ----- From: Byron Leydecker To: FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 3:10 PM Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 2 11 10 Watchdog's suit says hatchery fish hurt natives Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, February 11, 2010 An environmental watchdog group sued the state Wednesday for what representatives called a wholesale failure to protect native species from sickness, death and other harmful effects caused by hatchery-raised fish. a.. Labor Dept approves new rules on farm workers 02.11.10 The Center for Biological Diversity accused the Department of Fish and Game of harming native trout, steelhead, salmon, amphibians and other wildlife by planting millions of hatchery fish in streams and waterways. Studies have shown that hatchery-raised steelhead trout pass on genetic defects that hamper survival of their offspring and harm the natural balance. Nonnative hatchery fish also eat the eggs and babies of native frogs. "The California Department of Fish and Game has utterly failed to mitigate for the devastating impacts of stocking hatchery fish on native fish and wildlife such as chinook salmon, mountain yellow-legged frogs and long-toed salamanders," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director at the nonprofit center, which is based in Arizona but has offices in San Francisco. The lawsuit challenges an environmental report issued in January that analyzed the state's hatcheries and stocking programs and recommended ways to improve operations. The report, which Greenwald said favors stocking programs over maintenance of wild fish populations, was a response to a previous lawsuit filed by the center. "We stand by our environmental impact report," said Kirsten Macintyre, a Fish and Game spokeswoman. "Unless the court instructs us to do otherwise, we will move forward with the stocking program as it's outlined." Environmentalists claim nonnative hatchery trout have caused declines in mountain yellow-legged frogs, Cascades frogs and long-toed salamanders in high mountain lakes. Unhealthy hatchery salmon have also contributed to the collapse of salmon runs in California and Oregon over the past two years, according to recent federal studies. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/11/BATV1BVJ8E.DTL#ixzz0fGuQj3lj Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From truman at jeffnet.org Fri Feb 12 11:08:54 2010 From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:08:54 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Collaboration Gone Sour Message-ID: <4079B92575E64CF2B4E0E6C90A4E1F06@HAL> http://yournec.org/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=3&pid=768 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 12 15:14:00 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:14:00 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Feinstein's Water Bomb, by Matt Jenkins, High Country News, 2.12.2010 Message-ID: <006d01caac39$10b681b0$32238510$@net> http://www.hcn.org/articles/feinsteins-water-bomb Feinstein's Water Bomb California senator takes aim at Delta fish protections News - February 12, 2010 by Matt Jenkins Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is preparing to introduce a legislative rider that would dramatically reduce Endangered Species Act protection for salmon and other fish in California. The amendment would lift restrictions on the amount of water that farmers can pump from the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta for the next two years. But it could also scuttle a delicately negotiated effort to balance protections for endangered fish with the water needs of farms and residents of Southern California. Feinstein's effort comes as the state seems bound for the third year of an emergency fishing ban to protect dwindling salmon runs, and as populations of the Delta smelt and other fish continue to crash. And the move is a remarkable turnaround: Just four months ago, Feinstein denounced Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, for trying to introduce a similar amendment at the behest of California water districts. Feinstein's office declined repeated requests for details and comment yesterday, but insiders familiar with the matter say that the Senator's reversal is largely due to lobbying by the Westlands Water District. Last year, after three years of drought, the federal government cut water deliveries to many irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley. Westlands, which is the largest district of its kind in the nation, was hit the hardest, and saw its supply of water from the Delta dwindle to just 10 percent of the amount it holds contracts for. Westlands is "a coyote with its leg in a steel-jawed trap," says Jason Peltier, the district's chief deputy manager. "Short-term, we're going to pursue every right and legal avenue we have to protect ourselves." But pushing aside the federal pumping restrictions intended to protect threatened smelt and endangered salmon would solve only part of the district's problem. Fish-related restrictions account for just 15 to 20 percent of the cutbacks, according to an independent analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California. The vast majority of the water shortage is due to the drought. (For an in-depth exploration, see Breakdown ). Westlands' battle against the pumping restrictions has nonetheless reached a heart attack-inducing pace. Last week, the district led a confederation of farm-water agencies in asking federal district judge Oliver Wanger to order the federal government to run its Delta pumps at maximum capacity. That helped capture the surge of water delivered by a massive winter storm, but the reprieve lasted just six days before the government had to throttle down its pumps. On Wednesday, Westlands and other water users asked Wanger to order that those pumps be started up again, but the judge denied that motion. Then, on Thursday, Sen. Feinstein announced that she is considering an amendment that will essentially do what Judge Wanger would not. Feinstein's office has not released a final draft of the rider, which the Senator intends to attach to the jobs bill now before Congress. Sources who helped craft the amendment say that it won't be a flat-out waiver of Endangered Species Act protections - but, for fish, the rider may be even worse than an outright waiver. Under the current endangered-fish restrictions, the federal government can dial its pumps up or down within a specified range to respond to changing conditions. Yet the government, Peltier says, has tended to be overly conservative. "We have been hoping for the regulators to exercise some discretion," he says. "But they just default to the most restrictive levels possible." Feinstein's rider would force federal officials to keep the pumps floored at the highest levels currently permitted. Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf says that would allow water agencies to pump an extra million acre-feet of water out of the Delta during the winter and spring. If that's true, it would mean that, based on the Public Policy Institute of California's analysis, Feinstein's rider would allow irrigation districts to pump twice as much water from the Delta as they could were the current fish protections totally eliminated. As a sop to fishermen put out of work by the salmon-fishing ban, the rider contains a provision for disaster assistance funds for fishing communities. But Feinstein's announcement is threatening a much quieter, and potentially more far-sighted, round of deal making that has been underway in Sacramento. In that negotiation, which started three and a half years ago, water agencies like Westlands and the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies 19 million people in Los Angeles and San Diego, invited state and federal agencies and environmental groups to meet. The goal of that effort is an agreement on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a long-term strategy that would allow water pumping to continue for the next half-century in a way that complies with the state and federal Endangered Species Acts. That effort is now intended to create the operational blueprint for the sweeping water package passed by the state legislature last fall. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has been firm in its support of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its commitment to seek solutions that don't require suspending endangered species protections. Last September, after Sen. DeMint introduced his amendment, Lester Snow - who was then director of the California Department of Water Resources and is now Schwarzenegger's resources secretary - wrote to Feinstein to "express our strong opposition to any effort to set aside, suspend, or otherwise weaken the Endangered Species Act." "The state is committed to working with stakeholders and our federal partners in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan process to achieve the co-equal goals of a healthy ecosystem and a reliable water supply," Snow wrote. "Weakening or suspending (the Endangered Species Act) does not contribute to this effort." Now, however, faced with the specter of Feinstein introducing an amendment that could weaken protections for fish, most of the environmental groups that are participating in the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan - including the Environmental Defense Fund, Defenders of Wildlife and the Bay Institute - are contemplating a walkout. "The rider would effectively pull the rug out from under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan," says Ann Hayden, a senior water resources analyst with the Environmental Defense Fund. Ramped-up pumping would, she says, worsen already bad conditions for salmon and smelt. "It would create an even bigger hole that we have to dig our way out of." If the environmental groups pull out of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, that could increase the water agencies' exposure to legal challenges later this year, when they seek approval for the final plan from state and federal regulators. "To the extent that fewer and fewer environmental interests are involved in the process, it becomes more and more like a water-user wish list," says Gary Bobker, the program director for the Bay Institute. "You're inviting failure." Last fall, in response to a request from a large farming corporation called Paramount Farms, Sen. Feinstein asked the National Academy of Sciences to carry out a pair of reviews of the science behind the current pumping restrictions. The environmental groups participating in the Bay Delta negotiations have stood behind the National Academy, which is scheduled to release its first report in March. Now, however, with Sen. Feinstein introducing legislation that will revamp pumping requirements before the first National Academies report is even completed, and with water agencies inside the Bay Delta Conservation Plan mounting numerous challenges to the Endangered Species Act on the outside, the environmental groups that gambled on the plan are beginning to smell a set-up. "We're being pushed into a corner," says Hayden. "We are losing this. We're getting played." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 12 15:25:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:25:02 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 2 12 10 Message-ID: <007701caac3a$9b1f2270$d15d6750$@net> Feinstein proposes Central Valley water plan Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau Friday, February 12, 2010 (02-12) 04:00 PST Washington - -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein ignited a firestorm among fellow California Democrats on Thursday as word spread of her proposal to divert Northern California water to Central Valley farmers. Images Sen. Dianne Feinstein is the target of criticism from fel... Farmland in California's Central Valley dried out as the ... http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Images More News White House sends out invites for health summit 02.12.10 Feinstein wants to attach the proposal as an amendment to a fast-tracked Senate jobs bill. She is pitching the plan as a jobs measure to address the economic calamity in the Central Valley. It would increase farm water allocations from 10 percent last year to 40 percent this year and next, an amount that farmers say is the bare minimum they need. Bay Area Democrats were livid, accusing Feinstein of concocting the plan in secret, upending fragile water negotiations that Feinstein has supported and pitting California's Central Valley against its coast. Telephone calls flew as lawmakers learned of Feinstein's plan. "I was pretty shocked," said Rep. Mike Thompson, a St. Helena Democrat and ally of North Coast salmon fishermen who support efforts to save fish species that are declining. Influential farmer Feinstein has long supported California agriculture but began to weigh in on the side of farmers in the water wars after requests from Stewart Resnick, the well-connected owner of Paramount Farms, which grows citrus and nuts on 118,000 acres in Kern County. In September, Resnick wrote Feinstein complaining that "sloppy science" by federal wildlife agencies was causing farm water shortages. A week later, Feinstein forwarded the letter to Obama administration officials, who authorized a review by the National Academy of Sciences. "It seems to be a complete reversal of her position," Thompson said. "The entire Bay Area delegation had agreed we would do this National Academy of Sciences report to find out scientifically what should and shouldn't be done, and for her to turn that on its head and go out unilaterally with this proposal does not take into consideration the needs of all of California." Thompson accused Feinstein of "trying to spin this as a job saver, but that ignores the jobs up north that depend on water." He compared Feinstein's plan to the Bush administration's water diversions in the Klamath River Basin in 2002 that severely damaged fisheries and were later reversed. Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, said, "Best I can see, she's making a decision that jobs in the Bay Area and Northern California and the Peninsula south of San Francisco aren't as important as jobs in the Central Valley." Feinstein contends that the amendment to the jobs bill would not waive the Endangered Species Act but instead follow a 2003 precedent that guaranteed water deliveries in New Mexico despite restrictions imposed to protect the silvery minnow. Miller, a former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Feinstein's amendment would suspend federal environmental laws that protect fish. Verifying the science Feinstein made no mention Thursday of her demand for the National Academy of Sciences report, due next month, to verify the science behind fish-conservation demands. Resnick's business has given $29,000 to Feinstein's campaigns and $246,000 more to Democratic political committees during years when she sought re-election, according to a report by California Watch, an investigative journalism nonprofit organization, that was published in The Chronicle in December. Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced County), defended Feinstein's move. "The situation in the valley is continuing to deteriorate, and we have a situation where even with more rain than usual, we could have less allocations than last year," Cardoza said. He said even with large cutbacks in water allocations to farmers, delta smelt and other fish populations have not improved. Cardoza said recent studies show the pumps that environmentalists say pulverize fish are in fact destroying only a handful. "The pumps were shut down for six or 10 additional fish," Cardoza said. "This is the height of insanity, and it's time we quit devastating the California economy and understand what is really going on here." In a statement Thursday, Feinstein said that recent weeks of heavy rain and Sierra snowfall have brought snowpacks to 130 percent of their normal level. At the same time, "water has been gushing past the canals and into the oceans while farms on the west side of the (Central) Valley are likely to receive a very low percentage of their water allocations for a second year because that water cannot be pumped and stored." Political jockeying Feinstein's action comes after months of political jockeying between Republicans and Democrats over whether the Endangered Species Act is destroying California's farming industry. Several fisheries on the coast from southern Oregon to San Luis Obispo have been shut down for three years for lack of runoff, idling commercial and recreational fishing and devastating the small businesses that depend on it. Farmers have also seen water supplies evaporate. Before this season's heavy rains, a three-year drought forced big cuts in their water allotments, forcing 400,000 acres to lie fallow and pushing unemployment in some towns toward 40 percent. Farmers, fishermen and environmentalists had been negotiating on a long-term remedy to the decline of California's delta estuary, one of the largest in the world and on a scale with Florida's Everglades, but even more heavily damaged by a century of water diversions. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 4840 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 5695 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From sari at sisqtel.net Fri Feb 12 15:41:37 2010 From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:41:37 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Study Finds High Rate of Juvenile Steelhead Mortality in Rivers' Estuaries Message-ID: <20100212234144.6A61F117BA3C@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> Does any tagging, similar to the study below, occur of steelhead juveniles from the Klamath and Trinity in order to track survival through the Klamath estuary? THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN: Weekly Fish and Wildlife News www.cbbulletin.com February 12, 2010 Issue No. 519 Study Finds High Rate of Juvenile Steelhead Mortality in Rivers' Estuaries A new study by researchers at Oregon State University found that up to nearly half of the ocean-bound juvenile steelhead surveyed in two Oregon river systems appear to have died when they reached the estuaries -- before they could reach the ocean. The scientists aren't sure if such a mortality rate in the estuary is typical or elevated due to increased predation -- most likely by marine mammals or seabirds. One goal of their research is to begin establishing better baseline data on juvenile salmon and steelhead mortality so resource managers can make more accurate predictions on runs of returning adult fish. "A female steelhead may lay 2,000 to 5,000 eggs -- and in rare cases, more than 10,000 eggs -- and for the population to remain stable, at least 2-3 percent of the juveniles migrating to the ocean have to survive and return as adults," said Carl Schreck, a professor of fisheries and wildlife at OSU and leader of the Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit on campus. "If you get much more than that, it's a banner year. "But it's hard to predict adult returns if you don't have good data on outgoing juveniles," Schreck said, "and this study is an effort to make that monitoring more precise." Declining salmon and steelhead runs have been blamed on everything from habitat loss through logging to housing developments on coastal rivers, but the consensus has been that ocean conditions are perhaps the single most important element in how robust the populations may be in a given year. Yet the OSU study found that mortality is significant before the fish even make it to the Pacific Ocean, said David Noakes, a professor of fisheries and wildlife at OSU and one of the principal investigators in the study. "Steelhead will live in the fresh water for one to two years and then migrate out to the ocean where they'll spend another two or three years," Noakes said. "If only 2-3 percent survive, it would be interesting to know what the keys to survival may be for the select few. Are the biggest juveniles more likely to survive? The fastest? Those that have the fewest parasites? Is there something in their genetics that better helps some of them adapt to the new saltwater environment? "We need to determine what the so-called 'normal' predation rates are in the estuary, and get a better handle on what is killing the fish," he said. In their study, the OSU researchers inserted small ultrasonic transmitters into 280 juvenile steelhead over a two-year period. The dollar bill-sized fish were captured in traps at sites on the middle stretches of the Alsea and Nehalem river systems, tagged and measured, and then released back into the rivers and tracked on their way to the ocean. About nine out of 10 fish made it safely from the release point to tidewater, and then the ultrasound transmissions from 50 to 60 percent of those survivors abruptly stopped when they reached the estuary. The scientists received enough signals from surviving fish to know that it wasn't a failure in signal transmission. And, Schreck says, during an earlier study using tags that broadcast a radio frequency, they recovered transmitters from a cormorant rookery near the mouth of the Nehalem River, and have tracked signals from the tags to a burgeoning seal population -- also near the Nehalem's mouth. "There are a lot of seals right near the mouths of both rivers and seals can eat a lot of young fish," Schreck said. "It's why the steelhead need thousands of eggs to keep the population going." One other possible explanation for the high mortality, Noakes said, is that the young fish couldn't handle the transition from fresh to saltwater. Salmon, steelhead and other "anadromous" fish have a complex life cycle and for centuries have utilized both the ocean and river systems. But a high mortality rate might be normal and a way to weed out weak fish that can't make the adaptation to a new environment. "We know that fish need a number of things to trigger their migration to the ocean, including the amount of seasonal light, certain temperatures, enough water flow, etc.," Noakes said. "But we don't know why some fish remain in the river for one year before heading out to sea, and others stay for two years. Just preparing to go from fresh water to a salt water environment requires an enormous adjustment. "There may be something about that adaptation that contributes to the mortality," he added. If the mortality rate of juvenile steelhead is atypical, it could be increasing because of some environmental factor -- warmer water, more parasites, chemical contaminants, or higher acidification of ocean waters coming into the estuary, for example. Or predation may be higher because of more seals, sea lions and seabirds. Much of the research about steelhead migration, spawning behavior and basic biology is emerging from studies done at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center, a joint venture between OSU's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Located on Fall Creek, a tributary of the Alsea River, the research center is giving fish biologists unprecedented new looks at the physiology and behavior of steelhead. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Fri Feb 12 15:27:43 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:27:43 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Water Exports Are Killing California Jobs and Salmon In-Reply-To: References: , <35872694-56DC-4943-A712-5CF861ECEFD2@ewccalifornia.org> Message-ID: <1B1E74D0-9177-49A9-9507-4FCB8127AE06@fishsniffer.com> The key issue in the Central Valley salmon collapse has been the "reckless" 16 percent increase in delta pumping over the last decade above levels of the 1990s, according to fishing groups. ? dwr_leaping_salmon.jpg Water Exports Are Killing California Jobs and Salmon Sacramento River Fall Salmon Run Reaches New Record Low by Dan Bacher The Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC), a quasi-governmental body that manages West Coast fisheries, on February 11 released alarming numbers showing that California?s once most abundant salmon run collapsed to an all-time record low in 2009. The Council reported that an estimated total of only 39,530 natural and hatchery Sacramento River Fall Chinook (SRFC) adults returned to the Sacramento River basin to spawn in 2009. "The 2009 adult escapement estimate is the lowest on record and continues the declining trend in SRFC escapement despite the 2008 and 2009 closures of nearly all ocean Chinook fisheries south of Cape Falcon," according to the PFMC report. Fall Chinook returns to Sacramento River hatcheries totaled 17,435 adults, while 22,095 adults spawned in natural areas. In 2008, a record low of only 66,000 fall-run fish returned to the Sacramento, American, Feather and Yuba and other Sacramento Valley rivers. The minimum escapement for long term sustainability of these fish is 122,000. State and federal biologists had predicted that 122,196 fish would return to the Sacramento in 2009, so the actual returns were less than one-third of the number forecasted. The Sacramento run, the driver of West Coast salmon fisheries, numbered nearly 800,000 fish in 2002. "This year's Sacramento River fall Chinook adult return is a terrible disappointment," said Neil Manji, DFG Fisheries Branch Chief. "Over the past two years, DFG has collected and analyzed data and worked diligently to figure out what steps can be taken to improve our stock management, increase future returns and help craft fishing regulation packages." The number of returning fall run "jacks" and "jills" (2-year-old fish), 9216, were also lower than anticipated. "The initial jack returns looked favorable, but the final returns were very disappointing," said Dick Pool, administrator of water4fish.org. Ocean salmon fishing seasons are based on the return of adult and jack salmon to the rivers - and it's very doubtful that there will be a season this year, based on the low numbers of spawning fish in fall 2009. "There's not going to be any season this year from these numbers," said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations.. Federally protected runs of winter and spring run chinook both came in at less than 5,000 individuals each, according to the PFMC. Spawner escapement of endangered winter Chinook salmon in 2009 was estimated to be 4,483 adults and 54 jacks, while the escapement of spring Chinook 2009 totaled 4,506 fish (jacks and adults). The San Joaquin River is in particularly bad shape, with just under 2,100 fall Chinook salmon representing perhaps the last of their race in that watershed. ?Salmon have been part of California for thousands of years and this report shows we?re losing them,? said Zeke Grader, executive director of the PCFFA. ?If we wipe our salmon out, we?ll also be wiping out generations of fishing families from the central California coast to northern Oregon that have all relied on king salmon from the Sacramento River to make a living." He asked, "Why are San Joaquin agricultural operators selling their water to southern California developers and then demanding more water from the Delta?? The last three years of salmon returns have each set new record lows and coincide directly with three of the highest years of Delta water diversions, according to Grader. Delta pumping kills juvenile salmon migrating through the Delta to the sea. It takes three years for surviving salmon to return as adults and for scientists to record the full destruction caused by the pumps. ?We?re watching our salmon disappear in exact concert with a 16 percent increase of Delta water diversions over the last decade,? said Dick Pool, administrator of water4fish.org. ?The full throttle pumping of Delta waters is wiping out valuable salmon worth over a billion dollars to the commercial and sport fishing sectors.? Pool noted that with near-record export pumping in the spring, it is no surprised that millions of salmon smolts were pulled through the Delta Cross Channel Gates and Georgiana Slough into the Central Delta. "There is no cover, little food and lots of predators in these rip- rapped channels and most of the fish are gone by the time the water makes it to Clifton Court Forebay," said Pool. "Between river and Delta losses, 92 percent of the smolts perish. With only 8 percent surviving, we will never recover these species until the Delta is fixed." Pool said that salmon runs and many other fish species in the Delta collapsed in 2007 after a dramatic increase in pumping of water to points south. As a result, regulators closed all ocean fishing of chinook salmon in California and most of Oregon in 2008 and 2009, with the exception of a 10 week season for chinook off northern California and southern Oregon in 2009, to save the remaining salmon. Although the seasons were closed, the collapse had nothing to do with recreational or commercial fishing pressure. The Central Valley fall chinook run typically provides 90 percent of all king salmon harvested off California and 60 percent of all king salmon harvested off Oregon in both sport and commercial fisheries. Healthy Salmon Populations Create Thousands of Jobs Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, agribusiness "Astroturf" groups including the Latino Water Coalition and Coalition for a Sustainable Delta and right wing talk show hosts such as Sean Hannity have falsely portrayed the battle to restore salmon and other fish by curbing Delta exports as a conflict over "fish versus jobs." The truth is that massive increases in water exports to corporate agribusiness have led to massive job losses in the fishing industry and related businesses. The real conflict is one of "people versus corporate agribusiness profits," not "fish versus jobs." "Southwick Associates have estimated that the season closures have cost an estimated 23,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in the California economy alone," said Pool. "California has over 2,000 small and medium businesses that derive most or all of their income from the recreational and commercial salmon industry." These businesses include 1,200 commercial boats, 11 manufacturers, seven wholesalers, 904 retailers, 230 guides and charter boats, 74 marinas and hundreds of boat dealers and marine parts and service centers. Oregon has also faced similarly devastating losses. "Behind those statistics lies enormous suffering by families along one thousand miles of Pacific Coast," said Grader. "Boats are tied up on docks, marina businesses have closed, homes have been lost to foreclosure. West Coast restaurants that once featured locally caught salmon are increasingly turning to imported fish as local harvests decline." In contrast, agricultural employment in the seven county area impacted by new pumping restrictions intended to protect fish was actually up between 2008 and 2009, and the California almond industry had record shipments of 1.39 billion pounds in 2008-2009, up 10 percent over 2007-2008. "Over the same period, the Oregon and California salmon industries experienced near total shutdown," stated Grader. On average, San Joaquin Valley agricultural contractors received 80 percent of their contract allocations last year, although there were some localized shortages primarily due to drought. In comparison, average Westside deliveries in the past two decades have been about 60 percent of full allocations. The "Astroturf" campaign by corporate agribusiness to increase Delta exports, build a peripheral canal and construct more dams has promoted the myth that crops grown on toxic, drainage-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley "feed the nation" or "feed the world." The corporate media, right wing talk show hosts and even some "alternative" media outlets have bought into this myth in their coverage of the California water wars, portraying the conflict as one between hard-working farmers like those portrayed in the classic Grant Wood painting who only want "feed America" versus "radical environmentalists" who want to protect a "minnow" like the Delta smelt. An examination of the actual economic data compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that there is no basis in fact for the contention that west side farmers are the "backbone" of American agriculture. According to a USDA Chart, US gross farm income in 2008 was around $375 billion. Westlands Water District produces $1 billion annually in gross farm income, according to articles by Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee reporter, on November 7, 2009, and Garance Burke, Associated Press writer, on July 31. "That means Westlands' contribution to the nation's food supply (and exports) is about a quarter of a percent," said Lloyd Carter, veteran investigative journalist. When subsidies and the cost to the taxpayers of cleaning up Westlands' toxic drainage are figured in, the contribution of the district to the national agricultural economy is even lower. Feinstein Declares War on Salmon and Jobs As corporate agribusiness continues to promote its "Big Lies" about "fish versus jobs" and "feeding America" in order to stop Central Valley salmon and Delta fish restoration, fishing groups say the key issue in the salmon collapse has been the "reckless" 16 percent increase in delta pumping over the last decade above levels of the 1990s under the Schwarzenegger administration. It is ironic that as the salmon return numbers were released by the federal government, Senator Dianne Feinstein, announced an "emergency" move "to provide more water to farms and avert further economic catastrophe in San Joaquin Valley" by stripping protections for salmon and Delta smelt. "I am working to develop an Emergency Temporary Water Supply amendment that will simply allow San Joaquin Valley farmers to plant, hire and harvest for two years by giving them between 38-40 percent of their water allocation totals in a normal water year," said Feinstein. "Over the last few years, 400,000 acres of farmland have been fallowed, permanent crops uprooted, and tens of thousands of people are unemployed. The situation is untenable," concluded Feinstein. The increased pumping from the Delta advocated by Feinstein and her faithful campaign contributor, agribusiness giant Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms, "would indeed finish off a number of native species, help to further destroy the commercial salmon fishing industry in California, and significantly worsen water quality for Delta farmers," according to Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta Please call Senator Feinstein's staff at the San Francisco Office and let them know that they need to defend the Endangered Species Act for the fisheries and people of the Delta, as well as the majority of Californians who support strong protection of our state's natural resources.The number is (415) 393-0707. As Feinstein was waging her war on salmon, four groups on February 8 launched litigation challenging the back door renewal of water contracts by the Westlands Water District. The North Coast Rivers Alliance, Winnemem Wintu (McCloud River) Tribe, Friends of the River and Save the American River Association filed suit in Fresno Superior Court demanding "full public disclosure" of the impacts of Westlands' contract renewals with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation upon Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and migratory birds. The groups charge that Westlands is trying to "lock up" over a million acre feet of water a year in exports from the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta. ?The Winnemem Wintu, a traditional people of California, see the folly of the government?s plans relative to the Delta and pray for people of reason to wake up and help protect the estuary from over pumping and the damage these plans will wreak upon the water and resources of this state,? said Mark Franco, Headman of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. ?Water is the lifeblood of our people and we stand ready to protect it with our colleagues across California?s social justice movement. This rash plan will only serve a few people and will impact the rights of our future generations.? The report of the Pacific Fishery Management Council report is available at http://www.pcouncil.org/salmon/salsafe09/salsafe09.html For more information, call Zeke Grader, PCFFA, 415-606-5140, or Dick Pool, Water4Fish, 925-963-6350. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 38258 bytes Desc: not available URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Fri Feb 12 15:28:58 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:28:58 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] ACTION ALERT: Feinstein Declares War on Salmon and Fishing Jobs In-Reply-To: <5B9D8A40-2D81-491B-A0D1-AC10FEA3A202@fishsniffer.com> References: <66C9C47441840949A66773F8F0D9D6A7AF0C7826@rrsmsx503.amr.corp.intel.com> <5B9D8A40-2D81-491B-A0D1-AC10FEA3A202@fishsniffer.com> Message-ID: <5BF2F50C-E6EE-4374-A6F8-F2C8BE8E1B74@fishsniffer.com> ? ACTION ALERT: Feinstein Declares War on Salmon and Fishing Jobs Call Senator Dianne Feinstein today to stop her from dismantling the Endangered Species Act's (ESA) basic protections for California's endangered chinook (also known as king) salmon. The Pacific Fisheries Management Council has just released numbers showing California's once abundant salmon runs came in at a new all time record low in 2009. As a result, regulators closed all ocean fishing of chinook salmon in California and most of Oregon in 2008 and 2009 to save the salmon. Senator Feinstein is proposing an amendment to a federal jobs stimulus bill that, in effect, would suspend rules that protect salmon from being killed by the giant diversion pumps in the San Francisco-San Joaquin Delta and would pump more water from the estuary. Feinstein claims that this amendment will bring jobs to California. But, the closure of the western salmon fisheries has cost 23,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in the California economy. Call Senator Feinstein and ask her to stop killing salmon and the $1.4 billion fishing economy. Ask her not to put an amendment in the jobs legislation that would increase pumping from the Delta! Here are some key points to make: Tell them your name and city in California Ask her not to put an amendment in the jobs legislation that would increase pumping from the Delta. Tell them that suspending Endangered Species Act protections could be the end of the west coast salmon fishery, which supports thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity. Call Senator Feinstein at (202) 224-3841 today! ? ? 1107 9th Street, Suite 360, Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone (916) 444-8726 ? Fax (916) 448-1789 pclmail at pcl.org ? www.PCL.org ? www.PCLFoundation.org Please add pclmail at pcl.org to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. You are receiving this email because the email address danielbacher at fishsniffer.com was subscribed to our email list. Having trouble reading this email? View it on our website. Copyright, 2008 The Planning and Conservation League. All rights reserved. Privacy and Contribution Policies. Click here to unsubscribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: action-alert-image-web.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 21933 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: donate-button.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2916 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: member-button.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3155 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 12 19:42:52 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:42:52 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Letter on Feinstein's ESA Waiver attempt Message-ID: <8C6C763C3ADE452785BADFCF1F1FBD15@ByronsLaptop> Attached Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Opposition to the Feinstein ESA Waiver on Jobs Bill.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 474524 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ema.berol at yahoo.com Sat Feb 13 08:35:50 2010 From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emelia Berol) Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:35:50 -0800 (PST) Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 2 12 10 In-Reply-To: <007701caac3a$9b1f2270$d15d6750$@net> References: <007701caac3a$9b1f2270$d15d6750$@net> Message-ID: <847947.47518.qm@web46210.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> ________________________________ From: Byron Leydecker To: FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Fri, February 12, 2010 3:25:02 PM Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 2 12 10 Feinstein proposes Central Valley water plan Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau Friday, February 12, 2010 (02-12) 04:00 PST Washington --- Sen. Dianne Feinstein ignited a firestorm among fellow California Democrats on Thursday as word spread of her proposal to divert Northern California water to Central Valley farmers. Images View Larger Images Feinstein needs to be put on notice that she will have to become a Republican if she wants to run for governor in this state. She might as well switch parties, she has never been a true Democrat anyway. More News Feinstein wants to attach the proposal as an amendment to a fast-tracked Senate jobs bill. She is pitching the plan as a jobs measure to address the economic calamity in the Central Valley. It would increase farm water allocations from 10 percent last year to 40 percent this year and next, an amount that farmers say is the bare minimum they need. Bay Area Democrats were livid, accusing Feinstein of concocting the plan in secret, upending fragile water negotiations that Feinstein has supported and pitting California's Central Valley against its coast. Telephone calls flew as lawmakers learned of Feinstein's plan. "I was pretty shocked," said Rep. Mike Thompson, a St. Helena Democrat and ally of North Coast salmon fishermen who support efforts to save fish species that are declining. Influential farmer Feinstein has long supported California agriculture but began to weigh in on the side of farmers in the water wars after requests from Stewart Resnick, the well-connected owner of Paramount Farms, which grows citrus and nuts on 118,000 acres in Kern County. In September, Resnick wrote Feinstein complaining that "sloppy science" by federal wildlife agencies was causing farm water shortages. A week later, Feinstein forwarded the letter to Obama administration officials, who authorized a review by the National Academy of Sciences. "It seems to be a complete reversal of her position," Thompson said. "The entire Bay Area delegation had agreed we would do this National Academy of Sciences report to find out scientifically what should and shouldn't be done, and for her to turn that on its head and go out unilaterally with this proposal does not take into consideration the needs of all of California." Thompson accused Feinstein of "trying to spin this as a job saver, but that ignores the jobs up north that depend on water." He compared Feinstein's plan to the Bush administration's water diversions in the Klamath River Basin in 2002 that severely damaged fisheries and were later reversed. Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, said, "Best I can see, she's making a decision that jobs in the Bay Area and Northern California and the Peninsula south of San Francisco aren't as important as jobs in the Central Valley." Feinstein contends that the amendment to the jobs bill would not waive the Endangered Species Act but instead follow a 2003 precedent that guaranteed water deliveries in New Mexico despite restrictions imposed to protect the silvery minnow. Miller, a former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Feinstein's amendment would suspend federal environmental laws that protect fish. Verifying the science Feinstein made no mention Thursday of her demand for the National Academy of Sciences report, due next month, to verify the science behind fish-conservation demands. Resnick's business has given $29,000 to Feinstein's campaigns and $246,000 more to Democratic political committees during years when she sought re-election, according to a report by California Watch, an investigative journalism nonprofit organization, that was published in The Chronicle in December. Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced County), defended Feinstein's move. "The situation in the valley is continuing to deteriorate, and we have a situation where even with more rain than usual, we could have less allocations than last year," Cardoza said. He said even with large cutbacks in water allocations to farmers, delta smelt and other fish populations have not improved. Cardoza said recent studies show the pumps that environmentalists say pulverize fish are in fact destroying only a handful. "The pumps were shut down for six or 10 additional fish," Cardoza said. "This is the height of insanity, and it's time we quit devastating the California economy and understand what is really going on here." In a statement Thursday, Feinstein said that recent weeks of heavy rain and Sierra snowfall have brought snowpacks to 130 percent of their normal level. At the same time, "water has been gushing past the canals and into the oceans while farms on the west side of the (Central) Valley are likely to receive a very low percentage of their water allocations for a second year because that water cannot be pumped and stored." Political jockeying Feinstein's action comes after months of political jockeying between Republicans and Democrats over whether the Endangered Species Act is destroying California's farming industry. Several fisheries on the coast from southern Oregon to San Luis Obispo have been shut down for three years for lack of runoff, idling commercial and recreational fishing and devastating the small businesses that depend on it. Farmers have also seen water supplies evaporate. Before this season's heavy rains, a three-year drought forced big cuts in their water allotments, forcing 400,000 acres to lie fallow and pushing unemployment in some towns toward 40 percent. Farmers, fishermen and environmentalists had been negotiating on a long-term remedy to the decline of California's delta estuary, one of the largest in the world and on a scale with Florida's Everglades, but even more heavily damaged by a century of water diversions. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 4840 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 5695 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Sat Feb 13 09:25:10 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:25:10 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Times Standard-Sacramento salmon numbers down as delta pumping fight heats up Message-ID: <61C2316EF42A447898A64F7BDF2A7F35@homeuserPC> http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_14395979 Circling the drain? Sacramento salmon numbers down as delta pumping fight heats up John Driscoll/The Times-Standard Posted: 02/13/2010 01:27:21 AM PST Federal fisheries managers are reporting that 2009 salmon returns to the Sacramento River basin were the worst on record, just as a new plan is being proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein to boost water diversions from the river delta to Central Valley farms. Commercial and sport fishermen may be facing another year in which fishing will be restricted or closed along the California and southern Oregon coast. Outrage is building over an amendment being pitched by Feinstein that some fellow Democrats say would do an end-run around the federal Endangered Species Act and imperil salmon in order to provide more water to valley farms. The amendment would be rolled into a federal jobs bill, and came as a surprise to Rep. Mike Thompson, who said Feinstein assured him and other Democrats that a delta plan would be based on a framework being developed by the National Academy of Sciences. "She's decided to chart her own course and do this amendment," the St. Helena Democrat said. "It's disappointing at best." The peer-reviewed study aims to explore a sustainable approach to water and fisheries management, and is expected to be released in mid-March, according to the NAS. Feinstein's press office did not return the Times-Standard's phone calls Friday. The Sacramento River basin normally produces the salmon that are the backbone of the West Coast salmon industry. But for the past three years, returning chinook salmon have been so few that fishing has been shut down or seriously curtailed. Fishing and conservation interests say the downturn corresponds with increased diversions by Sacramento River delta pumps that kill salmon that pass nearby. Feinstein's amendment would reportedly increase pumping from 10 percent in last year's drought to 40 percent for the next two years. The U.S. Department of the Interior said that the Bureau of Reclamation is currently complying with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's biological opinion that governs the pumping restrictions to protect the delta smelt. "We are in the process of reviewing Senator Feinstein's proposal," said Interior press secretary Kendra Barkoff. The number of chinook salmon returning to the Sacramento River basin in 2009 was estimated at only 39,500. Most of those fish left the river in 2006, coming back three years later to spawn. The Pacific Fishery Management Council is reporting that the paltry returns are part of a continuing decline -- despite the closure of nearly all ocean fisheries and fishing in the river. In comparison, 66,264 salmon were counted in 2008, down from 90,000 counted in 2007. In 2002, more than 750,000 adult salmon were counted in the Sacramento River basin. Only 9,000 jacks -- two-year-old salmon -- returned to the basin in 2009, which indicates low numbers of salmon in the ocean for this year's fishery. Fishermen say about 20,000 jacks is a target that would allow a decent fishing season. Eureka fisherman Dave Bitts, also president of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, said that the forecast for the salmon industry is bleak. Bitts said that Feinstein's amendment seems to suggest that San Joaquin farmers can't survive unless salmon are driven to extinction. He said that Feinstein has apparently forsaken her reputation as a skilled deal-maker with a special ability to resolve disputes. "In this case, she's going totally to one side and ignoring the other," Bitts said. "It's totally unlike her. It's not how she got where she is." At the same time, farm jobs in the San Joaquin Valley have also taken a hit, though recent studies by the University of the Pacific and the University of California at Davis concluded that most of the jobs lost were due to the three-year drought, with far fewer caused by Endangered Species Act restrictions meant to protect endangered delta smelt and salmon. Tom Stokely with the California Water Impact Network said that those restrictions also prevent the Central Valley Project from tapping too much water from the Trinity River and Trinity Lake, which is connected to the project. Without the limits, Stokely said, Trinity Lake could be drawn down too low to be able to provide cold water for salmon and steelhead in the Trinity River during late summer. Even with several big winter storms, Trinity Lake is only about half full. "The Trinity is already in great jeopardy," Stokely said. "This will only exacerbate the situation." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gking at asis.com Sat Feb 13 10:46:30 2010 From: gking at asis.com (Greg King) Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 10:46:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 2 12 10 In-Reply-To: <847947.47518.qm@web46210.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <007701caac3a$9b1f2270$d15d6750$@net> <847947.47518.qm@web46210.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <11B50562-BCBC-4F72-939B-471458B8B42A@asis.com> This is just incredible. It's not water for farmers, it's water for cash. The article says Feinstein is acting primarily at the behest of Stewart Resnick. Who is Stewart Resnick? To wit: http://www.c-win.org/news/alternet-how-limousine-liberals-water- oligarchs-and-even-sean-hannity-are-hijacking-our-water-s "The leader of these recent water privatization efforts in California is a Beverly Hills billionaire named Stewart Resnick. Stewart and his wife, Lynda Resnick, own Roll International Corporation, a private umbrella company that controls the flowers-by-wire company Teleflora, Fiji Water, Pom Wonderful, pesticide manufacturer Suterra and Paramount Agribusiness, the largest farming company in America and the largest pistachio and almond producer in the world. Roll Corp. was ranked #246 on Forbes' list of America's largest private companies in 2008 and had an estimated revenue of $1.98 billion in 2007. ... "Public Citizen's "Water Heist" report uncovered evidence that the Beverly Hills farmer was instrumental in the privatization of the Kern Water Bank. Not surprisingly, Resnick's Paramount Farms emerged with a majority stake in the venture. In fact, Resnick's farm empire controls the Kern Water Bank so thoroughly that it is not easy to discern where Paramount ends and the Kern Water Bank begins. The Kern Water Bank Authority, which administers the bank, is located in Paramount's corporate office building outside of Bakersfield, California." Keep reading (from the link above; many thanks to C-WIN) to learn about the $73 million sale of Central Valley Project water (that would be public water) to the Mojave Water District. These are the "farmers" that Feinstein represents, just as she has represented the destructive side of virtually every natural resource issue she has weighed in on. Don't be surprised if she inserts herself significantly into any upcoming Klamath legislation, however dead those deals ought to be by now. On Feb 13, 2010, at 8:35 AM, Emelia Berol wrote: > > > From: Byron Leydecker > To: FOTR List ; Trinity List trinity at mailman.dcn.org> > Sent: Fri, February 12, 2010 3:25:02 PM > Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 2 12 10 > > Feinstein proposes Central Valley water plan > > Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau > > Friday, February 12, 2010 > > (02-12) 04:00 PST Washington - -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein ignited a > firestorm among fellow California Democrats on Thursday as word > spread of her proposal to divert Northern California water to > Central Valley farmers. > > IMAGES > > View Larger Images > > Feinstein needs to be put on notice that she will have to become a > Republican if she wants to run for governor in this state. > > She might as well switch parties, she has never been a true > Democrat anyway. > > > > > > > > More News > > > Feinstein wants to attach the proposal as an amendment to a fast- > tracked Senate jobs bill. She is pitching the plan as a jobs > measure to address the economic calamity in the Central Valley. It > would increase farm water allocations from 10 percent last year to > 40 percent this year and next, an amount that farmers say is the > bare minimum they need. > > Bay Area Democrats were livid, accusing Feinstein of concocting the > plan in secret, upending fragile water negotiations that Feinstein > has supported and pitting California's Central Valley against its > coast. Telephone calls flew as lawmakers learned of Feinstein's plan. > > "I was pretty shocked," said Rep. Mike Thompson, a St. Helena > Democrat and ally of North Coast salmon fishermen who support > efforts to save fish species that are declining. > > Influential farmer > > Feinstein has long supported California agriculture but began to > weigh in on the side of farmers in the water wars after requests > from Stewart Resnick, the well-connected owner of Paramount Farms, > which grows citrus and nuts on 118,000 acres in Kern County. > > In September, Resnick wrote Feinstein complaining that "sloppy > science" by federal wildlife agencies was causing farm water > shortages. A week later, Feinstein forwarded the letter to Obama > administration officials, who authorized a review by the National > Academy of Sciences. > > "It seems to be a complete reversal of her position," Thompson > said. "The entire Bay Area delegation had agreed we would do this > National Academy of Sciences report to find out scientifically what > should and shouldn't be done, and for her to turn that on its head > and go out unilaterally with this proposal does not take into > consideration the needs of all of California." > > Thompson accused Feinstein of "trying to spin this as a job saver, > but that ignores the jobs up north that depend on water." He > compared Feinstein's plan to the Bush administration's water > diversions in the Klamath River Basin in 2002 that severely damaged > fisheries and were later reversed. > > Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, said, "Best I can see, she's making > a decision that jobs in the Bay Area and Northern California and > the Peninsula south of San Francisco aren't as important as jobs in > the Central Valley." > > Feinstein contends that the amendment to the jobs bill would not > waive the Endangered Species Act but instead follow a 2003 > precedent that guaranteed water deliveries in New Mexico despite > restrictions imposed to protect the silvery minnow. > > Miller, a former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, > said Feinstein's amendment would suspend federal environmental laws > that protect fish. > > Verifying the science > > Feinstein made no mention Thursday of her demand for the National > Academy of Sciences report, due next month, to verify the science > behind fish-conservation demands. > > Resnick's business has given $29,000 to Feinstein's campaigns and > $246,000 more to Democratic political committees during years when > she sought re-election, according to a report by California Watch, > an investigative journalism nonprofit organization, that was > published in The Chronicle in December. > > Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced County), defended > Feinstein's move. "The situation in the valley is continuing to > deteriorate, and we have a situation where even with more rain than > usual, we could have less allocations than last year," Cardoza > said. He said even with large cutbacks in water allocations to > farmers, delta smelt and other fish populations have not improved. > > Cardoza said recent studies show the pumps that environmentalists > say pulverize fish are in fact destroying only a handful. "The > pumps were shut down for six or 10 additional fish," Cardoza said. > "This is the height of insanity, and it's time we quit devastating > the California economy and understand what is really going on here." > > In a statement Thursday, Feinstein said that recent weeks of heavy > rain and Sierra snowfall have brought snowpacks to 130 percent of > their normal level. At the same time, "water has been gushing past > the canals and into the oceans while farms on the west side of the > (Central) Valley are likely to receive a very low percentage of > their water allocations for a second year because that water cannot > be pumped and stored." > > Political jockeying > > Feinstein's action comes after months of political jockeying > between Republicans and Democrats over whether the Endangered > Species Act is destroying California's farming industry. Several > fisheries on the coast from southern Oregon to San Luis Obispo have > been shut down for three years for lack of runoff, idling > commercial and recreational fishing and devastating the small > businesses that depend on it. > > Farmers have also seen water supplies evaporate. Before this > season's heavy rains, a three-year drought forced big cuts in their > water allotments, forcing 400,000 acres to lie fallow and pushing > unemployment in some towns toward 40 percent. > > Farmers, fishermen and environmentalists had been negotiating on a > long-term remedy to the decline of California's delta estuary, one > of the largest in the world and on a scale with Florida's > Everglades, but even more heavily damaged by a century of water > diversions. > > > > > > Byron Leydecker, JcT > > Chair, Friends of Trinity River > > PO Box 2327 > > Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 > > 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) > > 415 519 4810 mobile > > bwl3 at comcast.net > > bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) > > http://www.fotr.org > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -- Greg King President/Program Director Siskiyou Land Conservancy P.O. Box 4209 Arcata, CA 95518 707-498-4900 gking at asis.com http://siskiyouland.wordpress.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gking at asis.com Sun Feb 14 12:33:17 2010 From: gking at asis.com (Greg King) Date: Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:33:17 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] [FOTR] SF Chron 2 12 10 In-Reply-To: <1e018.4df90c7d.38a99fa4@aol.com> References: <1e018.4df90c7d.38a99fa4@aol.com> Message-ID: <1F906283-2710-4007-8F39-44AB4F42D655@asis.com> Mark, Thanks for this reminder. We will be signing on. Greg -- Greg King President/Program Director Siskiyou Land Conservancy P.O. Box 4209 Arcata, CA 95518 707-498-4900 gking at asis.com http://siskiyouland.wordpress.com/ On Feb 14, 2010, at 10:49 AM, summerhillfarmpv at aol.com wrote: > Greg, would be good if you could sign onto the letter attached done > by NRDC and EDF. We need to get as many groups on this letter as > possible. Resnick is a big landowner in Kern county, majority > owner of the Kern Water Bank, and largest citrus farmer in > America. Has many companies related to ag, and is a billionaire. > Close supporter and friend of Feinstein. > > To sign on tell bnelson at nrdc.org, and agupta at nrdc.org. They both > need to have name, title and organization. Thanks, This is a big > deal! > Mark Rockwell > > In a message dated 2/14/2010 10:00:08 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, > gking at asis.com writes: > This is just incredible. It's not water for farmers, it's water for > cash. The article says Feinstein is acting primarily at the behest > of Stewart Resnick. Who is Stewart Resnick? To wit: > > > http://www.c-win.org/news/alternet-how-limousine-liberals-water- > oligarchs-and-even-sean-hannity-are-hijacking-our-water-s > "The leader of these recent water privatization efforts in > California is a Beverly Hills billionaire named Stewart Resnick. > Stewart and his wife, Lynda Resnick, own Roll International > Corporation, a private umbrella company that controls the flowers- > by-wire company Teleflora, Fiji Water, Pom Wonderful, pesticide > manufacturer Suterra and Paramount Agribusiness, the largest > farming company in America and the largest pistachio and almond > producer in the world. Roll Corp. was ranked #246 on Forbes' list > of America's largest private companies in 2008 and had an estimated > revenue of $1.98 billion in 2007. ... > > "Public Citizen's "Water Heist" report uncovered evidence that the > Beverly Hills farmer was instrumental in the privatization of the > Kern Water Bank. Not surprisingly, Resnick's Paramount Farms > emerged with a majority stake in the venture. In fact, Resnick's > farm empire controls the Kern Water Bank so thoroughly that it is > not easy to discern where Paramount ends and the Kern Water Bank > begins. The Kern Water Bank Authority, which administers the bank, > is located in Paramount's corporate office building outside of > Bakersfield, California." > > Keep reading (from the link above; many thanks to C-WIN) to learn > about the $73 million sale of Central Valley Project water (that > would be public water) to the Mojave Water District. These are the > "farmers" that Feinstein represents, just as she has represented > the destructive side of virtually every natural resource issue > she has weighed in on. Don't be surprised if she inserts herself > significantly into any upcoming Klamath legislation, however dead > those deals ought to be by now. > > > > On Feb 13, 2010, at 8:35 AM, Emelia Berol wrote: > >> >> >> From: Byron Leydecker >> To: FOTR List ; Trinity List > trinity at mailman.dcn.org> >> Sent: Fri, February 12, 2010 3:25:02 PM >> Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 2 12 10 >> >> Feinstein proposes Central Valley water plan >> >> Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau >> >> Friday, February 12, 2010 >> >> (02-12) 04:00 PST Washington - -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein ignited a >> firestorm among fellow California Democrats on Thursday as word >> spread of her proposal to divert Northern California water to >> Central Valley farmers. >> >> IMAGES >> >> View Larger Images >> >> Feinstein needs to be put on notice that she will have to become a >> Republican if she wants to run for governor in this state. >> >> She might as well switch parties, she has never been a true >> Democrat anyway. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> More News >> >> >> >> Feinstein wants to attach the proposal as an amendment to a fast- >> tracked Senate jobs bill. She is pitching the plan as a jobs >> measure to address the economic calamity in the Central Valley. It >> would increase farm water allocations from 10 percent last year to >> 40 percent this year and next, an amount that farmers say is the >> bare minimum they need. >> >> Bay Area Democrats were livid, accusing Feinstein of concocting >> the plan in secret, upending fragile water negotiations that >> Feinstein has supported and pitting California's Central Valley >> against its coast. Telephone calls flew as lawmakers learned of >> Feinstein's plan. >> >> "I was pretty shocked," said Rep. Mike Thompson, a St. Helena >> Democrat and ally of North Coast salmon fishermen who support >> efforts to save fish species that are declining. >> >> Influential farmer >> >> Feinstein has long supported California agriculture but began to >> weigh in on the side of farmers in the water wars after requests >> from Stewart Resnick, the well-connected owner of Paramount Farms, >> which grows citrus and nuts on 118,000 acres in Kern County. >> >> In September, Resnick wrote Feinstein complaining that "sloppy >> science" by federal wildlife agencies was causing farm water >> shortages. A week later, Feinstein forwarded the letter to Obama >> administration officials, who authorized a review by the National >> Academy of Sciences. >> >> "It seems to be a complete reversal of her position," Thompson >> said. "The entire Bay Area delegation had agreed we would do this >> National Academy of Sciences report to find out scientifically >> what should and shouldn't be done, and for her to turn that on its >> head and go out unilaterally with this proposal does not take into >> consideration the needs of all of California." >> >> Thompson accused Feinstein of "trying to spin this as a job saver, >> but that ignores the jobs up north that depend on water." He >> compared Feinstein's plan to the Bush administration's water >> diversions in the Klamath River Basin in 2002 that severely >> damaged fisheries and were later reversed. >> >> Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, said, "Best I can see, she's >> making a decision that jobs in the Bay Area and Northern >> California and the Peninsula south of San Francisco aren't as >> important as jobs in the Central Valley." >> >> Feinstein contends that the amendment to the jobs bill would not >> waive the Endangered Species Act but instead follow a 2003 >> precedent that guaranteed water deliveries in New Mexico despite >> restrictions imposed to protect the silvery minnow. >> >> Miller, a former chairman of the House Natural Resources >> Committee, said Feinstein's amendment would suspend federal >> environmental laws that protect fish. >> >> Verifying the science >> >> Feinstein made no mention Thursday of her demand for the National >> Academy of Sciences report, due next month, to verify the science >> behind fish-conservation demands. >> >> Resnick's business has given $29,000 to Feinstein's campaigns and >> $246,000 more to Democratic political committees during years when >> she sought re-election, according to a report by California Watch, >> an investigative journalism nonprofit organization, that was >> published in The Chronicle in December. >> >> Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced County), defended >> Feinstein's move. "The situation in the valley is continuing to >> deteriorate, and we have a situation where even with more rain >> than usual, we could have less allocations than last year," >> Cardoza said. He said even with large cutbacks in water >> allocations to farmers, delta smelt and other fish populations >> have not improved. >> >> Cardoza said recent studies show the pumps that environmentalists >> say pulverize fish are in fact destroying only a handful. "The >> pumps were shut down for six or 10 additional fish," Cardoza said. >> "This is the height of insanity, and it's time we quit devastating >> the California economy and understand what is really going on here." >> >> In a statement Thursday, Feinstein said that recent weeks of heavy >> rain and Sierra snowfall have brought snowpacks to 130 percent of >> their normal level. At the same time, "water has been gushing past >> the canals and into the oceans while farms on the west side of the >> (Central) Valley are likely to receive a very low percentage of >> their water allocations for a second year because that water >> cannot be pumped and stored." >> >> Political jockeying >> >> Feinstein's action comes after months of political jockeying >> between Republicans and Democrats over whether the Endangered >> Species Act is destroying California's farming industry. Several >> fisheries on the coast from southern Oregon to San Luis Obispo >> have been shut down for three years for lack of runoff, idling >> commercial and recreational fishing and devastating the small >> businesses that depend on it. >> >> Farmers have also seen water supplies evaporate. Before this >> season's heavy rains, a three-year drought forced big cuts in >> their water allotments, forcing 400,000 acres to lie fallow and >> pushing unemployment in some towns toward 40 percent. >> >> Farmers, fishermen and environmentalists had been negotiating on a >> long-term remedy to the decline of California's delta estuary, one >> of the largest in the world and on a scale with Florida's >> Everglades, but even more heavily damaged by a century of water >> diversions. >> >> >> >> >> >> Byron Leydecker, JcT >> >> Chair, Friends of Trinity River >> >> PO Box 2327 >> >> Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 >> >> 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) >> >> 415 519 4810 mobile >> >> bwl3 at comcast.net >> >> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) >> >> http://www.fotr.org >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> env-trinity mailing list >> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > -- > Greg King > President/Program Director > Siskiyou Land Conservancy > P.O. Box 4209 > Arcata, CA 95518 > 707-498-4900 > gking at asis.com > http://siskiyouland.wordpress.com/ > > > > > > = > > _______________________________________________ > FOTR mailing list > FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 15 09:36:17 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:36:17 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron Editorial 2 15 10 Message-ID: <002601caae65$61459340$23d0b9c0$@net> Chronicle Editorials Archive | Feedback | http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/contentmodules/col004/rss_icon.gif Sen Dianne Feinstein's fishy water deal Monday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein should drop her end-run bid to ship delta water south for farming. Her plan defies court rulings, endangered-species protections and scientific studies. Images http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2009/03/26/mn-oakslay27_ban_0499910612_par t1.jpg http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Image The water grab disrupts years of negotiations over balancing the state's needs by rewarding one group - drought-stricken farmers - at the expense of fishing and environmental groups, also living with declining water supplies. Worse yet, Feinstein's action short-circuits a study she ordered up by the National Academy of Sciences on river-flow rules designed to safeguard smelt and salmon. The senator was at pains to explain that her idea is only in draft form, suggesting that it may be a negotiating tactic. She's plainly frustrated over limits on water usage, given a heavy Sierra snowpack, rivers filled by winter storms and record jobless levels in the Central Valley. It's an approach she took last year when she pushed for the study of water policy, due this spring. She's advanced a plausible argument, but any solution needs analysis and group agreement. Water deliveries to some farmers are 10 percent of past levels, and she's proposing to boost these allotments to 30 to 40 percent. Feinstein's plan would greatly help the parched west side of the San Joaquin Valley, where farmers have idled hundreds of thousands of acres for lack of water. But her suggestion couldn't come at a worse time. Last year, Sacramento leaders reached a bipartisan solution on improvements to the delta's depleted water levels, a breakthrough deal built on concessions from all sides. Feinstein's push to reward one interest group is "like throwing a grenade into everything we worked on last year," said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, a San Rafael Democrat who played a key negotiating role. In addition, a fishery management report last week found that Sacramento River salmon stocks are at a record low point, a level that may lead to the third straight canceled fishing season. The fish depend on steady flows in the river, a main source for water Feinstein wants diverted. California water policy needs a political champion willing to take on a complicated issue. That means adopting a balanced approach, not one that bails out one side at the expense of all others. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/15/EDT61C0P8K.DTL#i xzz0fcwKJHLe Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 1762 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 570 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 13264 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 15 15:23:22 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:23:22 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee Editorial 2 14 10 Message-ID: This editorial also ran in the Bee's sister newspaper the Merced Star 2 15 10 Editorial: Feinstein's play threatens to roil the water world Published: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 6E In her long and mostly distinguished career, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has championed many environmental causes. At times she has also challenged environmentalists to consider interests other than their own. That's good. Feinstein's independent streak is one of her assets as a U.S. senator and a leader of California. Feinstein, however, also has been known to take reckless stands. She is doing so now, with plans to amend a fast-moving jobs bill to reduce Endangered Species Act protections for fish, including salmon, in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Feinstein's amendment, if enacted, would increase Delta pumping to benefit certain farms in the San Joaquin Valley. Those agricultural operations, ranging from small farms to lucrative corporate empires, have seen their irrigation supplies drop due to drought and court decisions involving Delta smelt and other fish. In a statement Thursday, Feinstein said she was seeking this amendment because, in so many words, water is being wasted. "Water has been gushing past the canals and into the oceans while farms on the west side of the valley are likely to receive a very low percentage of their water allocations," she said. Feinstein is grossly oversimplifying the water situation in the Delta and the valley. At certain times of the year, juvenile salmon and other fish need adequate flows to reach the ocean or to avoid being sucked into the giant pumps that deliver water to Southern California, the Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley. Feinstein's amendment threatens those fish. It could be especially harmful to California's salmon runs, which shrank to record low numbers in 2009, according to a report last week by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council. Feinstein's action poses other threats. For the last two years, moderate environmental groups have been working with water exporters on a conservation plan for the Delta. This coalition helped pass water legislation last year and is studying plans for a canal, tunnel or other form of conveyance for the Delta. That could possibly reduce conflicts over fish and produce more reliable water supplies for exporters. Yet if Feinstein's amendment were to pass, it would likely end this delicate detente and lead to years of more litigation and fighting over the Delta. Feinstein should be smart enough to know this. The question is: Is she smart enough to acknowledge that she's made a serious error in judgment? Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 15 15:28:39 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:28:39 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Merced Star Editorial 2 15 10 Message-ID: <8BD99F007DD24A8895EDC545B9641462@ByronsLaptop> Here's the entire Merced editorial.A better headline Opinion Monday, Feb. 15, 2010 Our View: Feinstein could spoil years of work Her bill amendment isn't the long-term solution that has been in the works for a long time. In her long and mostly distinguished career, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has championed many environmental causes. At times she has also challenged environmentalists to consider interests other than their own. That's good. Feinstein's independent streak is one of her assets as a U.S. senator and a leader of California. Feinstein, however, also has been known to take reckless stands. She is doing so now, with plans to amend a fast-moving jobs bill to reduce Endangered Species Act protections for fish, including salmon, in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Feinstein's amendment, if enacted, would increase Delta pumping to benefit certain farms in the San Joaquin Valley. Those agricultural operations, ranging from small farms to lucrative corporate empires, have seen their irrigation supplies drop because of drought and court decisions involving delta smelt and other fish. In a statement Thursday, Feinstein said she was seeking this amendment because, in so many words, water is being wasted. "Water has been gushing past the canals and into the oceans while farms on the west side of the Valley are likely to receive a very low percentage of their water allocations," she said. Feinstein is grossly oversimplifying the water situation in the delta and the Valley. At certain times of the year, juvenile salmon and other fish need adequate flows to reach the ocean or to avoid being sucked into the giant pumps that deliver water to Southern California, the Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley. Feinstein's amendment threatens those fish. It could be especially harmful to California's salmon runs, which shrank to record low numbers in 2009, according to a report last week by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council. Feinstein's action poses other threats. For the last two years, moderate environmental groups have been working with water exporters on a conservation plan for the delta. This coalition helped pass water legislation last year and is studying plans for a canal, tunnel or other form of conveyance for the delta. That could possibly reduce conflicts over fish and produce more reliable water supplies for exporters. Yet if Feinstein's amendment were to pass, it would likely end this delicate detente and lead to years of more litigation and fighting over the delta. Feinstein should be smart enough to know this. The question is: Is she smart enough to acknowledge that she's made a serious error in judgment? (This editorial was written by our sister newspaper The Sacramento Bee.) Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 17 16:46:36 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:46:36 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Monterey County Herald Editorial 2 17 10 Message-ID: <77FFCA8A8C0443F2A038CA56A6608F51@ByronsLaptop> Editorial: Water wars impact big ag, fishing industry THE HERALD'S VIEW The Monterey County Herald Updated: 02/17/2010 01:28:49 AM PST There are those on the Central Coast who watch the growing water wars of the San Joaquin Valley and reflexively side with big agriculture because the controversy has been overly simplified into a contest between farms and the "tiny delta smelt." Some might switch sides, or at least reserve judgment, if they understood that the stakes include the salmon population and the coastal fishing industry, both of which are struggling to survive. Much has been said and written about how a federal judge has ordered the pumping reduced in the San Joaquin Delta to protect the little smelt, which is of relatively little concern to anyone except biologists and environmentalists. Much less information has been spread about how the rulings by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger affect the fate of native salmon, which until recently played a primary role in the Central and Northern California fisheries. Even while freshly hatched Chinook salmon congregated in the San Joaquin Delta, Wanger earlier this month temporarily lifted pumping limits aimed at safeguarding the salmon. The huge delta pumps, which push Northern California water southward to the giant farms of the San Joaquin and the giant subdivisions of Southern California, had been set too low as part of the federal government's salmon management plan, Wanger ruled. He found that salmon-saving pumping restrictions had been created without enough analysis of alternatives and the impact on humans-presumably including Members of the fishing industry, an endangered species if there ever was one. Wanger's tentative ruling Feb. 5 was cheered by representatives of the sprawling Westlands Water District, which has done an artful job of making it appear that it was the pumping restrictions first ordered in 2007 that devastated the valley's west side rather than seasonal unemployment, drought and the general economic malaise. The water cutbacks had a significant effect on agriculture, but not nearly to the extent depicted by the valley ag lobby. Some row crops went unplanted, providing great photo opportunities for the public relations campaign, which failed to let on that the same growers had diverted much of their water allotments to protect more valuable orchards. Valley farmers in recent years have added more efficient irrigation systems, but they have planted thousands of acres of water-thirsty almonds and oranges. We have always been great champions of California agriculture, but that doesn't mean we support unsustainable cultivation practices and inefficient crop choices. Until his most recent ruling, valley agriculture vilified Wanger as a tree-hugging liberal when he actually is a rather conservative Bush appointee who has based his various rulings on a strict reading of water laws and environmental regulations. How he rules next will likely have a dramatic effect on the fate of the coastal salmon, whose numbers have dipped in recent years for a variety of reasons, including low water on the inland streams. Also key is the outcome of ill-considered legislation by Sen. Dianne Feinstein to greatly increase big agriculture's allotment, a move many are attributing to generous campaign contributions from valley ag interests. California water law and water politics are complicated matters that require careful consideration before decisions are made that can affect large populations of people, wildlife, farmers and fishermen. It isn't nearly as simply as the Westlands people, or Dianne Feinstein, would have us believe. Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Feb 18 09:55:33 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:55:33 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] House members to Feinstein on ESA Waiver Message-ID: <006201cab0c3$924ab000$b6e01000$@net> Signed by Reps. George Miller (D-CA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), David Wu (D-OR), Norm Dicks (D-WA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Doris Matsui (D-CA), and John Garamendi (D-CA). Link to signed pdf: http://go.usa.gov/lEc Text below. February 18, 2010 The Hon. Dianne Feinstein United States Senate 331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Feinstein: We write in strong support of Chairwoman Grace Napolitano's request that you withdraw your recent draft proposal to legislatively override protections for the threatened and endangered fisheries of the San Francisco Bay-Delta system. We believe that the approach outlined in your draft amendment is inconsistent with your record of pursuing compromise solutions to environmental conflicts, and we urge you not to move forward with the proposed legislation. Simply put, by undermining existing protections, the "Emergency Temporary Water Supply amendment" unveiled last week would drive California's and much of Oregon's salmon to extinction, and it is a severe threat to the thousands of jobs that depend on the fishing industry in the San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, and across the Pacific Coast. As you know, the Sacramento River chinook salmon population is lower today than it has ever been. According to the Pacific Fishery Management Council, fewer than 40,000 chinook salmon returned to the river this year, down from more than 750,000 in 2002. This collapse, due in considerable part to excessive water diversions, has had devastating economic consequences for our constituents. The repeated cancellation of the salmon fishing season has led to an estimated 23,000 jobs lost, with significant negative economic effects along the Pacific coast, including adverse impacts to small businesses in the Bay Area, the North Coast of California, and Oregon. Pushing salmon and steelhead populations closer to extinction, which is a certain consequence of legislatively undermining federal protections without any scientific basis, would only exacerbate this economic pain. Further, we are deeply concerned that the amendment undercuts the multi-stakeholder negotiations over the California state legislature's work last year and the ongoing process to develop a Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The state's legislative package was based on the principle that a reliable water supply and a restored natural ecosystem need not be in conflict. By increasing water withdrawals from the Bay-Delta regardless of the effect on threatened and endangered fisheries, your draft amendment risks undoing the agreements that led to this comprehensive plan. Similarly, although we have not endorsed the BDCP, it is very clear that if this amendment goes forward, the BDCP process cannot be considered a legitimate forum in which to make long-term decisions about water policy, meaning the time, energy, and funds expended by the water agencies, governments, and NGOs on the BDCP will have been wasted. We understand that your proposed amendment is intended to remedy the effect of the ongoing drought on irrigation districts in the western San Joaquin Valley. After all, it is the sustained drought, not environmental protections, that is responsible for the overwhelming majority of water supply cuts in the last few years. Yet even during this drought, according to California's Department of Water Resources, the Westlands Water District, was able to amass more than 990,000 acre-feet of water - 86% of its average annual supply - through transfers, groundwater, and other sources. And a few miles away, the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors received 100% of their contract supply. Despite the drought, then, it is reasonable to assume that there may be additional opportunities for those with less secure water rights such as Westlands to obtain alternative water supplies this year, without having to preempt science-based processes or to legislate unsustainable water export levels out of the Bay-Delta. In addition, we are concerned that the proposal to guarantee a supply to certain contractors regardless of environmental consequence would severely undermine the allocations of water under decades of state and federal water law, and create a precedent elsewhere in the West for riders that reallocate water away from statutory and contractual purposes. Again, we urge you to withdraw the recently announced draft "Emergency Temporary Water Supply amendment" and instead meet with us to work out other solutions that do not put the fishing jobs and economy of the West Coast in jeopardy. Sincerely, /s/ Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Feb 18 12:53:57 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:53:57 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject) Message-ID: <00e601cab0dc$7ee87e20$7cb97a60$@net> cid:image001.png at 01CAB09E.CC8CEEB0 Date: February 18, 2010 Contact: Kendra Barkoff, (202) 208-6416 Julie Rodriguez, (202) 208-6416 Secretary Salazar, Governors Kulongoski and Schwarzenegger Announce Agreement on Klamath River Basin Restoration SALEM, Oregon - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, PacificCorp Chief Executive Officer Greg Abel and the chairmen of the Klamath, Yurok and Karuk Tribes in announcing final agreements that could potentially lead to removal of four dams on the Klamath River and the largest river restoration project in our nation's history. The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement provide a framework for removal of the dams by 2020 contingent on Congressional approval and a scientific assessment by the Interior Department confirming that their removal is indeed in the public interest. The agreements also outline activities that would be undertaken to restore fisheries and provide water supply certainty to communities and water users in the Basin. "The Klamath River, which for years was synonymous with controversy, is now a stunning example of how cooperation and partnership can resolve difficult conflicts," said Secretary Salazar. "The Agreements provide a path forward to meet the needs of local communities, tribes, farmers, fishermen and other stakeholders while restoring a beautiful river and its historic salmon runs," Salazar said. "Today we celebrate a thoughtful, collaborative approach that will bring certainty and stability to water issues to support agriculture and, at the same time, will restore the Klamath River to support wild salmon populations," said Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. "A restored basin will serve all Oregonians - from the basin to our coastal communities - who depend on the river and its resources for their social and economic livelihoods." "Today's historic agreement is testament to the great things we can achieve by working together. Everyone here cares about the magnificent Klamath River and we are taking action now to preserve this natural wonder for generations to come," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Our top priority at PacifiCorp has been and continues to be protecting our customers in terms of cost and liability, said Greg Abel, PacifiCorp Chairman & CEO. "This is another significant milestone toward establishing the framework that ensures our customers' best interests are front and center, no matter what the ultimate public policy decision is in terms of dam removal." "These agreements will vastly improve habitat conditions for fish by re-establishing the connectivity between physical, chemical and biological processes within the basin that are essential to ecosystem health and the sustainability of the basin's valuable natural resources," said Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator. NOAA, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the federal agency responsible for the stewardship of the nation's living marine resources and their habitats. Interior will undertake a rigorous, science-based analysis, as well as a full analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, and make a final determination by March 31, 2012, whether the benefits of removing the dams will advance restoration of salmon in the Klamath Basin and be in the public interest. The decision will be made in consultation with state, local, and tribal governments and other stakeholders, as appropriate. The potential removal of the dams is a key piece of a major restoration effort for the Klamath developed by more than 30 diverse stakeholders, including California and Oregon, three tribes, PacifiCorp, water users and conservation groups. The restoration agreements, if confirmed by Congress and fully implemented, would provide sustainable allocation of water for fish harvest, agriculture uses, national wildlife refuges, and other users. ### Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 38464 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Feb 18 17:02:36 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:02:36 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] DFG Watershed Restoration Grant Proposals Now Being Accepted Message-ID: <6901312CDF6D4EAB861CD3908387C44F@homeuserPC> > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Marine Management News > Date: Tue, Feb 16, 2010 at 2:07 PM > Subject: CDFG News Release - Watershed Restoration Grant Proposals Now > Being > Accepted > > > California Department of Fish and Game News Release > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 11, 2010 > > Contact: Patty Forbes, Program Coordinator, (916) 327-8842 > Dana Michaels, Office of Communication, (916) 322-2420 > > Watershed Restoration Grant Proposals Now Being Accepted > > The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is accepting proposals > for > fisheries restoration projects in California's coastal watersheds through > April 8, 2010. Approved projects will propose measures consistent with > DFG's Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California and the > Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon, and NOAA's Southern > California > Steelhead Recovery Plan Public Review, Draft Version. > > Funding for proposals submitted under this proposal solicitation notice > are > subject to the availability of funds and approval of the Budget Act for > the > state fiscal year 2010-2011. Funding for fiscal year 2010-2011 is expected > to be approximately $12 million. Grant agreements will not be in place > until > the summer of 2011. > > All documents needed to apply for these grants - including the 2010 > Fisheries Restoration Grants Program (FRGP) application form, complete > instructions and contact information - are available at > www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/Administration/Grants/FRGP/Solicitation.asp. > > Applicants should note that the application requirements and procedures > have > changed from previous years. Applicants must submit the 2010 FRGP > application form with all proposals, and the 2010 Solicitation should be > used as a reference document in order to ensure compliance with DFG > requirements. > > Proposals submitted by mail must be postmarked no later than April 8, > 2010. > Proposals delivered by any other means, including hand delivery, must be > delivered no later than 3 p.m. on April 8. All proposal packages must be > addressed to Department of Fish and Game, 830 S Street, Sacramento, CA > 95811. > > DFG has scheduled the following workshops to provide assistance to > proposal > applicants: > > DFG Northern Region > > Monday, February 22, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. > Department of Fish and Game > 306 E. Redwood, Fort Bragg, 95437 > Contact: Christine Ramsey, 707-725-1027 > > Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. > U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service > 1829 South Oregon Street, Yreka, 96097 > US Fish and Wildlife Service Contact: 530-842-5763 > DFG Contact: Christine Ramsey, 707-725-1027 > > Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. > Department of Fish and Game > 1487 Sandy Prairie Court, Suite A, Fortuna, 95540 > DFG office: 707-725-1060 > DFG Contact: Christine Ramsey, 707-725-1027 > > DFG Bay-Delta Region > > Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. > Department of Fish and Game > 255 Harbor Blvd, Suite 350, Belmont, 94002 > DFG Belmont Office: 650-631-7730 > DFG Contacts: Kristine Atkinson, 831-427-2638 and Gail Seymour, > 707-299-9299 > > Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 10 a.m. > Windsor Library Conference Room > 9291 Old Redwood Hwy, Bldg. 100, Windsor, 95492 > Windsor Library: 707-838-1020 > DFG Contacts: Derek Acomb, 707-744-8713 and Dan Resnik, 707-744-8704 > > Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 10 a.m. > Marin Municipal Water District Boardroom > 220 Nellen Avenue, Corte Madera, 94925 > MMWD: 415-945-1455 > DFG Contact: Gail Seymour, 707-299-9299 > > DFG Central Region > > Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. > Department of Fish and Game > 3196 S. Higuera Street, Suite A, San Luis Obispo, 93401 > DFG office: 805-594-6116 > DFG Contact: Margaret Paul, 831-649-2882 > > Friday, February 26, 2010 at 9 a.m. > Department of Fish and Game > 20 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Suite 100, Monterey, 93940 > DFG office: 831-649-2870 > DFG Contact: Margaret Paul, 831-649-2882 > > DFG South Coast Region > > Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. > Department of Fish and Game > 4665 Lampson Ave, Suite C, Los Alamitos, 90720 > DFG office: 562-342-7150 > DFG Contact: Mary Larson, 562-342-7186 > > Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. > Ventura City Hall Community Meeting Room > 501 Poli Street, Ventura, 93001 > Ventura City Hall: 805-654-7800 > DFG Contact: Mary Larson, 562-342-7186 > > ### > > Note: This e-mail account is used to distribute information to the public. > Do not reply to this e-mail. Direct questions or comments regarding the > information contained in this e-mail to the Department staff listed as > points of contact for this subject. > > - Subscribe to DFG News via e-mail or RSS feed -- go to > www.dfg.ca.gov/news > - Subscribe (or unsubscribe) to DFG Marine Region News Service (e-mail > notification of ocean-related news and information) at > www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/subscribe.asp . > > > > From tstokely at att.net Thu Feb 18 18:28:40 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:28:40 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Poll Shows Voters Ready to Flush $11 Billion Water Bond in November Message-ID: <4C6F0466A3474ED89513C81A5441C67F@homeuserPC> ----- Original Message ----- From: Dan Bacher Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 5:17 PM Subject: Poll Shows Voters Ready to Flush $11 Billion Water Bond in November Just one-third of likely voters (34%) support the $11.1 billion water bond currently, while more than a majority of likely voters (55%) oppose it, according to a statewide poll conducted by Tulchin Research. The bond is part of a water policy/water bond package that the Legislature passed in special session in November. The package creates a clear path to the construction of a peripheral canal and new dams. The water bond must defeated because it is essentially yet another subsidy for the Corporate Welfare Water Kings of the San Joaquin Valley, who have helped to engineer the collapse of Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and other fish populations. Stop the Peripheral Canal - Flush the Water Bond - Smash the Corrupt MLPA Process! Dan FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 18, 2010 CONTACT: Food & Water Watch Adam Scow: (415) 293-9915 Poll Shows Voters Ready to Flush $11 Billion Water Bond in November SACRAMENTO, Calif. - February 18 - A majority of California voters oppose the $11.1 billion water bond that the Legislature and the Governor have placed on the November ballot, according to a recent statewide poll conducted by Tulchin Research. Just one-third of likely voters (34%) support the water bond currently, while more than a majority of likely voters (55%) oppose it. That's a very weak start for a bond measure, and some of the existing support is likely to drop off as a campaign against the bond ramps up later this year, in the view of opponents of the bond, who released the survey results today. "Voters recognize this bond as bad water policy and bad fiscal policy at a time when California is drowning in red ink," said Jim Metropulos, Senior Advocate with Sierra Club California, part of the campaign opposing the bond measure. "We need clean water and we need a better water policy, but this bond is not going to get us there." Pollster Ben Tulchin, who conducted the survey, called the results daunting. "The challenge for backers of this bond is monumental," said Tulchin. "No statewide bond measure has ever won when a majority of voters opposed it at the outset." Support was weak in the poll, even among those voting yes, with just 12% saying they would "definitely" vote yes and 4% saying they merely "leaned" in favor. In contrast, there was greater intensity on the "no" side, with a third of all voters polled (32%) saying they would "definitely" vote no. "This bond hands out billions of dollars to corporations and other special interests at the expense of California taxpayers," said Adam Scow, California Campaigns Director with consumer rights group Food & Water Watch. "It's no surprise that support for the bond is already weak. We expect voters to reject it in November." A number of prominent environmental, consumer, and environmental justice organizations have already joined the campaign opposing the bond, including the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, Planning and Conservation League, Friends of the River, Food & Water Watch, the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, the Winnemem Wintu tribe, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), Southern California Watershed Alliance, and Restore the Delta. "We are encouraged to see that voters across California share our view that this bond is a bad deal for taxpayers," said Tina Andolina, Legislative Director for the Planning and Conservation League. Andolina noted that cross-tabulated results from the poll show opposition across party and geographic lines. "No demographic group anywhere in the state offers majority support for the bond," said Andolina. "Voters of all parties oppose it, as do voters in the northern and southern parts of the state and the Central Valley." Opponents note that the bond does not provide immediate funding to municipalities or conservation efforts. Low-income communities, many of which live with contaminated drinking water, would receive only a tiny fraction of total bond funds. In contrast, up to $4 billion of taxpayers' investment could be used to subsidize large corporate interests, including agribusinesses, that will profit from the projects. $3 billion can be used to construct new dams, and as much as $1 billion can subsidize costly private desalination projects. Campaign members point out that money to finance the bond will come out of California's general fund, which also funds education, healthcare, police and fire, and other essential services. The hit on the general fund would be enormous, as much as $800 million per year. Total debt repayment on the bond is expected to top $22 billion over 30 years. "Instead of building projects we don't need, we should be fixing local drinking water systems and taking other steps to ensure a safe, reliable water supply for California," said Scow of Food & Water Watch. "Voters are already signaling that they know this bond is the wrong approach at the wrong time." ### Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer organization that works to ensure clean water and safe food. We challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 19 10:56:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:56:09 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] KQED NPR Feinstein and Salmon Message-ID: <001e01cab195$33ba20c0$9b2e6240$@net> You can listen via the archive online.. From: KQED's Forum Date: February 18, 2010 4:35:42 PM PST Subject: On Forum for Friday, 2/19 On KQED Public Radio's Forum for Friday, 2/19 9am Forum with Dave Iverson Feinstein and Salmon Twelve Democratic lawmakers have written Senator Dianne Feinstein urging her to withdraw her proposal to temporarily divert more water from the California Delta to Central Valley for farming. The lawmakers say pumping more water south would seriously endanger salmon populations. Farmers maintain that they need the water to save jobs. Guests joining our discussion include Mike Taugher, environment reporter for the Contra Costa Times. 10am Forum with Dave Iverson Joel Kotkin The Obama administration is waging war against suburbia, according to author and futurist Joel Kotkin. Senator Scott Brown's recent victory in Massachusetts, Kotkin says, reflects a broader suburban revolt against an "urban-centric regime." The history and future of the American suburb is one of the subjects of Kotkin's new book, "The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050." Kotkin is a distinguished presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University in Orange, California and a columnist for Forbes Magazine whose other books include "The City: A Global History." To unsubscribe or update your e-mail newsletter preferences, visit your Email Preferences Page. To change your e-mail address or make other updates to your profile, visit your Profile Page. Forward this message to a friend. Copyright C 2010 KQED. All Rights Reserved. KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Fri Feb 19 11:02:54 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:02:54 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] North state lawsuit a major onslaught in war over water Message-ID: <596FF308599B4F2EA3C80BD44C769A9F@homeuserPC> North state lawsuit a major onslaught in war over water http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14428933?nclick_check=1 By Mike Taugher Contra Costa Times Posted: 02/18/2010 05:05:10 PM PST Updated: 02/18/2010 05:34:39 PM PST Invoking the specter of a century-old Los Angeles water grab, Northern California farmers have filed a lawsuit that may escalate the state's ongoing water crisis. The farmers say the San Joaquin Valley communities hardest hit by drought and new protections for endangered species in the Delta - including the nation's largest irrigation district - are nevertheless illegally getting water that belongs to the northerners. "The last thing we want to see is the Sacramento Valley become another Owens Valley," said Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority general manager Jeff Sutton. He was referring to the early 20th century raid on the Owens Valley by Los Angeles, an episode made famous by the 1974 movie "Chinatown." At issue are guarantees made before California's two major water projects were built to deliver water through the Delta to parts of the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. Those guarantees, known as "area of origin" laws, say that water-rich areas of the state would not end up water poor when the projects started shipping water elsewhere. The Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, which serves orchards and farms in Tehama, Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties, says that is exactly what has been happening with increasing frequency. Its farmers are entitled to 100 percent of their contracted water supplies before any water can be sent from the Delta to the Westlands Water District and smaller San Joaquin districts, the authority says. In recent years, the authority's farmers have seen their contract amount cut by more than half, nearly as severe as cuts in the San Joaquin Valley. "I've been waiting for this lawsuit for about 30 years," said Michael Jackson, an attorney who frequently represents environmental groups and Northern California interests on water issues but is not involved in this case. "It had to happen sooner or later. There's just not enough water." "I think it is one of the four or five biggest things that have happened in California water law," Jackson said. More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed in the last couple of years as water agencies, environmental groups wrangle over a water system that appears to be bordering on chaos. Scientists are concerned some Delta fish species could be headed for extinction, the number of returning adult salmon in what was just a few years ago a commercially valuable run fell to a record low - and no one understands exactly why. The result is that as demand for water has grown, the supply has effectively shrunk as more water is dedicated to the environment. Water agencies are now more willing to fight each other for water in what is clearly a zero-sum game. The area-of-origin laws have been used infrequently. In effect, the lawsuit is a declaration that the time has come for the federal government to keep promises made many decades ago that Northern California would have access to water in its watersheds when it was needed. The lawsuit could result in taking water from downstream customers of the federal Central Valley Project, which are mostly farm districts in the San Joaquin Valley that have been hardest hit by the recent drought and which face the likelihood that they will not be able to recover if this year turns out to be normal. "What we're talking about is a small fractional reduction to those folks," Sutton said. "We're sympathetic to those folks in the San Joaquin Valley." The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the project, said it would not comment on the lawsuit. But in a September letter to the northern canal authority, the bureau's regional director, Donald Glaser, said the government cut their water supply because of dry weather. A spokeswoman for the Westlands Water District, the nation's largest irrigation district and biggest customer of the Central Valley Project's Delta pumps, said the lawsuit was another sign that the state's water supplies are inadequate, which she blamed on environmental laws. "Everyone is currently fighting for every last drop that we have," Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf said. "It's not surprising.' -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 19 11:46:31 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:46:31 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 2 18 10 Message-ID: <004301cab19c$3d481870$b7d84950$@net> http://imgs.sfgate.com/templates/types/blogs/pages/sfgate/opinionshop/graphi cs/header.gif By Bill Kier U.S Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will try to remake the Endangered Species Act in her own image early next week to reve up the federal pumps in the San Francisco Bay Delta. Federal Judge... Open Forum: Feinstein is wrong about precedent for water rules change Thursday, February 18, 2010 Open Forum: Feinstein is wrong about precedent for water rules change By Bill Kier U.S Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will try to remake the Endangered Species Act in her own image early next week to rev up the federal pumps in the San Francisco Bay Delta. Federal Judge Oliver Wanger ordered the pumping diminished earlier this month to protect endangered fish, including Sacramento River salmon. Feinstein reportedly intends to attach a pump-restarting rider to next week's "must pass" Senate jobs bill. The day after last week's court decision, Feinstein issued a press release threatening to force an "Emergency Temporary Water Supply amendment." This would deliver San Joaquin Valley water users, including her Beverley Hills billionaire contributor Stewart Resnick , what they want -- Trinity and Sacramento rivers water -- salmon be damned. Resnick controls the Kern Water Bank, a vast underground water storage facility developed at huge State Water Project expense but placed in Resnick's hands 15 years ago. Feinstein says there's precedent for the havoc she will wreak on Central Valley salmon and the communities along a thousand miles of coast that these fish have supported for 150 years. In her statement Feinstein claims, "There is precedent for the solution I am pursuing: in 2003 Congress unanimously approved legislation that provided water supply certainty with regard to restrictions imposed to protect the Silvery Minnow in New Mexico." What former New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici offered in 2003 was an amendment making clear that while Rio Grande flows had to be maintained for the silvery minnow, the water Albuquerque imports from the Colorado River (which runs down to the Rio Grande), need not be used as well for minnow protection. Feinstein has taken the New Mexico situation and turned it on its head -- she would pump water from the Trinity and Sacramento rivers, without regard for their salmon stocks, to deliver the current runoff to the Kern Water Bank rather that allow it to provide baby salmon safe passage through the Delta. Feinstein's statement oozes compassion for the "tens of thousands of people unemployed" in the San Joaquin Valley. University studies show most unemployment in the San Joaquin Valley resulted from the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage housing construction boom, not the drought. About 8,500 jobs have been lost to the drought, and about 2,000 of those to fish protection at the delta pumps. Meanwhile California has 23,000 workers idled by the two-year shutdown of salmon fishing -- a $1.5 billion a year hit to the state's economy. Feinstein is supposed to be representing all Californians, not just a handful of her largest contributors. Bill Kier is a Humboldt County-based consulting fisheries scientist who has been involved with San Francisco Bay-Delta fish conservation efforts for more than 50 years. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/opinionshop/index#ixzz0g0r6k9Nq Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 4740 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Fri Feb 19 12:05:33 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:05:33 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] =?windows-1252?q?Westlands_Water_District_Grabs_Mor?= =?windows-1252?q?e_Water_in_the_Middle_of_a_Drought=97Sweetheart_G?= =?windows-1252?q?overnment_Contract?= Message-ID: WINNEMEM WINTU TRIBE Westlands Water District Grabs More Water in the Middle of a Drought? Sweetheart Government Contract February 19, 2010 For Immediate Release: Contact: Bill Jennings [209] 464 5067 Steve Evans [916] 442-3155 Jonas Minton [916] 313-4518 Tom Stokely [530]524-0315 The U.S. government appears poised to give billions of gallons of water to a politically connected group of farmers in California, where most people are being asked to conserve. Three hundred and fifty farming operations in Westlands Waters District are asking the federal government to roll over their water contracts, helping them to get a lock on enough water supplies to serve the equivalent of 18 million people in Southern California. The public has until 5:00 Friday February 19, 2010, to protest these contract renewals. ?The law and common sense are being discarded in a Mad Hatter?s rush to give away vast quantities of taxpayer subsidized water to special interests that will hasten the environmental collapse of one of the great estuaries of the world? said Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance ?These 350 corporate irrigators are ready to take big drink while cities, salmon and farmers in the rest of the state are being asked to conserve, said Steve Evans, Conservation Director for Friends of the River. ?Based on an outdated and exaggerated Water Needs Analysis by the Bureau of Reclamation, Westlands is trying to lock up an amount of water that far exceeds recent water deliveries?, stated Carolee Krieger with the California Water Impact Network. Citing changes on the ground, in law and a failure to adequately address long term toxins coming from these fields along with the failure of the Bureau of Reclamation to reckon with the reality of scarce water supplies, the groups filed comments today asking the contracts be tossed out and the process started over. ?These contracts are suppose to take a back seat to the needs of Native American Tribes, the salmon fishery, our natural ecological health, and people,? declared Mark Franco, Headman Winnemem Tribe. ?But instead these 350 operations are locking up more than their fair share and we pay for it.? ?Public trust assets have been trashed, salmon have been lost, fishermen are out of work and the taxpayers are paying for the water delivered to these land barons whose irrigation is sending toxic selenium into our rivers and streams,? explained Felix Smith, Save the American Rivers Association. Many of the groups signing this letter have already filed a lawsuit against Westlands in Fresno County Superior Court. They are challenging the Westlands? contention that the contracts are exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 19 12:54:44 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:54:44 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 2 19 10 10:34 AM Message-ID: <006201cab1a5$c504b260$4f0e1720$@net> Feinstein may drop Valley water plan She responds to 11 upset West Coast Dems. Posted at 10:34 PM on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 WASHINGTON -- Facing objections from a dozen West Coast lawmakers, Sen. Dianne By Michael Doyle / Bee Washington Bureau Feinstein said Thursday that she might drop her controversial bid to direct more water to San Joaquin Valley farmers if the Interior Department takes action on its own. "If there can be some administrative action taken to take advantage of the recent bountiful rain and snow and provide reasonable water supplies this year, the legislation may not be necessary," she wrote to one of the lawmakers late Thursday, adding that she will "remain open to ideas" offered by other Democrats. Feinstein's suggestion could disappoint water-starved west-side Valley farmers, who were hoping her proposed legislation would override federal water delivery decisions. But Westlands Water District spokeswoman Sarah Woolf remained optimistic that Feinstein will keep pressing for more farm water. "I don't take that to mean her efforts won't continue. I don't think she's backing away," Woolf said. Citing potential dangers both to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and West Coast salmon industry, 11 lawmakers from California, Oregon and Washington on Thursday wrote Feinstein, bluntly urging her to withdraw her controversial water proposal. "I think it's a massive miscalculation," Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, said in an interview. "It's destructive, both environmentally and politically." The objections raised by Miller and his House of Representatives colleagues mirror warnings by California salmon fishermen and environmentalists. The congressional objections carry special weight, though, because they hinder Feinstein's ability to accomplish her goal. The escalating fight pits region against region, and some of California's most influential politicians against one another. It's already splitting fragile alliances among California water users, who in recent years have inched toward comity. On Thursday, Fresno-area Rep. Jim Costa -- a supporter of Feinstein's water legislation -- retorted that other Democrats are being "entirely insensitive and crass" in their attitude toward San Joaquin Valley residents. The Democrats opposed to delivering more irrigation water want the Valley to "dry up and blow away," Costa added. With the support of farm organizations like Westlands, Feinstein wants Congress to partially override two "biological opinions" that protect endangered species and govern water deliveries. Feinstein's proposal would boost irrigation deliveries to west-side farms to 40% or so of the farms' contractual allocation. Last year, drought and environmental restrictions meant some farmers received only 10% of their allocations. Feinstein has cited the San Joaquin Valley's "unprecedented economic crisis" and her desire to "simply allow San Joaquin Valley farmers to plant, hire and harvest." It's unclear whether Feinstein fully anticipated the uproar that's resulted. Feinstein's move "seriously jeopardizes" existing water coalitions and relations among colleagues, Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Creek, said Thursday. Miller said Congress should await a National Research Council study on the biological opinions, due in March. The scientific review was originally undertaken at Feinstein's behest. The congressional lineup opposing Feinstein is hefty enough to call into question Feinstein's ability to overcome it. Miller is one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's key lieutenants, and a former chairman of what's now called the House Natural Resources Committee. Another lawmaker unhappy with Feinstein, Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington, chairs the powerful House subcommittee responsible for the Interior Department's budget. The chairwoman of the House water and power subcommittee, Rep. Grace Napolitano, DSanta Fe Springs, has previously objected to Feinstein's efforts. On past water issues, Feinstein has traditionally combined the role of facilitator and enforcer: getting all parties into a room and making sure they cut a deal. With the new water amendment, she explicitly allied herself with farm interests. "Your draft amendment is inconsistent with your record of pursuing compromise solutions to environmental conflicts," the new letter to Feinstein states. The 11 lawmakers further warn Feinstein that her plan would "drive California's and much of Oregon's salmon to extinction" and threaten "thousands of jobs." Feinstein's draft water amendment includes an unspecified amount of funding to assist salmon fishermen. She has suggested adding the water the water delivery amendment to a Senate jobs bill, which could be considered as early as next week. BEE STAFF WRITER PAULA LLOYD CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT. THE REPORTER CAN BE REACHED ATMDOYLE at MCCLATCHYDC.COM OR (202) 383-0006. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 19 13:57:40 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:57:40 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Feinstein's Attempt for ESA Waiver Message-ID: <003001cab1ae$8f94a5f0$aebdf1d0$@net> If you'd like to see the letter sent by the eleven members of the House to Feinstein yesterday, here's it is. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: House letter 2-18-10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 1166913 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Feb 21 12:05:47 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:05:47 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Letter to Editor SF Chron 2 21 10 Message-ID: <24F6A8C42CB841D78B0A9F4E07978FD8@ByronsLaptop> This is a very good letter. The picture is of Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Association. Letters to the editor Sunday, February 21, 2010 Images View Larger Image _____ Letters to the Editor Re: The article in Insight "Fish or Farms" on Feb. 14. I hope it doesn't come down to one or the other, but if I had to choose, it'd be salmon all the way. I can grow vegetables and fruits in my backyard, but I can't grow salmon. The farmers may come and go, but once salmon is extinct, it is gone forever. I don't think future generations could ever forgive us if we let that happen. I sympathize with the farmers and hope there is a way to support them too, but the priority has got to be healthy salmon. The loss of this species would cause untold damage up and down the food chain, and fishermen are as important as farmers. But the real priority must be saving the wild salmon, the fisheries along with them; then we can save the farmers. ANNE PETERSEN, Sonoma Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 15695 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ema.berol at yahoo.com Mon Feb 22 07:51:05 2010 From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emelia Berol) Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:51:05 -0800 (PST) Subject: [env-trinity] Letter to Editor SF Chron 2 21 10 In-Reply-To: <24F6A8C42CB841D78B0A9F4E07978FD8@ByronsLaptop> References: <24F6A8C42CB841D78B0A9F4E07978FD8@ByronsLaptop> Message-ID: <989315.45387.qm@web46213.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> HURRAY! YAY! it's about time someone put it in writing, and I'm sorry I have never written such a letter, because I say it all the time (but not as nicely as this lady did) ... just about any fool can grow lettuce, but only Mother Nature can make wild Salmon happen, if we would only get out of the way. ________________________________ From: Byron Leydecker To: FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Sun, February 21, 2010 12:05:47 PM Subject: [env-trinity] Letter to Editor SF Chron 2 21 10 This is a very good letter. The picture is of Larry Collins, president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Association. Letters to the editor Sunday, February 21, 2010 Images View Larger Image ________________________________ Letters to the Editor Re: The article in Insight "Fish or Farms" on Feb. 14. I hope it doesn't come down to one or the other, but if I had to choose, it'd be salmon all the way. I can grow vegetables and fruits in my backyard, but I can't grow salmon. The farmers may come and go, but once salmon is extinct, it is gone forever. I don't think future generations could ever forgive us if we let that happen. I sympathize with the farmers and hope there is a way to support them too, but the priority has got to be healthy salmon. The loss of this species would cause untold damage up and down the food chain, and fishermen are as important as farmers. But the real priority must be saving the wild salmon, the fisheries along with them; then we can save the farmers. ANNE PETERSEN, Sonoma Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org(Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 15695 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Feb 22 09:45:26 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:45:26 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] USF&WS Director's Death Message-ID: <031b01cab3e6$d2446c70$76cd4550$@net> DOI News Secretary Salazar Statement on the Passing of Fish and Wildlife Director Sam Hamilton 02/20/2010 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released the following statement on the passing of Sam Hamilton, the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service: "The Interior Department family has suffered a great loss with the passing of Sam Hamilton. Sam was a friend, a visionary, and a professional whose years of service and passionate dedication to his work have left an indelible mark on the lands and wildlife we cherish. His forward-thinking approach to conservation - including his view that we must think beyond boundaries at the landscape-scale- will continue to shape our nation's stewardship for years to come. My heart goes out to Sam's family, friends, and colleagues as we remember a remarkable leader and a compassionate, wise, and eternally optimistic man." Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Thomas Strickland released the following statement: "We are all saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague Sam Hamilton. A dedicated Fish and Wildlife Service employee for more than 30 years, Sam brought more than just a wealth of experience to the job, he brought courage and outstanding leadership. The Department of the Interior will miss him greatly." Sam is survived by his wife Becky, his sons Sam Jr. and Clay and a grandson, Davis all of Atlanta, GA. Bio of Sam Hamilton: On September 1, 2009, Sam D. Hamilton was sworn-in as the 15th Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the nation's principal Federal agency dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats. Hamilton brings to the position over 30 years of experience with the Service, beginning when he was 15 years old working as a Youth Conservation Corps member on the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi. Prior to his appointment as Director, he served as Regional Director of the agency's Southeast Region in Atlanta, Georgia. As head of the Southeast Region, made up of ten states and Caribbean, he provided oversight and management of a $484 million budget and a 1,500-person work-force dedicated to protecting more than 350 federally listed threatened and endangered species and operating 128 national wildlife refuges. Throughout his career, Hamilton has exhibited outstanding leadership and has fostered creative and innovative solutions to the challenges facing wildlife conservation. In the Southeast Region, he supported efforts leading to the establishment of a carbon sequestration program that has helped biologists to restore roughly 80,000 acres of wildlife habitat. His emphasis on partnership activities has bolstered the Service's fisheries program and helped establish the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership to restore vital aquatic habitats across the region. Hamilton provided key leadership and oversight to the Interior Department's restoration work in the Everglades, the nation's fabled "River of Grass", and the largest ecosystem restoration project in the country. He oversaw the extensive recovery and restoration efforts required following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated coastal wetlands, wildlife refuges, and other wildlife habitat areas along the Gulf of Mexico. Hamilton remained a strong advocate for the National Wildlife Refuge System, comprised of 550 units and encompassing 150 million acres of protected habitat. Throughout his career he supported the expansion of existing refuges and the addition of new refuges as an essential step in providing for America's wildlife heritage. Earlier in his career, Hamilton served as Assistant Regional Director of Ecological Services in Atlanta and as the Service's Texas State Administrator in Austin. Hamilton graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1977. Sam strongly believed no single entity, whether Federal, State, or private, can ensure the sustainability of the nation's fish and wildlife resources working independently, and continues to work toward building collaborative partnerships that allow for the development of ideas and solutions that are greater than any one entity, working on its own, can accomplish. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Feb 23 11:01:10 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:01:10 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Redding Record Searchlight 2 13 10 Message-ID: <045801cab4ba$90f56b00$b2e04100$@net> Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority sues feds over water allocations Redding Record Searchlight-2/13/10 By Dylan Darling A north state water irrigation canal operator is suing the federal government, saying it's violating the law by sending water south without first fully supplying agriculture here. "Those were the promises when the Central Valley Project and Shasta Dam were first contemplated," said Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority. "Now, in a time of scarcity, those promises have not been honored." The canal authority filed suit earlier this month against the Bureau of Reclamation, claiming it is operating the Central Valley Project in violation of U.S. and state law. Supplying 150,000 acres in Tehama, Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties, the canal authority is on contract with the reclamation bureau to receive 320,000 acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is enough water to flood one acre of land a foot deep. In recent years, the bureau cut deliveries to the canal authority while still sending CVP water down the Sacramento River to agricultural land in the lower sections of the project, Sutton said. In 2008, he said, the bureau gave the canal authority 40 percent of its allotment. The canal authority is not seeking any money in the lawsuit, Sutton said, but aims to receive a court order forcing the bureau to supply water as outlined under its contracts. The Central Valley Project stretches 500 miles from Lake Shasta to Bakersfield. The bulk of the water for the CVP is collected at Lake Shasta. The 140-mile-long Tehama-Colusa Canal starts at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam and supplies 16 water districts. Bureau officials did not have any comment on the lawsuit, said Lynnette Wirth, a bureau spokeswoman in Sacramento. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From erobinson at kmtg.com Tue Feb 23 16:58:04 2010 From: erobinson at kmtg.com (Robinson, Eric) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:58:04 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Redding Record Searchlight 2 13 10 In-Reply-To: <045801cab4ba$90f56b00$b2e04100$@net> References: <045801cab4ba$90f56b00$b2e04100$@net> Message-ID: <44769DDD2CF0CC48BA74D1681D8C7FEE0A7BDFEC@mail.kmtg.kmtgnt.com> The Central Valley Project diverts Trinity River water to the Sacramento River above the TCCA irrigators' intake at Red Bluff. Their "area-of-origin" claims reach up into the Trinity River. ________________________________ From: env-trinity-bounces+erobinson=kmtg.com at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces+erobinson=kmtg.com at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.u s] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 11:01 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Redding Record Searchlight 2 13 10 Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority sues feds over water allocations Redding Record Searchlight-2/13/10 By Dylan Darling A north state water irrigation canal operator is suing the federal government, saying it's violating the law by sending water south without first fully supplying agriculture here. "Those were the promises when the Central Valley Project and Shasta Dam were first contemplated," said Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority. "Now, in a time of scarcity, those promises have not been honored." The canal authority filed suit earlier this month against the Bureau of Reclamation, claiming it is operating the Central Valley Project in violation of U.S. and state law. Supplying 150,000 acres in Tehama, Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties, the canal authority is on contract with the reclamation bureau to receive 320,000 acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is enough water to flood one acre of land a foot deep. In recent years, the bureau cut deliveries to the canal authority while still sending CVP water down the Sacramento River to agricultural land in the lower sections of the project, Sutton said. In 2008, he said, the bureau gave the canal authority 40 percent of its allotment. The canal authority is not seeking any money in the lawsuit, Sutton said, but aims to receive a court order forcing the bureau to supply water as outlined under its contracts. The Central Valley Project stretches 500 miles from Lake Shasta to Bakersfield. The bulk of the water for the CVP is collected at Lake Shasta. The 140-mile-long Tehama-Colusa Canal starts at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam and supplies 16 water districts. Bureau officials did not have any comment on the lawsuit, said Lynnette Wirth, a bureau spokeswoman in Sacramento. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From truman at jeffnet.org Tue Feb 23 17:12:19 2010 From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:12:19 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Redding Record Searchlight 2 13 10 References: <045801cab4ba$90f56b00$b2e04100$@net> <44769DDD2CF0CC48BA74D1681D8C7FEE0A7BDFEC@mail.kmtg.kmtgnt.com> Message-ID: <3AA093C451424BB99E48020749E39F6E@HAL> Yup, and we want our water back, or $3 (?) an acre foot... ----- Original Message ----- From: Robinson, Eric To: Byron Leydecker ; FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 4:58 PM Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Redding Record Searchlight 2 13 10 The Central Valley Project diverts Trinity River water to the Sacramento River above the TCCA irrigators' intake at Red Bluff. Their "area-of-origin" claims reach up into the Trinity River. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: env-trinity-bounces+erobinson=kmtg.com at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces+erobinson=kmtg.com at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 11:01 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Redding Record Searchlight 2 13 10 Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority sues feds over water allocations Redding Record Searchlight-2/13/10 By Dylan Darling A north state water irrigation canal operator is suing the federal government, saying it's violating the law by sending water south without first fully supplying agriculture here. "Those were the promises when the Central Valley Project and Shasta Dam were first contemplated," said Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority. "Now, in a time of scarcity, those promises have not been honored." The canal authority filed suit earlier this month against the Bureau of Reclamation, claiming it is operating the Central Valley Project in violation of U.S. and state law. Supplying 150,000 acres in Tehama, Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties, the canal authority is on contract with the reclamation bureau to receive 320,000 acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is enough water to flood one acre of land a foot deep. In recent years, the bureau cut deliveries to the canal authority while still sending CVP water down the Sacramento River to agricultural land in the lower sections of the project, Sutton said. In 2008, he said, the bureau gave the canal authority 40 percent of its allotment. The canal authority is not seeking any money in the lawsuit, Sutton said, but aims to receive a court order forcing the bureau to supply water as outlined under its contracts. The Central Valley Project stretches 500 miles from Lake Shasta to Bakersfield. The bulk of the water for the CVP is collected at Lake Shasta. The 140-mile-long Tehama-Colusa Canal starts at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam and supplies 16 water districts. Bureau officials did not have any comment on the lawsuit, said Lynnette Wirth, a bureau spokeswoman in Sacramento. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 24 12:33:33 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:33:33 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 2 24 10 Message-ID: <0DC71C02562D44F3BB7F28765A8AFC34@ByronsLaptop> http://www.sacbee.com/2010/02/24/2561645/key-san-joaquin-water-district.html #mi_rss=Latest%20News &v=twitter Key San Joaquin water district quits statewide association mweiser at sacbee.com Published Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010 Westlands Water District, the powerful farm irrigation agency in the San Joaquin Valley, has quit its membership in a leading statewide water association. Spokeswoman Sarah Woolf said Westlands quit the Association of California Water Agencies because of budget priorities. She denied rumors the split was related to a policy disagreement. Wetlands' ACWA membership cost about $19,000 a year, Woolf said. Westlands, the nation's largest farm irrigation district, is engaged in several high-profile lawsuits against wildlife protections in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It is choosing to focus on those efforts, Woolf said. "We just have to be very strategic on where we put our resources right now," she said. "We are in a lot of court cases, and that's not cheap." ACWA is the nation's largest coalition of public water agencies, representing about 90 percent of all the water delivered to California cities and farms. Perhaps because of this broader responsibility, it has struck a more cooperative posture toward environmental groups and regulators. C Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved. Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Feb 24 12:43:17 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:43:17 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Ledger Dispatch 2 19 10 Message-ID: <4465913612FC440E95919896A140DD48@ByronsLaptop> Lengthy, but worth having, including comments and quotes from laws following story State suction-dredging quarrel sourced in Siskiyou mining stretch Friday, February 19, 2010 By Roger Phelps A years'-long tangle of actions led up to Amador County's recent request to make suction dredging for gold legal in California again. Both a court injunction and legislation currently bar the practice. On Jan. 26, many local miners urged Amador supervisors to request re-legalization by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. They argued that suction-dredge mining is a right that can't legally be taken away by either courts or legislators. However, battles in court did influence the sweeping state ban that exist now. To protect isolated dredge-mining operations in Siskiyou County, the New 49ers Inc. argued in court that a draft agreement was illegal that would have banned suction dredging in some, but not all, American Indian salmon fishing grounds on the Klamath River. The New 49ers won, but the victory has come back to haunt both the group and miners around the state. "They did shoot themselves in their own feet," said Glen Spain, regional director of conservation group Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen. In May 2005, the Karuk Tribe, salmon fishers on the Klamath River, sued the state Department of Fish and Game. The suit charged that the agency must be required to review local dredge-mine permitting conditions in light of the 1997 listing as "threatened" of the Klamath coho salmon under the federal Endangered Species Act. The New 49ers took the Karuk lawsuit personally. They got wind that Fish and Game and the Karuks were crafting a settlement to ban suction dredging in many creeks tributary to the Klamath - but for the most part not in the heavily gold-bearing, vehicle-accessible river canyon. In December 2005, New 49ers lawyers filed a motion to intervene in the Karuk v. Fish and Game suit. "This action not only threatens substantially to interfere with their productive use of these property rights, but also to destroy their statutory and regulatory rights of participation - and those of all other interested parties - in the public decision-making process under the California Environmental Quality Act and Administrative Procedure Act," the motion argued. It was granted in January 2006, stalling the DFG-Karuk settlement agreement. McCracken wrote, "Incredible how fast we organized to get competent attorneys representing our interests in this situation. We should acknowledge ourselves for doing good in this so far. But it's not over yet." Five months later, The New 49ers won the legal ruling they sought. Judge Bonnie Sabraw held that the DFG-Karuk agreement would effectively "promulgate new regulations on suction dredging (without observing) requirements of CEQA and APA." So, the possibility for merely a limited ban on suction dredging - in just a single, isolated area - went away. Craig Tucker, spokesman for the Karuk Tribe, said despite the miners' victory, he believed they used bad judgment in entering the court fight between the tribe and the state. "These guys fight tooth and nail if you're asking for an inch," Tucker said. "So, (fishery advocates) said, 'Well, go for a full ban.' Local miners keep saying they're going to file based on the (federal) Mining Law of 1872. If they lose, they're going to screw all the miners in the country." An employee named Joy at The New 49ers would not say whether she believed The New 49ers' court action had opened the door for the state ban. "You'd have to ask Dave (McCracken) that," she said. McCracken, she said, is on extended business travel to Cambodia. Following the miners' 2006 legal victory over Fish and Game's procedure, remaining were both the underlying issue - whether suction dredging did or didn't harm spawning habitat for a federally protected species - and the likelihood that clever attorneys would continue to craft persuasive arguments around it. In February 2009, the Karuks and conservation groups sued Fish and Game for "using taxpayer dollars to fund an illegal recreational gold-mining program." Plaintiffs alleged the state spent $1.25 million more per year on the suction-dredge permit program than it receives in permit fees. In June 2009, the non-profit Klamath Riverkeeper filed for an injunction, which was granted in July, preventing Fish and Game from spending General Fund money to issue suction-dredging permits. Related state legislation, Senate Bill 670, bans suction dredging statewide until Fish and Game completes an environmental review of the practice. _____ Roger Phelps COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE Fishing Kills Fish just an FYI fishing kills fish not dredges. - J (2/22/2010 7:40:18 PM) READ THIS General Mining Laws (30 USC ? 22 et., seq) Grant the following rights to valid unpatented mining claim owners. "Lands open to purchase by citizens: Except as otherwise provided, all valuable mineral deposits in lands belonging to the United States, ...shall be free and open to exploration and purchase, and the lands in which they are found to occupation and purchase, by citizens of the United States ... under regulations prescribed by law, and according to the local customs or rules of miners in the several mining districts [States], so far as the same are applicable and not inconsistent with the laws of the United States". 30 USC ? 22. "Under the mining laws a person has a statutory right, consistent with Departmental regulations, to go upon the open (unappropriated and unreserved) Federal lands for the purpose of mineral prospecting, exploration, development, extraction and other uses reasonably incident thereto." (See 30 U.S.C. ? 21-54, 43 C.F.R. ? 3809.3-3, 0-6). The discovery of a valuable mineral deposit within its limits validates a mining claim located on public land in conformance with the statute and its locator acquires an exclusive possessory interest (valid existing private property rights) in the claim; a form of real property which can be sold, transferred, mortgaged, or inherited, without infringing the paramount title of the United States. 30 U.S.C. ? 26; Cole v. Ralph, 252 U.S. 286, 295 (1920); Forbes v. Gracey, 94 U.S. 762, 767 (1877). The claimant has the exclusive right to possession and enjoyment of all the surface included within the lines of the locations, but the United States retains title to the land. 30 U.S.C. ? 26, 35; Union Oil Co. of California v. Smith, 249 U.S. 337, 349 (1919); Wilbur v. U.S. ex rel. Krushnic, 1930, 50 S.Ct. 103, 280 U.S. 306, 74 L.Ed. 445; California Coastal Comm'n v. Granite Rock Co., 480 U.S. 572, 575, 107 S.Ct. 1419, 1422, 94 L.Ed. 2d 577 (1987); Swanson v. Babbitt, 3 F.3d 1348, 1350 (9th Cir. 1993). 30 U.S.C. ? 26 addresses the "locators' rights of possession and enjoyment" as follows: "The locators of all mining locations on the public domain so long as they comply with the laws of the United States, and with State and local regulations not in conflict with the laws of the United States governing their possessory title, shall have the exclusive right of possession and enjoyment of all the surface included within the lines of their locations." There is no question that reasonable access to a valid mining claim cannot be denied. 36 C.F.R. ? 228.12; see United States v. James and Marjorie Collard, 128 IBLA 266, 291 (1994). 16 U.S.C. ? 481, Use of Waters: All waters within boundaries of national forests may be used for domestic, mining, milling, or irrigation purposes under the laws of the state wherein such national forests are situated or under the laws of the United States and the rules and regulations established thereunder. Valid federal mining claims are "private property" Freese v. United States, 639 F.2d 754, 757, 226 Ct.Cl. 252 cert. denied, 454 U.S. 827, 102 S.Ct. 119, 70 L.Ed.2d 103 (1981); Oil Shale Corp. v. Morton, 370 F.Supp. 108, 124 (D.Colo. 1973). This possessory interest entitles the claimant to "the right to extract all minerals from the claim without paying royalties to the United States." Swanson v. Babbitt, 3 F.3d 1348, 1350 (9th Cir. 1993). A locator has the right of possession against all intruders and the right to protect his possession and to work the land for valuable minerals. Miller v. Chrisman, 140 Cal. 440, 447, 73 Pac. 1083, 74 Pac. 444, 98 Am. St. Rep. 63 (case affirmed 197 U.S. 313, 25 Sup. Ct. 468; Weed v. Snook, ubi supra; Merced Oil Mining Co. v. Patterson, 153 Cal. 624, 625, 96 Pac. 90; s. c., 162 Cal. 358, 361, 122 Pac. 950; McLemore v. Express Oil Co., 158 Cal. 559, 562, 112 Pac. 59, 139 Am. St. Rep. 147., Garthe v. Hart, 73 Cal. 541. The term "vested mining right" includes both a right established by use, as well as a right established by permit. (See; TransOceanic Oil Corporation v. Santa Barbara (1948) 85 Cal.App.2d 776; Avco Community Developers, Inc. v. South Coast Regional Comm'n. (1976) 17 Cal.3d 785, 790 "A permit becomes a vested property right where the permittee has incurred substantial liabilities and performed substantial work in reliance on the permit"; Goat Hill Tavern v. City of Costa Mesa (1992) 6 Cal.App.4th 1519; Hansen Bros. Enterprises v. Board of Supervisors of Nevada County (1996) 12 Cal.4th 533 ("Hansen").) The holder of a claim supported by a discovery need not seek patent; his unpatented mining claim remains a fully recognized possessory right. 30 U.S.C. ? 39; United States v. Locke, 471 U.S. 84, 86 (1985). If a discovery of a "valuable mineral deposit" is made, the claim can be held indefinitely so long as the annual assessment work is performed, the necessary filings are made, fees are paid, and a valuable mineral deposit continues to exist. See Best v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co., 371 U.S. 334, 336, 83 S.Ct. 379, 382, 9 L.Ed. 2d 350 (1963). Even though title to the fee estate remains in the United States, these unpatented mining claims are themselves property protected by the Fifth Amendment against uncompensated takings. See Best v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co., 371 U.S. 334 (1963); cf. Forbes v. Gracey, 94 U.S. 762, 766 (1876); U.S.C.A.Const. Amend. 5; North American Transportation & Trading Co. v. U.S., 1918, 53 Ct.Cl. 424, affirmed 40 S.Ct. 518, 253 U.S. 330; United States v. Locke, 471 U.S. 84, 107, 105 S.Ct. 1785, 1799, 85 L.Ed. 2d 64 (1985); Freese v. United States, 639 F.2d 754, 757, 226 Ct.Cl. 252, cert. denied, 454 U.S. 827, 102 S.Ct. 119, 70 L.Ed. 2d 103 (1981); Rybachek v. United States, 23 Cl.Ct. 222 (1991). Such an interest may be asserted against the United States as well as against third parties (see Best v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co., 371 U.S. 334, 336 (1963); Gwillim v. Donnellan, 115 U.S. 45, 50 (1885)) and may not be taken from the claimant ... without due compensation. See United States v. North American Transportation & Trading Co., 253 U.S. 330 (1920); cf. Best v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co. "Uncompensated divestment" of a valid unpatented mining claim would violate the Constitution. Freese v. United States, 639 F.2d 754, 757, 226 Ct.Cl. 252, cert. denied, 454 U.S. 827, 102 S.Ct. 119, 70 L.Ed. 2d 103 (1981). A valid location, though unpatented, is a grant in the nature of an estate in fee and if such an estate is taken by the United States, just compensation must be made. See U.S.C.A. Const. Amend. 5, North American Transportation & Trading Co. v. U.S., 1918, 53 Ct.Cl. 424, affirmed 40 S.Ct. 518, 253 U.S. 330. ______________________________ On September 9, 1850, Congress passed an Act for the Admission of California into the Union. 31 Cong. Ch. 50, September 9, 1850, 9 Stat. 452. In critical part, that Act states as follows: Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the said State of California is admitted into the Union upon the express condition that the people of said State, through their legislature or otherwise, shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the public lands within its limits, and shall pass no law and do no act whereby the title of the United States to, and right to dispose of, the same shall be impaired or questioned. As such, Congress clearly abrogated, and California forever expressly conceded all rights to control the disposition of how the federal government disposes of federal public domain lands within its boundaries. Provisions of SB 670 prohibit all suction dredge gold mining statewide in California, for an indefinite period of time. As such, SB 670 suction dredging gold mining ban is an unlawful constraint on mining claim owners use of federal public domain in California. As it clearly conflicts with the federal mandate that states cannot pass law or regulation "inconsistent" with, or that "impairs" 30 USC ? 22. _____________ The application of the General Mining Law to national forests was specifically affirmed by Congress in the Organic Act, which makes the national forests "subject to entry under the existing mining law of the United States and the rules and regulations applying thereto." 16 U.S.C. ? 482; see Wilderness Soc'y v. Dombeck,168 F.3d 367, 374 (9th Cir. 1999). The Organic Act also allows the Secretary of Agriculture to make rules regulating the "occupancy and use [of National Forest land]n" 16 U.S.C. ? 551. Nothing in the Organic Act, however, "shall be construed as prohibiting . . . any person from entering upon such national forests for all proper and lawful purposes, including that of prospecting, locating, and developing the mineral resources thereof." 16 U.S.C. ? 478. While the Secretary of Agriculture may reasonably regulate mining on National Forest land to protect surface resources, the authority to manage the mineral estate on all federal land is vested in the Secretary of the Interior. See 16 U.S.C. ? 472 (transferring power from Secretary of the Interior to make laws regarding National Forest reserves, but "excepting such laws as affect" the prospecting and entering of such lands); see also Best v. Humboldt Placer Mining Co., 371 U.S. 334, 336 (1963) Additionally, while the Mining of Act of 1872 originally expressed no legislative intent, Congress declared its intent to retain and manage the surface resources of located unpatented mining claims when it passed the Multiple Use Mining Act. California Coastal, 480 U.S. at 582. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for managing the mineral resources on federal lands and the USFS (under the Secretary of Agriculture) is responsible for the management of surface impacts of mining on federal lands. Id at 585. Both FLPMA and the National Forest Management Act pre-empt the "extension of state land plans onto unpatented mining claims in national forest lands." Id The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701-1782), requires the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior to develop and implement land use plans for the various public lands. This Act specifically gives the Secretary of the Interior the discretion to preempt state and local land use plans if they are inconsistent with the federal development scheme. 43 U.S.C. 1712(c)(9). The policies contained in FLPMA explicitly state that the management, protection, disposition and disposal/withdrawal of federal lands is vested in the federal government and not with the state. In short, a state cannot dictate to the federal government, or a federal agency what specific land uses are or are not allowed on federal lands. The SB 670 suction dredge gold mining prohibition on valid mining claims, on federal public domain lands, also clearly conflict with other major federal mandates. Including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), 43 U.S.C. ?1701 et seq. FLPMA 43 U. S. C. ? 1702. Definitions (e) The term "public lands" means any land and interest in land owned by the United States within the several States ... without regard to how the United States acquired ownership. (j) The term "withdrawal" means withholding an area of Federal land from settlement, sale, location, or entry, under some or all of the general land laws, for the purpose of limiting activities under those laws in order to maintain other public values in the area or reserving the area for a particular public purpose or program; FLPMA 43 U.S.C. ?1712 (e) (3) Withdrawals made pursuant to section 204 of this Act [43 USCS Sec. 1714] may be used in carrying out management decisions, but public lands shall be removed from or restored to the operation of the Mining Law of 1872, . . . only by withdrawal action pursuant to section 204 [43 USCS Sec. 1714] or other action pursuant to applicable law: FLPMA 43 U.S.C. ? 1732(b)... "no provision of this section or any other section of this Act shall in any way amend the Mining Law of 1872 or impair the rights of any locators or claims under that Act, including, but not limited to, rights of ingress and egress". FLPMA ? 302(b). Less than 5,000 acres of federal public domain lands may only be withdrawn from entry, occupation and use under The General Mining Laws by the Secretary of Interior. More than 5,000 acres can only be withdrawn with the explicit consent of Congress pursuit to provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), 43 U.S.C. ?1701 et seq. Provisions of SB 670 not only "limit" mining activity on federal public domain lands, they expressly prohibit such activities. As such, SB 670 mining prohibitions constitute a "withdrawal" pursuant to FLMPA. The point being, only the Secretary of the Interior, or Congress may make such withdrawals. Clearly, no state has any authority make federal public domain land withdrawals. Public land under the ownership of the United States. "The power over the disposition of such land and the minerals contained therein is in Congress and not in the states". (McLemore v. Express Oil Co. (1910) 158 Cal. 559, 562; Moore v. Smaw (1861) 17 Cal. 199, 218-219.) A regulation (a de facto closure) which removes [public domain lands] from its prior use, or from mineral entry, is a withdrawal within the meaning of the Federal Land Planning and Management Act of 1976, (FLPMA). It "operates to remove lands from public use" and, as such, constitutes a "withdrawal" subject to FLPMA. (Mountain States Legal Foundation v. Andrus, (D.C. (Wyo.) 1980) 499 F.Supp. 383; FLPMA ?204(c); 43 USCA ?1714(c); FLPMA ?103(j); 43 USCA ?1702(j).) State jurisdiction over federal land "does not extend to any matter that is not consistent with full power in the United States to protect its lands, to control their use and to prescribe in what manner others may acquire rights in them." Utah Power, 243 U.S. at 404. If Congress so chooses, federal legislation, together with the policies and objectives encompassed therein, necessarily override and preempt conflicting state laws, policies, and objectives under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, U.S. Const. art. VI, cl. 2. See Kleppe, 426 U.S. at 543 ("'A different rule would place the public domain of the United States completely at the mercy of [the State]'" (quoting Camfield v. United States, 167 U.S. 518, 526 (1897)). When a State through its entities or officials voluntarily elects to participate in a federal program knowing that a consequence of participation is a waiver of immunity from suit, the State's waiver of immunity is just as much an "intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege" (College Sav., 527 U.S. at 682) as a waiver that is expressly embodied in state law. Congress has authority under the Constitution to condition state access to a federal program or benefit on a waiver of the State's immunity from suit, federal law determines the consequences of the State's voluntary actions, and any state effort to negate that condition through reliance on state law would be preempted by the Supremacy Clause. Lawrence County v. Lead-Deadwood Sch. Dist. No. 40-1, 469 U.S. 256, 257-258 (1985) A State may not simultaneously accept the benefits of a federal program and fail to comply with the conditions upon which those benefits are extended. Townsend v. Swank, 404 U.S. 282, 286 (1971) (state rule that conflicts with the conditions on which federal funds are offered is "invalid under the Supremacy Clause"). It is absolutely established that a valid unpatented placer mining claim is in fact a Statutory Federal Grant of "private property" derived from 30 U.S.C. ? 21-54. All unpatented placer mining claims situated in California are on federally owned lands, under jurisdiction of the USFS, or BLM. Otherwise none would exist, as federal land is the only place an unpatented mining claim can be initiated, and held. As long as the Federal government retains title, the federal interest in providing free access to its own land in order to promote mining is sufficient to preempt any state law that fundamentally bans such use. Thus under standard preemption analysis any state legislation, or regulation that conflicts with this overriding federal , must fail. Under the Supremacy Clause, any state law that conflicts with a federal law is preempted. Gibbons v. Ogden, 22 U.S. 1 (1824). Any state legislation which frustrates the full effectiveness of federal law is rendered invalid by the Supremacy Clause" regardless of the underlying purpose of its enactors, Perez v. Campbell, 402 U.S. 637, 651-52, 91 S.Ct. 1704, 29 L.Ed.2d 233 (1971). A conflict exists if a party cannot comply with both state law and federal law. In addition, even in the absence of a direct conflict between state and federal law, a conflict exists if the state law is an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress. Crosby v. Nat'l Foreign Trade Council, 530 U.S. 363, 372-73 (2000). In determining whether a state law is a sufficient obstacle, the courts examine the federal statute as a whole and identify its purpose and intended effects and then determine the impact of the challenged law on congressional intent. State law can be pre-empted in either of two general ways. If Congress evidences an intent to occupy a given field, any state law falling within that field is pre-empted. If Congress has not entirely displaced state regulation over the matter in question, state law is still pre-empted to the extent it actually conflicts with federal law, that is, when it is impossible to comply with both state and federal law, or where the state law stands as an obstacle to the accomplishment of the full purposes and objectives of Congress. California Coastal Comm'n v. Granite Rock Co., 480 U.S. 572, 581 (1987) State regulations are permissible on federal lands only to the extent they are not inconsistent with or in conflict with the United States. Brubaker v. Board of County Comm 'rs, El Paso County, 652 P.2d 1050, 1058 (Colo. 1982). However, not all state regulation of mining claims is permissible, and state laws prohibiting activities authorized under federal mining laws are not permissible. South Dakota Mining Ass 'n v. Lawrence County, 977 F.Supp 1396, 1403 (D.S.D. 1997). Small scale suction dredging is the primary exploration, and production method for recovering placer gold on valid placer mining claims over federal public domain lands, open to mineral entry under the General Mining Laws (30 USC ? 22 et., seq). The vast majority of all small scale suction dredge gold mining in California takes place on unpatented, or patented mining claims situated on or within federal public domain lands. With only rare exception, small scale suction dredging is the only viable environmentally friendly means that ordinary men have to economically benefit from right to mine (private property rights) granted to them under 30 USC ? 22. Indisputably, 30 USC ? 22 is a federal land [mining claim] disposal law, including a grant to the owner, the right to mine applicable minerals therein. ______________________________ California SB 670, effective August 6, 2009 SECTION 1. Section 5653.1 is added to the Fish and Game Code, to read: 5653.1. (a) The issuance of permits to operate vacuum or suction dredge equipment is a project pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code) and permits may only be issued, and vacuum or suction dredge mining may only occur as authorized by any existing permit, if the department has caused to be prepared, and certified the completion of, an environmental impact report for the project pursuant to the court order and consent judgment entered in the case of Karuk Tribe of California et al. v. California Department of Fish and Game et al., Alameda County Superior Court Case No. RG 05211597. (b) Notwithstanding Section 5653, the use of any vacuum or suction dredge equipment in any river, stream, or lake of this state is prohibited until the director certifies to the Secretary of State that all of the following have occurred: (1) The department has completed the environmental review of its existing suction dredge mining regulations, as ordered by the court in the case of Karuk Tribe of California et al. v. California Department of Fish and Game et al., Alameda County Superior Court Case No. RG 05211597. (2) The department has transmitted for filing with the Secretary of State pursuant to Section 11343 of the Government Code, a certified copy of new regulations adopted, as necessary, pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. (3) The new regulations described in paragraph (2) are operative. (c) The Legislature finds and declares that this section, as added during the 2009-10 Regular Session, applies solely to vacuum and suction dredging activities conducted for instream mining purposes. This section does not expand or provide new authority for the department to close or regulate suction dredging conducted for regular maintenance of energy or water supply management infrastructure, flood control, or navigational purposes governed by other state or federal law. (d) This section does not prohibit or restrict nonmotorized recreational mining activities, including panning for gold. _________________________________ 1. Plainly, in granting California statehood, Congress clearly abrogated, and California forever expressly conceded all rights to control the disposition of how the federal government manages, and disposes of federal public domain lands within its boundaries. 2. Unquestionably, the Federal General Mining Laws (30 USC ? 22 et., seq) open all applicable federal public domain lands to mineral entry, occupation, mining use as a statutory right expressly granted to U.S. citizens. 3. Indisputably, the Federal General Mining Laws (30 USC ? 22 ) mandate States regulatory authority is expressly limited to regulations "not inconsistent with the laws of the United States". 4. Irrefutably, by multiple express Acts of Congress the authority to manage the mineral estate and/or mining operations on all federal land is vested in the Secretary of the Interior (BLM) and/or in National Forests by the Secretary of Agriculture (USFS). 5. Incontrovertibly, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and the National Forest Management Act pre-empt the "extension of state land plans onto unpatented mining claims ." 6. Unmistakably, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act expressly precludes states from making any "withdrawal" of Federal public domain lands from application of the General Mining Law. As States have no authority to preempt Federal law. 7. Certainly, valid unpatented mining claims are 'private property", although such use is limited to mining, and uses reasonably incident thereto. 8. Clearly, all valid unpatented mining claims, and their viable economic use are fully protected from uncompensated "taking" by provision of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as well as Article 1, ? 19 of California's Constitution. ______________ Given the insurmountable magnitude of express Federal statutory protections granted by Federal law, regarding valid unpatented mining claims. As well as voluminous Supreme Court case law verifying those same protections, and fully validating associated mining rights. Without doubt, SB 670 will be struck down in Federal Court, as being in direct conflict with, and preempted by multiple provisions of overriding Federal law. ________________ Furthermore, SB 670 legislation contains NO "savings" or "severability" clause. As such, if any part of it is struck down, what remains is also. Meaning, all of SB 670 is void, as if it never existed. As a consequence of that, suction dredging in California would no longer be a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) "project". - Jim Aubert (2/21/2010 2:30:24 PM) KARUK TRIBE HAS NO FISHING RIGHTS Karuk Tribe does not have a federally-recognized or protected fishing right on the Klamath River, or anywhere else in California. This fact was confirmed by the Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs in a 1994 memorandum. The Associate Solicitor concluded that there was "no evidence that the Karuk's fishery is conducted pursuant to federally reserved Indian fishing rights." Memorandum from Michael J. Anderson to Bill Shake, Fish and Wildlife Service, March 7, 1994. The Associate Solicitor's review found no treaties, federal statutes or executive orders that would form the basis for a claim that the Karuk Tribe's fishery is based on federally-reserved rights, nor was any evidence found of an "historic reservation or trust lands set aside for fishery purposes." Land purchased and put into trust at Ishi Pishi does not qualify as establishment of reserved fishing rights. - Jim Aubert (2/21/2010 2:10:52 PM) Fair reporting What has happened to fair reporting in America? The only reason this ban is in place is because there is no such thing as fair reporting today. This is a one sided article trying to blame a group trying to defend itself against non stop attacks from an opponent. Mr. Phelps, you should be ashamed for printing such a biased article. This is nothing more than another attempt at the "divide and conquer" technique to pit miners against miners on the issue of the dredging ban. The article should have been titled "A few self serving individuals have been successful in getting dredging banned after over six years of non stop legal attacks" The article should have mentioned how they did this using scientific hypothesis, that had no unbiased scientific studies done to back up those hypothesis, to claim that it is possible that there "might be harm being done to protected species". That those hypothesis they put forth are in fact in total contradiction to the multiple unbiased studies that have already been done on suction dredging. That the conclusion of multiple studies done to date is that suction dredging as performed within the regulations CDF&G had already imposed on this industry resulted in an impact that was so small it can barely be measured. That by getting other environmental groups to support their cause, and by using the clout of Indian gaming revenue, where able to get a ban against this industry by the State legislature. That the current state ban has had an economic impact to this state in the hundred of millions of dollars, resulting in the failure of many businesses, both small and large, and that there are many people who relied on this industry to support and feed their families. That the opponents of dredging could have waited for the CDF&G EIR study to be completed to see if in fact there was harm being done, but rather chose themselves to keep up this non stop legal attack against this industry and create the financial harm this ban has caused. That this ban in fact has not helped any protected species, and in fact is allowing the spread of heavy metal pollution caused by others, both past and present, to be continually spread by natural high water events. That the suction dredgers where the only group of people removing these heavy metal pollutants from the environment. That the equipment used by suction dredgers removes over 98% of the heavy metal pollutants that pass through a dredge. Dredgers do not add any pollutants to the waterway, the pollutants are already there and are being continually disturbed and spread around by natural high water processes. With this dredging ban, the removal of those heavy metal pollutants has stopped, and the huge positive impact of the removal of those pollutants from our water ways and from being able to enter the food chain has stopped also. It should be mentioned that the non stop legal attacks by those self serving few have continued even after there was an agreement made in a previous legal case that these people would stop their attacks, and in fact they have not honored that agreement. That those self serving few and their supporters have in fact used nothing other than puffery and outright untruths to create an emotional response in people to help support their cause based on "saving the environment" when in fact their actions have actually stopped the environmentally positive benefits of suction dredging, of which there are many. A prime example is the opponents of dredging like to say that dredging can harm fish eggs. Of course that is true, and they gain great support for their cause from others concerned about the environment when they say things like that, but what they fail to mention is that under the regulations imposed by CDF&G, dredgers were never allowed to dredge when the fish eggs were present. There are seasonal restrictions that were already in place to prevent that harm. All of the "scientific points" the opponents of dredging use for the emotional response to "save the environment" have been taken into consideration in the regulations already imposed on this industry by CDF&G. I would like to make this point one more time, the opponents of dredging have been unable to provide one bit of scientific proof in any court of law, that dredging as was regulated by CDF&G was causing any harm to any protected species. The only thing they have been able to do in court is make hypothesis that there "might" be harm being done. That statement could in fact be made against anything anybody does in all aspects of life. This ban in fact is against state and federal law, and was imposed without due process, and that there are currently multiple legal cases pending on this issue. Call a spade a spade, but don't blame an industry group trying to defend itself against non stop attacks for the actions of those who refuse to stop attacking. This is my opinion of what has happened here. I for one think that the New 49ers should be applauded for their efforts. Mark Chestnut - Mark Chestnut (2/21/2010 1:18:57 PM) Good Article Your article is good but not go into the depth it needs at describing the failure of CDFG to do what was ordered of them in the beginning. Had they done their job, much of this litigation could have been avoided or a coordinated approach could have taken place. When a bully is caught, everyone wants to point the fingers at the other guy. The Karuk Tribe is not a problem. Only some of the self chosen people who are running them ruff shod are. The miners are not a problem. Only some of the County, State and non elected officials that have personal agendas against them are. The State of California is in terrible hurt because of the way the legislative agents have mismanaged their jobs. Good honest people are bailing out of the state every day because of the poor state management. By the time people wake up and change the state reps, it may be too late. It is time to put the blame in the right places. Thank You Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.gif Type: image/gif Size: 73 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.gif Type: image/gif Size: 73 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Feb 25 09:20:33 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:20:33 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands district quits state water association Message-ID: http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/02/25/1836035/westlands-district-quits-state.html Westlands district quits state water association The Westlands Water District, the powerful farm irrigation agency in the San Joaquin Valley, has quit its membership in a leading statewide water association. Spokeswoman Sarah Woolf said Westlands quit the Association of California Water Agencies because of budget priorities. Its ACWA membership cost about $19,000 a year, she said. Westlands, the nation's largest farm irrigation district, is engaged in a number of high-profile lawsuits against wildlife protections in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It is choosing to focus on those efforts, Woolf said. "We just have to be very strategic on where we put our resources right now," she said. "We are in a lot of court cases and that's not cheap." A letter obtained by The Bee, however, indicates Westlands had other reasons. The Feb. 3 letter from Westlands board President Jean Sagouspe terminates its membership effective Feb. 28, and criticizes ACWA Executive Director Tim Quinn for making statements and advocating policies contrary to Westlands' interests. "It was our hope that Tim would cease making such statements. But he has not," Sagouspe wrote. Quinn said late Wednesday that ACWA disagreed with Westlands' support for a controversial bill amendment proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein to alter Endangered Species Act protections for the Delta smelt. But he said they also have agreed on many recent issues. "We have tactical differences," Quinn said. "It's not unusual for the head of a large association to get criticism from its members. I respect their views." ACWA, the nation's largest coalition of public water agencies, represents about 90 percent of all the water delivered to California cities and farms. Perhaps as a result of this broader responsibility, it has struck a more cooperative posture toward environmental groups and regulators. - Matt Weiser -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Fri Feb 26 08:15:11 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:15:11 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] George Miller- Feinstein amendment is a water grab Message-ID: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/25/EDVM1C78C3.DTL Feinstein amendment is a water grab George Miller Friday, February 26, 2010 Beware of the latest attempt at an old-fashioned water grab - the last gasp of an outdated approach to California's complex water problems. Faced with a changing climate and an increasing number of competing demands on our water, most Californians now recognize that we cannot unilaterally change allocations of our scarce freshwater resources for one group or another without knowing first what the science says about the effects on the rest of the state. But the Westlands Water District of Fresno is old school. It crafted a backroom plan with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Hanford (Kings County), and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced County), to accelerate water withdrawals from the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem to guarantee themselves an increased water supply. Its plan is overreaching, unjustified and unfair. It could wipe out the remaining Sacramento River salmon runs, permanently eliminating the Pacific Coast fishing industry jobs that were already under assault from drought and the mismanagement of our river systems during the Bush administration. Its plan would harm Northern California water supplies and water rights. And it would undercut and paralyze recent significant statewide collaborative water efforts. Members of Congress from across California, Oregon and Washington oppose this plan, as do California state legislators and county supervisors. Newspapers from Los Angeles to Sacramento to Oregon oppose it. What we all understand is that times have changed. There has been a gradual but important shift toward the understanding that without a healthier bay-delta system, neither fisheries, cities nor farmers will ever see their water-supply situation improve. That's why the Governor's Delta Vision Task Force argued that state policy must restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem and create a more reliable water supply for California. That's why state lawmakers wrote a package of water bills last year, and that's why water agencies, environmental groups and others have worked together on a comprehensive Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. That's why I have pushed through bills in Congress for Republicans and Democrats across our state to establish innovative water-recycling programs that free up freshwater and help industry, agriculture and municipalities. That's also why I convened a series of meetings last summer with Sen. Feinstein and Reps. Costa and Cardoza, the Obama administration and others to work together to accomplish our shared goals of an improved Bay-Delta estuary and an improved California economy. Out of those meetings, we collaborated on several efforts, including getting $100 million into the House jobs bill in December to fund the Obama administration's action plan for California water needs, including significant ecosystem restoration, drought relief, water quality improvements, and enhancements to the federal-state partnership. It is regrettable that some of the people who had joined in this collaborative, fresh thinking have now turned against the state's better interests. The Westlands Water District plan is a major step backward. And so is the fact that Westlands resigned this month from the Association of California Water Agencies to focus instead on lawsuits to get what they want. We know that fixing the bay-delta estuary's problems will not be easy. The heart of our state's water system suffers from many ailments and requires a wide-ranging cure. One approach that will not fly, however, is the outdated idea of unilaterally changing water policy without the basis of sound scientific analysis. Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, is the former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 26 11:19:42 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:19:42 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Congressman George Miller's OpEd SF Chron 2 26 10 Message-ID: <007701cab718$a6c30fe0$f4492fa0$@net> Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) Feinstein amendment is a water grab George Miller Friday, February 26, 2010 Beware of the latest attempt at an old-fashioned water grab - the last gasp of an outdated approach to California's complex water problems. Faced with a changing climate and an increasing number of competing demands on our water, most Californians now recognize that we cannot unilaterally change allocations of our scarce freshwater resources for one group or another without knowing first what the science says about the effects on the rest of the state. But the Westlands Water District of Fresno is old school. It crafted a backroom plan with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Hanford (Kings County), and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced County), to accelerate water withdrawals from the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem to guarantee themselves an increased water supply. Its plan is overreaching, unjustified and unfair. It could wipe out the remaining Sacramento River salmon runs, permanently eliminating the Pacific Coast fishing industry jobs that were already under assault from drought and the mismanagement of our river systems during the Bush administration. Its plan would harm Northern California water supplies and water rights. And it would undercut and paralyze recent significant statewide collaborative water efforts. Members of Congress from across California, Oregon and Washington oppose this plan, as do California state legislators and county supervisors. Newspapers from Los Angeles to Sacramento to Oregon oppose it. What we all understand is that times have changed. There has been a gradual but important shift toward the understanding that without a healthier bay-delta system, neither fisheries, cities nor farmers will ever see their water-supply situation improve. That's why the Governor's Delta Vision Task Force argued that state policy must restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem and create a more reliable water supply for California. That's why state lawmakers wrote a package of water bills last year, and that's why water agencies, environmental groups and others have worked together on a comprehensive Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. That's why I have pushed through bills in Congress for Republicans and Democrats across our state to establish innovative water-recycling programs that free up freshwater and help industry, agriculture and municipalities. That's also why I convened a series of meetings last summer with Sen. Feinstein and Reps. Costa and Cardoza, the Obama administration and others to work together to accomplish our shared goals of an improved Bay-Delta estuary and an improved California economy. Out of those meetings, we collaborated on several efforts, including getting $100 million into the House jobs bill in December to fund the Obama administration's action plan for California water needs, including significant ecosystem restoration, drought relief, water quality improvements, and enhancements to the federal-state partnership. It is regrettable that some of the people who had joined in this collaborative, fresh thinking have now turned against the state's better interests. The Westlands Water District plan is a major step backward. And so is the fact that Westlands resigned this month from the Association of California Water Agencies to focus instead on lawsuits to get what they want. We know that fixing the bay-delta estuary's problems will not be easy. The heart of our state's water system suffers from many ailments and requires a wide-ranging cure. One approach that will not fly, however, is the outdated idea of unilaterally changing water policy without the basis of sound scientific analysis. Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, is the former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/26/EDVM1C78C3.DTL Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 4801 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 26 11:22:39 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:22:39 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Congressman George Miller's OpEd Sac Bee 2 26 19 Message-ID: <007d01cab719$1029ca00$307d5e00$@net> Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) GEORGE MILLER: Time for fresh thinking on fresh water Posted at 12:00 AM on Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 By George Miller When it comes to California water wars, a lot has changed. Regrettably, you wouldn't know it from Bill McEwen's column, "It's easy to blame Valley farmers for Delta's woes" Feb. 20, which ignored significant progress in untangling the historically polarized battle over ensuring a stable supply of water for all of California's stakeholders and strengthening our economy. Erroneously attacking my water credentials might feel good, but it does not solve problems. Fortunately, people across the state now understand that we can no longer unilaterally change water allocations for one group or another without the basis of sound science. But that is what Sen. Dianne Feinstein proposes to do and what Mr. McEwen endorsed in his column. Sen. Feinstein's plan to accelerate water withdrawals out of the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem is a serious mistake -- politically and environmentally. Her plan would wipe out the remaining Sacramento salmon runs, eliminating Pacific Coast fishing industry jobs already under assault from the drought. It would harm northern California water supplies and water rights. And it would undercut significant statewide collaborative water efforts, paralyzing California water policy. With a fuller picture of recent progress on California water policy, it's easy to understand how devastating and misguided the Feinstein proposal is. The Bush administration's involvement in California's water conflicts was minimal at best and malicious at worst, with a substantial disregard of scientific evidence. Without a healthier Bay-Delta system, neither the fisheries, the cities, nor the farmers will ever see their situation improve. That's why the Governor's Delta Vision Task Force argued that state policy must restore the Delta ecosystem and create a more reliable water supply for California. That's why state lawmakers wrote a package of water bills, and that's why water agencies, environmental groups, and others have worked together on a comprehensive Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. That's also why I convened a series of meetings last summer with my colleagues, including Sen. Feinstein, Rep. Jim Costa and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, so that we could work together to accomplish our shared goals of an improved Bay-Delta estuary and an improved California economy. We agreed to temporarily amend the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, the law I authored, to change how water transfers are managed in the state. I worked with Congress and my Valley colleagues to provide additional funding for infrastructure projects that will add flexibility to water delivery systems, including the Delta-Mendota Canal/California Aqueduct Intertie. I fought to include $100 million in the Jobs for Main Street Act to fund the Obama Administration's action plan for California water needs. And for several years now, I have championed congressional water recycling bills for Republicans and Democrats benefitting Southern and Central California and the Southwest that would yield water for hundreds of thousands of households. But in a sign of how some people have failed to modernize their thinking about California water, when it came time to vote on my own bill to yield water for another 24,000 California households in the Bay Area at no detriment to any other water user in the state, every single congressman from the Valley opposed it. California's state and federal water policies are interconnected. It is in the best interest of all farmers and all stakeholders to work collaboratively to improve the health of the Bay-Delta and add flexibility to our water systems. But make no mistake: All of these efforts will be derailed by Sen. Feinstein's plan. I hope Mr. McEwen will now understand just how much the rest of the state has changed its thinking on water, and how important fresh thinking on this precious resource is for our state's future success. Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) is the former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 1173 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 26 11:24:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:24:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Michael Doyle McClatchy Papers 2 26 10 Message-ID: <008301cab719$528da380$f7a8ea80$@net> Water package for parched San Joaquin Valley set to be unveiled mdoyle at mcclatchydc.com Published Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is expected today to unveil an ambitious-sounding package of irrigation deliveries, water transfers, farm loan guarantees and other programs targeting the parched San Joaquin Valley. Crafted amid intense political pressure, the package is supposed to alleviate farmers' distress while still protecting fish. Some key California lawmakers said late Thursday they were pleased by the effort, though others still want more detail. "I'm heartened by this," Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday night. The comprehensive package is expected to accompany what is normally a routine water allocation announcement, where the federal Bureau of Reclamation declares how much water farms and cities can expect. Last February, the bureau announced farmers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would receive nothing. That later increased to 10 percent of historic deliveries. This year, lawmakers have been demanding that farmers receive up to 40 percent of their historic deliveries. If necessary, Feinstein said she would offer an amendment rewriting environmental decisions in order to deliver the increased water. Feinstein said Thursday there now appears to be "a good likelihood" that the administration actions being announced today will go a long way toward her goal. The precise details were being tightly held until today. "I'm very hopeful," added Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. Feinstein and Boxer spoke as they departed an extraordinary closed-door session that amounted to a high-level California water summit. Three Cabinet secretaries, both of the state's senators and more than a half-dozen House members convened on Capitol Hill for more than 90 minutes to hash out the state's immediate water woes. In part, the session held in the underground Capitol Visitors Center permitted Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Council on Environmental Quality chief Nancy Sutley to sketch out their plans for easing California's pain. In part, the session allowed members to keep the pressure on. Democratic Rep. Jim Costa of Fresno reminded the administration officials of the 40 percent unemployment that's brutalized some San Joaquin Valley towns, while Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, cited the predator fish and other non-irrigation causes for the decline of some endangered Delta species. Farmers have been leery, with Westlands Water District General Manager Tom Birmingham predicting Wednesday that the initial water allocation will again be zero, just like last year. One possibility is that the Bureau of Reclamation's initial allocation, while low, will be accompanied by expectations that the other actions being taken will bring total water deliveries up toward the 40 percent mark. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Feb 26 11:34:08 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:34:08 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Interior on Water Message-ID: <009801cab71a$bf9d9a10$3ed8ce30$@net> Interior Hopeful on California Water Outlook Forecast Expected to Improve - Additional Water Supplies to be Made Available WASHINGTON, D.C. -Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Bureau of Reclamation's Initial 2010 Central Valley Project (CVP) Water Supply Forecast and steps the United States government is taking to seek additional water supplies for drought-stricken farmers. Snowpack and runoff forecasts are significantly improved over the past three years and, if current weather patterns continue, California may have an "average" or better water year. If 2010 is an average water year, allocations can be anticipated as follows: * Senior agricultural water users along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers will be allocated 100 percent of their contract quantities (approximately 2.4 million acre feet); * Friant Division agricultural water service contractors will be allocated 100 percent of Class 1 water; * Eastside Division agricultural contractors (Stanislaus River) will be allocated 100 percent of their contract quantities (155,000 acre-feet); * Agricultural water service contractors north of the Delta will be allocated 100 percent of their contract quantities; * Agricultural water service contractors south of the Delta will be allocated 30 percent of their contract quantities; * Municipal and industrial water service contractors north of the Delta will be allocated 100 percent, and those south of the Delta, 75 percent; * Wildlife refuges north and south of the Delta will be allocated 100 percent of their "Level 2" water (approximately 400,000 acre feet). These potential allocations are good news for the large majority of water users served by the Central Valley Project; however, the three previous years of drought and uncertainty regarding this water year present serious water supply challenges for west valley south of Delta agricultural water service contractors. In recognition of this fact, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has directed the Department of the Interior to work with other federal and state agencies and other parties to secure additional water opportunities for farmers south of the Delta. "Valley farmers have suffered tremendously during California's three year drought," said Salazar. "With the support and guidance of Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer, Congressmen Costa and Cardoza, and a number of stakeholders, the Department has identified actions that will provide additional water on top of what an average water year would deliver." Under the Interior initiative, it is expected that the additional water supplies secured through the collective efforts of federal and state agencies and many stakeholders are likely to be in the range of 150,000 to 200,000 acre feet, amounts that represent approximately 8 to 10 percent of the south of Delta agricultural water service contract quantities. These amounts represent new water supplies for 2010 that were not previously available to the west side. They would add to other supplies available to west side farmers through their own efforts and planning. To augment Interior's initiative, the Department of Agriculture has resources for farmers and communities available. "The US Department of Agriculture is committed to using its resources to help farmers in the Central Valley," said Secretary Vilsack. "Next week a team from USDA headquarters will go to California to work with local USDA staff from Rural Development, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency to ensure that our farm and community programs are ready to be deployed and to ensure our conservation programs will provide more water in the Valley over the long term." Assuming the necessary agreements and permits can be secured, the actions that are expected to provide additional supplies to the west side include: securing water from urban water suppliers in exchange arrangements; capturing and using excess restoration flows in the Mendota Pool; improved operations through more precise compliance with Old and Middle River flows by the Bureau of Reclamation and the State Water Project; additional water transfers to be made available from senior east side water users to the west side, over and above customary east to west side transfers; and authorization of additional pumping capacity at Banks Pumping Plant by the U.S. Corps of Engineers during times that are not restricted by water rights permit conditions or environmental requirements. The measures that do not require additional agreements or permits will be implemented immediately. The Department will work with the state and other stakeholders on an on-going basis to confirm that progress is being made to secure these additional supplies. "The Interior Department and my colleagues on the Federal Bay Delta Leadership Committee will work diligently and aggressively to provide these augmented water supplies, based on the recognition that this is a one-year, stop-gap measure to reduce the pain felt by farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley," said Salazar. "Delivering these water supplies will require the cooperation of many parties, and we are pleased that other water users and stakeholders, with the active encouragement of Senator Feinstein, are stepping up to the plate to make it happen." Although current weather patterns suggest that 2010 may be an average or better water year for California, the Bureau of Reclamation and the State of California also provide an official allocation at this time of year. That allocation is based on a "dry year" forecast which assumes, essentially, that there is little or no additional precipitation over the balance of the water year. For more detailed information about the initial 2010 Central Valley Project water supply forecast, please go to http://www.usbr.gov/mp/pa/water Under this scenario, some junior agricultural interests north and south of the Delta would receive an allocation of 5 percent of their water service contracts. The Secretary further noted that "[t]he reality is that the Bay Delta ecosystem has collapsed, and a major, long-term solution is needed to secure reliable water flows. We are looking forward to input from the National Academy of Sciences on these questions and will continue to aggressively pursue a comprehensive water supply and restoration plan, working closely with Governor Schwarzenegger and his team, Senators Feinstein and Boxer, Congressman George Miller and other members of the delegation, and all stakeholders, so that California can have a sustainable water future." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bhill at igc.org Sat Feb 27 08:50:39 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:50:39 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Congressman George Miller's OpEd SF Chron 2 26 10 In-Reply-To: <007701cab718$a6c30fe0$f4492fa0$@net> References: <007701cab718$a6c30fe0$f4492fa0$@net> Message-ID: <019f01cab7cd$00884630$0198d290$@org> Isn't Feinstein the Left Coast Lieberman and should be removed like Lieberman? From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Friday, February 26, 2010 11:20 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Congressman George Miller's OpEd SF Chron 2 26 10 Picture (Device Independent Bitmap) Feinstein amendment is a water grab George Miller Friday, February 26, 2010 Beware of the latest attempt at an old-fashioned water grab - the last gasp of an outdated approach to California's complex water problems. Faced with a changing climate and an increasing number of competing demands on our water, most Californians now recognize that we cannot unilaterally change allocations of our scarce freshwater resources for one group or another without knowing first what the science says about the effects on the rest of the state. But the Westlands Water District of Fresno is old school. It crafted a backroom plan with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Hanford (Kings County), and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced County), to accelerate water withdrawals from the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem to guarantee themselves an increased water supply. Its plan is overreaching, unjustified and unfair. It could wipe out the remaining Sacramento River salmon runs, permanently eliminating the Pacific Coast fishing industry jobs that were already under assault from drought and the mismanagement of our river systems during the Bush administration. Its plan would harm Northern California water supplies and water rights. And it would undercut and paralyze recent significant statewide collaborative water efforts. Members of Congress from across California, Oregon and Washington oppose this plan, as do California state legislators and county supervisors. Newspapers from Los Angeles to Sacramento to Oregon oppose it. What we all understand is that times have changed. There has been a gradual but important shift toward the understanding that without a healthier bay-delta system, neither fisheries, cities nor farmers will ever see their water-supply situation improve. That's why the Governor's Delta Vision Task Force argued that state policy must restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem and create a more reliable water supply for California. That's why state lawmakers wrote a package of water bills last year, and that's why water agencies, environmental groups and others have worked together on a comprehensive Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. That's why I have pushed through bills in Congress for Republicans and Democrats across our state to establish innovative water-recycling programs that free up freshwater and help industry, agriculture and municipalities. That's also why I convened a series of meetings last summer with Sen. Feinstein and Reps. Costa and Cardoza, the Obama administration and others to work together to accomplish our shared goals of an improved Bay-Delta estuary and an improved California economy. Out of those meetings, we collaborated on several efforts, including getting $100 million into the House jobs bill in December to fund the Obama administration's action plan for California water needs, including significant ecosystem restoration, drought relief, water quality improvements, and enhancements to the federal-state partnership. It is regrettable that some of the people who had joined in this collaborative, fresh thinking have now turned against the state's better interests. The Westlands Water District plan is a major step backward. And so is the fact that Westlands resigned this month from the Association of California Water Agencies to focus instead on lawsuits to get what they want. We know that fixing the bay-delta estuary's problems will not be easy. The heart of our state's water system suffers from many ailments and requires a wide-ranging cure. One approach that will not fly, however, is the outdated idea of unilaterally changing water policy without the basis of sound scientific analysis. Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, is the former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/26/EDVM1C78C3.DTL Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 4801 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Feb 27 16:43:25 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:43:25 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 2 27 10 Message-ID: <000901cab80f$0a34e7a0$1e9eb6e0$@net> Water agencies loosen taps; Feinstein backs off Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, February 27, 2010 http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/02/26/ba-water0227_gr_SFCG1267237650. jpg Reservoir levels (John Blanchard / The Chronicle) ImagesView Larger Image * The world's strongest earthquakes 02.27.10 State and federal water regulators agreed Friday to open the spigots a bit more on account of all the recent rain and snow, prompting Sen. Dianne Feinstein to drop her threat to bypass the Endangered Species Act to get farmers more water. The announcements from Sacramento and Washington offered some relief to Central Valley farmers and ration-weary homeowners, but happy times for the tenders of hay fields and hot tubs are still a long way off, according to water regulators. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will be giving farmers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta 30 percent of the water they requested. That's compared with 10 percent in 2009, when many fields were left fallow. The percentage could rise to 40 percent, analysts said, as water is purchased from other sources. The California Department of Water Resources raised its allotment to 15 percent of the water requested by water agencies representing some 25 million residents. That's up from the 5 percent originally proposed - but it is comparable to the amount of water allocated at this time last year. "Valley farmers have suffered tremendously during California's three-year drought," U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said in a statement. "The department has identified actions that will provide additional water on top of what an average water year would deliver." The announcements came a day after federal officials predicted a huge increase in the number of salmon in the Sacramento River system despite a record low number last year, opening the possibility of a fishing season. The salmon season had been canceled for the past two years because of low numbers of spawning fish. Environmental advocates and fishermen have blamed the drop in salmon numbers on increased water diversions to farmers that they say have sucked baby salmon into pumps. Change of plans Regulators on Friday denied that the optimistic forecasts had anything to do with Feinstein's threat to amend the law and increase pumping for farmers, but the rosy outlook nevertheless convinced her to scotch her controversial proposal. "Much creative thinking and work has been done by many people to make this happen, for which I thank the many people involved," Feinstein said in a statement. "I will watch this situation carefully and I am placing my proposed amendment on hold; however, I reserve the right to bring it back should it become necessary." The water content of the California snowpack is currently above average for this time of year, especially in the northern Sierra, which is 121 percent of normal. That's important because rain and snow runoff in the northern Sierra feeds the state's largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, which, at its current 72 percent capacity, is at 98 percent of average for this date. Lake Oroville, the State Water Project's primary source of drinking water, is only 38 percent full. That's 54 percent of the average storage for this date. Different roles Water from Shasta is used by the federal Central Valley Project to irrigate about 3 million acres of farmland from Redding to Bakersfield and provide drinking water for close to 2 million people. The State Water Project, in contrast, is oriented more toward urban and industrial uses, providing drinking water to about 25 million Californians and water to 700,000 acres of farmland. The discrepancy in the levels of the two big reservoirs, analysts say, is because abundant rainfall can fill Shasta while Oroville relies more on snow runoff in the spring. Water managers said a lot of the runoff is being absorbed into the ground, which is still parched after three years of drought. Mark Cowin, the director of the state Department of Water Resources, said the 15 percent state allocation would be the lowest in history. The department ultimately delivered 40 percent of what was requested last year - a year in which many Bay Area communities were forced to ration water. Cowin said the amount could be increased to as high as 40 percent if the storms keep coming. If they stop, though, he said, things could get worse. "Despite a relatively wet winter, our reservoir storage levels remain low," Cowin said. "After three years of drought conditions and a number of mandated pumping restrictions, even a wet year won't get us out of the woods." Some still upset Environmentalists and fishermen expressed relief that Feinstein will not be going through with her threat to mandate increased pumping, but they were still upset that farming got the nod over regulations protecting salmon habitat. "We're happy that the water year is looking better than the last three years. It is good news for the environment and it is good news for the cities," said Spreck Rosekrans, the senior analyst for the Environmental Defense Fund. "We're disappointed that the Endangered Species Act has been put in the balance subject to this year's hydrology. It's a bad precedent." Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/27/MNEM1C7TJD.DTL#i xzz0gmq2qR6g Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 32351 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 150 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Mar 1 11:09:13 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 11:09:13 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times Standard 3 1 10 Message-ID: <00c901cab972$b0dbde10$12939a30$@net> Salmon season to undergo scrutiny Eureka Times-Standard-3/1/10 John Driscoll There is hope for a decent salmon season after several years of crushing closures driven by troubling returns of spawning chinook salmon to the Sacramento and Klamath rivers. That hope is tempered, in part, because federal fisheries managers substantially overestimated the number of fish that returned to the vital Sacramento River in 2009. After three years of falling far short of the number of spawning salmon believed necessary to sustain the Sacramento stocks -- in two years even without fishing -- officials may take a more precautionary approach in allowing angling. Even with that tighter management, it appears that there will be fish to harvest in 2010. "There are fish, on paper at least, that could support some fisheries," said Chuck Tracy with the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The length, timing and geography of the seasons will also have to be determined based on whether commercial fishermen opt to participate in the fishery or stay out yet another year because there aren't enough fish to make it worth their while. That would make 2010 the fourth out of five years in which commercial fishing has cratered. The PFMC has been managing chinook salmon stocks in the Sacramento River so that 122,000 adults return to spawn. The complicated model used to generate estimates for abundance of salmon in the ocean rests heavily on the number of jacks, or two-year-old salmon, that return early and act as an indicator of the following year's abundance. In 2009, the PFMC estimated that just over 122,000 salmon would return to the Sacramento, based on about 4,000 jacks returning the year before. That allowed a tiny sport fishery off Eureka and Crescent City in the fall, but closed the rest of the coast to commercial and sport fishing. But even without impacts from fishing, only 39,500 chinook actually returned to the Sacramento in fall of 2009. The low returns came during a three-year drought, and biologists and fishermen point at increased agricultural pumping from the Sacramento River Delta killing young salmon and leading to the downturn. Poor ocean conditions, namely a lack of food, may also factor in. Fisheries managers say that more than 9,200 jacks swam up the Sacramento in 2009, which produces an estimate of 245,000 salmon in the ocean when run through the model. Based on the "floor" of 122,000 spawners, that would mean some 123,000 fish are available to catch this year. But last year's experience with overestimating the number of returning adults is prompting regulators to err on the side of precaution. The National Marine Fisheries Service -- which must approve seasons and quotas -- is recommending managing for a higher number of returning adults, perhaps as many as 180,000. That would leave 65,000 salmon to catch. "It's appropriate to proceed with precaution for setting any fishing levels," said NMFS fishery biologist Peter Dygart. For comparison, 770,000 salmon returned to the Sacramento in 2002, and 523,000 returned in 2003. Klamath River chinook numbers, which have for years suppressed fishing and resulted in large-scale closures in 2006, were better predicted for 2009. The PFMC's report says that if 2009 regulations -- which offered only the token fall fishery -- were repeated for 2010, there would be enough fish left to spawn in the Klamath to meet management objectives. Sport fishermen are hoping for a better season than last year's. Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers representative Ben Doane said that the anglers intend to submit three options to the PFMC for consideration. The first would be a season roughly from mid-June to Sept. 1, which Doane expected would be turned down. The second would be July 4 to Aug. 15, roughly. The third would be mid-July to mid-August. All options would be for two fish a day, seven days a week. "We're cautiously optimistic for a season," Doane said. "What that may be remains to be seen." The PFMC is scheduled to meet March 5 to March 11 in Sacramento to begin discussions on the salmon season.# Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Mar 7 21:53:34 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 21:53:34 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee Editorial 3 7 10 Message-ID: Stuart Leavenworth: Feinstein says she's no Westlands 'shill,' but ... By Stuart Leavenworth, Editorial page editor sleavenworth at sacbee.com The Sacramento Bee Published: Sunday, Mar. 7, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 6E Last Modified: Sunday, Mar. 7, 2010 - 12:16 pm You know you've struck a nerve with an editorial when, on the very next business day, California's senior senator rings you on the telephone. That's how I found myself spending an hour on Monday, engaged in an animated but civil exchange with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein, calling me from her home near the nation's capital, was responding to a Feb. 27 editorial on her efforts to secure more water for the Westlands Water District, an agricultural giant in the San Joaquin Valley. Westlands, a federal water contractor that lacks secure water rights of its own, has found itself vulnerable to cutbacks in supplies. Such cutbacks are the result of drought and court decisions aimed at protecting smelt and salmon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Three weeks ago, it was learned that Feinstein was drafting legislation to override federal biological opinions that limit water pumping from the Delta on the behalf of fish. She came under a fair amount of criticism for that move, not just from us, but other newspapers, too. "I've been crucified by editorial boards up and down the state," said Feinstein. For the record, I would not describe either of our two recent editorials on Feinstein as a crucifixion. The first one, on Feb. 14, began with these lines: "In her long and mostly distinguished career, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has championed many environmental causes. At times she has also challenged environmentalists to consider interests other than their own. That's good." Then it went on to suggest that Feinstein had made a serious error by drafting her measure - one she later dropped. Feinstein's main reason for calling was to complain that I hadn't made an attempt to obtain details of her bill language before publishing our editorials. I acknowledged we hadn't sought that information, assuming she (like other senators) wouldn't provide details of a bill that hadn't yet been filed. In the spirit of openness, I then asked her to go public with the language of her amendment. She declined. "What's the point?" she asked. The conversation went on from there. I asked her why she was devoting such singular attention to Westlands and not some of the other interests hurt by California's water crisis - such as salmon fishermen. Feinstein responded that she regularly visits the west side of the San Joaquin Valley during harvest time. During her last visit, she said, "It was the closest to civil insurrection that I have ever seen." Undoubtedly it's tough for certain farmers around Fresno, my hometown. Many have had to fallow land. Some have had to rip up orchards. On the other hand, as I noted to Feinstein, scores of Fresno farm operations spent the last decade planting almond orchards, even though they lacked secure water rights or adequate groundwater. Is it the government's duty to help farmers who have made such risky decisions? Feinstein's only answer was that the Central Valley is a major exporter of almonds, and the state should do all it can to protect the industry. >From our conversation, it was clear Feinstein has bought into many of the talking points of Westlands - that smelt in the Delta are being wiped out by predators more than water pumps, that the Delta is being poisoned with ammonia from sewage treatment plants in Sacramento and elsewhere. Several times, Feinstein made the claim that the state is in a "wet water year," and thus should be able to spare some for farms. Water, she said, was spilling from Shasta Lake. When I challenged her on that point, she responded. "Want to bet?" I could then hear her rustling through some papers before conceding that Shasta was well below its capacity. Why is Feinstein going to bat for Westlands is this way? Politics is one answer. Farm water is a huge issue for Valley Democrats trying to keep their seats this year. By putting pressure on the Obama administration to favor farmers over fish, Feinstein provides cover for vulnerable Dems, such as U.S. Reps. Jim Costa and Dennis Cardoza and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer. Yet as a U.S. senator who wants a long-term fix to the Delta's problems, Feinstein needs to be careful about playing favorites. Numerous water groups have an interest in the Delta. All are legitimate. All would like to get the same attention Feinstein reserves for Westlands. "To say that I am a shill for Westlands just isn't right," Feinstein told me. Perhaps not. But given her actions of recent weeks, she will have to prove it. Byron Leydecker, JcT, Chair Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) 415 519 4810 Mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (Secondary) www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Joe_Polos at fws.gov Mon Mar 8 11:23:02 2010 From: Joe_Polos at fws.gov (Joe_Polos at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:23:02 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Water Temperature report - 2009 Message-ID: Could you please post the following information on the Trinity List Sever: The report titled "The Influence of Lewiston Dam Releases on Water Temperatures of the Trinity and Klamath Rivers, CA, April to October, 2009" by Scheiff and Zedonis can be found at the following link: http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/activities/waterQuality/reports/TrinityRiver/Water%20Temperature%20Monitoring/TR%20WATER%20TEMP%20RPT%202009%20Final.pdf This is a Data Series report; Arcata Fisheries Data Series Report Number DS 2010-17. The Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Fisheries Program reports its study findings through two publication series. The Arcata Fisheries Data Series was established to provide timely dissemination of data to local managers and for inclusion in agency databases. The Arcata Fisheries Technical Reports publishes scientific findings from single and multi-year studies that have undergone more extensive peer review and statistical testing. Additionally, some study results are published in a variety of professional fisheries journals. If you have any questions about this report contact myself or Paul Zedonis at 707-822-7201. thanks joe Joe Polos Supv. Fishery Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Rd Arcata, CA 95521 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Vina_Frye at fws.gov Tue Mar 9 11:40:55 2010 From: Vina_Frye at fws.gov (Vina_Frye at fws.gov) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:40:55 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group Meeting Message-ID: Hi Folks, The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) will meet March 24, 2010. The "notice" was published in the Federal Register yesterday. Sincerely, Vina Vina Frye U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata FWO 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Telephone: (707) 822-7201 Fax: (707) 822-8411 vina_frye at fws.gov [Federal Register: March 8, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 44)] [Notices] [Page 10501] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr08mr10-69] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R8-FHC-2010-N041; 81331-1334-8TWG-W4] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). The TMC interprets and recommends policy, coordinates and reviews management actions, and provides organizational budget oversight. This notice announces a TAMWG meeting, which is open to the public. DATES: TAMWG will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Trinity County Library, 211 Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meeting information: Randy A. Brown, TAMWG Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521; telephone: (707) 822-7201. Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) information: Jennifer Faler, Acting Executive Director, Trinity River Restoration Program, P.O. Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093; telephone: (530) 623- 1800; e-mail: mhamman at mp.usbr.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), this notice announces a meeting of the TAMWG. The meeting will include discussion of the following topics: 2010 flow schedule; TRRP budget; Integrated Habitat Assessment; Outmigrant monitoring; Channel rehabilitation program; Hatchery operations review; Executive director's review; Executive director's report; TAMWG recommendations and status of previous recommendations; and Annual election of TAMWG officers. Completion of the agenda is dependent on the amount of time each item takes. The meeting could end early if the agenda has been completed. Dated: March 2, 2010. Randy A. Brown, Designated Federal Officer, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, CA. [FR Doc. 2010-4806 Filed 3-5-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From awhitridge at snowcrest.net Wed Mar 17 09:41:37 2010 From: awhitridge at snowcrest.net (Arnold Whitridge) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:41:37 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG agenda for March 24 Message-ID: <0892B95F5A3C48D6BD84CA52FB24BC86@arnPC> Here's the proposed agenda for the Wednesday, March 24 meeting of the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group. All TAMWG meetings are open to the public. Arnold Whitridge, TAMWG chair 530 623-6688 Proposed Agenda TRINITY ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP Trinity County Library, 211 Main Street, Weaverville, CA Wednesday, March 24, 2010 Time Presentation, Discussion, and/or Action on: Presenter 1. 9:00 Adopt agenda; approve December minutes 2. 9:10 Open forum; public comment 3. 9:20 Election of TAMWG chair and vice-chair for 2010 4. 9:30 Designated Federal Officer topics Randy Brown 5. 9:40 TMC Chair report Brian Person 6. 10:00 Acting Executive Director's Report Jennifer Faler 7. 10:45 FWS Arcata Office report FWS Arcata Staff Introduction of science coordinator & Arcata Project Leader; summary of selected monitoring efforts 8. 11:15 2010 Water Year Planning Jennifer Faler, Rod Wittler reservoir operations, river temperatures, flow scheduling 12:15 lunch 9. 1:15 2010 budget update; 2011 budget proposal Jennifer Faler 10. 2:45 Integrated Habitat Assessment report IHA team 11. 3:30 Area of origin water rights Jeff Sutton 12. 4:00 TAMWG recommendations Group 13. 4:45 Tentative date and agenda topics for next meeting 5:00 Adjourn -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Mar 18 09:18:47 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:18:47 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Judge: Drought water transfers required environmental review Message-ID: <01FD89D4070540C4A24760A6F04B8277@homeuserPC> I've also attached the C-WIN/CSPA Press Release and the Judge's Order. Tom Stokely California Water Impact Network tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_14696980 Judge: Drought water transfers required environmental review By HEATHER HACKING - Staff Writer Posted: 03/18/2010 06:23:06 AM PDT CHICO -- Water transfers last year under the state Drought Water Bank should have been reviewed under the California Environmental Quality Act, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled Monday. The Butte Environmental Council sees the legal victory as a way for cumulative impacts of water transfers to be looked at more closely. BEC has long argued that water transfers should be looked at as a whole, rather than as isolated deals between water-rights holders and buyers. Another focus by BEC and other groups is the effects of groundwater pumping when surface water is sold. The lawsuit against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Department of Water Resources was filed by BEC, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and the California Water Impact Network. Before the lawsuit, the governor issued an emergency drought proclamation in February 2009 to move ahead with Drought Water Bank water transfers without CEQA review, a press release from BEC stated. BEC hired attorneys Lippe, Gaffney and Wagner to challenge the CEQA exemption, stating the drought was not an emergency situation but rather caused by mismanagement. Because the case took time to work its way through the court, water transfers took place before the court decision, said Lynn Barris, BEC board member. After the transfers, Barris said, "the other side ... said those transfers had already occurred. They said this point is moot." However, with plans for future water transfers, it's important that this legal precedent be set by the court, Barris said, so her group pushed forward. BEC put up the money for the winning court battle, and is hoping to recoup those costs. The case may, however, be appealed. In the case, Alameda Superior Court Judge Alice Vilardi ruled that the state acted improperly when it did not conduct an environmental review under CEQA. "What's important is that this is sending a clear message that they can no longer do these water transfers without going through proper legal channels," said Carolee Krieger, executive director of California Water Impact Network, based in Santa Barbara. Using a drought emergency as a reason to not follow CEQA won't work, she continued. "We know a third of the years in California are dry or critically dry. This is something they need to plan for," she said. "It's not a sudden emergency." "If we don't get a CEQA going, we will never be able to measure the amount of all the different transfers," said Barris. Robin Huffman, advocacy director for BEC, said water transfers that include groundwater pumping are a big concern. More information is needed to understand these underground aquifers, and decide if transfers will harm the underground water system, she said. "By transferring water to ag to the south, they have to show it won't affect water users up here. "They need to pass that test before they can sell that water, and it's not an easy test," Huffman said. "We expect more dry years. If they declared an emergency every year, that could affect the north state," she said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OR010 Order and Decision on Petition for Writ.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 276527 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: BECvDWR-MediaRels-20100317.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 418846 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Mar 20 12:59:44 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:59:44 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 3 20 10 Message-ID: <036a01cac867$e4133090$ac3991b0$@net> Chronicle Editorial The science of water limits Saturday, March 20, 2010 Score one for science. A national panel waded into California's water wars and sided with salmon and smelt in a politically loaded showdown with Central Valley farmers. The report sprinkled "scientifically justified" throughout its 64 pages, which backed up water curbs denounced by valley water agencies and farmers. The findings came with important caveats and a call for more research on the state's sickly water system. But the message is clear: It's time to negotiate water use and not look for a political knockout punch. After three years of drought, the federal and state water pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta were dialed down to nearly zero, turning fertile Central Valley acreage into dust bowls in the nation's biggest farming state. Adding to the restrictions were decisions by two federal agencies to withhold water for declining stocks of salmon, sturgeon and smelt. Under heavy pressure to aid farms, the Obama administration this past week ordered the faucets opened, an action eased by an especially wet winter. But before that announcement, farm leaders had begged for a fresh look at the restrictions and found an ally in Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who ordered up the $750,000 study, even though previous scientific studies by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had clearly established the need to preserve water for the fish. The findings reiterated the need for curbs on water deliveries. Laws protecting jeopardized species were properly used in safeguarding plummeting fish stocks, the study by a 15-member panel said. But there were concessions to the ag side. The giant pumps that kill fish and ship water south aren't the only villains. Pollution, dams, damaged watersheds, and the timing and amount of water withdrawals all play a role. Even other fish such as catfish and non-native striped bass can be harmful, the scientists said. Agriculture doesn't deserve the exclusive blame, the report said, in a finding that should soften the sting of its overall support for limits on water deliveries. Finding a flexible answer that siphons off water with minimal environmental damage is the best answer, though striking the right balance will take "careful monitoring, adaptive management and additional analyses." Whether this happens is one of California's biggest challenges. A polarized debate exists between environmentalists and farmers, North versus South, and coast against valley. This year's wet weather brought a reprieve, but it won't last forever in a growing state facing climate change. The report should remind the state that simple answers and political pressure won't solve a water crisis. It will take consensus and balance. That's good science too. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/20/ED741CIFK6.DTL#i xzz0ikTDaMWK Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Mar 20 13:03:01 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:03:01 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 3 20 10 Message-ID: <036f01cac868$58f9cb80$0aed6280$@net> Study backs efforts to save delta fish Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, March 20, 2010 Lance Iversen / The Chronicle * Highway 1 closing for Devil's Slide work 03.20.10 Score one for the fish. A study by the National Academy of Sciences declared Friday that the efforts to save endangered fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by restricting water delivery are "scientifically justified." The study was meant to offer a decisive word on an issue that has been referred to as "fish vs. farms," with agricultural interests arguing that water diversions are parching their crops and livelihoods. The authors said the complexity of the issue left them wanting more evidence to determine the best time of the year to impose restrictions, and that "scientific support for specific flow targets is less certain." The pumping of water from the delta to cities in Southern California and farmers in the Central Valley caused populations of salmon, smelt and other fish to decline, according to federal biological opinions in 2008 and 2009. Those opinions led to reduced pumping for agricultural and residential use. Ann Hayden, a senior water resource analyst in the San Francisco office of the Environmental Defense Fund, said her group felt vindicated by the study's findings. "We're looking forward to moving on from this whole fish vs. farm focus," she said. "This study was clear: It's the foundation that will help us all move toward long-term solutions for the sustainability of the delta." Some farmers had hoped the study would overturn the two biological opinions by federal agencies and return water to their fields. Dan Nelson, the executive director of the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority in Los Banos (Merced County), who has argued on behalf of farmers, viewed the study as a "mixed bag." "The good things in there said we should look beyond the pumping system," Nelson said. "We need to look at other factors and options, not just the pumps. But it sounds like there's still a tremendous amount of uncertainty of how well it works. ... I think we can all agree we're trying to get these fisheries turned around, and we're just looking for the best way to do it." In a statement from her office, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who called for the study, said, "I'd like to note that nothing in this report indicates that there is a need to enforce more rigorous pumping restrictions. "For me, the key conclusion from this report is the need to integrate the two biological opinions, which would provide better clarity, better management and stronger scientific justification for all federal actions in the delta." Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/20/BAMJ1CIGND.DTL &type=newsbayarea#ixzz0ikUU7vyP Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sari at sisqtel.net Wed Mar 24 09:58:42 2010 From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:58:42 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: National Geographic's special issue 'Water: Our Thirsty World' Message-ID: <20100324165850.0D3051185010@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> >For a limited time (through 2 April) you can download a free, >interactive version of National Geographic's special issue 'Water: >Our Thirsty World' > > >http://www.natgeofreshwater.com/?of=500204105&bd=1 > > Paper copies go on sale 30 March. Here is the T of C of the paper edition: > > >http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/table-of-contents > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From caltrout at sbcglobal.net Thu Mar 25 12:09:51 2010 From: caltrout at sbcglobal.net (Thomas Weseloh) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:09:51 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Klamath River fish diseases spreading Message-ID: <012d01cacc4e$bf782d40$3e6887c0$@net> Klamath River fish diseases spreading Eureka Times-Standard-3/24/10 By John Driscoll Biologists expect to see the host of a lethal fish disease continue to spread in the middle Klamath River unless high flows scour out the silty areas where it lives. Researchers on Monday reported their work on the Klamath over the past year at the River Lodge in Fortuna. They said more of the tiny polychaete worms that host the fish parasites were found packed more densely into a larger area than in other recent years. Sascha Hallett, a researcher with Oregon State University, said that there is more silty material that the worm inhabits, and with it more young fish have been killed by the parasite over the past three years. Hallett said that situation will probably become more problematic until heavy river flows strip some of that habitat away. "I think this will get worse this year, if that's possible," Hallett said. The hot zones are in a roughly 50-mile stretch of river between the Shasta and Scott rivers, but have been stretching downriver toward Orleans recently. Essentially there are more parasites, called Ceratomyxa shasta, in a larger area than before. Yurok Tribe biologist Joshua Strange said that it appears that increased flows from the Trinity River in summer for ceremonial purposes does not tend to speed up the migration of salmon. But higher flows can stop the outbreak of diseases during peak chinook salmon migration in late August and late September. Strange hypothesized that with more than 80,000 fish running upriver, and less than 2,000 cubic feet per second of water running downriver, there is the possibility of a fish kill. He referenced the 2002 event that killed 68,000 chinook in a hot, shallow river. He said that removal of four dams on the Klamath -- called for as part of two agreements signed among 28 parties in February -- temperatures in the river should also begin falling as salmon begin to migrate in the fall. The plankton released from the reservoirs would no longer concentrate just below Iron Gate Dam and continue to provide nutrients for the polychaete worms. Iron Gate Dam is also where a huge number of adult salmon are stopped in their upstream migration, and when they spawn and die, the release C. shasta spores, which are taken up by the polychaete worm, concentrating the host in that area. Until the dams come out -- scheduled for 2020 -- Strange suggested that a short, high, additional flow of 3,000 cfs from Iron Gate in February could disturb the silty, flat stretches of river where the worm is abundant.# http://www.times-standard.com/ci_14746435?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.co m-www.times-standard.com Thomas J. Weseloh, Northcoast Manager California Trout email sig fish Keeper of the Streams 1976 Archer Rd. McKinleyville, CA 95519 707.839.1056 caltrout at sbcglobal.net www.caltrout.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1675 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Mar 29 10:54:20 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:54:20 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee Editorial 3 29 10 Message-ID: <022f01cacf68$dcfeb970$96fc2c50$@net> Full story of Delta stressors yet to be revealed Fresno Bee-3/28/10 Editorial | The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a crucial part of California's complicated and crumbling water system. But instead of being treated with the respect it deserves, the Delta has been held hostage by feuding politicians and the special interests who fund them. It's a recipe for environmental and economic disaster. Even a scientific study of the crisis has fallen victim to the political spin machine. The National Academy of Sciences has released the first part of a $1.5 million study on the science that has led federal wildlife agencies to limit pumping of agricultural water from the Delta to restore threatened species. The report was barely released before the sides began "interpreting" its core findings. Certain environmental groups claimed the science panel had validated the need for greatly reduced water pumping from the Delta. Farm interests seized on parts of the report that questioned certain federal actions aimed at protecting fish. A close reading of the study reveals that the National Academy's panel offered a much more nuanced bottom line. Overall, the panel found that most of the actions by federal agencies to reduce water diversions were reasonable, based on current understanding of this complex ecosystem. But there's much more to the story than agricultural pumping, and that's what the second part of the study will determine. Unfortunately, it is taking much too long to resolve that second key issue. This newspaper has acknowledged the negative impact that pumping has on threatened fish. But it's also clear that other stressors -- including invasive species and the treated sewage that cities around the Delta are dumping into the estuary -- have played a role in reducing fish populations. Unfortunately, federal and state authorities only want to limit farm pumping, while ignoring the other causes. It's much easier for them to dump the entire problem on agriculture than tell cities that they must find multi-million-dollar solutions to their sewage dumping. The National Academy's panel noted in the report that much more integrated analysis is needed to better understand this system. No surprise there. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who originally sought the study, and farm groups had hoped the panel would help them in their efforts to suspend two biological opinions that have restricted water diversions. The National Academy panel will now complete the second part of its review, which is expected to take 20 months and cost another $750,000. That report will finally examine the array of factors -- not just water diversions -- that are harming the Delta and complicating water shipments. It's amazing that isn't being looked at until now. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Mar 29 11:02:18 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:02:18 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Marin IJ 3 28 10 Message-ID: <023401cacf69$f95edd60$ec1c9820$@net> This is an interesting article that speaks to the value of improving watersheds and creeks (tributaries in the case of the Trinity) in improving Coho populations. Steelhead and Coho both spawn principally in tributaries or small creeks (rivers), so this also speaks to increasing Steelhead populations. State spends $730,000 to help coho salmon Marin Independent Journal-3/28/10 By Mark Prado Marin organizations will receive nearly $730,000 from the state Department of Fish and Game to help ailing salmon on the brink of extinction. A series of grants announced by the state agency last week comes at a time endangered central California coho salmon in West Marin and in other coastal counties are fighting for survival. "People in Marin had some projects that were good enough to be funded," said Patty Forbes, a state fisheries restoration grants program manager. The Forest Knolls-based Salmon Protection and Watershed Network was awarded two grants to help protect and restore coho habitat in the San Geronimo Valley. The largest grant for $282,934 is to help landowners make improvements to dirt roads not maintained by the county to reduce sediment that runs off into creeks. "We are delighted to receive this grant to help local landowners fix their dirt roads and help protect coho salmon simultaneously," said Todd Steiner, biologist and director of SPAWN. The second grant of $48,492 is to put woody debris structures in San Geronimo Creek that will restore refuge habitat for both winter and summer juvenile coho and steelhead trout. "This woody debris grant addresses a key limiting factor for coho salmon in San Geronimo Creek, where we have lost so much flood plain habitat to development," said Paola Bouley, biologist and conservation director of SPAWN. "For years, woody debris has been removed from the creek as a regular practice with agencies and landowners not realizing its critical importance to salmon survival. This project in partnership with landowners in the valley will start the process of repairing past damage and restoring a balance for salmon survival." The state gave other grants to Marin groups to help protect coho salmon. The Marin County Open Space District received $147,452 to reduce sediment in Spring and Montezuma creeks by implementing 22 road-to-trail conversions and erosion-control measures within the Giacomini Open Space Preserve. The Marin Municipal Water District received $129,882 to conduct an assessment of how to increase winter habitat for coho and steelhead in Lagunitas and lower Olema creeks. Trout Unlimited's North Bay chapter received $71,667 to develop fish passage designs for the Dixon Weir on San Geronimo Creek. And the Marin County Department of Public Works received $49,400 to develop fish passage designs and plans for two barriers impeding juvenile and adult coho at Larsen and San Geronimo creeks. Marin's coho population is in dire straits. For the third straight year the number of coho egg nests - which spawn the next generation of fish - was down significantly. The Lagunitas Creek watershed has one of the largest remaining populations of wild coho salmon in Northern California, but the fish nearly vanished last year. While this winter's migration from the ocean was slightly larger than last year's run, it was still well below average. Coho salmon were once abundant in the tributaries along the central California coast, from Aptos Creek near Santa Cruz in the south to Punta Gorda above Fort Bragg in the north. Historical records estimate populations were as high as 125,000 as late as the 1940s. But as human population and development increased along the desirable coastal areas, coho numbers plummeted to fewer than 6,000. The federal government listed the species as threatened in October 1996 and in June 2005 it was re-listed as endangered. Earlier this month the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service published a plan in the Federal Register that will serve as a road map for restoring coho to coastal rivers and streams along the state's coast. The ambitious plan aims to restore coho over 50 years and would cost $3 billion to $5 billion. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Apr 1 10:08:58 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 10:08:58 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 3 31 10 Message-ID: <007801cad1be$055af940$1010ebc0$@net> Federal ruling slows delta pumping Fresno Bee-3/31/10 By John Ellis Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumps will be ratcheted back today after a federal judge in Fresno rejected a request to keep them operating temporarily at current levels. Wednesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger means that for the next two months, both the federal and state water pumps will move much less water to users, including the Westlands Water District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It's the latest loss for farmers and other water users in the decades-long battle over moving water through the state. That battle continues today when water users and environmentalists square off in Wanger's court in what promises to be a pivotal case. The seasonal cutbacks that Wednesday's ruling allows are part of a controversial management plan for endangered spring-run Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead. Authorities say the pumps endanger juvenile fish heading out to the Pacific Ocean. "I am disappointed in the court's ruling, but I understand the basis for it," said Westlands general manager Tom Birmingham, who personally argued the case. Wanger found that the National Marine Fisheries Service "touched all the bases" in putting together a management plan -- known as a biological opinion -- for the salmon and steelhead, Birmingham said. Therefore, Wanger wouldn't agree to the request by users to keep the water flowing. Instead, today's cutbacks will happen as planned. Kate Poole, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said there have been mountains of testimony on the issue, and the federal government and its environmental allies continue to prevail. At this point, she said, both sides should "work to focus on solutions rather than rehash arguments." Wanger's ruling, however, was just the opening chapter in what is likely a climactic battle over the management plans for not only salmon and steelhead, but the threatened delta smelt as well. Water users want both management plans invalidated, claiming they are flawed and were put together without using the best available science. They also claim the plans don't take into account the effect on the environment, including humans. The next phase, which starts today, involves water users seeking an injunction on the management plans for the smelt and salmon. The injunction is closer to a permanent legal ruling than the temporary order Wanger ruled Wednesday. Because part of the next-phase ruling will involve the likelihood of success at a future trial, Wanger's decision on the injunction will likely send a strong signal to both sides how the cases will ultimately end. Wanger has set aside a week's worth of court days to hear arguments, which will likely be low on drama and high on technical analysis and expert opinion from seasoned biologists. A decision is expected in the latter part of next week. Beyond that, one more series of hearings on the smelt this spring and one on the salmon this fall likely will decide once and for all -- barring appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals -- whether agricultural and urban water users will be able to derail the current management plans. The plans resulted in massive water cutbacks for not only farmers and ranchers, but urban users as well. The dispute dates to 2007, when Wanger invalidated a delta smelt management plan issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because it did not adequately protect the tiny fish, a violation of the federal Endangered Species Act. He followed that up with a similar decision in April 2008, which invalidated a similar plan for winter-run Chinook salmon, spring-run Chinook salmon and the Central Valley steelhead. Wanger ordered both plans to be rewritten. But agricultural and urban water users said the rewritten plans were flawed. Multiple agencies filed lawsuits covering both the smelt and salmon plans, seeking to have them invalidated for, among other things, not using best available science and not conducting a critical environmental analysis required under the National Environmental Policy Act. Wednesday's battle focused on a temporary order to delay today's planned cutbacks -- a seasonal reduction to protect juvenile spring-run salmon that is part of the rewritten biological opinion. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Apr 1 10:10:56 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 10:10:56 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] North County Times 3 31 10 Message-ID: <007d01cad1be$4b859ec0$e290dc40$@net> Judge: Pumping limits needed to protect Calif fish North County Times-3/31/10 A federal judge on Wednesday turned down farmers' emergency request to lift water pumping restrictions in California's delta, saying continuing with current pumping levels risked killing chinook salmon. The decision by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger means regulators will cut back the amount of water pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta starting at midnight. The restrictions were put in place to protect endangered salmon and steelhead as the fish migrate through the delta into the Pacific Ocean, but farmers argue that the cutbacks are causing devastating crop losses. The sweeping San Joaquin Valley grows most of the country's fruits and vegetables, but a three-year drought and restrictions on pumping from the freshwater estuary have hammered the region, creating drastic job losses and other economic woes. The pumping restrictions are part of a plan by federal biologists to safeguard endangered salmon. Environmentalists and fishermen have sued to get those protections in place, arguing that the collapse of one of the West Coast's biggest wild salmon runs two years ago foretold the extinction of related species. Farmers, environmentalists, as well as state and federal biologists, will be back in court Thursday to present more evidence before Wanger as the hearing continues. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Apr 1 10:14:05 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 10:14:05 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 3 31 10 Message-ID: <008201cad1be$bc635ba0$352a12e0$@net> San Joaquin River flowing through dry stretches S.F. Chronicle-3/31/10 By Carolyn Jones Six months after the court-ordered release of water from a Central Valley dam, the San Joaquin River is now reconnected with San Francisco Bay, a major development in the river's long-term recovery and re-establishment of chinook salmon populations. The river, 64 miles of which had been choked into a dusty wasteland after the Friant Dam was built northeast of Fresno in the 1940s, is now flowing along its historic channels, merging with the Merced River, pouring into the delta and emptying into the bay. "People are kayaking, sunbathing with their ghetto blasters, swimming. Six months ago it was all sand," said Chris Acree, director of Revive the San Joaquin, a Fresno nonprofit group that's been working to restore the river. "It's great to see the river running again." The water releases started six months ago, as part of a long-fought settlement among the Bay Institute and other environmental groups, the federal government and Central Valley farmers. The San Joaquin River, California's second-longest river, was dammed for flood control and to provide water for farmers. But as it hooks through Fresno and ambles north, the river was mostly dry in two sections, totaling 64 miles. The only water came from local storm runoff - much of it tainted with fertilizers, pesticides and other agricultural residue - and occasional releases from the dam after heavy snowmelts. When the river dried up, the fish population did, too. "If you want to screw up a river, the San Joaquin is a perfect example," said Gary Bobker, program director for the Bay Institute, which helped negotiate the restoration. "It's like a horror museum." Hoping to restore the salmon runs, in 1988 the Bay Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups sued the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the dam. Almost 20 years later, in 2006, the parties reached a settlement that will eventually replenish the river for the salmon, refill the aquifer below Fresno and leave more room in the reservoir for farmers. The agreement was signed by President Obama in March 2009. Small pulses of water were released starting on Oct. 1 to re-wet the dry parts of the riverbed. On Feb. 1, the amount was increased to a steady 350 cubic feet per second, and on Monday it was bumped up to 1,100 cubic feet per second. Scientists are studying the effects on levees and channels, many of which haven't been used in decades, and by 2014 hope to see the river fully restored year-round. Much of the dry riverbed has been littered with rusty cars, old refrigerators and other debris, Bobker said. But now, at Mendota, for example, the river is 3 feet deep and 50 feet across, Acree said. The banks are lined with 6-foot lupine, and birds, including eagles, are swooping overhead. The project will cost about $500 million, covered by state bond funds, the federal government and increased fees on the 15,000 farmers who rely on the Friant Dam for some or all of their water. The Friant Water Users Authority, which represents farmers from Merced County to the Tehachapis, supported the settlement because eventually the water from the San Joaquin, when it reaches the delta, will be pumped or channeled back to the reservoir for agricultural use. "In essence, we'll get to use it twice," said the authority's manager, Ron Jacobsma. "But at this point we are very anxious to get our water back." Friant's farmers will see an 18 percent drop in their water allotment because of the releases, he said. Although this year most farmers have ample reserves, another year or two of decreased water shipments could lead to fallow fields, laid off farmhands, higher prices for produce and economic ripple effects throughout the Central Valley, he said. "It's like when you exhaust your bank account," he said. "It might be OK this year, but it affects your stability in the future." For the bay, a restored San Joaquin means "we have a chance to restore these salmon runs that were destroyed," Bobker said. Salmon won't be able to pass the dam, but they will be able spawn in the hundreds of streams that trickle into the river. "This is not going to solve the problem entirely, but it does mean we'll be able to finally begin healing this river," Bobker said. "So we're crowing right now." San Joaquin River Length: 350 miles. Its basin covers 38,000 square miles - nearly a quarter of California - an area the size of Indiana. Headwaters: Several points in the mountains east of Fresno. Fish: In 1945, the year before Friant Dam was completed, 56,000 chinook salmon swam up the San Joaquin to spawn. After the dam was finished, the number dropped to zero. Fish could not swim past the confluence of the Merced River, 150 miles downstream, because the San Joaquin was dry. Irrigation: The San Joaquin provides water for 1 million acres of farmland, producing $2 billion in crops every year.# Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gking at asis.com Thu Apr 1 17:42:04 2010 From: gking at asis.com (Greg King) Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 17:42:04 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 3 31 10 In-Reply-To: <008201cad1be$bc635ba0$352a12e0$@net> References: <008201cad1be$bc635ba0$352a12e0$@net> Message-ID: It's stunning to consider that this magnificent river was ever allowed to go dry, and it's just as remarkable now to learn that water has returned. May water to continue to reclaim its natural place in this world, and may the species whose very survival now hangs in the brink due to overallocation also rebound and thrive along with the recovering streams. Thanks to all who have worked to attain this welcome result after years of struggle. As Bobker points out, it's just a start. But really it's huge. Greg King President/Program Director Siskiyou Land Conservancy P.O. Box 4209 Arcata, CA 95518 707-498-4900 gking at asis.com http://siskiyouland.wordpress.com/ On Apr 1, 2010, at 10:14 AM, Byron Leydecker wrote: > San Joaquin River flowing through dry stretches > > S.F. Chronicle-3/31/10 > > By Carolyn Jones > > > > Six months after the court-ordered release of water from a Central > Valley dam, the San Joaquin River is now reconnected with San > Francisco Bay, a major development in the river's long-term > recovery and re-establishment of chinook salmon populations. > > > > The river, 64 miles of which had been choked into a dusty wasteland > after the Friant Dam was built northeast of Fresno in the 1940s, is > now flowing along its historic channels, merging with the Merced > River, pouring into the delta and emptying into the bay. > > > > "People are kayaking, sunbathing with their ghetto blasters, > swimming. Six months ago it was all sand," said Chris Acree, > director of Revive the San Joaquin, a Fresno nonprofit group that's > been working to restore the river. "It's great to see the river > running again." > > > > The water releases started six months ago, as part of a long-fought > settlement among the Bay Institute and other environmental groups, > the federal government and Central Valley farmers. > > > > The San Joaquin River, California's second-longest river, was > dammed for flood control and to provide water for farmers. But as > it hooks through Fresno and ambles north, the river was mostly dry > in two sections, totaling 64 miles. The only water came from local > storm runoff - much of it tainted with fertilizers, pesticides and > other agricultural residue - and occasional releases from the dam > after heavy snowmelts. > > > > When the river dried up, the fish population did, too. > > > > "If you want to screw up a river, the San Joaquin is a perfect > example," said Gary Bobker, program director for the Bay Institute, > which helped negotiate the restoration. "It's like a horror museum." > > > > Hoping to restore the salmon runs, in 1988 the Bay Institute, > Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups > sued the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the dam. > > > > Almost 20 years later, in 2006, the parties reached a settlement > that will eventually replenish the river for the salmon, refill the > aquifer below Fresno and leave more room in the reservoir for > farmers. The agreement was signed by President Obama in March 2009. > > > > Small pulses of water were released starting on Oct. 1 to re-wet > the dry parts of the riverbed. On Feb. 1, the amount was increased > to a steady 350 cubic feet per second, and on Monday it was bumped > up to 1,100 cubic feet per second. Scientists are studying the > effects on levees and channels, many of which haven't been used in > decades, and by 2014 hope to see the river fully restored year-round. > > > > Much of the dry riverbed has been littered with rusty cars, old > refrigerators and other debris, Bobker said. > > > > But now, at Mendota, for example, the river is 3 feet deep and 50 > feet across, Acree said. The banks are lined with 6-foot lupine, > and birds, including eagles, are swooping overhead. > > > > The project will cost about $500 million, covered by state bond > funds, the federal government and increased fees on the 15,000 > farmers who rely on the Friant Dam for some or all of their water. > > > > The Friant Water Users Authority, which represents farmers from > Merced County to the Tehachapis, supported the settlement because > eventually the water from the San Joaquin, when it reaches the > delta, will be pumped or channeled back to the reservoir for > agricultural use. > > > > "In essence, we'll get to use it twice," said the authority's > manager, Ron Jacobsma. "But at this point we are very anxious to > get our water back." > > > > Friant's farmers will see an 18 percent drop in their water > allotment because of the releases, he said. > > > > Although this year most farmers have ample reserves, another year > or two of decreased water shipments could lead to fallow fields, > laid off farmhands, higher prices for produce and economic ripple > effects throughout the Central Valley, he said. > > > > "It's like when you exhaust your bank account," he said. "It might > be OK this year, but it affects your stability in the future." > > > > For the bay, a restored San Joaquin means "we have a chance to > restore these salmon runs that were destroyed," Bobker said. > > > > Salmon won't be able to pass the dam, but they will be able spawn > in the hundreds of streams that trickle into the river. > > > > "This is not going to solve the problem entirely, but it does mean > we'll be able to finally begin healing this river," Bobker said. > "So we're crowing right now." > > > > San Joaquin River > > Length: 350 miles. Its basin covers 38,000 square miles - nearly a > quarter of California - an area the size of Indiana. > > > > Headwaters: Several points in the mountains east of Fresno. > > > > Fish: In 1945, the year before Friant Dam was completed, 56,000 > chinook salmon swam up the San Joaquin to spawn. After the dam was > finished, the number dropped to zero. Fish could not swim past the > confluence of the Merced River, 150 miles downstream, because the > San Joaquin was dry. > > > > Irrigation: The San Joaquin provides water for 1 million acres of > farmland, producing $2 billion in crops every year.# > > > > > > Byron Leydecker, JcT > > Chair, Friends of Trinity River > > PO Box 2327 > > Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 > > 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) > > 415 519 4810 mobile > > bwl3 at comcast.net > > bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) > > http://www.fotr.org > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Apr 2 20:56:43 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron) Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 20:56:43 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Wanger Denies Pumpin Message-ID: <000b01cad2e1$adf8aab0$09ea0010$@net> Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fgax 415 519 4810 mobile http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PCL on Wanger Pumping.PNG Type: image/png Size: 52497 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 5 10:33:39 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 10:33:39 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] NY Times 4 2 10 Message-ID: <01c801cad4e6$22390810$66ab1830$@net> Salmon Fishermen Swim Against Political Tide in Long-Running Calif. Water War N.Y. Times-4/2/10 By Colin Sullivan California congressmen George Miller and Mike Thompson stumped for salmon fishermen yesterday during a political rally here meant to counter the political muscle of San Joaquin Valley farmers who tend to get more media attention in the long-running war over the state's strained water supply. The Democratic lawmakers represent Northern California districts that were once home to some of the nation's most active king, or chinook, salmon runs. But the California and Oregon salmon fishery that largely starts in the Sacramento River north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has collapsed. There were 28,000 naturally spawning Central Valley salmon caught in 2009, down from nearly 700,000 wild salmon harvested as recently as 2000. The plummeting catch has led to the cancellation of the commercial salmon season the past two years, causing the loss of 23,000 jobs and $2 billion in revenue, according to a study by Southwick Associates, an analytical firm that specializes in resource issues. Commercial salmon fishermen blame the agriculture industry for the fishery's collapse -- namely, Central Valley farmers who have seen their share of water from federal and state sources steadily increase in recent years. Water exports from the delta, the fishermen say, had reached record highs from 2003 to 2007, prior to the fishery collapse and the implementation of pumping limits under the federal Endangered Species Act. And though there are other factors hurting fish in the delta, Miller, Thompson and the blue-collar band of trollers they support believe the salmon side of the California water story has been neglected. They say television news reporters -- notably, representatives of Fox News and CBS's "60 Minutes" -- have come to California in the past year to tell one part of a complex tale of pressures on the troubled delta, which supplies much of the state's drinking water. The congressmen had harsh words in particular for a group of "third tier" water rights holders, led by the Westlands Water District, that have fought in court and in political circles to get more water from reservoirs and the delta. But they also said courts are starting to sense the gravity of the situation, as evidenced this week by a federal district court decision rejecting an attempt to attain a restraining order on the salmon recovery plan. "We've always fought an uphill battle" against the agriculture industry, Thompson said in an interview. "But it's wrong to choose economic winners and losers. That's why these people are here today." Miller, who is now in his 18th term on Capitol Hill and whose father fought the same water fights as a state senator, has long been an advocate of the fishing community. He is also the lawmaker most likely to take on Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who many in the fishing industry view as their nemesis. In a swipe at the state's senior U.S. senator, Miller said the recent National Academy of Sciences review of the science behind a salmon recovery plan confirms that rolling back the Endangered Species Act to allow more water to flow to farmers should not be on the table. "This system has to be looked at as a waterway of national significance," said Miller, comparing the delta to the Everglades and the Chesapeake Bay. "This is the beginning of a long struggle to right what is wrong." The rally that drew several hundred people here yesterday was staged by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council and local fishing groups. Hundreds of fishermen, many clad in blue jeans and baseball caps, attended and carried signs that said, "I love salmon and I vote" and "Fishermen deserve better." Larry Collins, a commercial angler based in Fisherman's Wharf and president of the Crab Boat Owners Association of San Francisco, said the industry is making a concerted effort to counter "agribusiness bigwigs" who he accuses of stealing water. Collins concedes that many in the state have started to view the fishermen as something of a dying breed, but he said restoration of wild salmon is still possible if voters start paying attention. "We've lost 80 percent of our fleet in the last 25 years," Collins said, citing a drop in state-issued fishing permits from 5,000 in 1985 to about 1,200 today. "I don't think the farmers can say that." Key to their strategy is the species-protection law, which has forced a federal judge to place limits on how much water can be pumped from the delta. Spring-run and winter-run chinook salmon are listed as endangered already, and the fall-run may not be far behind. "The [Endangered Species Act] has been the key to holding the line," said Jim McCarthy, of SalmonWaterNow. "These environmental protections are really all these fisherman have." The commercial fishermen are also hoping the legal maneuvering to outsmart a federal biological opinion on salmon, which has led to the pumping curtailment, will stop once public pressure is brought to bear. Dick Pool, who owns Pro-Troll Fishing Products in Concord, Calif., said federal scientists should be able to enforce the Endangered Species Act outside political pressure from farmers who, in his view, should be directed to work harder at efficiency and plant more drought-resistant crops. But why not shift the focus away from salmon to crab, halibut, tuna or rock cod, all of which are fished out of the San Francisco Bay? Because there is money in salmon. Collins said 70 percent of his income has been historically attached to the salmon catch, which is the top-selling fish in the United States. Duncan McLean, captain of the Barbara Faye out of Half Moon Bay, Calif., says the only reason he started fishing crab was to pay his taxes. "Losing the salmon season," McLean said, "is like retailers losing Christmas." Still, the fishermen acknowledge "Big Ag" tends to hold more political sway in California. Feinstein has long favored exporting more water to farms in the valley, which is considered a pillar of the state's economy, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) was able to push through a series of water bills last year that could lead to billions of dollars invested in infrastructure designed to store more water and transfer it around the state. Schwarzenegger and Feinstein both support an $11 billion water bond that goes before voters in November. The campaign on the bond is expected to pit environmentalists and fishermen against irrigators and farmers, with Democrats and Republicans slugging it out on the sidelines depending on their constituency. To Collins, who calls the forthcoming ballot fight "David vs. Goliath," the future of his industry is linked to that bond like no other piece of policy. If it passes, Collins says he might as well start planning for retirement. "We're done if that thing passes," Collins said. "The farmers are never going to stand up and say, 'We have enough water now.'" Miller said the answer is to "back up" the fishing community's passion in Washington, where he wants Congress to approach the delta's maze of problems with the same kind of state-federal partnership responsible for attempting to restore the Everglades. Miller has met recently with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley to urge a deltawide approach, as opposed to a piecemeal project-by-project strategy. As for the farmers, Miller said he wants to reach out to them and bring all interests to the table. "We asked our colleagues in the Central Valley, were they willing to check their guns at the door?" he said. "We can't go back to the old way of doing business." The White House appears to be listening to both sides. Salazar conceded to Feinstein when she demanded the NAS study of the delta. And he included in the Obama administration's budget proposal for fiscal 2011 increases of $106.0 million for Land and Water Conservation Fund programs and $71.4 million for investments in major ecosystem restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay, California's Bay Delta, the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi, and the Everglades. Asked whether he saw that political balance on the issue might be shifting away from agriculture to the fishing community, Rep. Thompson was philosophical. "I don't think," he said, "that's going to change anytime soon." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 5 10:36:46 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 10:36:46 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 Message-ID: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> I will keep my thoughts to myself. Byron Water-cleaning project may aid Valley farms Fresno Bee-4/3/10 By Mark Grossi A surprising marriage of molecular chemistry and business might soon end the slow poisoning of lucrative farmland in the nation's largest irrigation district. The science will be blended with business later this year in a $3.2 million project to pump trapped farm drainage from beneath crop fields in Westlands Water District, purify the bad water and harvest contaminants as valuable products. One big plus for taxpayers: It might eliminate most of the $2.7 billion price tag federal officials have estimated to clean up the salty water beneath 200,000 acres. As bonuses, the project would remove the global-warming gas carbon dioxide from the air and eventually run on a renewable fuel, such as biogas from manure or cogeneration with crop wastes. It's possibly a high-tech Holy Grail for the west San Joaquin Valley, where billions of gallons of used irrigation water are perched on shallow layers of clay beneath crops. The briny water slowly rises as irrigation takes place. It already has made thousands of acres unusable, putting some farmers out of business. The contamination has lingered for decades, mostly because no one knows how to economically filter the bad water beneath this big swath of land -- which has a footprint two-thirds the size of Los Angeles. The pilot project, spearheaded by westside farmer John Diener and a joint-venture company, is supposed to clean up about 200 gallons per minute through desalination, a well-known filtering process used on ships to provide drinking water right out of the ocean. Officials with the company say they can clean out such troublesome contaminants as boron, selenium and others. The newest part of the approach will be the removal and chemical alteration of several tons of salt from each acre-foot of water. The salt will be converted to marketable chemicals commonly used in plastics, glass and building materials. Officials said the cost to clean up the water this way might be as high as $2,500 per acre-foot -- an acre-foot is equal to 326,000 gallons or a year's supply for an average family of four. But by selling products created in the process, the resulting clean water might cost farmers about $300 per acre-foot. "I can't say if it's the whole answer to our problem," said Diener, a former Westlands board member. "But I think we're quite a bit further down the road now." For decades, the cleanup has been Diener's passion. He has worked on committees and invested in attempts to recycle the dirty water on his own land. He says the pilot project will clean up dirty water beneath a 640-acre field of his and produce enough water to irrigate the field. The next hurdle would be expanding the process to clean up more of the billions of gallons of tainted water. It was Diener who connected with water-treatment specialist Ron Smith, based in San Francisco, to talk about Westlands' drainage water. Realizing the problem was more than water treatment, Smith found Deane Little, a molecular biophysicist who runs New Sky Energy in Colorado. New Sky uses carbon dioxide in converting salt to products that are well-established manufacturing staples, such as polymers and carbonates. Other products include baking soda, lime or carbon fibers for manufacturing. Smith and Little started a joint-venture company called Ag Water-New Sky to work on the Westlands problem. Little said the concept worked for his company because he needed a big supply of sodium sulfate or salt -- which is abundant in the trapped water beneath Westlands. "We weren't really thinking of the Central Valley and its salt problems," Little said. "We were wondering where we would get all our sodium sulfate." There are other challenges in which Little's expertise helps. The brew of chemicals in the farm drain water includes calcium and magnesium, which have clogged expensive desalination filters in the past. Little said one of the products his company makes from salt and carbon dioxide is sodium carbonate, a chemical water softener. When mixed with the raw water before desalination, it converts the calcium and magnesium into useful chemicals and prevents their fouling the desalination membranes. Converting the salt to a marketable product is basic chemistry common all over the world. Little's twist on the process is trapping carbon dioxide from the air and combining it with the salt. But the process uses a lot of electricity to get the needed chemical reactions. "The cost for electricity is about $400 daily and represents about five months usage for an average residence," Little said. "However, that is small demand for an industrial manufacturer." Water-treatment expert Smith said the new company will try to create electricity using biomass, such as manure, crops or even human waste solids from cities. This melding of science and business differs from the federal government's multibillion-dollar plan, which involves buying and retiring a lot of farmland on the west side. In the past several years, a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and taxpayers are on the hook for the cleanup. Westlands officials say the federal government has agreed to pay for the pilot project, though Bureau of Reclamation officials could not confirm it because the drainage-water case is still in court. Smith said he hopes the pilot project will jump start a broad cleanup and save a big part of west-side agriculture. "There's a lot of work that still needs to go into this," he said. "But this could be a very efficient project that makes good business sense and is good for the environment." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From srosekrans at edf.org Mon Apr 5 10:47:28 2010 From: srosekrans at edf.org (Spreck Rosekrans) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 13:47:28 -0400 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 In-Reply-To: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> References: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> Message-ID: <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343CD7@ny-mail> I cannot possibly imagine what Byron is thinking. I am skeptical of the economics, however. $2500 per af is about the cost of desalting seawater. They have boron etc. to worry about as well. But if there is a solid concept, maybe spending $M 3.2 on a pilot project is worthwhile. It will need to be watched closely. From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:37 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 I will keep my thoughts to myself. Byron Water-cleaning project may aid Valley farms Fresno Bee-4/3/10 By Mark Grossi A surprising marriage of molecular chemistry and business might soon end the slow poisoning of lucrative farmland in the nation's largest irrigation district. The science will be blended with business later this year in a $3.2 million project to pump trapped farm drainage from beneath crop fields in Westlands Water District, purify the bad water and harvest contaminants as valuable products. One big plus for taxpayers: It might eliminate most of the $2.7 billion price tag federal officials have estimated to clean up the salty water beneath 200,000 acres. As bonuses, the project would remove the global-warming gas carbon dioxide from the air and eventually run on a renewable fuel, such as biogas from manure or cogeneration with crop wastes. It's possibly a high-tech Holy Grail for the west San Joaquin Valley, where billions of gallons of used irrigation water are perched on shallow layers of clay beneath crops. The briny water slowly rises as irrigation takes place. It already has made thousands of acres unusable, putting some farmers out of business. The contamination has lingered for decades, mostly because no one knows how to economically filter the bad water beneath this big swath of land -- which has a footprint two-thirds the size of Los Angeles. The pilot project, spearheaded by westside farmer John Diener and a joint-venture company, is supposed to clean up about 200 gallons per minute through desalination, a well-known filtering process used on ships to provide drinking water right out of the ocean. Officials with the company say they can clean out such troublesome contaminants as boron, selenium and others. The newest part of the approach will be the removal and chemical alteration of several tons of salt from each acre-foot of water. The salt will be converted to marketable chemicals commonly used in plastics, glass and building materials. Officials said the cost to clean up the water this way might be as high as $2,500 per acre-foot -- an acre-foot is equal to 326,000 gallons or a year's supply for an average family of four. But by selling products created in the process, the resulting clean water might cost farmers about $300 per acre-foot. "I can't say if it's the whole answer to our problem," said Diener, a former Westlands board member. "But I think we're quite a bit further down the road now." For decades, the cleanup has been Diener's passion. He has worked on committees and invested in attempts to recycle the dirty water on his own land. He says the pilot project will clean up dirty water beneath a 640-acre field of his and produce enough water to irrigate the field. The next hurdle would be expanding the process to clean up more of the billions of gallons of tainted water. It was Diener who connected with water-treatment specialist Ron Smith, based in San Francisco, to talk about Westlands' drainage water. Realizing the problem was more than water treatment, Smith found Deane Little, a molecular biophysicist who runs New Sky Energy in Colorado. New Sky uses carbon dioxide in converting salt to products that are well-established manufacturing staples, such as polymers and carbonates. Other products include baking soda, lime or carbon fibers for manufacturing. Smith and Little started a joint-venture company called Ag Water-New Sky to work on the Westlands problem. Little said the concept worked for his company because he needed a big supply of sodium sulfate or salt -- which is abundant in the trapped water beneath Westlands. "We weren't really thinking of the Central Valley and its salt problems," Little said. "We were wondering where we would get all our sodium sulfate." There are other challenges in which Little's expertise helps. The brew of chemicals in the farm drain water includes calcium and magnesium, which have clogged expensive desalination filters in the past. Little said one of the products his company makes from salt and carbon dioxide is sodium carbonate, a chemical water softener. When mixed with the raw water before desalination, it converts the calcium and magnesium into useful chemicals and prevents their fouling the desalination membranes. Converting the salt to a marketable product is basic chemistry common all over the world. Little's twist on the process is trapping carbon dioxide from the air and combining it with the salt. But the process uses a lot of electricity to get the needed chemical reactions. "The cost for electricity is about $400 daily and represents about five months usage for an average residence," Little said. "However, that is small demand for an industrial manufacturer." Water-treatment expert Smith said the new company will try to create electricity using biomass, such as manure, crops or even human waste solids from cities. This melding of science and business differs from the federal government's multibillion-dollar plan, which involves buying and retiring a lot of farmland on the west side. In the past several years, a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and taxpayers are on the hook for the cleanup. Westlands officials say the federal government has agreed to pay for the pilot project, though Bureau of Reclamation officials could not confirm it because the drainage-water case is still in court. Smith said he hopes the pilot project will jump start a broad cleanup and save a big part of west-side agriculture. "There's a lot of work that still needs to go into this," he said. "But this could be a very efficient project that makes good business sense and is good for the environment." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lcarter0i at comcast.net Mon Apr 5 20:51:58 2010 From: lcarter0i at comcast.net (Lloyd Carter) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 20:51:58 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] [FOTR] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 References: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343CD7@ny-mail> Message-ID: <6CF9282CE65D43D78570AE3761F0D961@CARHP> One more point. eight to ten tons of salts per acre-foot of drainwater. Multiply that times 314,000. After this company gets all the sodium sulfate then want, where are they going to put the remaining mountain of millions of tons of salt. We can name it Mt. Kesterson. Lloyd ----- Original Message ----- From: Spreck Rosekrans To: Byron Leydecker ; FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:47 AM Subject: Re: [FOTR] [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 I cannot possibly imagine what Byron is thinking. I am skeptical of the economics, however. $2500 per af is about the cost of desalting seawater. They have boron etc. to worry about as well. But if there is a solid concept, maybe spending $M 3.2 on a pilot project is worthwhile. It will need to be watched closely. From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:37 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 I will keep my thoughts to myself. Byron Water-cleaning project may aid Valley farms Fresno Bee-4/3/10 By Mark Grossi A surprising marriage of molecular chemistry and business might soon end the slow poisoning of lucrative farmland in the nation's largest irrigation district. The science will be blended with business later this year in a $3.2 million project to pump trapped farm drainage from beneath crop fields in Westlands Water District, purify the bad water and harvest contaminants as valuable products. One big plus for taxpayers: It might eliminate most of the $2.7 billion price tag federal officials have estimated to clean up the salty water beneath 200,000 acres. As bonuses, the project would remove the global-warming gas carbon dioxide from the air and eventually run on a renewable fuel, such as biogas from manure or cogeneration with crop wastes. It's possibly a high-tech Holy Grail for the west San Joaquin Valley, where billions of gallons of used irrigation water are perched on shallow layers of clay beneath crops. The briny water slowly rises as irrigation takes place. It already has made thousands of acres unusable, putting some farmers out of business. The contamination has lingered for decades, mostly because no one knows how to economically filter the bad water beneath this big swath of land -- which has a footprint two-thirds the size of Los Angeles. The pilot project, spearheaded by westside farmer John Diener and a joint-venture company, is supposed to clean up about 200 gallons per minute through desalination, a well-known filtering process used on ships to provide drinking water right out of the ocean. Officials with the company say they can clean out such troublesome contaminants as boron, selenium and others. The newest part of the approach will be the removal and chemical alteration of several tons of salt from each acre-foot of water. The salt will be converted to marketable chemicals commonly used in plastics, glass and building materials. Officials said the cost to clean up the water this way might be as high as $2,500 per acre-foot -- an acre-foot is equal to 326,000 gallons or a year's supply for an average family of four. But by selling products created in the process, the resulting clean water might cost farmers about $300 per acre-foot. "I can't say if it's the whole answer to our problem," said Diener, a former Westlands board member. "But I think we're quite a bit further down the road now." For decades, the cleanup has been Diener's passion. He has worked on committees and invested in attempts to recycle the dirty water on his own land. He says the pilot project will clean up dirty water beneath a 640-acre field of his and produce enough water to irrigate the field. The next hurdle would be expanding the process to clean up more of the billions of gallons of tainted water. It was Diener who connected with water-treatment specialist Ron Smith, based in San Francisco, to talk about Westlands' drainage water. Realizing the problem was more than water treatment, Smith found Deane Little, a molecular biophysicist who runs New Sky Energy in Colorado. New Sky uses carbon dioxide in converting salt to products that are well-established manufacturing staples, such as polymers and carbonates. Other products include baking soda, lime or carbon fibers for manufacturing. Smith and Little started a joint-venture company called Ag Water-New Sky to work on the Westlands problem. Little said the concept worked for his company because he needed a big supply of sodium sulfate or salt -- which is abundant in the trapped water beneath Westlands. "We weren't really thinking of the Central Valley and its salt problems," Little said. "We were wondering where we would get all our sodium sulfate." There are other challenges in which Little's expertise helps. The brew of chemicals in the farm drain water includes calcium and magnesium, which have clogged expensive desalination filters in the past. Little said one of the products his company makes from salt and carbon dioxide is sodium carbonate, a chemical water softener. When mixed with the raw water before desalination, it converts the calcium and magnesium into useful chemicals and prevents their fouling the desalination membranes. Converting the salt to a marketable product is basic chemistry common all over the world. Little's twist on the process is trapping carbon dioxide from the air and combining it with the salt. But the process uses a lot of electricity to get the needed chemical reactions. "The cost for electricity is about $400 daily and represents about five months usage for an average residence," Little said. "However, that is small demand for an industrial manufacturer." Water-treatment expert Smith said the new company will try to create electricity using biomass, such as manure, crops or even human waste solids from cities. This melding of science and business differs from the federal government's multibillion-dollar plan, which involves buying and retiring a lot of farmland on the west side. In the past several years, a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and taxpayers are on the hook for the cleanup. Westlands officials say the federal government has agreed to pay for the pilot project, though Bureau of Reclamation officials could not confirm it because the drainage-water case is still in court. Smith said he hopes the pilot project will jump start a broad cleanup and save a big part of west-side agriculture. "There's a lot of work that still needs to go into this," he said. "But this could be a very efficient project that makes good business sense and is good for the environment." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ FOTR mailing list FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Tue Apr 6 08:36:19 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 08:36:19 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Salmon Water Now! Video Covers The Salmon Summit In-Reply-To: <6CF9282CE65D43D78570AE3761F0D961@CARHP> References: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343CD7@ny-mail> <6CF9282CE65D43D78570AE3761F0D961@CARHP> Message-ID: <6E945408-679E-41B4-870B-B241A4715576@fishsniffer.com> Salmon Water Now! Video Covers The Salmon Summit The Salmon Summit was a huge success and now you can see it in this new Salmon Water Now! video. This is the first of a few videos that will feature what happened at Fort Mason in San Francisco on April 1st. Future videos will show the panel discussions and media coverage. The video is only available on Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/ 10663392 The Salmon Summit: Listen to Us! by Dan Bacher Commercial salmon fishermen, recreational anglers and business owners who have been devastated by more than two years of no salmon fishing came from throughout California and Oregon on a beautiful spring day to participate in the Salmon Summit at Fort Mason in San Francisco on April 1. More than 500 men, women, and children showed up to demand that the state and federal governments take action to restore collapsing populations of salmon, according to Bruce Tokars of Salmon Water Now! "They came to tell representatives from Congress and Sacramento that it is time to make what is wrong, right again," said Tokars."The message was clear: Junior water rights holders on the West side of the Central Valley must be stopped from taking river and Delta water needed by salmon." The once robust runs of fall, winter and spring run Chinook salmon are on the edge of extinction because of abysmal water management and the political pressures of Westlands Water District, agribusiness tycoon Stewart Resnick, owner of Paramount Farms, and their powerful friends in Congress and Sacramento. "The Salmon Summit's overflow crowd came to say it is way past time for salmon to get the water they need to spawn and ensure that they have healthy rivers and a healthy Delta so the fish can reproduce and get out to sea to live their lives," said Tokars. Over the past year, corporate agribusiness, Southern California water agencies and water privateers have launched unprecedented attacks on the federal plans (biological opinions) protecting Delta smelt, Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon and southern resident killer whales. These corporate water interests are collaborating with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Central Valley Representatives and California Legislators to build a peripheral canal and new dams and to pass an $11.1 billion water bond in November. The peripheral canal/tunnel fiasco would cost anywhere from $23 to $53.8 billion at a time of unprecedented economic crisis in California - and is likely to push Central Valley salmon and Delta fish species over the edge of extinction. The battle to restore Central Valley salmon populations is a conflict between the people and a handful of greedy corporate agribusiness owners. Unfortunately, servants of agribusiness such as Representative Jim Costa (D-Fresno) are falsely portraying the conflict as one between "radical environmentalists and family farmers," even though there is no basis whatsoever to this bizarre contention. To see the forces that we're up against, read Costa's blistering missive on http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail? entry_id=60623. "We have stood up to the bully tactics of extreme environmentalists whose agenda ignores our families and our futures," claimed Costa, who appears to be competing with agribusiness puppet Representative Devin Nunes (R-Visalia) in his histrionic rhetoric. "We've made progress. More water will flow to our Valley and George Miller doesn't like it." This is the first of several videos documenting this historic event. I urge you to watch this excellent video and circulate the web link widely. Here is the link to the new video: http://www.vimeo.com/10663392 For more information, go to Salmon Water Now!, http:// www.salmonwaternow.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Apr 6 10:42:33 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 10:42:33 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Bakersfield Californian 4 5 10 Message-ID: <027701cad5b0$8aa83400$9ff89c00$@net> Jim Costa to fellow Democrat: "It's on" over Delta Bakersfield Californian-4/5/10 BY Christine Bedell Jim Costa declared political "war" against a fellow member of the California congressional delegation Monday over the ongoing fight to both protect fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and keep delivering desperately needed water to the San Joaquin Valley. Costa, D-Fresno, offered to do battle with Rep. George Miller, D-Richmond, after Miller was quoted as promising at a political rally last week to push for tougher restrictions on water diversions to valley farms and cities. Northern California fisherman in large part blame the water pumping for declining salmon populations and, by extension, their livelihoods. "That one side of the state gets to rip off the other side is not sustainable, politically or environmentally," the San Francisco Chronicle quoted Miller as saying at a San Francisco "Salmon Summit" Thursday. "For 10 years they've violated the laws and the science in the name of greed. But we've beat them before and we'll beat them again." Costa came out swinging Monday. "If he wants to fight with the Latino community and valley farmworkers whose futures depend on water allocations, we'll give him a fight," Costa said of Miller in a news release titled "Rep. Costa Declares War Over Water." "If he wants to fight with people whose economy hinges on farms getting a fair share of water, we'll give him a fight. If he is willing to destroy the entire Valley way of life to suit his own ends, he'll get the fight of a lifetime." In a meeting with Californian reporters and editors later in the day Monday, Costa said he was not referring to any specific Miller proposal but rather his long history of making the valley a "scapegoat" for the delta's ecological problems and ignoring the damage also being done by a polluting power plant, effluent from cities and pesticide runoff from housing tracts and farms in Miller's district. Miller has long failed to recognize the valley's economic struggles and contributions to the world's food supply, Costa complained. "Unfortunately politicians from other parts of the state don't recognize our way of life is as important as theirs," Costa said. He said valley farmers and water officials have drastically cut production of thirsty crops like cotton, given up water allocations to protect the environment and found ways to be more water-efficient. Miller's staff couldn't be reached for comment late Monday afternoon. The Chronicle story quoted fishermen and their supporters as saying two years of canceled salmon seasons have cost California $2.8 billion in revenue and at least 23,000 jobs. Costa's harsh words come at a time he's been repeatedly pummeled by Republicans in the valley for not doing enough to get the federal government to ease water pumping restrictions. It's been a major theme of Republicans running in the 20th Congressional District GOP primary: Hanford farmer Andy Vidak, Fresno businessman Serafin Quintanar and Fresno-Clovis CPA Richard Lake. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Vina_Frye at fws.gov Tue Apr 6 13:50:44 2010 From: Vina_Frye at fws.gov (Vina_Frye at fws.gov) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 13:50:44 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group Conference Call Message-ID: Hi Folks, The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) conference call is scheduled on Friday, April 16, 2010. The topic of discussion is the 2010 flow schedule. Have a good day! Vina Vina Frye U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata FWO 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Telephone: (707) 822-7201 Fax: (707) 822-8411 vina_frye at fws.gov [Federal Register: April 5, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 64)] [Notices] [Page 17158] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr05ap10-78] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R8-FHC-2010-N065; 81331-1334-8TWG-W4] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). The TMC interprets and recommends policy, coordinates and reviews management actions, and provides organizational budget oversight. This notice announces a TAMWG conference call, which is open to the public. DATES: The TAMWG conference call will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, April 16, 2010. Leader: Arnold Whitridge, Toll free number: 888-790-3257, Duration: 2 hr 30 min, Participant passcode: 9825534. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meeting information: Randy A. Brown, TAMWG Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521; telephone: (707) 822-7201. Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) information: Jennifer Faler, Acting Executive Director, Trinity River Restoration Program, P.O. Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093; telephone: (530) 623- 1800; e-mail: jfaler at usbr.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), this notice announces a meeting of the TAMWG. The meeting will include discussion of the: 2010 flow schedule. Completion of the agenda is dependent on the amount of time each item takes. The meeting could end early if the agenda has been completed. Dated: March 30, 2010. Randy A. Brown, Designated Federal Officer, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, CA. [FR Doc. 2010-7585 Filed 4-2-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From srosekrans at edf.org Tue Apr 6 14:07:10 2010 From: srosekrans at edf.org (Spreck Rosekrans) Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 17:07:10 -0400 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group Conference Call In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343D42@ny-mail> Hi Vina Any word on my appointment? Is the year type determined for certain? Best, -Spreck From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Vina_Frye at fws.gov Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 1:51 PM To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group Conference Call Hi Folks, The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) conference call is scheduled on Friday, April 16, 2010. The topic of discussion is the 2010 flow schedule. Have a good day! Vina Vina Frye U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata FWO 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Telephone: (707) 822-7201 Fax: (707) 822-8411 vina_frye at fws.gov [Federal Register: April 5, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 64)] [Notices] [Page 17158] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr05ap10-78] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R8-FHC-2010-N065; 81331-1334-8TWG-W4] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). The TMC interprets and recommends policy, coordinates and reviews management actions, and provides organizational budget oversight. This notice announces a TAMWG conference call, which is open to the public. DATES: The TAMWG conference call will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, April 16, 2010. Leader: Arnold Whitridge, Toll free number: 888-790-3257, Duration: 2 hr 30 min, Participant passcode: 9825534. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meeting information: Randy A. Brown, TAMWG Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521; telephone: (707) 822-7201. Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) information: Jennifer Faler, Acting Executive Director, Trinity River Restoration Program, P.O. Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093; telephone: (530) 623- 1800; e-mail: jfaler at usbr.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), this notice announces a meeting of the TAMWG. The meeting will include discussion of the: 2010 flow schedule. Completion of the agenda is dependent on the amount of time each item takes. The meeting could end early if the agenda has been completed. Dated: March 30, 2010. Randy A. Brown, Designated Federal Officer, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, CA. [FR Doc. 2010-7585 Filed 4-2-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ema.berol at yahoo.com Wed Apr 7 08:20:45 2010 From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emelia Berol) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 08:20:45 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee, Diener In-Reply-To: <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343CD7@ny-mail> References: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343CD7@ny-mail> Message-ID: <29955.85432.qm@web46203.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Oh thank you, I have had my belly laugh for the day, and it's only 8 am ... I can possibly imagine what Byron is thinking ... well, if it works, hurray, more power to them, who is Diener, anyway? I'd like to see solar farms out there, and forget about water-intensive food farming. In fact, if I had land out in the Westlands, I would get some grants and open up an an energy and water research center ... much better use of public moneys than growing subsidized cotton and produce ... these can be, and are, grown elsewhere. I have thought for a long time that the next UC campus should be an off grid non-fossil fuels energy research center; it would attract people from all over the world, the campus would run on solar, wind and geothermal energy ... I imagine it to be way out in the wild windy butte country east of Redding, but the Westlands would be a good place for a research center , too. ________________________________ From: Spreck Rosekrans To: Byron Leydecker ; FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Mon, April 5, 2010 10:47:28 AM Subject: Re: [FOTR] [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 I cannot possibly imagine what Byron is thinking. I am skeptical of the economics, however. $2500 per af is about the cost of desalting seawater. They have boron etc. to worry about as well. But if there is a solid concept, maybe spending $M 3.2 on a pilot project is worthwhile. It will need to be watched closely. From:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:37 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 I will keep my thoughts to myself. Byron Water-cleaning project may aid Valley farms Fresno Bee-4/3/10 By Mark Grossi A surprising marriage of molecular chemistry and business might soon end the slow poisoning of lucrative farmland in the nation's largest irrigation district. The science will be blended with business later this year in a $3.2 million project to pump trapped farm drainage from beneath crop fields in Westlands Water District, purify the bad water and harvest contaminants as valuable products. One big plus for taxpayers: It might eliminate most of the $2.7 billion price tag federal officials have estimated to clean up the salty water beneath 200,000 acres. As bonuses, the project would remove the global-warming gas carbon dioxide from the air and eventually run on a renewable fuel, such as biogas from manure or cogeneration with crop wastes. It's possibly a high-tech Holy Grail for the west San Joaquin Valley, where billions of gallons of used irrigation water are perched on shallow layers of clay beneath crops. The briny water slowly rises as irrigation takes place. It already has made thousands of acres unusable, putting some farmers out of business. The contamination has lingered for decades, mostly because no one knows how to economically filter the bad water beneath this big swath of land -- which has a footprint two-thirds the size of Los Angeles. The pilot project, spearheaded by westside farmer John Diener and a joint-venture company, is supposed to clean up about 200 gallons per minute through desalination, a well-known filtering process used on ships to provide drinking water right out of the ocean. Officials with the company say they can clean out such troublesome contaminants as boron, selenium and others. The newest part of the approach will be the removal and chemical alteration of several tons of salt from each acre-foot of water. The salt will be converted to marketable chemicals commonly used in plastics, glass and building materials. Officials said the cost to clean up the water this way might be as high as $2,500 per acre-foot -- an acre-foot is equal to 326,000 gallons or a year's supply for an average family of four. But by selling products created in the process, the resulting clean water might cost farmers about $300 per acre-foot. "I can't say if it's the whole answer to our problem," said Diener, a former Westlands board member. "But I think we're quite a bit further down the road now." For decades, the cleanup has been Diener's passion. He has worked on committees and invested in attempts to recycle the dirty water on his own land. He says the pilot project will clean up dirty water beneath a 640-acre field of his and produce enough water to irrigate the field. The next hurdle would be expanding the process to clean up more of the billions of gallons of tainted water. It was Diener who connected with water-treatment specialist Ron Smith, based in San Francisco, to talk about Westlands' drainage water. Realizing the problem was more than water treatment, Smith found Deane Little, a molecular biophysicist who runs New Sky Energy in Colorado. New Sky uses carbon dioxide in converting salt to products that are well-established manufacturing staples, such as polymers and carbonates. Other products include baking soda, lime or carbon fibers for manufacturing. Smith and Little started a joint-venture company called Ag Water-New Sky to work on the Westlands problem. Little said the concept worked for his company because he needed a big supply of sodium sulfate or salt -- which is abundant in the trapped water beneath Westlands. "We weren't really thinking of the Central Valley and its salt problems," Little said. "We were wondering where we would get all our sodium sulfate." There are other challenges in which Little's expertise helps. The brew of chemicals in the farm drain water includes calcium and magnesium, which have clogged expensive desalination filters in the past. Little said one of the products his company makes from salt and carbon dioxide is sodium carbonate, a chemical water softener. When mixed with the raw water before desalination, it converts the calcium and magnesium into useful chemicals and prevents their fouling the desalination membranes. Converting the salt to a marketable product is basic chemistry common all over the world. Little's twist on the process is trapping carbon dioxide from the air and combining it with the salt. But the process uses a lot of electricity to get the needed chemical reactions. "The cost for electricity is about $400 daily and represents about five months usage for an average residence," Little said. "However, that is small demand for an industrial manufacturer." Water-treatment expert Smith said the new company will try to create electricity using biomass, such as manure, crops or even human waste solids from cities. This melding of science and business differs from the federal government's multibillion-dollar plan, which involves buying and retiring a lot of farmland on the west side. In the past several years, a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and taxpayers are on the hook for the cleanup. Westlands officials say the federal government has agreed to pay for the pilot project, though Bureau of Reclamation officials could not confirm it because the drainage-water case is still in court. Smith said he hopes the pilot project will jump start a broad cleanup and save a big part of west-side agriculture. "There's a lot of work that still needs to go into this," he said. "But this could be a very efficient project that makes good business sense and is good for the environment." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://fotr.org/ This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Apr 7 10:14:01 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 10:14:01 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Santa Rosa Press Democrat Editorial 4 6 10 Message-ID: <034901cad675$b8a5ed00$29f1c700$@net> Just for sport: Salmon fishing returns, but caution needed before next step Santa Rosa Press Democrat-4/6/10 Editorial Workers and visitors to Porto Bodega Marina have witnessed something in recent days they haven't seen in two years - people carting salmon off of recreational fishing boats. After a two-year ban due to declines in salmon populations, salmon fishing returned to the coast as of Saturday with some promising results despite less-than-ideal conditions. The resumption of salmon fishing is a hopeful sign for operators of sport fishing boats throughout the region. More important, it's indicative of a salmon run that's on the rebound. But what's uncertain is whether fishing regulators will allow commercial salmon fishing for the first time in three years. We encourage officials Pacific Fishery Management Council to move with caution before taking this next step. The fishery management council lifted the sportfishing ban this year after federal biologists predicted a salmon run of 245,483 salmon. That certainly would be a vast improvement over last year's actual run of 39,800 and 66,000 the year before that. But whether it's enough to trigger reopening the commercial fishing operations is debatable. The predicted salmon run is just that - a prediction. And predictions can be wrong. Last year, biologists projected a run of Sacramento River Fall Run Chinooks of 122,100 salmon. But the actually count, as noted above, was far short of that. In addition, while salmon fishing has been prohibited for two years, salmon populations have been in sharp decline much longer than that and will need more than one good year to rebound. The number of wild chinook returning to the Sacramento River and its tributaries numbered in excess of 800,000 are recently as 2002. That was also the year of the massive salmon die-off in the Klamath River due to water diversions in Oregon for agriculture. Rick Powers, the captain of the New Sea Angler in Bodega Bay, said it best when he told Staff Writer Jeremy Hay that fishery regulators should be cautious about lifting tight regulations on salmon. "What we want to see is the runs returned for future generations," he said. Not for just one year. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Apr 7 10:12:38 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 10:12:38 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 4 7 10 Message-ID: <034401cad675$92462a30$b6d27e90$@net> Delta panel must be conflict-free Sacramento Bee-4/7/10 Editorial In his short story "Harrison Bergeron," the writer Kurt Vonnegut described a dystopian society where the strong had to wear body weights and the beautiful had to don face masks. This is the situation facing California's new Delta Stewardship Council, which, as originally envisioned, was supposed to be a powerful voice for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Created last year by lawmakers as part of their water reform deal, the Delta Stewardship Council has the twin mission of restoring Delta habitat while also ensuring that water reliability is a "co-equal" goal. Yet to meet this mandate, a strong Delta Stewardship Council would need to have a stable source of funding, created by assessing fees on water users. It doesn't. It would have a board relatively unencumbered by conflicts of interest. It doesn't. By design, lawmakers and water interests that want to retain control over Delta decisions have ensured that the Delta council will be handicapped by body weights, with little independence or autonomy. The council's immediate challenge is Gloria Gray of Inglewood. On her way out of the Assembly speaker's office, Karen Bass used her appointment to the council to select Gray, a board member of the West Basin Municipal Water District, a Los Angeles County water agency. Gray has a clear conflict of interest. How can she represent a Southern California water district that depends on the Delta for its supplies and also enforce the co-equal goal of protecting the Delta? It a clear violation of the law. Despite an opinion confirming her conflict by the Legislative Counsel, Gray still hasn't said if she will resign from either the West Basin water district or the stewardship council. If she were wise, she'd follow the example of Phil Isenberg, who ended his relationship with his Sacramento lobbying firm when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to the Delta panel. Environmentalists are heated up over another appointee to the council - Richard Roos-Collins, an attorney who works for the Natural Heritage Institute - but on this score, there is more smoke than fire. Roos-Collins is clearly qualified to serve on the council, and in that role, he will be a strong advocate for restoring the Delta and assessing all options for water reliability. The stewardship council has much work ahead of it, especially with the body weights lawmakers have left it with. The sooner it has a sitting membership free of conflicts and manufactured controversy, the better off it will be. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From frankemerson at redshift.com Wed Apr 7 10:15:44 2010 From: frankemerson at redshift.com (frankemerson at redshift.com) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 10:15:44 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee, Diener In-Reply-To: <29955.85432.qm@web46203.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> References: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343CD7@ny-mail> <29955.85432.qm@web46203.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: Hey what a great idea, UC Kern, maybe they can take over the Kern Water Bank as part of the research on ASR. :P Frank > Oh thank you, I have had my belly laugh for the day, and it's only 8 am > ... I can possibly imagine what Byron is thinking ... > > well, if it works, hurray, more power to them, who is Diener, anyway? > I'd like to see solar farms out there, and forget about water-intensive > food farming. In fact, if I had land out in the Westlands, I would get > some grants and open up an an energy and water research center ... much > better use of public moneys than growing subsidized cotton and produce ... > these can be, and are, grown elsewhere. > > I have thought for a long time that the next UC campus should be an off > grid non-fossil fuels energy research center; it would attract people from > all over the world, the campus would run on solar, wind and geothermal > energy ... I imagine it to be way out in the wild windy butte country > east of Redding, but the Westlands would be a good place for a research > center , too. > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Spreck Rosekrans > To: Byron Leydecker ; FOTR List ; > Trinity List > Sent: Mon, April 5, 2010 10:47:28 AM > Subject: Re: [FOTR] [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 > > > > > I > cannot possibly imagine what Byron is thinking. > > I am > skeptical of the economics, however. $2500 per af is about the cost of > desalting seawater. They have boron etc. to worry about as well. > > But if there > is a solid concept, maybe spending $M 3.2 on a pilot project is > worthwhile. It > will need to be watched closely. > > > From:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron > Leydecker > Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:37 AM > To: FOTR List; Trinity List > Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 > > I > will keep my thoughts to myself. > > Byron > > Water-cleaning > project may aid Valley farms > Fresno > Bee-4/3/10 > By > Mark Grossi > > A > surprising marriage of molecular chemistry and business might soon end the > slow > poisoning of lucrative farmland in the nation's largest irrigation > district. > > The > science will be blended with business later this year in a $3.2 million > project > to pump trapped farm drainage from beneath crop fields in Westlands Water > District, purify the bad water and harvest contaminants as valuable > products. > > One > big plus for taxpayers: It might eliminate most of the $2.7 billion price > tag > federal officials have estimated to clean up the salty water beneath > 200,000 > acres. > > As > bonuses, the project would remove the global-warming gas carbon dioxide > from > the air and eventually run on a renewable fuel, such as biogas from manure > or > cogeneration with crop wastes. > > It's > possibly a high-tech Holy Grail for the west San Joaquin Valley, where > billions > of gallons of used irrigation water are perched on shallow layers of clay > beneath crops. The briny water slowly rises as irrigation takes place. It > already has made thousands of acres unusable, putting some farmers out of > business. > > The > contamination has lingered for decades, mostly because no one knows how to > economically filter the bad water beneath this big swath of land -- which > has a > footprint two-thirds the size of Los Angeles. > > The > pilot project, spearheaded by westside farmer John Diener and a > joint-venture > company, is supposed to clean up about 200 gallons per minute through > desalination, a well-known filtering process used on ships to provide > drinking > water right out of the ocean. Officials with the company say they can > clean out > such troublesome contaminants as boron, selenium and others. > > The > newest part of the approach will be the removal and chemical alteration of > several tons of salt from each acre-foot of water. The salt will be > converted > to marketable chemicals commonly used in plastics, glass and building > materials. > > Officials > said the cost to clean up the water this way might be as high as $2,500 > per > acre-foot -- an acre-foot is equal to 326,000 gallons or a year's supply > for an > average family of four. But by selling products created in the process, > the > resulting clean water might cost farmers about $300 per acre-foot. > > "I > can't say if it's the whole answer to our problem," said Diener, a former > Westlands board member. "But I think we're quite a bit further down the > road now." > > For > decades, the cleanup has been Diener's passion. He has worked on > committees and > invested in attempts to recycle the dirty water on his own land. > > He > says the pilot project will clean up dirty water beneath a 640-acre field > of > his and produce enough water to irrigate the field. The next hurdle would > be > expanding the process to clean up more of the billions of gallons of > tainted > water. > > It > was Diener who connected with water-treatment specialist Ron Smith, based > in > San Francisco, to talk about Westlands' drainage water. Realizing the > problem > was more than water treatment, Smith found Deane Little, a molecular > biophysicist who runs New Sky Energy in Colorado. > > New > Sky uses carbon dioxide in converting salt to products that are > well-established manufacturing staples, such as polymers and carbonates. > Other > products include baking soda, lime or carbon fibers for manufacturing. > > Smith > and Little started a joint-venture company called Ag Water-New Sky to work > on > the Westlands problem. > > Little > said the concept worked for his company because he needed a big supply of > sodium sulfate or salt -- which is abundant in the trapped water beneath > Westlands. > > "We > weren't really thinking of the Central Valley and its salt problems," > Little said. "We were wondering where we would get all our sodium > sulfate." > > There > are other challenges in which Little's expertise helps. The brew of > chemicals > in the farm drain water includes calcium and magnesium, which have clogged > expensive desalination filters in the past. > > Little > said one of the products his company makes from salt and carbon dioxide is > sodium carbonate, a chemical water softener. When mixed with the raw water > before desalination, it converts the calcium and magnesium into useful > chemicals and prevents their fouling the desalination membranes. > > Converting > the salt to a marketable product is basic chemistry common all over the > world. > Little's twist on the process is trapping carbon dioxide from the air and > combining it with the salt. But the process uses a lot of electricity to > get > the needed chemical reactions. > > "The > cost for electricity is about $400 daily and represents about five months > usage > for an average residence," Little said. "However, that is small > demand for an industrial manufacturer." > > Water-treatment > expert Smith said the new company will try to create electricity using > biomass, > such as manure, crops or even human waste solids from cities. > > This > melding of science and business differs from the federal government's > multibillion-dollar plan, which involves buying and retiring a lot of > farmland > on the west side. > > In > the past several years, a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of > Reclamation and taxpayers are on the hook for the cleanup. > > Westlands > officials say the federal government has agreed to pay for the pilot > project, > though Bureau of Reclamation officials could not confirm it because the > drainage-water case is still in court. > > Smith > said he hopes the pilot project will jump start a broad cleanup and save a > big > part of west-side agriculture. > > "There's > a lot of work that still needs to go into this," he said. "But this > could be a very efficient project that makes good business sense and is > good > for the environment." > > > Byron > Leydecker, JcT > Chair, Friends > of Trinity River > PO Box 2327 > Mill Valley, CA > 94942-2327 > 415 383 4810 > land/fax (call first to fax) > 415 519 4810 > mobile > bwl3 at comcast.net > bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) > http://fotr.org/ > > > > > This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged > information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the > sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any > copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other > than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > From ahart at harpos.to Wed Apr 7 14:41:59 2010 From: ahart at harpos.to (Allen Harthorn) Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:41:59 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] [FOTR] Fresno Bee, Diener In-Reply-To: References: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343CD7@ny-mail> <29955.85432.qm@web46203.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <4BBCFC27.4080408@harpos.to> Has anybody seen the Carrizo Plains National Monument west of Bakersfield in the hills? This would be a great use for the Westlands. I think a Westlands-Grasslands National Monument would put this land back to what it was and should be - open space, natural grasslands, full of wildflowers. We could even name it after a Senator or something. TNC, UC and other sould make it a showcase! Allen frankemerson at redshift.com wrote: > Hey what a great idea, UC Kern, maybe they can take over the Kern Water > Bank as part of the research on ASR. :P > > Frank > > >> Oh thank you, I have had my belly laugh for the day, and it's only 8 am >> ... I can possibly imagine what Byron is thinking ... >> >> well, if it works, hurray, more power to them, who is Diener, anyway? >> I'd like to see solar farms out there, and forget about water-intensive >> food farming. In fact, if I had land out in the Westlands, I would get >> some grants and open up an an energy and water research center ... much >> better use of public moneys than growing subsidized cotton and produce ... >> these can be, and are, grown elsewhere. >> >> I have thought for a long time that the next UC campus should be an off >> grid non-fossil fuels energy research center; it would attract people from >> all over the world, the campus would run on solar, wind and geothermal >> energy ... I imagine it to be way out in the wild windy butte country >> east of Redding, but the Westlands would be a good place for a research >> center , too. >> >> >> >> >> >> ________________________________ >> From: Spreck Rosekrans >> To: Byron Leydecker ; FOTR List ; >> Trinity List >> Sent: Mon, April 5, 2010 10:47:28 AM >> Subject: Re: [FOTR] [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 >> >> >> >> >> I >> cannot possibly imagine what Byron is thinking. >> >> I am >> skeptical of the economics, however. $2500 per af is about the cost of >> desalting seawater. They have boron etc. to worry about as well. >> >> But if there >> is a solid concept, maybe spending $M 3.2 on a pilot project is >> worthwhile. It >> will need to be watched closely. >> >> >> From:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron >> Leydecker >> Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:37 AM >> To: FOTR List; Trinity List >> Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 >> >> I >> will keep my thoughts to myself. >> >> Byron >> >> Water-cleaning >> project may aid Valley farms >> Fresno >> Bee-4/3/10 >> By >> Mark Grossi >> >> A >> surprising marriage of molecular chemistry and business might soon end the >> slow >> poisoning of lucrative farmland in the nation's largest irrigation >> district. >> >> The >> science will be blended with business later this year in a $3.2 million >> project >> to pump trapped farm drainage from beneath crop fields in Westlands Water >> District, purify the bad water and harvest contaminants as valuable >> products. >> >> One >> big plus for taxpayers: It might eliminate most of the $2.7 billion price >> tag >> federal officials have estimated to clean up the salty water beneath >> 200,000 >> acres. >> >> As >> bonuses, the project would remove the global-warming gas carbon dioxide >> from >> the air and eventually run on a renewable fuel, such as biogas from manure >> or >> cogeneration with crop wastes. >> >> It's >> possibly a high-tech Holy Grail for the west San Joaquin Valley, where >> billions >> of gallons of used irrigation water are perched on shallow layers of clay >> beneath crops. The briny water slowly rises as irrigation takes place. It >> already has made thousands of acres unusable, putting some farmers out of >> business. >> >> The >> contamination has lingered for decades, mostly because no one knows how to >> economically filter the bad water beneath this big swath of land -- which >> has a >> footprint two-thirds the size of Los Angeles. >> >> The >> pilot project, spearheaded by westside farmer John Diener and a >> joint-venture >> company, is supposed to clean up about 200 gallons per minute through >> desalination, a well-known filtering process used on ships to provide >> drinking >> water right out of the ocean. Officials with the company say they can >> clean out >> such troublesome contaminants as boron, selenium and others. >> >> The >> newest part of the approach will be the removal and chemical alteration of >> several tons of salt from each acre-foot of water. The salt will be >> converted >> to marketable chemicals commonly used in plastics, glass and building >> materials. >> >> Officials >> said the cost to clean up the water this way might be as high as $2,500 >> per >> acre-foot -- an acre-foot is equal to 326,000 gallons or a year's supply >> for an >> average family of four. But by selling products created in the process, >> the >> resulting clean water might cost farmers about $300 per acre-foot. >> >> "I >> can't say if it's the whole answer to our problem," said Diener, a former >> Westlands board member. "But I think we're quite a bit further down the >> road now." >> >> For >> decades, the cleanup has been Diener's passion. He has worked on >> committees and >> invested in attempts to recycle the dirty water on his own land. >> >> He >> says the pilot project will clean up dirty water beneath a 640-acre field >> of >> his and produce enough water to irrigate the field. The next hurdle would >> be >> expanding the process to clean up more of the billions of gallons of >> tainted >> water. >> >> It >> was Diener who connected with water-treatment specialist Ron Smith, based >> in >> San Francisco, to talk about Westlands' drainage water. Realizing the >> problem >> was more than water treatment, Smith found Deane Little, a molecular >> biophysicist who runs New Sky Energy in Colorado. >> >> New >> Sky uses carbon dioxide in converting salt to products that are >> well-established manufacturing staples, such as polymers and carbonates. >> Other >> products include baking soda, lime or carbon fibers for manufacturing. >> >> Smith >> and Little started a joint-venture company called Ag Water-New Sky to work >> on >> the Westlands problem. >> >> Little >> said the concept worked for his company because he needed a big supply of >> sodium sulfate or salt -- which is abundant in the trapped water beneath >> Westlands. >> >> "We >> weren't really thinking of the Central Valley and its salt problems," >> Little said. "We were wondering where we would get all our sodium >> sulfate." >> >> There >> are other challenges in which Little's expertise helps. The brew of >> chemicals >> in the farm drain water includes calcium and magnesium, which have clogged >> expensive desalination filters in the past. >> >> Little >> said one of the products his company makes from salt and carbon dioxide is >> sodium carbonate, a chemical water softener. When mixed with the raw water >> before desalination, it converts the calcium and magnesium into useful >> chemicals and prevents their fouling the desalination membranes. >> >> Converting >> the salt to a marketable product is basic chemistry common all over the >> world. >> Little's twist on the process is trapping carbon dioxide from the air and >> combining it with the salt. But the process uses a lot of electricity to >> get >> the needed chemical reactions. >> >> "The >> cost for electricity is about $400 daily and represents about five months >> usage >> for an average residence," Little said. "However, that is small >> demand for an industrial manufacturer." >> >> Water-treatment >> expert Smith said the new company will try to create electricity using >> biomass, >> such as manure, crops or even human waste solids from cities. >> >> This >> melding of science and business differs from the federal government's >> multibillion-dollar plan, which involves buying and retiring a lot of >> farmland >> on the west side. >> >> In >> the past several years, a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of >> Reclamation and taxpayers are on the hook for the cleanup. >> >> Westlands >> officials say the federal government has agreed to pay for the pilot >> project, >> though Bureau of Reclamation officials could not confirm it because the >> drainage-water case is still in court. >> >> Smith >> said he hopes the pilot project will jump start a broad cleanup and save a >> big >> part of west-side agriculture. >> >> "There's >> a lot of work that still needs to go into this," he said. "But this >> could be a very efficient project that makes good business sense and is >> good >> for the environment." >> >> >> Byron >> Leydecker, JcT >> Chair, Friends >> of Trinity River >> PO Box 2327 >> Mill Valley, CA >> 94942-2327 >> 415 383 4810 >> land/fax (call first to fax) >> 415 519 4810 >> mobile >> bwl3 at comcast.net >> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) >> http://fotr.org/ >> >> >> >> >> This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged >> information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the >> sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any >> copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other >> than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> env-trinity mailing list >> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity >> >> > > > _______________________________________________ > FOTR mailing list > FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr > > From truman at jeffnet.org Wed Apr 7 15:09:58 2010 From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 15:09:58 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] [FOTR] Fresno Bee, Diener References: <01cd01cad4e6$9178a550$b469eff0$@net> <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90473343CD7@ny-mail> <29955.85432.qm@web46203.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> <4BBCFC27.4080408@harpos.to> Message-ID: name it after Jim Costa ... ... ... ----- Original Message ----- From: Allen Harthorn To: frankemerson at redshift.com Cc: FOTR List ; Trinity List ; Spreck Rosekrans Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 2:41 PM Subject: Re: [env-trinity] [FOTR] Fresno Bee, Diener Has anybody seen the Carrizo Plains National Monument west of Bakersfield in the hills? This would be a great use for the Westlands. I think a Westlands-Grasslands National Monument would put this land back to what it was and should be - open space, natural grasslands, full of wildflowers. We could even name it after a Senator or something. TNC, UC and other sould make it a showcase! Allen frankemerson at redshift.com wrote: > Hey what a great idea, UC Kern, maybe they can take over the Kern Water > Bank as part of the research on ASR. :P > > Frank > > >> Oh thank you, I have had my belly laugh for the day, and it's only 8 am >> ... I can possibly imagine what Byron is thinking ... >> >> well, if it works, hurray, more power to them, who is Diener, anyway? >> I'd like to see solar farms out there, and forget about water-intensive >> food farming. In fact, if I had land out in the Westlands, I would get >> some grants and open up an an energy and water research center ... much >> better use of public moneys than growing subsidized cotton and produce ... >> these can be, and are, grown elsewhere. >> >> I have thought for a long time that the next UC campus should be an off >> grid non-fossil fuels energy research center; it would attract people from >> all over the world, the campus would run on solar, wind and geothermal >> energy ... I imagine it to be way out in the wild windy butte country >> east of Redding, but the Westlands would be a good place for a research >> center , too. >> >> >> >> >> >> ________________________________ >> From: Spreck Rosekrans >> To: Byron Leydecker ; FOTR List ; >> Trinity List >> Sent: Mon, April 5, 2010 10:47:28 AM >> Subject: Re: [FOTR] [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 >> >> >> >> >> I >> cannot possibly imagine what Byron is thinking. >> >> I am >> skeptical of the economics, however. $2500 per af is about the cost of >> desalting seawater. They have boron etc. to worry about as well. >> >> But if there >> is a solid concept, maybe spending $M 3.2 on a pilot project is >> worthwhile. It >> will need to be watched closely. >> >> >> From:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron >> Leydecker >> Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 10:37 AM >> To: FOTR List; Trinity List >> Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4 3 10 >> >> I >> will keep my thoughts to myself. >> >> Byron >> >> Water-cleaning >> project may aid Valley farms >> Fresno >> Bee-4/3/10 >> By >> Mark Grossi >> >> A >> surprising marriage of molecular chemistry and business might soon end the >> slow >> poisoning of lucrative farmland in the nation's largest irrigation >> district. >> >> The >> science will be blended with business later this year in a $3.2 million >> project >> to pump trapped farm drainage from beneath crop fields in Westlands Water >> District, purify the bad water and harvest contaminants as valuable >> products. >> >> One >> big plus for taxpayers: It might eliminate most of the $2.7 billion price >> tag >> federal officials have estimated to clean up the salty water beneath >> 200,000 >> acres. >> >> As >> bonuses, the project would remove the global-warming gas carbon dioxide >> from >> the air and eventually run on a renewable fuel, such as biogas from manure >> or >> cogeneration with crop wastes. >> >> It's >> possibly a high-tech Holy Grail for the west San Joaquin Valley, where >> billions >> of gallons of used irrigation water are perched on shallow layers of clay >> beneath crops. The briny water slowly rises as irrigation takes place. It >> already has made thousands of acres unusable, putting some farmers out of >> business. >> >> The >> contamination has lingered for decades, mostly because no one knows how to >> economically filter the bad water beneath this big swath of land -- which >> has a >> footprint two-thirds the size of Los Angeles. >> >> The >> pilot project, spearheaded by westside farmer John Diener and a >> joint-venture >> company, is supposed to clean up about 200 gallons per minute through >> desalination, a well-known filtering process used on ships to provide >> drinking >> water right out of the ocean. Officials with the company say they can >> clean out >> such troublesome contaminants as boron, selenium and others. >> >> The >> newest part of the approach will be the removal and chemical alteration of >> several tons of salt from each acre-foot of water. The salt will be >> converted >> to marketable chemicals commonly used in plastics, glass and building >> materials. >> >> Officials >> said the cost to clean up the water this way might be as high as $2,500 >> per >> acre-foot -- an acre-foot is equal to 326,000 gallons or a year's supply >> for an >> average family of four. But by selling products created in the process, >> the >> resulting clean water might cost farmers about $300 per acre-foot. >> >> "I >> can't say if it's the whole answer to our problem," said Diener, a former >> Westlands board member. "But I think we're quite a bit further down the >> road now." >> >> For >> decades, the cleanup has been Diener's passion. He has worked on >> committees and >> invested in attempts to recycle the dirty water on his own land. >> >> He >> says the pilot project will clean up dirty water beneath a 640-acre field >> of >> his and produce enough water to irrigate the field. The next hurdle would >> be >> expanding the process to clean up more of the billions of gallons of >> tainted >> water. >> >> It >> was Diener who connected with water-treatment specialist Ron Smith, based >> in >> San Francisco, to talk about Westlands' drainage water. Realizing the >> problem >> was more than water treatment, Smith found Deane Little, a molecular >> biophysicist who runs New Sky Energy in Colorado. >> >> New >> Sky uses carbon dioxide in converting salt to products that are >> well-established manufacturing staples, such as polymers and carbonates. >> Other >> products include baking soda, lime or carbon fibers for manufacturing. >> >> Smith >> and Little started a joint-venture company called Ag Water-New Sky to work >> on >> the Westlands problem. >> >> Little >> said the concept worked for his company because he needed a big supply of >> sodium sulfate or salt -- which is abundant in the trapped water beneath >> Westlands. >> >> "We >> weren't really thinking of the Central Valley and its salt problems," >> Little said. "We were wondering where we would get all our sodium >> sulfate." >> >> There >> are other challenges in which Little's expertise helps. The brew of >> chemicals >> in the farm drain water includes calcium and magnesium, which have clogged >> expensive desalination filters in the past. >> >> Little >> said one of the products his company makes from salt and carbon dioxide is >> sodium carbonate, a chemical water softener. When mixed with the raw water >> before desalination, it converts the calcium and magnesium into useful >> chemicals and prevents their fouling the desalination membranes. >> >> Converting >> the salt to a marketable product is basic chemistry common all over the >> world. >> Little's twist on the process is trapping carbon dioxide from the air and >> combining it with the salt. But the process uses a lot of electricity to >> get >> the needed chemical reactions. >> >> "The >> cost for electricity is about $400 daily and represents about five months >> usage >> for an average residence," Little said. "However, that is small >> demand for an industrial manufacturer." >> >> Water-treatment >> expert Smith said the new company will try to create electricity using >> biomass, >> such as manure, crops or even human waste solids from cities. >> >> This >> melding of science and business differs from the federal government's >> multibillion-dollar plan, which involves buying and retiring a lot of >> farmland >> on the west side. >> >> In >> the past several years, a federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Bureau of >> Reclamation and taxpayers are on the hook for the cleanup. >> >> Westlands >> officials say the federal government has agreed to pay for the pilot >> project, >> though Bureau of Reclamation officials could not confirm it because the >> drainage-water case is still in court. >> >> Smith >> said he hopes the pilot project will jump start a broad cleanup and save a >> big >> part of west-side agriculture. >> >> "There's >> a lot of work that still needs to go into this," he said. "But this >> could be a very efficient project that makes good business sense and is >> good >> for the environment." >> >> >> Byron >> Leydecker, JcT >> Chair, Friends >> of Trinity River >> PO Box 2327 >> Mill Valley, CA >> 94942-2327 >> 415 383 4810 >> land/fax (call first to fax) >> 415 519 4810 >> mobile >> bwl3 at comcast.net >> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) >> http://fotr.org/ >> >> >> >> >> This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged >> information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the >> sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any >> copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other >> than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> env-trinity mailing list >> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity >> >> > > > _______________________________________________ > FOTR mailing list > FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr > > _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Vina_Frye at fws.gov Wed Apr 7 16:00:27 2010 From: Vina_Frye at fws.gov (Vina_Frye at fws.gov) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 16:00:27 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG Meeting Cancelled Message-ID: Hi Folks, The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) conference call scheduled for 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, April 16, 2010 is cancelled. For further information contact: Randy Brown, TAMWG Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521; telephone: (707) 822-7201. Vina Frye U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata FWO 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Telephone: (707) 822-7201 Fax: (707) 822-8411 vina_frye at fws.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Apr 8 10:05:48 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 10:05:48 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Stockton Record 4 8 10 Message-ID: <009301cad73d$bdd3c630$397b5290$@net> Striped bass protections stay put Valley coalition, anglers spar over alien Delta fish Photo 1 of 1 | Zoom Photo + Top Photo Alex Breitler By Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer April 08, 2010 12:00 AM The state Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday kept protections in place for the popular striped bass, which eats endangered salmon in the Delta. But the commission also asked for a more comprehensive review of the many problems that have contributed to the decline of the salmon and other struggling species, including stripers. Wednesday's meeting featured many of the same age-old arguments over whether giant pumps that send water to Southern California are primarily responsible for the Delta's decline or whether other factors - pollution, smaller diversions and predatory fish such as stripers - are more significant. "Pumping that water south is changing everything about the Delta," said Commission Chairman Jim Kellogg, who lives in Discovery Bay. "Attacking this issue just because we've got a group of people that are starving for water filing a (lawsuit) against us ... is not some reason for me to run scared." Commissioner Richard Rogers pushed for striper protections to be re-examined. "If the commission is going to be concerned about the pumps, ... I don't understand why the commission wouldn't have the same attitude about the striped bass," said Rogers, who is from Santa Barbara County. Some Delta anglers oppose any move to lift limits on how many stripers can be caught. They fear the fish will be overharvested. Stripers have lived in the Delta since the late 1800s. Their populations have declined alongside salmon and other native fish. A coalition of south Valley landowners has sued the state for protecting stripers. And a bill pending in the Legislature would require further study on how alien species prey on natives. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 11251 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: From AKrause at usbr.gov Thu Apr 8 13:10:56 2010 From: AKrause at usbr.gov (Krause, Andreas F) Date: Thu, 8 Apr 2010 14:10:56 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Normal Water Year Designation and Flow Recommendations Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703EA7E6BB5@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> All- The 50% exceedence level, April 1, 2010 water forecast received today from the California Department of Water Resources is 1,310 thousand acre feet. That means the water year type is "Normal" (defined as the 50% exceedence forecast on April 1 between 1,025 to 1,350 thousand acre feet). The flow releases from Lewiston Dam to the Trinity River for water year 2010 as recommended by the Trinity Management Council on March 31, 2010 are shown in the attached spreadsheet. These flow recommendations have been forwarded to the Bureau of Reclamation for consideration. Regards, Andreas -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2010_Trinity_Release_NORMAL.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 43226 bytes Desc: 2010_Trinity_Release_NORMAL.xlsx URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Apr 11 10:44:36 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:44:36 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle Insight Editorial Section 4 11 10 Message-ID: <000901cad99e$a8327660$f8976320$@net> Paper Water How dry is my valley? Farms short on water Matt Jenkins Sunday, April 11, 2010 http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/04/09/ba-insight11_jen_SFCG1270785758 .jpghttp://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/article/articlebox_img_bg.gif Images http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/04/09_t/ba-insight11_jen_SFCG12707857 58_t.gif Operations manager Denny Dawley works at the Colusa Count... Drawing water from the Sacramento River, the Red Bluff Di... http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Images On a crisp, brilliant day at the end of March, the farms near the Sacramento Valley town of Arbuckle were bursting with green and looked as if they'd popped straight off a fruit-crate label. A few wet clouds hung over the Coast Range, and Doug Griffin kept a wary eye on them, hoping they would bring more water. "If you're not going to get it through the rain and the good Lord," said Griffin, a 53-year-old almond grower, "then you're gonna buy it from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation." Lately, though, even the federal government hasn't been able to make up for what the heavens have failed to provide. For the past two years, Griffin and farmers in 17 Sacramento Valley irrigation districts have received only 40 percent of the amount of water they hold contracts for with the federal government. With California's water supplies squeezed by drought, farmers saw their supplies cut as the state and federal governments pumped Sacramento River water to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, south of the delta where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet. To cover their shortfall, the farmers served by the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority have spent roughly $9 million over the past two years to buy water from growers with better rights; some farmers had to idle their land. "Without water, we don't have much to work with," Griffin said. "We literally went from being the Maytag water district to the district from hell." This February, after several fruitless rounds of arguing for more water, the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority sued the Bureau of Reclamation to restore its full deliveries. The authority's legal challenge relies on an obscure provision in state law known as the area-of-origin protections, which say that no water project can deprive an area "wherein water originates" of water "reasonably required to adequately supply" that area. But the farmers' fight for water from the federal government is, in fact, a symptom of a much larger problem, the cause of which lies largely with the state. A year and a half ago, California's primary water-rights regulator, the State Water Resources Control Board, released a report showing that it has parceled out rights to far more water in the Central Valley than actually exists. The amount for which farmers, cities and other users hold rights - colloquially known as "paper water" - is a whopping 8.4 times the valley's average natural streamflow. How it came to be that way stems from a mix of miscalculation, unrealized dreams - and a hefty dose of calculated risk-taking. Water planners decades ago believed there was more water in the state's rivers than there actually is. But the state also issued rights to water it intended to siphon from the "wild rivers," such as the Smith and the Eel, along the north coast. Since the passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1972, that water has been off-limits. More controversially, the state board has a constitutional mandate to ensure that "the water resources of the State be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent of which they are capable." By overbooking water, the state has been able to ensure that every last available drop is put to work. Yet in times of drought, that overextension creates a lot of losers, in both the Sacramento and the San Joaquin valleys. The current drought, compounded by water restrictions to protect endangered species, is pitting farmers against each other. "We're certainly sympathetic to their needs down south," Griffin said, referring to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, many of whose water deliveries have been drastically cut back in the past two years, as well. "But we need to be made whole." Tom Howard is the chief deputy director of the Water Resources Control Board, and he said the 8.4 paper-to-wet-water ratio is grossly misleading. "It's not an accurate number," he said. "But people grab onto that and say, 'My God, look what a problem we've created.' " Yet even those who say the number is wildly inaccurate have failed to offer a more precise alternative. To be sure, at least half the paper water is double-counted: Hydroelectric dams require a water right, but they don't actually consume any of the water they use. Moreover, many water users don't use the full amount of water for which they hold permits. Beyond that, though, the number is more difficult to parse. "Comparing face value and (actual) use is just bogus," said Andy Sawyer, the state board's assistant chief counsel. "But once you get through those exaggerated, phony numbers, it is true that streams are overcommitted." Still, Sawyer said, water cutbacks are part of the bargain that more recent, "junior" users made to get water rights. "If you take the position that people should be allowed to use water when it's there, you have to accept the consequence that people are going to have to cut back when it's not," he said. "The promise to deliver water doesn't include a promise to make it rain." Late last month, a grower named Steve Dennis rolled his Ford alongside the Tehama-Colusa Canal. About 180 miles to the south, across the delta, lay the Westlands Water District, the most powerful farming stronghold in the San Joaquin Valley. Last year, Westlands received only 10 percent of its contracted water, and the district's manager, Tom Birmingham, has been tirelessly fighting for more. Dennis didn't relish the notion, but he recognized that he and his neighbors soon might be squared off in court against Birmingham. Still, he said, "he doesn't blame us for doing what we're doing. He would do the same thing." As it happened, Birmingham has spent two weeks hunkered down in a federal courtroom in Fresno, arguing another case that seeks water for the farmers in his district. "Everyone is looking to challenge anything right now, because there's a limited supply for everyone," said Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf. "Everyone is concerned about, 'Are we going to get to next year?' " But back alongside the canal, Dennis seemed to think the fight is as much about the clash of water needs over the long term as it is about making it through this year. "We're just trying to get our share of what is left," he said. "We have to protect ourselves, because if we don't, they're gonna take it. It's that simple." Local sources for local needs In the early 1900s, Los Angeles water boss William Mulholland quietly bought up ranches and water rights in the Owens Valley and then "dewatered" the area by siphoning its water 223 miles to Southern California. The incident so haunted the collective California psyche that in the 1930s, the Legislature passed what has become known as the area-of-origin statute - essentially a guarantee that any area's reasonable need for its own water will be met before water can be exported elsewhere. That proviso proved crucial to persuading farmers in the Sacramento Valley to sign on to plans for the Central Valley Project, which taps water from the Sacramento River in large part for farms in the San Joaquin Valley. "The promise was, 'Your local resources will go to meet your local needs before we export water,' " said Jeff Sutton, the general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority. Now, after back-to-back years when Sacramento Valley farmers received just 40 percent of their water contracts while water was pumped south, Sutton said, "that promise is not being kept." Over three-quarters of a century, California has received enough water that the area-of-origin protections have for the most part languished on the books. "For years, it was kind of a dead letter," said Joseph Sax, a professor emeritus of the UC Berkeley School of Law and one of the leading minds of California water law. "The only time people thought about them was in law school classes." The suit has the potential to reduce water deliveries to farms in the San Joaquin Valley, but it could ultimately threaten an ever bigger shakeup of California water. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies 19 million people in Los Angeles and San Diego, now gets about 60 percent of its water from areas in the northern half of the state that could be protected by the statute. - Matt Jenkins Matt Jenkins of Berkeley writes frequently on water politics and is a contributing editor to High Country News. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 58834 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image006.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Apr 11 11:42:53 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:42:53 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Paper Water Message-ID: <003901cad9a6$cd749a90$685dcfb0$@net> This was the cover of the Chronicle's Editorial Insight Section today Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Insight Cover.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 4017186 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Apr 11 15:41:32 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron) Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:41:32 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Washington Post 4 11 10 Message-ID: <000e01cad9c8$23f90790$6beb16b0$@net> LA billionaires sued over Calif. water sales http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/story/image/slideshow_top.gif PHOTOS Previous Next In this March 30, 2010 photo, pistachio nuts are displayed at the headquarters of Primex International Trading Corp. in Los Angeles. Ali Amin, a Persian immigrant who owns a processing plant, filed a suit last week in Fresno County Superior Court against Stewart and Lynda Resnick, claiming that they violated California public utilities laws because they turned a profit by selling water to farmers who weren't members of their Bakersfield-based water company, Westside Mutual Water Co. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) In this March 30, 2010 photo, pistachio nuts are displayed at the headquarters of Primex International Trading Corp. in Los Angeles. Ali Amin, a Persian immigrant who owns a processing plant, filed a suit last week in Fresno County Superior Court against Stewart and Lynda Resnick, claiming that they violated California public utilities laws because they turned a profit by selling water to farmers who weren't members of their Bakersfield-based water company, Westside Mutual Water Co. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) (Damian Dovarganes - AP) In this March. 30, 2010 photo, Primex International Trading Corp. owner, Ali Amin, poses at his international nut trading company headquarters in Los Angeles. Amin, a Persian immigrant who owns a processing plant, filed a suit last week in Fresno County Superior Court claiming that Stewart and Lynda Resnick violated California public utilities laws because they turned a profit by selling water to farmers who weren't members of their Bakersfield-based water company, Westside Mutual Water Co. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) In this March. 30, 2010 photo, Primex International Trading Corp. owner, Ali Amin, poses at his international nut trading company headquarters in Los Angeles. Amin, a Persian immigrant who owns a processing plant, filed a suit last week in Fresno County Superior Court claiming that Stewart and Lynda Resnick violated California public utilities laws because they turned a profit by selling water to farmers who weren't members of their Bakersfield-based water company, Westside Mutual Water Co. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) (Damian Dovarganes - AP) http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/story/image/slideshow_bot.gif By GARANCE BURKE The Associated Press Sunday, April 11, 2010; 12:43 AM FRESNO, Calif. -- They grew their fortune in the California sun, turning pedestrian fruits and nuts into a vast and varied empire that secured their place in Hollywood. Stewart and Lynda Resnick's flashy bottles of Fiji Water and POM Wonderful are now coveted across the globe. Their donations keep the lights on in art museums across the country. And Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Arianna Huffington count them among their dearest friends. But as their marketshare rises worldwide, one of the billionaires' competitors is fighting back, accusing the Western power couple of profiting at the public's expense, court records and interviews show. Now, as drought-stricken California weighs whether to give private companies more control in managing its scarce water supplies, a new lawsuit claiming the Resnicks violated utilities law by making money from a vast, taxpayer-funded underground reservoir is causing a stir in the state Capitol. ad_icon "Water is a public resource, owned by the people," said Democratic Assemblyman Jared Huffman of San Rafael. "We shouldn't be giving away public funds to private sector interests, let alone choosing winners and losers in the business world." The Resnicks, who live in a Beverly Hills mansion and have a second home in Aspen, Colo., are among the nation's largest corporate farmers and are generous philanthropists and political donors, giving $536,000 to Democratic and Republican California governors in the last decade. The Los Angeles Business Journal estimates the couple's empire is worth $1.5 billion. It includes about 120,000 acres in California's Central Valley - where they say they own more fresh citrus, almond and pistachio trees than anyone else in the country - and a facility akin to the Fort Knox of water. That kind of success, Lynda Resnick said in a telephone interview, can inspire jealousy, and likely motivated this most recent "nuisance" lawsuit. Her husband declined to be interviewed. After growing up working class in Highland Park, N.J., Stewart Resnick started a business waxing floors while in law school at the University of California, Los Angeles. The couple bought farmland in the 1980s as a hedge against inflation, gaining access to water contracts attached to those parcels. As drought has hammered the region, leading farmers to abandon their dry fields, the Resnicks' 48 percent stake in the Kern Water Bank, an underground pool that stores billions of gallons of freshwater, has become increasingly valuable. Court records show that in early 2007, the Resnicks' companies' combined water holdings reached 755,868 acre feet - more than twice the size of San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy reservoir. In 2007, that volume would have qualified as California's 11th largest reservoir, but the firms' water holdings have diminished significantly since, company officials said. That cache provided enough to nourish the Resnicks' orchards, but it also offered another benefit. From 2000 to 2007, records show the state paid the Resnicks an additional $30.6 million for water previously stored there as part of a program to protect fish native to the ecologically fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Lynda Resnick's marketing savvy helped build cachet around her otherwise obscure brands, such as POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, Cuties mandarins and Teleflora floral bouquets. Revered among advertisers as the "Pom Queen," she has hired medical scientists to bear out health claims that their fruits and nuts help fight disease and extend life expectancy. Last year, following a nationwide recall of pistachios over salmonella fears, she hired Levi Johnston, the teen father of Sarah Palin's grandson, to promote the snack nuts. The domestic business grew by 40 percent over the last crop year. "We've done more for the pistachio than anyone ever since it was planted in the Garden of Eden," she said in the phone interview. "My husband should be canonized for all the work he's done." Others in agribusiness see it differently. Ali Amin, a Persian immigrant who owns a competing processing plant, filed a lawsuit in late March in Fresno County Superior Court claiming the Resnicks violated California public utilities laws because they turned a profit by selling water to farmers who weren't members of their Bakersfield-based water company, Westside Mutual Water Co. "You feel like David fighting Goliath," Amin said. "If they're allowed to keep doing this, the rest of the independents and small growers won't be able to compete." Amin's lawsuit alleges he lost $5.5 million in revenue when growers lured by water supplies sold their nuts to the Resnicks' plant, which processes almost two-thirds of the nation's pistachios. Amin controls about 5 percent of the market. Resnick and other water users in agricultural Kern County gained control of the Kern bank - the largest underground water storage facility in the nation - in the mid 1990s, following a round of negotiations with the state Department of Water Resources. Their position was that the state had shorted rural areas in allotting water in a previous drought. To avoid potential litigation from unhappy water users, state officials ceded ownership of the Kern Water Bank - developed with $74 million from the department and $23 million in taxpayer-approved bonds - to a local water agency. In return, water users gave back 45,000 acre feet from the amount they contracted to receive each year. The deal was a pivotal moment in the rise of the Resnicks' business interests. Ownership of the bank ultimately was transferred to a joint powers authority including the local water agency, the Resnicks' Westside Mutual Water Co. and four water districts. Westside distributes water stored there to its members, the operations that grow Resnick's fruits and nuts, according to court records. To prevent price-gouging, the California Public Utilities Commission requires most mutual water companies to register as public utilities and subject their rates to state regulation if they sell water to nonmembers for profit. There are some exceptions, such as a "water emergency," but the PUC rules require those sales to nonmembers to be at cost. PUC staff attorney Fred Harris said Westside had not registered with the PUC. If the company skirted the law, by selling water to nonmembers at a profit - as the Amin suit alleges - Harris said Westside could be required to register and set up rates with the commission. Assemblyman Huffman and Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, said those allegations in the Amin lawsuit touch on a broader debate about whether companies should be able to profit from taxpayer-funded waterworks amid a drought. An $11.1 billion water bond signed last year by Schwarzenegger would allow private companies to partially own, operate and profit from dams, reservoirs and water banks built with billions in public funds. It won't become law unless voters approve it on the November ballot, and it's unclear how the bond proposal would interact with current laws on public-private partnerships. "I don't think anyone wants to see this become a gift of public funds to private corporations," said Huffman, who is considering introducing a bond amendment to remove or clarify the language. Bill Phillimore, who directs Resnick's water company, said the company has managed scarce water supplies responsibly, and he and his bosses have spent "a considerable amount of time to make sure we get value out of the last drop." Rob Six, a spokesman for the couple's private holding company, Roll International Corp., said the Amin suit was "frivolous," and said the company would seek sanctions against Amin's processing business. Both sides claim victory in a previous suit in which many of the same claims were raised. A jury awarded Amin $3.46 million late last month after deciding a pistachio grower who had supplied his plant breached his contract by later sending his nuts to the Resnicks. A Fresno County Superior Court judge granted the Resnicks' request to be dismissed from the suit. After Amin's first suit was filed, two of Resnick's companies filed a federal suit in Los Angeles against Amin, his processing plant and his agricultural consultant, alleging Amin's plant engaged in false advertising that Resnick's companies to suffer up to $15 million in damages. "There are very jealous people out there," Lynda Resnick said. "But we usually win because we have such good in-house counsel." The Resnicks, who have had legal tangles with everyone from Tiger Woods to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, have a good track record at winning. Their suit to kill the California Pistachio Commission, a board farmers paid to do generic marketing for the snack nut, proved so expensive that after spending more than $2 million in legal fees, farmers gave up and voted to disband the commission three years ago. "Here you had one man who had the money and thought he knew what was best, and didn't want to take part in a democratic organization," said Brian Blackwell, president of the Western Pistachio Association, which now represents smaller growers. "Whatever he's doing, he's going to try to run the show." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 172 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 35485 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 19130 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.gif Type: image/gif Size: 226 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image005.gif Type: image/gif Size: 409 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 12 10:03:16 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:03:16 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Zeke Grader Opinion Article in Santa Cruz Sentinel News 4 11 10 Message-ID: <007d01cada62$0c5a11c0$250e3540$@net> Saving the salmon fishing industry Santa Cruz Sentinel-4/11/10 By Zeke Grader Opinion For two years, sport and commercial fishermen along 1,000 miles of coastline in California and Oregon have been precluded from fishing for Central Valley salmon because of the steep declines in salmon populations. The primary reason was water diversions from the state and federal pumps in the Delta that, until the recent drought, have increased over time. Many factors have contributed to the historic collapse of the California and Oregon salmon fishery. However, the operations of the State Water Project SWP and Central Valley Project CVP have played a critical and central role in the decline of salmon and the health of our rivers, streams, bays and estuary. The Central Valley fall-run chinook salmon is the backbone of the commercial and recreational salmon fishery, producing the vast majority of the salmon caught in these states. In 2009, and in the absence of any fishing, total returns of hatchery and naturally spawning salmon in the Central Valley reached a record low: 39,500 fish. This figure is far less than the minimum population of 122,000 fish necessary to sustain the fishery and a tiny fraction of historic levels. Earlier this month, more than 500 people attended an overflow meeting in San Francisco to tell their personal stories and to make their business case for saving water for chinook salmon and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. While the fishermen did make a compelling case, what became apparent was the ripple effect on California's and Oregon's economy from years of salmon fishing decline, punctuated by the past two years of the salmon closure. Not only are fishermen and women facing hard times, but so are tackle and boat shops, harbors, charter boat operators, harbors, restaurants and wholesale seafood suppliers. In addition, many seafood consumers miss healthy, local wild salmon on their plates. In total, the chinook salmon closure has cost hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. A recent study by the Public Policy Institute of California concluded that the survival of the salmon fishery is in jeopardy unless we change the way we manage water exports in the Delta. It also concluded that there is a 70 to 90 percent chance that the fall-run salmon fishery would be not viable in 2050, assuming that future diversions match previous averages. The export of millions of acre-feet of water through the Central Valley Project and State Water Project pumps in the South Delta harm salmon in a variety of ways. Prior to the new Biological Opinion and U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger's 2007 ruling that Delta pumping restrictions were necessary to protect endangered species, and immediately prior to the collapse of the salmon fishery, the state and federal pumps reached record highs in total Delta exports. If water exports are not brought into balance, the likelihood of sustaining the fishery would decrease even further. We can, and must, do a better job of managing the Central Valley Project and State Water Project to protect and restore salmon populations, as well as the communities and businesses that depend upon them. This effort begins with maintaining the protections in the salmon and smelt biological opinions. It also starts with pushing back on the political pressure from some Central Valley agribusinesses and elected officials who only listen to agriculture's demands for more water. On April 15, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council will meet in Portland to decide on a limited season for commercial salmon fishing. After two consecutive cancellations of salmon fishing off the California coast, a third year of closure is possible. However, there may be a small, perhaps token, season for commercial salmon fishermen this year. A short sport season for salmon that began last Saturday is scheduled to last only through the end of this month -- a short respite for a struggling industry. It's time to stop siding with special interests who are demanding unreasonable and unsustainable amounts of water for the Central Valley. Zeke Grader is executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bhill at igc.org Mon Apr 12 17:06:02 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:06:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? Message-ID: <019701cada9d$1f5a4250$5e0ec6f0$@org> This article was sent to me, and I am asking people who are qualified to have and opinion to check it out. So far I have received a reply from by biochemist brother which is pasted on below. It sounds hard to believe, but AAAS is a long time well respected organization for many years. Brian What Are They Spraying Us With? - Pt II Could Aluminum, Barium and Other Substances From Stratospheric Aerosol Geo-Engineering Programs be Destroying Eco-Systems around the World? By Michael J. Murphy 4-11-10 What would you do if you were told that toxic substances being sprayed into the sky are falling to the ground and decimating eco-systems around the world? This very claim, made by concerned citizens outside the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting last month in San Diego, sparked my interest to investigate further. The AAAS meeting hosted several top geo-engineering scientists who gathered to discuss the "plausibility" of implementing various geo-engineering programs throughout the world. One of the options addressed was the stratospheric aerosol geo-engineering (SAG) , AKA chemtrail program, where scientists discussed the "plausibility" of spraying aerosol aluminum, barium and other particles into the sky to block the sun as a means to "reduce" the Earth's temperature. When asked specifically about the potential risks associated with using aluminum in the program as an aerosol, scientists replied by stating that they have not studied much about the risks associated with aluminum and added that something terrible could be found tomorrow that they haven't looked at. When probed further about the deployment of existing aerosol programs, the scientists stated that no aerosol spraying programs have been deployed to date. The concerned citizens I met outside the meeting were claiming quite the opposite. They came in protest after witnessing airplanes that they believe are regularly spraying aerosols into the upper-part of the sky. Many from this group have tested and found extremely high levels of aluminum, barium and other substances in their soil, rain, water and snow. Ironically, the substances that they reported finding are the same substances the scientists are "considering" implementing in the various aerosol spraying programs discussed at the meeting. They also believe that these substances are leading to the destruction of eco-systems and are coming from already deployed SAG programs. Due to the severity of this issue and my desire to know the truth, I was led to Shasta County in the Northern part of California to investigate not only the claims of what is being reported in the sky, but also claims of what is in the rain, water, snow and soil from what many residents are saying is the result of SAG programs. The first stop on this trip led me to Dane Wigington's beautiful 2000 acre property overlooking Lake Shasta. As we toured his breath-taking land, he pointed to multiple trails that blanketed the sky. He claimed the trails are present on most days above Northern California. Wigington referred to this as a "moderate spraying day". Like many other residents in Shasta County, Wigington moved to the area to get away from the heavy pollution of Southern California that he grew up with as a child. His dreams of living off the land and becoming one with nature are now coming to a grinding halt as he is focusing his time and energy on the issue of geo-engineering. Wigington became concerned about SAG when he began to notice dramatic changes in the solar power that he uses to supply his home and property. Owner of one of the largest residential solar systems in Northern California, he began to notice very high declines in solar power. It can be decreased by as much as 60 percent on what he calls "heavy spraying days". Wigington said, "The trails are literally blocking the sun". He also went on to say that he regularly samples the fine dust layers on top of his solar panels and other outdoor surface areas and frequently finds very high levels of aluminum and barium. Wigington believes that these are a product of SAG programs. At the same time as finding decreased solar power, Wigington also began to witness dramatic changes on his property as the trees, grass, insects and wildlife started dying. This led him to get his first rain test just four years ago. The results were shocking as they found aluminum levels at 7 ug/l or 7 parts per billion. Although aluminum can be found around the world in smaller quantities, geo-hydrologists told him that this number was quite high. Since that time, he has had aluminum tests escalate as high as 50,000 percent to 3,400ug/l. That is literally toxic rain. These results prompted him to get additional pH tests from two USDA soil scientists which yielded more shocking results. The pH of the soil was 6.6 in one area and 7.4 in another. This is over 11 times the normal alkalinity of the soil which should be in the range of 5.0 to 5.5. It is important to note the tests were taken in the forest far removed from any highway or industry. When asked what these changes can do to the ecosystem, Wigington replied by saying that it is devastating. He went on to say, "if this continues, we can only expect to see things get much worse. Not only are we seeing our trees dying here, but also a major decline in our wildlife and fish". As a matter of fact, Wigington stated that according to The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the salmon run, once seen in abundance in this area has declined from 769,868 in 2002 to 39,530 in 2009. That is over a 90 percent decline. Amazingly enough, this decline started occurring about the same period of time when residents began to see a dramatic increase in what they believe to be SAG programs. Wigington's efforts to get these issues and test results addressed has been largely ignored by government agencies and officials. After a closer look at Wigington's property, my initial awe of the beauty and breath taking views led to sadness, frustration and anger over the contamination that is literally destroying the eco-system. This led me to investigate further by seeking an expert in biology. I packed up the car and headed north to the breathtaking town of Mt. Shasta. Mt. Shasta has been known for its beauty, clean air and as being the source of water for some bottled water companies. Many travel from around the world to mountain climb and vacation in this beautiful part of Western America. Francis Mangels, BS in Forestry, Masters in zoology and a retired soil conservationist and wildlife biologist who worked for the U.S. Forest Service for over thirty five years, welcomed me into his beautiful home in the town of Mt. Shasta to discuss the "hidden" crisis that is occurring. Mangels alerted me to the rapid decline of fish in the nearby rivers and streams. Mangels brought me to a nearby creek that had an abundant supply of fish just a few years ago. Because the primary diet of the fish in the creek is aquatic insects, he performed a standard sample method to measure the amount of insects present. The samples he had performed before the alleged aerosol spraying campaign had yielded an average of 1000 aquatic insects. Our sample yielded only 31. This is over a 96% decline from samples taken just a few years ago. Mangels stated that because the fish live off of the insects, they are literally starving. This rapid decline is likely due to changes in the chemistry of the water. The only changes that Mangels is aware of are the dramatic increases of aluminum, barium and strontium which he believes is from SAG programs. We also took time to test the pH of nearby soil and snow which contained over 10 times the alkalinity of the normal pH. Mangels has evidence that this drastic change in pH is also due to the massive increases of aluminum. He stated that forests, fields and farm ecologies thrive in acidic soils. Aluminum acts as a buffer that increases alkalinity and can decimate ecologies in large amounts. Mangels also pointed out that snow on Mt. Shasta was tested and sent to theEnvironmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) who found results that contained 61,100 ug/l or parts per billion of aluminum and 83 ug/l of barium. The normal amount of aluminum in the snow at Mt. Shasta is 0.5 ug/l. Drinking water allowable is 50ug/l. That means that the snow on Mt. Shasta has tested at 1200 times more poisonous than water standards allow for aluminum. Mangels said, "Mountain climbers that come from around the world are drinking the poisonous water from the snow on the mountain". Mangels went on to say that government action is required at just 1000 ug/l of detected aluminum. Although he alerted several government agencies of these findings, no governmental action has been taken to date. Mengels brought me to several other locations around the town of Mt. Shasta where he tested the soil, rain, water and snow that also yielded tests that revealed the pH to be over ten times the normal alkalinity. He went on to say that these types of changes in soil, water and snow are very uncommon except in other areas around the world where people have been witnessing what many believe to be spraying from SAG programs. Mengels also stated that these changes have produced an "ecological crisis" and will have horrible consequences if continued. Mengels said, "Losses to our economy will be incredible and are on their way as we speak. Tree growth will be decreased which will result in the loss of logging jobs. It is also causing the decline of naturally occurring plant and grassgrowth that occurs in the normally acidic soils of grazing pastures, resulting in the demise of our grazing industry, fishing industry, and worst of all, basic agriculture in Northern California." What is amazing is that these tests and many others throughout the world are largely being ignored by the very governmental entities that are required to address them. Some politicians, like Mt. Shasta City Council member Ed Valenzuela may choose to ignore the issue. Valenzuela was made aware of the mass contamination at a city council meeting where he stated that the city did not want to sample the water for aluminum because the request was a "can of worms" that would, "open a Pandora's box" that the city would have to pay for. Although several local citizens volunteered to pay the $22.00 cost of the test at an EPA lab, both Republican Committee Chairman Russ Porterfield, and Valenzuela voted no to having the water tested. The mayor Stearns wanted the test, but was overruled by a 3-2 vote. This response is not uncommon as Mengels has presented this issue and his scientific data to over 15 local and federal agencies including Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer's office. To date he has received no response or action. Is it a coincidence that the substances found in the rain, snow and soil in this region and around the world match the exact substances that scientists are "considering" implementing in various geo-engineering campaigns throughout the world? If not, then why have agencies and officials largely ignored these findings that are destroying our planet's eco-system? Could it be that officials are fearful of exposing a massive cover-up of a world-wide ecological crime? Or is it the belief that this issue is simply too large and too complicated a problem for them to tackle? Whatever the reason for this ignorance, we need to demand that our questions and shocking test results get addressed not only in Shasta County, but in every part of the world. Our future on this planet is dependent on this issue being addressed. Because this movement has come under attack from those who appear to be protecting the many political and corporate interests associated with SAG, it is essential that all of us around the world get involved by testing the rain, snow, soil and various outdoor surfaces and reporting the results to our elected officials and local environmental agencies. We must also reach out and educate all those involved with SAG who might be unaware of the environmental implications associated with their programs. Testing for pH changes and metals is simple and can be performed almost anywhere at a nominal price. Simple testing instructions and more information about geo-engineering programs can be found on the internet at www. < http://geoengineeringwatch.org>geoengineeringwatch.org. Biologist Francis Mengels can be contacted by e-mail at < mailto:bioguy0311 at sbcglobal.net> bioguy0311 at sbcglobal.net for more information on this issue, the tests he has performed and suggestions on testing procedures. Please take action by testing, reporting and demanding answers on this ever so important issue. Both nature and humanity depend on it. For more information, please contact me at < mailto:whtagft at hotmail.com> whtagft at hotmail.com or visit my blog: < http://truthmediaproductions.blogsot.com> http://truthmediaproductions.blogsot.com. To clarify things: looking at my national soil pH map califfornia has a very steep and varied pH range with the soil on the the northern coast being much acidic than that found inland/south whic tends to be basic as you disccovered.. pH 9 IS very alkaline. soil pH's of less than 5 are rare but not unheard of. Decomposed pine/fir needles are very acidic which is why they only be used in compost in small amounts -unless of course if you have alkaline soil. maybe that could be the case in Shasta. One sample from under conifers and other from different microclimate eg limestone present. pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the concentration of H+ ions (which "cause" acidity), meaning that as it works out, a pH of 5 is in fact 10 times more acidic than pH 6 by that accepted convention. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 12 20:35:56 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:35:56 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FOTR Facebook Message-ID: <003401cadaba$72168090$564381b0$@net> Thanks very much to Chris Burton, Friends of Trinity River on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Trinity-River/110397522327168?ref=m f &v=wall Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Mattson at EcosystemsNorthwest.com Tue Apr 13 16:57:44 2010 From: Mattson at EcosystemsNorthwest.com (Kim Mattson) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:57:44 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? In-Reply-To: <019701cada9d$1f5a4250$5e0ec6f0$@org> References: <019701cada9d$1f5a4250$5e0ec6f0$@org> Message-ID: <4BC504F8.4020808@EcosystemsNorthwest.com> Brian: In order for others to begin to take this more seriously, you or others will have to present more credible information about sampling and analyses. The data cited in Murphy's report is what scientists would call anedotal. It could be accurate or it could be picked from a larger source of data in order to show a large difference. Wiginton's reports of decrease in solar output plus high Al concentrations in rain plus Mangel's reports of high Al in snow collections sound like the most interesting and reliable data. I would suggest that these reports should be followed up with a scientifically designed sampling scheme with documented collection and analytical methods. Murphy's story could be true, but it also could just be conspiracy theory and beliefs leading to unfounded conclusions. There are several points or items in Murphy's report that are "red flags" to me that suggest this is not believable. I point them out below. Kim Mattson Ph.D. Ecologist and owner, Ecosystems Northwest Mount Shasta, CA Details on the report: I must tell you that I am slightly skeptical for a number of reasons. First, I live in Mount Shasta and I have heard these stories and I have even attended one meeting of a concerned citizens group. I have spoken with Mr. Mangels previously. Mr. Mangel is a very interesting fellow and is quite bright and he has told me a number of very interesting stories. So far, I have not been able to verify most of Mr. Mangel's stories he has told me. Also, the data as presented in Murphy's report could very well have been selected from a large set of data in order to show the greatest differences and therefore make the claim that the sky is indeed falling. On the other hand, new discoveries are often made in this sort of way--accidental findings and then some unscientific observations. But the next step is to collect data in a controlled and scientific manner. It is too bad the city council was afraid to sample and quickly make a determination. Who know's what other sorts of things they are afraid to do? But continuting on.. it is very difficult for anyone to take a look at an ecosystem and tell whether it is dying or healthy. Death of plants, including trees, is common in forests. Observations of dying forests were used 20 years ago to promote the early acid rain research. A small group of scientists were alarmed when they saw so many dead red spruce trees on top high peaks in the Appalachian Mountains. They cited acid rain as the cause. As it turned out, these ecosystems had high rates of standing dead trees (as most mountain tops do) for a number of natural reasons--though acid rain may have had a small contributing effect. The overall conclusion was that acid rain had mostly small effects on forests and these were very difficult to disentangle from other natural and anthropomorphic effects. From what I can tell, the trees in our area look pretty healthy and are growing well. Aluminum is normally a soil acidifying agent and I had not heard that it can create basic conditions in soils. Soil pH cited is not that high for volcanic soils from Mt Shasta. Spatial variation in soil pH is not too surprising--especially if you happened to sample in a burn pile--ash from wood is very basic. Variation in aquatic macroinvertebrate numbers is typical. You would need to do a much more detailed sampling over several years before you could conclude a trend of change. If there were a decrease, you would need to rule out other factors such as changes to the stream itself (development, increased water withdrawals, clearing of stream side vegetation, spraying). Invertebrates are likely very low in numbers before the next cohort of eggs hatch in the spring. You can get highly variable numbers depending on whether you sample nice sized and loose cobbles, or cobbles sedimented in, or silty bottoms..etc.. I have looked at websites on the issue of chemtrails. For the most part, I was not convinced that most of the people knew the difference between a contrail and a chem trail. But, still, I am glad to hear that the AAAS is taking up this issue. I live in Mt Shasta, and I would be really bummed out to find that my kids turned out to be sterile or with cancer due to a government coverup or program that had gone rogue. Brian Hill wrote: > > > > > > This article was sent to me, and I am asking people who are qualified > to have and opinion to check it out. So far I have received a reply > from by biochemist brother which is pasted on below. It sounds hard > to believe, but AAAS is a long time well respected organization for > many years. > > > > Brian > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *What Are They Spraying Us With? - Pt II > **Could Aluminum, Barium and Other Substances From Stratospheric Aerosol > Geo-Engineering Programs be Destroying Eco-Systems around the World?* > By Michael J. Murphy > 4-11-10 > > What would you do if you were told that toxic substances being sprayed > into the sky are falling to the ground and decimating eco-systems > around the world? This very claim, made by concerned citizens > outside the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) > meeting last month in San Diego, sparked my interest to investigate > further. > > > > The AAAS meeting hosted several top geo-engineering scientists who > gathered to discuss the "plausibility" of implementing various > geo-engineering programs throughout the world. One of the options > addressed was the stratospheric aerosol geo-engineering (SAG) , > AKA chemtrail program, where scientists discussed the "plausibility" > of spraying aerosol aluminum, barium and other particles into the sky > to block the sun as a means to "reduce" the Earth's > temperature. When asked specifically about the potential risks > associated with using aluminum in the program as an aerosol, > scientists replied by stating that they have not studied much about > the risks associated with aluminum and added that something terrible > could be found tomorrow that they haven't looked at. When probed > further about the deployment of existing aerosol programs, the > scientists stated that no aerosol spraying programs have been deployed > to date. > > > > The concerned citizens I met outside the meeting were claiming quite > the opposite. They came in protest after witnessing airplanes that > they believe are regularly spraying aerosols into the upper-part of > the sky. Many from this group have tested and found extremely high > levels of aluminum, barium and other substances in their soil, rain, > water and snow. Ironically, the substances that they reported finding > are the same substances the scientists are "considering" implementing > in the various aerosol spraying programs discussed at the > meeting. They also believe that these substances are leading to the > destruction of eco-systems and are coming from already deployed SAG > programs. Due to the severity of this issue and my desire to know > the truth, I was led to Shasta County in the Northern part of > California to investigate not only the claims of what is being > reported in the sky, but also claims of what is in the rain, water, > snow and soil from what many residents are saying is the result of SAG > programs. > > > > The first stop on this trip led me to Dane Wigington's beautiful 2000 > acre property overlooking Lake Shasta. As we toured his breath-taking > land, he pointed to multiple trails that blanketed the sky. He > claimed the trails are present on most days above Northern > California. Wigington referred to this as a "moderate spraying > day". Like many other residents in Shasta County, Wigington moved to > the area to get away from the heavy pollution of Southern California > that he grew up with as a child. His dreams of living off the land > and becoming one with nature are now coming to a grinding halt as he > is focusing his time and energy on the issue of geo-engineering. > > > > > > Wigington became concerned about SAG when he began to notice dramatic > changes in the solar power that he uses to supply his home and > property. Owner of one of the largest residential solar systems in > Northern California, he began to notice very high declines in solar > power. It can be decreased by as much as 60 percent on what he calls > "heavy spraying days". Wigington said, "The trails are literally > blocking the sun". He also went on to say that he regularly samples > the fine dust layers on top of his solar panels and other outdoor > surface areas and frequently finds very high levels of aluminum and > barium. Wigington believes that these are a product of SAG programs. > > > > > > > > At the same time as finding decreased solar power, Wigington also > began to witness dramatic changes on his property as the trees, grass, > insects and wildlife started dying. This led him to get his first > rain test just four years ago. The results were shocking as they > found aluminum levels at 7 ug/l or 7 parts per billion. Although > aluminum can be found around the world in smaller quantities, > geo-hydrologists told him that this number was quite high. Since that > time, he has had aluminum tests escalate as high as 50,000 percent to > 3,400ug/l. That is literally toxic rain. These results prompted him > to get additional pH tests from two USDA soil scientists which yielded > more shocking results. The pH of the soil was 6.6 in one area and 7.4 > in another. This is over 11 times the normal alkalinity of the soil > which should be in the range of 5.0 to 5.5. It is important to note > the tests were taken in the forest far removed from any highway or > industry. > > > > > > When asked what these changes can do to the ecosystem, Wigington > replied by saying that it is devastating. He went on to say, "if > this continues, we can only expect to see things get much worse. Not > only are we seeing our trees dying here, but also a major decline in > our wildlife and fish". As a matter of fact, Wigington stated that > according to The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the > salmon run, once seen in abundance in this area has declined from > 769,868 in 2002 to 39,530 in 2009. That is over a 90 percent > decline. Amazingly enough, this decline started occurring about the > same period of time when residents began to see a dramatic increase in > what they believe to be SAG programs. Wigington's efforts to get > these issues and test results addressed has been largely ignored by > government agencies and officials. > > > > After a closer look at Wigington's property, my initial awe of the > beauty and breath taking views led to sadness, frustration and anger > over the contamination that is literally destroying the > eco-system. This led me to investigate further by seeking an expert > in biology. I packed up the car and headed north to the breathtaking > town of Mt. Shasta. Mt. Shasta has been known for its beauty, clean > air and as being the source of water for some bottled water > companies. Many travel from around the world to mountain climb and > vacation in this beautiful part of Western America. > > > > > > > > Francis Mangels, BS in Forestry, Masters in zoology and a retired soil > conservationist and wildlife biologist who worked for the U.S. Forest > Service for over thirty five years, welcomed me into his beautiful > home in the town of Mt. Shasta to discuss the "hidden" crisis that is > occurring. Mangels alerted me to the rapid decline of fish in the > nearby rivers and streams. Mangels brought me to a nearby creek that > had an abundant supply of fish just a few years ago. Because the > primary diet of the fish in the creek is aquatic insects, he performed > a standard sample method to measure the amount of insects > present. The samples he had performed before the alleged aerosol > spraying campaign had yielded an average of 1000 aquatic insects. Our > sample yielded only 31. This is over a 96% decline from samples taken > just a few years ago. Mangels stated that because the fish live off > of the insects, they are literally starving. This rapid decline is > likely due to changes in the chemistry of the water. The only changes > that Mangels is aware of are the dramatic increases of aluminum, > barium and strontium which he believes is from SAG programs. > > > > > > We also took time to test the pH of nearby soil and snow which > contained over 10 times the alkalinity of the normal pH. Mangels has > evidence that this drastic change in pH is also due to the massive > increases of aluminum. He stated that forests, fields and farm > ecologies thrive in acidic soils. Aluminum acts as a buffer that > increases alkalinity and can decimate ecologies in large > amounts. Mangels also pointed out that snow on Mt. Shasta was tested > and sent to theEnvironmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) who found > results that contained 61,100 ug/l or parts per billion of aluminum > and 83 ug/l of barium. The normal amount of aluminum in the snow at > Mt. Shasta is 0.5 ug/l. Drinking water allowable is 50ug/l. That > means that the snow on Mt. Shasta has tested at 1200 times more > poisonous than water standards allow for aluminum. Mangels said, > "Mountain climbers that come from around the world are drinking the > poisonous water from the snow on the mountain". Mangels went on to > say that government action is required at just 1000 ug/l of detected > aluminum. Although he alerted several government agencies of these > findings, no governmental action has been taken to date. > > > > Mengels brought me to several other locations around the town of Mt. > Shasta where he tested the soil, rain, water and snow that also > yielded tests that revealed the pH to be over ten times the normal > alkalinity. He went on to say that these types of changes in soil, > water and snow are very uncommon except in other areas around the > world where people have been witnessing what many believe to be > spraying from SAG programs. Mengels also stated that these changes > have produced an "ecological crisis" and will have horrible > consequences if continued. Mengels said, "Losses to our economy > will be incredible and are on their way as we speak. Tree growth will > be decreased which will result in the loss of logging jobs. It is > also causing the decline of naturally occurring plant and > grassgrowth that occurs in the normally acidic soils of grazing > pastures, resulting in the demise of our grazing industry, fishing > industry, and worst of all, basic agriculture in Northern California." > > > > What is amazing is that these tests and many others throughout the > world are largely being ignored by the very governmental entities that > are required to address them. Some politicians, like Mt. Shasta City > Council member Ed Valenzuela may choose to ignore the issue. > Valenzuela was made aware of the mass contamination at a city council > meeting where he stated that the city did not want to sample the water > for aluminum because the request was a "can of worms" that would, > "open a Pandora's box" that the city would have to pay > for. Although several local citizens volunteered to pay the $22.00 > cost of the test at an EPA lab, both Republican Committee Chairman > Russ Porterfield, and Valenzuela voted no to having the water tested. > The mayor Stearns wanted the test, but was overruled by a 3-2 > vote. This response is not uncommon as Mengels has presented this > issue and his scientific data to over 15 local and federal agencies > including Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer's office. To date he > has received no response or action. > > > > Is it a coincidence that the substances found in the rain, snow and > soil in this region and around the world match the exact substances > that scientists are "considering" implementing in various > geo-engineering campaigns throughout the world? If not, then why have > agencies and officials largely ignored these findings that are > destroying our planet's eco-system? Could it be that officials are > fearful of exposing a massive cover-up of a world-wide ecological > crime? Or is it the belief that this issue is simply too large and > too complicated a problem for them to tackle? Whatever the reason for > this ignorance, we need to demand that our questions and shocking test > results get addressed not only in Shasta County, but in every part of > the world. Our future on this planet is dependent on this issue being > addressed. > > > > Because this movement has come under attack from those who appear to > be protecting the many political and corporate interests associated > with SAG, it is essential that all of us around the world get involved > by testing the rain, snow, soil and various outdoor surfaces and > reporting the results to our elected officials and local environmental > agencies. We must also reach out and educate all those involved with > SAG who might be unaware of the environmental implications associated > with their programs. Testing for pH changes and metals is simple and > can be performed almost anywhere at a nominal price. > > > > Simple testing instructions and more information about geo-engineering > programs can be found on the internet at > www. >geoengineeringwatch.org. Biologist > Francis Mengels can be contacted by e-mail > at >bioguy0311 at sbcglobal.net > for > more information on this issue, the tests he has performed and > suggestions on testing procedures. Please take action by testing, > reporting and demanding answers on this ever so important issue. Both > nature and humanity depend on it. For more information, please > contact me at >whtagft at hotmail.com > or > visit my blog: >http://truthmediaproductions.blogsot.com > . > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To clarify things: looking at my national soil pH map califfornia has > a very steep and varied pH range with the soil on the the northern > coast being much acidic than that found inland/south whic tends to be > basic as you disccovered.. pH 9 IS very alkaline. soil pH's of less > than 5 are rare but not unheard of. Decomposed pine/fir needles are > very acidic which is why they only be used in compost in small amounts > -unless of course if you have alkaline soil. maybe that could be the > case in Shasta. One sample from under conifers and other from > different microclimate eg limestone present. > > > > pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the concentration of H+ > ions (which "cause" acidity), meaning that as it works out, a pH of 5 > is in fact 10 times more acidic than pH 6 > > by that accepted convention. > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > From frankemerson at redshift.com Tue Apr 13 20:29:32 2010 From: frankemerson at redshift.com (Frank Emerson) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:29:32 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Paper Water References: <003901cad9a6$cd749a90$685dcfb0$@net> Message-ID: <003701cadb82$b3e85660$3015bc43@bedroom> Another report on pinniped predation, this time in BC. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/seals-sea-lions-devastating-west-coast-salmon-runs/article1530966/ Frank Emerson -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bhill at igc.org Tue Apr 13 21:42:54 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:42:54 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? In-Reply-To: <4BC504F8.4020808@EcosystemsNorthwest.com> References: <019701cada9d$1f5a4250$5e0ec6f0$@org> <4BC504F8.4020808@EcosystemsNorthwest.com> Message-ID: <042e01cadb8c$f4d98180$de8c8480$@org> Thanks so much Kim for your reply. I hoped there would be comments from people qualified scientists. I will post contribtions from others unless members of this list would prefer to keep the discussion private. I feel the same as you, that more documentation is needed in order for Michael Murphy's article to demand the attention it calls for. My academic training is in anthropology and archeology so I am not qualified to add to Michael's interesting writing. Brian PS - Michael is cc-ed here. --------------------- -----Original Message----- From: Kim Mattson [mailto:Mattson at EcosystemsNorthwest.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 4:58 PM To: Brian Hill Cc: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org Subject: Re: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? Brian: In order for others to begin to take this more seriously, you or others will have to present more credible information about sampling and analyses. The data cited in Murphy's report is what scientists would call anedotal. It could be accurate or it could be picked from a larger source of data in order to show a large difference. Wiginton's reports of decrease in solar output plus high Al concentrations in rain plus Mangel's reports of high Al in snow collections sound like the most interesting and reliable data. I would suggest that these reports should be followed up with a scientifically designed sampling scheme with documented collection and analytical methods. Murphy's story could be true, but it also could just be conspiracy theory and beliefs leading to unfounded conclusions. There are several points or items in Murphy's report that are "red flags" to me that suggest this is not believable. I point them out below. Kim Mattson Ph.D. Ecologist and owner, Ecosystems Northwest Mount Shasta, CA Details on the report: I must tell you that I am slightly skeptical for a number of reasons. First, I live in Mount Shasta and I have heard these stories and I have even attended one meeting of a concerned citizens group. I have spoken with Mr. Mangels previously. Mr. Mangel is a very interesting fellow and is quite bright and he has told me a number of very interesting stories. So far, I have not been able to verify most of Mr. Mangel's stories he has told me. Also, the data as presented in Murphy's report could very well have been selected from a large set of data in order to show the greatest differences and therefore make the claim that the sky is indeed falling. On the other hand, new discoveries are often made in this sort of way--accidental findings and then some unscientific observations. But the next step is to collect data in a controlled and scientific manner. It is too bad the city council was afraid to sample and quickly make a determination. Who know's what other sorts of things they are afraid to do? But continuting on.. it is very difficult for anyone to take a look at an ecosystem and tell whether it is dying or healthy. Death of plants, including trees, is common in forests. Observations of dying forests were used 20 years ago to promote the early acid rain research. A small group of scientists were alarmed when they saw so many dead red spruce trees on top high peaks in the Appalachian Mountains. They cited acid rain as the cause. As it turned out, these ecosystems had high rates of standing dead trees (as most mountain tops do) for a number of natural reasons--though acid rain may have had a small contributing effect. The overall conclusion was that acid rain had mostly small effects on forests and these were very difficult to disentangle from other natural and anthropomorphic effects. From what I can tell, the trees in our area look pretty healthy and are growing well. Aluminum is normally a soil acidifying agent and I had not heard that it can create basic conditions in soils. Soil pH cited is not that high for volcanic soils from Mt Shasta. Spatial variation in soil pH is not too surprising--especially if you happened to sample in a burn pile--ash from wood is very basic. Variation in aquatic macroinvertebrate numbers is typical. You would need to do a much more detailed sampling over several years before you could conclude a trend of change. If there were a decrease, you would need to rule out other factors such as changes to the stream itself (development, increased water withdrawals, clearing of stream side vegetation, spraying). Invertebrates are likely very low in numbers before the next cohort of eggs hatch in the spring. You can get highly variable numbers depending on whether you sample nice sized and loose cobbles, or cobbles sedimented in, or silty bottoms..etc.. I have looked at websites on the issue of chemtrails. For the most part, I was not convinced that most of the people knew the difference between a contrail and a chem trail. But, still, I am glad to hear that the AAAS is taking up this issue. I live in Mt Shasta, and I would be really bummed out to find that my kids turned out to be sterile or with cancer due to a government coverup or program that had gone rogue. Brian Hill wrote: > > > > > > This article was sent to me, and I am asking people who are qualified > to have and opinion to check it out. So far I have received a reply > from by biochemist brother which is pasted on below. It sounds hard > to believe, but AAAS is a long time well respected organization for > many years. > > > > Brian > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *What Are They Spraying Us With? - Pt II > **Could Aluminum, Barium and Other Substances From Stratospheric Aerosol > Geo-Engineering Programs be Destroying Eco-Systems around the World?* > By Michael J. Murphy > 4-11-10 > > What would you do if you were told that toxic substances being sprayed > into the sky are falling to the ground and decimating eco-systems > around the world? This very claim, made by concerned citizens > outside the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) > meeting last month in San Diego, sparked my interest to investigate > further. > > > > The AAAS meeting hosted several top geo-engineering scientists who > gathered to discuss the "plausibility" of implementing various > geo-engineering programs throughout the world. One of the options > addressed was the stratospheric aerosol geo-engineering (SAG) , > AKA chemtrail program, where scientists discussed the "plausibility" > of spraying aerosol aluminum, barium and other particles into the sky > to block the sun as a means to "reduce" the Earth's > temperature. When asked specifically about the potential risks > associated with using aluminum in the program as an aerosol, > scientists replied by stating that they have not studied much about > the risks associated with aluminum and added that something terrible > could be found tomorrow that they haven't looked at. When probed > further about the deployment of existing aerosol programs, the > scientists stated that no aerosol spraying programs have been deployed > to date. > > > > The concerned citizens I met outside the meeting were claiming quite > the opposite. They came in protest after witnessing airplanes that > they believe are regularly spraying aerosols into the upper-part of > the sky. Many from this group have tested and found extremely high > levels of aluminum, barium and other substances in their soil, rain, > water and snow. Ironically, the substances that they reported finding > are the same substances the scientists are "considering" implementing > in the various aerosol spraying programs discussed at the > meeting. They also believe that these substances are leading to the > destruction of eco-systems and are coming from already deployed SAG > programs. Due to the severity of this issue and my desire to know > the truth, I was led to Shasta County in the Northern part of > California to investigate not only the claims of what is being > reported in the sky, but also claims of what is in the rain, water, > snow and soil from what many residents are saying is the result of SAG > programs. > > > > The first stop on this trip led me to Dane Wigington's beautiful 2000 > acre property overlooking Lake Shasta. As we toured his breath-taking > land, he pointed to multiple trails that blanketed the sky. He > claimed the trails are present on most days above Northern > California. Wigington referred to this as a "moderate spraying > day". Like many other residents in Shasta County, Wigington moved to > the area to get away from the heavy pollution of Southern California > that he grew up with as a child. His dreams of living off the land > and becoming one with nature are now coming to a grinding halt as he > is focusing his time and energy on the issue of geo-engineering. > > > > > > Wigington became concerned about SAG when he began to notice dramatic > changes in the solar power that he uses to supply his home and > property. Owner of one of the largest residential solar systems in > Northern California, he began to notice very high declines in solar > power. It can be decreased by as much as 60 percent on what he calls > "heavy spraying days". Wigington said, "The trails are literally > blocking the sun". He also went on to say that he regularly samples > the fine dust layers on top of his solar panels and other outdoor > surface areas and frequently finds very high levels of aluminum and > barium. Wigington believes that these are a product of SAG programs. > > > > > > > > At the same time as finding decreased solar power, Wigington also > began to witness dramatic changes on his property as the trees, grass, > insects and wildlife started dying. This led him to get his first > rain test just four years ago. The results were shocking as they > found aluminum levels at 7 ug/l or 7 parts per billion. Although > aluminum can be found around the world in smaller quantities, > geo-hydrologists told him that this number was quite high. Since that > time, he has had aluminum tests escalate as high as 50,000 percent to > 3,400ug/l. That is literally toxic rain. These results prompted him > to get additional pH tests from two USDA soil scientists which yielded > more shocking results. The pH of the soil was 6.6 in one area and 7.4 > in another. This is over 11 times the normal alkalinity of the soil > which should be in the range of 5.0 to 5.5. It is important to note > the tests were taken in the forest far removed from any highway or > industry. > > > > > > When asked what these changes can do to the ecosystem, Wigington > replied by saying that it is devastating. He went on to say, "if > this continues, we can only expect to see things get much worse. Not > only are we seeing our trees dying here, but also a major decline in > our wildlife and fish". As a matter of fact, Wigington stated that > according to The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the > salmon run, once seen in abundance in this area has declined from > 769,868 in 2002 to 39,530 in 2009. That is over a 90 percent > decline. Amazingly enough, this decline started occurring about the > same period of time when residents began to see a dramatic increase in > what they believe to be SAG programs. Wigington's efforts to get > these issues and test results addressed has been largely ignored by > government agencies and officials. > > > > After a closer look at Wigington's property, my initial awe of the > beauty and breath taking views led to sadness, frustration and anger > over the contamination that is literally destroying the > eco-system. This led me to investigate further by seeking an expert > in biology. I packed up the car and headed north to the breathtaking > town of Mt. Shasta. Mt. Shasta has been known for its beauty, clean > air and as being the source of water for some bottled water > companies. Many travel from around the world to mountain climb and > vacation in this beautiful part of Western America. > > > > > > > > Francis Mangels, BS in Forestry, Masters in zoology and a retired soil > conservationist and wildlife biologist who worked for the U.S. Forest > Service for over thirty five years, welcomed me into his beautiful > home in the town of Mt. Shasta to discuss the "hidden" crisis that is > occurring. Mangels alerted me to the rapid decline of fish in the > nearby rivers and streams. Mangels brought me to a nearby creek that > had an abundant supply of fish just a few years ago. Because the > primary diet of the fish in the creek is aquatic insects, he performed > a standard sample method to measure the amount of insects > present. The samples he had performed before the alleged aerosol > spraying campaign had yielded an average of 1000 aquatic insects. Our > sample yielded only 31. This is over a 96% decline from samples taken > just a few years ago. Mangels stated that because the fish live off > of the insects, they are literally starving. This rapid decline is > likely due to changes in the chemistry of the water. The only changes > that Mangels is aware of are the dramatic increases of aluminum, > barium and strontium which he believes is from SAG programs. > > > > > > We also took time to test the pH of nearby soil and snow which > contained over 10 times the alkalinity of the normal pH. Mangels has > evidence that this drastic change in pH is also due to the massive > increases of aluminum. He stated that forests, fields and farm > ecologies thrive in acidic soils. Aluminum acts as a buffer that > increases alkalinity and can decimate ecologies in large > amounts. Mangels also pointed out that snow on Mt. Shasta was tested > and sent to theEnvironmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) who found > results that contained 61,100 ug/l or parts per billion of aluminum > and 83 ug/l of barium. The normal amount of aluminum in the snow at > Mt. Shasta is 0.5 ug/l. Drinking water allowable is 50ug/l. That > means that the snow on Mt. Shasta has tested at 1200 times more > poisonous than water standards allow for aluminum. Mangels said, > "Mountain climbers that come from around the world are drinking the > poisonous water from the snow on the mountain". Mangels went on to > say that government action is required at just 1000 ug/l of detected > aluminum. Although he alerted several government agencies of these > findings, no governmental action has been taken to date. > > > > Mengels brought me to several other locations around the town of Mt. > Shasta where he tested the soil, rain, water and snow that also > yielded tests that revealed the pH to be over ten times the normal > alkalinity. He went on to say that these types of changes in soil, > water and snow are very uncommon except in other areas around the > world where people have been witnessing what many believe to be > spraying from SAG programs. Mengels also stated that these changes > have produced an "ecological crisis" and will have horrible > consequences if continued. Mengels said, "Losses to our economy > will be incredible and are on their way as we speak. Tree growth will > be decreased which will result in the loss of logging jobs. It is > also causing the decline of naturally occurring plant and > grassgrowth that occurs in the normally acidic soils of grazing > pastures, resulting in the demise of our grazing industry, fishing > industry, and worst of all, basic agriculture in Northern California." > > > > What is amazing is that these tests and many others throughout the > world are largely being ignored by the very governmental entities that > are required to address them. Some politicians, like Mt. Shasta City > Council member Ed Valenzuela may choose to ignore the issue. > Valenzuela was made aware of the mass contamination at a city council > meeting where he stated that the city did not want to sample the water > for aluminum because the request was a "can of worms" that would, > "open a Pandora's box" that the city would have to pay > for. Although several local citizens volunteered to pay the $22.00 > cost of the test at an EPA lab, both Republican Committee Chairman > Russ Porterfield, and Valenzuela voted no to having the water tested. > The mayor Stearns wanted the test, but was overruled by a 3-2 > vote. This response is not uncommon as Mengels has presented this > issue and his scientific data to over 15 local and federal agencies > including Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer's office. To date he > has received no response or action. > > > > Is it a coincidence that the substances found in the rain, snow and > soil in this region and around the world match the exact substances > that scientists are "considering" implementing in various > geo-engineering campaigns throughout the world? If not, then why have > agencies and officials largely ignored these findings that are > destroying our planet's eco-system? Could it be that officials are > fearful of exposing a massive cover-up of a world-wide ecological > crime? Or is it the belief that this issue is simply too large and > too complicated a problem for them to tackle? Whatever the reason for > this ignorance, we need to demand that our questions and shocking test > results get addressed not only in Shasta County, but in every part of > the world. Our future on this planet is dependent on this issue being > addressed. > > > > Because this movement has come under attack from those who appear to > be protecting the many political and corporate interests associated > with SAG, it is essential that all of us around the world get involved > by testing the rain, snow, soil and various outdoor surfaces and > reporting the results to our elected officials and local environmental > agencies. We must also reach out and educate all those involved with > SAG who might be unaware of the environmental implications associated > with their programs. Testing for pH changes and metals is simple and > can be performed almost anywhere at a nominal price. > > > > Simple testing instructions and more information about geo-engineering > programs can be found on the internet at > www. >geoengineeringwatch.org. Biologist > Francis Mengels can be contacted by e-mail > at >bio guy0311 at sbcglobal.net > for > more information on this issue, the tests he has performed and > suggestions on testing procedures. Please take action by testing, > reporting and demanding answers on this ever so important issue. Both > nature and humanity depend on it. For more information, please > contact me at >whtagft@ hotmail.com > or > visit my blog: >http://truthmediaproductions.blo gsot.com > . > > > > > > > To clarify things: looking at my national soil pH map califfornia has > a very steep and varied pH range with the soil on the the northern > coast being much acidic than that found inland/south whic tends to be > basic as you disccovered.. pH 9 IS very alkaline. soil pH's of less > than 5 are rare but not unheard of. Decomposed pine/fir needles are > very acidic which is why they only be used in compost in small amounts > -unless of course if you have alkaline soil. maybe that could be the > case in Shasta. One sample from under conifers and other from > different microclimate eg limestone present. > > > > pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the concentration of H+ > ions (which "cause" acidity), meaning that as it works out, a pH of 5 > is in fact 10 times more acidic than pH 6 > > by that accepted convention. > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > From bhill at igc.org Wed Apr 14 07:40:38 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:40:38 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? In-Reply-To: <1ba30816b7941925b375dab016b47eef@frontier.com> References: <019701cada9d$1f5a4250$5e0ec6f0$@org> <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703EB8730FF@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net>, <021601cadab2$4eb46700$ec1d3500$@org> <1ba30816b7941925b375dab016b47eef@frontier.com> Message-ID: <045f01cadbe0$75de7170$619b5450$@org> Thanks Dane for your comments. Hopefully by airing this issue on a list-serv which has many qualified participants enough documentation will be brought forth for us to arrive at a consensual understanding so that as a well informed public we can then inform the press and petition our governmental representatives to legislate changes that will improve existing conditions. Brian From: Dane Wigington [mailto:danew at frontier.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 11:30 AM To: bhill at igc.org Cc: Michael Murphy; BHolt at usbr.gov Subject: Re: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? Hello Brian, I appreciate that you took the time to begin looking at this most important issue. I would like to address some of the comments made by Mr. Holt. First, Mr. Holt mentions aluminum mobilization due to acid rain. This has no connection whatsoever to our problem here. Our rain is literally packed with aluminum as dozens of lab tests have already proven. Not only is our rain NOT very acidic, it is about 10 times plus more alkaline than it should be or has historically been (from 5.6 previously - to 6.8 today). The levels of aluminum in our rain has in some cases escalated as much as 50,000 percent in the last five years, 50,000%. I have personally spoken to a geohydrologist that stated clearly there should not be anything over .05 ppb of aluminum in precipitation even in most urban areas. We have had single rain events as high as 3450 ppb. That makes this particular test amount 69,000 times higher than what would otherwise be an expected high. Mr. Holt says a half dozen "contrails" that remain in the sky are normal over the area. He does not mention that often there are trails going from east to west. First, my background is in solar power. I worked on one of the first commercial solar power facilities in the continental US in the early 80s and my home was the cover article for the worlds largest RE magazine. Whatever is coming out of the jets began to cause radically more "solar obscuration" starting about 5 years ago. On many days I literally lose 50% or more of my solar uptake from whatever the jets are putting out. This was never the case for the first years I lived in Shasta County from 01 to 04. Second, flight paths and frequency was checked for the skies over our area. There should only be an average of one aircraft every ten minutes or so and NO east west at all. Mr. Buford does not mention that many of the aircraft that appear to be "spraying" have a trail that is totally different in composition from one side of the aircraft when compared to the other. Mr. Buford had apparently not investigated the numerous "geoengineering" patents that describe exactly the scenario we see in our skies and the first elements called out as materials in these patents are exactly what has begun showing up on the ground. Mr. Holt mentions the western part of Shasta Lake, all tests near Shasta lake were taken completely on the far east side of the lake far away from any former mining operations. Snow tests from the side of Mt. Shasta, far away from Lake Shasta mining, were as high as 61,000 ppb. Other tests have been taken across the US and in Europe. The results are the same. Next, ground water sources have shown NO contamination. The contamination is from the air and has not yet entered the ground water system. Finally, regarding soil Ph. I know for a fact that the comparisons are not guesswork. I have held in my hands the original soils Ph study done by the USDA in the 60s that gave very defined Phs for literally every soil type in all of Shasta County. It is a very expensive manual containing 136 fold out maps logging every bit of land in the county. The soil PH has changed radically in only the last five years. I have been with USDA soils scientists that tested Ph where they estimated it should have been about 5.5. It was near 7 in one location and well over in another. The Ph results that should have been are confirmed in the USDA manual mentioned. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Holt. I believe he sincerely replied to you inquiry and I would welcome any opportunity to present lab test results and other data to Mr. Holt. One thing I just can't bring myself to understand is why this issue sounds so preposterous to people. Everything described is exactly what all recognized "geoengineers" are urgently pushing. Nearly every major scientific publication has outlined the scenario we see in our skies as proposed programs. Yet, those who present the evidence that these programs are already underway are written off as "nuts". I personally attended the AAAS international conference on this subject and heard the geoengineering panel with my own ears as they pressed for the immediate deployment of aircraft to deploy 20,000,000 tones of aluminum into the atmosphere. I then heard them admit that virtually NO study has been done whatsoever as to the fall out from such programs. Brian, I most sincerely hope that you and Mr. Holt will continue your investigation into this most dire issue. Dane Wigington On Apr 12, 2010, at 7:46 PM, Michael Murphy wrote: FYI, This is in respone to one of my articles Michael Murphy 310-431-8890 From: bhill at igc.org To: BHolt at usbr.gov CC: bioguy0311 at sbcglobal.net; whtagft at hotmail.com; tstokely at att.net Subject: RE: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:37:41 -0700 Thanks Buford - It seems to me that there is more involved than what we used to call jet streams. Lets see what others say. I'll try to forward the comments to the author of the article and people mentioned in it. Brian From: Holt, Buford R [mailto:BHolt at usbr.gov] Sent: Monday, April 12, 2010 5:51 PM To: Brian Hill Subject: RE: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? Brian- I certainly can't give you definitive responses, but I can comment on aspects of what you sent. I'm not sure if any of my thoughts will help much, but they are interspersed in the following narrative and at least on my screen show up in blue. -Buford Holt What Are They Spraying Us With? - Pt II Could Aluminum, Barium and Other Substances From Stratospheric Aerosol Geo-Engineering Programs be Destroying Eco-Systems around the World? By Michael J. Murphy 4-11-10 What would you do if you were told that toxic substances being sprayed into the sky are falling to the ground and decimating eco-systems around the world? This very claim, made by concerned citizens outside the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting last month in San Diego, sparked my interest to investigate further. The AAAS meeting hosted several top geo-engineering scientists who gathered to discuss the "plausibility" of implementing various geo-engineering programs throughout the world. One of the options addressed was the stratospheric aerosol geo-engineering (SAG) , AKA chemtrail program, where scientists discussed the "plausibility" of spraying aerosol aluminum, barium and other particles into the sky to block the sun as a means to "reduce" the Earth's temperature. When asked specifically about the potential risks associated with using aluminum in the program as an aerosol, scientists replied by stating that they have not studied much about the risks associated with aluminum and added that something terrible could be found tomorrow that they haven't looked at. When probed further about the deployment of existing aerosol programs, the scientists stated that no aerosol spraying programs have been deployed to date. It is worth noting that Al mobilization in soils was given a fair amount of attention in the 70's in association with the acid rain concerns prominent at the time. To the extent that acidity affects Al in soils, you might find the literature re mining districts like Copper Hill, Tennessee; Trail, British Columbia; and Sudbury , Ontario useful, as well as the work published by the EPA and others re acid rain in the Adirondacks. There is also a lot of older stuff from the Nordic lands, particularly Sweden, which were downwind of the factories of Great Britain and had acid soils to begin with, given the predominance of conifer and heath cover in those countries. There is also fascinating material on the genetic differentiation of straits of wind pollinated grasses on old mine heaps in Wales, but I am sorrow I can't recall the investigator's name after a 30 years lapse outside academe. The concerned citizens I met outside the meeting were claiming quite the opposite. They came in protest after witnessing airplanes that they believe are regularly spraying aerosols into the upper-part of the sky. Many from this group have tested and found extremely high levels of aluminum, barium and other substances in their soil, rain, water and snow. Ironically, the substances that they reported finding are the same substances the scientists are "considering" implementing in the various aerosol spraying programs discussed at the meeting. They also believe that these substances are leading to the destruction of eco-systems and are coming from already deployed SAG programs. Due to the severity of this issue and my desire to know the truth, I was led to Shasta County in the Northern part of California to investigate not only the claims of what is being reported in the sky, but also claims of what is in the rain, water, snow and soil from what many residents are saying is the result of SAG programs. I can verify that one often sees six to eight contrails in the sky over Redding on days when contrails form, but they seem readily explicable as being contrails of conventional aircraft flying between SFO and Portland/Seattle. The first stop on this trip led me to Dane Wigington's beautiful 2000 acre property overlooking Lake Shasta. As we toured his breath-taking land, he pointed to multiple trails that blanketed the sky. He claimed the trails are present on most days above Northern California. Wigington referred to this as a "moderate spraying day". Like many other residents in Shasta County, Wigington moved to the area to get away from the heavy pollution of Southern California that he grew up with as a child. His dreams of living off the land and becoming one with nature are now coming to a grinding halt as he is focusing his time and energy on the issue of geo-engineering. Wigington became concerned about SAG when he began to notice dramatic changes in the solar power that he uses to supply his home and property. Owner of one of the largest residential solar systems in Northern California, he began to notice very high declines in solar power. It can be decreased by as much as 60 percent on what he calls "heavy spraying days". Wigington said, "The trails are literally blocking the sun". He also went on to say that he regularly samples the fine dust layers on top of his solar panels and other outdoor surface areas and frequently finds very high levels of aluminum and barium. Wigington believes that these are a product of SAG programs. At the same time as finding decreased solar power, Wigington also began to witness dramatic changes on his property as the trees, grass, insects and wildlife started dying. This led him to get his first rain test just four years ago. The results were shocking as they found aluminum levels at 7 ug/l or 7 parts per billion. Although aluminum can be found around the world in smaller quantities, geo-hydrologists told him that this number was quite high. Since that time, he has had aluminum tests escalate as high as 50,000 percent to 3,400ug/l. That is literally toxic rain. These results prompted him to get additional pH tests from two USDA soil scientists which yielded more shocking results. The pH of the soil was 6.6 in one area and 7.4 in another. This is over 11 times the normal alkalinity of the soil which should be in the range of 5.0 to 5.5. It is important to note the tests were taken in the forest far removed from any highway or industry. It is worth keeping in mind that the western part of the Shasta Lake area is an old mining district whose air pollution led to the nation's first air pollution laws when fruit trees started dying south of Redding. So there is surely a lot heavy metal contamination associated with those old copper mines and smelters. The Iron Mountain Mine alone contributed tons of Cu, Cd, and Zn per day to the Sacramento River prior to development of mitigation measures and the soils around the Spring Creek Reservoir are excessive high in As. When asked what these changes can do to the ecosystem, Wigington replied by saying that it is devastating. He went on to say, "if this continues, we can only expect to see things get much worse. Not only are we seeing our trees dying here, but also a major decline in our wildlife and fish". As a matter of fact, Wigington stated that according to The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the salmon run, once seen in abundance in this area has declined from 769,868 in 2002 to 39,530 in 2009. That is over a 90 percent decline. Amazingly enough, this decline started occurring about the same period of time when residents began to see a dramatic increase in what they believe to be SAG programs. Wigington's efforts to get these issues and test results addressed has been largely ignored by government agencies and officials. Again, there are other sources of disturbance to weigh in this matter. The dams certainly played a major role, mining has contributed, over-fishing, water diversions, introductions of exotic species, etc. that is not to say water chemistry is not a problem, only that it is one among many. After a closer look at Wigington's property, my initial awe of the beauty and breath taking views led to sadness, frustration and anger over the contamination that is literally destroying the eco-system. This led me to investigate further by seeking an expert in biology. I packed up the car and headed north to the breathtaking town of Mt. Shasta. Mt. Shasta has been known for its beauty, clean air and as being the source of water for some bottled water companies. Many travel from around the world to mountain climb and vacation in this beautiful part of Western America. Francis Mangels, BS in Forestry, Masters in zoology and a retired soil conservationist and wildlife biologist who worked for the U.S. Forest Service for over thirty five years, welcomed me into his beautiful home in the town of Mt. Shasta to discuss the "hidden" crisis that is occurring. Mangels alerted me to the rapid decline of fish in the nearby rivers and streams. Mangels brought me to a nearby creek that had an abundant supply of fish just a few years ago. Because the primary diet of the fish in the creek is aquatic insects, he performed a standard sample method to measure the amount of insects present. The samples he had performed before the alleged aerosol spraying campaign had yielded an average of 1000 aquatic insects. Our sample yielded only 31. This is over a 96% decline from samples taken just a few years ago. Mangels stated that because the fish live off of the insects, they are literally starving. This rapid decline is likely due to changes in the chemistry of the water. The only changes that Mangels is aware of are the dramatic increases of aluminum, barium and strontium which he believes is from SAG programs. This is more interesting with respect to the chem.-trails claims that the decline of the salmon since you are speaking here of fish above the dams. We also took time to test the pH of nearby soil and snow which contained over 10 times the alkalinity of the normal pH. Mangels has evidence that this drastic change in pH is also due to the massive increases of aluminum. He stated that forests, fields and farm ecologies thrive in acidic soils. Aluminum acts as a buffer that increases alkalinity and can decimate ecologies in large amounts. Mangels also pointed out that snow on Mt. Shasta was tested and sent to theEnvironmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) who found results that contained 61,100 ug/l or parts per billion of aluminum and 83 ug/l of barium. The normal amount of aluminum in the snow at Mt. Shasta is 0.5 ug/l. Drinking water allowable is 50ug/l. That means that the snow on Mt. Shasta has tested at 1200 times more poisonous than water standards allow for aluminum. Mangels said, "Mountain climbers that come from around the world are drinking the poisonous water from the snow on the mountain". Mangels went on to say that government action is required at just 1000 ug/l of detected aluminum. Although he alerted several government agencies of these findings, no governmental action has been taken to date. It would be interesting to know what the metals levels are at depth in the small glaciers still present on Mount Shasta. Certainly, the analyses of glacial ice from the Greenland icecap have shown increasing levels of lead correlated with the growth of human industry. It would be interesting to see if a larger suite of metals have been measured. Certainly, it would give you some background data, and should be relevant as volcanic emissions and nuclear bomb test data have shown that materials can be well dispersed global with a couple of years. Mengels brought me to several other locations around the town of Mt. Shasta where he tested the soil, rain, water and snow that also yielded tests that revealed the pH to be over ten times the normal alkalinity. He went on to say that these types of changes in soil, water and snow are very uncommon except in other areas around the world where people have been witnessing what many believe to be spraying from SAG programs. Mengels also stated that these changes have produced an "ecological crisis" and will have horrible consequences if continued. Mengels said, "Losses to our economy will be incredible and are on their way as we speak. Tree growth will be decreased which will result in the loss of logging jobs. It is also causing the decline of naturally occurring plant and grassgrowth that occurs in the normally acidic soils of grazing pastures, resulting in the demise of our grazing industry, fishing industry, and worst of all, basic agriculture in Northern California." What is amazing is that these tests and many others throughout the world are largely being ignored by the very governmental entities that are required to address them. Some politicians, like Mt. Shasta City Council member Ed Valenzuela may choose to ignore the issue. Valenzuela was made aware of the mass contamination at a city council meeting where he stated that the city did not want to sample the water for aluminum because the request was a "can of worms" that would, "open a Pandora's box" that the city would have to pay for. Although several local citizens volunteered to pay the $22.00 cost of the test at an EPA lab, both Republican Committee Chairman Russ Porterfield, and Valenzuela voted no to having the water tested. The mayor Stearns wanted the test, but was overruled by a 3-2 vote. This response is not uncommon as Mengels has presented this issue and his scientific data to over 15 local and federal agencies including Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer's office. To date he has received no response or action. Again, it is important to carefully consider the context. This is the southern Cascades after all, heavy metals can be problems in groundwaters apart from human action. I recall reading of arsenic problems in some of the groundwaters in Oregon forty years ago where the aquifers were in basalts. Is it a coincidence that the substances found in the rain, snow and soil in this region and around the world match the exact substances that scientists are "considering" implementing in various geo-engineering campaigns throughout the world? If not, then why have agencies and officials largely ignored these findings that are destroying our planet's eco-system? Could it be that officials are fearful of exposing a massive cover-up of a world-wide ecological crime? Or is it the belief that this issue is simply too large and too complicated a problem for them to tackle? Whatever the reason for this ignorance, we need to demand that our questions and shocking test results get addressed not only in Shasta County, but in every part of the world. Our future on this planet is dependent on this issue being addressed. Because this movement has come under attack from those who appear to be protecting the many political and corporate interests associated with SAG, it is essential that all of us around the world get involved by testing the rain, snow, soil and various outdoor surfaces and reporting the results to our elected officials and local environmental agencies. We must also reach out and educate all those involved with SAG who might be unaware of the environmental implications associated with their programs. Testing for pH changes and metals is simple and can be performed almost anywhere at a nominal price. Simple testing instructions and more information about geo-engineering programs can be found on the internet at www. geoengineeringwatch.org. Biologist Francis Mengels can be contacted by e-mail at bioguy0311 at sbcglobal.net for more information on this issue, the tests he has performed and suggestions on testing procedures. Please take action by testing, reporting and demanding answers on this ever so important issue. Both nature and humanity depend on it. For more information, please contact me at whtagft at hotmail.com or visit my blog: http://truthmediaproductions.blogs ot.com. To clarify things: looking at my national soil pH map califfornia has a very steep and varied pH range with the soil on the the northern coast being much acidic than that found inland/south whic tends to be basic as you disccovered.. pH 9 IS very alkaline. soil pH's of less than 5 are rare but not unheard of. Decomposed pine/fir needles are very acidic which is why they only be used in compost in small amounts -unless of course if you have alkaline soil. maybe that could be the case in Shasta. One sample from under conifers and other from different microclimate eg limestone present. pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the concentration of H+ ions (which "cause" acidity), meaning that as it works out, a pH of 5 is in fact 10 times more acidic than pH 6 by that accepted convention. Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Learn more. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bhill at igc.org Wed Apr 14 07:40:38 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:40:38 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: What are they Spraying us with? Message-ID: <046a01cadbe0$819826f0$84c874d0$@org> From: Joshua Allen [mailto:trinityjosh at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 12:06 PM To: Brian Hill Subject: Re: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? I don't know if I want to discuss this, or act like I know nothing at all. Hmmm.... All I can say is watch the skies in Trinity County on nice clear summer day, which will turn hazy in the afternoon. Notice how there are a number of white unmarked planes flying below the normal 30k ceiling for commercial flights; sometimes so low you can make out the windows. They show up at fairly regular intervals, I can tell you there is one that flies over the North Fork around 11am/2pm/4pm. They lay down a trail that disperses into a faint cloud that spreads towards Redding. Just kind of a qinky-dink to me; but I would not put it past the powers that be. Makes sense to deflect global climate change, but at what cost? Anyways, Google is your friend, do a search about it, and look up weather modification (there were two bills lately that did not pass the Senate about it). BTY: China did weather modifications for the last Olympics. It is a scientific fact, look it up. Though we should also be concerned with the amount of atmospheric mercury that falls into our creeks from China's industrialization. Think about that every time you use your electronic device and know that coal used to power the machines to produce that item are responsible for 20% of the mercury on the west coast. 2010/4/12 Brian Hill This article was sent to me, and I am asking people who are qualified to have and opinion to check it out. So far I have received a reply from by biochemist brother which is pasted on below. It sounds hard to believe, but AAAS is a long time well respected organization for many years. Brian What Are They Spraying Us With? - Pt II Could Aluminum, Barium and Other Substances From Stratospheric Aerosol Geo-Engineering Programs be Destroying Eco-Systems around the World? By Michael J. Murphy 4-11-10 What would you do if you were told that toxic substances being sprayed into the sky are falling to the ground and decimating eco-systems around the world? This very claim, made by concerned citizens outside the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting last month in San Diego, sparked my interest to investigate further. The AAAS meeting hosted several top geo-engineering scientists who gathered to discuss the "plausibility" of implementing various geo-engineering programs throughout the world. One of the options addressed was the stratospheric aerosol geo-engineering (SAG) , AKA chemtrail program, where scientists discussed the "plausibility" of spraying aerosol aluminum, barium and other particles into the sky to block the sun as a means to "reduce" the Earth's temperature. When asked specifically about the potential risks associated with using aluminum in the program as an aerosol, scientists replied by stating that they have not studied much about the risks associated with aluminum and added that something terrible could be found tomorrow that they haven't looked at. When probed further about the deployment of existing aerosol programs, the scientists stated that no aerosol spraying programs have been deployed to date. The concerned citizens I met outside the meeting were claiming quite the opposite. They came in protest after witnessing airplanes that they believe are regularly spraying aerosols into the upper-part of the sky. Many from this group have tested and found extremely high levels of aluminum, barium and other substances in their soil, rain, water and snow. Ironically, the substances that they reported finding are the same substances the scientists are "considering" implementing in the various aerosol spraying programs discussed at the meeting. They also believe that these substances are leading to the destruction of eco-systems and are coming from already deployed SAG programs. Due to the severity of this issue and my desire to know the truth, I was led to Shasta County in the Northern part of California to investigate not only the claims of what is being reported in the sky, but also claims of what is in the rain, water, snow and soil from what many residents are saying is the result of SAG programs. The first stop on this trip led me to Dane Wigington's beautiful 2000 acre property overlooking Lake Shasta. As we toured his breath-taking land, he pointed to multiple trails that blanketed the sky. He claimed the trails are present on most days above Northern California. Wigington referred to this as a "moderate spraying day". Like many other residents in Shasta County, Wigington moved to the area to get away from the heavy pollution of Southern California that he grew up with as a child. His dreams of living off the land and becoming one with nature are now coming to a grinding halt as he is focusing his time and energy on the issue of geo-engineering. Wigington became concerned about SAG when he began to notice dramatic changes in the solar power that he uses to supply his home and property. Owner of one of the largest residential solar systems in Northern California, he began to notice very high declines in solar power. It can be decreased by as much as 60 percent on what he calls "heavy spraying days". Wigington said, "The trails are literally blocking the sun". He also went on to say that he regularly samples the fine dust layers on top of his solar panels and other outdoor surface areas and frequently finds very high levels of aluminum and barium. Wigington believes that these are a product of SAG programs. At the same time as finding decreased solar power, Wigington also began to witness dramatic changes on his property as the trees, grass, insects and wildlife started dying. This led him to get his first rain test just four years ago. The results were shocking as they found aluminum levels at 7 ug/l or 7 parts per billion. Although aluminum can be found around the world in smaller quantities, geo-hydrologists told him that this number was quite high. Since that time, he has had aluminum tests escalate as high as 50,000 percent to 3,400ug/l. That is literally toxic rain. These results prompted him to get additional pH tests from two USDA soil scientists which yielded more shocking results. The pH of the soil was 6.6 in one area and 7.4 in another. This is over 11 times the normal alkalinity of the soil which should be in the range of 5.0 to 5.5. It is important to note the tests were taken in the forest far removed from any highway or industry. When asked what these changes can do to the ecosystem, Wigington replied by saying that it is devastating. He went on to say, "if this continues, we can only expect to see things get much worse. Not only are we seeing our trees dying here, but also a major decline in our wildlife and fish". As a matter of fact, Wigington stated that according to The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the salmon run, once seen in abundance in this area has declined from 769,868 in 2002 to 39,530 in 2009. That is over a 90 percent decline. Amazingly enough, this decline started occurring about the same period of time when residents began to see a dramatic increase in what they believe to be SAG programs. Wigington's efforts to get these issues and test results addressed has been largely ignored by government agencies and officials. After a closer look at Wigington's property, my initial awe of the beauty and breath taking views led to sadness, frustration and anger over the contamination that is literally destroying the eco-system. This led me to investigate further by seeking an expert in biology. I packed up the car and headed north to the breathtaking town of Mt. Shasta. Mt. Shasta has been known for its beauty, clean air and as being the source of water for some bottled water companies. Many travel from around the world to mountain climb and vacation in this beautiful part of Western America. Francis Mangels, BS in Forestry, Masters in zoology and a retired soil conservationist and wildlife biologist who worked for the U.S. Forest Service for over thirty five years, welcomed me into his beautiful home in the town of Mt. Shasta to discuss the "hidden" crisis that is occurring. Mangels alerted me to the rapid decline of fish in the nearby rivers and streams. Mangels brought me to a nearby creek that had an abundant supply of fish just a few years ago. Because the primary diet of the fish in the creek is aquatic insects, he performed a standard sample method to measure the amount of insects present. The samples he had performed before the alleged aerosol spraying campaign had yielded an average of 1000 aquatic insects. Our sample yielded only 31. This is over a 96% decline from samples taken just a few years ago. Mangels stated that because the fish live off of the insects, they are literally starving. This rapid decline is likely due to changes in the chemistry of the water. The only changes that Mangels is aware of are the dramatic increases of aluminum, barium and strontium which he believes is from SAG programs. We also took time to test the pH of nearby soil and snow which contained over 10 times the alkalinity of the normal pH. Mangels has evidence that this drastic change in pH is also due to the massive increases of aluminum. He stated that forests, fields and farm ecologies thrive in acidic soils. Aluminum acts as a buffer that increases alkalinity and can decimate ecologies in large amounts. Mangels also pointed out that snow on Mt. Shasta was tested and sent to theEnvironmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) who found results that contained 61,100 ug/l or parts per billion of aluminum and 83 ug/l of barium. The normal amount of aluminum in the snow at Mt. Shasta is 0.5 ug/l. Drinking water allowable is 50ug/l. That means that the snow on Mt. Shasta has tested at 1200 times more poisonous than water standards allow for aluminum. Mangels said, "Mountain climbers that come from around the world are drinking the poisonous water from the snow on the mountain". Mangels went on to say that government action is required at just 1000 ug/l of detected aluminum. Although he alerted several government agencies of these findings, no governmental action has been taken to date. Mengels brought me to several other locations around the town of Mt. Shasta where he tested the soil, rain, water and snow that also yielded tests that revealed the pH to be over ten times the normal alkalinity. He went on to say that these types of changes in soil, water and snow are very uncommon except in other areas around the world where people have been witnessing what many believe to be spraying from SAG programs. Mengels also stated that these changes have produced an "ecological crisis" and will have horrible consequences if continued. Mengels said, "Losses to our economy will be incredible and are on their way as we speak. Tree growth will be decreased which will result in the loss of logging jobs. It is also causing the decline of naturally occurring plant and grassgrowth that occurs in the normally acidic soils of grazing pastures, resulting in the demise of our grazing industry, fishing industry, and worst of all, basic agriculture in Northern California." What is amazing is that these tests and many others throughout the world are largely being ignored by the very governmental entities that are required to address them. Some politicians, like Mt. Shasta City Council member Ed Valenzuela may choose to ignore the issue. Valenzuela was made aware of the mass contamination at a city council meeting where he stated that the city did not want to sample the water for aluminum because the request was a "can of worms" that would, "open a Pandora's box" that the city would have to pay for. Although several local citizens volunteered to pay the $22.00 cost of the test at an EPA lab, both Republican Committee Chairman Russ Porterfield, and Valenzuela voted no to having the water tested. The mayor Stearns wanted the test, but was overruled by a 3-2 vote. This response is not uncommon as Mengels has presented this issue and his scientific data to over 15 local and federal agencies including Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer's office. To date he has received no response or action. Is it a coincidence that the substances found in the rain, snow and soil in this region and around the world match the exact substances that scientists are "considering" implementing in various geo-engineering campaigns throughout the world? If not, then why have agencies and officials largely ignored these findings that are destroying our planet's eco-system? Could it be that officials are fearful of exposing a massive cover-up of a world-wide ecological crime? Or is it the belief that this issue is simply too large and too complicated a problem for them to tackle? Whatever the reason for this ignorance, we need to demand that our questions and shocking test results get addressed not only in Shasta County, but in every part of the world. Our future on this planet is dependent on this issue being addressed. Because this movement has come under attack from those who appear to be protecting the many political and corporate interests associated with SAG, it is essential that all of us around the world get involved by testing the rain, snow, soil and various outdoor surfaces and reporting the results to our elected officials and local environmental agencies. We must also reach out and educate all those involved with SAG who might be unaware of the environmental implications associated with their programs. Testing for pH changes and metals is simple and can be performed almost anywhere at a nominal price. Simple testing instructions and more information about geo-engineering programs can be found on the internet at www. >geoengineeringwatch.org. Biologist Francis Mengels can be contacted by e-mail at >bioguy0311 at sbcglobal.net for more information on this issue, the tests he has performed and suggestions on testing procedures. Please take action by testing, reporting and demanding answers on this ever so important issue. Both nature and humanity depend on it. For more information, please contact me at >whtagft at hotmail.com or visit my blog: >http://truthmediaproductions.blogsot.com . To clarify things: looking at my national soil pH map califfornia has a very steep and varied pH range with the soil on the the northern coast being much acidic than that found inland/south whic tends to be basic as you disccovered.. pH 9 IS very alkaline. soil pH's of less than 5 are rare but not unheard of. Decomposed pine/fir needles are very acidic which is why they only be used in compost in small amounts -unless of course if you have alkaline soil. maybe that could be the case in Shasta. One sample from under conifers and other from different microclimate eg limestone present. pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the concentration of H+ ions (which "cause" acidity), meaning that as it works out, a pH of 5 is in fact 10 times more acidic than pH 6 by that accepted convention. _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -- "A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive." ~ Albert Einstein, 1954 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 19 10:42:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:42:30 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 4 17 10 Message-ID: <007601cadfe7$b0ba76d0$122f6470$@net> A skimpy salmon season S.F. Chronicle-4/17/10 Editorial It's a season in name only. On a handful of days this summer, commercial and casual anglers can chase salmon off the coast. But after two long years with no open-water season, this brief window is a welcome sign. If fish biologists are right, salmon in big numbers may be returning this fall to the long-depleted Sacramento River system. The anticipated run means that a dwindling salmon industry, sustained by nearly $200 million disaster relief, will get a chance to work again. It may even buy a little peace - though not much, we bet - in the water wars, which have pitted fishermen and farmers in a dispute over crucial river flows. The short season could mark an upswing for depleted salmon stocks. After several years of alarm-level fish counts, the prediction is for 245,000 fish in the Sacramento system. The proposed season - which actually began for sportfishing on April 3 - might yield fish catches of around 50,000 from here to Oregon. These numbers pale against the past. Salmon numbered close to 800,000 in the once-productive Sacramento in 2002, and the rapid decline is blamed on a number of factors. Ocean conditions cut food supplies for the fish. Pollution and drought harmed riverbed habitat for the spawning. Most contentious of all, water diversions drained watersheds further and prevented young fish from completing their journey to the sea. Though a rainy winter has brought water flows up to normal levels this year, the fight isn't over. Central Valley farmers won Washington's support for increased pumping. The fishing industry earned validation from a national science panel for its claims about the harmful effects of water siphoning. Salmon have become a proxy in a wider war over the best use of California's scarce and fickle water supply. The decision for an abbreviated season has met with grudging acceptance by fishing interests. The season is almost too short to be worth the trouble, some say. But nearly everyone accepts the fact that limited fishing is necessary to save the species. The shortened season will be a test of this patient spirit. Tough-minded management could bring back an iconic fish.# Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 19 10:45:43 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:45:43 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Marin Independent Journal 4 8 10 Message-ID: <007b01cadfe8$2329d030$697d7090$@net> Water mismanagement is killing off our salmon fisheries Marin Independent Journal-4/18/10 By Peter Grenell Opinion Peter Grenell is the general manager of the San Mateo County Harbor District. For West Coast harbors, salmon mean business. The obverse is also a true - a lack of salmon means a lack of business. For the past two years, there has been no salmon fishing due to greatly reduced stocks. Even if there is a token season this year, it will do little or nothing to revive the fortunes of the commercial fleet and the myriad businesses that depend indirectly on salmon, such as boat and tackle retailers, fuel purveyors, charter operators, restaurants and motels. The absence of salmon also affects our harbor district and other harbor administrations, which collected significant revenues from salmon-related businesses when the fishery was flourishing. The collapse of California's salmon fishery is due to human mismanagement, not the vagaries of nature. By allowing unrestrained and irresponsible pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and ignoring the established science on the biological requirements of anadromous fish, we have brought our wild salmon to the brink of extinction. As the general manager of the San Mateo County Harbor District, I see the impacts of a devastated fishery and a hollowed-out fleet every day. The statistics confirm that economic disruption and real human misery are playing out along the California coast. In the Bay Area, this is particularly evident at Pillar Point Harbor, which was established as a harbor of refuge for the commercial fishing fleet. Since the salmon fishery collapsed, Pillar Point's transient dockage fees are down 25 percent and boat launch fees are off by more than 22 percent. Typically, Pillar Point berth occupancy stands at 100 percent. During a busy salmon season, occupancy ran as high as 103 percent; we would accommodate the extra boats via rafting and mooring. In 2008, berth occupancy dropped to 87 percent, and it is still down substantially. We also see far fewer visitors to the harbor. The parking lots were always full during the salmon season. These days, they are almost empty. We run an off-the-boat retail sales program at Pillar Point, where commercial fishermen sell their catch directly to customers. We still get visitors during the Dungeness crab, rockfish and albacore seasons, but the real draw has always been the salmon. Today, that market is gone. How have the salmon season closures affected the San Mateo County Harbor District? It has been a disaster - literally. We had to apply for Federal Disaster Relief funds to mitigate for the loss of fishing. The district received more than $83,000 in total in disaster relief for 2008 and 2009. Other harbors along the California coast have experienced similar downturns. The Port of Santa Cruz, for example, typically posted zero vacancies for its 900 berths. Since 2008, vacancies have hovered at 5 percent. That may not seem like much, but a berthing loss of even a few points can have devastating financial impacts on a harbor. In Santa Cruz, berthing revenue losses are now running at $120,000 a year. Gross concession sales are down by $300,000 to $400,000 annually. These numbers demonstrate that the loss of the salmon season affects more than fishermen. Compounding this tragedy is the fact that it could have been avoided. Salmon are the basis of a sustainable economy. They are good business, the kind of business California needs. We have pushed salmon and the fishing industry to the edge - but with some will and guts, we can bring them back. To do anything less is unacceptable.# Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 19 10:47:51 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:47:51 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times Standard 4 19 10 Message-ID: <008001cadfe8$6f9876b0$4ec96410$@net> The salmon puzzle Eureka Times-Standard-4/19/10 By John Driscoll There are dozens of pieces to a salmon season. For a salmon season to be good, however, those things must fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and not work their way apart over the summer. First, you need to have salmon. One thing nobody ever seems to know is just how many salmon are out in the ocean, no matter how sophisticated the computer model being used. An educated guess seems to be nearly as trustworthy. Next, you need to have food in the ocean. Large numbers of salmon eat enormous amounts of krill, sardines, anchovies and squid, and the abundance of them depends on the third requirement: Wind. Northwest wind, to be specific, wind that literally stirs the cold water and its nutrients from the ocean bottom to feed those lesser creatures that feed our king salmon. Fourth on the list is not too much wind. Weather off the North Coast can not only make it unsafe to head to sea, but excessive northwest wind churns up the water so much that it turns almost black, and salmon don't bite in black water. Last year, you had to motor 14 miles out to find water clear enough to put a salmon on the hook. Fifth is the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The council decides how much we get to fish, when and where, and it has a tough time of it. It's got fishermen on the one side and laws on the other, and sometimes they agree and sometimes they don't and always they are dealing with estimates of the number of salmon swimming in an enormous swath of ocean -- estimates are as rough as the winter Pacific. Among the things the council determines is the length of the season. The shorter the season, the less likely you are to get on the water. Unlike pursuits that aren't weather dependent, you can't just want to go salmon fishing so badly that you'll go no matter what; the ocean is dangerous. Also, a short salmon season doesn't account for the natural shifts in salmon migration along the coast. You may not be able to wait until the bite is hot, or skip fishing when it's cold. This year, the season runs from May 29 to Sept. 6, a season so generous compared to recent years that it begs for fireworks. If nothing else, it calls for perspective, a final component that doesn't make or break the productivity of a salmon season, but does instill an appreciation that makes you enjoy it to its fullest. We've suffered enough on the North Coast in the past several years to have lots of perspective. And that perspective should make up for the lack in any other pieces of the puzzle this year. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 19 10:51:21 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:51:21 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Santa Rosa Press Democrat 4 19 10 Message-ID: <008501cadfe8$ecd502b0$c67f0810$@net> A boat 'graveyard' Santa Rosa Press Democrat-4/19/10 By Bob Norberg The Jolly Roger, believed once to have been a California governor's yacht, careens on its side on dry land. Its copper paint is flaked, the hull no longer watertight, the mahogany paneling that bespoke elegance long gone below a deck rigged for salmon fishing. "It was nice inside, but they didn't keep it up," said Bruce Abernathy. "When you're fishing, if you had a place to sleep at night and a small kitchen to cook in, you were lucky. Your office was the stern, where you fished." Until recently, the Jolly Roger floated in the Noyo River, just 100 feet away. Now it will be crushed where it sits, the fate facing more than two dozen boats Abernathy has acquired over the past two decades. "The idea was to fix up one or two boats a year and put them on the market," said Abernathy, 77, a fisherman and yacht broker who bought the riverside property in 1991. "That was to be my retirement." The plan collapsed, however, along with the salmon fishing industry in Fort Bragg and any demand that had existed for Abernathy's fleet of fishing boats, which are slowly but inevitably deteriorating. "It's a graveyard of old boats," he said wistfully. "There were a lot of artists that would come and want to paint them all the time." What is striking is the enormity of Abernathy's collection and the job he faces in cleaning it up, under prodding from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Mendocino County Planning Department. "He has made great progress. He is slowly chipping away at it," said Angie Hamilton, the county's code enforcement officer. "He is a great guy. He means well. I think he got in over his head." The county filed an order on Jan. 14 for Abernathy to clean up his property to comply with county codes, eight months after the county began working with him, Hamilton said. The infractions include operation of a junk yard, storage of solid waste, storage of non-operating vehicles, construction of a home without permits in a coastal zone, occupancy of travel trailers and storage of unoccupied travel trailers, storage of heavy equipment and tractors, and operating a marine vessel scrap yard. The Coast Guard had its own concerns about pollution from the boats moored at Abernathy's makeshift dock. "We identified that he had a lot of old boats that had a bad habit of sinking, six of the 17 boats that were in the water," said Mike Nosbaum, a U.S. Coast Guard marine science technician. Hamilton and Nosbaum both praise Abernathy for his cooperation and for taking the necessary measures to comply. But again, it is the enormity. Just months ago Abernathy had 27 boats, 17 of which were moored next to his makeshift docks. The others sat on land, next to a crane and tractor that are heavily coated with rust. About a dozen of the boats have since been crushed and hauled away, leaving behind tires and engines and metal that will also be hauled away. Still on dry land is the Jolly Roger, all 54 feet of her, constructed of rot-resistant Port Orford cedar, a double-ender built in 1917 that went from yacht to fishing boat. She was a jewel in her day. There are remnants of the 58-foot Tango, a steel-hulled vessel Abernathy said he used to lay telecommunications cable from Point Arena to Hawaii to Japan. There are the hulls of the Hookup, the Anita G and the Aquaholic. Scattered around them are 60 marine engines, a pile of tires and collected debris that often makes just walking the property difficult. Ten boats are still moored next to his dock. Abernathy said it was worse, that he has already spent $30,000 to dismantle and haul away boats and trash, and expects it will cost him much more. There may be some parts to salvage, but not enough to even pay the labor, and he admits to wearing out. "It's too much. I'm getting too old, and I don't have the ambition anymore," Abernathy said. It saddens him to stand in his own killing field, amid the splintered wood, boat keels, pieces of brass fittings, wheels of fishing line and an iron cleat, the debris from where his son and workers have been using a tractor to crush the old boats. "I don't have the heart to do it," Abernathy said. "These boats bring back memories. A lot of these boats, I knew the owners and their families ... They made them good livings." And he reminisces about the lumber and fishing industries that drew him to Fort Bragg in 1954, a freshly minted teacher from Cal State San Luis Obispo who forsook a teaching career for logging and then for commercial fishing. He said he had a brokerage and bought, sold and leased 80 boats over the years. That was rewarding in the 1970s and 1980s when boats were appreciating 25 percent a year. "It's been a good life. But if I had it to do over, I'd take more time off with my family," Abernathy said. "It's cost me three wives." The only parts of the fishing industry that are still viable, he said, are sea urchins and Dungeness crab. The salmon season this year is only eight days in July and until a quota of 9,375 salmon are caught in August. Abernathy is retired from fishing but still goes to sea in his boat, the Recycler, to haul sea urchin shells from the harbor processing plants into the ocean to be dumped. "I put them back in the ocean where they come from. There's no problem there," Abernathy said. "It's not lucrative, but it keeps me off of welfare." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bhill at igc.org Tue Apr 20 09:40:00 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:40:00 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? In-Reply-To: References: <019701cada9d$1f5a4250$5e0ec6f0$@org> <4BC504F8.4020808@EcosystemsNorthwest.com> <042e01cadb8c$f4d98180$de8c8480$@org> Message-ID: <018d01cae0a8$2df8fb60$89eaf220$@org> Amy Goodman's Democracy Now today (4/20) has a report on geoengineering. This report is 44 min. 30 seconds into her news broadcast. I listen to it on www.kpfa.org but Googling Democracy Now will also work. I have no opinion on this issue, but am trying to help present documentation. Brian -----Original Message----- From: Bard Francis [mailto:bioguy0311 at sbcglobal.net] Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 10:01 PM To: Brian Hill; 'Kim Mattson' Cc: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org; 'Michael Murphy' Subject: Re: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? Greetings all: Kim, since you were over at my house and checked out my data and methods, go ahead and critique them as you will here. Yes, there is the problem of contaminant but were not those numbers too high to easily dismiss finger or wind dirt/smoke contamination? And yes, I still can't find any really good benchmark data. "Who'd a thunk of it?" But I would like an EIS from gov't before it goes on, as the circumstances look suspicious at this point. I'm saying snow water on Mt. Shasta is not acceptably drinkable, regardless of how the metals get in there. I'm saying those 200 pH tests I made are accurate and readings go up and down as per the jet contrail spray activity. More spray, then more basic. Our natural rain is about 5.6 pH, but after or during heavy spraying for several days/weeks, goes to 6.8 for fresh rain or snow. Same thing happens in other parts of CA and Oregon, to the hour by phone. A chemistry PhD Dr. Leonard says those oxides and etc. of aluminum, barium, strontium drive the soil basic, and that is what we are finding very consistently over hundreds of miles on the west coast ecosystems. I have sent him the info, and he visited and personally looked over the same data you did. He says the data are not easily dismissed. His group will be testing soon. I'm not saying we got a big conspiracy going, or that sort of BS. I'm saying we might have a problem with what metals we are finding in the rain and pH testing, and a probable source in military geoengineering spraying. Francis Mangels ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Hill" To: "'Kim Mattson'" Cc: ; "'Michael Murphy'" ; Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 9:42 PM Subject: RE: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? > > > Thanks so much Kim for your reply. I hoped there would be comments from > people qualified scientists. I will post contribtions from others unless > members of this list would prefer to keep the discussion private. I feel > the same as you, that more documentation is needed in order for Michael > Murphy's article to demand the attention it calls for. My academic > training > is in anthropology and archeology so I am not qualified to add to > Michael's > interesting writing. > > Brian > > PS - Michael is cc-ed here. > > --------------------- > > -----Original Message----- > From: Kim Mattson [mailto:Mattson at EcosystemsNorthwest.com] > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 4:58 PM > To: Brian Hill > Cc: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org > Subject: Re: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? > > Brian: > > In order for others to begin to take this more seriously, you or others > will have to present more credible information about sampling and > analyses. The data cited in Murphy's report is what scientists would > call anedotal. It could be accurate or it could be picked from a larger > source of data in order to show a large difference. Wiginton's reports > of decrease in solar output plus high Al concentrations in rain plus > Mangel's reports of high Al in snow collections sound like the most > interesting and reliable data. I would suggest that these reports > should be followed up with a scientifically designed sampling scheme > with documented collection and analytical methods. Murphy's story could > be true, but it also could just be conspiracy theory and beliefs leading > to unfounded conclusions. There are several points or items in > Murphy's report that are "red flags" to me that suggest this is not > believable. I point them out below. > > Kim Mattson > Ph.D. Ecologist and owner, Ecosystems Northwest > Mount Shasta, CA > > > Details on the report: > > I must tell you that I am slightly skeptical for a number of reasons. > First, I live in Mount Shasta and I have heard these stories and I have > even attended one meeting of a concerned citizens group. I have spoken > with Mr. Mangels previously. Mr. Mangel is a very interesting fellow > and is quite bright and he has told me a number of very interesting > stories. So far, I have not been able to verify most of Mr. Mangel's > stories he has told me. > > Also, the data as presented in Murphy's report could very well have > been selected from a large set of data in order to show the greatest > differences and therefore make the claim that the sky is indeed > falling. On the other hand, new discoveries are often made in this > sort of way--accidental findings and then some unscientific > observations. But the next step is to collect data in a controlled and > scientific manner. It is too bad the city council was afraid to sample > and quickly make a determination. Who know's what other sorts of things > they are afraid to do? > > But continuting on.. it is very difficult for anyone to take a look at > an ecosystem and tell whether it is dying or healthy. Death of plants, > including trees, is common in forests. Observations of dying forests > were used 20 years ago to promote the early acid rain research. A small > group of scientists were alarmed when they saw so many dead red spruce > trees on top high peaks in the Appalachian Mountains. They cited acid > rain as the cause. As it turned out, these ecosystems had high rates of > standing dead trees (as most mountain tops do) for a number of natural > reasons--though acid rain may have had a small contributing effect. The > overall conclusion was that acid rain had mostly small effects on > forests and these were very difficult to disentangle from other natural > and anthropomorphic effects. From what I can tell, the trees in our > area look pretty healthy and are growing well. > > Aluminum is normally a soil acidifying agent and I had not heard that it > can create basic conditions in soils. > > Soil pH cited is not that high for volcanic soils from Mt Shasta. > Spatial variation in soil pH is not too surprising--especially if you > happened to sample in a burn pile--ash from wood is very basic. > > Variation in aquatic macroinvertebrate numbers is typical. You would > need to do a much more detailed sampling over several years before you > could conclude a trend of change. If there were a decrease, you would > need to rule out other factors such as changes to the stream itself > (development, increased water withdrawals, clearing of stream side > vegetation, spraying). Invertebrates are likely very low in numbers > before the next cohort of eggs hatch in the spring. You can get highly > variable numbers depending on whether you sample nice sized and loose > cobbles, or cobbles sedimented in, or silty bottoms..etc.. > > I have looked at websites on the issue of chemtrails. For the most > part, I was not convinced that most of the people knew the difference > between a contrail and a chem trail. But, still, I am glad to hear that > the AAAS is taking up this issue. I live in Mt Shasta, and I would be > really bummed out to find that my kids turned out to be sterile or with > cancer due to a government coverup or program that had gone rogue. > > > > Brian Hill wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> This article was sent to me, and I am asking people who are qualified >> to have and opinion to check it out. So far I have received a reply >> from by biochemist brother which is pasted on below. It sounds hard >> to believe, but AAAS is a long time well respected organization for >> many years. >> >> >> >> Brian >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> *What Are They Spraying Us With? - Pt II >> **Could Aluminum, Barium and Other Substances From Stratospheric Aerosol >> Geo-Engineering Programs be Destroying Eco-Systems around the World?* >> By Michael J. Murphy >> 4-11-10 >> >> What would you do if you were told that toxic substances being sprayed >> into the sky are falling to the ground and decimating eco-systems >> around the world? This very claim, made by concerned citizens >> outside the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) >> meeting last month in San Diego, sparked my interest to investigate >> further. >> >> >> >> The AAAS meeting hosted several top geo-engineering scientists who >> gathered to discuss the "plausibility" of implementing various >> geo-engineering programs throughout the world. One of the options >> addressed was the stratospheric aerosol geo-engineering (SAG) , >> AKA chemtrail program, where scientists discussed the "plausibility" >> of spraying aerosol aluminum, barium and other particles into the sky >> to block the sun as a means to "reduce" the Earth's >> temperature. When asked specifically about the potential risks >> associated with using aluminum in the program as an aerosol, >> scientists replied by stating that they have not studied much about >> the risks associated with aluminum and added that something terrible >> could be found tomorrow that they haven't looked at. When probed >> further about the deployment of existing aerosol programs, the >> scientists stated that no aerosol spraying programs have been deployed >> to date. >> >> >> >> The concerned citizens I met outside the meeting were claiming quite >> the opposite. They came in protest after witnessing airplanes that >> they believe are regularly spraying aerosols into the upper-part of >> the sky. Many from this group have tested and found extremely high >> levels of aluminum, barium and other substances in their soil, rain, >> water and snow. Ironically, the substances that they reported finding >> are the same substances the scientists are "considering" implementing >> in the various aerosol spraying programs discussed at the >> meeting. They also believe that these substances are leading to the >> destruction of eco-systems and are coming from already deployed SAG >> programs. Due to the severity of this issue and my desire to know >> the truth, I was led to Shasta County in the Northern part of >> California to investigate not only the claims of what is being >> reported in the sky, but also claims of what is in the rain, water, >> snow and soil from what many residents are saying is the result of SAG >> programs. >> >> >> >> The first stop on this trip led me to Dane Wigington's beautiful 2000 >> acre property overlooking Lake Shasta. As we toured his breath-taking >> land, he pointed to multiple trails that blanketed the sky. He >> claimed the trails are present on most days above Northern >> California. Wigington referred to this as a "moderate spraying >> day". Like many other residents in Shasta County, Wigington moved to >> the area to get away from the heavy pollution of Southern California >> that he grew up with as a child. His dreams of living off the land >> and becoming one with nature are now coming to a grinding halt as he >> is focusing his time and energy on the issue of geo-engineering. >> >> >> >> >> >> Wigington became concerned about SAG when he began to notice dramatic >> changes in the solar power that he uses to supply his home and >> property. Owner of one of the largest residential solar systems in >> Northern California, he began to notice very high declines in solar >> power. It can be decreased by as much as 60 percent on what he calls >> "heavy spraying days". Wigington said, "The trails are literally >> blocking the sun". He also went on to say that he regularly samples >> the fine dust layers on top of his solar panels and other outdoor >> surface areas and frequently finds very high levels of aluminum and >> barium. Wigington believes that these are a product of SAG programs. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> At the same time as finding decreased solar power, Wigington also >> began to witness dramatic changes on his property as the trees, grass, >> insects and wildlife started dying. This led him to get his first >> rain test just four years ago. The results were shocking as they >> found aluminum levels at 7 ug/l or 7 parts per billion. Although >> aluminum can be found around the world in smaller quantities, >> geo-hydrologists told him that this number was quite high. Since that >> time, he has had aluminum tests escalate as high as 50,000 percent to >> 3,400ug/l. That is literally toxic rain. These results prompted him >> to get additional pH tests from two USDA soil scientists which yielded >> more shocking results. The pH of the soil was 6.6 in one area and 7.4 >> in another. This is over 11 times the normal alkalinity of the soil >> which should be in the range of 5.0 to 5.5. It is important to note >> the tests were taken in the forest far removed from any highway or >> industry. >> >> >> >> >> >> When asked what these changes can do to the ecosystem, Wigington >> replied by saying that it is devastating. He went on to say, "if >> this continues, we can only expect to see things get much worse. Not >> only are we seeing our trees dying here, but also a major decline in >> our wildlife and fish". As a matter of fact, Wigington stated that >> according to The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the >> salmon run, once seen in abundance in this area has declined from >> 769,868 in 2002 to 39,530 in 2009. That is over a 90 percent >> decline. Amazingly enough, this decline started occurring about the >> same period of time when residents began to see a dramatic increase in >> what they believe to be SAG programs. Wigington's efforts to get >> these issues and test results addressed has been largely ignored by >> government agencies and officials. >> >> >> >> After a closer look at Wigington's property, my initial awe of the >> beauty and breath taking views led to sadness, frustration and anger >> over the contamination that is literally destroying the >> eco-system. This led me to investigate further by seeking an expert >> in biology. I packed up the car and headed north to the breathtaking >> town of Mt. Shasta. Mt. Shasta has been known for its beauty, clean >> air and as being the source of water for some bottled water >> companies. Many travel from around the world to mountain climb and >> vacation in this beautiful part of Western America. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Francis Mangels, BS in Forestry, Masters in zoology and a retired soil >> conservationist and wildlife biologist who worked for the U.S. Forest >> Service for over thirty five years, welcomed me into his beautiful >> home in the town of Mt. Shasta to discuss the "hidden" crisis that is >> occurring. Mangels alerted me to the rapid decline of fish in the >> nearby rivers and streams. Mangels brought me to a nearby creek that >> had an abundant supply of fish just a few years ago. Because the >> primary diet of the fish in the creek is aquatic insects, he performed >> a standard sample method to measure the amount of insects >> present. The samples he had performed before the alleged aerosol >> spraying campaign had yielded an average of 1000 aquatic insects. Our >> sample yielded only 31. This is over a 96% decline from samples taken >> just a few years ago. Mangels stated that because the fish live off >> of the insects, they are literally starving. This rapid decline is >> likely due to changes in the chemistry of the water. The only changes >> that Mangels is aware of are the dramatic increases of aluminum, >> barium and strontium which he believes is from SAG programs. >> >> >> >> >> >> We also took time to test the pH of nearby soil and snow which >> contained over 10 times the alkalinity of the normal pH. Mangels has >> evidence that this drastic change in pH is also due to the massive >> increases of aluminum. He stated that forests, fields and farm >> ecologies thrive in acidic soils. Aluminum acts as a buffer that >> increases alkalinity and can decimate ecologies in large >> amounts. Mangels also pointed out that snow on Mt. Shasta was tested >> and sent to theEnvironmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) who found >> results that contained 61,100 ug/l or parts per billion of aluminum >> and 83 ug/l of barium. The normal amount of aluminum in the snow at >> Mt. Shasta is 0.5 ug/l. Drinking water allowable is 50ug/l. That >> means that the snow on Mt. Shasta has tested at 1200 times more >> poisonous than water standards allow for aluminum. Mangels said, >> "Mountain climbers that come from around the world are drinking the >> poisonous water from the snow on the mountain". Mangels went on to >> say that government action is required at just 1000 ug/l of detected >> aluminum. Although he alerted several government agencies of these >> findings, no governmental action has been taken to date. >> >> >> >> Mengels brought me to several other locations around the town of Mt. >> Shasta where he tested the soil, rain, water and snow that also >> yielded tests that revealed the pH to be over ten times the normal >> alkalinity. He went on to say that these types of changes in soil, >> water and snow are very uncommon except in other areas around the >> world where people have been witnessing what many believe to be >> spraying from SAG programs. Mengels also stated that these changes >> have produced an "ecological crisis" and will have horrible >> consequences if continued. Mengels said, "Losses to our economy >> will be incredible and are on their way as we speak. Tree growth will >> be decreased which will result in the loss of logging jobs. It is >> also causing the decline of naturally occurring plant and >> grassgrowth that occurs in the normally acidic soils of grazing >> pastures, resulting in the demise of our grazing industry, fishing >> industry, and worst of all, basic agriculture in Northern California." >> >> >> >> What is amazing is that these tests and many others throughout the >> world are largely being ignored by the very governmental entities that >> are required to address them. Some politicians, like Mt. Shasta City >> Council member Ed Valenzuela may choose to ignore the issue. >> Valenzuela was made aware of the mass contamination at a city council >> meeting where he stated that the city did not want to sample the water >> for aluminum because the request was a "can of worms" that would, >> "open a Pandora's box" that the city would have to pay >> for. Although several local citizens volunteered to pay the $22.00 >> cost of the test at an EPA lab, both Republican Committee Chairman >> Russ Porterfield, and Valenzuela voted no to having the water tested. >> The mayor Stearns wanted the test, but was overruled by a 3-2 >> vote. This response is not uncommon as Mengels has presented this >> issue and his scientific data to over 15 local and federal agencies >> including Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer's office. To date he >> has received no response or action. >> >> >> >> Is it a coincidence that the substances found in the rain, snow and >> soil in this region and around the world match the exact substances >> that scientists are "considering" implementing in various >> geo-engineering campaigns throughout the world? If not, then why have >> agencies and officials largely ignored these findings that are >> destroying our planet's eco-system? Could it be that officials are >> fearful of exposing a massive cover-up of a world-wide ecological >> crime? Or is it the belief that this issue is simply too large and >> too complicated a problem for them to tackle? Whatever the reason for >> this ignorance, we need to demand that our questions and shocking test >> results get addressed not only in Shasta County, but in every part of >> the world. Our future on this planet is dependent on this issue being >> addressed. >> >> >> >> Because this movement has come under attack from those who appear to >> be protecting the many political and corporate interests associated >> with SAG, it is essential that all of us around the world get involved >> by testing the rain, snow, soil and various outdoor surfaces and >> reporting the results to our elected officials and local environmental >> agencies. We must also reach out and educate all those involved with >> SAG who might be unaware of the environmental implications associated >> with their programs. Testing for pH changes and metals is simple and >> can be performed almost anywhere at a nominal price. >> >> >> >> Simple testing instructions and more information about geo-engineering >> programs can be found on the internet at >> www. > >geoengineeringwatch.org. Biologist >> Francis Mengels can be contacted by e-mail >> at > > >bio > guy0311 at sbcglobal.net >> > for >> more information on this issue, the tests he has performed and >> suggestions on testing procedures. Please take action by testing, >> reporting and demanding answers on this ever so important issue. Both >> nature and humanity depend on it. For more information, please >> contact me at > > >whtagft@ > hotmail.com >> or >> visit my blog: > > >http://truthmediaproductions.blo > gsot.com >> . >> >> >> >> >> >> >> To clarify things: looking at my national soil pH map califfornia has >> a very steep and varied pH range with the soil on the the northern >> coast being much acidic than that found inland/south whic tends to be >> basic as you disccovered.. pH 9 IS very alkaline. soil pH's of less >> than 5 are rare but not unheard of. Decomposed pine/fir needles are >> very acidic which is why they only be used in compost in small amounts >> -unless of course if you have alkaline soil. maybe that could be the >> case in Shasta. One sample from under conifers and other from >> different microclimate eg limestone present. >> >> >> >> pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the concentration of H+ >> ions (which "cause" acidity), meaning that as it works out, a pH of 5 >> is in fact 10 times more acidic than pH 6 >> >> by that accepted convention. >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> env-trinity mailing list >> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity >> > From BGutermuth at usbr.gov Wed Apr 21 13:37:04 2010 From: BGutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, F. Brandt) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:37:04 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Trinity River Flow Releases & Gravel Placement May 2010 Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703EC1BA6F6@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Dear Trinity River enthusiasts - For your information and safety on the river I provide the following information. The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) plans to initiate spring releases from the dam and high flow coarse sediment (gravel) implementation in the near future. Flows will rise to 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) on April 27, and will peak at 6,000 cfs on May 2nd for 5 days. See attached flow schedule for timing details. During peak flows, between Monday May 3rd and May 7th, the TRRP will add gravel (coarse sediment = gravel 3/4 to 4 inch diameter) to the river at two high flow locations. 1) At the weir hole (aka diversion pool at River Mile 111 about a mile downstream of Lewiston dam) up to 2,000 yards of gravel will added. 2) At the Lowden Ranch area (River Mile 105) just upstream of the mouth of Grass Valley Creek, up to 1,500 yards will be added. In both of these areas high velocity conditions will move the gravel quickly downriver from the augmentation sites. Best Regards- Brandt Brandt Gutermuth Environmental Specialist Trinity River Restoration Program PO Box 1300, 1313 S Main St Weaverville, CA 96093 530.623.1806 (voice) 530.623.5944 (fax) www.trrp.net Water Year 2010 Release Schedule from Lewiston Dam to the Trinity River as Recommended by the Trinity Management Council on March 31, 2010 For a Normal Water Year Type Total Water Volume (acre-feet) = 646,561 >From Date To Date # Days Flow Release (cfs) Water Volume (Acre-Feet) 1-Oct-09 15-Oct-09 15 450 13,365 16-Oct-09 22-Apr-10 189 300 112,266 23-Apr-10 26-Apr-10 4 500 3,960 27-Apr-10 27-Apr-10 1 1,500 2,970 28-Apr-10 29-Apr-10 2 2,000 7,920 30-Apr-10 30-Apr-10 1 2,500 4,950 1-May-10 1-May-10 1 4,636 9,179 2-May-10 6-May-10 5 6,000 59,400 7-May-10 7-May-10 1 5,680 11,246 8-May-10 8-May-10 1 5,400 10,692 9-May-10 9-May-10 1 5,130 10,157 10-May-10 10-May-10 1 4,860 9,623 11-May-10 15-May-10 5 4,600 45,540 16-May-10 16-May-10 1 4,390 8,692 17-May-10 17-May-10 1 4,220 8,356 18-May-10 18-May-10 1 4,080 8,078 19-May-10 19-May-10 1 3,980 7,880 20-May-10 20-May-10 1 3,870 7,663 21-May-10 21-May-10 1 3,760 7,445 22-May-10 22-May-10 1 3,650 7,227 23-May-10 23-May-10 1 3,540 7,009 24-May-10 24-May-10 1 3,430 6,791 25-May-10 25-May-10 1 3,310 6,554 26-May-10 26-May-10 1 3,210 6,356 27-May-10 27-May-10 1 3,100 6,138 28-May-10 28-May-10 1 2,990 5,920 29-May-10 29-May-10 1 2,880 5,702 30-May-10 30-May-10 1 2,760 5,465 31-May-10 31-May-10 1 2,650 5,247 1-Jun-10 1-Jun-10 1 2,550 5,049 2-Jun-10 2-Jun-10 1 2,440 4,831 3-Jun-10 3-Jun-10 1 2,330 4,613 4-Jun-10 4-Jun-10 1 2,220 4,396 5-Jun-10 5-Jun-10 1 2,110 4,178 6-Jun-10 1-Jul-10 26 2,000 102,960 2-Jul-10 2-Jul-10 1 1,860 3,683 3-Jul-10 3-Jul-10 1 1,730 3,425 4-Jul-10 4-Jul-10 1 1,600 3,168 5-Jul-10 5-Jul-10 1 1,480 2,930 6-Jul-10 6-Jul-10 1 1,370 2,713 7-Jul-10 7-Jul-10 1 1,160 2,297 8-Jul-10 8-Jul-10 1 1,060 2,099 9-Jul-10 9-Jul-10 1 963 1,907 10-Jul-10 10-Jul-10 1 885 1,752 11-Jul-10 11-Jul-10 1 812 1,608 12-Jul-10 27-Jul-10 16 750 23,760 28-Jul-10 28-Jul-10 1 700 1,386 29-Jul-10 29-Jul-10 1 650 1,287 30-Jul-10 30-Jul-10 1 600 1,188 31-Jul-10 31-Jul-10 1 550 1,089 1-Aug-10 1-Aug-10 1 500 990 2-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 60 450 53,460 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Apr 21 18:44:45 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron) Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:44:45 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Flow Increases and Schedule Message-ID: <004401cae1bd$644236d0$2cc6a470$@net> Dear Trinity River enthusiasts - For your information and safety on the river I provide the following information. The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) plans to initiate spring releases from the dam and high flow coarse sediment (gravel) implementation in the near future. Flows will rise to 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) on April 27, and will peak at 6,000 cfs on May 2nd for 5 days. See attached flow schedule for timing details. During peak flows, between Monday May 3rd and May 7th, the TRRP will add gravel (coarse sediment = gravel 3/4 to 4 inch diameter) to the river at two high flow locations. 1) At the weir hole (aka diversion pool at River Mile 111 about a mile downstream of Lewiston dam) up to 2,000 yards of gravel will added. 2) At the Lowden Ranch area (River Mile 105) just upstream of the mouth of Grass Valley Creek, up to 1,500 yards will be added. In both of these areas high velocity conditions will move the gravel quickly downriver from the augmentation sites. Best Regards- Brandt Brandt Gutermuth Environmental Specialist Trinity River Restoration Program PO Box 1300, 1313 S Main St Weaverville, CA 96093 530.623.1806 (voice) 530.623.5944 (fax) www.trrp.net Water Year 2010 Release Schedule from Lewiston Dam to the Trinity River as Recommended by the Trinity Management Council on March 31, 2010 For a Normal Water Year Type Total Water Volume (acre-feet) = 646,561 >From Date To Date # Days Flow Release (cfs) Water Volume (Acre-Feet) 1-Oct-09 15-Oct-09 15 450 13,365 16-Oct-09 22-Apr-10 189 300 112,266 23-Apr-10 26-Apr-10 4 500 3,960 27-Apr-10 27-Apr-10 1 1,500 2,970 28-Apr-10 29-Apr-10 2 2,000 7,920 30-Apr-10 30-Apr-10 1 2,500 4,950 1-May-10 1-May-10 1 4,636 9,179 2-May-10 6-May-10 5 6,000 59,400 7-May-10 7-May-10 1 5,680 11,246 8-May-10 8-May-10 1 5,400 10,692 9-May-10 9-May-10 1 5,130 10,157 10-May-10 10-May-10 1 4,860 9,623 11-May-10 15-May-10 5 4,600 45,540 16-May-10 16-May-10 1 4,390 8,692 17-May-10 17-May-10 1 4,220 8,356 18-May-10 18-May-10 1 4,080 8,078 19-May-10 19-May-10 1 3,980 7,880 20-May-10 20-May-10 1 3,870 7,663 21-May-10 21-May-10 1 3,760 7,445 22-May-10 22-May-10 1 3,650 7,227 23-May-10 23-May-10 1 3,540 7,009 24-May-10 24-May-10 1 3,430 6,791 25-May-10 25-May-10 1 3,310 6,554 26-May-10 26-May-10 1 3,210 6,356 27-May-10 27-May-10 1 3,100 6,138 28-May-10 28-May-10 1 2,990 5,920 29-May-10 29-May-10 1 2,880 5,702 30-May-10 30-May-10 1 2,760 5,465 31-May-10 31-May-10 1 2,650 5,247 1-Jun-10 1-Jun-10 1 2,550 5,049 2-Jun-10 2-Jun-10 1 2,440 4,831 3-Jun-10 3-Jun-10 1 2,330 4,613 4-Jun-10 4-Jun-10 1 2,220 4,396 5-Jun-10 5-Jun-10 1 2,110 4,178 6-Jun-10 1-Jul-10 26 2,000 102,960 2-Jul-10 2-Jul-10 1 1,860 3,683 3-Jul-10 3-Jul-10 1 1,730 3,425 4-Jul-10 4-Jul-10 1 1,600 3,168 5-Jul-10 5-Jul-10 1 1,480 2,930 6-Jul-10 6-Jul-10 1 1,370 2,713 7-Jul-10 7-Jul-10 1 1,160 2,297 8-Jul-10 8-Jul-10 1 1,060 2,099 9-Jul-10 9-Jul-10 1 963 1,907 10-Jul-10 10-Jul-10 1 885 1,752 11-Jul-10 11-Jul-10 1 812 1,608 12-Jul-10 27-Jul-10 16 750 23,760 28-Jul-10 28-Jul-10 1 700 1,386 29-Jul-10 29-Jul-10 1 650 1,287 30-Jul-10 30-Jul-10 1 600 1,188 31-Jul-10 31-Jul-10 1 550 1,089 1-Aug-10 1-Aug-10 1 500 990 2-Aug-10 30-Sep-10 60 450 53,460 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Apr 22 10:32:47 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:32:47 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 4/21/10 Message-ID: <01bf01cae241$d4604130$7d20c390$@net> State officials delay decision on salmon fishing in Sacramento Valley rivers Sacramento Bee-4/21/10 By Matt Weiser State wildlife officials on Wednesday delayed reopening recreational salmon fishing in Sacramento Valley rivers, saying they needed more time to consider the options. The California Fish and Game Commission agreed to postpone the decision to give state fisheries experts time to reconsider the timing and location of the fishing options for fall-run Chinook salmon. Fishing for the species has been banned since 2007 due to a sharp decline in its population. The in-river fishery must not exceed a harvest quota of 8,200 salmon, which was set April 15 by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The Department of Fish and Game had little time to respond to that quota with its fishing options before Wednesday's commission meeting. The options described to The Bee in a story published Tuesday prompted concerns from anglers that too many salmon might be taken in the Feather River, said Department of Fish and Game Fisheries Branch Chief Neil Manji. Others complained that the state failed to allow enough fishing upstream of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam on the Sacramento River. The commission will vote on revised proposals at its May 5 meeting in Stockton Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PManza at usbr.gov Thu Apr 22 09:44:17 2010 From: PManza at usbr.gov (Manza, Peggy L) Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:44:17 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Release Changes Message-ID: Please make the following release changes from Lewiston to the Trinity River: date time from (cfs) to (cfs) 4-22-10 2100 300 400 4-22-10 2300 400 500 4-26-10 2100 500 750 4-26-10 2300 750 1000 4-27-10 0100 1000 1250 4-27-10 0300 1250 1500 4-27-10 2300 1500 1750 4-28-10 0100 1750 2000 4-29-10 2300 2000 2500 Ordered by: Peggy Manza Note: Trinity ROD flows -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Apr 23 16:42:14 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:42:14 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Floyd Dominy Dies Message-ID: <025f01cae33e$9abb8ae0$d032a0a0$@net> cid:3354885185_3921373 cid:3354885185_3917845 Commissioner's Office Washington, D.C. Released On: April 23, 2010 Reclamation Remembers the Life of Floyd Dominy One of the longest serving Commissioners in the history of Reclamation, Floyd Dominy, has passed away at the age of 100. Dominy served as Reclamation Commissioner from 1959 to 1969 serving under Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. "Reclamation has a long history of 'larger than life' Commissioners and Floyd was certainly at the top of that list," said Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor. "I hope I have the strength, determination, and tenacity to carry on the legacy that Floyd set in this position to implement my agenda for Reclamation, as he was with his." Dominy joined Reclamation in 1946 as a land settlement specialist. He supervised the Allocations and Repayment Branch, Division of Irrigation in 1950. He rose to Assistant Commissioner in 1957 and was named Associate Commissioner in 1958. He retired from Reclamation in 1969. Notable events that occurred during his term as Commissioner include the completion of Glen Canyon, Flaming Gorge, and Navajo Dams of the Colorado River Storage Project. He also played a role in the authorization and initiation of construction of the San Luis Unit and pushed for the completion of the Trinity River Division, Central Valley Project. Dominy was born and grew up on a farm in Adams County, Neb., and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1932. "This is definitely the end of an era. His was a life full of great accomplishments and he will definitely be missed," added Connor. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 124006 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 51712 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Apr 26 10:58:58 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:58:58 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] High Country News 4/23/10 Message-ID: <030b01cae56a$264153b0$72c3fb10$@net> Floyd Dominy, the colossus of dams, dies at 100 High Country News-4/23/10 by Julianne Couch Floyd Dominy, who made it his mission to improve nature by, among other things, damming the Colorado River at Glen Canyon and creating the more user-friendly Lake Powell, has died at the age of 100. Some had hoped that Glen Canyon Dam would go first, draining Lake Powell and restoring the river's ecosystem. But Dominy, who was commissioner for the Bureau of Reclamation from 1959 to 1969, spoke of his pride in his achievement during an interview a decade ago: "Glen Canyon Dam and the creation of the most wonderful lake in the world, Lake Powell, is my crowning jewel." One week before Dominy passed away in Virginia at his Angus farm, I spoke to him by telephone. I wanted to talk to the man I'd first learned about long ago from reading John McPhee's Encounters with the Archdruid. I can think of no better way to write a story than the way McPhee did: You put two enemies in a rubber raft (along with a handful of unsuspecting strangers) and send them all down a wild river together. That's what McPhee did with Dominy and David Brower, the Sierra Club president who considered the construction of Glen Canyon Dam his biggest environmental policy failure. McPhee set the stage with both scenery and character. His canvas was the Colorado River, with its mile-high rock walls and hundreds of side canyons. And his characters were equally memorable: Brower, the environmental leader, who saw what would be lost to the rising waters; and Dominy, the determined dam-builder, who learned as a young man in Nebraska that water in a river does no good at all if isn't made available for people to use. In the end, it seemed that Dominy and Brower had a blast, drinking beer and occasionally bickering about whether remote stretches of the Colorado were valuable because they were untouched, or wasted because they weren't being developed. I've never forgotten McPhee's description of Dominy, smoking cigars on the raft trip and somehow able to keep his cigar lit as the raft passed through a waterfall. Brower kept referring to the future Lake Powell as "Lake Dominy." When I spoke to Dominy, I said I thought the trip sounded pretty exciting. "It was boring!" he said. "Boring, how could it be anything else? You can't see out from the bottom of a canyon." Some might interpret that statement as an indication of the kind of blindness to the need for natural processes that characterized the Bureau of Reclamation during Dominy's day and for a long time afterward. Dominy argued that if the West were going to be developed, the waters of the Colorado River's cycle of flood and trickle would have to be managed. Others doubted that intensively developing the West was a wise thing to do in the first place; they thought that the region should be left unpredictable and fragile -- that we should discourage settlement, rather than invite it. But Dominy was convinced that nature could be improved; that it could, and should, be manipulated and mastered in order to make life less difficult for human beings. That belief was planted during Dominy's hardscrabble childhood and no doubt further developed during his early days as a county extension agent in parched northeastern Wyoming. He told McPhee about that experience: "I watched the people there -- I mean good folk, industrious, hard-working, frugal -- compete with the rigors of nature against hopeless odds. They would ruin their health and still fail." Perhaps that prompted him to do some water management on his first farm in Fairfax, Va., building ponds and stocking them with fish for the kids. He and his wife decided to settle in Virginia because it was an easy commute to his Washington, D.C., office, he said. Dominy had a long career before retiring from the Department of Agriculture. All that government service paid off in the form of a "very nice" 100th birthday party on Capitol Hill, attended by members of Congress and others, he recalled. Dominy told me that he wasn't surprised that he achieved his 100th birthday, because once he made it to 99, he could see it from there. He'd had colon cancer when he was 97, he said, and "survived that just fine." He gave up cigars years ago but said he was still fond of whiskey, to which he partially attributed his longevity. Still, he acknowledged that he didn't think he'd make it to 101. "I'm collapsing," he said. Unlike the silt-filling reservoirs along the Colorado River, a few days later, that's just what he did, leaving the world a little less interesting in his wake. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Apr 28 11:42:48 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:42:48 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 4/27/10 Message-ID: <003901cae702$9aa95560$cffc0020$@net> Calif. lawmakers reject hurdle for delta canal Sacramento Bee-4/27/10 By Samantha Young California lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a bill that would have required the Legislature to approve or deny plans for a canal that routes water around the delta, sidestepping a dispute over who will have the final word. At issue is whether the state could one day sign off on a proposed canal now being studied by Southern California water contractors and farmers who want to divert Sacramento River water around the delta. The Schwarzenegger administration has said it doesn't need the Legislature's blessing to approve a canal as part of the state's sprawling water delivery network. Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said lawmakers can intervene at any point. "If the administration or anyone else proposes a facility as big as what some are pushing for ... I think it would require legislative approval right now," said Huffman, who chairs the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. The committee killed the bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, D-Lodi, after Huffman gave assurances that he and other lawmakers already intend to scrutinize any plan that calls for a canal or tunnel to bypass the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. A maze of rivers, islands and sloughs where mountain runoff collects before spilling into San Francisco Bay, the delta supplies drinking water to some 25 million Californians and irrigation water to thousands of acres. Water contractors say a canal or tunnel could ensure future water deliveries to Southern California and Central Valley farmers, which have been curtailed in recent years because of drought and federal pumping restrictions in the delta to protect threatened fish. Huber, who represents a district in the delta, has argued that a canal would siphon fresh water out of the delta, making it too salty for farmers, native fish and other species that rely on the estuary. She said the Assembly's failure to act on her bill leaves unclear who has the final say over any new facility that diverts water from the delta. "I would rather avoid the lawsuit that you have to have to find that out," Huber said after the vote. "The governor says they have the authority and the Legislature says they don't." The Legislature last year created the Delta Stewardship Council to draft a comprehensive plan to manage the delta as part of a sweeping $11.1 billion bond package that will go before voters in November. That plan must include a canal if one is approved by state wildlife and water agencies and it doesn't violate other state statutes that protect wildlife. Otherwise, the council could reject it. Critics say the seven-member council - of whom the majority are appointees of the governor - has too much power. The law does not mention any legislative approval for a canal, even though Huffman and other lawmakers say any large project would come before them. Estimates for building a canal around the delta range as high as $9 billion, while an underground pipeline could cost as much as $11.7 billion, according to the Department of Water Resources. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Apr 28 14:55:26 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:55:26 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Flow Changes Message-ID: <001401cae71d$83c8c040$8b5a40c0$@net> Following are release changes at Lewiston Dam: date time from (cfs) to (cfs) 4-30-10 2300 2500 3500 5-01-10 0100 3500 4500 5-01-10 0300 4500 4636 5-01-10 2100 4636 5636 5-01-10 2300 5636 6000 5-06-10 2300 6000 5680 5-07-10 2300 5680 5400 5-08-10 2300 5400 5130 5-09-10 2300 5130 4860 5-10-10 2300 4860 4600 5-15-10 2300 4600 4390 5-16-10 2300 4390 4220 5-17-10 2300 4220 4080 5-18-10 2300 4080 3980 5-19-10 2300 3980 3870 5-20-10 2300 3870 3760 5-21-10 2300 3760 3650 5-22-10 2300 3650 3540 5-23-10 2300 3540 3430 5-24-10 2300 3430 3310 5-25-10 2300 3310 3210 5-26-10 2300 3210 3100 5-27-10 2300 3100 2990 5-28-10 2300 2990 2880 5-29-10 2300 2880 2760 5-30-10 2300 2760 2650 5-31-10 2300 2650 2550 6-01-10 2300 2550 2440 6-02-10 2300 2440 2330 6-03-10 2300 2330 2220 6-04-10 2300 2220 2110 6-05-10 2300 2110 2000 7-01-10 2300 2000 1900 7-02-10 0100 1900 1860 7-02-10 2300 1860 1760 7-03-10 0100 1760 1730 7-03-10 2300 1730 1630 7-04-10 0100 1630 1600 7-04-10 2300 1600 1500 7-05-10 0100 1500 1480 7-05-10 2300 1480 1380 7-06-10 0100 1380 1370 7-06-10 2300 1370 1270 7-07-10 0100 1270 1170 7-07-10 0500 1170 1160 7-07-10 2300 1160 1060 7-08-10 2300 1060 963 7-09-10 2300 963 885 7-10-10 2300 885 812 7-11-10 2300 812 750 7-27-10 2300 750 700 7-28-10 2300 700 650 7-29-10 2300 650 600 7-30-10 2300 600 550 7-31-10 2300 550 500 8-01-10 2300 500 450 hold 450 cfs through Sep 30, 2010 Ordered by: Peggy Manza Note: Trinity ROD flows Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sari at sisqtel.net Wed Apr 28 17:30:39 2010 From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:30:39 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] UCD Salmon Symposium May 5th Message-ID: <20100429003047.90D7714FA6C3@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> "Multiple Factors Influencing the Salmon Decline in California and the Pacific Northwest" The U.C. Davis Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture (CABA), the Delta Science Program, and the UCD Center for Ecological Theory will hold a symposium next Wednesday, May 5, on factors influencing the salmon decline in California and the Pacific Northwest. It will be held on the UC Davis campus from 9 a.m. to noon. http://caba.ucdavis.edu/activities http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/enews/2010/cwp_e-news042810.pdf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PBAIRRINGTON at dfg.ca.gov Wed Apr 28 17:57:12 2010 From: PBAIRRINGTON at dfg.ca.gov (Philip Bairrington) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:57:12 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] UCD Salmon Symposium May 5th In-Reply-To: <20100429003047.90D7714FA6C3@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> References: <20100429003047.90D7714FA6C3@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> Message-ID: <4BD876F7.85C2.00F8.0@dfg.ca.gov> Sounds great, but it also conflicts with the State of the Salmon conference, Ecological Interactions between Wild and Hatchery Salmon, in Portland, May 4- May 8, 2010. Thanks, Philip K. Bairrington Senior Biologist, supervisor Anadromous Fisheries Resource Assessment and Monitoring Program Northern Region California Department of Fish and Game 50 Ericson Court Arcata, CA 95521 office phone (707) 825-4859 cellular phone (707) 498-9139 fax (707) 825-4852 email pbairrington at dfg.ca.gov >>> Sari Sommarstrom 4/28/2010 5:30 PM >>> "Multiple Factors Influencing the Salmon Decline in California and the Pacific Northwest" The U.C. Davis Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture (CABA), the Delta Science Program, and the UCD Center for Ecological Theory will hold a symposium next Wednesday, May 5, on factors influencing the salmon decline in California and the Pacific Northwest. It will be held on the UC Davis campus from 9 a.m. to noon. http://caba.ucdavis.edu/activities http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/enews/2010/cwp_e-news042810.pdf From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Apr 29 11:44:58 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:44:58 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] NY Times April 29 10 Message-ID: <002301cae7cc$127dcf20$37796d60$@net> I've posted two of these obituaries already, but this one from the New York Times is far superior to the others (as usual). See highlighted portions of one of the sentences. Dominy's death reminded me of a statement made to all attendees by Dan Nelson of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority at a meeting on the "Future of the Western San Joaquin Valley," sponsored by the U. C. Berkeley Agricultural and Resource Economics Department at its Agricultural Station in Parlier, a few years ago. As accurately as I can remember (Dominy's stated reply I remember very accurately), Nelson said he had run into Floyd Dominy in the lobby of a hotel in Southern California recently, and among other things, asked Dominy if he felt that he had ever made a mistake in all that he had pursued as Commissioner at Reclamation. Nelson said that after some thought, Dominy replied, "Signing the Westlands Water District water delivery contract before we had the drainage problem solved." I also remember clearly the role Dominy and construction of the Trinity Division of the Central Valley Project played in California politics. A congressman from Red Bluff who was not widely known in the state, Claire Engle, was interested in running for the U. S. Senate. Dominy told him that if he wanted to expand his base financially and in other ways to more of California, adding a Trinity Division to the Central Valley Project and exporting Trinity water to Westlands would be extremely helpful to him. As you know, the dams were built and Engle made it to the Senate. Well.as Congressman Engle told the Trinity County Board of Supervisors in promoting construction of the dam(s) as reported in the TRINITY JOURNAL on February 28, 1952, the Trinity Project "does not contemplate diversion of one bucketful of water which is necessary in this watershed." He stated further, "The argument that it (building of the dams) would ruin fishing is nonsense." We early on learned the facts, the results of that political career enhancing move. Byron F. E. Dominy, Who Harnessed Water in the American West, Is Dead at 100 By DOUGLAS MARTIN Published: April 28, 2010 o Linkedin o Digg o Facebook o Mixx o MySpace o Yahoo! Buzz o Permalink o Floyd E. Dominy, a child of the Dust Bowl who pursued his dream of improving nature and human society by building vast water projects in the West - steamrolling over pristine canyons, doubtful politicians and irate conservationists - died on April 20 in Boyce, Va. He was 100. Enlarge This Image http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/04/29/us/29dominy_CA0/29dominy_CA0- articleInline.jpg Los Angeles Times Floyd E. Dominy, in 1966, with a model of one of the projects he fostered as commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. His family announced the death. Even before he became the longest-serving commissioner of the federal Bureau of Reclamation (1959 to 1969), Mr. Dominy, as a rising bureaucrat, showed a knack for persuading senators and representatives to push ahead with massive dams in the arid West. Marc Reisner in his 1986 book, "Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water," said Mr. Dominy cultivated Congress "as if he were tending prize-winning orchids." Mr. Reisner quoted an official in the Interior Department, of which the Reclamation Bureau is a part, as saying, "Dominy yanked money in and out of those congressmen's districts like a yo-yo." Mr. Dominy, who was not an engineer, worked his political and administrative magic in completing the Glen Canyon, Flaming Gorge and Navajo Dams in the upper Colorado River basin, and the Trinity River part of California's Central Valley Project, among many others. The projects stored and regulated water flow, generated electric power and created lakes for recreation. They enabled crops and cities to sprout from the desert. But they also sometimes drowned thousands of years of Native American history, and millions of years of natural history - not to mention destroying fish habitats. David Brower, the founding director of the Sierra Club, called his own acceptance of the Glen Canyon dam - in return for the bureau's pulling back on another - his greatest failure. Mr. Dominy took the opposite view in a speech in North Dakota in 1966, calling a Colorado River without dams "useless to anyone." He added, "I've seen all the wild rivers I ever want to see." Michael L. Connor, the current head of the bureau, said in a speech in 2009 that the agency had 472 dams, and was the nation's largest water wholesaler, serving 31 million people. Sixty percent of the nation's vegetables and a quarter of its fruit and nuts are grown with "Reclamation water," Mr. Connor said. The sheer size of this plumbing empire has long caused friction with politicians from other regions, as well as sparked concern among White House budget hawks. Mr. Dominy argued forcefully that fruits and vegetables grown during the winter months improved the health of all Americans, and that reservoirs created by the bureau attracted more vacationers than national parks. He could even ascend to lyricism, as he did in describing Lake Powell, which the Glen Canyon Dam would create in 1966. In a book distributed by the Bureau of Reclamation called "Lake Powell: Jewel of the Colorado," he wrote, "Dear God, did you cast down two hundred miles of canyon and mark, 'For poets only'? Multitudes hunger for a lake in the sun." Mr. Brower countered that the lake's pre-emption of natural habitat could also ultimately affect multitudes. "A thousand people a year times ten thousand years will never see what was here," he said. Floyd Elgin Dominy was born on a farm in Adams County, Neb., on Dec. 24, 1909. His family lacked an indoor toilet. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in agricultural economics, briefly taught school and then became an agricultural extension agent in Wyoming. He hit upon the idea of helping farmers build small dams to store water for their livestock, and built 300 in the county. "That was more than in the whole rest of the West," he said in an interview with Mr. Reisner. "I was a one-man Bureau of Reclamation." During World War II, Mr. Dominy helped establish instant farms to provide food for miners and loggers dumped into foreign jungles to harvest critical materials for the war effort. After the war, he returned to Washington, went to a phone booth and called the Reclamation Bureau. He had a job in three hours, Mr. Reisner said. Mr. Dominy's rise in the bureau was rapid. After starting in 1946, he became assistant commissioner in 1957, associate commissioner in 1958 and commissioner in 1959. He did not behave like a cookie-cutter bureaucrat. Mr. Reisner called him "freewheeling and reckless," while Mr. Connor chose the phrase "larger than life." Mr. Dominy's wife of 53 years, the former Alice Criswell, died in 1982. He is survived by his daughters, Janice DeBolt and Ruth Swart Young; his son, Charles; eight grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaughter. Mr. Dominy was proud of his role in lubricating the development of America's West. One thing he did question in an interview with The Sacramento Bee in 2002 was the government's selling water so cheaply that there was little incentive to conserve. "It almost staggers my mind when I fly over Phoenix," he said, "and see all those swimming pools." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 33034 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Apr 29 13:04:41 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:04:41 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: NY Times April 29 10 Message-ID: <004201cae7d7$34d723e0$9e856ba0$@net> I've posted two of these obituaries already, but this one from the New York Times is far superior to the others (as usual). See highlighted portions of one of the sentences. Dominy's death reminded me of a statement made to all attendees by Dan Nelson of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority at a meeting on the "Future of the Western San Joaquin Valley," sponsored by the U. C. Berkeley Agricultural and Resource Economics Department at its Agricultural Station in Parlier, a few years ago. As accurately as I can remember (Dominy's stated reply I remember very accurately), Nelson said he had run into Floyd Dominy in the lobby of a hotel in Southern California recently, and among other things, asked Dominy if he felt that he had ever made a mistake in all that he had pursued as Commissioner at Reclamation. Nelson said that after some thought, Dominy replied, "Signing the Westlands Water District water delivery contract before we had the drainage problem solved." I also remember clearly the role Dominy and construction of the Trinity Division of the Central Valley Project played in California politics. A congressman from Red Bluff who was not widely known in the state, Claire Engle, was interested in running for the U. S. Senate. Dominy told him that if he wanted to expand his base financially and in other ways to more of California, adding a Trinity Division to the Central Valley Project and exporting Trinity water to Westlands would be extremely helpful to him. As you know, the dams were built and Engle made it to the Senate. Well.as Congressman Engle told the Trinity County Board of Supervisors in promoting construction of the dam(s) as reported in the TRINITY JOURNAL on February 28, 1952, the Trinity Project "does not contemplate diversion of one bucketful of water which is necessary in this watershed." He stated further, "The argument that it (building of the dams) would ruin fishing is nonsense." We early on learned the facts, the results of that political career enhancing move. Byron F. E. Dominy, Who Harnessed Water in the American West, Is Dead at 100 By DOUGLAS MARTIN Published: April 28, 2010 o Linkedin o Digg o Facebook o Mixx o MySpace o Yahoo! Buzz o Permalink o Floyd E. Dominy, a child of the Dust Bowl who pursued his dream of improving nature and human society by building vast water projects in the West - steamrolling over pristine canyons, doubtful politicians and irate conservationists - died on April 20 in Boyce, Va. He was 100. Enlarge This Image http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/04/29/us/29dominy_CA0/29dominy_CA0- articleInline.jpg Los Angeles Times Floyd E. Dominy, in 1966, with a model of one of the projects he fostered as commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. His family announced the death. Even before he became the longest-serving commissioner of the federal Bureau of Reclamation (1959 to 1969), Mr. Dominy, as a rising bureaucrat, showed a knack for persuading senators and representatives to push ahead with massive dams in the arid West. Marc Reisner in his 1986 book, "Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water," said Mr. Dominy cultivated Congress "as if he were tending prize-winning orchids." Mr. Reisner quoted an official in the Interior Department, of which the Reclamation Bureau is a part, as saying, "Dominy yanked money in and out of those congressmen's districts like a yo-yo." Mr. Dominy, who was not an engineer, worked his political and administrative magic in completing the Glen Canyon, Flaming Gorge and Navajo Dams in the upper Colorado River basin, and the Trinity River part of California's Central Valley Project, among many others. The projects stored and regulated water flow, generated electric power and created lakes for recreation. They enabled crops and cities to sprout from the desert. But they also sometimes drowned thousands of years of Native American history, and millions of years of natural history - not to mention destroying fish habitats. David Brower, the founding director of the Sierra Club, called his own acceptance of the Glen Canyon dam - in return for the bureau's pulling back on another - his greatest failure. Mr. Dominy took the opposite view in a speech in North Dakota in 1966, calling a Colorado River without dams "useless to anyone." He added, "I've seen all the wild rivers I ever want to see." Michael L. Connor, the current head of the bureau, said in a speech in 2009 that the agency had 472 dams, and was the nation's largest water wholesaler, serving 31 million people. Sixty percent of the nation's vegetables and a quarter of its fruit and nuts are grown with "Reclamation water," Mr. Connor said. The sheer size of this plumbing empire has long caused friction with politicians from other regions, as well as sparked concern among White House budget hawks. Mr. Dominy argued forcefully that fruits and vegetables grown during the winter months improved the health of all Americans, and that reservoirs created by the bureau attracted more vacationers than national parks. He could even ascend to lyricism, as he did in describing Lake Powell, which the Glen Canyon Dam would create in 1966. In a book distributed by the Bureau of Reclamation called "Lake Powell: Jewel of the Colorado," he wrote, "Dear God, did you cast down two hundred miles of canyon and mark, 'For poets only'? Multitudes hunger for a lake in the sun." Mr. Brower countered that the lake's pre-emption of natural habitat could also ultimately affect multitudes. "A thousand people a year times ten thousand years will never see what was here," he said. Floyd Elgin Dominy was born on a farm in Adams County, Neb., on Dec. 24, 1909. His family lacked an indoor toilet. He graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in agricultural economics, briefly taught school and then became an agricultural extension agent in Wyoming. He hit upon the idea of helping farmers build small dams to store water for their livestock, and built 300 in the county. "That was more than in the whole rest of the West," he said in an interview with Mr. Reisner. "I was a one-man Bureau of Reclamation." During World War II, Mr. Dominy helped establish instant farms to provide food for miners and loggers dumped into foreign jungles to harvest critical materials for the war effort. After the war, he returned to Washington, went to a phone booth and called the Reclamation Bureau. He had a job in three hours, Mr. Reisner said. Mr. Dominy's rise in the bureau was rapid. After starting in 1946, he became assistant commissioner in 1957, associate commissioner in 1958 and commissioner in 1959. He did not behave like a cookie-cutter bureaucrat. Mr. Reisner called him "freewheeling and reckless," while Mr. Connor chose the phrase "larger than life." Mr. Dominy's wife of 53 years, the former Alice Criswell, died in 1982. He is survived by his daughters, Janice DeBolt and Ruth Swart Young; his son, Charles; eight grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaughter. Mr. Dominy was proud of his role in lubricating the development of America's West. One thing he did question in an interview with The Sacramento Bee in 2002 was the government's selling water so cheaply that there was little incentive to conserve. "It almost staggers my mind when I fly over Phoenix," he said, "and see all those swimming pools." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 33034 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Apr 30 11:17:40 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:17:40 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 4/29/10 Message-ID: <00be01cae891$6c63c420$452b4c60$@net> Farmers and fisherman still fighting over water Fresno Bee-4/29/10 By Mike Doyle The push-and-pull over California water supplies continues this week, with warring letters that pit farmers -- or, at least, their congressional allies -- against fishermen. On April 26, Democratic Reps. Jim Costa of Fresno and Dennis Cardoza of Merced joined Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who oversees the National Marine Fisheries Service. The three Californians urged Locke to be "flexible" in his interpretation of a biological opinion governing water distribution. In response, an assortment of fishing organizations wrote Feinstein to urge her to reconsider. Tellingly, the fishing organizations apparently targeted only Feinstein, who as a statewide representative may be more sympathetic to their pleas than the two House members whose districts are confined to the Valley.# Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Mattson at EcosystemsNorthwest.com Fri Apr 30 19:39:51 2010 From: Mattson at EcosystemsNorthwest.com (Kim Mattson) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:39:51 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? In-Reply-To: References: <019701cada9d$1f5a4250$5e0ec6f0$@org> <4BC504F8.4020808@EcosystemsNorthwest.com> <042e01cadb8c$f4d98180$de8c8480$@org> Message-ID: <4BDB9477.4030901@EcosystemsNorthwest.com> Brian and Francis: Regarding the Aluminum concentrations in rainwater and other water samples.... I am following up with Brian's request on what I found out following my visit with Francis Mangels following his invitation to look at his data. Francis had some analyses done on samples and has come up with some very high Al concentrations in snow off Mt Shasta at about 8,000 ft elevation and from sediments in a creek near Shasta Reservoir (30,000 ppb). His rainwater samples or those collected by others seemed to be a bit high and ranged from 400 to 900 parts per billion (ppb) and they also showed low levels of strontium and barium. We also talked about his hypothesis that soil pH has been increasing due to atmospheric inputs. His and my soils are above 7 in pH and this is a bit surprising as forest soils are normally below 7. But I am unable to unequivocally make any conclusions about chemtrails and I give some details below... Kim Mattson. To help sort through this, I had thought that there would be good guidance on what levels of Al should one expect in rainfall. I looked on the web and did not find satisfying results and it seemed that 400 ppb maybe somewhat high for rainwater (individual studies suggest that maybe 2 to 500 ppb is more normal?). There is no national network that routinely monitors for Al in precipitation. I found cites of rivers that contained 400 ppb. About the high sediment sample--aluminum is a naturally occurring element in soils--and can range over several tens of thousands of mg per kg and it really depends on what type (exchangeable or total). I could not tell what form of Al the lab was was measuring--particularly in the sediment. Francis' lab reported the sediment analysis as Al III and in units of ppm and this did not make sense to me as Al 3+ is exchangeable Al and is never this high, but total Al could easily be this high... Anyway I discussed this with Francis and he was going to check on some of these things.. The EPA lists Al as a secondary standard and advises that drinking water be below 200 ppb--mainly for taste, color or smell reasons--they don't think Al is a health risk. Aluminum (alum) is used to purify drinking water. Apparently Canada disagrees with the US and is concerned about Al concentration in drinking water and its links to Alzheimer's disease.. I also found cites that cautioned against taking ice cores or snow samples for chemical concentrations as they can artificially concentrate--probably by sublimation of the snow? I found cites that suggested the need to clean collection funnel right before the collection and to filter the collection immediately to avoid wind-borne particulate contamination to the sides of the funnel. Anyway, I sent Francis abstracts of these papers for him to consider. But I must admit that the Al could be abnormally high...that is, I could not dismiss the lab analysis out of hand... or why all of his were above 400 ppb... There is a lot of stuff on the internet about geo-engineering the earth's atmosphere. I would say it is worth looking into but with a bit more rigor. I suggested to Francis that the newly establishing Environmental Studies program at our local College of the Siskiyous might take this up as a monitoring project. Just this week in our local paper was an article of a local citizens group that wants to pass a special self governance ordinance that would prohibit corporations from weather modification--in this case, cloud seeding, suggesting the public is getting concerned and organized. I would say, stay tuned.... Bard Francis wrote: > Greetings all: > Kim, since you were over at my house and checked out my data and > methods, go ahead and critique them as you will here. Yes, there is > the problem of contaminant but were not those numbers too high to > easily dismiss finger or wind dirt/smoke contamination? And yes, I > still can't find any really good benchmark data. "Who'd a thunk of > it?" But I would like an EIS from gov't before it goes on, as the > circumstances look suspicious at this point. > > I'm saying snow water on Mt. Shasta is not acceptably drinkable, > regardless of how the metals get in there. > > I'm saying those 200 pH tests I made are accurate and readings go up > and down as per the jet contrail spray activity. More spray, then > more basic. Our natural rain is about 5.6 pH, but after or during > heavy spraying for several days/weeks, goes to 6.8 for fresh rain or > snow. Same thing happens in other parts of CA and Oregon, to the hour > by phone. > > A chemistry PhD Dr. Leonard says those oxides and etc. of aluminum, > barium, strontium drive the soil basic, and that is what we are > finding very consistently over hundreds of miles on the west coast > ecosystems. I have sent him the info, and he visited and personally > looked over the same data you did. He says the data are not easily > dismissed. His group will be testing soon. > > I'm not saying we got a big conspiracy going, or that sort of BS. I'm > saying we might have a problem with what metals we are finding in the > rain and pH testing, and a probable source in military geoengineering > spraying. > > Francis Mangels > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Hill" > To: "'Kim Mattson'" > Cc: ; "'Michael Murphy'" > ; > Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 9:42 PM > Subject: RE: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? > > >> >> >> Thanks so much Kim for your reply. I hoped there would be comments from >> people qualified scientists. I will post contribtions from others >> unless >> members of this list would prefer to keep the discussion private. I >> feel >> the same as you, that more documentation is needed in order for Michael >> Murphy's article to demand the attention it calls for. My academic >> training >> is in anthropology and archeology so I am not qualified to add to >> Michael's >> interesting writing. >> >> Brian >> >> PS - Michael is cc-ed here. >> >> --------------------- >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Kim Mattson [mailto:Mattson at EcosystemsNorthwest.com] >> Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 4:58 PM >> To: Brian Hill >> Cc: env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org >> Subject: Re: [env-trinity] What are they Spraying us with? >> >> Brian: >> >> In order for others to begin to take this more seriously, you or others >> will have to present more credible information about sampling and >> analyses. The data cited in Murphy's report is what scientists would >> call anedotal. It could be accurate or it could be picked from a larger >> source of data in order to show a large difference. Wiginton's reports >> of decrease in solar output plus high Al concentrations in rain plus >> Mangel's reports of high Al in snow collections sound like the most >> interesting and reliable data. I would suggest that these reports >> should be followed up with a scientifically designed sampling scheme >> with documented collection and analytical methods. Murphy's story could >> be true, but it also could just be conspiracy theory and beliefs leading >> to unfounded conclusions. There are several points or items in >> Murphy's report that are "red flags" to me that suggest this is not >> believable. I point them out below. >> >> Kim Mattson >> Ph.D. Ecologist and owner, Ecosystems Northwest >> Mount Shasta, CA >> >> >> Details on the report: >> >> I must tell you that I am slightly skeptical for a number of reasons. >> First, I live in Mount Shasta and I have heard these stories and I have >> even attended one meeting of a concerned citizens group. I have spoken >> with Mr. Mangels previously. Mr. Mangel is a very interesting fellow >> and is quite bright and he has told me a number of very interesting >> stories. So far, I have not been able to verify most of Mr. Mangel's >> stories he has told me. >> >> Also, the data as presented in Murphy's report could very well have >> been selected from a large set of data in order to show the greatest >> differences and therefore make the claim that the sky is indeed >> falling. On the other hand, new discoveries are often made in this >> sort of way--accidental findings and then some unscientific >> observations. But the next step is to collect data in a controlled and >> scientific manner. It is too bad the city council was afraid to sample >> and quickly make a determination. Who know's what other sorts of things >> they are afraid to do? >> >> But continuting on.. it is very difficult for anyone to take a look at >> an ecosystem and tell whether it is dying or healthy. Death of plants, >> including trees, is common in forests. Observations of dying forests >> were used 20 years ago to promote the early acid rain research. A small >> group of scientists were alarmed when they saw so many dead red spruce >> trees on top high peaks in the Appalachian Mountains. They cited acid >> rain as the cause. As it turned out, these ecosystems had high rates of >> standing dead trees (as most mountain tops do) for a number of natural >> reasons--though acid rain may have had a small contributing effect. The >> overall conclusion was that acid rain had mostly small effects on >> forests and these were very difficult to disentangle from other natural >> and anthropomorphic effects. From what I can tell, the trees in our >> area look pretty healthy and are growing well. >> >> Aluminum is normally a soil acidifying agent and I had not heard that it >> can create basic conditions in soils. >> >> Soil pH cited is not that high for volcanic soils from Mt Shasta. >> Spatial variation in soil pH is not too surprising--especially if you >> happened to sample in a burn pile--ash from wood is very basic. >> >> Variation in aquatic macroinvertebrate numbers is typical. You would >> need to do a much more detailed sampling over several years before you >> could conclude a trend of change. If there were a decrease, you would >> need to rule out other factors such as changes to the stream itself >> (development, increased water withdrawals, clearing of stream side >> vegetation, spraying). Invertebrates are likely very low in numbers >> before the next cohort of eggs hatch in the spring. You can get highly >> variable numbers depending on whether you sample nice sized and loose >> cobbles, or cobbles sedimented in, or silty bottoms..etc.. >> >> I have looked at websites on the issue of chemtrails. For the most >> part, I was not convinced that most of the people knew the difference >> between a contrail and a chem trail. But, still, I am glad to hear that >> the AAAS is taking up this issue. I live in Mt Shasta, and I would be >> really bummed out to find that my kids turned out to be sterile or with >> cancer due to a government coverup or program that had gone rogue. >> >> >> >> Brian Hill wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> This article was sent to me, and I am asking people who are qualified >>> to have and opinion to check it out. So far I have received a reply >>> from by biochemist brother which is pasted on below. It sounds hard >>> to believe, but AAAS is a long time well respected organization for >>> many years. >>> >>> >>> >>> Brian >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> *What Are They Spraying Us With? - Pt II >>> **Could Aluminum, Barium and Other Substances From Stratospheric >>> Aerosol >>> Geo-Engineering Programs be Destroying Eco-Systems around the World?* >>> By Michael J. Murphy >>> 4-11-10 >>> >>> What would you do if you were told that toxic substances being sprayed >>> into the sky are falling to the ground and decimating eco-systems >>> around the world? This very claim, made by concerned citizens >>> outside the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) >>> meeting last month in San Diego, sparked my interest to investigate >>> further. >>> >>> >>> >>> The AAAS meeting hosted several top geo-engineering scientists who >>> gathered to discuss the "plausibility" of implementing various >>> geo-engineering programs throughout the world. One of the options >>> addressed was the stratospheric aerosol geo-engineering (SAG) , >>> AKA chemtrail program, where scientists discussed the "plausibility" >>> of spraying aerosol aluminum, barium and other particles into the sky >>> to block the sun as a means to "reduce" the Earth's >>> temperature. When asked specifically about the potential risks >>> associated with using aluminum in the program as an aerosol, >>> scientists replied by stating that they have not studied much about >>> the risks associated with aluminum and added that something terrible >>> could be found tomorrow that they haven't looked at. When probed >>> further about the deployment of existing aerosol programs, the >>> scientists stated that no aerosol spraying programs have been deployed >>> to date. >>> >>> >>> >>> The concerned citizens I met outside the meeting were claiming quite >>> the opposite. They came in protest after witnessing airplanes that >>> they believe are regularly spraying aerosols into the upper-part of >>> the sky. Many from this group have tested and found extremely high >>> levels of aluminum, barium and other substances in their soil, rain, >>> water and snow. Ironically, the substances that they reported finding >>> are the same substances the scientists are "considering" implementing >>> in the various aerosol spraying programs discussed at the >>> meeting. They also believe that these substances are leading to the >>> destruction of eco-systems and are coming from already deployed SAG >>> programs. Due to the severity of this issue and my desire to know >>> the truth, I was led to Shasta County in the Northern part of >>> California to investigate not only the claims of what is being >>> reported in the sky, but also claims of what is in the rain, water, >>> snow and soil from what many residents are saying is the result of SAG >>> programs. >>> >>> >>> >>> The first stop on this trip led me to Dane Wigington's beautiful 2000 >>> acre property overlooking Lake Shasta. As we toured his breath-taking >>> land, he pointed to multiple trails that blanketed the sky. He >>> claimed the trails are present on most days above Northern >>> California. Wigington referred to this as a "moderate spraying >>> day". Like many other residents in Shasta County, Wigington moved to >>> the area to get away from the heavy pollution of Southern California >>> that he grew up with as a child. His dreams of living off the land >>> and becoming one with nature are now coming to a grinding halt as he >>> is focusing his time and energy on the issue of geo-engineering. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Wigington became concerned about SAG when he began to notice dramatic >>> changes in the solar power that he uses to supply his home and >>> property. Owner of one of the largest residential solar systems in >>> Northern California, he began to notice very high declines in solar >>> power. It can be decreased by as much as 60 percent on what he calls >>> "heavy spraying days". Wigington said, "The trails are literally >>> blocking the sun". He also went on to say that he regularly samples >>> the fine dust layers on top of his solar panels and other outdoor >>> surface areas and frequently finds very high levels of aluminum and >>> barium. Wigington believes that these are a product of SAG programs. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> At the same time as finding decreased solar power, Wigington also >>> began to witness dramatic changes on his property as the trees, grass, >>> insects and wildlife started dying. This led him to get his first >>> rain test just four years ago. The results were shocking as they >>> found aluminum levels at 7 ug/l or 7 parts per billion. Although >>> aluminum can be found around the world in smaller quantities, >>> geo-hydrologists told him that this number was quite high. Since that >>> time, he has had aluminum tests escalate as high as 50,000 percent to >>> 3,400ug/l. That is literally toxic rain. These results prompted him >>> to get additional pH tests from two USDA soil scientists which yielded >>> more shocking results. The pH of the soil was 6.6 in one area and 7.4 >>> in another. This is over 11 times the normal alkalinity of the soil >>> which should be in the range of 5.0 to 5.5. It is important to note >>> the tests were taken in the forest far removed from any highway or >>> industry. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> When asked what these changes can do to the ecosystem, Wigington >>> replied by saying that it is devastating. He went on to say, "if >>> this continues, we can only expect to see things get much worse. Not >>> only are we seeing our trees dying here, but also a major decline in >>> our wildlife and fish". As a matter of fact, Wigington stated that >>> according to The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the >>> salmon run, once seen in abundance in this area has declined from >>> 769,868 in 2002 to 39,530 in 2009. That is over a 90 percent >>> decline. Amazingly enough, this decline started occurring about the >>> same period of time when residents began to see a dramatic increase in >>> what they believe to be SAG programs. Wigington's efforts to get >>> these issues and test results addressed has been largely ignored by >>> government agencies and officials. >>> >>> >>> >>> After a closer look at Wigington's property, my initial awe of the >>> beauty and breath taking views led to sadness, frustration and anger >>> over the contamination that is literally destroying the >>> eco-system. This led me to investigate further by seeking an expert >>> in biology. I packed up the car and headed north to the breathtaking >>> town of Mt. Shasta. Mt. Shasta has been known for its beauty, clean >>> air and as being the source of water for some bottled water >>> companies. Many travel from around the world to mountain climb and >>> vacation in this beautiful part of Western America. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Francis Mangels, BS in Forestry, Masters in zoology and a retired soil >>> conservationist and wildlife biologist who worked for the U.S. Forest >>> Service for over thirty five years, welcomed me into his beautiful >>> home in the town of Mt. Shasta to discuss the "hidden" crisis that is >>> occurring. Mangels alerted me to the rapid decline of fish in the >>> nearby rivers and streams. Mangels brought me to a nearby creek that >>> had an abundant supply of fish just a few years ago. Because the >>> primary diet of the fish in the creek is aquatic insects, he performed >>> a standard sample method to measure the amount of insects >>> present. The samples he had performed before the alleged aerosol >>> spraying campaign had yielded an average of 1000 aquatic insects. Our >>> sample yielded only 31. This is over a 96% decline from samples taken >>> just a few years ago. Mangels stated that because the fish live off >>> of the insects, they are literally starving. This rapid decline is >>> likely due to changes in the chemistry of the water. The only changes >>> that Mangels is aware of are the dramatic increases of aluminum, >>> barium and strontium which he believes is from SAG programs. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> We also took time to test the pH of nearby soil and snow which >>> contained over 10 times the alkalinity of the normal pH. Mangels has >>> evidence that this drastic change in pH is also due to the massive >>> increases of aluminum. He stated that forests, fields and farm >>> ecologies thrive in acidic soils. Aluminum acts as a buffer that >>> increases alkalinity and can decimate ecologies in large >>> amounts. Mangels also pointed out that snow on Mt. Shasta was tested >>> and sent to theEnvironmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) who found >>> results that contained 61,100 ug/l or parts per billion of aluminum >>> and 83 ug/l of barium. The normal amount of aluminum in the snow at >>> Mt. Shasta is 0.5 ug/l. Drinking water allowable is 50ug/l. That >>> means that the snow on Mt. Shasta has tested at 1200 times more >>> poisonous than water standards allow for aluminum. Mangels said, >>> "Mountain climbers that come from around the world are drinking the >>> poisonous water from the snow on the mountain". Mangels went on to >>> say that government action is required at just 1000 ug/l of detected >>> aluminum. Although he alerted several government agencies of these >>> findings, no governmental action has been taken to date. >>> >>> >>> >>> Mengels brought me to several other locations around the town of Mt. >>> Shasta where he tested the soil, rain, water and snow that also >>> yielded tests that revealed the pH to be over ten times the normal >>> alkalinity. He went on to say that these types of changes in soil, >>> water and snow are very uncommon except in other areas around the >>> world where people have been witnessing what many believe to be >>> spraying from SAG programs. Mengels also stated that these changes >>> have produced an "ecological crisis" and will have horrible >>> consequences if continued. Mengels said, "Losses to our economy >>> will be incredible and are on their way as we speak. Tree growth will >>> be decreased which will result in the loss of logging jobs. It is >>> also causing the decline of naturally occurring plant and >>> grassgrowth that occurs in the normally acidic soils of grazing >>> pastures, resulting in the demise of our grazing industry, fishing >>> industry, and worst of all, basic agriculture in Northern California." >>> >>> >>> >>> What is amazing is that these tests and many others throughout the >>> world are largely being ignored by the very governmental entities that >>> are required to address them. Some politicians, like Mt. Shasta City >>> Council member Ed Valenzuela may choose to ignore the issue. >>> Valenzuela was made aware of the mass contamination at a city council >>> meeting where he stated that the city did not want to sample the water >>> for aluminum because the request was a "can of worms" that would, >>> "open a Pandora's box" that the city would have to pay >>> for. Although several local citizens volunteered to pay the $22.00 >>> cost of the test at an EPA lab, both Republican Committee Chairman >>> Russ Porterfield, and Valenzuela voted no to having the water tested. >>> The mayor Stearns wanted the test, but was overruled by a 3-2 >>> vote. This response is not uncommon as Mengels has presented this >>> issue and his scientific data to over 15 local and federal agencies >>> including Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer's office. To date he >>> has received no response or action. >>> >>> >>> >>> Is it a coincidence that the substances found in the rain, snow and >>> soil in this region and around the world match the exact substances >>> that scientists are "considering" implementing in various >>> geo-engineering campaigns throughout the world? If not, then why have >>> agencies and officials largely ignored these findings that are >>> destroying our planet's eco-system? Could it be that officials are >>> fearful of exposing a massive cover-up of a world-wide ecological >>> crime? Or is it the belief that this issue is simply too large and >>> too complicated a problem for them to tackle? Whatever the reason for >>> this ignorance, we need to demand that our questions and shocking test >>> results get addressed not only in Shasta County, but in every part of >>> the world. Our future on this planet is dependent on this issue being >>> addressed. >>> >>> >>> >>> Because this movement has come under attack from those who appear to >>> be protecting the many political and corporate interests associated >>> with SAG, it is essential that all of us around the world get involved >>> by testing the rain, snow, soil and various outdoor surfaces and >>> reporting the results to our elected officials and local environmental >>> agencies. We must also reach out and educate all those involved with >>> SAG who might be unaware of the environmental implications associated >>> with their programs. Testing for pH changes and metals is simple and >>> can be performed almost anywhere at a nominal price. >>> >>> >>> >>> Simple testing instructions and more information about geo-engineering >>> programs can be found on the internet at >>> www. >> >geoengineeringwatch.org. Biologist >>> Francis Mengels can be contacted by e-mail >>> at >> >> >bio >> >> guy0311 at sbcglobal.net >>> >>> >> for >>> more information on this issue, the tests he has performed and >>> suggestions on testing procedures. Please take action by testing, >>> reporting and demanding answers on this ever so important issue. Both >>> nature and humanity depend on it. For more information, please >>> contact me at >> >> >whtagft@ >> >> hotmail.com >>> or >>> visit my blog: >> >> >http://truthmediaproductions.blo >> >> gsot.com >>> . >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> To clarify things: looking at my national soil pH map califfornia has >>> a very steep and varied pH range with the soil on the the northern >>> coast being much acidic than that found inland/south whic tends to be >>> basic as you disccovered.. pH 9 IS very alkaline. soil pH's of less >>> than 5 are rare but not unheard of. Decomposed pine/fir needles are >>> very acidic which is why they only be used in compost in small amounts >>> -unless of course if you have alkaline soil. maybe that could be the >>> case in Shasta. One sample from under conifers and other from >>> different microclimate eg limestone present. >>> >>> >>> >>> pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the concentration of H+ >>> ions (which "cause" acidity), meaning that as it works out, a pH of 5 >>> is in fact 10 times more acidic than pH 6 >>> >>> by that accepted convention. >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> env-trinity mailing list >>> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >>> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity >>> >> > > From bhill at igc.org Sun May 2 17:29:08 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Sun, 2 May 2010 17:29:08 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: [toeslist] "Collateralized Fish Obligations? Fishery Management And Catch Shares Message-ID: <009901caea57$aeae18e0$0c0a4aa0$@org> From: toeslist at yahoogroups.com [mailto:toeslist at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Riaz Tayob Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 11:59 AM Subject: [toeslist] "Collateralized Fish Obligations? Fishery Management And Catch Shares "Collateralized Fish Obligations? Fishery Management And Catch Shares Sunday 02 May 2010 by: Christine Shearer, t r u t h o u t | Report photo (Photo: nurpax) A program promoted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environmental Defense Fund aims to address overfishing, but will small fishermen get squeezed out of the process? Multiple studies suggest our world's oceans are being overfished. While alarming, such studies often eclipse successful examples of sustainable fishing practices, such as Oregon's Port Orford Ocean Resource Team (POORT). This community-based organization focuses on both healthy fish stocks and the economic viability of the town, where operators of small fishing boats work alongside scientists and researchers to ensure sustainable fishing methods. Rather than strengthen and expand efforts like Port Orford, however, fishermen say the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is strongly pushing a different program to address overfishing: the privatization of the seas through "catch shares." Proposed years ago by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), of which NOAA head Dr. Jane Lubchenco served as vice-chair, and supported by former President George W. Bush, catch shares is a management program in which fishermen or investors buy, sell, or trade shares of total fish catch limits, also known as individual tradable quotas (ITQ). The shares become a permit, issued for a fixed period, which is renewed if not revoked, limited, or modified. NOAA would like the program to be national, and is pushing for its implementation in New England fisheries starting May 1. According to EDF's website, the program is designed to spur fishermen to maximize the value of their share, rather than capture the most fish they can, a neoclassical conception of human nature known as the "tragedy of the commons". And "as the fishery becomes more efficient, fewer boats and gear are needed and seasons lengthen." Fewer boats, however, does not necessarily mean less fish, but could mean more commercial consolidation and fewer fishermen and fishing communities. Indeed, critics fear that catch shares may permanently transform our national fish stocks into a tightly controlled financial trading scheme dominated by investors and industrial seafood producers. Ironically, since catch shares are often allocated based on historic catch levels, smaller, more sustainable fishers are initially eligible for fewer shares than large commercial fisheries. Equally controversial is its advocate, EDF, an organization that has promoted using private investors to address environmental problems. Its board of trustees consists of directors and investors of private equity firms, capital management firms, and large financial institutions like Morgan Stanley that stand to profit from the transformation of natural resources into tradable market assets. According to journalist Richard Gaines, EDF's Vice President David Festa has been urging institutional investors to buy shares of New England groundfish, touting a projected 400 percent return on investment based on experiences with catch shares in other fisheries. Indeed, evaluation of existing ITQ fisheries suggest reason for smaller-scale fishermen to be concerned. According to a study by Ecotrust Canada, a group that promotes community-based eco-management, the conversion of British Columbia fisheries into ITQ markets has encouraged speculative buying and leasing of quotas by "armchair" fishermen and investors, driving up business costs for working fishermen. In Alaska, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service found that, after implementation of catch shares, the number of persons holding halibut quota shares in small Gulf of Alaska communities dropped by 46% from 1995 to 2004. Most alarmingly, in Iceland quota shares became part of mixed-investment portfolios containing mortgage-based derivatives, which are now part of that country's toxic assets. The program was so economically disastrous for small fishermen that the United Nations Human Rights Commission declared it illegal; the Icelandic government is considering altering the program, but must first buy back the now privatized catch shares from investors. Many fishermen are therefore opposed to the push by NOAA to implement this program on a national level. Maine fisherwoman Mary Beth de Poutiloff questions who catch shares really benefit: "The small boat family fleet does less harm to the resources and the environment, and our money supports coastal communities. Why is NOAA favoring huge, corporate fleets while the small boats are practicing sustainable fishing?" EDF senior scientist Rod Fujita, however, says that if fishermen are active in shaping catch shares regulations, the program can actually work to their benefit. "A lot of catch shares are built on the idea that those with the biggest catch history get the biggest shares, but it doesn't have to be that way. There is a very strong argument to be made that the majority of catch shares should go to the best stewards of the environment, regardless of how much fish they catch, because some fishermen choose to remain small because of their values. And they should be rewarded for their stewardship behavior rather than punished, and catch shares can be built to accommodate that." Fishermen, however, say they have historically had little power in shaping fishery regulations. And many have had a rocky relationship with NOAA, which recently suffered further blows due to allegations of unjust fishing fines by the agency and the shredding of NOAA documents in the wake of an investigation into the fines, costing Dale Jones his job as NOAA director. Additionally not helping matters is that catch shares will siphon away $10.5 million from cooperative fishery research toward implementation of the $54 million NOAA program, including funding for fish monitoring and observer data that local fishermen say often excludes their input. POORT Executive Director Leesa Cobb wonders why the funding is being so focused on only one management tool: "It seems disingenuous for NOAA to say that they understand catch shares is only one tool, and then NOAA in turn allocates $54 million to exclusively develop catch shares. NOAA is not offering this funding to help (fishery) councils decide how to best manage for sustainable fisheries, they are only providing this money for catch shares." More broadly, many fishermen are concerned that catch shares are vulnerable to the consolidation of quotas by large commercial fisheries and, potentially, financial speculators, squeezing out smaller fishermen that cannot afford to compete. The effect would be not only financial speculation and possible inflation of fish and fishing prices but also the further erosion of our country's shrinking ties to generations of more ecologically-based ways of living, much like small-scale farmers crowded out by large agri-business. Fisherwoman Rhonda Maker said that, based on her experience with catch shares in Alaska, once the program is implemented, "fishing jobs become scarcer, with little or no chance for new fishermen to advance beyond deckhand. Because the rights to the fish are consolidated outside of local communities, profits pass by rather than into local economies." Indeed, some congressional members are expressing alarm at NOAA's rush to implement catch shares. At a March 2010 hearing on catch shares by the US House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) laid out his concerns with the program: "The last thing I want is Goldman Sachs buying up all the shares of a fishery in three years, and (having) derivatives of fishery shares being sold on Wall Street. I don't think (NOAA management) has a clue." To prevent such market consolidation and financialization, community-based environmental organizations advocate that catch shares be modified or complemented with broader marine management "tool kits," tailoring regulations to specific communities and fisheries to avoid monopolization and overfishing, and helping small, remaining fisheries survive and grow. Ecotrust proposes strengthening community fisheries, further integrating them as fishery co-managers and, where catch shares are implemented, having transparent quota share trading and direct allocation of some quota shares to community entities. Taking a cue from the lessons of Iceland, Food and Water Watch also supports holding some quota off the market to allocate to vulnerable coastal communities, to avoid the buying up of quotas by industrialized seafood production at the expense of more sustainable and local seafood producers. EDF's Rod Fujita agrees that catch shares should be designed and implemented thoughtfully. "If that is a social value - you want to preserve the social value of the fishery and you don't want outside investment - then you can set up catch shares to preserve those values." POORT Executive Director Leesa Cobb, however, says NOAA's push for catch shares has eclipsed discussion of and support for other management tools. "Unfortunately, the catch share campaign has drowned out all other ideas and approaches to fisheries management. Another approach, community-based fisheries management, has gotten a lot less attention even though it offers a lot of benefits, particularly an enhanced level of stewardship for ocean resources among community participants." Mary Beth de Poutiloff said that rather than manage the ocean as a trust, catch shares encourages it to be viewed as just another stock market. "This is water real estate." Creative Commons License This work by Truthout is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License." http://www.truthout.org/collateralized-fish-obligations59079 http://snipurl.com/vy8kn -- ''''''''.''''''''' __._,_.___ Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon May 3 10:20:56 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 3 May 2010 10:20:56 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 5/3/10 Message-ID: <012901caeae4$fec3fa60$fc4bef20$@net> Officials scrambling to lower Millerton Lake Fresno Bee-5/3/10 By Mark Grossi Federal officials are selling billions of gallons of water to farmers as a way to lower Millerton Lake and make room for a rush of snowmelt this month. Water releases from Friant Dam for the San Joaquin River restoration program also are helping to lower the reservoir, though they are not intended to be used that way, federal officials said. In the last week, some Millerton fishing enthusiasts and others noticed the dropping lake level and worried that restoration releases were to blame. But that's not the case, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, owner and operator of Friant Dam. About 70 percent of the water being removed from Millerton right now is going to farmers, and that percentage is likely to increase. Apart from the restoration, bureau officials say they must lower the lake to prepare for the thawing of the snowpack, which is 139 percent of average for this time of year. If the weather warms up quickly or a warm storm drops a lot of rain on the snowpack, the lake could fill within days and force a big release of water down the river, bureau spokesman Pete Lucero said. Such a surge could cause millions of dollars in damage to crops and land near the river, and valuable irrigation water would be lost for growers. The concern has grown as the biggest snowpack since 2006 expanded during a string of cold April storms. If it can be controlled, the runoff from the added snowpack could be a boon to east San Joaquin Valley farmers. They could get more than 400,000 acre-feet of water in flood-prevention releases this spring. An acre-foot of water is about 326,000 gallons, a 12- to 18-month supply of water for an average Valley family. Farmers also will get a chance to buy 30,000 acre-feet of water to compensate for water they lost last fall when the river restoration flows began. The lost water is made available during wet years, according to the restoration agreement. With the extra water, farmers are irrigating some crops and filling massive ponds that seep water into the ground for their wells, said Ron Jacobsma, general manager of the Friant Water Users Authority, which represents 15,000 east-side growers. "We have an extensive groundwater recharge program," he said. "We'll be taking as much water as we can and hoping Millerton won't spill over the next month." For decades, water officials have been balancing the snow runoff and the limited room in Millerton. Even in a dry year, such as 2009, officials need to swiftly step up deliveries to prevent the lake from filling too high. Millerton is a small reservoir -- half the size of Pine Flat Reservoir on the Kings River, which has a similar amount of annual snow runoff. In Northern California, Shasta Reservoir, the largest man-made lake in the state, is nine times larger than Millerton. Millerton, with a capacity of 520,500 acre-feet, was built in the 1940s on a site that would not support a larger reservoir. Federal officials understood the limitations, but used the site because the land was donated and the reservoir was sorely needed at the time. At the moment, Pine Flat on the Kings has nearly twice the amount of water as Millerton, but it has not filled high enough to trigger flood-prevention measures. Meanwhile, Friant water officials are scrambling. "It's difficult, but we will make the most of a wet season like this," Jacobsma said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed May 5 10:18:32 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 5 May 2010 10:18:32 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 5/5/10 Message-ID: <01c001caec76$fe284af0$fa78e0d0$@net> Plentiful snowpack boosts delivery forecasts for farms, but shortages may persist Sacramento Bee-5/5/10 By Matt Weiser Nature blessed the Golden State with an abundant snowpack this year, and the rivers are rushing with cold, clear melt water. But the blessings won't include an end to California's water wars. State and federal water agencies on Tuesday both boosted their water delivery forecasts in response to the rich snowpack, which stood at 149 percent of normal statewide as of Monday. Yet the state's complicated plumbing and varied geography mean some areas may still experience shortages, either because they didn't get enough rainfall locally to recover from three drought years, or because they can't import enough water from elsewhere. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced Tuesday that one of California's hardest-hit farming regions, the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, will get 40 percent of its contracted water deliveries. That's substantially better than the 10 percent offered at this time last year, and better than the 30 percent forecast last month. Yet some view the new forecast, instead, as a 60 percent cut. "Coming on the heels of two horrible years for water deliveries, it's still little hope for the devastated communities that are trying to limp along on these dismal water supplies," said Mike Wade, executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition. The California Department of Water Resources on Tuesday also increased its delivery forecast from 30 percent to 40 percent of contract amounts. Despite the improving picture, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently has no intention of calling an end to the drought. It was he who first declared, in June 2008, that California was suffering from one. There is no official protocol for either declaring or canceling a drought. Rather, it's a subjective call based on a variety of complex factors related to hydrology and economics. "We know there are places in California this year that will be experiencing water shortages," said Wendy Martin, drought coordinator at the state Department of Water Resources. The Sacramento region has normal water supplies and has not imposed special, drought-related conservation measures, although various jurisdictions have permanent rules that allow watering only on particular days of the week. Area water agencies recently told customers in a press release that the wet winter is "not a free pass to waste water." They urged residents to continue using water wisely, because they must comply with a new state law that sets a 10 percent conservation target in 2015, then 20 percent in 2020. "Our water use per capita has been dropping, and our customers have done a spectacular job of working with us," said Shauna Lorance, general manager of the San Juan Water District, which serves portions of Roseville, Granite Bay, Orangevale and Folsom. "If everybody can keep that going, it's going to make meeting the requirement much more effective." Lake Oroville illustrates the need for a cautious posture. It is the primary supply point for DWR's State Water Project, which supplies urban areas including Los Angeles, San Diego and parts of Silicon Valley. Oroville and its Feather River watershed mysteriously missed much of the wintertime largess this year, and this week the reservoir stood only 69 percent full. At the other extreme is Lake Shasta, California's largest reservoir. It's 97 percent full, with much of the upstream snowpack still waiting to melt. "It's been a dramatic recovery, really it has," Peggy Manza, a hydraulic engineer at reclamation, said of Lake Shasta's nearly full condition. Reclamation has been releasing water from Shasta to make room for snowmelt and to meet legal requirements to maintain cool temperatures in the Sacramento River for salmon. Others see that water leaving Shasta and wonder why they can't have it. Wade criticized new federal rules, called biological opinions, that regulate reservoir releases and water diversions from the Delta to protect salmon and Delta smelt. On Tuesday, state and federal agencies were diverting less than 1 percent of the freshwater flowing through the Delta from its many upstream tributaries. "There's plenty of water, but the water users aren't getting it," Wade said. In reality, those new rules aren't yet restricting water deliveries. The present limit on water diversions in the Delta, effective until May, has been in place for a decade to protect salmon. And temperature requirements in the Sacramento River have also existed for years. Bill Kier, a fisheries biologist who consults with salmon fishermen, said it is easy for some to complain that freshwater leaving the Delta is "wasted" by flowing to the sea. But these flows help create conditions conducive to food production, he said, which in turn could boost fish populations in future years. That could mean one less fight in the water war. "So it's not water wasting to the sea," he said. "It's water doing what nature intended." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wjcarl1 at yahoo.com Wed May 5 06:52:57 2010 From: wjcarl1 at yahoo.com (Warren Carlson) Date: Wed, 5 May 2010 06:52:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [env-trinity] Address Change Message-ID: <728164.59816.qm@web81505.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Please update my email address: OLD ADDRESS: wjcarl1 at pacbell.net NEW/CORRECT ADDRESS: wjcarl1 at yahoo.com From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu May 6 15:34:40 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 15:34:40 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River In-Season Trapping Update -- Outmigrant Monitoring at Willow Creek Message-ID: <026201caed6c$526bd550$f7437ff0$@net> From: Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov [mailto:Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov] Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 1:56 PM Subject: Trinity River In-Season Trapping Update -- Outmigrant Monitoring at Willow Creek Willow Creek Downstream Migrant Trap Site 2010 In-Season Trapping Update ?May 6, 2010 Synopsis: The 2010 Downstream Migrant trapping season at the Willow Creek Trap Site (river kilometer 34) is being conducted jointly by the USFWS Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office (AFWO) and the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program (YTFP) on the mainstem Trinity River near Willow Creek, California. The season began March 8th, 2010 with the installation of two traps. A third trap was installed March 9th, 2010. See attached catch summary for details of this narrative. This summary includes data from March 9th, 2010 through April 15th, 2010 and is presented as raw catch. No expansions have been calculated at this time. Data entry is not complete for Julian Week (JW) 16, April 16th to April 22nd. Heavy debris load and high flows have occasionally resulted in null sets, causing less than 21 trap days (3 traps x 7 days) in some weeks (particularly weeks 13-15 when spring rains coincided with high dam releases), resulting in variable effort over the season; therefore raw catch numbers should be interpreted with caution. Raw daily catches of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have been captured each day sampling has occurred and most have been young-of-the-year (YOY). Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of YOY Chinook salmon were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 11. Efficiency calibrations were conducted with freeze-branded hatchery Chinook salmon during all weeks sampled. Raw daily catches of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) smolts (age 1+) have been relatively steady since the beginning of trapping with hatchery steelhead showing up in JW 12. Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of Steelhead smolts were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 11 and JW 14. Steelhead YOY numbers are present in the catch, but have yet to show signs of a peak. Raw daily catches of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) are lower than last year at this time but not significantly lower than other years prior. Weekly mean Fulton?s K value of natural coho salmon smolts has varied greatly from week to week due to low catches. Hatchery Coho smolts occurred in the catch beginning Julian Week 15. If you have any questions regarding this summary, don't hesitate to contact Bill Pinnix at (707) 822-7201. (See attached file: WCT_Catch_Summary_05_06_10.pdf) William Pinnix USFWS, AFWO 1655 Heindon Rd Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 822-7201 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: WCT_Catch_Summary_05_06_10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 28587 bytes Desc: not available URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Thu May 6 15:44:21 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 15:44:21 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Magic Kingdom Meets Water Barons' Sleight-of-Hand In-Reply-To: <026201caed6c$526bd550$f7437ff0$@net> References: <026201caed6c$526bd550$f7437ff0$@net> Message-ID: http://www.fishsniffer.com/forums/content.php?r=198 Magic Kingdom Meets Water Barons' Sleight-of-Hand by Dan Bacher A trip to Disneyland is always fun, right? Maybe not... that's if you have to listen to a comedian/grower, southern California water agency hacks and others talk about the need to export more water from the California Delta at the expense of imperiled Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and other fish populations by building a peripheral canal and new dams. "On May 14, you could take a working vacation to attend the 3rd Annual OC (Orange County) Water Summit at the Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort," quipped Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta. The event, entitled "Capture the Flow," is sponsored by the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). "California continues to confront significant challenges to its water future ? an outdated water system, severe water supply shortages due to drought, and regulatory restrictions on water deliveries," the event's press release proclaims. "Our water delivery system was built a generation ago to meet the needs of 16 million people ? it now strains to meet the needs of 38 million. Business owners, policy makers, and community leaders need information and resources to continue to thrive." (http://www.acwa.com/events/2010-orance-county-water-summit- capture-flow) The speakers are Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez; Paul Rodriguez ("actor, comedian, and water activist"); Joel Kotkin, author of "The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050"; Robert Boller, Vice President of Sustainability for Kendall-Jackson Winery; and Curt Schmute ("expert on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta"). "Mr. Schmute acquired his expertise on the Delta as the Principal Engineer and Water Resources Manager for Metropolitan Water District," said Barrigan-Parrilla. "The cost is $125," said Barrigan-Parrilla. "Of course, you might not want to pay $125 to hear Paul Rodriguez tell you why agribusiness needs more water." Rodriguez, a comedian and San Joaquin Valley fruit grower, is the spokesperson for the Latino Water Coalition, an astroturf group serving as a front for corporate agribusiness. The group was formed at the suggestion of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during a meeting with agribusiness interests. The group has relentlessly lobbied for a peripheral canal and new dams and more water exports for the San Joaquin Valley's Corporate Welfare Queens. In a bizzare incident last week, Rodriguez claimed that Schwarzenegger had appointed him to the California Water Commission, a claim that Schwarzenegger denied. "When Paul Rodriguez announced last week, prematurely, that he had been appointed to the California Water Commission, he may have inadvertently tipped off environmentalist and Senate Democrats to get ready for battle," according to Malcolm Maclachlan in the Capitol Weekly (http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php? _c=ytltxbaky694ql&xid=ytjvqjzz05x81o&done=.ytltxbaky6x4ql). For more information about the Latino Water Coalition, read Lloyd Carter's excellent article: http://www.lloydgcarter.com/content/ 090629251_the-pr-firm-from-hell. More information is also available at: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php? title=California_Latino_Water_Coalition. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From raghorn at wildblue.net Sat May 8 00:14:13 2010 From: raghorn at wildblue.net (Richard Rockwell) Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 23:14:13 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Magic Kingdom Message-ID: In a word: disgusting. Sounds more like they're enjoying magic mushrooms than the Magic Kingdom. R.W. Rockwell, Ph.D. Retired Aquatic Ecologist Junction City, CA ================= On Fri, May 7, 2010 at 11:00 AM, < env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> wrote: > Send env-trinity mailing list submissions to > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > env-trinity-request at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > > You can reach the person managing the list at > env-trinity-owner at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of env-trinity digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Magic Kingdom Meets Water Barons' Sleight-of-Hand (Dan Bacher) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 15:44:21 -0700 > From: Dan Bacher > Subject: [env-trinity] Magic Kingdom Meets Water Barons' > Sleight-of-Hand > To: undisclosed-recipients:; > Message-ID: > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" > > http://www.fishsniffer.com/forums/content.php?r=198 > > Magic Kingdom Meets Water Barons' Sleight-of-Hand > > by Dan Bacher > > A trip to Disneyland is always fun, right? > > Maybe not... that's if you have to listen to a comedian/grower, > southern California water agency hacks and others talk about the need > to export more water from the California Delta at the expense of > imperiled Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and other fish > populations by building a peripheral canal and new dams. > > "On May 14, you could take a working vacation to attend the 3rd > Annual OC (Orange County) Water Summit at the Grand Californian Hotel > at the Disneyland Resort," quipped Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, > campaign director of Restore the Delta. > > The event, entitled "Capture the Flow," is sponsored by the > Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). "California > continues to confront significant challenges to its water future ? an > outdated water system, severe water supply shortages due to drought, > and regulatory restrictions on water deliveries," the event's press > release proclaims. "Our water delivery system was built a generation > ago to meet the needs of 16 million people ? it now strains to meet > the needs of 38 million. Business owners, policy makers, and > community leaders need information and resources to continue to > thrive." (http://www.acwa.com/events/2010-orance-county-water-summit- > capture-flow) > > The speakers are Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez; Paul Rodriguez > ("actor, comedian, and water activist"); Joel Kotkin, author of "The > Next Hundred Million: America in 2050"; Robert Boller, Vice President > of Sustainability for Kendall-Jackson Winery; and Curt Schmute > ("expert on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta"). > > "Mr. Schmute acquired his expertise on the Delta as the Principal > Engineer and Water Resources Manager for Metropolitan Water > District," said Barrigan-Parrilla. > > "The cost is $125," said Barrigan-Parrilla. "Of course, you might not > want to pay $125 to hear Paul Rodriguez tell you why agribusiness > needs more water." > > Rodriguez, a comedian and San Joaquin Valley fruit grower, is the > spokesperson for the Latino Water Coalition, an astroturf group > serving as a front for corporate agribusiness. The group was formed > at the suggestion of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger during a meeting > with agribusiness interests. The group has relentlessly lobbied for a > peripheral canal and new dams and more water exports for the San > Joaquin Valley's Corporate Welfare Queens. > > In a bizzare incident last week, Rodriguez claimed that > Schwarzenegger had appointed him to the California Water Commission, > a claim that Schwarzenegger denied. > > "When Paul Rodriguez announced last week, prematurely, that he had > been appointed to the California Water Commission, he may have > inadvertently tipped off environmentalist and Senate Democrats to get > ready for battle," according to Malcolm Maclachlan in the Capitol > Weekly (http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php? > _c=ytltxbaky694ql&xid=ytjvqjzz05x81o&done=.ytltxbaky6x4ql). > > For more information about the Latino Water Coalition, read Lloyd > Carter's excellent article: http://www.lloydgcarter.com/content/ > 090629251_the-pr-firm-from-hell. More information is also available > at: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php? > title=California_Latino_Water_Coalition. > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20100506/15d52316/attachment-0001.html > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > > End of env-trinity Digest, Vol 76, Issue 7 > ****************************************** > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri May 7 22:25:07 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 22:25:07 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Former Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks to Westlands Message-ID: <000b01caee6e$d4fd3e20$7ef7ba60$@net> Manson Leaves Faculty Post To Join Westlands May 06, 2010 Craig Manson, UOP '81, will leave the faculty this summer to accept a permanent position as general counsel for the Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural water district in the United States. Manson, a former U.S. Department of the Interior Undersecretary, has served as a distinguished visitor and lecturer in law at Pacific McGeorge since January 2006 teaching Environmental Law, Administrative Law and Public Policy Development. cid:3356100875_5508267 A former Superior Court judge and general counsel for the California Department of Fish & Game, Manson previously taught as an adjunct professor at Pacific McGeorge from 1993 to 2001. In 2004, he was honored as the law school's Alumnus of the Year during his service as Interior Department Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks. Thomas Birmingham, UOP '83, is the general manager of the Fresno-based Westlands Water District. The huge agency, whose farms produce $1 billion worth and wood and fiber annually, has been in the middle of California's political water wars for decades. Manson will be stationed in Sacramento while he serves as its legal counsel. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 226862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon May 10 11:59:25 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 11:59:25 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times-Standard 5/7/10 Message-ID: <008401caf072$e9c832f0$bd5898d0$@net> Klamath Basin plan splits up meager water; flows to the river expected to protect migrating salmon Eureka Times-Standard-5/7/10 By John Driscoll Federal officials are giving Klamath River salmon a buffer against potentially deadly low flows this year as part of an operations plan to manage irrigation and protected species in the Upper Klamath Basin. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced its plan Thursday, which will mean thousands of acres of farmland on the California-Oregon border will go fallow and wildlife refuges will get no water from the Klamath Irrigation Project. New guidelines from the National Marine Fisheries Service call for flows from lowermost Iron Gate Dam about 25 percent higher this September than they were in 2002, when 68,000 salmon died in a hot, shallow lower Klamath River. "The system's not that resilient right now," said NMFS Arcata Area Office Supervisor Irma Lagomarcino. "We need a bit of a buffer right now." Irrigation in the upper basin is scheduled to begin mid-May, and when it does, the 200,000 project will get only about one-third its average supply. "It won't be enough to go around the project," said Klamath Water Users Association outreach and program coordinator Belinda Stewart. Groundwater pumping and land fallowing programs may aid some farms in the project. The Klamath Falls, Ore., area has seen only scattered rainfall since January, with precipitation being well below normal for January, February and March. In April, while the Eureka area saw nearly 5 inches above the normal 2.9 inches, Klamath Falls got just 1.4 inches, which is actually more than normal. "They don't get a lot of rain this time of year," said National Weather Service data acquisition program manager Chuck Glaser. Reclamation must balance water to its irrigation project to water for threatened salmon in the Klamath River below Iron Gate, and keep Upper Klamath Lake full enough to protect endangered suckers. In 2001, federal agencies required that irrigation water be severely cut back to protect salmon and suckers, prompting major protests in the upper basin. The next year, Washington changed its policy and provided water to farms. But a good-size run of salmon in the lower river met low, warm water on their upstream migration and died by the thousands. Flows from Iron Gate in September 2002, when the bulk of the run was moving upriver, were 760 cubic feet per second. This year, Reclamation's plan calls for 1,000 cfs during that period. Part of the cutbacks to irrigators this year can be traced to a draw down of Upper Klamath Lake in the winter, which left less to work with in the spring. Stewart said that project farmers, and salmon, would be better off if a wide-ranging agreement signed in February along with another to remove four dams on the river had been in place. Federal agencies, farmers and biologists could have chosen to hold back water based on weather conditions beginning early in the winter, leaving more to manage, she said. Stewart said in that case farmers may have gotten twice the amount they will this year. The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement's implementing legislation is currently being drawn up. Glen Spain with the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, a supporter of the agreements, also agreed that the Klamath basin would be in a better position under the pacts. That includes providing water to refuges even in the driest years, he said. Spain said that the current federal guidelines to protect salmon and suckers are far better than those of 2002, when the fish kill occurred. Those were challenged by the association and others and have since been thrown out by a federal court. For this year, Spain said that the agencies have done their best to address the drought. "They're making the best of a bad deal," Spain said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From srosekrans at edf.org Mon May 10 17:04:03 2010 From: srosekrans at edf.org (Spreck Rosekrans) Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 20:04:03 -0400 Subject: [env-trinity] Blog - Is Long Beach #1 in Water Conservation? Message-ID: <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90584989CF5@ny-mail> See http://blogs.edf.org/waterfront/ Spreck Rosekrans www.edf.org 415-293-6082 This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bhill at igc.org Tue May 11 07:42:31 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 07:42:31 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: [toeslist] Geoengineering Experiments Contested at UN meeting in Nairobi - thanks bill gates... Message-ID: <00f701caf118$369a9550$a3cfbff0$@org> -----Original Message----- From: toeslist at yahoogroups.com [mailto:toeslist at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Riaz Tayob Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 6:33 AM Subject: [toeslist] Geoengineering Experiments Contested at UN meeting in Nairobi - thanks bill gates... The myth of progress... ETC Group News Release 10 May 2010 www.etcgroup.org As huge cloud-whitening experiment goes public, global coalition urges an immediate halt to geoengineering First UN talks on issue in thirty years begin today http://www.handsoffmotherearth.org Amidst revelations in this weekend?s London Times newspaper{1} that a team of scientists and engineers funded by billionaire Bill Gates are planning to carry out?a 10,000 square kilometer field trial of?controversial ?cloud-whitening? technology, over one hundred civil society groups are urging governments meeting on biological diversity in Nairobi to stop risky geoengineering experiments now. Geoengineering refers to large-scale technological schemes to intentionally alter the planet?s systems as a quick fix for climate change. The San Francisco based ?Silver Lining Project? directed by entrepreneur Kelly Wanser has so far received $300,000 from Bill Gates to develop technologies that will increase the whiteness of marine clouds. Theoretically, executed on a massive scale, whiter clouds could increase the earth?s albedo, reflecting more sunlight back to space and thereby reduce global warming (without changing the composition of greenhouse gases which cause warming). The Silver Lining Project has decided to press ahead with plans to alter cloud-cover over an undisclosed 10,000 square kilometre patch of ocean (as large as the BP oil slick was a few days ago). If not stopped, the Gates ?cloud-bleaching? experiment would be the largest known geoengineering field trial to date. Its effects could include changes in rainfall and other altered weather patterns. Among the sites frequently spoken of by scientists engaged in this research are the Pacific coasts of North and South America (specifically California, Ecuador, Peru and Chile). Most worrisome, the Times revealed:??The British and American scientists involved do not intend to wait for international rules on technology that deliberately alters the climate.? Such rules could be set in motion this week as scientists and diplomats from 193 nations meet under the auspices of the UN?Convention on Biological Diversity?s scientific body. The meeting in Nairobi of SBSTTA 14 (Subsidiary Body of?Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, running from May 10-21 2010) is the first time a UN Body has addressed geoengineering as a whole since the signing of the ENMOD Treaty in Geneva in 1976 that banned environmental modification for ?hostile uses?.[2] A new global coalition will be urging governments in Nairobi to adopt a moratorium on all geoengineering experiments, just as the UN Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a moratorium on ocean fertilization in 2008. Over one hundred organizations and individuals, including leading names in the environmental and global justice movement have joined H.O.M.E. campaign: Hands off Mother Earth--Our Home is not a Laboratory (www.handsoffmotherearth.org). ?Our Home Planet Earth should not be treated as a laboratory for risky geoengineering experiments,? says Silvia Ribeiro of ETC Group in Mexico from the Nairobi SBSTTA meeting. ?Human-caused climate change already threatens our lands, seas, food supply and rights. We do not want to embark on another dangerous experiment with our planet. If they think that the people and governments of Ecuador, Peru or Chile ? or anywhere else they might try ? will stand idly by as they mess with our oceans, clouds and weather, they are in for a surprise. Delegates here are shocked by these plans.? ??We knew Microsoft was developing cloud applications for computers but we didn?t expect this,? explained Jim Thomas of ETC Group, one of the founding organizations of the HOME campaign ?Bill Gates and his cloud-wrenching cronies have no right to unilaterally change our seas and skies in this way. A global moratorium on geoengineering experiments just became a whole lot more urgent and the meeting in Nairobi is a fine place to ensure that it gets put into place rapidly.? -30- Additional background: What: Geoengineering refers to large-scale technological proposals to fix climate change by deliberately altering the climate, weather, atmosphere and oceans. Examples of geoengineering schemes include dumping nutrients into the sea to grow algal blooms (called Ocean Fertilization), turning extensive monoculture plantations into charcoal to bury in the soil (called biochar) and deliberately polluting the upper atmosphere with sulphur or aluminium particles to reflect sunlight (called stratospheric aerosols) as well as cloud-whitening. All of these experiments have large potential impacts on environment, biodiversity and the livelihoods of people especially in the Global South. Geoengineering advocates argue that there is no time for a global political agreement to address the real causes of climate change, so brave new scientists and wealthy entrepreneurs should save the world for all of us instead, with their own technofixes. There are now several geoengineering experiments getting underway without any global oversight framework in place and larger experiments are planned. Geoengineers, including those behind the Gates cloud-wrenching test have recently proposed ?voluntary guidelines? rather than full independent multilateral oversight of the field. The proposal currently before SBSTTA 14 is for governments to look into the biodiversity implications of geoengineering (as well as to examine the ongoing work on ocean fertilization which began in 2008). Civil society groups are insisting experiments be stopped while governments examine the implications of such research. Who: A new global campaign and coalition to stop Geoengineering experiments was launched last month at an international climate change meeting in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This Hands Off Mother Earth (H.O.M.E.) Campaign is calling on governments through the UN to put a halt to unilateral open-air geoengineering experiments ? arguing they are too risky and unjust. Supporters of the HOME campaign against geoengineering include high profile environmentalists such as Bill McKibben, David Suzuki, Vandana Shiva and Naomi Klein. Organizations supporting the HOME campaign include ETC Group, Friends of the Earth International, Third World Network, Indigenous Environmental Network, la Via Campenina, Asian Indigenous Peoples Pact, Biofuelwatch and many others. Show of Hands: Additionally members of the public have been uploading their pictures with their hands held up with messages against geoengineering to a growing photo petition at http://www.handsoffmotherearth.org. A giant poster displaying the protest is on display at SBSTTA 14 in Nairobi and ETC Group has three people at the meeting, working with campaign partners to inform delegates of the protest and the reasons behind it. For more information about Hands Off Mother Earth Campaign see http://www.handsoffmotherearth.org In Nairobi: *Neth Dano, neth at etcgroup.org cell & SMS + 63 917 532 9369 Nairobi cell: +254 712 605 622 ?Silvia Ribeiro, silvia at etcgroup.org cell & SMS +52 1 55 2653 3330 Nairobi cell: +254 712 601 660 *Molly Kane, molly at etcgroup.org cell & SMS: + 1 613 797 642 In Canada: Diana Bronson - diana at etcgroup.org; cell: +1 514 629 9236 Jim Thomas - jim at etcgroup.org cell: +1 514 516 5759 Pat Mooney ? etc at etcgroup.org cell: +1 613 240 0045 Notes: 1. See Ben Webster, Bill Gates Pays for artificial clouds to beat greenhouse gases, 8 May 2010, Times Online at http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article7120011.ece 2. ?Convention on the Prohibition of Military or any other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques. See http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/enmod/text/environ2.htm -- If you do not want to receive any more newsletters, http://www.etcgroup.org/phplist/?p=unsubscribe&uid=884b51499b528a1fe6bda2000 28d8267 To update your preferences and to unsubscribe visit http://www.etcgroup.org/phplist/?p=preferences&uid=884b51499b528a1fe6bda2000 28d8267 Forward a Message to Someone http://www.etcgroup.org/phplist/?p=forward&uid=884b51499b528a1fe6bda200028d8 267&mid=78 -- Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com -- -- ''''''''.''''''''' ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toeslist/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toeslist/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: toeslist-digest at yahoogroups.com toeslist-fullfeatured at yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: toeslist-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 11 15:25:21 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 15:25:21 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Manson Again Message-ID: <017901caf158$dc815540$9583ffc0$@net> Former Bush officials find work with leading player in state water wars By Mike Taugher Contra Costa Times Posted: 05/10/2010 03:28:19 PM PDT Updated: 05/11/2010 07:04:12 AM PDT A former Bush administration official whose tenure was marked by systematic attempts to weaken endangered species protections has gone to work for a powerful California farm district that has the same aim in the Delta. Craig Manson, assistant Interior Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks from 2001 through 2005, now serves as general counsel for the Westlands Water District, the nation's largest irrigation district. He joins another former high ranking Interior Department official in the Bush Administration, Jason Peltier, who since 2007 has been the No. 2 official there. Manson's deputy at the Bush Interior Department, Julie MacDonald, has been consulting for Westlands in a lawsuit involving endangered species, according to district general manager Tom Birmingham. The hirings come as Westlands struggles to maintain its water supplies during the Delta environmental collapse Delta largely blamed on water deliveries. Westlands is ground zero in the conflict between water supplies and the needs of the Delta ecosystem because when water is cut, Westlands farmers often take the first hit. That's because the district, formed in the 1950s, has, in effect, a lower priority claim on water than regions that have been around longer. During last year's drought, Westlands was by far the state's most heavily affected region. Although drought was the bigger cause of its water shortages, Westlands problems were compounded by environmental rules protecting endangered fish and a 1990s law that shifted water from farms to the Delta environment. Westlands and other water agencies sued last year to ease restrictions meant to protect Delta smelt, salmon and other fish. A ruling in is expected soon. "He (Manson) is uniquely qualified to be the district's general counsel," said Birmingham. "The district is incredibly lucky to have him with the issues we have been dealing with in the last 20 years." Critics said the move shows how cozy Bush's Interior Department became with the industries it regulated. "This is one of the longest-running abuses of the Bush administration's revolving door I have ever seen," said Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. "When they were officials in the Interior Department, they worked with their industry friends to tamper with scientific evidence and violate the law, and they helped send the Bay-Delta into a tailspin." "Now," Miller added, "the whole gang is working together again to file lawsuits against efforts to restore California's salmon fishery." Manson said he had intended to remain a professor at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, where he has been since 2006, but that "circumstances and opportunities came along." He defended his tenure at Interior, saying, "We insisted there be good science behind every decision that was made." He rejected the idea that he was passing through a revolving door, noting that he worked for government before going to the Interior Department and was in academia before he joined Westlands. Still, three investigations by the Interior Department's inspector general found MacDonald's activities, with Manson's support, "caused considerable harm to the integrity of the (Endangered Species Act) program," to the morale of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and possibly harm to endangered species, inspector general Earl E. Devaney wrote in December 2008. "Her (MacDonald's) heavy-handedness has cast doubt on nearly every ESA decision issued during her tenure," he wrote. "MacDonald's conduct was backed by the seemingly blind support of (Manson.) MacDonald declined to comment. "She's incredibly bright, she's detail oriented, she gets right to the nub of it. There are people who don't like that," Manson said. MacDonald resigned in April 2007, a month after the first of the investigations found numerous questionable actions, including leaking an email to the California Farm Bureau that it used in its unsuccessful lawsuit to remove Delta smelt from the endangered species list. A follow-up story by the Contra Costa Times showed MacDonald also participated in an unprecedented decision to remove Sacramento splittail from the list of endangered species even though that decision directly affected her property near Dixon. The inspector general's office later confirmed she heavily edited the splittail decision and it forwarded the findings to federal prosecutors, who declined to press charges. The Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened the splittail question and will decide by September whether the fish should be put back on the threatened and endangered species list. Mike Taugher covers the environment. Contact him at 925-943-8257. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 11 17:02:49 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 17:02:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weekly Calistogan 5-6-2010 Message-ID: <018c01caf166$767c8270$63758750$@net> Weekly Calistogan http://www.weeklycalistogan.com/articles/2010/05/06/news/local/doc4be2287c17 f65174301408.txt Water suit sets new law of the land By John Waters Jr. Editor Thursday, May 06, 2010 Calistoga has a new claim to fame. In addition to being known as a great place to soak in mineral water and healing mud, it will, from May 3 forward be known as the front line in a growing battle after environmentalists working to preserve the public trust scored a major victory. "This is huge," said Chris Malan, general manager of the Napa-based Living Rivers Council and head of the North Coast Streamflow Coalition Northern Region. "There is a water war going on in California, and this ruling is completely going to change things." Malan alleges there are 286 illegal water diversions, mostly from vineyard development, in the Napa River watershed. Because so many people steal water from creeks - either they don't get permits or they violate the conditions of their permits, which constitutes a trespass against the people of the state - many of the Napa River tributaries go dead during the summer from too many diversions, said Malan. Steelhead and numerous other aquatic animals die a slow death as pools become warm and lack oxygen and eventually dry up. "People who steal water from creeks deprive the downstream ecosystem and people of their public trust right to fish, swim and recreate," she said. "This is an issue that has been going on for years and the major media just doesn't get it because it's wineries, not just cities, that are the major takers." Public trust The "public trust" doctrine is a principle that certain resources are preserved for public use, and that the government is required to maintain them for the public's reasonable use. Calistoga Deputy City Attorney Leah Castella on April 23 failed to convince Napa Superior Court Judge Ray Guadagni that anyone wishing to sue local agencies in allegations of violating the public trust must sue the state's resource regulating agencies. On Monday the court affirmed the tentative ruling it issued on April 23. The action means the City of Calistoga is headed for trial in early July in the ongoing case of Reynolds v. City of Calistoga. Reynolds is attempting to sue the City of Calistoga directly for violation of the public trust for its alleged failure to comply with a Department of Fish and Game Code (section 5937) which requires the owner of any dam to allow sufficient water at all times to pass through a fishway, or, in the absence of a fishway, to allow sufficient water to pass over, around or through the dam to keep in good condition. The plaintiff has alleged that the City, as owner of the Kimball dam, has violated its statutory duty. The judge has not stated the city is guilty of the allegations, just that it may be held directly accountable. The City must still defend against the allegations at trial in July. Regardless of whether the city is guilty or not, Monday's ruling becomes the law of the land, and environmental groups have already begun to take notice. Taking notice "This new Superior Court ruling on Monday says that anyone who diverts water must provide enough flow for downstream fish and if they don't they can be sued by anyone," said Malan. Prior to the ruling the people were told by the State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) that is was the sole agency with jurisdiction to enforce water law. In truth, anyone wanting to sue anyone diverting had to file a complaint with the SWRCB and it would decide whether to sue. In January 2010, the SWRCB beefed up its enforcement arm, hiring 23 new agents. Prior to that there was only one agent for the entire state. "If the SWRCB didn't pursue an illegal diversion then someone would have to sue the SWRCB to enforce illegal diversions," Malan explained. With the State Attorney General's office filing a "friend of the court" brief in mid-April on behalf of plaintiff Grant Reynolds in his lawsuit against the City of Calistoga, illegal diverters are put on notice that anyone can sue anyone believed to be killing the flows in a stream. "This makes it easier to go straight to the source of the illegal problem of killing a stream and takes the SWRCB out of the middle," Malan said. "That is a huge change - allowing anyone to file against anyone else stealing riparian water from a stream and failing to provide bypass flows for fish and people downstream." Malan said environmental groups "all over northern California" are beginning to take notice of the Calistoga case. Currently, Reynolds v. City of Calistoga is scheduled to go to trial in early July. It is also charged with breach of contract, a charge that is not covered by the city's insurance, leaving city water rate payers on the hook for damages and legal fees. Recently, city officials admitted that a portion of the city's water enterprise funds will be used to pay for the litigation. So far, legal costs have exceeded $312,000, according to city records obtained through a Public Records Act Request. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Tue May 11 22:01:42 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 22:01:42 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Is Gulf oil rig disaster far worse than we're being told? Message-ID: Also see this video by Hurrican CreekKeepers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG8JHSAVYT0 *Is Gulf oil rig disaster far worse than we're being told? **Natural News* http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/05.10/oildisaster.html (NaturalNews) Reports about the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill have been largely underestimated, according to commentators, including Paul Noel, a Software Engineer for the U.S. Army at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. He believes that the pocket of oil that's been hit is so powerful and under so much pressure that it may be virtually impossible to contain it. And Noel is not the only person questioning the scope of this disaster. A recent story from the Christian Science Monitor (CSM)reports that many independent scientists believe the leak is spewing far more than the 5,000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons, per day being reported by most media sources. They believe the leak could be discharging up to 25,000 barrels (more than one million gallons) of crude oil a day right now. The riser pipe that was bent and crimped after the oil rig sank is restricting some of the flow from the tapped oil pocket, but as the leaking oil rushes into the well's riser, it is forcing sand with it at very high speeds and "sand blasting" the pipe (which is quickly eroding its structural integrity). According to a leaked National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration memo obtained by an Alabama newspaper, if the riser erodes any further and creates more leaks, up to 50,000 barrels, or 2.1 million gallons, per day of crude oil could begin flooding Gulf waters every day. When this disaster first occurred, the media downplayed it. BP spokespersons were quick to claim that the leakage was minimal and that crews would eventually be able to contain it. But as time went on, it became clear that things were not under control and that the spill was far more serious than we were originally told. (Gee, sound familiar? Remember Katrina?) Yet some of the media reports still seem more like press releases than actual reporting because they continue to repeat what the public relations cleanup crews (pun intended) would *like* the public to believe rather than what's actually happening. Reality, it seems, has a nasty habit of interfering with corporate spin. *Cap and trade becomes "cap and pray"* The New York Times yesterday reported that BP is working on a large containment domethat is intended to cap the leak and catch the escaping oil so that it can be safely pumped to the surface. Meanwhile, crews are said to be working on fixing the broken blow-out preventer valve that should have stopped the leak from happening in the first place, but they have been unsuccessful thus far. Almost every report says that BP is doing everything it can to contain the spill and stop the leak, even though the company claims it is not technically at fault. According to an article from the U.K. Daily Mail, BP's CEO Tony Hayward recently responded to the cleanup efforts by explaining, "This is not our accident but it is our responsibility to deal with it." Swiss-based Transocean is the company that actually owned and operated the sunken rig. It manned the rig with its own crew and BP just leased it from Transocean (which makes you wonder why BP is so willing to take full responsibility for everything). BP says that it's working on a relief well, but that it could take up to three months to complete. Until then, the company is trying several different approaches to at least slow the leak and hopefully stop it altogether. Mind you, almost all of the information about the spill from day one has come directly from BP which obviously has every incentive to downplay the true environmental destruction that could be caused by this oil spill. Even the word "spill" is incorrect. This isn't some ship of oil that spilled into the ocean -- it's a "volcano" of oil spewing from the belly of Mother Earth herself. It's under extremely high pressure, it's spewing a huge volume of oil directly into the ocean, and there so far seems to be no human-engineered way of stopping it (short of setting off an underground nuclear bomb near the well site). *Addressing the unanswered questions* According to the CSM article, environmental risk models are normally performed for pollutants like crude oil, yet not one model has yet been released for this incident by BP or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many are wondering why this crucial information has not been made public. Could it be because the results of the model might seem too catastrophic? Neither has there been an adequate explanation given for exactly *why* the oil rig exploded... twice! Some reports indicate that the crews responsible for properly cementing the well casing didn't do it right. Others suggest that the oil deposit was just too large and under too much pressure for the equipment to handle it. (Be careful where you poke around the planet if you can't handle what comes out, right?) It's also important to note that, according to a recent New York Times article , Halliburton was actually the company responsible for all the cementing work on the rig, which brings a third party into the picture. BP's federal permits allowed the company to drill up to 20,000 feet deep, but according to one of the workers who was onboard the rig during the explosion, drilling in excess of 22,000 feet had been taking place. This same worker is said to handle company records for BP, but BP has denied these allegations. BP has declined to comment, however, on other allegations that the spill happened because it chose not to install necessary deep-water valves which would have acted as a last resort seal of protection in the event of an emergency. Several other allegations include suspicions that the crews allowed gas to build up in the well bore and that the rig operator tried to detach too quickly from the well, causing a disruption. BP, Halliburton and Transocean have all indicated that they are continuing to investigate the situation. When companies investigate themselves, however, the truth rarely comes out. *The possibility of an extinction event?* It's hard to say exactly what's going on in the Gulf right now, especially because there are so many conflicting reports and unanswered questions. But one thing's for sure: if the situation is actually much worse than we're being led to believe, there could be worldwide catastrophic consequences. If it's true that millions upon millions of gallons of crude oil are flooding the Gulf with no end in sight, the massive oil slicks being created could make their way into the Gulf Stream currents, which would carry them not only up the East Coast but around the world where they could absolutely destroy the global fishing industries. Already these slicks are making their way into Gulf wetlands and beaches where they are destroying birds, fish, and even oyster beds. This is disastrous for both the seafood industry and the people whose livelihoods depend on it. It's also devastating to the local wildlife which could begin to die off from petroleum toxicity. Various ecosystems around the world could be heavily impacted by this spill in ways that we don't even yet realize. There's no telling where this continuous stream of oil will end up and what damage it might cause. Theoretically, we could be looking at modern man's final act of destruction on planet Earth, because this one oil rig blowout could set in motion *a global extinction wave* that begins with the oceans and then whiplashes back onto human beings themselves. We cannot live without life in the oceans. Man is arrogant to drill so deeply into the belly of Mother Earth, and through this arrogance, we may have just set in motion events that will ultimately destroy us. In the future, we may in fact talk about life on Earth as "pre-spill" versus "post-spill." Because a post-spill world may be drowned in oil, devoid of much ocean life, and suffering a global extinction event that will crash the human population by 90 percent or more. We may have just done to ourselves, in other words, what a giant meteorite did to the dinosaurs. *About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning natural health author with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. He has created over 100 CounterThink cartoons and produced several popular hip-hop songs on socially-conscious topics. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter softwarecurrently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and pursues hobbies such as Pilates, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org * www.naturalnews.com -- "A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive." ~ Albert Einstein, 1954 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat May 15 16:03:37 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 15 May 2010 16:03:37 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Schwarzenegger's Appointment to California Water Commission Message-ID: <003d01caf482$db37e640$91a7b2c0$@net> Well, this is somewhat academic. Appointments are subject to Senate confirmation. Who's to be governor in eight months? Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the following appointments to the California Water Commission: Andrew Ball, 56, of San Mateo, has been president and chief executive officer of Webcor Builders since 1994. He is chair of the Industry Advisory Board for the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley and founding member and advisory board member for the Business Council on Climate Change in association with the United Nations Global Compact. Ball is chair of the San Francisco Mayor's Task Force on Green Buildings and the American Society of Concrete Contractors Sustainability Committee. He is a member of the San Francisco Building Code Advisory Committee including the Code Advisory Green Building Subcommittee. Ball is a Republican. Joseph Byrne, 39, of Los Angeles, has been a partner in the law office of Burke, Williams and Sorensen since 2008, as a member of the Public Law and Environmental Law/Sustainability Practice groups. Previously, he was executive director of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, Region 1 from 2006 to 2008 and an attorney for Mayer Brown from 2002 to 2005. Prior to that, Byrne worked in the office of Speaker Robert M. Hertzberg, for the California State Assembly as counsel from 2000 to 2002 and a legislative consultant from 1998 to 2000. He was an attorney for Bonne, Bridges, Mueller, O'Keefe and Nichols from 1997 to 1998. Byrne is a member of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association Board of Directors and the League of California Cities Environmental Quality Policy Committee. Byrne is a Democrat. Dave Cogdill, 59, of Modesto, was elected to the California State Senate in 2006, where he represents the 14th District. He serves as chair of the Select Committee on Surplus Property, and vice-chair of the Senate Committees on Natural Resources and Water, Banking, Finance and Insurance and Public Safety. Cogdill is also a sitting member on the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee; Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy and Transportation; Select Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs; and, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Additionally, Cogdill served as the Senate Republican Leader from April 2008 to February 2009 and Senate Minority Whip from 2007 to 2008. Prior to that, he represented the 25th District in the State Assembly from 2000 to 2006, where he was vice-chair of the Committee on Rules, during which, he sat on the Budget Committee, Agriculture Committee and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Cogdill was Assembly Minority Floor leader from 2002 to 2006. >From 1981 to 2007, he owned and was an appraiser for Cogdill and Giomi. Cogdill is a Republican. This appointment will be effective December 6, 2010. Daniel Curtin, 62, of Sacramento, has served as director for the California Conference of Carpenters since 2001 and previously held the same position from 1992 to 1999. From 1999 to 2001, he served as chief deputy director for the Department of Industrial Relations. Prior to that, Curtin was a legislative advocate for the California Conference of Carpenters from 1987 to 1992. He serves on the State Compensation Insurance Fund Board of Directors and previously served on the Economic Development Commission and the Industrial Welfare Commission. Curtin is a Democrat. Joe Del Bosque, 61, of Los Banos, has been president and chief executive officer of Empresas Del Bosque, a diversified farm in the San Joaquin Valley, since 1985. He is a member of AgSafe, California Farm Bureau, California Latino Water Coalition and Western Growers Association. Del Bosque is a Republican. Kimberley Delfino, 42, of Sacramento, has been California program director for Defenders of Wildlife since 2000. Previously, she was legislative director for the California Public Interest Research Group in 2000. From 1997 to 2000, Delfino was staff attorney for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and, from 1994 to 1997, was associate attorney for Meyer and Glitzenstein. She is a member of the Sustainable Conservation Board of Directors. Delfino is registered decline-to-state. Luther Hintz, 72, of Brownsville, worked for Reclamation District Number 108 as executive director from 2005 to 2006 and general manager from 1993 to 2005. Prior to that, he worked for Bookman-Edmonston Engineering as manager and principal engineer from 1979 to 1993, supervising engineer from 1969 to 1979, senior engineer from 1962 to 1969 and associate engineer from 1960 to 1962. Hintz was a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a member of the U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage until 2008. Hintz is a Republican. Paul Kelley, 46, of Santa Rosa, has served as Sonoma County supervisor representing the Fourth District and director of the Sonoma County Water Agency since 1995. Previously, he was a teacher at Santa Rosa Christian School from 1993 to 1994. From 1992 to 1993, Kelley was lead programmer for KLH Consulting and, from 1990 to 1992, was a systems manager for Standard Structures. He is president of the Association of California Water Agencies. Kelley is a Republican. This appointment will be effective January 1, 2011. Anthony Saracino, 51, of Sacramento, has been director of the California Water Program at The Nature Conservancy since 2005. Previously, he was director of Schlumberger Water Service from 2001 to 2005. Saracino was principal of Saracino, Kirby, Snow from 1995 to 2001 and was director of geologic and environmental services for Wallace Kuhl and Associates from 1984 to 1995. Saracino is a Democrat. These positions require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. The California Water Commission serves in an advisory capacity to the Director of the Department of Water Resources and was originally established to build and review operations of the State Water Project. The Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, approved by the legislature and signed by the Governor in 2009, vests the commission with responsibility over $3 billion in funding for statewide water system operational improvement. The commission is composed of nine members, two of which must be representatives from the environmental community. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today also announced the following appointments to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy: Charlton "Chuck" Bonham, 41, of Albany, has worked for Trout Unlimited as California director and senior attorney since 2004 and, previously, was director of the organization's California Water Project and staff attorney from 2000 to 2004. From 1994 to 1997, he was an instructor for Nantahala Outdoor Center and, from 1991 to 1993, was a small business development agent in Senegal, West Africa for the U.S. Peace Corps. Bonham is a member of the Pacific Forest Legacy Stewardship Council Board and the Foundation for Youth Investment. Bonham is a Democrat. Michael Eaton, 58, of Sacramento, has been executive director of the Resources Legacy Fund since 2007. From 1995 to 2007, he was senior project director at The Nature Conservancy and, from 1983 to 1995, was an independent environmental consultant. Prior to that, Eaton served as assistant secretary at the Resources Agency from 1981 to 1983 and as energy advisor in the Governor's Office of Planning and Research from 1980 to 1981. >From 1975 to 1980, he was legislative assistant for the Sierra Club. Eaton is chair of the Soil Born Farms Board of Directors and advisor to the California Institute for Public Affairs. Eaton is registered decline-to-state. These positions require Senate confirmation and there is no salary. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy was established as part of the comprehensive water package signed by the Governor in 2009. As established in the law, this new conservancy is the primary state agency for implementing ecosystem restoration and promoting economic vitality in the Delta. In addition to the Governor's appointees, the Senate Rules Committee and the Speaker of the Assembly also make appointments to the conservancy. Additional members include representatives from Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Yolo counties, the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, and the Director of Finance. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Tue May 18 09:38:18 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 09:38:18 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Massive underwater oil cloud may destroy life in Gulf of Mexico Message-ID: *Massive underwater oil cloud may destroy life in Gulf of Mexico Mike Adams* http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/05.10/oilcloud.html Over a week ago, I published an article here on NaturalNews questioning the media spin on the massive oil spill in the Gulf. That story, entitled *Is Gulf oil rig disaster far worse than we?re being told?* ( http://www.naturalnews.com/028749_G?), stated the following: *"It?s hard to say exactly what?s going on in the Gulf right now, especially because there are so many conflicting reports and unanswered questions. But one thing?s for sure: if the situation is actually much worse than we?re being led to believe, there could be worldwide catastrophic consequences. If it?s true that millions upon millions of gallons of crude oil are flooding the Gulf with no end in sight, the massive oil slicks being created could make their way into the Gulf Stream currents, which would carry them not only up the East Coast but around the world where they could absolutely destroy the global fishing industries."* Now, barely one week later, it turns out that *the oil slick is FAR worse than what we were being told*. USA Today now reports: *Researchers warned Sunday that miles-long underwater plumes of oil from the spill could poison and suffocate sea life across the food chain, with damage that could endure for a decade or more.* ( http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation? ) That same article also explained: *"Researchers have found more underwater plumes of oil than they can count from the blown-out well, said Samantha Joye, a professor of marine sciences at the University of Georgia. She said careful measurements taken of one plume showed it stretching for 10 miles, with a 3-mile width."* The *Christian Science Monitor* also reports now that as much as *3.4 million gallons of oil* may be leaking into the Gulf *every day!* *"The oil that can be seen from the surface is apparently just a fraction of the oil that has spilled into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20, according to an assessment the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology. Significant amounts of oil are spreading at various levels throughout the water column? Scientists looking at video of the leak, suggest that as many as 3.4 million gallons of oil could be leaking into the Gulf every day - 16 times more than the current 210,000-gallon-a-day estimate, according to the Times."* ( http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0516/Gulf-oil-spill-real-disaster-might-be-lurking-beneath-the-surface ) The New York Times also chimed in on the topic over the weekend with some absolutely shocking (and disturbing) revelations: *"Scientists are finding enormous oil plumes in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, including one as large as 10 miles long, 3 miles wide and 300 feet thick in spots. The discovery is fresh evidence that the leak from the broken undersea well could be substantially worse than estimates that the government and BP have given.* ( http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/us/16oil.html) Scientists studying video of the gushing oil well have tentatively calculated that it could be flowing at a rate of 25,000 to 80,000 barrels of oil a day. The latter figure would be 3.4 million gallons a day. But the government, working from satellite images of the ocean surface, has calculated a flow rate of only 5,000 barrels a day." In other words, while the government has been telling us the leak is only *5,000 barrels a day*, the true volume could be more like *80,000 barrels a day*. *Wiping out the Gulf* It hardly needs to be stated that 80,000 barrels of oil a day leaking into the Gulf of Mexico could *destroy virtually all marine life in the region*. Oxygen levels have already fallen by 30 percent in waters near the oil. When water loses its oxygen content, it quickly becomes a so-called "dead zone" because marine species simply can?t live there anymore. (Fish and other aquatic creatures need oxygen to live, obviously.) With this volcano of oil still erupting through the ocean floor, we could be witnessing *the mass-murder of virtually all marine life* in the Gulf of Mexico. And yet we?re faced with a virtual *blackout* of truly accurate news on the event. Both the oil industry and the Obama administration are desperately trying to limit the videos, photos and stories about the spill, spinning everything to make it seem like it?s not really much of a problem at all. It?s much like the media coverage of the War in Iraq, where all video footage had to be vetted by the Pentagon before being released to the public. Remember the uproar over the leaked photos of coffins draped in American flags? That?s what the Obama administration no doubt hopes to avoid by suppressing photos of dead dolphins and sea birds in the Gulf of Mexico. The truth, as usual, is being suppressed. It?s just too ugly for the public to see. Of course, the truth has always been suppressed in the oil industry. Even the inspections on this particular oil rig were, well, *rigged*. It turns out the rig wasn?t even inspected on schedule ( http://www.naturalnews.com/028749_Gulf_of_Mexico_oil_spill.html ). It also turns out that the Obama administration actually gave the Deepwater Horizon an award for its history of safety! That was before the whole thing literally blew up in their faces. *Corruption in Washington leads to catastrophe* The oil industry, you see, is just like every other industry that?s regulated by the federal government: It has a cozy relationship with regulators. It?s the same story with Big Pharma and the FDA, or the meat industry and the USDA. Wall Street and the SEC. Every industry that?s regulated eventually turns the tables on its regulators and ends up rewriting the rules for its own benefit. The oil industry has been able to get away with so many exemptions and loopholes that the regulatory environment is now lenient at best. The Deepwater Horizon, for example, was given all sorts of exemptions to engage in risky drilling operations without following proper safety procedures. And who granted it these exemptions? The U.S. federal government, of course! So now *the U.S. government is just as guilty as the oil industry* in this mass-murder of life in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the government that * allowed* the series of events that led to catastrophe in the first place. And now, this catastrophe could lead to a near-total wipeout of marine life throughout the Gulf (and possibly beyond). In a worst-case scenario, this could destroy some percentage of life in oceans all around the world. It could be the one final wound to Mother Earth who bleeds her black blood into the oceans for ten thousand years, destroying life as we know it on this planet. All for profit, of course. Let nothing stand in the way of another billion dollars in oil company profits! (Regulators? Bah!) *Collusion between government and industry always leads to disaster* I hope BP can find a way to suction some of that oil out of the ocean. If they can manage such a solution, they should then turn around and dump the entire slick across the landscape of Washington D.C. to coat all the bureaucrats in the black slimy shame they no doubt deserve. This isn?t about some random accident, you see: It?s about *a failure of federal regulators to enforce safe drilling practices*. The fishing industries in and around the Gulf of Mexico could be devastated for *decades*. The diversity of life in the marine ecosystems there may soon find itself on the verge of collapse. And still there is no real solution for stopping the *volcano of oil* that continues to gush out of this gaping wound in the Earth herself. I can only wonder what kind of hare-brained ideas these oil men are coming up with now to stop the flow. A nuke bomb expert has reportedly been sent to the area by the Obama administration as part of some sort of "dream team" of super smart people to find a solution. But it begs the question: If we were so smart, *why are we still running the world on fossil fuels in the first place?* There?s enough sunlight energy striking the deserts of Arizona to power the entire nation indefinitely! Free energy technology continues to be suppressed in large part by oil company interests (and the arrogant scientific community), and renewable energy technology has received virtually no government support whatsoever. If we were really smart, we wouldn?t be drilling holes in the ocean floor and hoping we can cope with whatever comes gushing out. We?d be installing *Concentrated Solar Power* (CSP) installations across the deserts of America or building more wind power generators. We?ve be investing in electric cars and alternative fuels rather than burning up our future with fossil fuels. The smartest thing we could do right now - after capping the volcano of oil, of course - would be to make a commitment to *end our world?s dependence on fossils fuels forever*. But that goes against the financial interests of the oil companies who all want to keep us trapped in their system of fossil fuel dependence no matter what the cost to the environment. And so we plug along, handcuffed to an outdated fuel source and still running our ridiculously historical *internal combustion engines* which should have been phased out decades ago and replaced with electric motors. Humans are slow learners, it turns out. Our modern civilization isn?t really that "modern," and it only seems to learn from catastrophe rather than intelligent planning. The question remains: How much more damage can our planet handle from Man?s arrogant pollution? At what point does all the chemical contamination, fertilizer runoff, carbon emissions and runaway oil pollution of the ocean add up to *a global extinction event?* We?re playing a global game of Russian Roulette right now with the future of human civilization? and the oil companies just can?t stop pulling the trigger. There?s little question where we?re all going to end up if we don?t change our ways and find a cleaner way to power our *infantile*civilization. www.prisonplanet.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 18 13:03:27 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 13:03:27 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] North County Times 5/17/10 Message-ID: <010b01caf6c5$2f39ae60$8dad0b20$@net> EPA will limit pesticides near salmon streams North County Times-5/17/10 By Jeff Barnard The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it will impose restrictions on spraying three agricultural pesticides to keep them out of salmon streams after manufacturers refused to adopt the limits voluntarily. EPA will develop new rules for applying the chemicals diazinon, malathion and chlorpyrifos that will include no-spray zones along streams and restrictions on spraying depending on weather conditions, EPA spokesman Dale Kemery said in an e-mail. There will also be requirements to report dead fish. Even at very low levels, the chemicals have been found by federal biologists to interfere with salmon's sense of smell, making it harder for them to find food, avoid predators and return to native waters to spawn. The EPA action stems from a lawsuit filed by anti-pesticide groups in 2001. Manufacturers Dow AgroSciences, Makhteshim Agan of North America, Cheminova and Gharda Chemicals Ltd. notified EPA on Friday that they would not voluntarily adopt the restrictions, said Dow AgroSciences spokesman Garry Hamlin. In a letter to the EPA, a lawyer for Dow AgroSciencies and Makhteshim Agan said the companies feel there is no scientific evidence the pesticides are killing, harming or jeopardizing the survival of salmon, or harming critical habitat, and that the NOAA Fisheries analysis was deficient. They also objected to EPA's handling of the case. The EPA decision comes a year and a half after NOAA Fisheries Service found the pesticides threaten the survival of 27 species of salmon and steelhead that are protected by the Endangered Species Act in the West. "We are encouraged that they are finally getting serious about implementing these protections and hope that the agency takes the most immediate and aggressive action available to it to ensure that pesticides are removed from Northwest salmon waters," said Steve Machuda, an attorney for Earthjustice in Seattle, the public-interest law firm that represented the anti-pesticide groups. Meanwhile, EPA notified NOAA Fisheries that it is going ahead with implementing restrictions on the next set of pesticides found to harm salmon: carbaryl, carbofuran and methomyl. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 18 13:08:36 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 13:08:36 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] S.F. Chronicle 5/16/10 Message-ID: <011001caf6c5$e73f5c80$b5be1580$@net> Drought label stays, and some blame politics S.F. Chronicle-5/16/10 By Wyatt Buchanan This winter, heavy snowfall buried the Sierra Nevada and torrential rains drenched much of California, with storms so intense in January that emergencies were declared in several counties, including Los Angeles and San Francisco. But while El Ni?o ended California's three years of dry winters, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not intend to declare an end to the drought. Critics say the reason is political: In November, California voters will be asked to approve an $11 billion water bond measure that the governor has pushed for years. The bonds would pay for new dams and other water storage projects, drought relief, regional water management and restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, among other things. Jonas Minton, a former deputy director of the state Department of Water Resources, likened the governor's extension of the water crisis to the fabricated drought of the 1974 Roman Polanski film "Chinatown," where Los Angeles officials secretly dump fresh water into the ocean to create a water shortage in order to pass a bond. "California's snowpack at the start of this month stood at over 140 percent of average," said Minton, who is now a water policy analyst for the Conservation and Planning League and is campaigning against the bond measure. "The average voter will be able to tell this is not a drought." The ability to say the state is in a drought helps the bond campaign immensely, said Jim Ross, a veteran San Francisco political consultant. "Really what it does is simplifies the issue: We have rationing. We need to make sure we have enough water. Here's how," Ross said. Only the governor has the power to declare the beginning and end of droughts in California. On June 4, 2008, after two years of below-average rainfall and snowmelt, Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought. At that time, the state's final snow survey of the year indicated a water shortage. California gets much of its water from snowmelt and the annual spring measurement helps state officials determine how much water will be available for consumption and irrigation. That year, the snowpack in the Sierra was 67 percent of normal, and water storage in the state's major reservoirs was far below normal: Lake Oroville was at 50 percent of capacity, Shasta Lake at 61 percent and Folsom Lake at 63 percent. This year, the final snow survey in the Sierra, taken April 30, showed the snowpack at 143 percent of normal - double the previous year's level. As of last week, Shasta Lake - California's largest reservoir- was 98 percent full, Folsom Lake was 89 percent full and Lake Oroville was 65 percent full. More snow has fallen since the final snow survey, more rain is forecast - there's a chance of showers on Monday in parts of the state, including San Francisco, Bakersfield and Sacramento - and the National Weather Service predicts river flows to all three reservoirs will exceed historical averages through July. Yet, the governor and his water experts say that, among other reasons, the below-average levels at Lake Oroville, the state's second-largest reservoir, are too significant to declare an end to the drought. So on June 4, California will officially enter its fourth year of drought. Administration officials caution that California may be experiencing a wet year amidst a string of dry years and thus it is premature to end the official drought declaration. But in early 1993, Gov. Pete Wilson declared the six-year drought of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the third-longest in state history, after five months of above-average precipitation. The state's reservoirs did not return to normal levels for another year after Wilson's declaration, according to the water resources department. Jeff Macedo, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger, said 2010 has "been a great year for rain," but added, "We've only had one good season of rain over the past four years. It isn't time to call an end to the drought." State water officials echo the governor's stance, though they acknowledge that the drought may indeed be over. "Drought is an imprecise term and arguably most of the state is probably not in a drought at the moment," said Wendy Martin, statewide drought coordinator for the Department of Water Resources. "But you really can't tell until sometime in the future when you can look back." In 1995, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln established the National Drought Mitigation Center to track drought conditions across the United States. The center pulls together federal and academic scientists to monitor and forecast droughts to help governments and institutions plan and prepare. Based on its most recent data, updated Tuesday, the center estimates that 83 percent of California has no drought condition, although some of the state is abnormally dry. Climatologists there estimate that 17 percent of the state, concentrated in the extreme northeast corner, has drought conditions. They base estimates on a number of indexes, including precipitation, vegetation health, reservoir levels, snowpack, stream flow and soil moisture. The long-term forecast shows that drought probably will continue in the handful of affected counties - mainly Modoc, Lassen and Siskiyou - but no drought is expected in the rest of the state, said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the center. "We put the information out, and for each state it's pretty much up to themselves if they declare they are in a drought or not in a drought," he said. What is a drought? Martin, California's drought coordinator, said her department does not have a precise definition of drought. But in 2000, the department published a report on the state's drought of 1987-92 and defined a "drought threshold." According to the report, that threshold is determined by two factors: -- Runoff for a single year or multiple years in the lowest 10 percent of the historical range. -- Reservoir storage for the same time period at less than 70 percent of average. If those two factors were considered today, there would be little to dispute. The National Weather Service's California Nevada River Forecast Center predicts that runoff for most rivers will be above 100 percent of average, and rivers that feed the state's major reservoirs will all be well above average. Reservoirs in the state are at 96 percent of average for this time of year, according to the Department of Water Resources. But Martin said the department criteria are 10 years old and there are other factors to consider: the effects of climate change are becoming more acute and water demand is increasing because the state's population grew by 10 million people in the past decade. U.S. Census Bureau figures, however, show the state's population grew by about 3.1 million in the past decade. Nonetheless, Martin said, California is a big and complex state and, "people want to generalize things, but they don't lend to being generalized very well." Water officials also are concerned that declaring an end to the drought could lead to a drop-off in conservation efforts by Californians, and the extra water could be needed if next year is dry. Schwarzenegger's drought declaration includes orders for the state water department to work with local agencies on measures such as fast-tracking water-conservation grants and improving landscape and agriculture water efficiency and leak monitoring. It also calls for "aggressive and immediate action" to reduce water consumption. But because of the high levels in the reservoirs, many water agencies in the state are reassessing their need for mandatory conservation, according to the Association of California Water Agencies. The East Bay Municipal Utilities District ended its call for voluntary rationing last month. Los Angeles still faces mandatory rationing, but an official at the Metropolitan Water District - which supplies water to 26 agencies in Southern California, including Los Angeles, and gets water from Northern California - said restrictions on pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the main factor for shortages this year. Those restrictions could be extended because of environmental concerns in the delta, and water officials say that is likely to be the new normal. UC Davis Professor Jay Lund, who is director of the Center for Watershed Sciences there, said the state is "not unambiguously out of drought and we're not unambiguously in a drought," adding that it will depend on whether next year is wet again. He agreed with water department officials that it can be problematic to talk about drought in broad strokes. "Drought is in the thirst of the beholder," he said. When he declared the drought in 2008, Schwarzenegger - who had long before promised to overhaul the state's water infrastructure - said, "We must work together to ensure that California will have safe, reliable and clean water not only today but 20, 30 and 40 years from now." The bond proposal that will appear on November's ballot is titled the Safe and Reliable Clean Water Drinking Act of 2010. It needs a simple majority to pass. On Wednesday, the campaign to promote the bond issued a news release on why it is critical for voters to approve the measure. Cited, among other reasons, was that California faces severely limited supplies of water that have worsened after three years of drought. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 18 13:30:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 13:30:09 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily News 5/14/10 Message-ID: <012101caf6c8$e99d6960$bcd83c20$@net> Discovery students learn about fish disease on the Klamath Siskiyou Daily News-5/14/10 By Jamie Gentner Of all the issues affecting Chinook and Coho salmon, the key issue limiting their numbers is fish health, according to Matt Baun of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A major detriment to the health of juvenile salmon on a portion of the Klamath River just below Iron Gate Dam is Ceratomyxa Shasta (C. Shasta) - a major disease organism infecting the juveniles. "This issue is on the verge of being in the national spotlight," Baun told members of the media and a class of students from a Discovery High School ROP natural resources class during a tour to learn more about the disease. The group traveled to the site where researchers trap juveniles in both screw traps and frame nets to collect data to determine the prevalence of the C. Shasta. He explained that various agencies have joined forces to form a fisheries program that addresses the disease and other factors affecting the fish in the third most important river for the salmon. Nick Hetrick, fisheries program leader with the USFWS, said the agencies like the USFWS and California Department of Fish and Game, and groups like local tribes, have come together to address the issue of interjurisdictional territory and to combine resources so the groups could find out what needs to be done to improve fish health. A vital part of those efforts is the work of fish biologists like Steve Gough, who works out of the USFWS Arcada office. During the tour, he explained the life cycle of the salmon. Adult salmon densely populate the Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam to the Shasta River confluence. They start spawning in the fall after a 200-mile migration and dig a spawning nest where eggs incubate for up to three months. In early spring, the eggs hatch. They slowly make their way out of the gravel and into the water of the river and start their own migration, moving from freshwater to the ocean. After spending a few years in the ocean, the salmon will make their way back to the Klamath, where they start the cycle over again. Unfortunately, with the appearance of the C. Shasta - which just entered documentation in 1997 - about 45 percent of the juvenile salmon aren't making it through that whole life cycle. The C. Shasta isn't necessarily always fatal to fish, USFWS Fish Health Biologist Scott Foott said, but in the Klamath River, the parasite is overwhelming fish. The organism is produced by a worm-like creature that infects fish with the disease that turns into spores. The infection causes bleeding in the fish, which leads to the fish becoming anemic. It weakens the fish, which is eventually killed by the predator. When the fish dies, the spores are released into the river by the billions, which is ingested by other fish and invades the tissue of the fish. Fish Biologist Philip Colombano and biological science technicians Ryan Slezak and Ernest Chen removed some salmon from the traps at the site of the tour so media personnel and the students could see what they look for. Foott held one juvenile salmon and pointed to a bleeding eye and gray gills (they should be pinkish in color) as a sign of the C. Shasta infection. "The parasite adapts - it takes advantage of the conditions of the system," Foott said. "The combination of the environment, the conditions and an abundant run of salmon creates good conditions for the parasite." Because the adults come to the same site in the river to spawn, he added, a perfect cycle is created and the parasite has become native to the Klamath instead of spreading out elsewhere. That has created some detrimental impacts, Foott said. "It is slowing restoration efforts," he said. "The stocks in the Scott and Shasta systems have been hit hard." The occurrence of the parasite has been steady over the last four to five years, with some heavy rains scouring the site and minimizing the impact a little. But Foott said the USFWS personnel expect the occurrence over the next two years to be relatively high. But it's something that is hard to eradicate. "Only about 10 percent of adults carry 99 percent of the spores," Foott said, so it's not easy to find those hosts and remove the parasite from the system. Varying the river's flow enough to scour the area could help, but "there's not enough water in the system on a natural basis to make that possible," Foott said. The Fisheries Program is aiming to set up models to help determine how much water would be needed or what other routes could be taken. "Because we would be asking for water - an extremely important asset, especially in this area - we have to be sure that the affect would work," Foot said. He said it would likely be another two to three years before any solutions are offered. "We have to do something now. We can't wait," Foott said. "So, we're going to study these models, ask questions ... and see what can be done to bring the infection levels down." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Vina_Frye at fws.gov Tue May 18 13:59:38 2010 From: Vina_Frye at fws.gov (Vina_Frye at fws.gov) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 13:59:38 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group Meeting Message-ID: Hi Folks, The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) is scheduled to meet June 9, 2010. The discussion topics are listed in the meeting notice. Have a good day! Vina [Federal Register: May 18, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 95)] [Notices] [Page 27814] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr18my10-98] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R8-FHC-2010-N101; 81331-1334-8TWG-W4] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). The TMC interprets and recommends policy, coordinates and reviews management actions, and provides organizational budget oversight. This notice announces a TAMWG meeting, which is open to the public. DATES: TAMWG will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Trinity County Library, 211 Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meeting Information: Randy A. Brown, TAMWG Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521; telephone: (707) 822-7201. Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) Information: Jennifer Faler, Acting Executive Director, Trinity River Restoration Program, P.O. Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093; telephone: (530) 623- 1800; e-mail: jfaler at usbr.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), this notice announces a meeting of the TAMWG. The meeting will include discussion of the following topics: TRRP budget; Science program proposals and work plan; Assessment of need for augmented late-summer flows; Channel rehabilitation program; Hatchery operations review; Trinity River temperature planning and management; Trinity Lake recreation issues; and TAMWG recommendations, and status of previous recommendations. Completion of the agenda is dependent on the amount of time each item takes. The meeting could end early if the agenda has been completed. Dated: May 12, 2010. Randy A. Brown, Designated Federal Officer, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, CA. [FR Doc. 2010-11805 Filed 5-17-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P Vina Frye U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata FWO 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Telephone: (707) 822-7201 Fax: (707) 822-8411 vina_frye at fws.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From BGutermuth at usbr.gov Tue May 18 14:31:51 2010 From: BGutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, F. Brandt) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 15:31:51 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject) Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703EF72E8DB@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Dear Trinity River enthusiasts - We're getting together to discuss our upcoming 2010 Channel Rehab Projects and to answer your questions - in an Open House at One Maple Winery, Lewiston, CA on May 27th at 6 pm. See below for details. Hope to see you there. Sincerely- Brandt Gutermuth Brandt Gutermuth Environmental Specialist Trinity River Restoration Program PO Box 1300, 1313 S Main St Weaverville, CA 96093 530.623.1806 (voice) 530.623.5944 (fax) www.trrp.net [cid:image002.png at 01CAF696.DAA93510] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 171203 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From BGutermuth at usbr.gov Tue May 18 15:53:18 2010 From: BGutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, F. Brandt) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 16:53:18 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] River Restoration Event - One Maple Winery May 27 at 6 pm Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703EF72EA40@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Sorry for any duplicate postings- Dear Trinity River enthusiasts - We're getting together to discuss our upcoming 2010 Channel Rehab Projects and to answer your questions - in an Open House at One Maple Winery, Lewiston, CA on May 27th at 6 pm. See below for details. Hope to see you there. Sincerely- Brandt Gutermuth Brandt Gutermuth Environmental Specialist Trinity River Restoration Program PO Box 1300, 1313 S Main St Weaverville, CA 96093 530.623.1806 (voice) 530.623.5944 (fax) www.trrp.net [cid:image002.png at 01CAF696.DAA93510] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 171203 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00001.txt URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 18 16:12:59 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 16:12:59 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] AP 5 18 2010 Message-ID: <01b401caf6df$a96c2fe0$fc448fa0$@net> Federal judge sides with farmers in delta pumping lawsuit By Terence Chea Associated Press Posted: 05/18/2010 03:27:27 PM PDT Updated: 05/18/2010 03:27:28 PM PDT A federal judge ruled today in favor of Central Valley farmers and urban water agencies seeking to loosen restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a major source of irrigation and drinking water for much of California. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno said the federal government did not properly develop a management plan that restricted water exports to protect endangered salmon, steelhead and other fish. The judge scheduled a hearing Wednesday to determine how much water can be exported without harming threatened fish that migrate through the delta to the Pacific Ocean. Groups representing San Joaquin Valley farmers and Southern California water users filed suit to block the pumping restrictions imposed by the 2009 management plan written by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The restrictions were aimed at protecting winter- and spring-run chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon and a group of orca whales. Judge Wanger said pumping restrictions were necessary to protect those species, but the agency did not adequately explain how they determined specific pumping levels. The restrictions - along with three years of drought - have forced farmers to leave large tracts of land fallow, leading to significant economic loses and soaring unemployment in many agricultural communities, said Sarah Woolf, a spokeswoman for Westlands Water District, which serves about 600 farms in western Fresno and Kings counties. Environmentalists, fishermen and tribal communities that defended the water management plan in court were disappointed by Tuesday's ruling, said Doug Obegi, a staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We will urge the court to uphold these protections for salmon and the fishing and tribal communities that depend on them," Obegi said. "Weakening those pumping restrictions will jeopardize those species." Officials with the National Marine Fisheries Service were still reviewing the ruling and declined comment, spokesman Jim Milbury said. Wanger is also expected to issue a ruling on a similar lawsuit that seeks to block a 2008 management plan that imposed pumping restrictions to protect a tiny endangered fish called the delta smelt. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AKrause at usbr.gov Tue May 18 16:07:29 2010 From: AKrause at usbr.gov (Krause, Andreas F) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 17:07:29 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Restoration Program Open House Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703EF72EA7C@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Please see the announcement below. From: Gutermuth, F. Brandt Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 2:32 PM To: Trinity List serve (env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us) Subject: Dear Trinity River enthusiasts - We're getting together to discuss our upcoming 2010 Channel Rehab Projects and to answer your questions - in an Open House at One Maple Winery, Lewiston, CA on May 27th at 6 pm. See below for details. Hope to see you there. Sincerely- Brandt Gutermuth Brandt Gutermuth Environmental Specialist Trinity River Restoration Program PO Box 1300, 1313 S Main St Weaverville, CA 96093 530.623.1806 (voice) 530.623.5944 (fax) www.trrp.net [cid:image002.png at 01CAF696.DAA93510] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 171203 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 18 17:17:49 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 17:17:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Wanger's Decision Message-ID: <01ea01caf6e8$b8355930$28a00b90$@net> In case anyone wants to see it, a copy of Judge Wanger's ruling is available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/31556079/Salmon-Findings-of-Fact-Judge-Oliver-Wang er Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed May 19 11:14:26 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 11:14:26 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Wanger's Decision Message-ID: <025c01caf77f$1f273190$5d7594b0$@net> Several stories on Wanger's decision yesterday - seemingly to me - reversing his logic on Delta pumping. This morning, the judge will listen to arguments on a request for an injunction stemming from Tuesday's salmon ruling. I sent yesterday a link to his 134 page ruling. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/18/2759833/judge-sides-with-farmers-in-delta.h tml http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/18/MNFT1DGOGD.DTL http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/05/18/1937438/fish-ruling-in-fresno-sides-with .html http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-water-salmon-20100519, 0,4002432.story?track=rss &utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2 Fscience%2Fenvironment+%28L.A.+Times+-+Environment%29&utm_content=Google+Rea der Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sari at sisqtel.net Wed May 19 13:37:00 2010 From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom) Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 12:37:00 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times 5-18 Message-ID: <20100519203707.556EA510B81@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> http://www.contracostatimes.com/top-stories/ci_15105110?nclick_check=1 Delta decline linked to Sacramento sewage treatment in new study Other researchers welcome information but say conclusion too broad By Mike Taugher Contra Costa Times Posted: 05/17/2010 05:11:51 PM PDT Updated: 05/18/2010 07:50:13 AM PDT A new study that shows environmental problems in the Delta are primarily driven by toilet-flushing in Sacramento ? and not the state's dams and pumps ? is sure to get a lot of attention from water agencies that contend their effect on the Delta is exaggerated. Discharges from the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District and other sewer-treatment plants have profoundly changed the food web in ways that deprive Delta smelt and other native fish while favoring fish considered less desirable, the study says. The paper, which has been peer-reviewed and will be published in Reviews in Fisheries Science, shifts focus from Delta pumping stations to another contributor of the Delta's problems. Specifically, sewer discharges from Sacramento have dramatically increased the amount of ammonium in Delta waters, while another nutrient, phosphorus, has declined because of its phaseout from detergents. That shift has changed the building blocks of the estuary's food web in ways that determine what kinds of fish can thrive, and which ones can't, according to the paper by Patricia Glibert, an ecologist at the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science. The paper says the way to start fixing the Delta is to reduce the nutrient discharges from the Sacramento sewer system. "Until such reductions occur, other measures, including regulation of water pumping or manipulations of salinity, as has been the current strategy, will likely show little beneficial effect," the paper concludes. "Without such action, the recovery of the endangered pelagic fish species is unlikely at best." The research was funded mostly by the contractors who rely on water from Delta pumps. Predictably, they trumpeted the results as proof that the influence of water diversions from the Delta have been overemphasized. "This study reinforces how additional restrictions on water exports from the Delta will not provide for the recovery of the fish species. All the stressors harming the Delta need to be addressed," said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager for the State Water Contractors, a group of agencies from the Tri-Valley to Southern California that rely on the state's Delta pumps. Source questioned Officials at the Sacramento sewer plant attacked the funding source. "This has been a line of thinking they (water contractors) have been trying to draw for some time," said Stan Dean, director of policy and planning for the Sacramento regional sewer plant. "You have to be careful about seeing the relationships (in trend analyses) that you want to see." Glibert, who has not previously published work on the Delta but has extensive experience studying other estuaries, is a member of a prestigious panel of scientists that recently concluded that restrictions on Delta pumping operations are for the most part scientifically justified. Researchers who have spent years studying the Delta were critical of several aspects of the paper. "It's really stretching it to say ammonium is the root cause of the Delta smelt decline," said Bill Bennett, an ecologist at UC Davis and the foremost expert on Delta smelt. "You can see a decline in the food and a decline in the fish, when something else could be causing the decline in both." Several researchers said Glibert was a solid scientist whose paper adds to what is known about the Delta. But Bennett and others said the findings, which come close to fingering a silver bullet, went too far. "I think she's taking things a little too far, a little premature," Bennett said. Glibert compared long-term trends to find correlations between discharges from Sacramento, Delta water quality and the kinds of plants and animals that grow there. "The statistical method she used exaggerates trends, and suppresses the very real effect of natural variability," said Wim Kimmerer, an estuarine ecologist at the Romberg Tiburon Center at San Francisco State University. "The overall approach is also based mostly on correlation and ignores important influences that we have learned about through more detailed methods, such as the effects of clams and other introduced species on the food web of the estuary." In early 2005, state biologists who track the Delta's fish populations noticed a sharp decline in several fish species, setting off alarms that the Delta was in a widespread and unexplained ecological decline. Potential causes Since then, California's salmon population joined the collapse, for reasons that scientists have not untangled. But in each case, most researchers agree that the state's system of delivering water through the Delta is at least part of the problem and other factors also contribute. Ammonium from the Sacramento sewer plant, which discharges an average of 145 million gallons a day of treated sewage, has for few years been near the top of that list of other potential causes for the collapse, but most of the focus has been on whether ammonium discharges might be poisoning fish. Glibert said the problem was more subtle. The increase in ammonium changed the kinds of algae that thrive in the Delta, and that change rippled up the food web, she concluded. Before 1982, the nutrients in the Delta were mostly nitrate and phosphorus, which fed algae called diatoms that in turn were eaten by zooplankton that made up the food that Delta smelt and other native fish eat. That food web changed in the 1980s and 1990s, and in a third "era" identified by Glibert, since 2000 the base of the Delta food web is mostly ammonium and blue-green algae, which in turn are favored by another kind of zooplankton that is in turn favored by non-native fish, like inland silversides. While her paper focused on one potential source of stress on fish, Glibert acknowledged that the National Research Council panel of which she is a member would likely find other problems in the Delta by the time it completes its study of the Delta's problems in late 2011. "There is no doubt that when we look at other stressors we will find additional effects," Glibert said. Mike Taugher covers the environment. Contact him at 925-943-8257. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed May 19 16:00:15 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 16:00:15 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] E and E Daily Message-ID: <029b01caf7a7$0b4ac8d0$21e05a70$@net> 15. ENDANGERED SPECIES: Judge scolds NMFS on Calif. water curbs, signals relief for farmers (05/19/2010) Colin Sullivan, E&E reporter U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger yesterday delivered a victory for farmers and water districts looking to pump more water from the San Joaquin-Sacramento Bay Delta, ruling that federal agencies "completely abdicated" their responsibility to protect economic interests in California alongside endangered salmon. Wanger, ruling from the U.S. Eastern District of California in Fresno, signaled his intention to provide San Joaquin Valley farmers and water districts some degree of relief from water export restrictions ordered under the Endangered Species Act. While he did not yet specify what that relief would entail, Wanger sent a clear message to officials at the National Marine Fisheries Service who crafted a scientific opinion that protects salmon and steelhead in the delta. That message amounted to a public scolding. Federal officials, he wrote, "have acted arbitrarily and capriciously in formulating [flow restrictions] to protect threatened species under the ESA that lack factual and scientific justifications." "NMFS has failed to adequately justify by generally recognized scientific principles the precise flow prescriptions imposed by" actions to protect salmon, Wanger wrote in a 134-page decision. He added that the restrictions amount to "guesstimations and attempts to try to achieve 'equity,' rendering it impossible to determine whether [the actions] are adequately protective, too protective or not protective enough." Wanger went on to say he is inclined to provide plaintiffs -- led by the Westlands Water District and the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority -- with injunctive relief that could curtail the pumping limits, which are active through June. He has scheduled a hearing for this morning with attorneys to discuss. The ruling comes as part of a larger case filed by the water districts and agriculture industry against a NMFS biological opinion on winter-run and spring-run chinook salmon in the Central Valley, among other species. The districts are seeking an injunction until that case goes to trial. Also likely to see a ruling in the next few weeks is a separate injunction attempt aimed at a bi-op that applies to the delta smelt. Christopher Carr, an attorney for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said Wanger was signaling that NMFS "fell short on the science" behind the notion that pumping limits help the fish. He refused to speculate on the possible remedy, which could become clear today. "We're delighted with the ruling," Carr said. "It's an extremely strong decision." Doug Obegi, a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council, agreed that Wanger was showing a distaste for how the agencies had justified the pumping limits in court. But he also noted that Wanger's decision stated that salmon fishermen in the Bay area and the fish themselves are entitled to equal protections. "I think it's very much a mixed bag," Obegi said. "He's clearly shown that some pumping restrictions are necessary." Going forward, Obegi said he has a hard time seeing how Wanger will be able to straddle the interests of farmers, districts, fishermen and native tribes, not to mention the fish. The judge seems likely to order a new analysis by NMFS under the National Environmental Policy Act, but Obegi is not sure that means progress. "It's not really clear to me that you get a lot out of that process," he said. "Plenty of money for the lawyers, but I'm not sure what it does for the fish." Wanger, he added, "may tweak some of the numbers a little bit, but I'm not even sure he's going to go that far. We'll see." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed May 19 16:04:11 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 16:04:11 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] CA Independent Voter Network Message-ID: <02a001caf7a7$9cb44760$d61cd620$@net> http://caivn.org/article/2010/05/19/rules-california-water-wars-just-drastic ally-changed Rules of the California water wars just drastically changed cid:image001.jpg at 01CAF755.41EC0C70 by Bob Morris Wed, May 19th 2010 A recent California Superior Court decision ruled that those who illegally divert water from streams and rivers can be sued because the consequent lack of water downstream, with its resultant problems, constitutes a violation of the public trust. Among other things, this means governmental entities that are charged with maintaining such resources can also be sued. Environmental groups have most definitely taken note of this ruling and are planning actions. "This new Superior Court ruling on Monday says that anyone who diverts water must provide enough flow for downstream fish and if they don't they can be sued by anyone," said Chris Malan of the Livings Rivers Council in Napa. He said there are at least 286 illegal water diversions in the Napa River watershed and that many of them are by vineyards. Apparently, the applicable laws have barely been enforced, if not just completely ignored. Such diversions of water can mean that downstream areas dry up during the summer, killing fish and wildlife. The court's ruling grew out of a lawsuit against the City of Calistoga for not operating a dam in compliance with state law because it did not let sufficient water pass through a fishway. Calistoga claimed this was the responsibility of a state regulatory agency, the State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB), not them. The judge disagreed and said the city could be sued, and thus set a new precedent for the entire state. Until January of this year, the SWRCB had just one inspector for the entire state, a classic example perhaps of how blocking enforcement of regulations is often done by deliberate underfunding and understaffing of the agencies involved. They now have 23 new agents, still probably not enough, but much better than before. Until the ruling, any such water enforcement could only be done by SWRCB. Now they can be bypassed completely and lawsuits brought directly. This of course will have effect far outside of the Napa River area. The Scott and Shatsa Rivers also can get dry in the summer, with severe effects on the already precarious existence of salmon, notes The Trout Underground, adding that Fish and Game has gone from being comatose to Draconian, with the result that no one quite knows what to do or expect. Also, another problem is that if diversion from streams is litigated and stopped, then quite possibly some will simply drill wells and pump groundwater out, and that this is also mostly unregulated. Shallow groundwater and surface water are often linked hydrologically, so groundwater pumping could easily affect downstream water flows. The Calistoga trial starts next month. If the city loses, they could conceivably have to pay millions to repair the alleged damage. But whatever the outcome, the rules of the California water wars have changed dramatically. For continuing coverage of California water issues and the water wars, I recommend Aquafornia and Aquanomics . Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1245 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed May 19 16:10:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 16:10:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Wanger's Ruling Message-ID: <02a701caf7a8$6ac82b30$40588190$@net> If you don't want to read the entire 135 page ruling on the salmon OCAP Biop, a good synopsis of the key points of Wanger's ruling is available from Alex Breitler's (journalist with the Stockton Record) blog: http://blogs.esanjoaquin.com/san-joaquin-river-delta/2010/05/19/blasting-the -feds/ Also here's the link to the University of Maryland study on smelt and nutrient pollution in the Delta: http://online.recordnet.com/projects/blog/2010/0518smelt.pdf Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu May 20 10:08:22 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 10:08:22 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Wanger - News Accounts Message-ID: <004f01caf83f$0e80a360$2b81ea20$@net> More newspaper reports on Wanger's (bizarre - so now, does the National Academy of Science have no credibility) ruling: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/20/2763550/federal-judge-might-revise-californ ia.html#mi_rss=State%20Politics http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/05/19/1939238/judge-delays-delta-pumping-decis ion.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/20/BAPD1DHD6R.DTL Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu May 20 10:10:47 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 10:10:47 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Wanger Message-ID: <005401caf83f$64be9480$2e3bbd80$@net> More on Wanger's decision including a Sacramento Bee editorial: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/20/2763611/must-it-always-be-war-in-the-delta. html http://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/article/14519/ Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu May 20 10:15:49 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 10:15:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 5/19/10 Message-ID: <007401caf840$1895b420$49c11c60$@net> It might also help if water meters were installed. Sacramento utility dept. holds free water conservation class Sacramento Bee-5/19/10 By Matt Weiser Sacramento residents are invited to attend a free class on water conservation June 3. The class, hosted by the City of Sacramento Utilities Department, is designed to help residents comply with new watering rules while also maintaining a beautiful yard. The city also faces a state mandate to reduce water consumption 20 percent by 2020. Last year, the city adopted new permanent watering rules that allow landscape irrigation only on alternate days in summer, based on address, and only one day a week in winter. The goal is to avoid water waste whether nature brings drought or normal rainfall. Participants will also learn how to get rebates for water-efficient appliances. The class will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the South Natomas Community Center, 2921 Truxel Road. Additional classes will be held throughout the summer on June 26, July 19 and 31, Aug. 23, Sept. 22 and Oct. 30 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax (call first to fax) 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu May 20 15:14:32 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 15:14:32 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: This weekend: Endangered Species Day at the Golden Gate National Parks! Message-ID: <00ad01caf869$d2fde6b0$78f9b410$@net> From: Mark Rockwell, Endangered Species Coalition [mailto:mrockwell at stopextinction.org] Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 11:05 AM To: bwl3 at comcast.net Subject: This weekend: Endangered Species Day at the Golden Gate National Parks! Endangered Species Day Posters Celebrate Endangered Species Day at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area! Dear Byron, Celebrate Endangered Species Day all weekend with Golden Gate National Parks, from Friday May 21 to Sunday, May 23. From Muir Beach to Lands End, get hands-on with a restoration project or interpretive program to benefit the park's endangered species! At Golden Gate, there are more federally protected species than any other unit of the National Park System in continental North America: more than Yosemite, Yellowstone, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks combined! This is both cause for celebration and concern. The California red-legged frog, coho salmon, mission blue butterfly, Presidio clarkia, and many more species need your help! Join us for Endangered Species Weekend at Golden Gate National Parks! Endangered Species Weekend Friday, May 21, 2010 - Sunday May 23, 2010 Help with restoration projects for endangered species, including: See peregrine falcons and learn about raptor migration Restore habitat at Muir Beach for endangered salmon and steelhead Help grow native plants for Mission Blue butterflies at the Marin Headlands Observe endangered tidewater goby and clean up the Rodeo Lagoon Restore habitat for western snowy plovers on the beach Restore habitat for endangered plants at the Presidio and more! Find out more and register for a project at the Golden Gate National Parks website. Endangered Species Day is a national celebration of America's commitment to protecting and recovering our nation's flora and fauna. Nearly a quarter of the species on the planet are currently in danger of extinction. Started by the United States Senate, Endangered Species Day is an opportunity for people young and old to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions that people can take to help protect our nation's disappearing wildlife and last remaining open space. Protecting America's wildlife and plants today is a legacy we leave to our children and grandchildren, so that all Americans can experience the rich variety of native species that help to define our nation. Thank you for helping to protect endangered species. Hope to see you this weekend! Sincerely, Mark Rockwell Pacific Coast Representative Endangered Species Coalition P.S. If the links in this email don't work, please visit http://www.parksconservancy.org/calendar/volunteer-events/special-events/end angered-species-weekend-at.html www.EndangeredSpeciesDay.org Endangered Species Day Pictures _____ You received this email because you have previously supported the Endangered Species Coalition's efforts. We greatly appreciate your support. If, however, you do not wish to receive future e-mails like this, please click here to unsubscribe . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu May 20 19:47:23 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydacker) Date: Thu, 20 May 2010 19:47:23 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] THE INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES AND THE PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATIONS Message-ID: <000601caf88f$f2858990$d7909cb0$@net> Fresno County farmers lead the nation in harvesting farm subsidies and have collected nearly $1 billion since 1995, newly available Agriculture Department records show. Other California counties are close behind. Kern, Colusa and Tulare counties rank third, fourth and fifth respectively nationwide for total farm subsidies received, with rice and cotton growers benefiting the most. Payments to Fresno County farmers totaled $961 million between 1995 and 2009. Last year alone, the farmers took in $75.9 million. "It's a good thing, because it shows we are putting federal dollars to work," Fresno County Farm Bureau Executive Director Ryan Jacobsen commented. Only about 10% of California's farmers receive subsidies, while the fruit and vegetable crops for which the state is famous are largely unsubsidized. Despite the abundant payments to certain Central Valley counties, California only ranks ninth among states for total subsidies received. The newly available records update a popular subsidy database begun by the Environmental Working Group in 2004. The organization releases the information in hopes of influencing lawmakers to tighten payments, but its data is widely respected as accurate. "We have a farm program that says the bigger you get, the more you'll get from the federal government," said Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director of the Nebraska-based Center for Rural Affairs. "This database documents the truth about this." The Sacramento-based Farmers Rice Cooperative and the cotton-growing Dublin Farms and Hansen Ranches, both based in Corcoran, have topped all other subsidy recipients in California since 1995. For the Farmers Rice Cooperative, all of the money was passed through to the 750 individual farmer members of the cooperative, and no payments were received after 2006. Some public figures, too, have benefited from the federal farm subsidy program. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, is identified as having received $57,193 in crop subsidies between 2001 and 2005. Nunes took office in 2003. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobie bwl3 at comcast.net http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri May 21 19:29:47 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 19:29:47 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] PCL on Wanger Decision Message-ID: <004701caf956$a5f4d4b0$f1de7e10$@net> The Planning and Conservation League Judicial Opinion Threatens Salmon On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger issued an opinion stating that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) protections for salmon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta do not "take the hard look required to achieve, to the maximum extent possible, the co-equal Reclamation Law objective of providing water service." The opinion may presage an unfortunate blow for already-beleaguered California salmon. The protections that provide anadromous fish with the water they need are the best hope for California's wild salmon runs and the commercial fishermen and communities whose lifestyles and livelihoods depend on them. The NMFS protections define when, and how much, water can be pumped from the South Delta without driving endangered anadromous fish to extinction. They were recently vetted by a panel from the National Academy of Sciences, who found the protections "scientifically justified." In his opinion, Judge Wanger stated that the pumping restrictions had caused "social disruption and dislocation, such as . increased unemployment leading to hunger and homelessness," and that a temporary injunction might be appropriate if it does not "further jeopardize the species or their habitat." This opinion was not a final ruling. The exporters continue to seek an injunction on the federal biological opinions that protect the salmon. The court will continue to hear arguments and make a final ruling. The next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25th. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobie bwl3 at comcast.net http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 31410 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov Fri May 21 11:02:49 2010 From: Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov (Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov) Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 11:02:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] In Season Trapping Update, Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring on the Trinity River at Willow Creek Message-ID: Willow Creek Downstream Migrant Trap Site 2010 In-Season Trapping Update ?May 21, 2010 Synopsis: The 2010 Downstream Migrant trapping season at the Willow Creek Trap Site (river kilometer 34) is being conducted jointly by the USFWS Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office (AFWO) and the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program (YTFP) on the mainstem Trinity River near Willow Creek, California. The season began March 8th, 2010 with the installation of two traps. A third trap was installed March 9th, 2010. See attached catch summary for details of this narrative. This summary includes data from March 9th, 2010 through May 13th, 2010 and is presented as raw catch. No expansions have been calculated at this time. Data entry is complete for all Julian Weeks presented. Heavy debris load and high flows have occasionally resulted in null sets, causing less than 21 trap days (3 traps x 7 days) in some weeks resulting in variable effort over the season; therefore raw catch numbers should be interpreted with caution. Raw daily catches of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have been captured each day sampling has occurred and most have been young-of-the-year (YOY). Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of YOY Chinook salmon were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 10 and 11. Efficiency calibrations were conducted with freeze-branded hatchery Chinook salmon during all weeks sampled. Raw daily catches of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) smolts (age 1+) have been relatively steady since the beginning of trapping with hatchery steelhead showing up in JW 12. Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of Steelhead smolts were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 15 and JW 18-19. The drop in condition factor in the later weeks is consistent with smoltification processes. Steelhead YOY numbers are present in the catch, but have yet to show signs of a peak. Raw daily catches of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) are lower than last year at this time but not significantly lower than other years prior. Weekly mean Fulton?s K value of natural coho salmon smolts has varied greatly from week to week due to low catches. Hatchery Coho smolts occurred in the catch beginning Julian Week 15. If you have any questions regarding this summary, don't hesitate to contact Bill Pinnix at (707) 822-7201. (See attached file: WCT_Catch_Summary_05_21_10.pdf) William Pinnix USFWS, AFWO 1655 Heindon Rd Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 822-7201 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: WCT_Catch_Summary_05_21_10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 29064 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon May 24 11:36:45 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 11:36:45 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Wanger's Decision Message-ID: <01c901cafb70$1123d3b0$336b7b10$@net> This is a video link to a TV station's report on Wanger's decision. It's rather interesting. http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/video?id=7451510 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Tue May 25 15:47:35 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 15:47:35 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] University of California may abandon its water library Message-ID: <4BFC5387.2010306@tcrcd.net> *Why is UC abandoning its water library?* *S.F. Chronicle-5/24/10* *By Daniel O. Holmes* *Opinion* What happens when a one-of-its-kind library at the University of California is no longer wanted by its hosting unit? While the strategic priorities of a unit may change, reducing the library's relevance to its host -- but what about its relevance to the broader university community and the public? Is that relevance to be ignored and the library summarily disbanded? It looks like that is what is happening at Berkeley. The Water Resources Center Archives, the premier water collection in the United States, is on the UC chopping block awaiting the axe -- not because it is no longer relevant (close to 500,000 unique online users use it annually) -- but because the Office of the President's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources no longer finds it to be a priority. Ironically, the very people who no longer want it have been placed in charge of determining the fate of the archives. Despite its antiquated moniker, the archives is not a collection of irrelevant dusty old stuff. It is a modern library with loads of digital resources and has the largest Web site on the UC Berkeley library server. As we all know, fresh water is arguably the most vital natural resource in the world. Its worldwide availability is declining as population is increasing (for example, see the April 2010 special issue of National Geographic Magazine, Water -- Our Thirsty World). Water is equally vital in California. It is a topic of chronic passionate debate and litigation in California among the general public, attorneys, engineers, politicians, farmers, recreationists, academics, utilities and entrepeneurs. Surely the university should recognize and honor the value of this unique collection and its services to all. More than 50 years ago, the Legislature founded this library to collect, preserve and disseminate rare and unique water information to support instructional and research programs of the university, the people of the state, and of our nation. It would be shortsighted, in fact irresponsible, to terminate or seriously undermine the archives' survival and functionality for any reason. Of course, proportionate budget cuts are acceptable. Information on water is not just your run-of-the-mill technical and popular publications. It has innumerable publishers (like the more than 800 irrigation districts in California alone), a popular literature, one-off digital reports, and the valuable archives gifted from retiring water professionals. Gathering and preserving and making accessible this non-conventional and unusual water information demands special expertise, which the archives has built up over more than half a century. No one else has it.# /Daniel O. Holmes of Orinda is a consulting geographer and librarian. / http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/opinionshop/detail?&entry_id=64291 From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 25 15:40:55 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 15:40:55 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Myths and Facts Message-ID: <005301cafc5b$57f7edd0$07e7c970$@net> A relatively brief and extremely worthwhile outline of Myths and Facts on water deliveries and poisoned lands in the Western San Joaquin Valley Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Myths and Facts About Land Fallowing.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 526734 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue May 25 20:43:07 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 20:43:07 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 5 25 2010 Message-ID: <002701cafc85$8f5ce440$ae16acc0$@net> Judge lifts delta pumping restrictions Posted at 08:03 PM on Tuesday, May. 25, 2010 By John Ellis / The Fresno Bee A federal judge in Fresno Tuesday evening ordered pumping restrictions lifted on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, granting a request by urban and agricultural water users who argued that taking additional water from the delta would not harm endangered salmon. U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger granted the order following a lengthy hearing that ran into the evening. But the effect of Wanger's ruling could be short-lived. Pumping restrictions designed to protect another threatened fish, the tiny delta smelt, could limit the amount of water farmers and urban water users can draw from the troubled estuary. Currently, there are two sets of pumping restrictions in place. One expires May 31, and the other on June 15, when juvenile salmon are done leaving the rivers and migrating to the ocean. After June 15, no salmon-related pumping restrictions are in place. Tom Birmingham, Westlands' general manager, has said a favorable ruling could give water users 20 days of increased pumping before June 15. That could mean another 200,000 acre-feet of water above what would be delivered with the pumping restrictions in place, he said. Earlier this month, Wanger found the water users had made convincing arguments that the federal government's science didn't prove that increased pumping from the delta imperiled salmon. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed May 26 13:29:54 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 26 May 2010 13:29:54 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] LA and Contra Costa Times 5 25 and 26 2010 Message-ID: <002001cafd12$34be0ef0$9e3a2cd0$@net> Los Angeles Times and Contra Costa Times stories on Wanger's decision on Delta pumping. http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-us-california-water, 0,6313859.story http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_15161932?source=rss &nclick_check=1 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu May 27 14:40:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 27 May 2010 14:40:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] PCFFA Press Release 5 27 2010 Message-ID: <016501cafde5$2b1205e0$813611a0$@net> David Bitts President Larry Collins Vice-President Tom Hart Secretary Marlyse Battistella Treasurer In Memoriam: Nathaniel S. Bingham Harold C. Christensen W.F. "Zeke" Grader, Jr. Executive Director Glen H. Spain Northwest Regional Director Vivian Helliwell Watershed Conservation Director Duncan MacLean Salmon Advisor PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION of FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 27, 2010 Contact: Zeke Grader, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (415) 606-5140 Dick Pool, Water 4 Fish, (925) 963-6350 Larry Collins, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (415) 585-5711 Fishermen Fear Delta Pump Ruling May Decimate Fall Salmon Run Fall-Run Chinook Are the Mainstay of California's Salmon Fishery San Francisco -- West Coast fishermen, shut out of fishing for the past two years altogether and granted a 2010 fishery so tiny that most will simply sit it out, fear that a Tuesday night ruling by Fresno-based judge Oliver Wanger could be a serious disaster for the Sacramento River's fall-run chinook ('king') salmon resource. Sacramento River fall run chinook are the backbone of California's 150-year-old salmon fishery and a large contributor to Oregon and Washington ocean fisheries as well. Strong runs of Sacramento River fall-run chinooks returned to the Central Valley earlier in this decade - 768,000 adult fish up to 50 pounds each found their way back to Valley streams in 2002. By 2009 that number had crashed to 39,530 fish, driven down in large part by heavy increases in State Water Project pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river Delta. While the Sacramento River's spring-run chinook juvenile fish have nearly finished their migration through the Delta, the fall-run salmon and endangered species act-listed steelhead will be migrating downstream through most of June, as will those hatchery salmon released upstream. The California Department of Water Resources is already ramping up its Delta pumping, taking quick advantage of Wanger's ruling, from 1,500 cubic feet per second to nearly 6,000 cubic feet per second. Dick Pool, a Bay Area sports-fishing advocate, is concerned that this high level of pumping from the Delta will not only suck baby salmon into the pumps but will trap thousands of others trying to reach San Francisco Bay in the central Delta where their chances of survival are slim. Pool describes the risks: "There is no cover, little food and there are many predators in the central Delta channels." Studies show that most young salmon never make it to the pumping plant. "Most of them fall to predators or perish before they make it to the State Water Project pumps" says Pool. Under the Endangered Species Act, Wanger is only required to consider the impacts of increased pumping on the critically low winter- and spring-run chinook salmon and steelhead, a close chinook salmon relative. Fishing families and communities along a thousand miles of coast have been hard hit by the closure of the West Coast salmon fishery. "Salmon were about 60% of my income," said Larry Collins, a San Francisco-based fisherman Collins has also seen a dramatic decline in fish in San Francisco Bay. "The herring fishery collapsed, and everything else is way down - likely due to the over-pumping in the Delta." The collapse of the salmon runs and the declining health of the Bay fisheries impacts everyone from fish brokers to Bay Area restaurants unable to serve local salmon to residents and tourists. One 2009 study indicated that California's salmon fishing shutdown has cost the region 23,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in annual income. The study found that full recovery of California's salmon fisheries would create 94,000 new jobs and provide $5.6 billion annual economic gain. ### Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 17993 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu May 27 22:58:34 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 27 May 2010 22:58:34 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] 5th Annual Spring-run Chinook Symposium Agenda Message-ID: <912D7E61BA134F27A1BE5133DC6D6A34@homeuserPC> ----- Original Message ----- From: Dana Stolzman To: Subject: 5th Annual Spring-run Chinook Symposium Agenda Dear Spring-run Chinook Enthusiasts, Please help spread the word about the 5th Annual Spring-run Chinook Symposium Attached is a PSA and the final agenda for the symposium Please feel free to distribute to your constituents and cohorts! 5th Annual Spring-run Chinook Symposium July 22-23, 2010 - Chico, CA ? The Spring-run Chinook symposium will feature tours of restoration efforts in multiple watersheds in the Chico area that have Spring-run Chinook populations. On Thursday July 22 we will offer tours of Upper Butte Creek Spring-run habitat, PG & E hydroelectric influences, and the Butte Creek Ecological Preserve as well as a tour of Department of Water Resources projects on the Lower Feather River and Oroville Visitor's Center and a third tour of restoration projects in Big Chico Creek. SRF will host a dinner and social on Thursday evening with keynote speaker Lisa Thompson from UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension who will give a presentation on stabilizing Spring-run Chinook populations while we work towards recovery. Friday July 23 tours will include a tour of restoration efforts in Deer and Mill Creek as well as a tour of Lower Butte Creek, the Western Canal and DWR weir retrofits.? ? To see the final agenda, please visit?www.calsalmon.org SRF has arranged a group discount of $84 at the Marriott Courtyard and the adjacent Residence Inn in Chico. To make a reservation at the discount rate, the hotel directly at (530) 894-6699 by June 28 and let them know that you are with the Salmonid Restoration block, www.marriott.com/ciccy Dana Stolzman Executive Director Salmonid Restoration Federation www.calsalmon.org (707) 923-7501 (707) 923-3135 fax -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Spring-run Chinook Enthusiasts, Please help spread the word about the 5th Annual Spring-run Chinook Symposium Attached is a PSA and the final agenda for the symposium Please feel free to distribute to your constituents and cohorts! 5th Annual Spring-run Chinook Symposium July 22-23, 2010 - Chico, CA The Spring-run Chinook symposium will feature tours of restoration efforts in multiple watersheds in the Chico area that have Spring-run Chinook populations. On Thursday July 22 we will offer tours of Upper Butte Creek Spring-run habitat, PG & E hydroelectric influences, and the Butte Creek Ecological Preserve as well as a tour of Department of Water Resources projects on the Lower Feather River and Oroville Visitor's Center and a third tour of restoration projects in Big Chico Creek. SRF will host a dinner and social on Thursday evening with keynote speaker Lisa Thompson from UC Davis and UC Cooperative Extension who will give a presentation on stabilizing Spring-run Chinook populations while we work towards recovery. Friday July 23 tours will include a tour of restoration efforts in Deer and Mill Creek as well as a tour of Lower Butte Creek, the Western Canal and DWR weir retrofits. To see the final agenda, please visit www.calsalmon.org SRF has arranged a group discount of $84 at the Marriott Courtyard and the adjacent Residence Inn in Chico. To make a reservation at the discount rate, the hotel directly at (530) 894-6699 by June 28 and let them know that you are with the Salmonid Restoration block, www.marriott.com/ciccy Dana Stolzman Executive Director Salmonid Restoration Federation www.calsalmon.org (707) 923-7501 (707) 923-3135 fax ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 5th SRF Spring-run Agenda.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 211268 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Jun 1 10:10:41 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2010 10:10:41 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Stockton Record 5 31 10 Message-ID: <002901cb01ad$5e90d0b0$1bb27210$@net> Legislature rejects study of peripheral canal alternative Stockton Record-5/31/10 By Alex Breitler The Legislature will not consider the latest alternative to a peripheral canal: a proposal to build gates, barriers and fish screens to protect both the ecosystem and the reliability of the water supply for much of California. Lawmakers on Friday declined to move forward a bill by Assemblyman Bill Berryhill, R-Ceres, requiring study and analysis of the so-called Delta Corridors Plan. The plan is supported by Delta farmers, San Joaquin County and some environmentalists. "I don't understand it," Berryhill said Friday. "All we're trying to do is a study. We're really fighting big water interests in Southern California." The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California - which relies on Delta water to serve cities as far south as San Diego - was opposed to the $750,000 Delta Corridors study, to be paid for with previously approved bond funds. In a letter, Metropolitan and other water districts warned that Berryhill's Assembly Bill 1797 "would divert attention and already limited resources ... and result in delays better spent on more effective long-term solutions for the Delta." Delta Corridors, the districts said, would not solve water quality, water supply and fishery problems. Right now, water from the San Joaquin River as it passes by Stockton is sucked west to the large Delta export pumps near Tracy. The corridors plan would "isolate" the San Joaquin flows by raising them on a "river bridge" over a channel that feeds the pumps. Juvenile fish such as salmon or steelhead could get downstream without getting sucked into the pumps. And the heavy load of salt in the San Joaquin River would not be pumped south to farms and cities. The Sacramento River would still supply most of the water pumped from the Delta. That water would be pulled south through the Delta, as it is today, and would flow under the bridge holding the San Joaquin flows so the two streams don't mix. The plan has been pitched as a possible permanent solution to the Delta crisis. Its supporters said Friday that it is not dead. They could try again in the Legislature next year, and they're attempting to present their plan directly to the Delta Stewardship Council, a new body that is writing a plan for the estuary. "At least it was successful in raising discussion," said engineer Russ Brown of ICF Jones & Stokes, who prepared the plan on behalf of south Delta farmers. Opponents estimated the cost at $4 billion. The state has estimated the cost of a canal at nearly $9 billion and a tunnel at about $11.7 billion. "Delta Corridors would improve the existing situation, and has potential in our view," said Stockton attorney Dante Nomellini, who represents farmers in the central Delta. "But the game plan by the movers and shakers is to build a peripheral canal and not look at anything else." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jun 2 09:46:52 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2010 09:46:52 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 6 2 2010 Message-ID: <008401cb0273$34cff690$9e6fe3b0$@net> Report finds delta among most vulnerable rivers Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, June 2, 2010 * Tax credits fuel 6 pct. rise in April home sales 06.02.10 The river system that makes up the backbone of the state's economy ranks as one of the most imperiled watersheds in the nation, putting at risk drinking water for millions of Californians as well as billions of dollars worth of crops and urban infrastructure, according to an annual report on the country's most important waterways. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, whose fingers extend from the slopes of Mount Shasta in the north to vast farm fields near Fresno in the south, is "extremely vulnerable to catastrophic failure" from over-pumping and declining ecosystems, according to American Rivers, a Washington, D.C., conservation group. And increasingly, surging storm waters and rising sea levels induced by global climate change threaten to ravage the delicate network of levees and channels that route water through the confluence of the two rivers and protect low-lying cities such as Sacramento, Lathrop and Stockton. "The (levee) system is fragile, old and degraded ... and the delta is the most important estuary in North America," said Jeffrey Mount, a prominent UC Davis watershed scientist and American Rivers board member. "And there's no money to fix it. That's why there are hard choices to come." Cracks in the system Water supplies from the delta slake the thirst of some 23 million Californians and hundreds of thousands of acres of the nation's richest agricultural land. In recent years, however, cracks in the system have turned into yawning gaps in the face of drought, rising oceans, pollution, invasive species, and aging pipes and canals. Those myriad pressures placed the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta at No. 2 on the group's list of most endangered rivers, behind the Upper Delaware River in Pennsylvania and New York, and just ahead of the Gauley River in West Virginia. Both the Upper Delaware and Gauley rivers are under threat from contamination tied to energy operations - natural gas extraction along the Upper Delaware and mountaintop mining along the Gauley. Repair plans California's water woes are familiar to anyone who has followed the protracted political, legal and financial battles over fixing the system. This year's American Rivers report, released today, coincides with deadlines on several broad-based efforts to overhaul both the management and infrastructure of the system. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is rushing to finish before his term ends in January, aims to find a balance between a reliable water supply and ecosystem restoration. Its centerpiece is a controversial, multibillion-dollar canal that would funnel water around the delta to prevent further environmental damage and ensure a consistent water supply. Under a separate project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state is identifying the weakest parts of the Central Valley's flood-control system. The Department of Water Resources must complete that plan by Jan. 1, 2012. American Rivers officials say both plans offer opportunities to improve on the status quo. However, they worry that any steps may simply open the spigot wider, diverting more water from the rivers with little regard for ecological rehabilitation. Learn from example Instead, says American Rivers' John Cain, state leaders should learn from the success of the Yolo Bypass, a kind of flood-safety valve for the Sacramento River completed in the 1930s. In addition to its main function, the bypass has emerged as an important rest stop for migratory birds. "It's an example of what works right in the system," Cain said. "We need to create more room for rivers to flood when the inevitable floods do come, instead of spending hundreds of millions on emergency levee repairs." The Department of Water Resources says any statewide water plan will address what it sees as the three key problems facing the system: water reliability, water quality and ecosystem rehabilitation. "We absolutely agree that the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta is in crisis. That's why we're continuing to collaborate on a planning process to fix this critical hub," said department spokesman Matt Notley. Online resource American Rivers: Read the full report. links.sfgate.com/ZJTO Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jun 2 15:15:49 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2010 15:15:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times 6 2 2010 Message-ID: <00aa01cb02a1$29bb44c0$7d31ce40$@net> Canal critics say small one might work ; More modest option could cost half as much and deliver 70 percent of the water of a major canal, critics argue Contra Costa Times - 6/2/10 By Mike Taugher Decades of trench warfare over Delta water might be resolved relatively cheaply and quickly if water agencies give up their dreams of a massive canal and instead opt for a small tunnel, a key environmental group says. The Planning and Conservation League, a leading opponent of plans for a peripheral canal, picked up on the idea floated by the Contra Costa Water District. "A couple of years ago Contra Costa talked about this as a good idea," said Jonas Minton, the league's water policy analyst. "As we thought about it, we saw there could be benefits for a smaller-sized tunnel versus a major canal." Building a tunnel one-fifth the size of the largest peripheral canal under consideration would cost about half as much while still delivering about 70 percent of the water, according to Minton's group, which used figures from engineering reports by the group studying the canal and the Contra Costa district. For environmentalists, Delta farmers and others, the biggest attraction of a smaller aqueduct is that it would not have the capacity for the environmental damage of a large one. Supporters of a big canal say it would be operated according to rules meant to protect the Delta. But Minton and others say one need only look at ongoing court battles and attempts in Congress to waive endangered species laws to see that any guarantee put in writing could be changed. "What makes it most appealing for many is its sizing would provide a physical assurance that water would remain in the Delta," Minton said. Water agencies are not convinced. They are evaluating options and expect to release the results of those kinds of analyses in the next month or so. The largest option, a 15,000-cubic-foot-per-second canal, "is still the presumed leading candidate. But all of the options are being looked at," said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager for the State Water Contractors, an association of mostly urban and suburban water agencies from the Bay Area to Southern California. Minton's group is suggesting a 3,000-cubic-foot-per-second tunnel as a size that "might be the basis of a real discussion." But King Moon dismissed that as too small. "We don't believe a facility of that size would be cost-effective," she said. It also would not satisfy the demand, according to Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, which represents western San Joaquin Valley farm districts. "Three thousand doesn't meet our water supply needs," he said. "It (15,000 cubic feet per second) meets our water supply needs." Nelson added, however, "I'm encouraged they're seeing there are benefits to a canal." Estimates for a 15,000-cubic-foot-per-second canal run about $9 billion to $10 billion and a large tunnel is slightly more expensive, about $10 billion to $12 billion, King Moon said. By contrast, Minton said a 3,000-cubic-foot-per-second tunnel could be built for between $3.8 billion and $5 billion. As the Delta ecosystem collapsed and it became obvious that government plans for managing water resources were failing, water agencies returned to a decades-old idea to untangle the state's water needs from the Delta's ecosystem needs: build a canal to move Sacramento River water from the north around, instead of through, the Delta. For more than three years, a committee of water agencies, state officials, biologists, regulators and environmentalists have been trying to craft a way to make such a canal, or tunnel, work for water users and the Delta ecosystem. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants a draft plan from the group, called the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, by this fall. More than three years ago, engineers at the Contra Costa Water District began exploring whether a smaller option might work, and what they found buried in the studies being done by the conservation planning group appeared promising. A smaller canal would reduce the environmental threat, cost less and be easier and quicker to build. And, depending on the requirements to maintain water in the Delta and upstream rivers, they found that the assumption that a large canal would definitely deliver far more water might be wrong. "We suggested they look very closely at a small facility because it's going to take a long time," said Greg Gartrell, an assistant general manager at the district. "We recognized a canal was a 19th century facility. Three-and-a-half years later, they're getting there. Unfortunately, they haven't gotten very far on that." "Adding more (size)," Gartrell said, "adds lots of cost but not a lot of bang for the buck." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Jun 3 16:17:06 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2010 16:17:06 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Ratepayers, Farmers, & Conservationists File Suit to Block Southern Ag Water Grab Message-ID: <49692769D3AD41B0A4DE2231A637EBD2@homeuserPC> Having trouble viewing this email? Click here For Immediate Release, June 3, 2010 Contacts: Carolee Krieger, President California Water Impact Network (805) 969?9565 Bill Jennings, Executive Director CA Sportfishing Protection Alliance (209) 464-5067 Adam Keats, Senior Council, CBD: (415) 436-9682 x304 Ratepayers, Farmers, & Conservationists File Suit to Block Southern Ag Water Grab SANTA BARBARA, Calif.? Today groups are seeking to block a secret backroom deal signed by five water contractors along with the Department of Water Resources to undo water contracts underlying voter approved bonds four decades earlier. Absent court action, contract changes that largely benefit southern central valley corporate irrigators at the expense of urban ratepayers will trade away ratepayer funded projects and allow massive diversions of water from the Delta charging only pumping costs. ?These contract changes break promises made to bond holders and ratepayers,? said Carolee Krieger, President and Executive Director of the California Water Impact Network [C-WIN], one of the groups seeking to block the contract changes. ?These changes undo decades of urban ratepayer protections for the benefit of a few agribusiness corporations and real estate developments at the expense of ratepayers and bondholders.? The back room deal, known as the ?Monterey Amendments? signed in 1995 without public input was challenged in court. The courts ruled the contract changes, deeding of portions of the State Water Project known as the Kern Water Bank, and removal of protections for southern California ratepayers would not be valid until a new analysis of the impacts had public review and was certified as complete. ?The State Water Project and the Kern Water Bank were developed by the state, at ratepayer expense, to benefit all of California?our cities, our farms, and our fish,? said Adam Keats, lead attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. ?But with the Monterey Plus Amendments it has been hijacked by private interests who are using it for their own ends, including stockpiling water to enable destructive speculative development. Meanwhile the state?s entire water system gets closer and closer to collapse and multiple fish species?salmon, Delta smelt, even Sacramento splittail?are brought closer to the brink of extinction so that subsidized growers can make profits off of water sales and new sprawl development can be built in the last of our wild places.? The suit, filed today in Sacramento Superior Court, was brought by C-WIN, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Central Delta Water Agency and the South Delta Water Agency agencies that deliver water to Delta-area farmers. The suit challenges the legality of the following: ? Institutionalizing the concept of ?paper water? ? water promised by contract that can never realistically be delivered. ? Eliminating the ?urban preference,? which prioritized water deliveries to municipal customers during drought. This change resulted in water shortages and higher utility rates for southern California ratepayers. ? Illegally transferring state property known as the Kern Water Bank to private entities and undermining the California Water Code by masking the purpose and place of water use. ? Increasing water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, thus worsening water quality problems and triggering the collapse of the Delta?s ecosystem and fisheries. The lawsuit seeks to reinstate the urban water preference during drought in State Water Project contracts, reduce the pumping of Delta water that has resulted in the collapse of fisheries, and return the Kern Water Bank to public ownership. ?This was a poorly negotiated backdoor deal that put the wealthy growers of subsidized crops ahead of fisheries and the need for a sustainable and reliable supply of clean drinking water for California's cities,? said Bill Jennings, chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance in Stockton. ?The Metropolitan Water District gambled it could raid the Delta for ?surplus? water. It not only lost that bet, but the Monterey Plus Amendments triggered the collapse of Delta ecosystems and our once-great salmon fisheries.? More Reading: Monterey Plus Amendments Background Information (PDF) Monterey Plus Amendments Chronology (PDF) # # # For more information on the Monterey Plus Amendments, see http://www.c-win.org/monterey-plus-agreement.html. The California Water Impact Network promotes the equitable and environmental use of California's water, including instream uses, through research, planning, public education, and litigation. www.c-win.org CSPA is a non-profit conservation and research organization established in 1983 for the purpose of conserving, restoring, and enhancing the state's water quality and fishery resources and their aquatic and riparian ecosystems. www.calsport.org The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with more than 200,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. www.biologicaldiversity.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Jun 3 16:25:56 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2010 16:25:56 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Updated Ratepayers, Farmers, & Conservationists File Suit to Block Southern Ag Water Grab Message-ID: <3640226A74704CDBBEAE854C4264FF90@homeuserPC> For Immediate Release, June 3, 2010 Contact: Carolee Krieger, Executive Director, C-WIN: 805-969-0824 Bill Jennings, Executive Director, CSPA: 209-464-5067 Adam Keats, Senior Counsel, CBD: 415-436-9682 x304 Ratepayers, Farmers, & Conservationists File Suit to Block Southern Ag Water Grab SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- Today groups are seeking to block a secret backroom deal signed by five water contractors along with the Department of Water Resources [DWR] to undo water contracts underlying voter approved bonds four decades earlier. Absent court action, contract changes that largely benefit southern central valley corporate irrigators at the expense of urban ratepayers will trade away ratepayer funded projects and allow massive diversions of water from the Delta charging only pumping costs. "These contract changes break promises made to bond holders and ratepayers," said Carolee Krieger, President and Executive Director of the California Water Impact Network [C-WIN], one of the groups seeking to block the contract changes. "These changes undo decades of urban ratepayer protections for the benefit of a few agribusiness corporations and real estate developments at the expense of ratepayers and bondholders." The back room deal, known as the "Monterey Amendments" signed in 1995 without public input was challenged in court. The courts ruled the contract changes, deeding of portions of the State Water Project known as the Kern Water Bank, and removal of protections for southern California ratepayers would not be valid until a new analysis of the impacts had public review and was certified as complete. "The State Water Project and the Kern Water Bank were developed by the state, at ratepayer expense, to benefit all of California-our cities, our farms, and our fish," said Adam Keats, lead attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. "But with the Monterey Plus Amendments it has been hijacked by private interests who are using it for their own ends, including stockpiling water to enable destructive speculative development. Meanwhile the state's entire water system gets closer and closer to collapse and multiple fish species-salmon, Delta smelt, even Sacramento splittail-are brought closer to the brink of extinction so that subsidized growers can make profits off of water sales and new sprawl development can be built in the last of our wild places." The suit, filed today in Sacramento Superior Court, was brought by C-WIN, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Central Delta Water Agency and the South Delta Water Agency agencies charged with protecting the in-channel water supply for Delta-area farmers. The suit challenges the legality of the following: . Institutionalizing the concept of "paper water" - water promised by contract that can never realistically be delivered. . Eliminating the "urban preference," which prioritized water deliveries to municipal customers during drought. This change resulted in water shortages and higher utility rates for southern California ratepayers. . Illegally transferring state property known as the Kern Water Bank to private entities and undermining the California Water Code by masking the purpose and place of water use. . Increasing water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, thus worsening water quality problems and triggering the collapse of the Delta's ecosystem and fisheries. The lawsuit seeks to reinstate the urban water preference during drought in State Water Project contracts, reduce the pumping of Delta water that has resulted in the collapse of fisheries, and return the Kern Water Bank to public ownership. "This was a poorly negotiated backdoor deal that put the wealthy growers of subsidized crops ahead of fisheries and the need for a sustainable and reliable supply of clean drinking water for California's cities," said Bill Jennings, chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance in Stockton. "The Metropolitan Water District gambled it could raid the Delta for 'surplus' water. It not only lost that bet, but the Monterey Plus Amendments triggered the collapse of Delta ecosystems and our once-great salmon fisheries." # # # For more information on the Monterey Plus Amendments, see http://www.c-win.org/press-room-monterey-plus-amendments-and-environmental-impact-report-lawsuit.html and http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/monterey_plus_amendments/index.html. The California Water Impact Network promotes the equitable and environmental use of California's water, including instream uses, through research, planning, public education, and litigation. www.c-win.org CSPA is a non-profit conservation and research organization established in 1983 for the purpose of conserving, restoring, and enhancing the state's water quality and fishery resources and their aquatic and riparian ecosystems. www.calsport.org The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with more than 200,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. www.biologicaldiversity.org Tom Stokely Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact California Water Impact Network V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: cwin6-3-2010header.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 19119 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jun 3 16:33:58 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2010 16:33:58 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Please post to your list! Ratepayers, Farmers, & Conservationists File Suit to Block Southern Ag Water Grab Message-ID: <015b01cb0375$3ec07b90$bc4172b0$@net> C-Win Header For Immediate Release, June 3, 2010 Contact: Carolee Krieger, Executive Director, C-WIN: 805-969-0824 Bill Jennings, Executive Director, CSPA: 209-464-5067 Adam Keats, Senior Counsel, CBD: 415-436-9682 x304 Ratepayers, Farmers, & Conservationists File Suit to Block Southern Ag Water Grab SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- Today groups are seeking to block a secret backroom deal signed by five water contractors along with the Department of Water Resources [DWR] to undo water contracts underlying voter approved bonds four decades earlier. Absent court action, contract changes that largely benefit southern central valley corporate irrigators at the expense of urban ratepayers will trade away ratepayer funded projects and allow massive diversions of water from the Delta charging only pumping costs. "These contract changes break promises made to bond holders and ratepayers," said Carolee Krieger, President and Executive Director of the California Water Impact Network [C-WIN], one of the groups seeking to block the contract changes. "These changes undo decades of urban ratepayer protections for the benefit of a few agribusiness corporations and real estate developments at the expense of ratepayers and bondholders." The back room deal, known as the "Monterey Amendments" signed in 1995 without public input was challenged in court. The courts ruled the contract changes, deeding of portions of the State Water Project known as the Kern Water Bank, and removal of protections for southern California ratepayers would not be valid until a new analysis of the impacts had public review and was certified as complete. "The State Water Project and the Kern Water Bank were developed by the state, at ratepayer expense, to benefit all of California-our cities, our farms, and our fish," said Adam Keats, lead attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. "But with the Monterey Plus Amendments it has been hijacked by private interests who are using it for their own ends, including stockpiling water to enable destructive speculative development. Meanwhile the state's entire water system gets closer and closer to collapse and multiple fish species-salmon, Delta smelt, even Sacramento splittail-are brought closer to the brink of extinction so that subsidized growers can make profits off of water sales and new sprawl development can be built in the last of our wild places." The suit, filed today in Sacramento Superior Court, was brought by C-WIN, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Central Delta Water Agency and the South Delta Water Agency agencies charged with protecting the in-channel water supply for Delta-area farmers. The suit challenges the legality of the following: . Institutionalizing the concept of "paper water" - water promised by contract that can never realistically be delivered. . Eliminating the "urban preference," which prioritized water deliveries to municipal customers during drought. This change resulted in water shortages and higher utility rates for southern California ratepayers. . Illegally transferring state property known as the Kern Water Bank to private entities and undermining the California Water Code by masking the purpose and place of water use. . Increasing water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, thus worsening water quality problems and triggering the collapse of the Delta's ecosystem and fisheries. The lawsuit seeks to reinstate the urban water preference during drought in State Water Project contracts, reduce the pumping of Delta water that has resulted in the collapse of fisheries, and return the Kern Water Bank to public ownership. "This was a poorly negotiated backdoor deal that put the wealthy growers of subsidized crops ahead of fisheries and the need for a sustainable and reliable supply of clean drinking water for California's cities," said Bill Jennings, chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance in Stockton. "The Metropolitan Water District gambled it could raid the Delta for 'surplus' water. It not only lost that bet, but the Monterey Plus Amendments triggered the collapse of Delta ecosystems and our once-great salmon fisheries." # # # For more information on the Monterey Plus Amendments, see http://www.c-win.org/press-room-monterey-plus-amendments-and-environmental-i mpact-report-lawsuit.html and http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/monterey_plus_amendments/index. html. The California Water Impact Network promotes the equitable and environmental use of California's water, including instream uses, through research, planning, public education, and litigation. www.c-win.org CSPA is a non-profit conservation and research organization established in 1983 for the purpose of conserving, restoring, and enhancing the state's water quality and fishery resources and their aquatic and riparian ecosystems. www.calsport.org The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit conservation organization with more than 200,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. www.biologicaldiversity.org Tom Stokely Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact California Water Impact Network V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 19119 bytes Desc: not available URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Thu Jun 3 16:35:02 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2010 16:35:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Groups File Lawsuit to Block Backroom Water Deal In-Reply-To: <3640226A74704CDBBEAE854C4264FF90@homeuserPC> References: <3640226A74704CDBBEAE854C4264FF90@homeuserPC> Message-ID: Photo of the State Water Project's California Aqueduct courtesy of http://www.aquafornia.com. ? california_aqueduct__aqua... Groups File Lawsuit to Block Backroom Water Deal by Dan Bacher Fishing and conservation groups today filed a lawsuit seeking to block a secret backroom deal - known as the "Monterey Amendments" - signed by five water contractors along with the Department of Water Resources to undo water contracts underlying voter approved bonds four decades earlier. This is a historic lawsuit that has the potential to change to way State Water Project water is allocated. Absent court action, contract changes that largely benefit southern San Joaquin Valley corporate irrigators at the expense of urban ratepayers will "trade away ratepayer funded projects and allow massive diversions of water from the Delta charging only pumping costs," according to a news release from the groups. The backroom deal was "essentially Chinatown on steroids," said Bill Jennings, chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance in Stockton. ?This was a poorly negotiated backdoor deal that put the wealthy growers of subsidized crops ahead of fisheries and the need for a sustainable and reliable supply of clean drinking water for California?s cities,? stated Jennings. ?The Metropolitan Water District gambled it could raid the Delta for ?surplus? water. It not only lost that bet, but the Monterey Plus Amendments triggered the collapse of Delta ecosystems and our once-great salmon fisheries.? The ?Monterey Amendments," signed secretly in 1995 without any public input, were successfully challenged in court. The courts ruled the contract changes, deeding of portions of the State Water Project known as the Kern Water Bank, and removal of protections for southern California ratepayers would not be valid until a new analysis of the impacts had public review and was certified as complete. ?These contract changes break promises made to bond holders and ratepayers,? said Carolee Krieger, President and Executive Director of the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN). ?These changes undo decades of urban ratepayer protections for the benefit of a few agribusiness corporations and real estate developments at the expense of ratepayers and bondholders.? C-WIN, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Central Delta Water Agency and the South Delta Water Agency, agencies that deliver water to Delta-area farmers filed the suit in Sacramento Superior Court. The suit challenges the legality of the following: ? Institutionalizing the concept of ?paper water? ? water promised by contract that can never realistically be delivered. ? Eliminating the ?urban preference,? which prioritized water deliveries to municipal customers during drought. This change resulted in water shortages and higher utility rates for southern California ratepayers. ? Increasing water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, thus worsening water quality ? Illegally transferring state property known as the Kern Water Bank to private entities and undermining the California Water Code by masking the purpose and place of water. The lawsuit seeks to "reinstate the urban water preference during drought in State Water Project contracts, reduce the pumping of Delta water that has resulted in the collapse of fisheries, and return the Kern Water Bank to public ownership," the groups said. Defendants in the lawsuit include the Kern County Water Agency, Kern County Water Bank Authority, Paramont Farming Company, Roll International Corporation, Tejon Ranch Company, Westside Mutual Water Company, Alameda County Water District, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and a host of other water contractors. The Kern Water Bank, owned by the California Department of Water Resources from 1988 to 1995, is now in the hands of private Kern County interests. Forty-eight percent of the bank is owned by Westside Mutual Water Company, a private water company controlled by Beverly Hills billionaire Stewart Resnick. Resnick, the owner of the 115,000 acre Paramount Farms, is the largest tree fruit grower in the world and contributes heavily to the campaigns of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (blogs.alternet.org/danbacher/tag/stewart-resnick). ?The State Water Project and the Kern Water Bank were developed by the state, at ratepayer expense, to benefit all of California?our cities, our farms, and our fish,? said Adam Keats, lead attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. ?But with the Monterey Plus Amendments it has been hijacked by private interests who are using it for their own ends, including stockpiling water to enable destructive speculative development." "Meanwhile the state?s entire water system gets closer and closer to collapse and multiple fish species?salmon, Delta smelt, even Sacramento splittail?are brought closer to the brink of extinction so that subsidized growers can make profits off of water sales and new sprawl development can be built in the last of our wild places," Keats stated. The same corporate agribusiness interests and southern California water agencies that signed the backdoor deal are campaigning for the peripheral canal, a $23 billion to $53.8 billion government boondoggle that is likely to result in the extinction of Sacramento River chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon, Delta smelt and other fish species. The peripheral canal, also backed by corporate environmental NGOs led by the Nature Conservancy, is also likely to lead to the extinction of southern resident killer whales (orcas) that depend on healthy stocks of Sacramento River salmon to survive. I applaud CWIN, CSPA and the Center for Biological Diversity for launching this lawsuit. The Monterey Amendments - and the water privatization and environmental destruction they have left in their wake - must be overturned. Everybody who cares about restoring our imperiled salmon and other fish populations and stopping water privatization and the theft of our public trust resources by Stewart Resnick and other corporate privateers should support this lawsuit! For more information, go to http://www.c-win.org, http:// www.calsport.org and http://www.BiologicalDiversity.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 68007 bytes Desc: not available URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Thu Jun 3 16:37:57 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2010 16:37:57 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Groups File Lawsuit to Block Backroom Water Deal In-Reply-To: <015b01cb0375$3ec07b90$bc4172b0$@net> References: <015b01cb0375$3ec07b90$bc4172b0$@net> Message-ID: <5ED2497D-DE1D-4840-9068-A328FD052B7E@fishsniffer.com> Byron Here's my alternet.org piece on the lawsuit. Photo of the State Water Project's California Aqueduct courtesy of http://www.aquafornia.com. ? california_aqueduct__aqua... Groups File Lawsuit to Block Backroom Water Deal by Dan Bacher Fishing and conservation groups today filed a lawsuit seeking to block a secret backroom deal - known as the "Monterey Amendments" - signed by five water contractors along with the Department of Water Resources to undo water contracts underlying voter approved bonds four decades earlier. This is an historic lawsuit that has the potential to change to way State Water Project water is allocated. Absent court action, contract changes that largely benefit southern San Joaquin Valley corporate irrigators at the expense of urban ratepayers will "trade away ratepayer funded projects and allow massive diversions of water from the Delta charging only pumping costs," according to a news release from the groups. The backroom deal was "essentially Chinatown on steroids," said Bill Jennings, chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance in Stockton. ?This was a poorly negotiated backdoor deal that put the wealthy growers of subsidized crops ahead of fisheries and the need for a sustainable and reliable supply of clean drinking water for California?s cities,? stated Jennings. ?The Metropolitan Water District gambled it could raid the Delta for ?surplus? water. It not only lost that bet, but the Monterey Plus Amendments triggered the collapse of Delta ecosystems and our once-great salmon fisheries.? The ?Monterey Amendments," signed secretly in 1995 without any public input, were successfully challenged in court. The courts ruled the contract changes, deeding of portions of the State Water Project known as the Kern Water Bank, and removal of protections for southern California ratepayers would not be valid until a new analysis of the impacts had public review and was certified as complete. ?These contract changes break promises made to bond holders and ratepayers,? said Carolee Krieger, President and Executive Director of the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN). ?These changes undo decades of urban ratepayer protections for the benefit of a few agribusiness corporations and real estate developments at the expense of ratepayers and bondholders.? C-WIN, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Central Delta Water Agency and the South Delta Water Agency, agencies that deliver water to Delta-area farmers, filed the suit in Sacramento Superior Court. The suit challenges the legality of the following: ? Institutionalizing the concept of ?paper water? ? water promised by contract that can never realistically be delivered. ? Eliminating the ?urban preference,? which prioritized water deliveries to municipal customers during drought. This change resulted in water shortages and higher utility rates for southern California ratepayers. ? Increasing water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, thus worsening water quality ? Illegally transferring state property known as the Kern Water Bank to private entities and undermining the California Water Code by masking the purpose and place of water. The lawsuit seeks to "reinstate the urban water preference during drought in State Water Project contracts, reduce the pumping of Delta water that has resulted in the collapse of fisheries, and return the Kern Water Bank to public ownership," the groups said. Defendants in the lawsuit include the Kern County Water Agency, Kern County Water Bank Authority, Paramont Farming Company, Roll International Corporation, Tejon Ranch Company, Westside Mutual Water Company, Alameda County Water District, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and a host of other water contractors. The Kern Water Bank, owned by the California Department of Water Resources from 1988 to 1995, is now in the hands of private Kern County interests. Forty-eight percent of the bank is owned by Westside Mutual Water Company, a private water company controlled by Beverly Hills billionaire Stewart Resnick. Resnick, the owner of the 115,000 acre Paramount Farms, is the largest tree fruit grower in the world and contributes heavily to the campaigns of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (blogs.alternet.org/danbacher/tag/stewart-resnick). ?The State Water Project and the Kern Water Bank were developed by the state, at ratepayer expense, to benefit all of California?our cities, our farms, and our fish,? said Adam Keats, lead attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. ?But with the Monterey Plus Amendments it has been hijacked by private interests who are using it for their own ends, including stockpiling water to enable destructive speculative development." "Meanwhile the state?s entire water system gets closer and closer to collapse and multiple fish species?salmon, Delta smelt, even Sacramento splittail?are brought closer to the brink of extinction so that subsidized growers can make profits off of water sales and new sprawl development can be built in the last of our wild places," Keats stated. The same corporate agribusiness interests and southern California water agencies that signed the backdoor deal are campaigning for the peripheral canal, a $23 billion to $53.8 billion government boondoggle that is likely to result in the extinction of Sacramento River chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon, Delta smelt and other fish species. The peripheral canal, also backed by corporate environmental NGOs led by the Nature Conservancy, is also likely to lead to the extinction of southern resident killer whales (orcas) that depend on healthy stocks of Sacramento River salmon to survive. I applaud CWIN, CSPA and the Center for Biological Diversity for launching this lawsuit. The Monterey Amendments - and the water privatization and environmental destruction they have left in their wake - must be overturned. Everybody who cares about restoring our imperiled salmon and other fish populations and stopping water privatization and the theft of our public trust resources should support this lawsuit! For more information, go to http://www.c-win.org, http:// www.calsport.org and http://www.BiologicalDiversity.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 68007 bytes Desc: not available URL: From awhitridge at snowcrest.net Fri Jun 4 09:59:05 2010 From: awhitridge at snowcrest.net (Arnold Whitridge) Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 09:59:05 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG agenda for June 9 Message-ID: <38E41A64F4904F9686B4995BA0E0CAA7@arnPC> Trinity River minders, Here's the agenda for next week's meeting of the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group. Any interested person may attend. Arnold Whitridge, TAMWG chair 530 623-6688 Proposed Agenda TRINITY ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP Wednesday, June 9, 2010 Trinity County Library, 211 Main Street, Weaverville, CA Time Presentation, Discussion, and/or Action on: Presenter 1. 9:00 Adopt agenda; approve March minutes 2. 9:10 Open forum; public comment 3. 9:20 Designated Federal Officer topics Randy Brown 4. 9:30 TMC Chair report Brian Person 5. 10:00 Science program proposals and work plan Joe Polos 6. 11:00 Proposed TRRP Budget for FY2011 Jennifer Faler 12:30 lunch 7. 1:30 Possible late summer Klamath River flow augmentation Ernie Clark 8. 2:15 Recreational lake-level concerns Kelli Gant, TLRA 9. 3:00 Acting Executive Director's Report Jennifer Faler 10. 3:30 TAMWG involvement in TRRP work groups 11. 4:00 TAMWG recommendations 12. 4:45 Tentative date and agenda topics for next meeting 5:00 Adjourn -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jun 4 16:51:53 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 16:51:53 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] PORTERVILLE RECORDER 6 3 10 Message-ID: <021701cb0440$ea2fcb90$be8f62b0$@net> Nominations sought for 2 DFG committee seats June 03, 2010 1:59 PM THE RECORDER THE PORTERVILLE RECORDER The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (FRGP) is seeking nominations to fill two vacancies on the FRGP Peer Review Committee (PRC). Pursuant to the Public Resources Code, section 6217, members of the PRC are appointed by the Director of DFG to provide advice, oversight and recommendations regarding grant funding priorities for the FRGP. Seven of the PRC's 14 representatives are recommended by the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout. The remaining seven represent the following interests: one representative from the agriculture industry, one representative from the timber industry, one representative of public water agency interests, one academic or research scientist with expertise in anadromous fisheries restoration, and three county supervisors from coastal counties (the county supervisors are recommended by the California State Association of Counties). Because the FRGP only awards grants to applicants within coastal counties of California, all representatives must reside in or represent interests in coastal counties in which salmon and steelhead exist. Currently, the agriculture and timber representative seats are vacant. DFG will accept nominations from the general public for these positions through June 30. Appointed representatives will serve for four years, starting with the PRC meeting in the Fall of 2010. To nominate a representative for either the agriculture or timber seat, send a nomination letter to Patty Forbes, FRGP Coordinator, 830 S St., Sacramento, CA 95811. Nomination letters should include a resume of the candidate and verification that they represent coastal counties in which salmon and steelhead exist Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Jun 6 10:24:46 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 10:24:46 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Five Counties Newsletter Message-ID: <026501cb059d$294fefa0$7befcee0$@net> Attached is a copy of Five Counties Salmonid Conservation Program Newsletter. It provides information and pictures of some of its work on tributaries and in their watersheds - tributaries, principal spawning grounds for coho salmon and steelhead. It's work that is required on a broad scale if the TRRP is to succeed as required by original Trinity Division and subsequent Trinity restoration legislation. It is very worthwhile reading and viewing. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Enews Vol 5 6_10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 1845231 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jun 7 09:51:52 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 09:51:52 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times 6/3/10 Message-ID: <02b101cb0661$bc1aabd0$34500370$@net> Lawsuit seeks return of millions for failed Delta protection plan Contra Costa Times-6/3/10 By Mike Taugher A coalition of Delta farmers and environmentalists sued Thursday to recoup millions of dollars in taxpayer money they contend was paid illegally to Kern County landowners who sold water to a failed Delta environmental protection program. The lawsuit, the latest salvo in an increasingly chaotic and bitter statewide fight over Delta water, also seeks to force Kern County landowners to return a giant underground reservoir to public ownership and to undo a 16-year-old pact between state water officials and their customers. That agreement, the litigants say, is destroying the Delta ecosystem and enriching Kern County landowners. Known as the Monterey Agreement, it changed how a sprawling, state-owned water project delivers Delta water to parts of the Bay Area, Kern County, Southern California and other parts of the state. The agreement gave Kern County landowners the underground reservoir and more reliable water supplies while also increasing the amount of water pumped out of the Delta, the lawsuit contends. "It's like Chinatown, on steroids," said California Sportfishing Protection Alliance director Bill Jennings, referring to the 1974 Jack Nicholson film that depicted Los Angeles' infamous raid on Owens Valley water in the early 20th century. A spokesman for the state Department of Water Resources said lawyers there had not received a copy of the complaint and could not comment on it. The Kern County Water Agency also declined to comment Thursday and representatives of Paramount Farms, a private business with a major stake in the underground water bank, were unavailable. The lawsuit was filed this week in Sacramento Superior Court because the state Department of Water Resources only recently completed the environmental approvals needed to complete transfer of the bank and other elements of the agreement. Despite the lengthy delay in completing the environmental impact report, the changes have been in effect since 1996. Specifically, the lawsuit seeks to invalidate the environmental report and return to state ownership the 1 million-acre-foot Kern Water Bank - 10 times the size of Los Vaqueros Reservoir near Brentwood. It also seeks to undo other changes made at the Monterey meetings, including one that increased the reliability of Kern County's water deliveries and another that eliminated a contract provision that would allow the state to permanently trim contracted water deliveries. Several reservoirs envisioned when the contracts were written were never built, the litigants said. "We've handed out promises to people that can never be met," Jennings said. "We're living essentially an illusion." The lawsuit's allegation that Kern County landowners illegally profited from sales to an environmental water account was based on a Bay Area News Group investigation last year that showed the bank was used to facilitate the sales. Landowners and Kern County water agencies were able to sell tens of millions of dollars worth of water to the Department of Water Resources for more than they paid the department for the same water. So much water was pumped out of the Delta from 2000 to 2007 that, in most cases, Kern County water agencies did not have to physically deliver any water. Instead, they only had to make accounting adjustments and collect the difference between what they paid, which could be as low as $28 per acre-foot, and what they sold the water for, which was typically about $200 per acre-foot. Environmentalists blame the increased pumping for the precipitous decline of Delta fish species that were supposed to be helped. Delta water users contend the pumps were not to blame. The newspaper investigation found $8.6 million in credits, checks and refunds that were distributed from the water districts to private landowners, including more than $3 million each to Paramount Farms, owned by billionaire Stewart Resnick, and Blackwell Land LLC. The lawsuit seeks return of those sums, but the lead lawyer for the coalition that filed it said they would seek the return of "every cent" in profits for water sold through the Kern Water Bank, including sales of water to developers. "We have this group of fat cats that have been stockpiling water in their own slush fund that they had no right to possess," said Adam Keats, a senior attorney in San Francisco for the Center for Biological Diversity. "These guys have been operating as if they own this thing, but the entire time their ownership was dependent on the (environmental) document." Joining the environmental group in the lawsuit are two Delta farm districts, the Central Delta Water Agency and the South Delta Water Agency, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and the California Water Impact Network, and two individuals. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sari at sisqtel.net Wed Jun 9 14:20:43 2010 From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:20:43 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Science News:Tracking Fish is More Than Just a Game of Tag Message-ID: <20100609212059.283DA15DA555@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> http://www.science.calwater.ca.gov/publications/sci_news_0610_tags.html >SCIENCE NEWS, Delta Stewardship Council, Delta Science Program >J U N E 2 0 1 0 >Science >News Home >Science >News Archives >Delta >Stewardship Council >Delta >Flows Proceeding >Tracking >Fish >Pick >Our Brain > > > >Tracking Fish is More Than Just a Game of Tag > > > >Coded Wire Tags vs. Acoustic vs. Radio vs. PIT > > >Different types of tags (radio, acoustic, PIT) > > >As the old saying goes, there?s more than one >fish in the sea. But if you want to know how >many fish there are, or where they're going, >there?s more than one way to tag a fish to track >its movement and life history. A number of >different tagging options have been used in the >Delta. The following is a look at different >kinds of tags that have been used in the Delta and elsewhere. > * Coded Wire Tag (CWT) > * Fish raised in a hatchery have their > adipose fin (a small second fin on the back of > a fish directly in front of the tail fin) > clipped to differentiate them from fish raised > in the wild. In addition to the fin being > clipped, a CWT?a microscopic piece of magnetic > wire with a tiny code engraved on it?is > injected into the nose of the fish when they?re > young. These tags, which have been used in the > Delta for about 20 years, can track the history > of the fish. When they?re caught as adults, the > tags reveal where and when the fish were born. > Although these ?mark and recapture? studies can > provide a start and end point to a fish?s > movement over a defined period, they can?t > provide information on the path taken by the fish between the two points. > * Another drawback with CWTs is that ?you > have to kill the fish to remove the tag,? said > Chris Holbrook, a biologist with U.S. > Geological Survey (USGS). ?You have to > physically capture them, which requires an > incredible amount of effort and is usually > extremely costly. You have to drag nets and > actually encounter the fish, which is sort of > why CWT has fallen by the wayside in recent > years. Due to the low recapture rate in the > Delta, most fish tagged with CWTs are never > caught after release,? he said. Holbrook added > that the CWT does last forever. ?You could > catch [the fish] any time?even as a carcass? > ?and extract birth information from the CWT. > * Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tag > * This tag has no battery, but provides a > unique code, like a CWT, yet can be read > without killing the fish. A PIT tag is nearly > identical to the microchips used to identify > pets and works the same way. A PIT tag is a > tiny microchip assembly sealed in glass, which > is injected into the body cavity of a fish. If > a tagged fish passes within a meter or so of a > scanning device, the scanner reads the unique > identification number from the chip in the PIT > tag. As with microchips for pets, a hand held > scanner can also be used in the field to > identify fish. Thus PIT tags have many of the > advantages of CWTs (small, relatively cheap and > lasts the life of the fish). ?It is more > expensive than a CWT, but less expensive and > longer lasting than battery powered tags,? said > Dr. John Pizzimenti, a member of the Vernalis > Adaptive Management Plan (VAMP) independent > review panel and a scientist from GEI > Consultants in Oregon. ?In order to read the > tag, the fish must be recaptured (like CWT) but > does not need to be sacrificed as it can be > read using equipment that supplies the > electromagnetic power to make the tag send its > unique signal to a special receiver. Fish > passing dams and fish facilities can be read automatically.? > * ?PIT tags have become the primary source > of salmon recovery data on the Columbia River > where fish return to known locations or must > pass confined spaces in fish passage facilities > at dams,? Pizzimenti added. ?Incidentally, PIT > tags are being recaptured on Caspian Tern > islands where they are regurgitated by birds > after consumption of tagged smolts. This is > leading to estimates of smolt predation by birds there.? > * Acoustic Tag > * Acoustic tags are surgically implanted, > battery-operated tags that send a coded pinging > sound signal. Researchers can identify > individual fish by the signal code when they > pass near underwater microphone receivers at > various locations. ?Acoustic tags provide a > better location accuracy and can even provide > 3-D positioning by using triangulating signals > from multiple microphones. This can be useful > when designing fish passage systems and > studying fish approach and passage behavior to > a small entrance in a large river,? said Pizzimenti. > * Acoustic tags have a battery and emit a > signal that can generally be heard at great > distances?hundreds of meters away. ?The reason > we?ve seen a lot of acoustic tagging recently > is when you tag a fish and release it, you can > be a large distance away from the fish and > record its presence,? said Holbrook from USGS. > ?We put out sensors throughout the river?like > listening posts?where you can generally hear > across the entire river. Most of the time if a > migratory fish with an acoustic tag swims past > your listening post/receiver, then it will get > recorded. None of those other technologies can > do that,? he said. ?You can put a post at one > place in the river and essentially know all the > fish that pass that site.? Acoustic tags > clearly tell scientists how many fish get > through the Delta and the paths they take. > * Acoustic tag microphones are usually > submerged at fixed locations. The California > Fish Tracking Consortium ( > http://californiafishtracking.ucdavis.edu/) has > set up arrays of acoustic receivers extending > all the way to Point Reyes to detect Sacramento > River salmon on their way to the ocean. They > can also be carried in a boat, but the boat > must stop, set up the microphone, then record. > Potential drawbacks of acoustic tags are that > they require many microphones, are more > expensive, and acoustic tag life is limited to > the size of battery, which is limited by the > size of fish. ?The smallest fish that can > generally be tagged is about three inches and > can carry a battery life of less than a month,? > Pizzimenti said. Acoustic tags can?t be used in > smelt; the small size of smelt requires CWT or > PIT. Additionally, noise from boat motors, > turbulence and hydroelectric dams can disrupt or mask acoustic sound signals. > > * Radio Tag > * This tag consisting of a tiny transmitter > and battery pack is surgically implanted in > juvenile fish (or in the gut of an adult fish). > It sends radio waves of a unique signal through > the water column to the air, where they are > picked up by a radio antenna. Radio tags can be > tracked using antennae mounted on aircraft, > boats, cars and points along shorelines, at > dams and fish passage facilities, and on foot > (hand held). Unfortunately, that signal doesn?t > travel very well in water. ?The deeper a fish > swims, the weaker the signal in the air,? > Pizzimenti said. This decreases the accuracy > for determining the exact location of the fish > due to ?depth ? distance? signal confusion as > both depth and distance weaken the signal to varying degrees. > * Radio tags also have a trailing fine wire > antenna, which may affect a fish?s swimming > ability. Like acoustic tags, radio tag life is > limited to the size of battery which is limited > to the size of fish. Radio signals are further > weakened by dissolved salts and therefore are > less effective in briny or salt water. > >Other Options > > > >Other sophisticated ways to tag or identify fish >include the use of genetic markers (known DNA >type); physical markers including freeze >branding, ocular tags (tiny numbered tag that >fits into the eye socket); and otoliths (the ear >bone in juvenile fish that can be read like tree >rings after a fish is killed). Finally, fish are >still tagged using externally placed physical >tags in the fish that can be seen. ?These carry >limited information and can be lost (as most >tags can be lost or altered) to make them >unreadable,? Pizzimenti said. Each tag type has >a cost, benefit and type of application that differs from the others. > >?There is no one type of tag that fits all needs >for the type of data being collected,? >Pizzimenti said. ?In the Bay Delta, CWT have >value, but acoustic and radio tags have been put >to greater use in recent years and tell >biologists much more about the behavior and >survival of salmon smolts as they move from the Delta to the ocean.? > >It?s impossible to pick one form of tagging over >another as ?the best,? Holbrook said. ?It >depends on the study?the question you?re trying >to address. You?ll see studies using multiple >telemetry systems sometimes; one may answer one >question very well; but to answer a suite of >questions in the same study, you sometimes need >to use a couple different methods,? he said. One >thing is certain though, advances in fish >tagging and tracking technology have greatly >expanded our knowledge of the life cycles of fish. >Tag Type Pros Cons Image >Coded Wire Tag > * Small > * Inexpensive > * High survival from tagging > * Proven technology; long history > * Fish must be caught and killed to read tag > * Only two data points possible: point of release and point of recapture > * Recapture rate small in Bay Delta > * Requires large sample sizes >source image courtesy of Marine Institute, Galway > >Passive Integrated Transponder > * Small > * Inexpensive > * No battery; lasts forever > * Don?t have to kill fish to read tag > * Detection rate low - Very small detection range of about a meter >Image courtesy of Michael Melnychuk, University of Washington > >Acoustic Tags > * Can use far fewer fish (less than 1,000) > * Provide better location accuracy > * Can be recorded from large distances away > * Cost > * Limited battery lifespan > * Equipment issues: tags can fail, microphones can fail > * Noise interference (boats, pumps) > * Issues with identifying when a smolt?s been eaten by a predator >Image courtesy of Michael Melnychuk, University of Washington > >Radio Tags > * Send out radio signal > * Useful for tracking movement > * Tracking from a distance > * Limited battery lifespan > * Wire antenna trailing out from fish > * Signal doesn?t travel well in water > * Need to follow fish around with boat > * If predator swallows fish, antenna gets swallowed >Image courtesy of Michael Melnychuk, University of Washington > > >Telemetry Studies Results Given at UCD Symposium at Bodega Bay > > > >During a Delta Science Program-funded University >of California, Davis symposium May 20-21, >participants from the Central Valley and beyond >presented the results of electronic tagging >studies of salmon migration. Highlights included: > * Results from the California Fish Tracking > Consortium receiver network that can track the > movement of tagged salmon and steelhead from Keswick Dam to Point Reyes > * Advances in fish tagging technology > including smaller tags and improved receivers > * Effects of tides, river flow, gate > operations, and route choice on salmon survival in the Delta > * New discoveries about the movement of > salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and other fish in rivers and coastal waters > * Detailed information about fish use of restored and natural habitats Continued advances in fish tagging technology, including smaller and longer lasting tags, are providing new opportunities for understanding the behavior and fate of fish. The new smaller acoustic tag sizes are allowing researchers to tag smaller fish such as juvenile salmon and track their movements over long distances. Tagging technology also allows researchers to identify individual fish throughout their life span. More than one scientist described the travels of their favorite individual fish over long distances and several years. It is now common for researchers to track tagged fish from other studies and share data about their movements. > >Vernalis Adaptive Management Plan Final Report Released > > > >The independent review panel of the Vernalis >Adaptive Management Plan (VAMP) recently >submitted its final report. VAMP is a >large-scale, decade-long experimental management >program that was designed to protect juvenile >Chinook salmon emigrating from the San Joaquin >River through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta >while providing scientific information for the >State Water Resources Control Board?s review and >potential modification of the San Joaquin River >flow objectives included in the Water Quality Control Plan (Bay-Delta Plan). > >During a two-day meeting in March, the panel was >charged to provide an independent review of the >science generated by the VAMP and make >recommendations for how this science should be >used to inform changes to the Bay-Delta Plan. Key panel conclusions are: > * There is evidence that higher flows > increase survival of juvenile Chinook salmon > passing through the Delta from the San Joaquin > River, but the situation is complicated by > other factors and survival is generally very poor. > * Evidence for improved survival with > reduced exports is weak because of the very > narrow range of export flows that occurred during the study. > * Placing a rock weir or operable gate at > the Head of Old River to keep salmon out of the > Old River channel and in the San Joaquin River channel improves survival. > * The VAMP participants should continue to > use acoustic tagging technology, but should > also use coded wire tags or other tagging > technology to track fish throughout their life cycle. Given the rapid changes in tagging technologies and recent evidence of extremely low salmon survival rates, the panel recommended that the VAMP program continue to collect acoustic tagging data supplemented by other tagging methods and that the findings be reviewed on a more regular basis?every three years. The panel was also struck by the high rates of predation observed in recent years and urged researchers to improve understanding of predation effects by more broadly characterizing predator distribution, abundance and feeding habits. >Delta Stewardship >Council >Delta >Science Program Contact Science Program >Science >News Archives CALFED Archives > > > >A publication of the Delta Science Program, >650 Capitol Mall, 5th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814 916-445-5511 >www.science.calwater.ca.gov >(Editor: Laura Walker, >ljwalker at deltacouncil.ca.gov) > > >Please >click here to subscribe to Science News > > >Because of its emphasis on the most recent >progress, Science News may cite preliminary >scientific results that have not yet been peer >reviewed or published, and are subject to change >as analyses proceed. Such preliminary results should be treated with caution. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov Thu Jun 10 13:47:44 2010 From: Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov (Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:47:44 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] In-Season Update -- Trinity River Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring at Willow Creek, California Message-ID: Willow Creek Downstream Migrant Trap Site 2010 In-Season Trapping Update ?June 10, 2010 Synopsis: The 2010 Downstream Migrant trapping season at the Willow Creek Trap Site (river kilometer 34) is being conducted jointly by the USFWS Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office (AFWO) and the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program (YTFP) on the mainstem Trinity River near Willow Creek, California. The season began March 8th, 2010 with the installation of two traps. A third trap was installed March 9th, 2010. See attached catch summary for details of this narrative. This summary includes data from March 9th, 2010 through May 20th, 2010 and is presented as raw catch. No expansions have been calculated at this time. Data entry is complete for all Julian Weeks presented. Heavy debris load and high flows have occasionally resulted in null sets, causing less than 21 trap days (3 traps x 7 days) in some weeks resulting in variable effort over the season; therefore raw catch numbers should be interpreted with caution. Raw daily catches of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have been captured each day sampling has occurred and most have been young-of-the-year (YOY). Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of YOY Chinook salmon were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 10 and 11. Efficiency calibrations were conducted with freeze-branded hatchery Chinook salmon during all weeks sampled. Raw daily catches of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) smolts (age 1+) have been relatively steady since the beginning of trapping with hatchery steelhead showing up in JW 12. Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of Steelhead smolts were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 15 and JW 18-20. The drop in condition factor in the later weeks is consistent with smoltification processes. Steelhead YOY numbers are present in the catch, but have yet to show signs of a peak. Raw daily catches of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) are lower than last year at this time but not significantly lower than other years prior. Weekly mean Fulton?s K value of natural coho salmon smolts has varied greatly from week to week due to low catches. Hatchery Coho smolts occurred in the catch beginning Julian Week 15. If you have any questions regarding this summary, don't hesitate to contact Bill Pinnix at (707) 822-7201. (See attached file: WCT_Catch_Summary_06_10_10.pdf) William Pinnix USFWS, AFWO 1655 Heindon Rd Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 822-7201 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: WCT_Catch_Summary_06_10_10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 29055 bytes Desc: not available URL: From truman at jeffnet.org Fri Jun 11 19:45:06 2010 From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:45:06 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Food Fight Over Farm Subsidies Message-ID: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/11/MNC51DT82N.DTL -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From truman at jeffnet.org Sun Jun 13 08:15:53 2010 From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:15:53 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] What Water Wars? Message-ID: <9FEDFF20199B400BBEB7BA062A038B6B@HAL> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/13/INV31DRTR9.DTL -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Jun 13 11:34:13 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 11:34:13 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle June 13, 2010 Message-ID: <002801cb0b27$0a929600$1fb7c200$@net> Sunday Insight This time, will we end the water war? Matt Jenkins Sunday, June 13, 2010 http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/03/19/ba-delta20_ph_0500015667_part6. jpghttp://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/article/articlebox_img_bg.gif Lance Iversen / The Chronicle Cattle grazing in Dozier in Solano County. Farmers and millions of city dwellers all rely on water pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Image Cattle grazing in Dozier in Solano County. Farmers and mi... Pumps like this one on the Sacramento River in Red Bluff ... http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Images * World Cup madness seizes planet 06.13.10 In the grand Western tradition of fistfights down at the water hole, no fight has quite rivaled the one over the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. In 1860, the delta - which is actually an estuary - was a marshy, half-million-acre expanse filled primarily with tules. It saw a constant ebb and flow between saltwater pushing in from San Francisco Bay and fresh water flowing in from the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Mokelumne rivers. An entire suite of fish, from iconic California species like salmon and steelhead to less sexy understudies like the delta smelt, evolved to thrive in that dynamic system. Today, though, after 150 years of spirited remodeling, the delta hardly looks like a tide-flooded estuary. It has been transformed into a tangle of waterways and of farms and towns that stand on levee-protected islands like walled fortresses. And today, the delta serves - above all else - as a supersize water hole for millions of farmers and urbanites who live as far south as San Diego. Runoff from roughly 45 percent of California flows from the surrounding watershed into the delta. From there, that water is "exported" to more than 23 million people and several million acres of farms. Two gigantic batteries of pumps - with a combined power equal to more than four Boeing 747s at a full-throttle takeoff run - drive water toward Southern California and farms in the San Joaquin Valley. A smaller set of pumps delivers water to Contra Costa, Solano and Napa counties. That heavy-duty pumping has dramatically altered the hydrology of the delta. The suction created by the pumps has broken the natural fluctuations between saltwater and fresh in the delta and has created a constant freshwater environment. And the Old and Middle rivers - tributaries of the San Joaquin - now flow backward much of the year as the pumps draw water toward them. The extensive effort to replumb the delta has wreaked havoc on the ecosystems and native fish there, and it has created the kind of unvarying conditions in which nonnative species thrive and outcompete the locals. In 2004, scientists identified what has become known as the Pelagic Organism Decline, a large-scale collapse of several species of native fish, including the threatened delta smelt, longfin smelt and threadfin shad. The situation has become progressively worse. Last year, fall surveys for delta smelt found just 17, while populations of invasive jellyfish were thriving. The implications of that shift extend far beyond simple ecological concerns. "What do you want in the drinking water for 23 million Californians?" says Bruce Herbold, an ecologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Do you want jellyfish and carp and slimy, toxic blue-green algae, or not?" What's the right flow? The effort to address the problem is proceeding on several fronts. Last fall, the Legislature proclaimed two "coequal goals" for the delta: providing a more reliable water supply for the state; and protecting, restoring and enhancing the delta ecosystem. As part of that effort, the Legislature directed the five members of an obscure agency called the state Water Resources Control Board to develop a new set of "flow criteria" for the delta. "We've got to get this right," says Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. "We're not going to have too many more chances to save the estuary." In March, the board met to hear three days of testimony. "It's a huge thing," says Art Baggett, a board member. "People have been trying to figure this one out for decades." A host of other factors besides pumping, such as predatory invasive fish and discharges from sewage treatment plants, clearly affect fish. And from the start of the hearings, much of the testimony - particularly from agricultural and urban water users and the state Department of Water Resources, which is separate from the Water Resources Control Board - questioned whether pumping and altered flows are the primary threats to fish. "I think it's very naive to think that flow by itself will solve the problem in the delta," says Baggett. "That's what I clearly heard." Regulating flows and pumping has always been a politically charged issue, and it has brought unwelcome heat to the board before. In 1988, the board, chaired by a veteran water honcho named Don Maughan, took up the issue of what flows the delta needed. Finding that "biological resources have declined and are not experiencing the same degree of protection as other beneficial uses" - such as water exports for farms and cities - the board took a dramatic stand. It proposed actually capping exports at 1985 levels and allowing an additional 1.56 million acre-feet of water to flow through the delta each year. That would, in effect, "straighten out" and reorient the flows in the delta to something more closely approximating their course before the pumps were installed. But it's also a lot of water - enough for roughly 12.5 million people for a year - and the political blowback from agricultural and urban water agencies, along with Gov. George Deukmejian's office, came quickly. The proposal was deep-sixed, and the state board, whose members are appointed by the governor, subsequently took a much softer approach on the issue. "The withdrawal was tremendous," says Michael Hanemann, a UC Berkeley professor who worked as an economist for the board at the time. "Staff were told, 'Stop being active; don't say anything.' " In the years after, pumping continued to increase. By 2005, 20 percent more water was being pumped out of the delta than the amount proposed by the board in 1988. Why are fish in decline? Jerry Johns is the deputy director of the state Department of Water Resources, and in March, he appeared before the board to argue that a range of problems factor into the fish decline just as much, or more, than pumping itself. He argued that a lack of food for fish, caused by discharges of ammonium and nitrogen into the delta, was the real problem - a point he made so repetitively that the board members ultimately cut him off. Nearly three months later, Johns remains adamant that pumping and altered flows have been unfairly fingered as the primary cause of fish declines. "What the Legislature has (the board) doing," he says, "is not terribly helpful, I don't think, to the process." Johns frequently points to the fact that, after a federal judge's ruling in 2007, the amount of water pumped from the delta has decreased quite dramatically, yet populations of delta smelt have remained low. "We've turned the water knob here pretty hard," he says, "and it doesn't seem to be helping very much." Bill Bennett is a UC Davis fisheries biologist who, like Herbold, serves as an adviser to the state board on flow criteria. Together with several other respected UC Davis researchers, Bennett helped create for the board a conceptual framework for establishing ecologically beneficial flows. And he says the transformation of the delta over 150 years has been so dramatic that it has caused a complete regime shift. "There's no reason that the fish should jump back right away," says Bennett, "particularly because of how much the system has changed over the past decade." And, while the Department of Water Resources and water users have raised a recurrent theme of uncertainty about the effects of pumping, Bennett says several things are certain: "What we're certain about is that delta smelt are at the lowest levels ever. And we're certain that the flows in the estuary don't go the way flows in an estuary should go." The members of the state board will vote to adopt flow criteria on Aug. 3, and it is anyone's guess how strong a stand they will take this time. "I think the board members understand that this is high-stakes stuff," says Assemblyman Huffman. "I would not be surprised if, given the appointed nature of the water board, if there's not a bit of pressure being applied from above." At the end of a long morning of technical testimony in March, Bennett made one final exhortation to the board members: "With all due respect, you guys have a lot of power over what happens around here. And I really urge you to think about widening your charge a bit." Then he added: "Be brave. We really gotta do something different." Matt Jenkins of Berkeley writes frequently on water politics and is a contributing editor to High Country News. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 1485 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 22047 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.gif Type: image/gif Size: 76 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.gif Type: image/gif Size: 5541 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image005.gif Type: image/gif Size: 5023 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image006.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jun 14 10:28:53 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:28:53 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] S.F. Chronicle 6/13/10 Message-ID: <005c01cb0be7$10e69950$32b3cbf0$@net> Time to get real about water S.F. Chronicle-6/13/10 By Mark Cowin and Timothy Quinn Opinion Mark Cowin is the director of the California Department of Water Resources. Timothy Quinn is the executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, which represents 450 local water agencies. California's wet winter was a pleasant surprise after three years of drought. Yet most Californians will be surprised to know that, despite the heavy rain and snowfall, our state still is not able to meet all of our water needs. How is this possible? Population growth, environmental protections and other issues have resulted in our water needs outstripping available supplies. Despite the healthy winter, the state is still suffering from the effects of three years of drought. In fact, many areas of the state - including the Klamath Basin and Lake Tahoe - still will be extremely dry this year. Water managers are concerned that this could simply be one wet year in the midst of a longer drought. California's persistent water shortage has serious ramifications for our state's economy, environment and quality of life. We might well be the first generation of water managers who can't guarantee a reliable water supply for future generations - or even for the existing economy. That's why state and local governments have gotten together in a program to encourage Californians to make water conservation a way of life. The Save Our Water program is aimed at educating and motivating consumers to reduce their household water use. Simply put, water conservation needs to become a habit, just as energy conservation and recycling are. Last fall, our state's elected leaders worked together to pass a historic, bipartisan water reform package. And while that effort was a huge step forward, many of the fixes will not begin to help our water supply for years, if not decades. The legislative package requires most California communities to reduce their per capita water use 20 percent by 2020. But what does all of this have to do with you? More than you think. We know that Californians care deeply about our environment and want to conserve our natural resources, but there is still much for us to learn about our water use. For example, research tells us that most Californians think they waste more water indoors than outdoors, when exactly the opposite is true. Saving water needs to become more than just something we do in dry years. Saving water needs to become a daily habit. This spring and summer, the Save Our Water program is highlighting Californians who are reducing indoor and outdoor use in a "Real People, Real Savings" campaign. It features people such as Katherine McClelland of Pleasanton, who puts a bucket in her sink to catch excess water and then uses it on her outdoor potted plants. Then there's Kelly Marshall of Clayton, who installed drip irrigation and replaced her front lawn with California-friendly plants and flowers. We hope these everyday water heroes will help encourage other Californians to increase their conservation efforts. Now is the time for all Californians to get real about water conservation. We need to take a critical look at our consumption habits and find ways to cut our use, both inside and outside our home. If we all make small reductions, we'll see big water savings for our state. Invest in water-wise plants: When you landscape, consider replacing some lawn with California-friendly plants. They're pretty and need much less water. Less is more: Your lawn probably needs less water than you think. And your sidewalk doesn't need any. Water less and make sure your sprinklers only water your lawn, plants and flowers. Watch the clock: Water early in the morning or later in the evening when temperatures are cooler. Out with the old, in with the new: Choose water-efficient irrigation tools such as a weather-sensitive timer and drip irrigation for your trees, shrubs and flowers. Mulch much? Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants to reduce evaporation and keep the soil cool. Organic mulch also improves the soil and prevents weeds. Wash Me: Clean your car by visiting a local car wash that recycles its water. Or save water when you wash it at home by using a bucket, sponge and hose with self-closing nozzle - or use a waterless car wash product. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jun 14 10:35:13 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:35:13 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times 6/14/10 Message-ID: <006101cb0be7$f34f9120$d9eeb360$@net> Delta water rulings could affect endangered species law Contra Costa Times-6/14/10 By Mike Taugher Recent court rulings on Delta fish protection measures threaten to open the floodgates for lawsuits to weaken rules protecting endangered species. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger ruled in two Delta cases that pumping restrictions meant to protect endangered fish could be relaxed because federal scientists had inadequately justified them and because the government had not done separate studies on their effect. The decisions cheered water agencies and property rights advocates but alarmed environmentalists. "I think it's actually a brilliant opinion in that it finally says we have to look at the big picture here, and not that endangered species trump everything," said Roger Marzulla, a Washington, D.C., environmental lawyer. Others question the logic of requiring scrutiny of species protection rules under a second environmental law. "It doesn't make any sense to do environmental analysis on the back end when you're trying to help the environment," said Holly Doremus, a professor at UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law. "What he's saying is the agencies have to find absolutely the least burdensome way to save the species." She said it would be impossible to pinpoint the knife's edge between saving species from extinction while not taking from farmers a single drop more than needed. The decisions are likely to be appealed by environmentalists, the federal government or both. If the decisions stand, Marzulla and Doremus agreed on the likelihood of more lawsuits from others -- including builders, farmers, ranchers or anyone else -- affected by endangered species regulations. Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978 ruled in favor of another fish -- the snail darter, which was threatened by the Tennessee Valley Authority's plan to build a dam -- the law has held that economic cost may not be balanced against the threat of extinction. Wanger did not contradict that principle, but he said federal regulators lacked adequate scientific evidence for their Delta pumping restrictions. And he said the government should have done an environmental impact study to look for alternatives and determine the impact on the "human environment." The Delta cases, Wanger ruled, are unlike the snail darter case because the regulations have affected human welfare by increasing unemployment, for example. Several government officials and lawyers said such studies are never done on endangered species rules, though they are often done on the projects on which the rules are applied. Indeed, environmentalists for years have argued that Delta pumping itself needs such studies. Wanger denied such a request in 2007, but later ruled in favor of environmentalists who said the federal pumping permits were linked to the decline of Delta smelt and salmon. When he struck down those permits, the deadlines he set for federal agencies to complete new permits were almost certainly too short to complete the detailed environmental analyses. But now he has ruled that since those analyses were not done, the pumping restrictions could be weakened. Wanger also criticized the scientific justification for the limits imposed in the permits. In ruling that the federal water restrictions lacked sufficient scientific support, Wanger went further than a committee appointed by the National Academy of Sciences that studied the rules. It found them conceptually justified, even though it said more study was needed of the specific limits placed on the pumps. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Jun 15 09:14:18 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 09:14:18 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 6/15/10 Message-ID: <011401cb0ca5$cfbedb80$6f3c9280$@net> San Joaquin Valley water allocation boosted again Sacramento Bee-6/15/10 By Michael Doyle Interior Department officials on Monday again boosted their planned irrigation water deliveries to the San Joaquin Valley, giving farmers 45 percent of their standard allocation. The new allocation is up from a 40 percent delivery announced in May. "This latest increase in allocation is a result of favorable weather conditions this spring and better-than- expected pumping conditions in the south Delta," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar explained Monday afternoon. Other federal water allocations in California will stay the same. Farmers north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta still will get 100 percent of their allocation, while municipal and industrial water users south of the Delta still will get 75 percent. Salazar has been under political pressure all year to boost irrigation water deliveries, with California lawmakers from both parties insisting environmental restrictions have been too strict. Last year, farmers south of the Delta and on the San Joaquin Valley's west side received only 10 percent of their allocation from the federal Central Valley Project. The cutbacks stemmed from a combination of three years of drought and environmental protections for species including the Delta smelt and winter-run salmon. "Obviously, we're pleased," Westlands Water District spokeswoman Sarah Woolf said. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, said the new announcement means "more water and more jobs for our Valley." "We took on Valley outsiders who tried to cut off our water," he said. "We also took on the Washington bureaucracy until they listened." The water restrictions were partly rooted in decisions by Fresno-based U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger, who has challenged the adequacy of water protections for endangered species. Last month, though, Wanger also struck down pumping restrictions on the grounds that they were not based on sound science. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jun 17 00:02:57 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:02:57 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal June 6 12 10 Message-ID: <00bb01cb0deb$1ff50ca0$5fdf25e0$@net> TC leaders push for low-water access BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL The Fairview boat ramp at Trinity Alps Marina Resort was well out of the water when this picture was taken in mid-February. With inflow to the lake since then, the ramp currently is usable, although it was out of commission from mid-July 2008 to June 7, 2010, and a narrow dirt, auxiliary ramp was used. KELLI GANT | SPECIAL TO THE TRINITY JOURNAL The Fairview boat ramp at Trinity Alps Marina Resort was well out of the water when this picture was taken in mid-February. With inflow to the lake since then, the ramp currently is usable, although it was out of commission from mid-July 2008 to June 7, 2010, and a narrow dirt, auxiliary ramp was used. KELLI GANT | SPECIAL TO THE TRINITY JOURNAL Just get us to the water. That was the message from a group of North County residents who showed up Wednesday last week for the quarterly meeting of an advisory group to Trinity River planners. After tourist seasons in 2008 and 2009 where only one boat ramp on Trinity Lake was usable throughout the season - and looking at predicted lake elevations this year that would have all but one high and dry before the season has ended - members of the newly formed nonprofit Trinity Lake Revitalization Alliance are suggesting long-term solutions. They want to see ramps extended or new ones built to preserve recreation on the lake during low water years. In some cases, dredging would aid existing facilities, said Kelli Gant, a member of the alliance. "Tourism is the lifeblood of our area," Gant said in a presentation to the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group, a stakeholder advisory group to the Trinity River Restoration Program. The river advisory group is made up of representatives of sports fishing interests, environmental organizations, river advocacy groups, electricity and water providers, and agencies. The lake alliance presentation got a sympathetic response. One member of the advisory group, fishing guide Ed Duggan, noted that his business is based on what happens below the dam, but businesses above it are important as well. Low lake levels coupled with the decline in logging have been tough on the area, Gant said, noting that all of the restaurants have closed. Water released from Trinity Lake either goes down the Trinity River or is diverted south to be used for agriculture. Gant said fisheries restoration is important to Trinity County, and trying to change the Trinity River Record of Decision which increased river flows is not the answer. The group is not prepared to take on water contracts, she said. Instead, she suggested that moving dirt and adding concrete would likely be a much quicker solution. Furthermore, she pointed out that the environmental impact statement and report used in the Trinity River flow decision included mitigation measures that would reduce the impacts at Trinity and Shasta lakes, including: . All affected boat ramps should be extended a sufficient distance to accommodate the new water elevations. . Marina owners should be compensated for costs associated with moving their facilities or constructing new facilities as a result of the new water elevations. . Campground facilities should be modified or funding provided to accommodate the new water elevations. Gant said the environmental documents were never certified for the California Environmental Quality Act, and therefore the mitigations are not mandated. However, the group is asking that the restoration program and federal Bureau of Reclamation honor the mitigations and work with reservoir stakeholders and the Forest Service to implement the measures. In an interview after the meeting, the river advisory group's chair, former county Sup. Arnold Whitridge, noted that although the environmental documents were certified under the National Environmental Policy Act, CEQA certification would have required county action that would have made the county a target for lawsuits by powerful agricultural interests. Although many ramps at Trinity Lake are currently in the water and Memorial Day weekend 2010 was the best business weekend in two years for most businesses, Gant noted the Trinity Center ramp was not usable from July 30, 2008, until April 20, 2010; KOA Marina has not been usable since August 2008; Cedar Stock ramp was unavailable the entire season of 2008 and 2009; the Fairview ramp at Trinity Alps Marina Resort was not usable from mid-July, 2008, to June 7, 2010, although a narrow dirt, auxiliary ramp has been cut. The Estrellita ramp available in low water was closed by the U.S. Forest Service. By July and August this year, water level projections indicate that only Minersville will be available. "The problem with Minersville - it's kind of like in between nothing," Gant said. That's a problem for businesses, said Jaktri Market owner Bernie Berkowitz. "The economy at Trinity Center is being crushed," said Berkowitz, who noted that the ramps which can still be used when the lake is low are not near his business. He estimates his business is off 50 percent. The revitalization group also put forward a list of concerns about Forest Service restrictions on the lake, including restrictions on marina growth and new marinas, refusal to increase or reissue houseboat permits, and loss of a CalBoating grant to improve ramps. Whitridge asked Bureau of Reclamation Area Manager Brian Person if there is an obligation to implement the mitigation measures, noting that they are part of the preferred alternative the Trinity River Record of Decision says to implement. However, Person responded that a separate funding measure would be needed. >From the U.S. Forest Service which manages the lake area, Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area District Ranger Kristy Cottini said if someone can get Congress to fund projects the group seeks, "nobody would be happier than myself." However, she noted that in addition to funding, challenges are presented by geography and preservation of archeological sites and late successional reserves. And other agencies are involved as well. She noted that the $2.5 million grant for work on the Minersville ramp Gant mentioned was returned because after construction delays due, ironically, to high water and extended planning, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board refused to issue another permit. The water board wanted 100 percent control of any petroleum from cars parked on the hard surface below the high water line, Cottini said, and engineers were unable to come up with a feasible solution to that. She added that facilities such as public ramps require a land base for parking and septic systems, to which Gant said, "Just get us to the water," adding that the group is not asking for restrooms, parking - or even more water. Whitridge noted that funders often do have requirements, and Gant said the group is looking beyond funding from CalBoating to other sources. A stakeholder representative on the river advisory group representing Trinity County landowners, Rich Lorenz, said that since the restoration program and river flows are part of the problem for the lake businesses, "it seems we should support this group." Whitridge reminded the audience that this is an advisory group: "We recommend and ask." Gant responded, "That's the start" and added that the group looks forward to having a future seat on the advisory group. Another member of the river advisory group, Tom Weseloh of California Trout, noted that there is a nexus between the his group's interest in establishing a "minimum pool" in the lake to keep water cool for fish when it is released, which would also benefit the lake businesses. Members of the river advisory group voted to ask that the Trinity Management Council investigate whether the river flow decision requires the mitigations noted in the environmental documents, how that mitigation would integrate with Forest Service management and how it would be funded. Since last week's meeting, Whitridge said a draft letter is being circulated and will be delivered in time for the Trinity Management Council's meeting scheduled for today, June 16. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 6839 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jun 17 14:55:28 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:55:28 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: New Job Posting for American Rivers in the Nevada City, CA Office Message-ID: <027801cb0e67$cd47db90$67d792b0$@net> From: Elizabeth Soderstrom [mailto:ESoderstrom at americanrivers.org] Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 2:06 PM Subject: New Job Posting for American Rivers in the Nevada City, CA Office Greetings: This a great part time development job with wonderful people at American Rivers in a stunning setting. Please distribute. Thanks, Elizabeth Elizabeth Soderstrom, PhD Senior Director of Conservation American Rivers 432 Broad Street Nevada City, CA 95959 Phone: 530 478 5694 Email: esoderstrom at amrivers.org Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for river news, photos and more! Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. _____ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: California Development Coordinator - Job Posting 6-14-2010.doc Type: application/msword Size: 64512 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Jun 23 16:23:05 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:23:05 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] CDFG News Release - New Mobile Web App Puts Fishing Information at Your Fingertips Message-ID: <5061B0A113574D46AE1DCF0F0A646F8B@homeuserPC> --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Marine Management News" To: Undisclosed-recipients:; Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:20:24 -0700 Subject: CDFG News Release - New Mobile Web App Puts Fishing Information at Your Fingertips Message-ID: <4C21CFEB.44F2.00A5.0 at dfg.ca.gov> References: <4BBB38A6.55F2.00A5.0 at dfg.ca.gov> <4BCD7666.55F2.00A5.0 at dfg.ca.gov> <4BF39B14.44F2.00A5.0 at dfg.ca.gov> <4C052770.55F2.00A5.0 at dfg.ca.gov> <4C07656E.44F2.00A5.0 at dfg.ca.gov> <4C1A12F9.44F2.00A5.0 at dfg.ca.gov> California Department of Fish and Game News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 22, 2010 Contacts : Kirsten Macintyre, DFG Communications, (916) 322-8988 Angela Barlow, DFG Web Coordinator, (916) 322-8965 New Mobile Web App Puts Fishing Information at Your Fingertips Its a nice weekend, and you want to go fishing. If you're new to fishing, or in an unfamiliar area, where should you go? If not everyone in your group has a license, where will you find the nearest place to purchase one? The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has released a mobile Fishing Guide web application that provides access to fishing locations, latest fish planting sites and fishing license sales locations. The web app, which is optimized for iPhone, Android and Blackberry smartphones, can be accessed by navigating to www.dfg.ca.gov/mobile. The new web app has three components: 1. Fishing Guide: The core Fishing Guide component provides a listing and maps of more than 1,500 fishing locations across the state. This includes locations that are accessible by car as well as back-country sites. 2. Fish Planting Schedule: Recently planted locations often provide excellent fishing opportunities. Anglers can now use their mobile phones to quickly find the latest fish planting sites in their area. 3. Fishing Licenses: Use your mobile phone to find one of the more than 1,600 locations around the state that sell fishing licenses. DFG's mobile Fishing Guide app was developed in collaboration with the Office of the State Chief Information Officer, in conjunction with the newly designed CA.gov portal. The Fishing Guide app can also be found by navigating to www.m.ca.gov and clicking on Recreation and Leisure. Additionally, content on the newly designed home page at www.dfg.ca.gov has been reorganized with the two most common visitor types in mind. A section for anglers and hunters provides links to popular recreation pages such as regulations and license services. Another prominent section targets those needing scientific or conservation services and information. Web users are encouraged to comment on these new products, and DFG's website in general, at www.dfg.ca.gov/survey. #### Note: This e-mail account is used to distribute information to the public. Do not reply to this e-mail. Direct questions or comments regarding the information contained in this e-mail to the Department staff listed as points of contact for this subject. - Subscribe to DFG News via e-mail or RSS feed -- go to www.dfg.ca.gov/news - Subscribe (or unsubscribe) to DFG Marine Region News Service (e-mail notification of ocean-related news and information) at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/subscribe.asp . From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jun 24 10:10:22 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:10:22 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac and Fresno Bees 6-23-10 Delta Pumping Message-ID: <005801cb13c0$22974a60$67c5df20$@net> Compromise reached over Calif water pumping limits Sacramento Bee-6/23/10 California farmers, environmentalists, water managers and city officials have worked out a compromise over how to manage pumping limits from the delta through the end of June. On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced all sides agreed to stick with current water restrictions on state and federal projects tied to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Federal scientists have recommended water cutbacks to safeguard the threatened delta smelt and other native species. Farmers argued the limits have caused crop losses and damaged the local environment. The negotiations came after a federal judge's ruling in May that water officials had to consider humans along with the fish in limiting water use. He also said federal science didn't prove that increased pumping alone imperiled the smelt. Both sides claim victory in water compromise Fresno Bee-6/23/10 By John Ellis Water users have reached a short-term compromise with environmentalists and their federal government allies on Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumping levels that currently face potential cutbacks to protect the threatened delta smelt. Even as they compromised, however, both sides claimed victory. A management plan for the smelt - known as a biological opinion - regulate delta pumping levels by setting a range of water flows in parts of the San Joaquin River known as the Old and Middle rivers. The compromise permits the pumping of the maximum amount of water allowed by the biological opinion, which pleased water users. But it also keeps the biological opinion in place and doesn't allow pumping at levels higher than those set forth in the plan, which satisfied environmentalists. In addition, environmentalists said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can still step in if something unforeseen arises. The compromise was reached after more than three weeks of negotiations. For all that work, however, it will not be in effect very long. The biological opinion covering the smelt is only in effect until June 30. Thanks to heavy rainfall this year, high water flows on the San Joaquin River have pushed so much water into the south delta that there was no need for the government to enact any pumping restrictions. But by late this week, reduced pumping would likely have been put in place. To protect the smelt, the federal government could have significantly reduced pumping levels from Friday through the end of the month. Both sides said they were pleased to reach an agreement. "This is an example of what we hope will continue to be a balanced approach to protect the environment, the people and the economy of our state," said Sarah Woolf, a spokeswoman for the Westlands Water District, which relies almost exclusively on delta water for irrigation. George Torgun, an attorney with Earthjustice, which is one of the groups fighting to keep smelt protections in place, said that in the "spirit of cooperation we were willing to go along." The compromise came after U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger issued a ruling that found flaws in the current smelt management plan. The ruling was a victory for water users and a setback to environmentalists. Wanger's ruling found that water officials must consider humans along with the smelt in limiting use of the delta for irrigation and urban use. The judge also found that water users made convincing arguments that the federal government's science didn't prove that increased pumping from the delta imperiled the smelt. But Wanger made no finding on the water users' request for an immediate injunction on the smelt plan, which lead to the negotiations for a compromise. With that in place, both sides will now return to their adversarial roles as they prepare for battle on the smelt management plan, which water users are challenging. A two-day hearing on the matter is set for July 8 and 9. Water users want the biological opinion invalidated and then rewritten by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Environmentalists and the federal government say the opinion should stay in its current form. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov Thu Jun 24 15:46:19 2010 From: Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov (Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:46:19 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] In Season Trapping Update, Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring on the Trinity River at Willow Creek Message-ID: Willow Creek Downstream Migrant Trap Site 2010 In-Season Trapping Update ?June 23, 2010 Synopsis: The 2010 Downstream Migrant trapping season at the Willow Creek Trap Site (river kilometer 34) is being conducted jointly by the USFWS Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office (AFWO) and the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program (YTFP) on the mainstem Trinity River near Willow Creek, California. The season began March 8th, 2010 with the installation of two traps. A third trap was installed March 9th, 2010. See attached catch summary for details of this narrative. This summary includes data from March 9th, 2010 through June 17th, 2010 and is presented as raw catch. No expansions have been calculated at this time. Data entry is not complete for Julian Week 23. Heavy debris load and high flows have occasionally resulted in null sets, causing less than 21 trap days (3 traps x 7 days) in some weeks resulting in variable effort over the season; therefore raw catch numbers should be interpreted with caution. Raw daily catches of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have been captured each day sampling has occurred and most have been young-of-the-year (YOY). Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of YOY Chinook salmon were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 10 and 11. Efficiency calibrations were conducted with freeze-branded hatchery Chinook salmon during all weeks sampled. Raw daily catches of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) smolts (age 1+) have been relatively steady since the beginning of trapping with hatchery steelhead showing up in JW 12. Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of Steelhead smolts were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 15 and JW 18-20 and JW 22. The drop in condition factor in the later weeks is consistent with smoltification processes. Steelhead YOY numbers are present in the catch, but have yet to show signs of a peak. Raw daily catches of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) are lower than last year at this time but not significantly lower than other years prior. Weekly mean Fulton?s K value of natural coho salmon smolts has varied greatly from week to week due to low catches. Hatchery Coho smolts occurred in the catch beginning Julian Week 15. Initial analyses of catch data indicate a late emigration for juvenile coho salmon in 2010. If you have any questions regarding this summary, don't hesitate to contact Bill Pinnix at (707) 822-7201. (See attached file: WCT_Catch_Summary_06_23_10.pdf) William Pinnix USFWS, AFWO 1655 Heindon Rd Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 822-7201 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: WCT_Catch_Summary_06_23_10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 30413 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jun 25 09:19:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 09:19:30 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 6/24/10 Message-ID: <004a01cb1482$3202cf20$96086d60$@net> Lawsuit challenges California groundwater pumping Fresno Bee-6/24/10 Commercial fisherman have filed a lawsuit accusing California officials of not leaving enough water in a Northern California river for coho salmon. The lawsuit filed Thursday says the State Water Resources Control Board and Siskiyou County allowed groundwater well permits that have depleted the Scott River. The plaintiffs say the endangered coho salmon are now on the verge of extinction in the river. A spokesman at the State Resources Water Control Board, William L. Rukeyser, says the lawsuit appears to raise many theories about pumping that are not established in California law. He says the state does have the authority to regulate groundwater as the fishermen claim Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jun 25 10:37:35 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:37:35 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject) Message-ID: <007401cb148d$1b305e10$51911a30$@net> PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN?S ASSOCIATIONS (PCFFA), ENVIRONMENTAL LAW FOUNDATION (ELF), and the INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES (IFR) For immediate release Date: June 24, 2010 10:00 AM Press Contacts: Glen Spain (PCFFA) (541)689-2000 Jim Wheaton (ELF) (510)208-4555 Jennifer Maier (ELF) (510)208-4555 FISHING AND CONSERVATION GROUPS SUE OVER POOR WATER MANAGEMENT ON NORTHERN CALIFORNIA?S SCOTT RIVER The State and County have allowed groundwater depletion and damage to ESA-listed coho runs in violation of the Public Trust. Sacramento, CA -- On June 24th, the west coast?s largest trade association of commercial fishing families, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations (PCFFA), teamed up with the California conservation organization Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) to jointly file a landmark lawsuit against the California State Water Resources Control Board (?Water Board?) and Siskiyou County for their joint failure to leave enough water in the river to protect endangered and threatened salmon in Northern California?s Scott River. The case (Environmental Law Foundation, et al. vs. State Water Resources Control Board and Siskiyou County, filed in the Superior Court of Sacramento County) alleges widespread violations of the Public Trust Doctrine, resulting from years of rubber-stamp Water Board and County approvals of well permits that have seriously depleted the local aquifer, creating severe water depletion of Northern California?s Scott River, once an important salmon-bearing tributary to the Klamath River and still the home of federally and state protected Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed coho salmon. ?Scott River water depletion has gotten so bad that today coho salmon are on the verge of extinction there, once one of their major refuges,? noted Glen Spain, PCFFA Northwest Regional Director. ?All the while, the state?s water agencies have been looking the other way and doing little to stop it. But rivers and their fish are public resources, and public agencies are obligated to protect them, not deplete them.? The Public Trust Doctrine, which goes all the way back to the laws of the Roman Emperor Justinian issued in 535 A.C.E, requires the waters of the State (and its aquatic wildlife) to be held in public trust for the common good, and therefore to be protected by the State against depletion or damage by private interests. The California Supreme Court recognized that the Public Trust Doctrine applies to water management in California rivers in the landmark 1983 ?Mono Lake Case? (National Audubon Society vs. Superior Court, 33 Cal.3d 419 (1983)) but has not yet ruled on how this Doctrine would apply to groundwater depletion that in turn affects nearby river flows. This case is likely to set new legal precedent on this key water issue at a time when many of California?s aquifers are suffering widespread depletion, drying up many aquifer-fed streams. Yet California is one of only two US states (the other being Texas) that does not manage its own groundwater, leaving groundwater management entirely to the Counties instead, who have neither the expertise nor the political will to develop or enforce aquifer drawdown limits. Many of California?s aquifers also span multiple counties. Groundwater aquifers in the Scott Valley have been increasingly depleted by well permits issued by the County, and low water aquifers reduce the flows from springs that feed cold groundwater into the river itself. Depleted aquifers mean a depleted river where fish now die by the droves nearly every year. But the County continues to give out new well permits anyway. State law, however, acknowledges the connection between surface water flows and groundwater aquifers in the Scott sub-basin and provides for state regulation of Scott River ?groundwater supplies which are interconnected with the Scott River? at Cal. Fish & Game Code Sec. 2500.5. However, the State Water Board has not used that authority in more than 30 years. Coho salmon inhabiting the Scott River have so diminished in numbers in recent years that they have been protected as ?threatened with extinction? under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. ? 1531, et seq.) since May 6, 1997 (62 Fed Reg. 24,588). Scott River coho salmon have also been protected since August 30, 2002 under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) (Cal. Fish & Game Code ? 2050, et seq.). The Scott River has also been federally listed under the ESA as ?critical habitat? for ESA-listed coho salmon since May 5, 1999 (64 Fed. Reg. 24,049). The California Fish and Game Commission also adopted a Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon on February 4, 2004 which contains numerous measures to protect coho salmon in the Scott River basin. Yet state and federally protected coho salmon are now down to double-digit numbers in the Scott River, where they once sheltered in the thousands. Only 81 ESA-listed coho came back to that river in 2009, according to California Department of Fish and Game fish surveys. Most biologists believe a population size of at least 500 is required to truly prevent extinction. Chinook salmon and steelhead also spawn and rear within the Scott River, and their numbers too are today greatly diminished from their historical abundance, for the same reasons. ?The Public Trust ensures that our waters are protected for everyone, not just those who can take it,? noted Jim Wheaton, with Environmental Law Foundation. ?Where one person's take harms other uses and the public, the Public Trust Doctrine requires the State to protect the public and future generations.? ?Unchecked groundwater pumping is bleeding this river literally dry, driving formerly productive fish runs there to the edge of extinction, and no one is being held accountable,? said Erica Terence of the Klamath Riverkeeper group, which works on salmon conservation issues in the Scott River. ?Siskiyou County and the State Water Board have an obligation to the public to close this loophole in Scott River water balancing that allows hay growers to take more than their fair share.? The Scott River is also vitally important to resident American Indian Tribes who have ancestral lands in the Scott Basin. ?The quality and quantity of Scott River water threatens the existing habitat of the diminishing Scott River salmon runs,? noted Crystal Bowman, Environmental Director for the Quartz Valley Indian Reservation, which is situated within the Scott Valley. ?Although local resource agencies attempt to improve these conditions through various programs, un-regulated groundwater pumping greatly contributes to the unsuitable water quality conditions salmon in the Scott River have to face. Lowering the water table has negative impacts on surface water depth, velocity, temperature, and connectivity. The health of riparian vegetation and nearby environments are also negatively impacted, which prevents the necessary pollutant load reductions from being realized and reduces habitat for a plethora of terrestrial species. It is time to acknowledge these basic ecological principles and coordinate surface and groundwater use in Scott Valley so that the Scott River and its salmon runs can recover before it's too late.? ?As commercial fishing families, maintaining abundant salmon runs in the Scott River is a bread and butter issue,? added PCFFA?s Glen Spain. ?Without the Scott River it will be very hard indeed to recover the seriously damaged salmon runs from the Klamath River and bring these runs back into their previous abundance.? ***** For a copy of the Petition for a Writ of Mandate and a Fact Sheet on the Public Trust Doctrine and how it applies in this case, see ELF?s Current Case Docket at: www.envirolaw.org/currentcases.html To find out more about the dewatering of the Scott River in 2009, see the Klamath Riverkeeper web site at: www.klamathriverkeeper.org/tribs/SOSS.html #### --30-- Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Jun 27 10:31:34 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 10:31:34 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 6/27/2010 Message-ID: <011701cb161e$97ff9310$c7feb930$@net> New state agency tries to revive delta Wyatt Buchanan, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau San Francisco Chronicle June 27, 2010 04:00 AMhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/27/MNB01E0QML.DTL Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Sunday, June 27, 2010 Images Cattle graze within sight of Antioch Bridge on Sherman Is... This boat on the Sacramento speeding past a campground sh... View All Images (12) * UC researchers struggle to obtain better wages 06.27.10 (06-27) 04:00 PDT Sacramento - -- Over the past 10 years, California spent more than $3.5 billion on an agency that failed to solve the water crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Now, the state is trying again - with a newly formed agency. This new agency is much like the old one with a different set of rules: It has the same staff of about 50 employees who were transferred over from the failed organization, and it has hired the same consulting firm to do much of the ground work, raising questions of whether it will succeed where its predecessor failed or whether it will be another expensive boondoggle. The stakes are enormous: the ecosystem of the delta - which provides water for 25 million Californians and millions of acres of farmland - is on the verge of collapsing, water users have seen their yearly allotments slashed, and a major earthquake could destroy the levee system protecting islands, communities and farmland in the region. Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, author of the bill that created the new agency - the Delta Stewardship Council - said there is no guarantee the council will succeed where the old agency, CalFed, failed. But something needs to be done. Decades of "benign neglect and ineffective governance have not served the state well," Simitian said. "There's always some risk with a new direction, but I think the old model was a proven failure." CalFed's failure CalFed began in 1994 as an agreement between the federal and state governments to work together on delta water issues. But the pact proved ineffective almost from the start. In 2000, the state and federal governments created a more formal process that was supposed to fix the delta for everyone - its motto was "everyone gets better together." They pledged to improve water supply and quality and strengthen the ecosystem and levees. Ultimately, CalFed became an amalgamation of 25 local, state and federal agencies and other organizations with disparate interests in the delta. The idea was to unite - and spend big - for a common cause. But, created under the Clinton administration, interest in CalFed waned during the Bush years. To worsen matters, CalFed was enormous, with so many agencies involved that it struggled under its own weight to create a structure to make decisions. In 2002, the Legislature created a new governing board to oversee CalFed: the Bay-Delta Authority. But the authority stopped meeting in the past few years because not enough members showed up for the scheduled sessions. No consistent funding Perhaps contributing most significantly to CalFed's failure is that it lacked the force of law in its decisions and did not have a consistent source of funding to operate. An audit of the program determined that the state spent $217 million in general fund dollars from 2000 to 2004, along with $813 million in bond funds. The federal government was supposed to contribute significant money, too, but in the same period spent just $242 million. Later in 2004, the program released a controversial 10-year financing plan totaling $8 billion, which drew wide criticism and led the Legislature to slash its budget. Then, in early 2007, the Public Policy Institute of California concluded in a report on the delta that CalFed "is now widely perceived as having failed to meet its objectives." The Delta Stewardship Council was created via a bill the Legislature approved as part of last fall's comprehensive package of legislation to overhaul California's water infrastructure. Among the other bills that passed was one for an $11 billion water bond that voters will decide in November. In crafting the stewardship council, lawmakers sought to avoid the pitfalls that doomed CalFed. They made the council small and powerful - a panel of only seven individuals - as opposed to the more than two dozen agencies that made up CalFed. This group, appointed largely by the governor, is charged with creating a comprehensive plan to revive the delta - with the "co-equal goals" of restoring the ecosystem and ensuring water supply reliability for the state - by Jan. 1, 2012, an extremely tight deadline by government bureaucracy standards. Final plan will become law One key difference from CalFed is that the council's final plan will actually be state law. Simitian said some lawmakers were wary about how much power to give the council, as it would limit the Legislature's authority. But he said he believes giving it real legal teeth is essential for success. "I would suggest to you that if everyone is a bit nervous, that is a good thing," Simitian said. The council first met in April and has had four meetings since, including last week. "This is a bigger step than the kind of limping along of the last 30 or 40 years," said Phil Isenberg, the chairman of the stewardship council who is a well-regarded former mayor of Sacramento and a former state assemblyman. As for the similarities to CalFed, Isenberg defended the decision to transfer the staff and said it is important to retain them to meet the new timelines. "I think they are competent, and I don't think there is any way the state deadlines would be met without" them, he said. State water experts agree that California needed a new direction for the delta and that putting decisions into the hands of a limited council is a better process. "The way it has been set up, the decision will come to seven people working on a council rather than getting a bunch of agencies to form a consensus," said Ellen Hanak, director of research for the Public Policy Institute of California, adding, "You have more of a sense of who is in charge." And even though it ultimately failed to solve the crisis in the delta, CalFed did fund a lot of research about the delta estuary that gives the council a better starting point for making decisions than its predecessor, Hanak said. What is yet to be resolved, however, is how the council will fund its ongoing operations - a key reason CalFed failed. The governor's proposed budget for the year beginning July 1 sets aside nearly $50 million to fund the stewardship council, money that previously was budgeted for CalFed. Long-term finance plan But future funding was not specified in the water legislation, Simitian said, because determining who would pay and how much they would pay probably would have overwhelmed and doomed the debate over the package of water bills. Last week, a Senate committee approved a bill by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, to require the Delta Stewardship Council to create a long-term finance plan with fees assessed to the beneficiaries of the council's delta plan. The fee plan would need approval by the Legislature. Huffman called his legislation "a critical missing piece" of the water legislation and the lack of funding a "critical flaw" in CalFed. Whether the council succeeds where CalFed failed will depend largely on the members of the council, said James Mayer, executive director of California Forward and former executive director of the Little Hoover Commission, a state body that investigates state operations. That commission published a damaging assessment of CalFed in 2005. People key to success Mayer said he believes the ultimate success of the council could have more to do with who is on the panel than the law creating it, and predicted the council would be successful if its members take action that "represents the long-term public interest." "Regardless of what's in the law, the question is whether the stewardship council will develop the political authority to compel cooperation and alignment of otherwise competing public agencies," Mayer said. Environmental organizations themselves were split on whether they supported the legislation creating the council and that divide has continued in predictions of the council's success. "We felt that this was CalFed redux," said Jim Metropulos, senior advocate for the Sierra Club California. "I just think the council is not really empowered to make wholesale changes to the delta and improve water supply reliability." Cynthia Koehler, California water legislative director at the Environmental Defense Fund, said she is optimistic about the council's prospects. "This is clearly a time-will-tell kind of thing," she said. "This is the next experiment." Delta Stewardship Council members -- Phil Isenberg, chairman, is a former state assemblyman and mayor of Sacramento. He is a lawyer and, until recently, a registered lobbyist. He also chaired the Delta Blue Ribbon Task Force, which called for creating an independent body to oversee the delta. -- Randy Fiorini of Turlock (Stanislaus County)is the managing partner of Fiorini Ranch and managing partner of FarmCo. He is the past president and board member of the Association of California Water Agencies. -- Gloria Gray of Inglewood (Los Angeles County) is a member of the board of directors of the West Basin Municipal Water District. She previously spent 36 years at the Los Angeles County departments of Human Services and Health Services. -- Patrick Johnston of Stockton is president of the California Association of Health Plans and spent 20 years in the Legislature. He is a former member of the Bay-Delta Authority and the Delta Protection Commission. -- Hank Nordhoff of Del Mar (San Diego County) is chairman of Gen-Probe Inc., a biotechnology company. -- Don Nottoli of Galt is a member of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and is chairman of the Delta Protection Commission. -- Richard Roos-Collins of Berkeley is director of legal services for the Natural Heritage Institute. He is co-chair of the Agricultural Water Management Council and was a member of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Steering Committee. West Coast's largest estuary The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is home to more than 750 animal and plant species. More than 500,000 people call it home, and it is a recreation and tourist destination. The delta is the hub of state, federal and local water systems providing at least some of the water needs for two-thirds of Californians. It is formed by the confluence of the state's two largest rivers: the Sacramento and the San Joaquin. Source: Delta Stewardship Council Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/27/MNB01E0QML.DTL#i xzz0s4jdpKVo Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 174 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Jun 27 17:11:06 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:11:06 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Monterey County Herald 6/26/2010 Message-ID: <013e01cb1656$68d55100$3a7ff300$@net> Editorial: Sky hasn't fallen over water allotment reduction THE HERALD'S VIEW The Monterey County Herald Posted: 06/26/2010 01:31:17 AM PDT Updated: 06/26/2010 01:31:17 AM PDT Let's return for a moment to last spring, when doom and gloom descended on the San Joaquin Valley in the form of water-allotment reductions that, we were told, would bankrupt the farmers, idle the workers and turn the region into a modern dust bowl. Perhaps you remember when TV commentator Sean Hannity, with ample PR help from the huge Westlands Water District, went on the air with a series of heart-tugging stories about how farms and jobs were being lost because wrongheaded environmentalists and federal officials were diverting "valley" water to protect insignificant smelt and salmon. In western Fresno County, the bedraggled farm town of Mendota provided the perfect backdrop for photo opportunities featuring busloads of sad-eyed field workers supposedly thrown out of work by the likes of the Sierra Club. Unfortunately for the recreational and commercial fishing industries and others with an interest in keeping the environment in balance, Hannity and other easily misled news operations largely missed the story about the dramatic decline in the salmon population caused, largely, by San Joaquin Delta pumping schedules that traditionally favored field crops over fish. Well, guess what. Farm income did slip last year in Fresno County. By 75 percent? Fifty percent? Try 4.5 percent. The county-by-county annual crop reports came out this week, and Fresno County retained its title as the king of California agriculture, producing $5.4billion in receipts. "I don't know how ag did it, but they did it," said Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner Carol Hafner. "This is our third year of more than $5billion in value." It really is not a mystery. The growers did it by relying on water allotments that had been hoarded, by turning on their own pumps and by raising prices. It is significant that the neighboring counties of Kings and Tulare saw much sharper declines in farm income, 25percent and 19percent, respectively, but not because of lost irrigation water. Dairy is a larger factor in those counties, and wholesale milk prices plunged in 2009. To be fair, it certainly was a tough year for Fresno County agriculture. A small portion of the federally subsidized water was indeed lost to the fisheries, so farmers scrambled to change crops and planting patterns. Some fields were taken out of production in order to protect recent large investments in tree crops, including big water users such as citrus, almonds and pistachios. Times certainly were tough in dusty Mendota. Times have always been tough in Mendota. Almost assuredly, the income of Fresno County farmworkers dropped more than the 5.4percent overall decline in farm income. But times are tougher yet along the docks and harbors of California, where the salmon harvest has been wiped out by a water delivery system dominated by ag interests aided and abetted by Hannity and others who wouldn't want the facts to get in the way of a sad story. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Jun 29 09:43:40 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:43:40 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Tom Birmingham in Fresno Bee 6/29/2010 Message-ID: <01eb01cb17aa$3bedcaf0$b3c960d0$@net> How far have we come in resolving the water crisis? Fresno Bee-6/29/10 By Thomas W. Birmingham Thomas W. Birmingham is the general manager of Westlands Water District. In the past few weeks, the Westlands Water District and other public water agencies, with the support of Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the Valley congressional delegation, have made progress toward improving the rules that have crippled the operation of California's water system and driven west-side communities toward an economic catastrophe. How much have these reforms really accomplished and will they prevent more water shortages in the future? In 2010, for the second year in a row, farmers on the west side faced a zero water allocation due to federal environmental restrictions. The prospects for the 25 million urban water users who depend on water pumped through the Delta were not much brighter. But when Sen. Feinstein in February proposed that the federal rules should allow at least 40% of the state's normal supplies, she ran into intense criticism from environmentalists and many editorial writers around the state. Sen. Feinstein acted to prevent a repetition of the severe cutbacks in water deliveries that in 2009 had thrown tens of thousands of people out of work, imposed rationing in many urban areas and fallowed hundreds of thousands of acres of farmlands. In support of her proposal, she distributed a letter summarizing the questions that scientists, engineers and public officials were raising about the science underlying the federal restrictions. Reporters, however, fastened on who signed the letter and ignored the substance of those questions. Fortunately, the Obama administration was much smarter. Early in the year, they agreed to administer the environmental restrictions with greater sensitivity to the impacts on water supply.This meant allowing water deliveries to continue at the upper end of the range allowed by the federal biological opinions for salmon and Delta smelt. This was all that Sen. Feinstein had proposed. And indeed, with rainfall returning to normal, the millions of water users she sought to protect will receive even more water this year. More important for the long term, the questions she and others in Congress asked about the scientific basis for the biological opinions got the careful review they deserved. First the federal departments of Commerce and Interior joined to create a special panel of the National Academy of Sciences to review the biological opinions. Their initial report this spring found that, while there was a theoretical basis for the opinions' general prescriptions, there wasn't enough data to support many of the actions they required. The seriousness of those lapses in the scientific record were more precisely detailed in May in 250 pages of factual and legal findings by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger. Among other things, Judge Wanger found that the federal agencies "completely abdicated" their responsibility under the National Environmental Policy Act to consider alternative actions that would do less harm to the human environment. By failing to perform certain fundamental calculations that "any prudent and competent fish biologist and statistician would have done" the agencies committed a "fundamental and inexplicable error" that reduced their restrictions to mere "guesstimations." The court cited numerous examples of the agencies' failure to link pumping to the survival of endangered species. Judge Wanger was particularly critical of the agencies' "not rational" misuse of data. Their misrepresentation of other scientists' research "raises the spectre of bad faith," he wrote. "The absence of explanation and analysis for adoption of (pumping) limits uses no science, let alone the best available, and is simply indefensible." The immediate relief that we sought from the court was very limited, and the federal agencies and environmental groups have now agreed with us on a short-term plan. But the problems that Judge Wanger and the National Academy of Sciences identified in the biological opinions are fundamental and can only be resolved through substantial revisions to both. As better science is applied, the old orthodoxy that blamed the pumps for all the Delta's problems is beginning to crumble. On June 9, federal officials announced their commitment to an extensive research program to fill in the gaps and correct the agencies' mistakes. The operational flexibility that helped us get through the first half of 2010 will be continued. Now federal agencies will be required to assess the benefits of their actions for the public water supply as well as the fish. On other fronts, the Obama administration is calling for an unlimited open season on striped bass to reduce a major cause of the salmon decline. New research from the University of Maryland and the University of California suggests that another important part of the problem lies in the changes in the food chain for aquatic species that are the result of contamination by human and industrial wastes. Clean water, good science, cooperation and respect for the human environment -- these are all values that responsible environmental organizations have long endorsed. The Endangered Species Act is not being weakened by our progress. Judge Wanger's findings will merely compel the federal fish agencies to live up to its standards. The Delta is not being endangered. Rather, we are learning more about how to protect it without sacrificing the public water supply. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Jun 29 17:02:20 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:02:20 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Postpone Water Bond Message-ID: <023401cb17e7$841a2020$8c4e6060$@net> Schwarzenegger wants to postpone election on water bond. Gov. Schwarzenegger Issues Statement Regarding the Water Supply Act of 2010 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement regarding the Water Supply Act of 2010: "After reviewing the agenda for this year, I believe our focus should be on the budget -- solving the deficit, reforming out of control pension costs and fixing our broken budget system. It's critical that the water bond pass, as it will improve California's economic growth, environmental sustainability and water supply for future generations. For that reason, I will work with the legislature to postpone the bond to the next ballot and avoid jeopardizing its passage." The Water Supply Act is a crucial component of the comprehensive water package that passed in 2009. The bond will fund, with local cost-sharing, drought relief, water supply reliability, Delta sustainability, statewide water system operational improvements, conservation and watershed protection, groundwater protection and water recycling and water conservation programs. Delaying the bond will not impact other parts of the 2009 water package, such as enhancing the Delta ecosystem, better monitoring groundwater basins, reducing statewide consumption and improving diversion patterns. In May 2004, state leaders passed a bill to delay voting on the high-speed rail bond until November 2006, and later delayed the vote again until November 2008, when it eventually passed as Proposition 1A. The voters' approval of Proposition 1A in 2008 made a $9.95 billion bond-funded down payment on high-speed rail in California. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jun 30 09:54:31 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:54:31 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Potential Removal of Water Bond from November Ballot Message-ID: <02a901cb1874$ea4d5280$bee7f780$@net> While one may be enough, here are several news stories on potential removal of $11.1 billion water bond from November ballot: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnold-water-20100630,0,5464745.stor y http://www.sacbee.com/2010/06/29/2859201/state-water-vote-may-be-delayed.htm l http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/30/MNIB1E6URV.DTL http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15403338 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jun 30 14:41:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:41:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] No on Water Bond Press Release Message-ID: <030f01cb189c$f410fd30$dc32f790$@net> NO on Proposition 18 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lindsay Martin June 29, 2010 (916) 444-8897 Statement from No on the Water Bond on the Possible Postponement of Proposition 18 SACRAMENTO - The No on the Water Bond (Proposition 18) committee issued the following statement from coalition member Jim Metropulos of Sierra Club California on the possible postponement of Proposition 18 from this November's ballot: "We call on the Legislature to scrap this $11 Billion bond and start over," Metropulos said. "Even if it is delayed to a future ballot it will continue to be a bad back room deal, hatched in the dark of the night and loaded up with billions of dollars in pork projects to buy off votes." "Even if it is delayed to a future ballot, it will still mean billions more dollars in debt for our State," Metropulos added. "Even if it is delayed to a future ballot, it will not address the key points needed to fix our water infrastructure or create sustainable water policy. Moving the initiative to another election will not lessen our opposition!" No on the Water Bond is sponsored by a coalition of consumer, environmental, fishing, farming, tribal, community and social justice organizations opposed to the water bond that will be on the statewide ballot in November. Coalition members include the Sierra Club California, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Friends of the River, Food & Water Watch, the Planning and Conservation League, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Clean Water Action, Southern California Watershed Alliance and Restore the Delta. No on Water Bond Co-Chairs Respond to Governor's Announcement to Postpone Water Bond "Repeal it. Don't postpone it. Fiscally irresponsible plan won't get better with age." SACRAMENTO - No on Water Bond Co-chairs, State Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) and State Assemblyman Bill Berryhill (R-Ceres), today issued the following response to the Governor's announcement that he will seek postponement of the $11.14 billion water bond now scheduled for this November's ballot. "We welcome the Governor's recognition that this bond does not have public support. The decision to pull the bond is an admission that our criticisms are correct, it is fiscally irresponsible and won't help the Delta or create any more water." Wolk and Berryhill stated they will not support legislation to move the current bond to another date. "Rather than postpone it, we should repeal it and start over. We cannot support simply delaying the same irresponsible plan to a future election. This is a bad measure that won't get any better with time. It's not fine wine. It's just pork. We should start over next year with a new Legislature and Governor with an open and transparent public process." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Jul 1 13:43:08 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2010 13:43:08 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Press Release- Federal Water Transfers Challenged in Court Message-ID: PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release July 1, 2010 Federal Water Transfers Challenged in Court Sacramento Valley Communities, Farms, and Fish in Jeopardy Chico, CA ? AquAlliance, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), and the California Water Impact Network (CWIN) have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) to protect the economy and the environment of the northern Sacramento Valley. The Bureau?s Environmental Assessment (EA) and Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 2010-2011 Water Transfer Program reveals plans to export 395,000 acre-feet of Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) water to buyers south of the San Francisco Bay Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. To replace the water sold to San Joaquin Valley growers in low-priority water districts, the plan would permit Sacramento Valley surface water right holders to substitute 154,237 acre-feet of groundwater to continue rice production. The plaintiff groups allege that the EA/FONSI violates the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) because, among other things, it: ? Fails to support the Bureau?s proposed finding of no significant impact, ? Contains a fundamentally flawed alternatives analysis, and ? Inadequately analyzes the impacts from implementing the two years transfer program. The lawsuit seeks comprehensive NEPA environmental review for the water transfer program. Repeated water transfer projects in the last decade have all occurred without the benefit of thorough federal or state environmental analysis, which would require the establishment of baseline conditions, comprehensive monitoring, and the disclosure of impacts. ?The federal and state agencies and water contractors continue to see the Sacramento River?s watershed as the last exploitable solution to their manipulation of California?s water for urban sprawl and desert agriculture south of the Delta,? stated Barbara Vlamis, AquAlliance?s executive director. ?This lawsuit is necessary because the agencies have failed to demonstrate that they will not leave the Sacramento Valley in the same disastrous condition as the Owens and San Joaquin valleys,? Vlamis concluded. ?This program walks like a drought water bank, talks like a drought water bank, and looks like a drought water bank,? said C-WIN executive director Carolee Krieger, ?but the drought is over. There is no need for this program and the harm it can cause in the Delta. The governor expresses sympathy for Gulf Coast commercial fishing businesses harmed by the BP oil spill while ignoring the plight of California?s commercial anglers as their fisheries are ruined by Delta export pumping.? ?The Bureau's fallacious claim that massive serial water transfers from the Sacramento Valley to irrigate the southern desert have no significant impact on the farms, communities, fish and wildlife of the Sacramento Valley and the Delta Estuary evidences either a breathtaking incompetence or a flagrant contempt for the law, the environment and the people of the Sacramento Valley and Delta,? said CSPA executive director Bill Jennings. ?We sue to compel compliance with that most basic of all environmental laws; i.e., the requirement to adequately analyze and disclose the impacts of a project,? he said. See attached press release or go to www.aqualliance.net for more background information. CONTACT INFORMATION AquAlliance Barbara Vlamis, Executive Director P.O. Box 4024, Chico, CA 95927 (530) 895-9420 Cell (530) 519-7468 California Sportfishing Protection Alliance Bill Jennings, Chairman/Executive Director 3536 Rainier Avenue Stockton, CA 95204 (209) 464-5067 California Water Impact Network Carolee Krieger, President 808 Romero Canyon Road Santa Barbara, CA 93108 (805) 969-0824 ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PressRelease2010_2011TransferProgram.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 101032 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jul 2 09:12:26 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 09:12:26 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 7-2-2010 Message-ID: <002d01cb1a01$5ea014f0$1be03ed0$@net> Scrap California water bond proposition Mark Schlosberg San Francisco Chronicle July 2, 2010 04:00 AMCopyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Mark Schlosberg is the national organizing director for the consumer advocacy nonprofit Food & Water Watch Friday, July 2, 2010 . Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intention Tuesday to push Proposition 18 - the $11 billion water bond - to the 2012 ballot. This delay will not lessen the water bond's effect on our budget. It won't reduce its wasteful spending or lessen its impact on the environment, and it certainly won't increase its chance of passage. Rather than move it, the Legislature should scrap it. What is wrong with the bond, passed last year by the Legislature at the governor's behest? First, the bond prioritizes spending $3 billion on new dams in the Central Valley. Water from these dams will largely benefit large agribusiness, which could sell it for profit to developers. This is just what happened last year when a San Joaquin Valley farm water district sold rights to approximately 14,000 acre-feet of water to the Mojave Water Agency in San Bernardino County for $73 million. Second, the bond spends up to $1 billion for desalination projects - an expensive and energy intensive process of turning saltwater into drinking water that has adverse environmental impacts. Third, the bond contains $1.5 billion that is a down payment for a giant canal to route water from the Sacramento River to the aqueducts that bring water to the Central Valley and Southern California. Cost estimates run as high as $50 billion. Fourth, even the bond's strongest supporters like Meg Whitman say the bond contains billions in pork. With California facing a $19.9 billion budget deficit and cuts to education, health, public safety and other basic services, it's no wonder polls show only 34 percent of Californians support the bond while 55 percent oppose it. In two years, the bond will still largely benefit large corporate interests, still cost Californians $800 million a year, and still lead to inevitable cuts in essential services. After the November election, the new governor and Legislature should start fresh, promoting water policies that benefit all Californians. Mark Schlosberg is the national organizing director for the consumer advocacy nonprofit Food & Water Watch Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jul 2 10:38:42 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 10:38:42 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Riverside Press-Enterprise 7 1 2010 Message-ID: <005e01cb1a0d$6b509010$41f1b030$@net> Kill water bond Riverside Press-Enterprise-7/1/10 Editorial Prop. 18 needs to disappear. The Legislature should pull this overblown measure from the November ballot. Then legislators should create a stripped-down water bond that avoids costly pork and stays focused on the state's central water needs. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this week called on the Legislature to shift Prop. 18, an $11.1 billion water bond, to the 2012 election. That step requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature, but has the support of legislators such as Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, who produced the bond legislation, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. Politicians fear voters will not back an enormous water bond, given the state's sputtering economy and huge budget shortfall. Merely pushing the bond back two years will not improve a measure awash in unnecessary spending. The $11.1 billion bond is more than twice the amount of the state's largest previous water bond. And the measure is bloated with billions of dollars for projects that have little to do with the state's crucial water needs. California does need to boost the collection and storage of winter storm runoff. And the state needs to address the environmental ills in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which threaten the viability of the state's primary water system. But only about $5 billion in Prop. 18 would go toward those issues. Nor can the state afford to pile up debt recklessly. Prop. 18 would add as much as $800 million a year in debt payments to the state's deficit-ridden general fund. Treasurer Bill Lockyer reported in December that the water bond, along with the borrowing voters have already authorized, would push debt service costs to exceed $10 billion annually in 2012-13 -- or more than 10 percent of projected state revenue. A smaller, more focused bond is key to addressing the state's long-term water needs. Voters should not have to pay for politicians' lack of fiscal restraint. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jul 2 10:40:37 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 10:40:37 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Chico Enterprise-Record 7 2 2010 Message-ID: <006301cb1a0d$b0669140$1133b3c0$@net> Feds sued over north-south water transfer plan Chico Enterprise-Record-7/2/10 By Heather hacking Three environmental groups, including Chico-based AquaAlliance, Thursday, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation calling for environmental review of plans for a 2010-11 north-to-south water transfer. The planning documents call for up to 395,000 acre feet of water each year, moved through both the federal Central Valley Project and California's State Water Project. While the deals would be for two years, AquAlliance and co-plaintiffs California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and the California Water Impact Network, have said in court documents that repeated water transfers over the past decade have never included a full federal or state environmental analysis. This would require a "baseline conditions, comprehensive monitoring and the disclosure of impacts," the lawsuit states. The concern is that the transfers will continue, perhaps each year, leaving the Sacramento Valley exploited "in the same disastrous condition as the Owens and San Joaquin valleys," AquAlliance Executive Director Barbara Vlamis said in a press statement. The 395,000 acre feet would be the maximum amount, and would include a combination of groundwater substitution, cropland idling and crop substitution. Groundwater substitution is when surface water is transferred and groundwater used instead. Crop substitution is growing crops that use less water. The Bureau of Reclamation states National Environmental Policy Act review is not necessary because minimum flows will be maintained for downstream users who don't transfer water. Also, existing temperature requirements for fish would be maintained and operations rules under the Endangered Species Act will be maintained. The document states that to avoid adverse groundwater levels and land subsidence, the program will be "coordinated and implemented in conjunction with local rules and groundwater management programs and other local regulations." "Reclamation will not approve transfers without adequate mitigation and monitoring plans. Therefore, the proposed action will not have a significant adverse impact on groundwater resources," the report states. The water would be provided by willing sellers in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. Vlamis said the lawsuit, which is in addition to a previous lawsuit against the state Department of Water Resources, is necessary because state and federal water agencies "continue to transfer without performing environmental review. No one knows the impacts." Last year the Department of Water Resources conducted a drought water bank transfer with no environmental review, stating emergency conditions existed, she said. That transfer went through, but Vlamis, then working with the Butte Environmental Council, filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Water Resources. A state court ordered a retroactive environmental review, Vlamis said Thursday, declaring that a review should have been done before the transfer, Vlamis said. A programmatic environmental review was also started jointly by federal and state water agencies in 2003, but never completed, she said. "The law is very clear. If you have a project you have to analyze it," Vlamis said. "But a lot of agencies and jurisdictions will try to do something on the cheap unless they get challenged." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jul 2 19:56:35 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 19:56:35 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Federal Funds to Western San Joaquin Message-ID: <00d701cb1a5b$5ab33070$10199150$@net> Fed grant funds to ease Valley water shortages Written by Garance Burke, AP Writer (AP) - Federal agencies pledged Thursday to send nearly $60 million in grants to help California communities, farms and dairies suffering from ongoing water shortages. The money includes $40 million from President Obama's stimulus package aimed at drought-relief projects, the bulk of which will go to the San Joaquin Valley, where three years of dry weather and irrigation cutbacks have crippled production and caused severe unemployment. Most of the Department of Interior's stimulus funds are intended to help growers dig new wells and install temporary pipelines and pumps to move water to farms that need it most, Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes said. "The farming communities in the San Joaquin are central to our bread basket, to our prosperity and to our agricultural strength as a nation," he said. The announcement was welcome news for farmers on the west side of Fresno County, the most productive agricultural county in the nation. Farms in the area are receiving only 10 percent of their federal water allocation this year. The grants, plus other federal funding announced earlier this year, should help put rural communities back to work by freeing up water supplies to keep crops and fruit trees growing, Hayes said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced Thursday it would direct an additional $18 million in grants to help California farmers, dairy operators and resource conservation districts use water more efficiently and tackle environmental problems. "Regulations for air quality and water quality keep getting tougher, so this will be a huge help," said Michael Marsh, CEO of Western United Dairymen. The biggest winner was the sprawling Westlands Water District, which received a total of $9.5 million in grants from both agencies. The district, which produces about $1 billion in crops annually and is one of Fresno County's biggest employers, says the water shortages have meant that hundreds of thousands of acres used to grow lettuce, tomatoes and other crops have been fallowed this year. The grants from USDA will help Westlands farmers save enough water to irrigate 1,000 more acres and put about 800 people to work, said Tom Birmingham, the district's general manager. More than $2.2 million will be spent so U.S. Geological Survey scientists can monitor how increased pumping affects California's central aquifer, which some state scientists fear could sink enough to slow delivery of water to Southern California. The California Aqueduct, a major canal that delivers drinking water to more than 20 million people, is among many structures threatened by the sinking. A study released by the USGS earlier this month revealed that groundwater pumping is causing the valley floor to sink. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From srosekrans at edf.org Fri Jul 2 20:14:43 2010 From: srosekrans at edf.org (Spreck Rosekrans) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 23:14:43 -0400 Subject: [env-trinity] Federal Funds to Western San Joaquin In-Reply-To: <00d701cb1a5b$5ab33070$10199150$@net> Message-ID: <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C905B81060D3@ny-mail> Isn't this from last year? ________________________________ From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us To: FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Fri Jul 02 22:56:35 2010 Subject: [env-trinity] Federal Funds to Western San Joaquin Fed grant funds to ease Valley water shortages Written by Garance Burke, AP Writer (AP) ? Federal agencies pledged Thursday to send nearly $60 million in grants to help California communities, farms and dairies suffering from ongoing water shortages. The money includes $40 million from President Obama's stimulus package aimed at drought-relief projects, the bulk of which will go to the San Joaquin Valley, where three years of dry weather and irrigation cutbacks have crippled production and caused severe unemployment. Most of the Department of Interior's stimulus funds are intended to help growers dig new wells and install temporary pipelines and pumps to move water to farms that need it most, Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes said. "The farming communities in the San Joaquin are central to our bread basket, to our prosperity and to our agricultural strength as a nation," he said. The announcement was welcome news for farmers on the west side of Fresno County, the most productive agricultural county in the nation. Farms in the area are receiving only 10 percent of their federal water allocation this year. The grants, plus other federal funding announced earlier this year, should help put rural communities back to work by freeing up water supplies to keep crops and fruit trees growing, Hayes said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced Thursday it would direct an additional $18 million in grants to help California farmers, dairy operators and resource conservation districts use water more efficiently and tackle environmental problems. "Regulations for air quality and water quality keep getting tougher, so this will be a huge help," said Michael Marsh, CEO of Western United Dairymen. The biggest winner was the sprawling Westlands Water District, which received a total of $9.5 million in grants from both agencies. The district, which produces about $1 billion in crops annually and is one of Fresno County's biggest employers, says the water shortages have meant that hundreds of thousands of acres used to grow lettuce, tomatoes and other crops have been fallowed this year. The grants from USDA will help Westlands farmers save enough water to irrigate 1,000 more acres and put about 800 people to work, said Tom Birmingham, the district's general manager. More than $2.2 million will be spent so U.S. Geological Survey scientists can monitor how increased pumping affects California's central aquifer, which some state scientists fear could sink enough to slow delivery of water to Southern California. The California Aqueduct, a major canal that delivers drinking water to more than 20 million people, is among many structures threatened by the sinking. A study released by the USGS earlier this month revealed that groundwater pumping is causing the valley floor to sink. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Jul 3 09:44:05 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 09:44:05 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FresnoBee.com News Blog Gov's pick for Delta panel resigns Message-ID: <011701cb1ace$f47dee70$dd79cb50$@net> July 2, 2010 Gov's pick for Delta panel resigns One of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointees to the Delta Stewardship Council resigned today in the face of opposition from some environmental groups that said he had a conflict of interest. Richard Roos-Collins, an attorney for the Natural Heritage Institute, said "it has become clear that the political controversy related to Senate confirmation of my appointment will affect the council's capacity to timely implement the Delta Reform Act," according to his resignation letter obtained by The Bee. Read the letter here. The council was created by the Legislature last year to oversee the environmentally troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Roos-Collins was seen as the governor's pick to satisfy environmentalists. But some groups expressed concerns that he also served on the steering committee of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a government-led effort that is considering a new canal to move water around the delta southward to Valley farms and Southern California cities. The Delta council, by law, can incorporate the canal into its long-range plans only if it meets environmental standards and is approved by the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Sierra Club lobbyist Jim Metropulos told the Sacramento Bee earlier this year that Roos-Collins was not suited to objectively review the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. "He's not going to have an independent view," Metropulos said. Schwarzenegger's office had stood by Roos-Collins as recently as last week. The governor's office did not immediately comment on the resignation. Roos-Collins' resignation comes days after Schwarzenegger called for a delay of an $11 billion water bond from November's ballot to 2012. The postponment still requires Legislative approval. The resignation is potentially on olive branch to Senate Democrats, who were expected to grill Roos-Collins at his confirmation hearing. He was scheduled to appear at a recent hearing that was canceled at the last minute. Posted by EJ Schultz at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) Reporter E.J. Schultz covers state government and politics. He can be reached at eschultz at fresnobee.com or (916) 326-5541. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Jul 3 09:54:05 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 09:54:05 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Delta Stewardship Council Plan Message-ID: <012601cb1ad0$59e41270$0dac3750$@net> To: Salmon Industry Coalition: The Delta Stewardship Council has released its first draft of the Delta plan for the co-equal goals of a more reliable water supply and restoring the Delta ecosystem. The draft listed significant stakeholders who would be impacted by the plan but failed to include the salmon fishing industry and the boating industry. The attached letter requests our recognition so that we may be full participants. We will provide comments on the proposed ecosystem actions in the next draft. Our thanks to Ann Spaulding for bringing this issue to our attention. Regards, Dick Pool Pro-Troll Fishing Products 5700A Imhoff Drive Concord, CA 94520 (925) 825-8560 Fax (925) 825-8591 Cell (925) 963-6350 email rbpool at protroll.com web www.Protroll.com Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Delta Stewardship Comments First Draft.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 77673 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Sat Jul 3 12:31:11 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 12:31:11 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Suit Filed to Reverse One of the Biggest Ripoffs in California History: Groups Seek Return of Kern Water Bank to Public Control Message-ID: <6041CB1C6CBB45B3B6B61D3200FACAE0@homeuserPC> For Immediate Release, July 2, 2010 Contact: Adam Keats, Center for Biological Diversity, (415) 632-5304 Bill Jennings, CSPA, (209) 464-5067 Carolee Krieger, C-WIN, (805) 969-0824 Suit Filed to Reverse One of the Biggest Ripoffs in California History: Groups Seek Return of Kern Water Bank to Public Control BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- A coalition of farmers, sportfishing interests and environmentalists filed suit today seeking to have the Kern Water Bank returned to state control. The water bank, a massive underground reservoir in Kern County built by the state's Department of Water Resources, was illegally gifted to powerful corporate agribusiness interests and real-estate speculators as part of the controversial "Monterey Plus Amendments" to the State Water Project system. "The Kern Water Bank is an integral part of our State Water Project and crucial to the future health of our farms, our cities and our environment," said Adam Keats, urban wildlands program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "It was built and paid for by the people of California and should remain the property of the people of California, not handed over to a small group of powerful private interests." California's state constitution expressly forbids any agency giving away or "gifting" of state assets to private interests. The current lawsuit asserts that the Kern County Water Agency gifted the Kern Water Bank to the Kern Water Bank Authority, a public-private joint powers authority controlled by Paramount Farming Company (one of the world's largest agricultural and holding companies) and Tejon Ranch Company (the massive landholding corporation seeking to develop several new cities north of Los Angeles - including the largest development ever proposed in California). The suit is the coalition's second in the last month over the State Water Project. The first targeted the Department of Water Resources for approving the Monterey Plus Amendments - a huge set of structural changes for how the State Water Project is managed. In one of those changes, the department transferred the Kern Water Bank to an entity called the Kern County Water Agency. That agency then quickly handed over the water bank to the newly formed Kern Water Bank Authority. The latest suit seeks to bring the Kern Water Bank back into state control. "We're not going to stand aside and allow a few very powerful and wealthy water barons to illegally privatize a publicly funded facility worth hundreds of millions of dollars so they can reap vast profits from growing nut trees in the desert and building thousands of speculative McMansions in the wilderness," said Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. "All while our rivers and streams are dewatered, farms fallowed, and fish and wildlife plunge toward extinction." The sportfishing and environmental groups are joined in the suit by two delta water agencies, the Central Delta Water Agency and the Southern Delta Water Agency, whose constituents are dependent on in-delta flows to irrigate their farms. "A properly managed Kern Water Bank could benefit the entire state, providing backup water during drought years for farms and urban areas, while helping to ensure that water is available to keep the Delta ecosystem healthy," said Carolee Krieger, executive director of the California Water Impact Network. "But instead, as a result of this giveaway, both the State Water Project and the Delta ecosystem are on the brink of destruction while the water barons hoard water they don't own and use it for their own maximum profits, no matter what the consequences." ### For more information on the Monterey Plus Amendments, see http://www.c-win.org/press-room-monterey-plus-amendments-and-environmental-impact-report-lawsuit.html and http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/monterey_plus_amendments/index.html. The California Water Impact Network promotes the equitable and environmental use of California's water, including instream uses, through research, planning, public education, and litigation. www.c-win.org California Sportfishing Protection Alliance is a nonprofit conservation and research organization established in 1983 for the purpose of conserving, restoring, and enhancing the state's water quality and fishery resources and their aquatic and riparian ecosystems. www.calsport.org The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 255,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. www.biologicaldiversity.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 28389 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Jul 3 14:27:36 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 14:27:36 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender Message-ID: <003901cb1af6$8ec2a8f0$ac47fad0$@net> -----Original Message----- From: Mail Delivery System [mailto:MAILER-DAEMON at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2010 1:45 PM To: bwl3 at comcast.net Subject: Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender This is the Postfix program at host velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us. I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below. For further assistance, please send mail to If you do so, please include this problem report. You can delete your own text from the attached returned message. The Postfix program : mail forwarding loop for env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Jul 3 14:29:13 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 14:29:13 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender Message-ID: <003d01cb1af6$c8e4dcb0$5aae9610$@net> This is the Postfix program at host velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us. I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below. For further assistance, please send mail to If you do so, please include this problem report. You can delete your own text from the attached returned message. The Postfix program : mail forwarding loop for env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From allieehostler at yahoo.com Tue Jul 6 08:40:05 2010 From: allieehostler at yahoo.com (Allie Hostler) Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2010 08:40:05 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [env-trinity] Hoopa Tribe Calls on Legislature to Repeal Water Bond Message-ID: <896419.33296.qm@web50807.mail.re2.yahoo.com> Hoopa Valley Tribe Calls on Legislature to Repeal Water Bond by Dan Bacher 7/2/10 Leonard Masten, chairman of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, today said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement to postpone the California Water Bond (Proposition 18) from the 2010 ballot until 2012 is "indicative of the measure's weakness" and called on the Legislature to repeal the bond. "It?s a choreographed political move for Schwarzenegger and his special interest cronies to postpone the measure," according to a statement from Masten. "It buys them more time to falsely convince the public that they need this pork-filled bond to have water when they turn on their spigots." Masten noted that the $11.14 billion bond, known as the Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act, "is not really about drinking water." "It?s about building and privatizing taxpayer-built dams and moving the control of the California?s water from the public trust to the private sector," he said. "The measure also paves the way for the construction of a peripheral canal that would more easily ship Northern California Water south." Masten said he agreed with the statement by Mark Franco, headman of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, that "The peripheral canal is a big, stupid idea that doesn?t make any sense from a tribal environmental perspective. Building a canal to save the Delta is like a doctor inserting an arterial bypass from your shoulder to your hand? it will cause your elbow to die just like taking water out of the Delta through a peripheral canal will cause the Delta to die.? The Hoopa Valley Tribe is urging the California legislature to vote NO on postponing proposition 18 until 2012, according to Masten. "We also urge legislators to go one step further and repeal the water bond entirely," said Masten. "It is not only fiscally irresponsible, it is a bad idea now and it will continue to be a bad idea in two years." Masten said the Hoopa Valley Tribe has lived on the banks of the Trinity River since time immemorial, carrying on traditions that hold the water and fish in the highest regard. The damming and diversion of the Trinity and Klamath Rivers has devastated the Hoopa people?s livelihood, salmon. "The Trinity River is the only source of imported water to the Central Valley Project," explained Masten. "A drop of Trinity River water can travel all the way to Los Angeles, over 900 miles, via Central Valley Project plumbing. For decades, over 90 percent of the river was siphoned south to quench the mounting thirst of Southern California. We have fought ever since to restore the Trinity River, with great opposition from Southern California water districts." The Hoopa Valley Tribe joins the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Inter-Tribal Water Commission, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water and many diverse groups in opposing the water bond. No on the Water Bond (Proposition 18) is sponsored by a coalition of consumer, education, environmental, fishing, farming, tribal, labor and social justice organizations opposed to the water bond. Proposition 18 opponents include the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Teachers Association, Food and Water Watch, Friends of the River, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Planning and Conservation League, Restore the Delta, Sierra Club California and United Farmworkers Union. For more information on the campaign against the water bond, go to http://www.NoWaterBond.com. For more information about the Hoopa Valley Tribe, call Allie Hostler, (530)739-2323, http://www.hoopa-nsn.gov. From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jul 7 09:32:49 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 09:32:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 7/5/10 Message-ID: <001a01cb1df2$0bae3b10$230ab130$@net> What's next for the water bond? Sacramento Bee-7/5/10 By Dan Walters Commentary It appears certain that the $11.1 billion water bond, the centerpiece of a historic water policy agreement championed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, will be removed from the November ballot. Concerned that the bond measure would be rejected by angry, recession-battered voters, Schwarzenegger and the Legislature's water policy leaders agreed last week that it should be postponed at least until the 2012 election - much as an earlier high-speed rail bond issue was postponed until it could win passage. It is, however, not quite that simple. The effect of postponement would be to take Schwarzenegger out of the equation since his stint as governor will end in six months. And the water deal's critics are already demanding that postponement should include a rewrite, which could mean prolonged wrangling or utter collapse. As written now, the bond measure is a typical product of legislative deal-making, which means it forgoes logic and equity in favor of political expediency. It's loaded with unconscionable pork - such as a quarter-billion dollars for Schwarzenegger's pal, billionaire Warren Buffett, to underwrite removal of dams on the Klamath River that have absolutely no connection to California's water supply. Even more importantly, it would use general obligation bonds to finance water projects that should be financed with revenue bonds repaid by those who receive the benefits, not by a deficit-riddled state budget. It is another test - not unlike the budget, in fact - of Capitol politicians' ability to deal with serious issues without resorting to trickery and payoffs. Would it be possible for Schwarzenegger or his successor, plus the Legislature, to write a water measure that addresses the state's very real water problems but also does so equitably and logically? The answer, unfortunately, may be no. One reason is that California's decades-long water debate is not really over water but over controlling land use, pitting development advocates against those who want to stop, slow or change development patterns. That's why there's been a deep split among environmental groups over the current deal, between those truly interested in the water supply and the environmental health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and those who see land-use policy as the chief issue. If a do-over on the bond issue is politically impossible, however, where does that leave the elements of the water deal that have already been enacted, such as a vast change in the governance structure of the Delta? Perhaps, as it were, up the creek without a paddle, unable to move without bond money to lubricate the process. This may be another of those made-in-California political knots that cannot be untangled because the political structure demands a level of trust and accord that the issue itself, by its nature, renders impossible. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jul 7 09:41:40 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 09:41:40 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 7/7/10 Message-ID: <001f01cb1df3$47ce1e20$d76a5a60$@net> The false promise of Hoover Dam Sacramento Bee-7/7/10 By Michael Hiltzik (L.A.Times) The most striking sight greeting visitors to the Colorado River gorge known as Black Canyon used to be the great wedge of alabaster concrete spanning the canyon wall to wall. But in recent years Hoover Dam, that enduring symbol of mankind's ingenuity, has been upstaged by another sight signifying nature's power to resist even the most determined effort to bring it under control: a broad white band stretching along the edge of Lake Mead like a bathtub ring, marking how far the reservoir has fallen below its maximum level. The nearly decade-long drought in the Colorado River Basin, which has lowered Lake Mead by about 120 feet from its high-water mark, reminds us that the promises made for Hoover Dam were always unrealistic. Delegates from the seven state capitals who met in 1922 to apportion the river's bounty (under the supervision of then-Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover) were led to believe that the river, once dammed, would provide all the water their states could conceivably need to fulfill their dreams of irrigation, industrial development and urban growth. To the federal officials anxious to get the dam project approved, this was a necessary subterfuge, for without it the states would never reach agreement and the dam would not be built. But today we must confront the consequences of that founding fiction. Hoover Dam truly made the West, but it has also confined it in the straitjacket of an ever-intensifying water shortage. Promises based on the seemingly magical power of new technologies are almost always excessive (witness the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico). This year, as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's dedication of "the greatest dam in the world" on Sept. 30, 1935, we should also recognize the dam's equivocal legacy to the West, and to the nation. Connoisseurs of irony will note that on that day, under a blistering sun and before 10,000 spectators and 20 million radio listeners, FDR claimed as a symbol of the New Deal a public work conceived, designed and launched by his Republican predecessors. Indeed, during the 1932 presidential campaign, candidate Roosevelt had savagely attacked Hoover, his GOP opponent, for excessive deficit spending on projects like the dam. Once ensconced in the White House, however, he quickly came to appreciate the totemic power of great public works and their effectiveness at representing the benefits that could be bestowed on the citizens by a visionary administration. In his dedication speech Roosevelt proclaimed that the federal government and the seven states of the Colorado River Basin had jointly ensured that millions of current and future residents in the West would enjoy "a just, safe and permanent system of water rights." He promised an end to the river's ancient cycle of drought and floods and a bountiful irrigation supply. He called the dam "a splendid symbol" that had turned the unruly Colorado into "a great national possession." The nation took him at his word. Since that dedication year, the population of California and the six other states of the basin has swelled by some 45 million people. Much of this growth has been fueled by the dam and its precious bounties of water and electrical power. The promise of abundant water and power took the brakes off the growth of Los Angeles, San Diego and many other western cities; it encouraged farmers to complacently plant the most water-thirsty crops; and it gave us city dwellers the impression that we can water our lawns every day without worrying about waste and runoff. Yet the world Hoover Dam made is now facing the era of limits. For decades California was able to use Colorado River water formally apportioned to Arizona and Nevada, because those states weren't developed enough to use their full allocations. That condition ended in the mid-1990s, at which point California had to give up nearly 20 percent of its Colorado River supply. Thus far we've managed a "soft landing" from that shock by crafting intricate reallocations of water among the state's agricultural, urban and ecological interests. But the balancing act is only getting harder, as a long drought shrinks our water-supply cushion and population growth continues almost unabated. Up to now, solutions to our water needs have been worked out in a crisis atmosphere. In the future, they'll take place against a political background too. In the Central Valley, farmers are already marching to demand the construction of more dams to provide more water for irrigation, as if one can just create abundance out of thin air. Environmentalists' efforts to discharge water from reservoirs to preserve riparian and marine habitats draw the ridicule of conservative television pundits. Private companies have moved into the water business, figuring that where there's scarcity there are profits. There isn't enough water in the Colorado to serve all the demands we place on the river, and there never was. This was evident to some people, like the great Western explorer John Wesley Powell, who at an irrigation congress in 1893 announced, "Gentlemen, you are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over water rights, for there is not sufficient water to supply the land." Powell was driven from the hall by a chorus of boos and catcalls. But time has proved him right. It was thought that Hoover Dam would put an end to 50 years of conflict over the water of the Colorado. It has not. We still delude ourselves into thinking that it will; only a few years ago, in 2003, then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton came out to the dam to sign 24 agreements transferring water rights among various claimants - Indian tribes, irrigation districts, Western cities, the government of Mexico. And she proclaimed, "With these agreements, conflict on the river is stilled." The truth is that conflict on the river will never be stilled, because there will always be more demand for the water than there is water. We should not regret the building of Hoover Dam, which Roosevelt hailed three-quarters of a century ago as a "great achievement of American resourcefulness, skill and determination." It was a bold enterprise for a nation grappling with doubts about its place in the world at a time of crisis. Dealing with the problems of resources and growth bequeathed us in part by that remarkable Depression-era effort will require every bit as much boldness and resourcefulness, or more. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jul 7 09:49:31 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 09:49:31 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Redding Record Searchlight 7/6/10 Message-ID: <002401cb1df4$5fe5ea00$1fb1be00$@net> Weaverville mill owner sues water district over fire Redding Record Searchlight-7/6/10 By Ryan Sabalow West Coast Industrial Systems workers John Hughes (from left) Jai Christiansen and Doug Arnold install a lumber bin sorter Tuesday at Trinity River Lumber Company in Weaverville. The owners of a Weaverville lumber mill have sued the local water district alleging that when a fire erupted inside the building last fall, workers tried to put it out, but there wasn't enough water pressure. Sparked by a welder's torch on Sept. 12, the fire at the Trinity River Lumber Company burned the building to the ground, shutting down Trinity County's largest employer. In a lawsuit filed June 24 in Shasta County Superior Court, the mill's owners claim that before the fire, the Weaverville Community Services District had recently repaired a leaking backflow system in what's known as "The Vault" under the mill's Main Street parking lot. Wayne Maire, the mill owners' Redding attorney, said to repair the leak, the district or its contractor turned off a valve to the mill's fire suppression system. The valve was only about 5 percent open when the fire erupted, Maire said. "They went to turn on the hose, and instead just a trickle came out," Maire said. The suit names the district's Redding contractor Northwood Backflow Services as a co-defendant. A woman who answered the phone Tuesday at the Weaverville Community Services District said David Van Denover, the district's general manager, was out of the office. She said no one else would comment, and she refused to provide a name or a number for the district's attorney. A message left Tuesday on Northwood Backflow Services' answering machine said the owners were on vacation and wouldn't be checking messages until later this month. Maire said the mill's owners have had a good relationship with the local water district in the past. "We like them," Maire said. "It's not a situation where anybody did anything on purpose. ... It's been devastating to the community, I think as everyone recognizes." Jim Knight, the mill's personnel manager, said that at the time of the fire the mill employed around 140 people. The mill's under construction, and the hope is it will reopen by September or October. Some of the employees have been able to keep working in Weaverville helping coordinate the construction efforts, and around 40 others have been working off-site at the former Siller Brothers Sound Stud Mill on Latona Road in Anderson, which the mill is using temporarily. The other employees have been forced to find work elsewhere or seek unemployment benefits, he said. Meanwhile, replacing the 1950s-era building will have some perks, he said. "It's a shame; it's a small community here," Knight said. "But we're going to have a state-of-the-art brand new mill here shortly." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jul 8 09:35:04 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 09:35:04 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee Editorial 7 8 2010 Message-ID: <008301cb1ebb$86082730$92187590$@net> sacbee.com Editorial: Pricey water bond deserves a revamp PUBLISHED THURSDAY, JUL. 08, 2010 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a savvy enough political player to see a punch coming before it lands. That's why he called on lawmakers last week to delay a November ballot vote on a proposed $11.1 billion water bond. That was a wise move by the governor, but not wise enough. Instead of hoping for more support in 2012, he and state lawmakers should repeal the water bond legislation and come back with a smaller, equitable and less pork-filled package that could be more easily sold to voters. Much has been written about how lawmakers cobbled together this $11.1 billion Christmas tree in the wee hours of Nov. 4. As lawmakers held out for more and more projects for the price of their vote, the tree became festooned with all kinds of ornaments. The cost of the bond package grew by nearly $2 billion. The final package, approved as part of a sweeping set of reforms aimed at restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and improving water reliability, includes a little something for everyone. There is $20 million to help Siskiyou County with economic development; $100 million for watershed restoration in Lake Tahoe; $100 million for the San Vicente Reservoir in San Diego and more than $1 billion for unspecified projects - in other words, handshake deals. Given the national backlash against self-serving "earmarks," it is stunning that lawmakers and the governor thought they could get away with this. Yet the proverbial pork barrel is not the only reason this law should be repealed and revamped. Another fatal flaw? Its reliance on general obligation bonds to build water projects that, in part, should be financed by beneficiaries. It's a watershed issue. Everyone in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed is a stakeholder in the Delta and its tributaries. Water districts that export water from the Delta have an even bigger stake. These are the entities that should be paying for fixes in the Delta and new water storage - not taxpayers on the North Coast or other regions that will gain nothing from such investments. For months, Schwarzenegger and his water advisers have defended the use of general obligation bonds, noting that voters approved such bonds in 1960 to build the State Water Project. While that claim is true, it is only half the story. As Norris Hundley Jr. notes in his history of California water, "The Great Thirst," the State Water Project was in trouble in the weeks before the bond vote. Four days before the election, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California agreed to support the state plan and sign a contract obligating it to pay for its share of the project. Voters then approved the State Water Project by a narrow margin - 174,000 votes out of 5.8 million cast. With the current bond proposal, potential beneficiaries have signed no contracts. Although supporters say the bond plan includes language that would require such parties to later pony up money, the lack of contracts potentially leaves taxpayers on the hook to pay for projects such as Temperance Flat reservoir (sought largely by San Joaquin Valley farmers), Sites reservoir (sought largely by Northern California growers) and groundwater cleanup projects that would mainly benefit Southern California. California needs to invest in its water future, but it must make smart investments - and equitable ones. Before voters are asked to authorize more general fund debt on top of existing debt, the beneficiaries of water projects need to be identified and obligated to pay for their fair share. One way to do this is with a water fee. This won't be easy. The state's water buffalos are notoriously uneager to put their money where their mouths are. Yet if state leaders could forge a fair-share agreement with a fee, they could then go to voters with an $11 billion package that would only rely on borrowing for - say - half that amount. Voters would be more likely to endorse this balanced approach. As is, this $11.1 billion bond is doomed to die of its own weight. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8578 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ahostler at hoopa-nsn.gov Wed Jul 7 08:06:33 2010 From: ahostler at hoopa-nsn.gov (Allie Hostler) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 07:06:33 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Cleanup Message-ID: <1278511763_990017@gwa8> For Immediate Release Date: 7 July 2010 Contact: Hoopa Tribal Fisheries, Lesley Hunt @ 625-4267, x10 TRINITY RIVER CLEANUP SLATED FOR JULY 24TH The River Clean Up idea was conceived by America Outdoors, a national association for river outfitters and guides in 1991, and since has been embraced by many public and private agencies, as well as community volunteers. The Hoopa Trial Fisheries Department is acting as a coordinating agency for clean up for the lower portion of the Trinity River. This will be the Tribes 12th year of coordination. National River Cleanup Week traditionally occurs during early May of each year, but due to the high flow conditions of our rivers, the event is held locally in July or August. More than 75 miles of the Trinity, Klamath and Salmon Rivers are targeted for clean up. Starting in July a multitude of agencies and volunteers groups will clean various sites on the Klamath and Trinity rivers. On Saturday the July 24, cleanup crews will be delegated starting from Tish Tang to Red Rock, along the Trinity River on the Hoopa Reservation. In addition to debris in the rivers, clean up crews will also focus attention on their tributaries and numerous access trails and roadways. Emphasis on the land surrounding the waterways is more than just aesthetics, but goes to the root of water safety. Improperly discarded waste contaminates drinking water and affects all manner of wildlife. Entire ecosystems can be affected by illegal dumping. Additionally, debris can poise hazards when navigating on the waterways. The Hoopa Valley Tribe has always maintained a large commitment to the environment. The Hoopa Valley Tribe encourages any one interested in participating to join us this year in this cooperative effort. For more information or to get involved call Hoopa Tribal Fisheries and contact either Lesley Hunt 625-4267 ext. 10 or Clyde Matilton ext. 17. We will be at the Tribal Fisheries Department parking lot starting at 9:00 am, Saturday 24 July, for breakfast and designation zones. Free lunch will be provided at noon. Please join us! Hats and gloves are recommended. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Aaron_D_Johnson at fws.gov Fri Jul 9 16:49:47 2010 From: Aaron_D_Johnson at fws.gov (Aaron_D_Johnson at fws.gov) Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 17:49:47 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] In Season Trapping Update, Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring on the Trinity River at Willow Creek In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: WCT_Catch_Summary_07_08_10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 29973 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jul 12 10:55:36 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:55:36 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Stockton Record 7 12 2010 Message-ID: <006301cb21eb$704c2260$50e46720$@net> o o Drills to test idea of Delta tunnel Text Size: A | A | A Photo 1 of 1 | Zoom Photo + Top Photo Alex Breitler By Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer July 12, 2010 12:00 AM The Delta will be poked and prodded again starting next month, as the state drills hundreds of holes into river bottoms, banks and islands. The goal: to learn more about building a 43-mile tunnel to take much of California's water supply from the estuary. Meanwhile, 160 new letters were sent Thursday to Delta property owners, seeking permission to access their lands for drilling and other survey work. Many similar requests already have been denied, spurring an ongoing legal fight. To comment Read the drilling plan at http://tinyurl.com/29jskrb. To comment by July 31, e-mail Michelle Beachley at mbeachle at water.ca.gov, or write to Beachley at the Department of Water Resources, Division of Environmental Services, PO Box 942836, Sacramento, CA 94236-0001. The drilling is part of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, an effort to secure the state's water while also restoring tens of thousands of acres of wetland habitat in the Delta. That plan is zeroing in on some kind of peripheral canal or tunnel to divert fresh water from the Sacramento River past the Delta to giant export pumps near Tracy. Some drilling already has occurred. But more is needed now that a tunnel is seriously considered as an alternative to the long-studied canal, officials say. A map of the drilling sites reveals the apparent route of the tunnel, slicing north to south through the heart of the Delta. Here's what the state plans to do: > River drilling. About 80 holes less than a half-foot in diameter will be drilled into river bottoms from boats or barges anchored in more than a dozen waterways, from the Sacramento River in the north to Old River in the south. Any tunnel would have to pass beneath these streams. Officials say the work will not affect public access to the waterways. > Land drilling. Holes also will be drilled in 220 to 240 land locations, with the holes varying in depth from 5 feet to 500 feet. > Canal or tunnel intakes. Many of the drilling sites are clustered on the Sacramento River near Hood, where the diversion would begin. Depending on the size of the canal or tunnel - and that is a subject of much debate - water would be diverted from up to five intakes, and pushed into the canal or tunnel by powerful pumps capable of moving anywhere from 3,000 to 15,000 cubic feet of water per second. The tunnel option would actually include two twin tubes, which could range from 18 feet to 33 feet in diameter. Cost estimates also vary based on size, from $7.3 billion to $12.3 billion. But landowners are resisting even before a final decision is made. Some of the latest drilling is proposed on properties whose owners refuse to allow the state access. The state has since sued; more than 150 cases have been clustered together and are pending in a San Joaquin County courtroom. "We'll do (those properties) when we get access," said Matt Notley, a spokesman for the state Department of Water Resources. Another batch of land-entry requests went out Thursday, he said. Of those 160 requests, 39 will go to landowners in San Joaquin County. Not all landowners have been uncooperative. "Generally speaking, on the ground the experience of folks that have been out there doing the work has been pretty constructive," said Karla Nemeth, a spokeswoman for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Farmers fear that the Delta as we know it will die with its fresh water diverted. And a tunnel hasn't eased their concerns, even though it would have a smaller footprint than a surface canal, said Bruce Blodgett, head of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation. "It's still water that's going to be taken out of the system," Blodgett said. Not all of the drilling to begin next month is directly related to a tunnel. Work is also planned to investigate areas that might be converted to wetland habitat, another key component of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The drilling could continue through 2012. River drilling, however, will occur only in the months of August, September and October. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 8065 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jul 12 10:58:41 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:58:41 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 8 12 2010 Message-ID: <006901cb21eb$ddd9c9e0$998d5da0$@net> Suit to get Kern Water Bank returned to state S.F. Chronicle-7/12/10 By Kelly Zito Control of California's largest underground water bank was illegally bestowed on a handful of private, wealthy agriculture and real estate companies in the 1990s, according to a group of environmentalists, sport fishermen and delta farmers. Now, as the Golden State grapples with an aging water network, declining fish species and climate change, a lawsuit argues that the Kern Water Bank should be returned to the state agency that bankrolled it. "In times of drought, (the water bank) is a dry-day fund that means we don't have to shut people's taps off during drought," said Adam Keats, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of five groups that filed the lawsuit July 2 in state superior court in Kern County. "But rather than protect key populations, it's increasing the profit potential for a small group of water barons in Kern County." The Kern Water Bank, a vast system of wells, pipelines and underground cisterns spread over 20,000 acres in the southern San Joaquin Valley, was developed as a key surplus reservoir by California in the late 1980s. After sinking about $75 million into the bank, however, the state handed it over to the Kern County Water Agency in 1995 in exchange for water rights to 45,000 acre-feet of water, or enough to supply 90,000 households for a year. That same year, a public-private partnership called the Kern Bank Water Authority was formed among four water districts and one private company, Westside Mutual Water Company. Today, the lawsuit argues, about 84 percent of the water bank is effectively in the grip of two mammoth businesses: Paramount Farms, an agricultural holding company that owns Westside and is controlled by Los Angeles billionaire Stewart Resnick; and Tejon Ranch Company, a real estate firm proposing a resort, 3,500-home development and shopping center in the Tehachapi Mountains. While the Tejon Ranch proposal marches forward and Paramount Farms - the largest grower of almonds and pistachios in the world - grows apace, dry spells brought on by climate change and environmental restrictions on water pumping are likely to mean water shortages for most other cities and farmers in the state, the plaintiffs contend. At the same time, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and many large water agencies have voiced support for new dams and reservoirs. Officials with Kern Water Bank Authority, Paramount Farms and Westside Mutual Water Company did not return calls seeking comment. Attorneys with the state Department of Water Resources are reviewing the lawsuit. Officials with Tejon Ranch referred comment about the content of the lawsuit to the Kern Water Bank Authority. But Tejon Ranch spokesman Barry Zoeller indicated the legal action came as no surprise given the Center for Biological Diversity's long-held opposition to the development. The group maintains that building on the site will destroy critical California condor habitat. "The center... has been at this for a long time," Zoeller said. "I expect them to continue." This month's lawsuit was the second filed by the coalition this year over the so-called "Monterey Plus Amendments," measures enacted in 1995 that changed some aspects of how the state manages the water network supplying about 25 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jul 12 11:02:34 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:02:34 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Santa Rosa Press Democrat 7-10-2010 Message-ID: <006e01cb21ec$688e8440$39ab8cc0$@net> Salmon's sad state: Short season highlights fishery's woes Santa Rosa Press Democrat-7/10/10 By Jeremy Hay Commercial fishermen plying North Coast waters for salmon this weekend are, with the rare exception, hauling in nothing but disappointment. Setting out from Bodega Bay and other ports into an ocean expanse stretching from Santa Barbara to Crescent City, they packed hopes that their first fishing season in two years might herald a change in fortunes that have dwindled over a decade. But waters once teeming with salmon are yielding little but pessimism about the health of the once-abundant fishery. "It's the slowest I think anybody's ever seen - it's the slowest I've ever seen," said Charlie Beck, a Bodega Bay fisherman for 32 years. Beck said he caught four salmon Thursday, the opening of the second four-day fishing period allowed this month by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which regulates the fishing seasons. The fishery council decided in April to allow a short commercial season - after banning it for the previous two years. But many questioned the decision, saying the health of the fishery was uncertain. "The fishery was controversial to begin with this year. The fishermen were perplexed by the decision, the people that know the science were perplexed," said Bill Sydeman, executive director of the Petaluma-based Farralon Institute for Advanced Ecosystem Research. "I think that even the management council was hoping for something they were uncertain of, because the population is so dramatically reduced," Sydeman said. Explanations for the decline focus on the health of an ecosystem ranging from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Pacific Ocean. And concerns over the fishery have prompted a prominent seafood consumer guide to advise against buying wild salmon from off the California and Oregon coasts. Both commercial and recreational salmon fishing had been banned since 2008 because of dramatic declines in the number of chinook salmon making their way upstream to spawn. The figures are striking. In 2002, 800,000 natural and hatchery-raised chinook made their way back up the Sacramento River. Last year, about 40,000 returned, a third of the number state biologists predicted, Sydeman said. But this year, the fishery council lifted the ban after federal biologists predicted a larger salmon run of about 245,000, 65,000 above the threshold at which they allow a fishing season. While the recreational season was allowed to open in April and extends through Sept. 5, commercial fishermen were granted only the much briefer season. The limited opening angered some fishermen, leading them to stay home. "They only give you eight days, it's a slap in the face," said Steve Carpenter of Bodega Bay, whose family has fished the North Coast seas for four generations. "Most of my family didn't bother rigging up." "It wouldn't pay," Carpenter said, citing the costs of rigging a boat with fuel and supplies. The season, "at best, is a token fishery," said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations. "That's why so many fisherman questioned it, why open up? And what we've seen so far is pretty dismal," he said. Another Bodega Bay fisherman, Al Vail, skipper of the Argo, went out Thursday but decided to return by Friday. "I never caught a fish," he said. "I've never seen a year like this, and I've been fishing for 45 years." Vail said that since May he's fished seven days as part of a federal program to take DNA samples of fish, and that in total he caught perhaps 18 salmon. "It's sad, you know," he said. While the season opened July 1, stiff winds forced many boats to stay in port. Of perhaps a half-dozen boats that went out July 4, one caught four fish and the others caught none at all, said Chuck Wise, another veteran Bodega Bay fisherman. "It's pretty much that way up and down the coast," he said. "It's worse than bad. In July we should have an abundance of fish off Bodega Bay. Boats going out should get 60, 80, 100 fish." For some, though, the season, short as it is, has so far proved worthwhile. "Things could be worse," Dave Bitts, a Eureka fisherman, said Friday. "It's a beautiful ocean, it's not totally devoid of fish. What few fish there are really nice, fat, well-fed creatures." Bitts, who was fishing off Shelter Cove with about 20 other boats, wouldn't divulge his catch but said, "If I can average what I did yesterday, it'll be worth it. As long as I can have a reasonable chance of doing double digits." And some sportfishing captains - who, with shorter lines and fewer hooks, can fish shallower waters - also report good catches. "We've had some decent days off and on," said Rick Powers, captain of the New Sea Angler out of Bodega Bay. On Thursday, he said, "The recreational guys, the sport fleet, caught the heck out of them." And Grader, of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Associations, said returns are better in north Oregon, where king salmon are running well up the Columbia River. That has drawn some local fisherman north. "I'm fishing up in Oregon right now," said Chris Lawson, president of the Fishermen's Marketing Association in Bodega Bay. The boats in Bodega Bay "have hardly moved," he said. "You had four days of lousy weather, 15- to 25-knot winds, it has been blowing all spring, and there are no fish to begin with." A longer season, but one with a quota of 9,375 salmon, was also allowed north of Point Arena, set to start Thursday. And Chuck Tracy, salmon staff officer for the Portland, Ore.-based fishery council, said it's premature to declare the season a mistake or a wash. "It's pretty early to speculate, we'll just have to wait and see," he said. The chinook already is on the federal endangered list, and the reasons for the limited fishery are varied and debated. Many fishermen argue that the diversion of freshwater in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, largely for agricultural purposes, is to blame, causing fish to lose their way and get sucked into pumps. "The fact is that about 90 percent of our production comes out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin and down into San Francisco Bay and when that (diversion) happens the fish go down," Grader said. Sydeman said other factors also are at play. "The health of the rivers, including water quality and just the amount of water, that certainly plays a role," he said. "But the ocean has played a huge role in the past five years." He said oceanic conditions including warming that is "likely related to some extent to climate change," are one factor, while the most discernible cause is reduced availability of food. "There's not a single factor and this is why it's really very difficult to put your finger on all this," he said. At the same time, the influential Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, which recommends what fish consumers should and should not buy, cited the poor fishery in advising people to avoid "wild caught" salmon. "It's unfortunate because the fishermen didn't create this problem - it's a very responsible fleet - but they are probably the biggest victims of there not being enough fish in the sea," said Ken Peterson, the aquarium's spokesman. ""We're pretty miffed about that," said Bitts, speaking from his boat, the Elmarue, and referring to the Seafood Watch recommendation. Bitts, who advises the fishery council, said the Seafood Watch "is basically a good thing," but added the group didn't participate in the discussions on opening the season. "What is going to be the effect" of a salmon boycott, he asked. "Is this going to have any effect at all on the San Joaquin Valley water barons who we believe are the root cause of this?" he said. "The main victims of this are likely to be the fisherman." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Tue Jul 13 10:19:07 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:19:07 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno water use finally getting metered Message-ID: <4C3CA00B.50104@tcrcd.net> *(I daresay there are some who are probably calling this a "new tax.") * * It has long been time for Fresno water meters* *Fresno Bee-7/13/10* *Editorial* * * It hasn't been easy, but Fresno is on the verge of charging residents for the water they actually use each month. Workers begin installing the first of more than 100,000 residential water meters in the city on Monday, although metered water bills won't begin arriving at homes for several months. At a time when this region doesn't have enough water to meet all its needs, it's just plain silly to have city residents being able to use all the water they want and only pay a flat rate for the privilege. But good sense on water usage has been hard to come by in Fresno. We have supported water meters because they will help the city conserve water and residents will only pay for the water they use. The current system rewards water wasters and penalizes those who only use the water they need. Fresno has found many reasons to avoid water meters, but finally there's leadership in place pushing meters. If it had been left to residents, water meters wouldn't have a chance. Fresno voters had even blocked meters through a City Charter amendment. But state and federal laws finally pushed the city toward meters. If there are no other roadblocks, single-family residences in Fresno will have operating water meters within 30 months. Many will be paying for metered water before then. Residential customers receive a utility bill every two months, which includes the flat-rate charge for water based on lot size. The city will be going to a monthly billing system, although that's causing some bureaucratic headaches in the billing division. The new bills will continue to include sewer and garbage fees. There will be a transition period once you get on water meters. For two months, residential customers will get a flat-rate charge, which they must pay, and a metered bill showing what they would have been charged for their actual usage. It's been a slow march toward water meters in Fresno, and that's been disappointing. But with the state facing a long-term water crisis, Fresno couldn't continue to justify a flat-rate water system.# http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/07/12/2004082/editorial-it-has-long-been-time.html#storylink=misearch From BGutermuth at usbr.gov Tue Jul 13 16:15:25 2010 From: BGutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, F. Brandt) Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:15:25 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] Lowden Ranch-Trinity House Gulch and Reading Creek Projects starting up Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703F3583BD1@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Trinity River Enthusiasts - This year's Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) mechanical channel rehabilitation projects are just starting at Lowden Ranch-Trinity House Gulch (downstream of Browns Mt Rd) and at Reading Creek (BLM's Douglas City campground). Initial work will primarily be at Lowden Ranch where floodplain material and old tailings will be processed/cleaned for addition to the river in late July early August. We will only work in the river during the July 15-Sept 15 in-river work period. Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, both the Lowden Ranch-Trinity House Gulch and Reading Creek sites (Douglas City campground) will be closed to the public during construction. While in-river construction will be completed by Sept 15, floodplain and upslope work will continue until completion in approximately December 2010. Until that time, the project sites will be closed to public access. I attach a copy of an ad that will be placed in tomorrow's Trinity Journal. Best Regards- Brandt Brandt Gutermuth Environmental Specialist Trinity River Restoration Program PO Box 1300, 1313 S Main St Weaverville, CA 96093 530.623.1806 (voice) 530.623.5944 (fax) www.trrp.net TRINITY JOURNAL AD w/out graphics Lowden Ranch and Reading Creek Channel Rehabilitation Projects to Begin Lowden Ranch Area, Hamilton Ponds, and BLM Douglas City Campground Closed The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wish to advise all locals and visitors that the Lowden Ranch area, Hamilton Ponds, and BLM Douglas City campground, on Steiner Flat Rd, are closed to the public for the rest of the year as a safety precaution, due to the construction of rehabilitation projects at Lowden Ranch and Reading Creek. There will be no pedestrian, vehicle or river access allowed at these sites during construction. Work is slated to begin this week (July 12) at both rehabilitation project sites. Boaters are cautioned to be aware of construction equipment that may be working in the river or crossing between July 15 and September 15, 2010. We also advise the public to be careful of heavy equipment along local roads in these areas (Lewiston Rd, Browns Mt. Rd, and Steiner Flat Rd). We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your cooperation. These projects were funded by the American Restoration and Recovery Act (ARRA) to speed recovery of Trinity River salmon and steelhead populations. The projects are built to increase shallow low-velocity areas for salmonid fry rearing and to increase fish habitat complexity in the Trinity River. In-river work will be completed by September 15, 2010 while floodplain construction activities will continue through the fall. These projects are being implemented under direction of the TRRP in cooperation with the BLM, California Department of Water Resources, and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. If you have any questions regarding alternative camping locations or facilities please contact the BLM Redding Field Office at (530) 224-2100. All other questions should be directed to the TRRP at (530) 623-1800 or visit the TRRP office next to the Tops Grocery in Weaverville. To learn more about the TRRP rehabilitation projects, please visit www.trrp.net. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: LowdenReadingCkDisplayAd.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 49752 bytes Desc: LowdenReadingCkDisplayAd.pdf URL: From caltrout at sbcglobal.net Thu Jul 15 13:59:09 2010 From: caltrout at sbcglobal.net (Thomas Weseloh) Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:59:09 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] A new book devoted to California Tribal Water Stories In-Reply-To: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703F3583BD1@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> References: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF703F3583BD1@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Message-ID: <003301cb2460$920da820$b628f860$@net> HI Folks: FYI - interesting info with a few Trinity specific pieces. Tom Weseloh ------------------------------------ A new book devoted to California Tribal Water Stories (30 mb; 102 pages) is now available for downloading. The book is aimed at telling Californians about the connections between California Native American Tribes and water. It was created by members of the Update 2009 Tribal Communication Committee and Tribal Water Summit Planning Team. http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/tws/TribalWaterStories_FullBooklet_07 -13-10.pdf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Tue Jul 20 09:51:56 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:51:56 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] UC Water Archive to be split, moved Message-ID: <4C45D42C.4010001@tcrcd.net> *UC water archive to leave Berkeley campus, go to two campuses in south state* *Contra Costa Times-7/19/10* *By Mike Taugher * The West's premier archive of historical materials about water development is being moved from UC Berkeley to two universities in Southern California. The Water Resources Center Archives, a unique collection of technical reports, speeches, photographs and other historical materials, has been housed at the Berkeley campus for more than a half-century. However, budget worries and concerns that the Agriculture and Natural Resources Division of the UC president's office lacked the expertise to maintain the archive led university officials to seek proposals from other schools interested in housing the collection. Late last week, UC Senior Vice President Dan Dooley announced that the archive would be moved to libraries at UC Riverside and Cal State San Bernardino. In making the announcement, UC officials said that UC Riverside has a record of expanding digital access to materials about agriculture and the environment. The materials, including 200,000 technical reports and thousands of photographs, maps, newsletters speeches and other documents, are scheduled to be moved beginning this fall. "We have a strong interest in preserving and digitizing the collection for the future "... to ensure the widest research access to all of the archive's contents," UC Riverside librarian Ruth Jackson said. The school plans to charge for Internet access to the materials, which now are available for free. "I think it's sad that we're going to be leaving Berkeley after 51 years, but I look forward to the water archive continuing to serve UC and the California water community from the Riverside campus," said Linda Vida, librarian and archive director for more than 17 years. She is one of four employees at the archive. The collection is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Vida said it was unknown whether it would remain open on the Berkeley campus after July.# http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_15552778?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com From tstokely at att.net Wed Jul 21 14:19:25 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:19:25 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] CSPA Press Release: State Board Delta Flow Recommendations Message-ID: <6BFA23DB72C74678992AC8314570078B@homeuserPC> ----- Original Message ----- From: DeltaKeep at aol.com To: Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 12:35 PM Subject: CSPA Press Release: State Board Delta Flow Recommendations Hi all: Below is a press release from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance regarding the State Water Board report released today regarding Delta flow needs. It's an important report that for the first time answers the question, "what do fish need in the Delta." Cheers! PRESS RELEASE California Sportfishing Protection Alliance 3536 Rainier Avenue, Stockton, CA 95204 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Information Bill Jennings, CSPA Executive Director: 209-464-5067, Cell 209-938-9053, deltakeep at aol.com Mike Jackson, CSPA Attorney: 530-283-0712, mjatty at sbcglobal.net State Board Identifies Delta Flow Needs CSPA applauds State Water Board staff for identifying flows necessary to Protect Delta Stockton, CA - Thursday, July 21, 2010. The California Water Resources Control Board has released a draft report identifying increased water flows needed to protect fisheries and water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. The report was mandated by the California legislature as part of the comprehensive water bill, enacted on 12 November 2001, which directed the water board to ?develop new flow criteria for the Delta ecosystem necessary to protect public trust resources? within nine months of enactment. Extensive hearings were conducted during March 2010 and the report will be finalized at the Board's August meeting. ?For the first time, the Board has come forth with explicit estimates on flows needed to protect the estuary and the results are not surprising,? said Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), ?The increased flow recommendations are consistent with the vast majority of testimony by scientists, biologists and hydrologists during the recent hearing and with the recommendations of resource agencies and scientists during previous evidentiary hearings over the last 30 years.? ?Indeed, they comport with scientific evidence regarding flow needs of the 113 estuaries in the world,? he said. The 180 -page draft report recommends significantly higher flows for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and Delta outflow. For example, the report calls for net Delta outflow between January and June of 75% of 14-day average unimpaired inflow (i.e., without dams or upstream diversions). This compares to the present 30% in drier years). For the Sacramento River, the recommendations are 75% of the 14-day unimpaired flow from November through June (compared to the present 50% average). For the San Joaquin River the recommendations are 60% of the 14-day unimpaired flow from February through June (compared to the present 20% in drier years to almost 50% in wetter years). The recommendations also include fall pulse flows for migrating fish and increased fall outflow in above normal years. The report emphasizes that the flow recommendations are based on the ?best scientific information,? that ecosystem variability in the Delta is crucial and ?fundamentally inconsistent with continuing to move large volumes of water through the Delta for export? and that the recommendations are designed to restore estuarine populations as required by law and not simply, as in the biological opinions, to prevent extinction of listed species. The dramatic increase in water diversions from the estuary in recent decades have sent fisheries and water quality into a downward spiral. Populations of salmon, steelhead, young striped bass, Delta and longfin smelt, splittail, threadfin and American shad and sturgeon, as well as native zooplankton and phytoplankton that comprise the food web, have collapsed. ?Everyone gives lip service to protecting the Delta,? said CSPA attorney Mike Jackson, ?These numbers make it clear -as we have always believed - that the Delta needs substantially more water than it has been receiving over the last 30 years if its going to survive.? The Delta flow recommendations will inform both the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) process underway and proceedings of the recently established Delta Stewardship Council. The culmination of those efforts will result in a comprehensive ?Delta Plan? that will be forwarded to the State Water Board for subsequent evidentiary hearings that will balance competing water needs, approve potential structural modifications of delivery systems and revise water rights to implement the plan. CSPA participated fully in the March hearing submitting testimony and recommendations prepared by it's expert witnesses who had considerable expertise and experience in Delta issues: Dr. Carl Mesick, Dr. G. Fred Lee and three retired Fish and Game biologists; Don Stevens, Dave Kohlhorst and Lee Miller. Over the years, the State Water Board has conducted a number of hearings on measures necessary to protect the estuary. For example, following a long evidentiary hearing in 1988, the State Board issued a draft water quality control plan that call for substantial reductions in Delta exports. However, then Governor George Deukmejian, at the behest of state and federal water project operators, directed the State Board to withdraw the draft order. Again, in 1992 the State Water Board conducted an extensive evidentiary proceeding and issued a draft water rights order that required increases in flow to protect the estuary (D-1630). And again, the Governor, this time Pete Wilson, directed the Board to withdraw the draft order. Today, pursuant to explicit direction by the state legislature, the State Board has released a draft report on what ?what fish need? and measures necessary for Delta protection. _________________________________________________________ CSPA is a public benefit conservation and research organization established in 1983 for the purpose of conserving, restoring, and enhancing the state's water quality and fishery resources and their aquatic ecosystems and associated riparian habitats. CSPA's website is www.calsport.org. Bill Jennings, Chairman Executive Director California Sportfishing Protection Alliance 3536 Rainier Avenue Stockton, CA 95204 p: 209-464-5067 c: 209-938-9053 f: 209-464-1028 e: deltakeep at aol.com www.calsport.org PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law as confidential communications. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication or other use of a transmission received in error is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, immediately notify us at 209-464-5067. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jul 21 17:07:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:07:09 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal July 21 2010 Message-ID: <01bd01cb2931$d5117ae0$7f3470a0$@net> Water boost Bureau of Reclamation says it will pull less water from Trinity Lake this year BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL Trinity Lake will be able to retain more snowmelt this summer due to lower diversions. PHIL NELSON | THE TRINITY JOURNAL FILE Trinity Lake will be able to retain more snowmelt this summer due to lower diversions. PHIL NELSON | THE TRINITY JOURNAL FILE Trinity Lake will keep more water than usual this year thanks to the bountiful inflow to Shasta Lake and repairs needed at two power plants, an operations supervisor with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said. Approximately 300,000 acre-feet of water from Trinity Lake will be sent via underground tunnel to Whiskeytown Lake and into the Sacramento River for Central Valley Project use, said Larry Ball, operations supervisor for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in the North State. With 647,000 acre-feet being released to the Trinity River this year, close to the same amount would normally be sent through the tunnel, Ball said, but conditions at the faster-filling Shasta Lake make the lower amount possible. "It allows us to reduce some of the diversions from Trinity," Ball said, adding that Trinity Lake will have a higher carryover storage than it would otherwise. Trinity Lake has had fairly good inflow as well, but started the season down considerably after several dry years. In addition to ample water at Shasta Lake to take up the slack, Ball said the Judge Francis Carr and Spring Creek power plants that the Trinity water flows through after it is diverted are at half capacity due to maintenance on one generator and the need to replace another. In addition to the 300,000 acre- feet to be diverted and sent south, water is also released to the Trinity River. In April, this was forecast to be a normal water year for the Trinity River Basin which means that 647,000 acre-feet must be released to the river under the Trinity River Record of Decision. Total inflow to the lake since the beginning of the water year, Oct. 1, is now almost 1.5 million acre feet, with 200,000 to 300,000 acre feet more expected by the end of September. The inflow is higher than had been forecast. The amount sent south is treated with more flexibility by Reclamation. The split between what is released to the river and the amount sent south for CVP has averaged out to about 50/50 over the years as the Record of Decision called for, Ball said, although the diversion may be higher or lower than the river release in a given year. The improved carryover does not mean a full Trinity Lake. This week the lake level began to slowly drop, although it will still be well above last year's levels. This is the time of year when the high spring release to the Trinity River is being ramped down and the diversion for CVP use is increasing. As of Monday, inflow to Trinity Lake was 1,514 cubic feet per second (cfs), release to the Trinity River was 757 cfs, and release to the Clear Creek Tunnel for diversion was 1,166 cfs. Last year at this time more than 1,500 cfs was being sent south. Ball said by the end of the season in late September it's looking like Trinity Lake might be 65 to 70 feet from the crest, whereas it was 100 feet down at that time last year. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 10577 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jul 22 16:04:00 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:04:00 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Chico News & Review Editorial Message-ID: <000301cb29f2$2d498b10$87dca130$@net> Drought's real victims: It was fishermen, not farmers, who suffered most Chico News & Review-7/22/10 Editorial Think back a year or so, to last summer, when San Joaquin Valley farmers were predicting economic disaster because of reduced water allotments. That's when Fox News blowhard Sean Hannity descended on Fresno County's west side to accuse federal officials and environmentalists of turning the region into a modern dust bowl to protect "a two-inch fish," the Delta smelt. In his zeal to condemn environmentalists and federal officials and make wealthy westside corporate agribusinesses happy, Hannity conveniently ignored the impact Delta pumping schedules had on the recreational and commercial fishing industries in Northern California. So much water had been pulled from the Delta to send southward that the salmon fishery collapsed, and the salmon harvest was essentially wiped out, putting thousands of fishermen out of business. Yes, the drought hurt the valley. Westside towns like Mendota and Huron that are populated mostly by farm workers were hit especially hard. And Fresno County farm revenues were indeed down last year but by only 4.5 percent, according to the county's annual crop report, issued in mid-June. The county produced $5.4 billion in receipts, exceeding $5 billion for the third year in a row. This year there's been more water, and life has gotten better in the San Joaquin Valley. The real problem in 2009 was the drought, not environmentalists or federal officials, as Hannity so grandiosely charged. And the real long-term victims were not the westside growers, or even their employees, who today are back at work, but rather the fishermen along the coast, who must contend with depleted fisheries for years to come because of the ability of the powerful ag industry to divert water southward.# http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=1458596 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Jul 23 10:39:11 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:39:11 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF chronicle Editorial 7 23 2010 Message-ID: <024801cb2a8d$f733e600$e59bb200$@net> California's ailing water supply needs help Friday, July 23, 2010 California's main water source - the delta junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers - is not a bottomless well. It needs conserving, less diversion and the political will to see the job through. These points are all at issue in a report from the State Water Resources Control Board, which reiterated in newer, fresher terms that delta siphoning must be curbed in the name of fish, wildlife and the overall health of the region's winding waterways, which it termed "public trust resources." The document, advisory for now, is a bell-ringing reminder of the obvious. California can't keep tapping the delta at the present rate without harming it. The water board had piled up a shelf-bending supply of previous studies saying much the same thing before being asked for its latest views as part of a major legislative package approved last year to nurse the sickly delta back to health. The chief friction point, now as before, is cutting the flow of southbound water for Central Valley farming and Southern California drinking supplies. The report suggested cuts of 30 percent or more in these categories. It won't be an easy sell. Farms recently won new water releases after court-ordered curbs related to wildlife preservation. Agriculture and municipal water agencies in Central and Southern California have accumulated water rights and ample political power to blunt efforts to replumb the delta. But as the water board document shows, the danger of overuse can't be explained away. The outcome doesn't need to be a harsh cutoff but a gradual and determined shift in water use through conservation, technology and better planning. Political gridlock on a hard issue is one option. Continued court fights over water flow is another. Both are fruitless, divisive and depressingly familiar. The California Legislature, which sought the report, should take the warnings and tough recommendations embodied in the study to heart. This state must come up with a better way to use and share its vital water supply. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Jul 26 11:54:40 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:54:40 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] San Jose Mercury News Editorial 7 26 10 Message-ID: <003f01cb2cf4$01c32640$054972c0$@net> California must preserve Delta's health San Jose Mercury News-7/26/10 Editorial The first, second and third priority for the future of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast, is preserving its health. Everything else, including the needs of the powerful agriculture industry and municipal water agencies, should move further back in line. The massive water deal passed by the Legislature in 2009 called on the state to conduct an independent, comprehensive study to determine how to achieve a sustainable, healthy delta. A draft released last week stated uncategorically that water users are taking twice as much water as they should. That must stop, the report said, or the sickly delta will eventually become unable to provide safe, clean water for fish, farmers and city dwellers. The conclusion does not surprise objective students of water policy. There have to be unhealthy consequences of diverting more than 50 percent of the water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers before it circulates through the delta. But thirsty Central Valley ag interests are howling. Fresno Democratic Rep. Jim Costa told reporters last week that -... this kind of misinformation serves as fodder for extreme environmentalists and critics of our Valley who aim to cut off our water. "... We are winning this fight, and I will not let this one-sided document limit our progress." There's a reason Costa and farmers want to preserve the status quo: They stand to make out like bandits under the current terms of the water deal. The agreement demands that urban water users reduce their consumption by 20 percent. How much does it ask of the agriculture industry, which grabs 80 percent of the water used by California? Zero. The state wouldn't need any additional storage, period, if farmers conserved just 10 percent of the water they now use. But they continue to spray untold gallons through wasteful irrigation sprinklers on sizzling summer days rather than invest in more efficient drip systems. The water deal calls on all California taxpayers to pay for building more reservoirs and the like through a bond measure. Instead, the users of the additional storage facilities, primarily agriculture, should pay more of the cost to build them, even if it means passing the cost on to customers. We should understand the real cost of our food. But higher costs for water will also make conservation more attractive. There's room for compromise here. All Californians share a common interest in a healthy ag industry, a huge part of our economy, as well as a healthy delta. The state should be offering incentives for growers to conserve water, which has to be the long-range goal. California has an obligation to future generations to preserve a healthy water supply. That can't happen if the state continues to overpromise what the delta can deliver and remain healthy. The delta provides more than half of Silicon Valley's drinking water. It's crucial to the region's economic health. The state has to find a way to keep the estuary healthy, or it will ultimately fail to meet our water needs. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jul 28 10:16:17 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:16:17 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 7 27 10 Message-ID: <00f201cb2e78$98617c70$c9247550$@net> State report's recipe for a restored delta: More water S.F. Chronicle-7/27/10 By Zeke Grader Opinion Zeke Grader is Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations Experience has taught me to live by the old Russian proverb, "Hope for the best but expect the worst." This is a particularly sound strategy for politics, where ideal outcomes are seldom realized. Sometimes, though, I'm pleasantly surprised -- something good emerges from unexpected quarters. That's the case with a recent science-based report from the staff of the State Water Board that identifies the real culprit in the collapse of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta: excessive exports of fresh water. For decades, California's water barons - mainly corporate agriculture operators in the western San Joaquin Valley - have called the shots in the state capitol, and the water has flowed to them in lavish amounts. Farmers from other regions, urban residents, California salmon and the people who depend on salmon for their livelihoods have all suffered from this grossly inequitable distribution. Most pointedly, the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta - in conjunction with San Francisco Bay, the biggest and richest estuary on the west coast of the Americas - is teetering on collapse because of fresh water diversions to "Westside" agribusiness bigwigs. So the Water Board's report was deeply appreciated (indeed it was somewhat unexpected given two earlier flow recommendations made by the board during the past two decades were suppressed at the behest of Westside growers). It provides some hope for our devastated Bay-Delta estuary, struggling Delta farmers, our beleaguered salmon and the impoverished fishing communities along the North Coast. For years, Big Ag has tried to obfuscate the issue with pie charts and graphs that "show" the Delta's collapse is pegged to invasive species, urban run-off, leaky sewage pipes - everything except water exports. The State Water Board's report rebuts this duplicitous drivel clearly and simply: Delta restoration will require 75 percent of the water that typically flows down the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds. This will mean reducing water exports by half. Big Ag already is squawking, deeming the report a "theoretical exercise" that has no bearing in the real world. Such strictures, they claim, would devastate family farms. To that I say -- well, horse manure. Most "farms" of the western San Joaquin are massive agribusiness complexes that churn out megatons of federally-subsidized crops with subsidized water. Years ago, a friend of mine observed that "the welfare queens have nothing on the cotton kings" when it comes to swilling at the public trough. It was true then, and it's true now. Water use in the western San Joaquin Valley is extravagant - to a large degree, unregulated. Improving water use efficiency and employing better crop strategies would allow agribusiness to accommodate itself to the new and necessary reality. On the other hand, there are family farms in the Delta - small holdings passed from generation to generation. They have been decimated by the relentless exporting of their water to the imperious barons of the Southland. And the same is true for our salmon fishermen. They have been ruined by years of fishing closures. And these closures, it must be noted, were driven by low salmon numbers caused by - you guessed it - water diversions. North Coast communities that were prosperous with family-wage fishing jobs a decade ago now struggle to hold on to even minimum-wage jobs - all so the water barons can continue to pump cash into their already engorged coffers. Finally, we need to scotch the Big Lie that Big Ag and their minions are spreading about the likely impacts of the Water Board report. They're already saying California cities will face apocalyptic water shortages if flows to the south state are reduced. I have to admire their gall even while I despise their reflexive mendacity. California's cities account for only 20 percent of the state's water use. Moreover, our cities have led the way in improving water use efficiency and developing sustainable sources for water, including wastewater recycling, desalinization plants - even cisterns. California's agribusiness colossus, on the other hand, accounts for 80 percent of state water use and has done relatively little to improve use efficiency, instead expending its energy and funds on relentless lobbying in Sacramento and Washington. Where do we go from here? The Water Board has stepped up and done the right thing, and we must back them up. One thing we can do is return the Kern Water Bank to public ownership. This massive water bank was developed with public funds. But after an abstruse sweetheart deal, it ended up in the hands of Beverly Hills billionaire and Central Valley corporate farmer Stuart Resnick. With the Kern Water Bank reclaimed as a public asset, we will have made a big step toward the fair and responsible management of state water. We should also demand that the state's junior water rights holders - including giant Westside farming entities such as the Westlands Water District - take their rightful place in line for water. By legal precedent, they should be the first to endure cuts in water deliveries. Taxpayers subsidize water deliveries to Westlands. Meanwhile, their biggest crop - tomatoes - is a glut on the market. Seventy-five percent of their second-biggest crop - almonds - is shipped overseas and the biggest chunk goes to China. I would like to note parenthetically that there is no surplus of wild salmon. It is in high demand in domestic markets, selling for around $20 a pound. Adding injury to insult, the irrigation of Westland's selenium-rich lands has led to the contamination of state waterways. Selenium is a dire threat to wildlife and fisheries, and Westlands is the primary engine for its dissemination in Delta waters. It's bad enough that Westlands is making obscene profits at taxpayer expense - but it's an outrage that we're paying them to poison us. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Jul 28 10:19:26 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:19:26 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] California Watch 7 28 10 Message-ID: <00f701cb2e79$08532ba0$18f982e0$@net> How can NASA help California farmers? California Watch-7/28/10 By Susanne Rust Generally preoccupied by such celestial phenomena as brown dwarves and solar flares, NASA is now turning its sights to a more provincial domain: farms. In partnership with the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and others, NASA will provide weekly satellite images of California farmland to farmers. The photos will show farmers which of their crops are in need of water, and which aren't, enabling them to use space-age technology to inform irrigation decisions. Currently, farmers turn to the California Irrigation Management Information System to get daily estimates on crop evaporation. The system, however, doesn't account for site specific conditions or annual variability in the weather. So, the estimates may differ from the actual, real-time conditions. According to Western Growers, a partner in the project and the largest agricultural trade association in the United States, the USDA has shown that crop-satellite imagery can fix the inaccuracies in this situation. They are building an automated data-processing system that will monitor crop growth throughout the San Joaquin Valley and combine this information with weather data, crop type, soil maps and various evaporation models to give a more accurate, timely and pinpointed estimate of a particular farm's irrigation needs. "Water-supply reliability is a very important issue to our producers in California and Arizona," said Wendy Fink-Weber, spokeswoman for Western Growers. "The collaboration among federal space agencies, academia and industry, along with advanced satellite technology, may point the way to a more sustainable future for farming and the local supply of fresh food." The project will also try to move the data sharing onto mobile devices to further personalize the information for individual farmers' needs. Other partners of the project include CSU Monterey Bay, NASA Ames Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center and Western Growers. The project was described in a Western Growers' monthly magazine article and released Monday to California Watch. Western Growers' magazine is for paid subscribers and members, only. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov Thu Jul 29 14:07:52 2010 From: Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov (Bill_Pinnix at fws.gov) Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:07:52 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] In Season Trapping Update, Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring on the Trinity River at Willow Creek Message-ID: Willow Creek Downstream Migrant Trap Site 2010 In-Season Trapping Update ?July 29, 2010 Synopsis: The 2010 Downstream Migrant trapping season at the Willow Creek Trap Site (river kilometer 34) is being conducted jointly by the USFWS Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office (AFWO) and the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program (YTFP) on the mainstem Trinity River near Willow Creek, California. The season began March 8th, 2010 with the installation of two traps. A third trap was installed March 9th, 2010. See attached catch summary for details of this narrative. This summary includes data from March 9th, 2010 through July 20 th, 2010 and is presented as raw catch. No expansions have been calculated at this time. Heavy debris load and high flows have occasionally resulted in null sets, causing less than 21 trap days (3 traps x 7 days) in some weeks resulting in variable effort over the season; therefore raw catch numbers should be interpreted with caution. Raw daily catches of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have been captured each day sampling has occurred and most have been young-of-the-year (YOY). Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of YOY Chinook salmon were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 10 and 11. Efficiency calibrations were conducted with freeze-branded hatchery Chinook salmon during Julian Weeks 10-28. Raw daily catches of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) smolts (age 1+) have been relatively steady since the beginning of trapping with hatchery steelhead showing up in JW 12; catch of steelhead smolts dropped off beginning mid-June. Weekly mean Fulton?s K values of Steelhead smolts were greater than 1.0 for all weeks sampled except JW 14 and JW 18-20 and JW 22. The drop in condition factor in the later weeks is consistent with smoltification processes. Steelhead YOY numbers have increased in the recent weeks and appear to have peaked, but catch is still consistent. Raw daily catches of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) are lower than last year at this time but not significantly lower than other years prior. Weekly mean Fulton?s K value of natural coho salmon smolts has varied greatly from week to week due to low catches. Hatchery Coho smolts occurred in the catch beginning Julian Week 15. If you have any questions regarding this summary, don't hesitate to contact Bill Pinnix at (707) 822-7201. (See attached file: WCT_Catch_Summary_07_29_10.pdf) William Pinnix USFWS, AFWO 1655 Heindon Rd Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 822-7201 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: WCT_Catch_Summary_07_29_10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 29896 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Jul 29 19:01:00 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:01:00 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Interior Department Press Release Message-ID: <001801cb2f8b$10d70e00$32852a00$@net> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: July 29, 2010 Contact: Joan Moody (202) 208-6416 Pete Lucero (916) 978-5100 Secretary Salazar Announces $14.6 Million of Economic Recovery Funding for Delta-Mendota Canal/California Aqueduct Intertie Pumping Plant, Underground Pipeline WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation's Mid-Pacific Region has awarded a $14.6 million contract under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for construction of the Delta-Mendota Canal/California Aqueduct Intertie Pumping Plant and Pipeline (Intertie). "These stimulus funds will not only help the economy and provide jobs, but also will contribute to the actions being taken to help alleviate California's water crisis," said Secretary Salazar. "The Intertie adds flexibility through the use of existing facilities while increasing the reliability of water projects in California's Central Valley." With this ARRA award, Reclamation is initiating the construction phase of the project. The $14.6 million award was issued to Shimmick Construction of Oakland, Calif. for building a pumping station and underground pipeline connection, installing four pumps and motors and building an electrical switchyard. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2010 and be completed by early 2012. When completed, the Intertie will connect the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) and the California Aqueduct to relieve DMC conveyance limitations, allow for maintenance and repair activities, and provide the flexibility to respond to Central Valley Project and State Water Project emergency water operations. The project was identified as a proposed action in the August 2000 CALFED Bay-Delta Program Programmatic Record of Decision. The new facility will be located between the DMC and California Aqueduct approximately five miles west of the City of Tracy, California. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enacted in 2009 gave $3 billion to the Department of the Interior. The ARRA funds represent an important component of the President's plan to jumpstart the economy and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so the country can thrive in the 21st century. Under the ARRA, Interior is making an investment in conserving America's timeless treasures - our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and heritage - while helping American families and their communities prosper again. Interior is also focusing on renewable energy projects, the needs of American Indians, employing youth and promoting community service. "With its investments of Recovery Act funds, the Department of the Interior and its bureaus are putting people to work today to make improvements that will benefit the environment and the region for many years to come," Secretary Salazar said. Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department's economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery . Secretary Salazar has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force to work closely with Interior's Inspector General and ensure the recovery program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility, and transparency set by President Obama. Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit Reclamation's website at www.usbr.gov . Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Jul 31 15:23:23 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:23:23 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee Editorial 7 31 2010 Message-ID: <00c001cb30fe$fec7bb40$fc5731c0$@net> Editorial: Finally, Delta's flows get needed attention Published: Saturday, Jul. 31, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 10A The State Water Resources Control Board last week issued a draft report that concluded what has long been obvious - excessive diversions of water are imperiling the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the fish that depend on this estuary. This is hardly a shocker. Over the last several decades, cities and farms have diverted about 50 percent of the flow of the Sacramento River and nearly two-thirds of the San Joaquin River. It doesn't take a rocket scientist (or a fish scientist) to tell you that fish need water - preferably cool, unpolluted water. If you take that water away, or return it to the river laden with fertilizers, pesticides and higher temperatures, fish suffer. It is that simple. Defenders of the status quo are already attempting to discredit the state board's findings and mislead the public about next steps. U.S. Rep. Jim Costa, a Fresno Democrat who faces a tough re-election bid and is trying to burnish his standing with corporate farmers, lambasted the report as one-sided. "This kind of misinformation serves as fodder for extreme environmentalists and critics of our valley who aim to cut off our water," he told reporters. This is ridiculous. Last year, the Legislature approved a sweeping overhaul of state water law aimed at twin goals - improving water reliability and restoring the Delta. The package was controversial. Many in Northern California called it a water grab. One reason The Bee supported it was because it included provisions, sought by Environmental Defense Fund and other groups, that the state board examine the flow needs of the Delta and ensure that those needs were considered in any attempt to alter water conveyance in the estuary. The state board's draft report responds to that directive, but it is not the last word on how the Delta will be managed. It doesn't mean that stressors such invasive species and poorly treated sewage are non-factors in the Delta's decline. Nor does it mean the state will seek to return the Delta to pre-18th century conditions. The Delta faces competing interests, and any attempt to restore it must recognize that the clock cannot fully be turned back. Yet science must to play a part in any effort to replumb the estuary. The state board's report is a step in that direction. The needs of fish need to be known and accepted. The desires of powerful water users are already known. Reconciling the two will be the challenge. Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/31/2926767/finally-deltas-flows-get-needed.htm l#ixzz0vHnDCy00 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Aug 2 17:06:26 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:06:26 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee Opinion Letter 8 1 2010 Message-ID: <020a01cb329f$b8b21ae0$2a1650a0$@net> Viewpoints: Delta's bounty is a shared treasure - except when greed cuts ahead in line By Brett Baker Special to The Bee Published: Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 5E Last Modified: Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010 - 11:37 am Brett Baker holds a degree in wildlife, fish and conservation biology from UC Davis and divides his timeworking on his family's farm and for Restore the Delta and the Central Delta Water Agency. My family has been farming in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta since 1851. The Sierra's Gold Rush lured my ancestors to California - but the Delta made them stay. Gold played out in a few years, but the resources of the Delta have sustained our region of the state for over 150 years now. The rich soil and the reliable flows of fresh, sweet water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers yielded a bounty of crops that brought prosperity to the region's farmers and fed Sacramento and the cities of the Bay Area. We're still at it today. I represent the sixth generation of my family to farm the land on Sutter Island directly adjacent to Steamboat Slough. We continue to farm 30 acres of pears and sell them at local farmers' markets and throughout the country. Continuing my family's 160-year vocation is a tradition I hope to pass down to my own children. My business is farming, but my education is in biology. I earned a degree in wildlife, fish and conservation biology from the University of California, Davis, and spent summers working for my professor Peter Moyle. I went on to the California Department of Fish and Game in the agency's Heritage Wild Trout Program and as an adviser to then Lt. Gov. John Garamendi on water and agriculture issues. As a result, my perspective on Delta water controversies is perhaps more nuanced than many. I don't view water as a zero-sum game - we have enough for agriculture, our cities and our fisheries. But I also think we have to change the way our public water is distributed. We can't continue exporting in excess of 7 million to 8 million acre-feet of Delta water a year, selling it at subsidized rates to a handful of corporate agribusiness enterprises in the western San Joaquin Valley. This relentless hijacking of the Delta's water threatens the hundreds of family farmers who cultivate the region's 750,000 acres of cropland, destroys our precious salmon fisheries and actually undermines Southern California's urban reliance on the Delta. The Delta's fisheries are in immediate and dire jeopardy. This affects more than the fish - the chinook salmon, steelhead, Delta smelt and other native fishes faced with extinction. It is also devastating the families and small towns that depend on commercial and sport fishing. For years, "Westside" corporate farmers have claimed water exports are not the primary cause of the Delta's ecological collapse. They have made the disingenuous argument that fish don't need more water - instead, they blame the decline on invasive species, urban run-off, agricultural chemicals and inadequate sewage treatment - anything that might divert attention from the impact the pumps continue to have on the system. I agree that all these factors play a role in the Delta's struggling ecosystem, but they are all tied to overpumping, which either causes them or makes them worse. Export pumping is by far the biggest problem. This point was made explicitly in a recent staff report from the California Water Resources Control Board, which concluded water exports must be cut by half to allow sufficient freshwater flows necessary for the survival of these critically endangered species. It's really that simple: If we want to resuscitate our once-mighty salmon runs, we have to allow twice as much water as is currently flowing through the Delta. In my opinion these flows should be observed as part of the Delta Stewardship Council's Interim Delta Plan. Specific biological responses or target fish populations should be developed and be observed before any additional conveyance structures are considered. Should these flows elicit a favorable response, they should be considered as part of any conservation measure by the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). Corporate farmers in the western San Joaquin Valley are pillorying the water board report, and this is understandable. They are obtaining taxpayer-subsidized water at incredibly low rates, and they are selling much of it to south state cities at enormously inflated prices. They understand their future is in marketing water and building homes, not growing crops. Their interests are not the interests of the people of California, including most farmers. The state Water Resources Control Board's staff report is founded on sound science and consistent with previous state board findings. For example, the 1978 Water Right Decision 1485 on supplemental water calculations declares: "To provide full mitigation of project impacts on all fishery species now would require the virtual shutting down of the project export pumps." Sadly, this report was shelved and never saw the light of day because of this inconvenient truth. Given the charged political climate, we must commend the staffers who had the courage to support the data instead of yielding to prevailing pressures. We need to stand behind them- and we must do everything we can to ensure the flow recommendations in the report are honored and given the consideration they deserve. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Aug 3 12:36:41 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 12:36:41 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Greenwire NY Times 8 2 10 Message-ID: <003701cb3343$34290500$9c7b0f00$@net> Elite Science Panel Wades Into Calif. Water War By COLIN SULLIVAN of Greenwire NY Times Published: August 2, 2010 TRACY, Calif. -- Scientists tasked with unraveling one of the nation's most vexing environmental puzzles started their first field trip to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta at a fish processing facility here near one of the estuary's major water-pumping stations. Assembled by the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists -- 15 experts in estuarine ecology, hydrology, fisheries science and water resources engineering -- were gathering information for a series of reports that could influence management of the West Coast's largest estuary for decades to come. The stakes for the two-year study are high. All around the delta, demand for water is growing -- water for endangered fish, for farms and for 25 million people. Political pressure from California's senior U.S. senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein, and others finally forced the White House to order the review this spring. So the National Research Council panel has parachuted into a decades-long environmental battle being fought over a 700-mile-long maze of shipping canals, rivers, levees and aqueducts. The scientists are moving at a rapid clip to satisfy political pressure on all sides as they try to get a clear picture of the science behind two federal recovery plans for endangered chinook salmon and delta smelt and a number of proposals aimed at solving regional water problems. All this while a major restoration program five years in the making -- the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) -- chugs forward. The panel's starting point for its face-to-face confrontation with the delta is about an hour's drive from San Francisco, a federal fish processing plant that experts call "mile marker zero" for endangered fish diverted to the Delta-Mendota Canal, which flows 2 miles south to the federal government's sole water-pumping facility in the region. The state's sole pumping facility is also nearby, at mile marker zero for the California Aqueduct. The pumps are the focus of a court clash between the federal government and water districts that has temporarily left Endangered Species Act recovery plans for fish and the related biological opinions in disarray. The fish processing plant, a series of warehouses surrounded by holding tanks and screening machinery, is the final way station before those pumps. Here, the federal Bureau of Reclamation screens for fish, often by hand, to both protect them from the deadly pumps and to trigger water-pumping limits when smelt or salmon numbers start to swell. The operation is one of many ordered by federal fiat in a bid to balance pressures on all sides. "The controversy has been going on for years and years," said Joe Pennino, a Reclamation engineer who led the scientists on a tour of the facility. "It's going to continue for years and years." 'To see it and feel it' Pennino walked the scientists through the facility on a mid-July morning, explaining that fish caught here are held for 8 to 12 hours and then trucked to the delta for release just beyond the canal's entrance. Before dropping fish into holding tanks, technicians sorted through screened debris, finding one largemouth bass and dozens of threadfin shad but no smelt or salmon, neither of which were expected in mid summer. Then the group boarded a Reclamation research vessel, the Endeavour, which launched from Rio Vista, about an hour north of Tracy on the Sacramento River, for a tour of the delta itself. The panel chairman, Robert Huggett, a professor emeritus at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and former U.S. EPA assistant administrator for research and development, said a first-hand look was needed following the release of a study by his team that found federal science behind the smelt and salmon biological opinions lacking. "I've never been on the Sacramento," Huggett said. "We're here to see it and feel it." Seeing it and feeling it meant sitting at the stern of the Endeavor listening to federal experts explain the delta in dry 100-degree heat. Officials from Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Fish and Wildlife Service had the vessel steered first toward Decker Island, a restored tidal marsh. Jon Burau, a USGS civil engineer, used the marsh as a backdrop for his argument for rebuilding habitat along canals, rivers and levees to serve as natural protection zones for young salmonids and smelt. The smelt, which is nearing extinction, is considered a key indicator of the ecosystem's health. After leaving Decker Island, the Endeavor moved north into the web-like delta, which draws most of its water from the Sierra Mountains to the east but also draws from as far north as the Cascades. The delta mostly resembles a series of man-made canals (or sloughs) running between rock levees, but it often gives way to marshes and tall grasses. It fluctuates, in other words, between concrete and grassy wildlife habitat -- what Reclamation calls an "exchange between terrestrial and aquatic environments" -- and a case study in the rush to divert water. But water exports are not the only stressors on the watershed. There is also encroaching development, selenium and ammonia pollution, invasive weeds, nonnative wildlife and tides so strong they reach from the Golden Gate to Sacramento. The tides create a kind of fluid mixing bowl stretching north from San Francisco Bay to the delta, a point stressed by Burau. "This is fundamentally a tidal system, a tidal system with a little bit of a river mixed in," Burau told the scientists. "The tidal excursion is everything." And while more high-profile solutions have been floated to "fix" the delta, including a multibillion-dollar canal or tunnel, Burau emphasized the importance of harnessing and understanding how the tides convey or carry pollution, which is so complete that prescription drugs like Prozac are consistently found in delta fish. "We can't just look at conveyance options in isolation," said Burau, explaining how tidal forces move organisms throughout the system like a high-speed conveyor belt. "Things move a long way here. That's something that doesn't happen in rivers." 'Building an airplane in mid-flight' In the same breath, Burau admitted to knowing little about the behavior of the endangered smelt. Such was the argument of attorneys who convinced a federal judge to suspend pumping limits earlier this year, driving a big question mark into the biological opinions, or bi-ops. The science, Burau seemed to say, is an ever-changing reality in an ever-changing system, and researchers appear to lack the funding to keep up with a system that many say is vulnerable to collapse. "We really know almost nothing about delta smelt behavior," Burau admitted in a response to a question from the panel. Burau's briefing on the water came two days after the NAS panel heard from state and federal bureaucrats in Sacramento who asked the scientists to act faster than their charter stipulates to add their analysis of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, or BDCP. That would add to a report due in November 2011 by the panel on the science behind building a "peripheral" canal around the delta or tunneling underneath it, both of which would cost billions of dollars. Jerry Johns, a senior official at the California Department of Water Resources, had much the same message as Burau, telling the panel during a question-and-answer session at a hotel in Sacramento that long-running efforts to manage the delta -- including the defunct Cal-Fed federal/state program -- often failed to account for the delta's complexity and wasted millions of dollars as a result. "It's kind of like building an airplane in mid-flight," said Johns of delta management. "The complexity is mind-boggling." Still, Johns, a veteran of the delta struggle, said he believes the conservation plan can make progress where Cal-Fed and other efforts have failed. Johns said that while tidal-marsh restoration is "complicated and hard," he believes between 100,000 and 125,000 acres in the estuary could be restored ultimately. He favors a 14,000-acre pilot project at first to weigh the effect on the smelt, "to see if it would do what we thought it would do" before moving forward. "Cal-Fed assumed the delta would stay in the same state in the future," he told the panel. "We don't think that's an adequate assumption anymore." Johns is also a big believer in new conveyance to move water more efficiently across the delta throughout the year rather than just during the summer. Under the current system, managers have three months to move water, "so we pour a bunch of water through in the summertime, while we're constrained the rest of the year," Johns said. "This unnatural movement of water that we designed back in the 1920s doesn't seem like the best way to move water." Michael Tucker of the National Marine Fisheries Service made much the same point. "Right now, we're holding all the water in our reservoirs and dumping it like crazy in the summer when there's not a lot of fish," he told the scientists. "The system is backward." As for the science behind the bi-ops, Tucker and Dan Castleberry of the Fish and Wildlife Service said their agencies are trying to merge separate bi-ops on the salmon and smelt into a single document under the conservation plan, which they hope would solve some of the uncertainty and convince the federal judge that the agencies have done their homework. Drafting a single bi-op of the BDCP, which is scheduled to be released as a draft in November for final completion early next year, might withstand the glare of public scrutiny and help take politics out of the delta equation. "It's a very ambitious effort," Castleberry said. "A lot of what we're talking about is being developed right now." Scientists asked to lean into the BDCP Over its five-year drafting process, the federal/state BDCP has already been subject to three workshops with independent scientists. Those behind the effort view the plan as a landmark shift for the watershed, a document that will spell out new obligations for the agencies, determine how much water can be exported, set new points of diversion, lay out a blueprint for toxic pollution and prepare the way for new conveyance. The plan will also propose to restore 80,000 acres of habitat, 65,000 of which would be the kind of tidal marsh in evidence at Decker Island. Its architects see it as a break with the past, when, as Johns said, managers approached the delta one day at a time, without much regard to adaptive management. So why involve the National Research Council panel at this late date? The idea for doing so comes from officials in the Interior Department who want more feedback. State officials have taken the federal study in stride, saying it will add more information and likely confirm what they already know. The scientists themselves were cagey about the request during their Endeavor trip, responding that their work is voluntary and urgent. Officially, an National Academy of Sciences spokesman said the scientists were still waiting to hear formally from the Obama administration. "When this formal request occurs, and a draft of the plan are provided in a timely manner [such as on its current schedule for November release], the National Research Council will consider honoring that request by undertaking an additional report focused on the BDCP," the spokeswoman said. A member of the scientific panel, Hans Paerl of the University of North Carolina, said the last-minute request comes with the territory. "I think there is always political pressure," Paerl said of the academy review. "All we can do is work on translating science into management. We're trying to set an example of science serving management, and policy." Sullivan is based in San Francisco. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Aug 3 12:40:46 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 12:40:46 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 8 3 10 Message-ID: <003c01cb3343$c6224070$5266c150$@net> Libraries will host forums on Delta's water issues Sacramento Bee-8/3/10 By Matt Weiser Delta residents are invited to sound off about California's tangled water issues in a series of discussions at local libraries, starting Wednesday in West Sacramento. The discussions are hosted by the University of California Cooperative Extension, which intends to create a documentary and written report on the results. Rather than follow a debate format, the program relies on a discussion guide prepared by the nonprofit California Center for the Book. It offers three basic views of the issue, and participants will discuss what they like and dislike about each. Participation is limited to 25 people and registration is required. Wednesday's meeting is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Turner Community Library, 1212 Merkley Ave. For more information or to register, call the library at (916) 375-6465 or e-mail cheryl.chapel at yolocounty.org. Additional sessions are planned Aug. 19 in Walnut Grove, Aug. 24 in Elk Grove and Aug. 28 in Stockton. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Aug 4 12:54:12 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 12:54:12 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject) Message-ID: <00c701cb340e$d0e42430$72ac6c90$@net> Study: Cut in delta water use needed for fish Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer San Francisco Chronicle August 4, 2010 04:00 AM Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://analytics.apnewsregistry.com/analytics/v2/image.svc/SFC/RWS/www.sfgat e.com/MAI/ca20100804MNV31EOBPF.DTL/E/ProdWednesday, August 4, 2010 http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/02/18/ed-RP_BYPASS_COO_0501148546.jpg http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/article/articlebox_img_bg.gif Randy Pench / Sacbee.com Coots fly across the surface of the flooded Yolo Bypass, part of the Pacific Flyway route for migratory birds, in February. http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Image * Calif. billionaire's tax refund stolen by ID thief 08.04.10 The amount of water pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta would have to be cut in half if vulnerable fish populations are going to be preserved for future generations, a state report declared Tuesday. The 190-page study by the State Water Resources Control Board is nonbinding, but it could shape how communities from the Bay Area to San Diego divvy up California's most precious resource. The document, issued by the five-member board after nine months of scientific study, determined that 75 percent of runoff from snowpack and rainfall would need to funnel through the delta to San Francisco Bay and the ocean in order to sustain the estuary's most important wildlife and habitats, known in legal parlance as "public trust" resources. Right now, about 50 percent of the state's runoff flows through the delta all the way to the ocean. The other 50 percent goes to cities and farms. Raising the flow into the ocean from 50 percent to 75 percent would require taking away roughly half of what cities and farms now get, according to the report. "The board has finally put to rest the argument about whether the delta needs more water," said Cynthia Koehler, water legislative director with the Environmental Defense Fund. "You can't divert 50 percent of the flows and think the fish and ecosystem are going to be just fine." The other view Many of the largest water districts in California lambasted the report as one-sided and contended that higher delta flows and less pumping would devastate the economy and hurt farmers grappling with water cutbacks first stipulated by a federal judge in 2007 and fought over ever since. "The information certainly is interesting and informative ... but it's immaterial," said Tom Birmingham, general manager of Westlands Water District, a sprawling agricultural zone in the Fresno area. "Protecting the public trust resources are not the only goals of the planning processes." The delta, at the confluence of the state's two largest rivers - the Sacramento and San Joaquin - is the hub of California's vast water system. As such, it has been the source of increasing tension between fishermen, farmers, city leaders and federal and state politicians trying to protect their water rights. The state study, mandated last year by the Legislature as part of a sweeping water reform package, does not carry any regulatory weight, but it offers a basis for changing how much water is delivered to 23 million Californians downstream of the delta, not to mention users who remove water from the system before it reaches the estuary. Along with pollution, climate change, aging infrastructure and invasive species, excessive water exports over the past several decades have pushed the delta and certain fish species into a death spiral. More studies to come The research purposely weighed only the needs of a healthy habitat for crashing species like the longfin smelt and not the interests of cities and farms. Later studies, part of a broad-based effort to craft a management plan for the delta, will seek to balance a stable water supply with rehabilitation of the ecosystem. Environmentalists, fishing groups and delta residents firmly support allowing more water to flush through the delta, arguing that higher flows mean cooler, deeper, less salty and less polluted water for fish spawning and migration. It would also help steer fish away from the giant pumps that entrap and kill vulnerable juveniles. Koehler's group and others say conservation, desalination and water recycling could drastically reduce dependence on the delta. Officials at Zone 7 Water Agency, which serves nearly 200,000 residents in eastern Alameda County, say they are willing to do their part in reducing dependence on the delta and are exploring a regional desalination project. But with 80 percent of its supply from the delta, the district is in a difficult position. "We'll always have to rely on the delta for the majority of our water," said spokeswoman Boni Brewer. Less clear is how delta flow criteria could also affect so-called upstream users, such as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission or East Bay Municipal Utility District, which tap into rivers before they pour into the delta. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image004.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Aug 4 17:15:34 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2010 17:15:34 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Monterey Herald 8 4 10 Message-ID: <010e01cb3433$54949070$fdbdb150$@net> Editorial: What's good for Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is good for the state THE HERALD'S VIEW The Monterey County Herald Posted: 08/04/2010 01:33:37 AM PDT Updated: 08/04/2010 08:36:25 AM PDT Don't fall for the "new dust bowl" references and the other hype from California's great interior. The new report from the State Water Resources Control Board about excessive water diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is good news for the fishing industry, San Francisco Bay and California's overall water quality. By reporting that current diversions threaten not only the Delta smelt but the chinook salmon, steelhead and other fish important to the commercial and recreational fishing industries of California's coast, the board put in writing what was already obvious. Despite the well-financed PR campaign being waged by San Joaquin Valley agribusiness, it isn't a case of "fish or farms." It's more a case of "fish or sprawl." Corporate farms of the western San Joaquin Valley now buy a sizable share of the Delta's water at deeply discounted prices-subsidized by federal taxpayers-and resell it at plump profits to the developers of Southern California subdivisions and high rises. To keep the Delta habitable for fish stock long term, the Water Resources Control Board staff concluded in the long-awaited study that the export of Delta water needs to be cut in half. Accomplishing that still would provide ample water for irrigation, but would set off one of the great water wars of our times, pitting the most powerful players in water politics against a relatively ragtag collection of environmental and fishing industry groups. It is a safe bet the mega-farmers of Fresno and Kern counties aren't going to give up a drop they don't have to. Yes, this is the same State Water Resources Control Board that is poised to curtail diversions from the Carmel River to protect the river and its inhabitants. Its principal task is to protect the water supply and related habitat, and it takes a decidedly environmentalist approach. What's good for the Carmel River is good for the Delta, and what's good for the Delta is good for California. All of it. There are those, such as Fresno Congressman Jim Costa, who accuse the board of taking extremist positions. Referring to the report released last week, Costa said, "This kind of misinformation serves as fodder for extreme environmentalists and critics of our valley who aim to cut off our water." There is some truth to his view in that the water board report amounts to an environmental wish list. Political and economic realities will never enable California's water managers to restore the full, original flow of water north to south. But the Delta and the rivers that feed off it are an integral part of the water supply for much of California, and voices other than Big Ag's need to join the discussion about how the resource is appropriated. It is a coastal issue just as much as it is a valley issue. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Aug 6 12:20:01 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 12:20:01 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Junction City Trapping Data Message-ID: <01ee01cb359c$5edaf7d0$1c90e770$@net> Attached is a spreadsheet containing trapping totals for our first week of trapping at Junction City weir (Trinity River). The put in date for the JC weir was slightly delayed due to high flows this season. I have made several changes to the format of the reports this season. There are now seven tabs on the spreadsheet, an INFO page, WC Weir, JC weir, TRH and three tabs that contain historical trapping totals for 2004-2009. The historical counts are cumulative i.e. preceding weekly totals are added to each week. The bolded numbers at the bottom for each species are the total trapped for the season. Planned start dates for Willow Creek weir and Trinity River Hatchery (TRH) are Aug. 20th and early September, respectively. Please refer to the INFO page for details on our trapping activities Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weir&TRH_summary10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 81920 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Aug 8 10:56:03 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 10:56:03 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chron 8 8 10 Insight Editorial Section Message-ID: <004101cb3722$f8d649c0$ea82dd40$@net> A better era for California anglers David Schurr San Francisco Chronicle August 8, 2010 04:00 AM Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Sunday, August 8, 2010 http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/04/15/ba-salmon16_PH_0501496701_part6 .jpghttp://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/article/articlebox_img_bg.gif Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle The decline in the California king salmon population has affected fishermen like those at Fisherman's Wharf. http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Image * On marriage, gulf oil leak, emissions law 08.08.10 It was a still and foggy morning. Two anglers loaded their 25-foot sport-fishing boat with sandwiches, ice and bait. Under the calm gray sky, they headed out under the Golden Gate Bridge and north to Duxbury in Marin County. Within minutes, they could smell the familiar odor of decaying marine life left on the rocks by the last high tide. Sea lions were barking and lounging as the boat cleared Point Bonita lighthouse and skirted up the North Channel near the infamous Potato Patch shoals. It was early September 2005, and the summer salmon season had been stellar. Harbors from Monterey to Crescent City had been jammed with boats claiming their prized salmon. That day, fishermen launched their boats with precision and tact, respecting their fellow warriors. This was a ritual for anglers, because getting out of the harbor early is essential for success, and many days found the ocean too rough to attempt. After the placid gray morning, the sun broke through the fog, and a ripple came upon the sea. A steady north breeze filled in as more boats appeared. The ocean was alive. Kingfishers and murres dived on anchovies pushed up by schools of voracious salmon gorging themselves. An occasional sea lion popped up in a swirl of blood and scales and flipped a fish high into the air, almost smiling as he looked you in the eye. On the boat, downriggers held spinning bait at a depth of 90 feet, lines were clipped and the rods were ready. The little boat quickly trolled back and forth while the anglers patiently watched their fish-finders for red dashes or bait clouds. Suddenly a rod popped up as the downrigger released the deep line, and with a burst of adrenaline, an angler rushed to the back of the boat. Within minutes, a chrome flash neared the top of the water column and dashed off again, peeling 30 or 40 feet of line from the reel. Finally, the hefty king salmon, with translucent blue and silver hues, was netted from the icy Pacific . This prized game fish has an oily scent that cannot be erased from your mind. Twenty-five five pounds of the richest food source known to man went into the box. As the lines were reset, the boat slowly trolled back. The surface of the briny ocean was slick with fish oil as broken anchovy bodies drifted by, remnants of a feeding frenzy repeated over and over again. Although the fishing was excellent that year, something was wrong. The juvenile fish known as "shakers," occasionally caught and released, were missing. I interviewed charter boat captains and commercial fishermen in ports up and down the coast, and the consensus was the same: No juveniles were being caught. An entire class of fish was absent from the ecosystem. As a result of this tragedy, research began, and I became a scientist and a fishery advocate. After a year of dismal fishing in 2006, a sharp decline in numbers was evident. The once sustainable California king salmon had been reduced to a mere brood stock. The wave of upset affected the entire food chain. Birds and mammals are still suffering today. The fishery is gone, the ecosystem has collapsed. Politics aside, this resource has been lost. Sport fishing and environmental groups are desperately working to reverse this situation, but they face many challenges. Like government subsidies and social programs, when a resource is given away - in this case water, a public trust - it is extremely difficult to get it back. Since I was a young man, I fished for salmon, first in the rivers then on party boats leaving San Francisco twice daily (when the bite was hot). Finally, I bought my own boat, learned navigation and boating safety and lived to fish for salmon. This fishing heritage, however, has not been passed on to my son. I remember some years ago when I was talking about the salmon decline to my grandfather, who is a World War II veteran, and he simply said: "We used to hunt Elk in Bakersfield, too, son." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image003.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Aug 8 18:51:36 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2010 18:51:36 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Temperance Flat Dam 8 7 10 Message-ID: <008f01cb3765$68588f50$3909adf0$@net> Is Temperance Flat Dam really just a shell game for real estate developers? by Deirdre Des Jardins Saturday Aug 7th, 2010 1:40 PM The $11.1 billion state water bond would, among other things, authorize $3 billion for "new storage,", including a proposed dam at Temperance Flat, on the San Joaquin River above Friant Dam in Fresno County. The second dam is supposed to increase the reliability of the water supply for Eastside San Joaquin Valley farmers. temperanceflatpic.jpg temperanceflatpic.jpg The dam-building crowd has long criticized Friant dam, built in the 1940's on the San Joaquin River, as being too small to capture the entire flows of the river in wet years. They forget that the dam was never designed to divert the entire flow of the river. In fact many promises were made by the federal government that only surplus flows would be diverted south via the Friant-Kern canal. Instead, when the dam was completed, the Bureau of Reclamation dried up the river, and sent the water south to big cotton growers. It was the first great water grab in the San Joaquin Valley for private interests. And it cheated regular Fresno residents of the many beneficial uses of the state's second largest river. Riverfront homeowners sued, but lost after a 16 year long legal battle. It took another 50 years to restore just 18% of the flow of the river to its natural course. Fresno residents, having forgotten this history, and worried about shortages of water for farming, are pushing to build a second dam at Temperance Flat. The original purpose of the proposed second dam was to ensure the capture all flows of the San Joaquin River, ensuring that none of it was ever spilled by Friant dam to the dry San Joaquin riverbed. Even with this assumption, the dam did not make economic sense unless the public paid for half of it. With the recently mandated river restoration flows, the dam makes even less sense. Pre-restoration simulations prior showed that if the minimal pre-restoration flows to the river were maintained, the dam could at best change delivery of an average 116,000 acre feet of "surplus" high flow water in the winter. Currently the high flow water is released to San Joaquin growers and groundwater banks whenever Friant dam fills to the flood safety level. Instead, the water held in the new upstream dam could be stored and delivered on a schedule. Why would anyone pay $3 billion for a dam that would simply change the timing of water deliveries to groundwater banks, which are specifically designed and operated to store unpredictable flood flows? The answer lies the need by real estate developers for "reliable" water supplies for new subdivisions. "Surplus" flood flows are not reliable and cannot be used as the primary water supply for a development. But if the water is held behind a dam, it becomes a contracted, reliable supply. So the real benefits of Temperance Flat dam would go to the "conjunctive use partners" who would put up about half the money for the construction of the dam. These partners include the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and the Westside Mutual Water Company controlled by Stewart Resnick, who owns about 140,000 acres in Kern County. While the dam has been represented as increasing the reliability of the Friant water supply for agriculture, growers along the Friant-Kern canal would see little benefit from new contracts, because they would likely be too expensive for agricultural use. The growers would however, lose the high flow water remaining after the mandated San Joaquin Restoration flows, and likely also see a reduction in water for Friant Class 2 contracts. One has to ask if this dam, sold to California taxpayers as "increasing surface storage," is worth taxpayers paying half the $3 billion cost for the supposed public benefit, or whether it is really just a shell game for water brokers and real estate developers. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 97083 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Aug 9 14:11:31 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 14:11:31 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] San Diego Union-Tribune 8/7/10 Message-ID: <032901cb3807$71ae0e70$550a2b50$@net> Well, no kiddin'. Conservation, local supplies key to water future San Diego Union-Tribune-8/7/10 By Mike Lee San Diego County residents must rely more on their own resources for water in the future, according to the 25-year-plan being crafted by the drought-wracked Metropolitan Water District. The agency, which provides wholesale water across Southern California, is reaching out to residents for help updating its long-term supply blueprint (http://www.mwdh2o.com/irp). The document underscores a shift in Metropolitan's approach, which once focused on importing water and now includes a variety of conservation and acquisition programs. "We must adapt in order to remain reliable, and that means having realistic expectations on our imported supplies and looking within our service area for increasing supplies and lowering demands," said Debra Man, assistant general manager for Metropolitan. "This will lead to fundamental changes in the way our water supply needs and reliability goals are met." Pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and a series of dry years continue to limit deliveries from Northern California. Meanwhile, Metropolitan's other imported water source-the Colorado River-remains in a 10-year drought, with Lake Mead at its lowest level in more than 40 years. Man said the agency's draft strategy proposes to maintain Metropolitan's baseline imported water supplies from Northern California and the Colorado River while expanding local programs to meet future demands. Water saved through conservation is expected to be greater than any single source of supply in the years ahead. Metropolitan is holding a public meeting about its strategy in San Diego from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Ramada Conference Center, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road in San Diego. "(Public) input will be essential in determining the right combination of imported deliveries and continued regional and local investments in water conservation, recycling, groundwater cleanup and ocean water desalination to meet future demands," Man said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Aug 10 10:24:14 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:24:14 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] S.F. Chronicle 8/10/10 Message-ID: <03ee01cb38b0$dc521ec0$94f65c40$@net> Legislature delays water bond to 2012 ballot By Wyatt Buchanan The California Legislature voted Monday night to pull the $11 billion water bond from November's ballot and delay it for two years, a move that came as backers of the proposal became increasingly concerned about its prospects at the polls. The full Senate approved the delay of Prop. 18 by a 27-7 vote, barely reaching the necessary two-thirds majority of the 40-member Senate. Late Monday night, the Assembly also passed it by the slimmest of margins in that 80-person house, with a 54-22 vote. Some lawmakers from both parties have called for the bond to be scrapped and rewritten. Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, the author of the original bond measure passed by the Legislature in November as part of a comprehensive package of water legislation, was not happy about the delay but said that it is necessary to ensure passage by voters. He noted the difficulty of getting it passed in the first place and said he does not believe that a better alternative exists. "Much like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, I'm afraid this utopian plan does not exist," Cogdill said. "Let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good." The proposition, known as the Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act, funds a wide array of projects across the state, including $3 billion for storage projects like reservoirs, for groundwater cleanup, drought relief and for restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. It has come under increasing criticism because of its cost, the inclusion of nearly $2 billion in earmarks that opponents call pork, and a provision that would allow private corporations to own and operate taxpayer-built reservoirs and other water-storage projects. The bill to suspend the timing of the bond also removes that provision. Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, said lawmakers could use the next two years to convince voters the bond is necessary. "I do believe that the best chance of success is in 2012," she said. Opponents were not moved, however, and argued that the bond should be stripped of all but essential needs for California's water. Voters in the state have approved more than $20 billion in state water bonds since 1996, more than $3 billion of which has never been spent. About $1 billion of that unspent money was intended for projects in line to get even more money from the upcoming bond measure. Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the bond and was the sole lawmaker to vote against the delay at the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee hearing earlier in the day. She said the focus of the bond should be lessening the state's reliance on the delta as the hub of its water system and that there are projects funded by the bond that are popular but not critical. "We can't afford it. It's fiscally irresponsible to move" the bond to 2012, Wolk said, noting that money would go toward building water education centers even as public schools were closing. Assemblyman Bill Berryhill, R-Ceres (Stanislaus County), said the lawmakers needed to "put it on a diet" before the bond goes before voters. Prop. 18 would be repaid with money from the state's general fund, which has a $19 billion deficit and is projected to continue to have a significant deficit for the foreseeable future absent any major action by the Legislature and governor. If fully spent sometime after 2015, the bond would cost the general fund $765 million a year until it is paid off around 2050, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office. With interest payments, the bond ultimately will cost taxpayers about $22 billion. Lawmakers were under pressure to pass the changes before a Monday night deadline for the secretary of state to submit the voter information guide to the printers. If the bond were to be changed and remain on the ballot, the secretary of state would have to issue a supplemental guide, which could cost taxpayers as much as $4 million. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Aug 11 16:25:05 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:25:05 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] N.Y. Times 8/10/10 Message-ID: <018f01cb39ac$6fe0e940$4fa2bbc0$@net> Recycling Land for Green Energy Ideas N.Y. Times-8/10/10 By Todd Woody Thousands of acres of farmland here in the San Joaquin Valley have been removed from agricultural production, largely because the once fertile land is contaminated by salt buildup from years of irrigation. But large swaths of those dry fields could have a valuable new use in their future - making electricity. Farmers and officials at Westlands Water District, a public agency that supplies water to farms in the valley, have agreed to provide land for what would be one of the world's largest solar energy complexes, to be built on 30,000 acres. At peak output, the proposed Westlands Solar Park would generate as much electricity as several big nuclear power plants. Unlike some renewable energy projects blocked by objections that they would despoil the landscape, this one has the support of environmentalists. The San Joaquin initiative is in the vanguard of a new approach to locating renewable energy projects: putting them on polluted or previously used land. The Westlands project has won the backing of groups that have opposed building big solar projects in the Mojave Desert and have fought Westlands for decades over the district's water use. Landowners and regulators are on board, too. "It's about as perfect a place as you're going to find in the state of California for a solar project like this," said Carl Zichella, who until late July was the Sierra Club's Western renewable programs director. "There's virtually zero wildlife impact here because the land has been farmed continuously for such a long time and you have proximity to transmission, infrastructure and markets." Recycling contaminated or otherwise disturbed land into green energy projects could help avoid disputes when developers seek to build sprawling arrays of solar collectors and wind turbines in pristine areas, where they can affect wildlife and water supplies. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, for instance, are evaluating a dozen landfills and toxic waste sites for wind farms or solar power plants. In Arizona, the Bureau of Land Management has begun a program to repurpose landfills and abandoned mines for renewable energy. In Southern California, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has proposed building a 5,000-megawatt solar array complex, part of which would cover portions of the dry bed of Owens Lake, which was drained when the city began diverting water from the Owens Valley in 1913. Having already spent more than $500 million to control the intense dust storms that sweep off the lake, the agency hopes solar panels can hold down the dust while generating clean electricity for the utility. A small pilot project will help determine if solar panels can withstand high winds and dust. "Nothing about this is simple, but it's worth doing," Austin Beutner, the department's interim general manager, said of the pilot program. All of the projects are in early stages of development, and many obstacles remain. But the support they've garnered from landowners, regulators and environmentalists has attracted the interest of big solar developers such as SunPower and First Solar as well as utilities under pressure to meet aggressive renewable energy mandates. Those targets have become harder to reach as the sunniest undeveloped land is put off limits. Last December, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, introduced legislation to protect nearly a million acres of the Mojave Desert from renewable energy development. But the senator's bill also includes tax incentives for developers who build renewable energy projects on disturbed lands. For Westlands farmers, the promise of the solar project is not clean electricity, but the additional water allocations they will get if some land is no longer used for farming. "Westlands' water supply has been chronically short over the past 18 years, so one of the things we've tried to do to balance supply and demand is to take land out of production," said Thomas W. Birmingham, general manager of the water district, which acquired 100,000 acres and removed the land from most agricultural production. "The conversion of district-owned lands into areas that can generate electricity will help to reduce the cost of providing water to our farmers." That is one reason the solar project has the support of farmers. Circling above his 5,300 acres in a small plane recently, Mark Shannon gazed down on rows of almond and pistachio trees surrounded by brown fields. With water deliveries slashed because of drought and environmental disputes, he could plant only 20 percent of his property with irrigated crops this year. "Come hell or high water, there just is not enough water to farm this whole district," Mr. Shannon, 41, said. "If I lease my land for solar, we can farm elsewhere." That morning, representatives of the water district, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Westlands Solar Park, had gathered in a field of dry-farmed wheat on his property to talk strategy. "We're holding Westlands up as a model to utilities, regulators and solar developers on how to take pressure off undeveloped land and move projects forward," said Helen O'Shea, deputy director of the N.R.D.C.'s Western renewable energy project. Daniel Kim and Bob Dowds, the principals of Westside Holdings, the firm that has proposed the Westlands Solar Park, said the first phase of the project would consist of 9,000 acres leased from farmers. When covered in solar panels, that acreage would generate 600 to 1,000 megawatts of electricity. One megawatt is enough to power a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Westlands sits in a major transmission corridor, and existing capacity in the area could realistically accommodate up to 600 megawatts from the project, according to Mr. Dowds. Building out the solar park to 5,000 megawatts will require major upgrades to transmission lines and take more than a decade. "You're talking about billions of dollars of investment, private and public to make this really work at that scale," Mr. Dowds said. Brian McDonald, director of renewable resource development for Pacific Gas and Electric, California's largest utility, said, "Right now, Westlands is a concept we strongly support." However, he added that with such reuse projects, "the proof is in the pudding - on the surface, they tend to look simple but they realistically have a lot of hurdles to overcome to build them out." SunPower, a Silicon Valley company that is one of the nation's largest solar panel manufacturers and photovoltaic power plant developers, has had initial discussions with Westlands Solar Park officials. "I think you'll see quite a bit of solar there, and we certainly want to be a part of that," said Paul McMillan, an executive with SunPower. Dave Kranz, a spokesman for the California Farm Bureau Federation, said that solar energy might make sense for Westlands, but added in an e-mail: "We believe that farmland should be used for farming, and that productive farmland is an environmental attribute as valuable as renewable energy production." The pressure to reuse farmland for energy production is likely to accelerate, though. The federal government wants Westlands to take another 100,000 acres out of production to ameliorate salt and selenium problems. And Cadiz, a big California landowner, is considering converting more than 10,000 acres of farmland in the sun-soaked Mojave Desert for use as a solar park, according to Richard E. Stoddard, chief of the Cadiz Real Estate unit. For Mr. Shannon, whose family has farmed the land here for three generations, going solar will allow him to continue farming on property he owns on the other side of the valley. "We just want to get enough money to get the bank off our back," he said. "We would love to stay here because this is some of the best dirt in the world. But I can't farm myself out of this water problem." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/11/business/energy-environment/11solar.html?_ r=2 &adxnnl=1&ref=us&adxnnlx=1281528075-4RHIlDQ/K7dqFreCA3biTg Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Aug 13 09:28:00 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:28:00 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 6 13 10 Message-ID: <029c01cb3b04$7f5e8540$7e1b8fc0$@net> Yurok Indians exult at return of sacred cache Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer San Francisco Chronicle August 13, 2010 04:00 AM Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Friday, August 13, 2010 http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/08/13/ba-yurok13_PH2_0502087096_part6 .jpghttp://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/article/articlebox_img_bg.gif Courtesy / Yurok Tribe Rebecca James (right) discusses Yurok baskets with research specialist Cara Fama at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. Images Rebecca James (right) discusses Yurok baskets with resear... Ornately decorated condor feathers are part of the sacred... http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Images * NJ's Lautenberg to hold fundraiser with Lady Gaga 08.13.10 The Smithsonian Institution has returned a trove of precious artifacts to the Yurok Indians in California in what is one of the largest repatriations of Native American ceremonial artifacts in U.S. history. The Yurok, who have lived for centuries along California's Klamath River , received 217 sacred items that had been stored on museum shelves for nearly 100 years. The necklaces, headdresses, arrows, hides and other regalia from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian are believed to be hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. "It's awesome. It's a big thing with our people," said Thomas O'Rourke, chairman of the Yurok, a tribe that lived next to the Klamath River in far Northern California for 10,000 years before Europeans arrived. "These are our prayer items. They are not only symbols, but their spirit stays with them. They are alive. Bringing them home is like bringing home prisoners of war." To celebrate the return of the items, the Yurok will hold a Kwom-Shlen-ik, or "Object Coming Back," ceremony today in the town of Klamath. The returned artifacts were sold to the museum in the 1920s by Grace Nicholson, a renowned collector of Indian art, who owned a curio shop in Pasadena in the early 20th century. Ceremonial Indian regalia was in vogue among wealthy Americans at the time. The sacred cache is part of an ongoing effort around the country to return Native American burial artifacts, ceremonial items and remains taken by white settlers from Indian villages and indigenous sites. Repatriating belongings The 1989 National Museum of the American Indian Act transferred stewardship of more than 800,000 Indian artifacts to the Smithsonian and required the institute to consider repatriating them to federally recognized tribes. Among the items claimed by the Yurok were finely woven baskets, wolf headdresses, eagle and California condor feathers, head rolls made from pileated woodpecker scalps, white deer skins, obsidian blades and flint, all of which have been used for centuries in sacred rituals and dances. "If we were to study or use scientific methods for testing we could probably come up with some rough dates, but generally they are made of materials that aren't readily available anymore," said Buffy McQuillen, the repatriation coordinator for the Yurok. Many of the items, for instance, are woven together using fibers from iris, a local plant that is now rare in the area. Also difficult, if not impossible, to find today are woodpecker scalps, condor feathers and white deer skin, apparently from rare albino-type deer, McQuillen said. "They are definitely old," she said. "They were acquired in the early 1900s, but they were in use and practice many years before that." O'Rourke said the items will be used beginning Aug. 27 in the tribe's White Deerskin Dance, a ceremony designed to give thanks for what nature has provided to the people. They will also be used starting Sept. 24 in the Jump Dance, another traditional ceremony that asks the creator for balance and renewal. The dancers perform nine abreast in full regalia for 10 days, primarily inside a traditional redwood plank house. "We are getting (the returned items) ready to dance. They are going to work," O'Rourke said. "It's been a long time since they've heard their native voices and native songs." Largest tribe The Yurok is the largest tribe in California, with 5,600 members. O'Rourke said most of the tribe members live within 50 miles of the reservation, which encompasses 57,000 acres, including 44 miles of the Klamath. At one time there were more than 50 villages in the tribe's ancestral territory, which covered about 500,000 acres and 50 miles of coastline. The Yurok, who called themselves Oohl, or Indian people, were renowned for fishing, canoe making, basket weaving, story telling and dancing. The Yurok were first visited by the Spanish in the 1500s and later by American fur traders and trappers, including Jedediah Smith, who raved about the abundant wildlife in the area. In 1850, gold miners moved in, bringing with them disease and violence. The Yurok population declined by 75 percent, and the remaining Indians were forcibly relocated to a reservation in 1855. Javier Kinney, a tribal leader who was one of four Yurok selected to go to Washington, D.C., to pick up the ceremonial regalia, said the returned items signify a new beginning. "Our responsibilities are to preserve our culture, our language and our religious beliefs not only for us, but for our children and their children," Kinney said. "This signifies a new day for the Yurok. We're not a people of the past that are only in history books." The returned items make up 30 percent of the National Museum's Yurok holdings. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/08/13/MN0O1ET3EI.DT L#ixzz0wVIoNZVW Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image005.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Aug 13 09:38:55 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:38:55 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Trapping Data Message-ID: <02d201cb3b06$06b1f6c0$1415e440$@net> To interested folks, Attached is a spreadsheet with the latest trapping totals at our Junction City weir (JCW) site. Trapping at Willow Creek will start late next week and the hatchery will commence operations in early September. If you have any questions please respond to this email. Regards, Wade Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weir&TRH_summary10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 82432 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Aug 13 10:35:31 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:35:31 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Trapping Data Message-ID: <001701cb3b0d$eeb2cce0$cc1866a0$@net> There's been some confusion - go to JC Weir at the bottom of the Excel attachment to see current trapping data. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sari at sisqtel.net Fri Aug 13 15:59:12 2010 From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom) Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:59:12 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] CBB: 'La Nina' Now Reigns PNW Weather; Colder Ocean Should Be Boost To Basin Salmon Survival Message-ID: <20100813225924.6D2DC1024FCA@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> 'La Nina' Now Reigns PNW Weather; Colder Ocean Should Be Boost To Basin Salmon Survival An already chilled northeast Pacific Ocean and rapidly cooling equatorial sea surface temperatures likely bode well for Columbia River basin salmonids that start and end their lives in freshwater but spend most of their lives at sea. The late winter and early spring saw a fading of "El Nino" conditions -- elevated sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific -- that had prevailed over the fall and winter. El Nino conditions can affect climatic conditions worldwide as well as ocean conditions outside the equatorial zone. El Nino's presence tilts the odds toward warmer and drier conditions in the Pacific Northwest during the fall and winter. The reverse is true when La Nina conditions reign. And they do now reign, according to meteorologists. "During July 2010 La Nina conditions developed, as negative sea surface temperature anomalies strengthened across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean," according to an ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation) alert issued Aug. 5 by the National Weather Service's Climate Predictions Center. All indicators in the Pacific Ocean show that we are now in the early stages of a La Ni?a event. Computer models predict the central Pacific will continue to cool in coming months, indicating some further strengthening of the event is likely, according to the Aug. 4 ENSO Wrapup produced by the Australian government's Bureau of Meteorology. "Signs of an emerging La Ni?a event have been apparent in the equatorial Pacific for several months," the Australian agency says. "Pacific Ocean temperatures have cooled steadily throughout the year, the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) has increased in value and is currently around +21, trade winds continue to be stronger than average and cloudiness has remained suppressed over the central Pacific. All of these key indicators have now reached or exceed La Ni?a levels." "Given the strong cooling observed over the last several months and the apparent ocean-atmosphere coupling (positive feedback), the dynamical model outcome of a moderate-to-strong episode is favored at this time," the CPC alert says. "Therefore, La Ni?a conditions are expected to strengthen and last through Northern Hemisphere Winter 2010-11." "All indications are that surface and subsurface water is cooling" to establish La Nina conditions, said Kyle Dittmer, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission meteorologist. "All signs of El Nino have gone away." The signs of El Nino began eroding in March and La Nina signs have been growing since May to the point this month of an official CPC declaration. "La Nina conditions are likely to continue through early 2011," the CPC says. Coincidentally, or maybe not, water temperatures off the coasts of Washington and Oregon turned very cold this late spring and summer. And the upwelling of nutrients that feed plankton that feed young fish began, though belatedly, in early July in strength. The upwelling can begin as early as April. "It's looking pretty vigorous," Dittmer said of the upwelling indices. NOAA Fisheries oceanographer Bill Peterson said that during a mid-July data collection cruise out of Newport, Ore., surface water near-shore (1 mile from shore) was the coldest ever measured over 15-year course of an ongoing ocean indicators study and the deep water at the study's five mile station was the fourth coldest in 15 years. Both are very positive indicators for fish, he said. The researchers sample the coastal waters off Newport at biweekly intervals during the ocean upwelling season in spring, summer, and fall. The Northwest Fisheries Science Center crew samples various physical ocean conditions, such as temperature and salinity, as well as biological conditions such as the productivity of the food web and availability of food for salmon. "The ocean's very cold. Typically that's been very good for the food web," said Nathan Mantua, an atmospheric research scientist at the University of Washington and co-director for the school's Center for Science in the Earth System. "Survival for chinook and coho tends to be very high when conditions are like this," Mantua said. He said that the cooled coastal ocean is probably not La Nina linked but more likely the result of winds and other atmospheric phenomenon. It does give the ocean that welcomes young Columbia River salmon outmigrants a head start. A cool northeast Pacific is, eventually, a consistent end product of El Nino. So an early start means those favorable conditions for a longer period. The fact that the northeast ocean is already chilled and the negative (cool) sea surface anomalies at the equator show a continued strengthening "give us some confidence that that these conditions will persist into next summer," Mantua said. The CPC says that the earliest that the Northwest can expect to experience impacts from the newly developed La Nina is this fall. The center's October-December long-range forecast is for a greater than 33 percent chance of above normal precipitation throughout the region, with the chances of the same exceeding 40 percent in north and central Idaho, western and northern Oregon, and all of Washington state. The temperature forecast for that period is for equal chances of below, near, and above normal weather in the region. A wet winter would mean that an ample snowpack would build in the mountains that ring the Northwest and its Columbia River basin. That stored water is a precious resource for fish, hydro producers, irrigators and other. A big snow would be particularly valuable following an El Nino year. The Columbia River basin's water supply for the April-September period, as measured at The Dalles Dam, is only 79 percent of normal, according to the Northwest River Forecast Center's July 8 final forecast. Bonneville Power Administration meteorologist Chris Karafotias says that the transition from El Nino to La Nino was likely responsible for this spring's surge of moisture and cool weather in the Northwest, which was followed by a brief heat wave. The flip-flopping of weather patterns will continue to make seemingly unpredictable weather more common, at least through next winter, he said "We see this kind of weather pattern about one every 10 years," Karafotias said. "This summer has also been reminiscent of what we've seen before with a transition between El Nino to La Nina. It typically causes cooler than average temperatures in western Oregon and Washington through October, with the exception of September, which should be warmer than normal. So far, this is playing out as we expected." Karafotias also expects some wild weather this fall. "I expect at least two significant weather events as the pattern continues to shift further into La Nina," he said. "I think we'll have a wind storm into the Willamette Valley this fall or early winter, and, if history repeats itself, the wind velocity would exceed 100 miles per hour at the coast. We could also see western Oregon and Washington flooding, based on what has happened in the past with this type of weather pattern." ----------------------------- THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN: Weekly Fish and Wildlife News www.cbbulletin.com August 13, 2010 Issue No. 541 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Sun Aug 15 09:30:10 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:30:10 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Smithsonian returns sacred artifacts to Yuroks Message-ID: Yurok Indians exult at return of sacred cache Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, August 13, 2010 http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/13/MN0O1ET3EI.DTL The Smithsonian Institution has returned a trove of precious artifacts to the Yurok Indians in California in what is one of the largest repatriations of Native American ceremonial artifacts in U.S. history. The Yurok, who have lived for centuries along California's Klamath River, received 217 sacred items that had been stored on museum shelves for nearly 100 years. The necklaces, headdresses, arrows, hides and other regalia from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian are believed to be hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. "It's awesome. It's a big thing with our people," said Thomas O'Rourke, chairman of the Yurok, a tribe that lived next to the Klamath River in far Northern California for 10,000 years before Europeans arrived. "These are our prayer items. They are not only symbols, but their spirit stays with them. They are alive. Bringing them home is like bringing home prisoners of war." To celebrate the return of the items, the Yurok will hold a Kwom-Shlen-ik, or "Object Coming Back," ceremony today in the town of Klamath. The returned artifacts were sold to the museum in the 1920s by Grace Nicholson, a renowned collector of Indian art, who owned a curio shop in Pasadena in the early 20th century. Ceremonial Indian regalia was in vogue among wealthy Americans at the time. The sacred cache is part of an ongoing effort around the country to return Native American burial artifacts, ceremonial items and remains taken by white settlers from Indian villages and indigenous sites. Repatriating belongings The 1989 National Museum of the American Indian Act transferred stewardship of more than 800,000 Indian artifacts to the Smithsonian and required the institute to consider repatriating them to federally recognized tribes. Among the items claimed by the Yurok were finely woven baskets, wolf headdresses, eagle and California condor feathers, head rolls made from pileated woodpecker scalps, white deer skins, obsidian blades and flint, all of which have been used for centuries in sacred rituals and dances. "If we were to study or use scientific methods for testing we could probably come up with some rough dates, but generally they are made of materials that aren't readily available anymore," said Buffy McQuillen, the repatriation coordinator for the Yurok. Many of the items, for instance, are woven together using fibers from iris, a local plant that is now rare in the area. Also difficult, if not impossible, to find today are woodpecker scalps, condor feathers and white deer skin, apparently from rare albino-type deer, McQuillen said. "They are definitely old," she said. "They were acquired in the early 1900s, but they were in use and practice many years before that." O'Rourke said the items will be used beginning Aug. 27 in the tribe's White Deerskin Dance, a ceremony designed to give thanks for what nature has provided to the people. They will also be used starting Sept. 24 in the Jump Dance, another traditional ceremony that asks the creator for balance and renewal. The dancers perform nine abreast in full regalia for 10 days, primarily inside a traditional redwood plank house. "We are getting (the returned items) ready to dance. They are going to work," O'Rourke said. "It's been a long time since they've heard their native voices and native songs." Largest tribe The Yurok is the largest tribe in California, with 5,600 members. O'Rourke said most of the tribe members live within 50 miles of the reservation, which encompasses 57,000 acres, including 44 miles of the Klamath. At one time there were more than 50 villages in the tribe's ancestral territory, which covered about 500,000 acres and 50 miles of coastline. The Yurok, who called themselves Oohl, or Indian people, were renowned for fishing, canoe making, basket weaving, story telling and dancing. The Yurok were first visited by the Spanish in the 1500s and later by American fur traders and trappers, including Jedediah Smith, who raved about the abundant wildlife in the area. In 1850, gold miners moved in, bringing with them disease and violence. The Yurok population declined by 75 percent, and the remaining Indians were forcibly relocated to a reservation in 1855. Javier Kinney, a tribal leader who was one of four Yurok selected to go to Washington, D.C., to pick up the ceremonial regalia, said the returned items signify a new beginning. "Our responsibilities are to preserve our culture, our language and our religious beliefs not only for us, but for our children and their children," Kinney said. "This signifies a new day for the Yurok. We're not a people of the past that are only in history books." The returned items make up 30 percent of the National Museum's Yurok holdings. E-mail Peter Fimrite at pfimrite at sfchronicle.com. This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle Posted by Margie Whitnah ---------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 4997 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 5366 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kierassociates at suddenlink.net Tue Aug 17 09:25:18 2010 From: kierassociates at suddenlink.net (Kier Associates) Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:25:18 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Board narrowly approves water plan applicants In-Reply-To: <20100813225924.6D2DC1024FCA@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> References: <20100813225924.6D2DC1024FCA@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> Message-ID: <20100817162528.KRKT29831.omta02.suddenlink.net@kier.suddenlink.net> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Aug 17 09:26:05 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:26:05 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times-Standard 8-17-10 Message-ID: <01fb01cb3e28$e5c04c70$b140e550$@net> Feds find Klamath reservoir muck nontoxic; determination key to efforts to remove four Klamath River dams Eureka Times-Standard-8/17/10 By John Driscoll Federal scientists have confirmed a California agency's findings that the sediment trapped behind four Klamath River dams is largely uncontaminated, a critical determination if the removal of those dams is to go forward. The U.S. Interior Department's preliminary review of the muck behind the dams found that there would be no human health risk due to contact with the sediment if it were to be released downstream when the dams are razed. PCBs, trace metals and dioxins were found only at low levels, according to data in the report. The findings confirm a 2006 California Coastal Conservancy study that found the 11.5 to 15.3 million cubic yards of sediment behind the dams is mostly very fine, organic material that had low levels of contamination. "As far as I'm concerned it's good news for people, the environment and everybody," said U.S. Geological Survey Program Manager Dennis Lynch, who is heading up the effort to collect information that will inform the U.S. interior secretary on whether removing the dams is in the public interest. Had the sediment been found to be heavily contaminated, it almost certainly would have doomed efforts to remove the dams. A project that would have drained reservoirs and dredged out toxic mud for shipping to a certified landfill is believed to be far too costly. The federal study also looked at the composition of sediment in the Klamath River estuary, and found that it is markedly different from that in the reservoirs. Lynch said the downstream samples found sand and other coarse material that suggests the river will quickly flush fine sediments released during dam decommissioning. The removal of the dams is expected to cost up to $450 million, paid for through rate increases to dam owner Pacificorp's customers and a California bond measure. California's share of the money was in a water bond set to come before voters in November, but was delayed due to a lack of support in the polls. It is expected to go back on the ballot in 2012, the year the interior secretary is supposed to make a determination. In the meantime, parties that signed agreements to tear out the dams and embark on a $1 billion environmental restoration plan for the Klamath River have not yet come to agreement on how the legislation to implement those agreements should be crafted. With only 10 years to begin the largest dam removal project in history, some have voiced concern that the effort could become mired in bureaucracy. California Coastal Conservancy Program Manager Michael Bowen said the state's 2006 study was the result of some five years and $1 million. He said that he's seen other dam removal efforts get bogged down in redundant processes, and that coastal salmon populations don't have time to wait. "I hope to see the Klamath dams removed in my lifetime and in time to save our salmon," Bowen said. "The sooner the validation of basic facts and engineering begins, the better." Lynch said that while the state study was valuable, the federal effort to study the sediment was launched both to back up those findings and to expand on them. Such a critical issue was deserving of a closer and more extensive look, Lynch said. Karuk Tribe Klamath Campaign Coordinator Craig Tucker said that removal of the dams is also likely to get rid of toxic algae that occurs in the reservoirs each summer. "Getting rid of these dams will actually solve toxin problems by alleviating the massive blooms of toxic algae," Tucker said. The study will be included along with others in an environmental impact statement analyzing the potential effects of dam removal. That document is scheduled to be out next year. http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_15802959 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Aug 17 09:30:13 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:30:13 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Dan Bacher Action Alert Message-ID: <020001cb3e29$790f7af0$6b2e70d0$@net> Dan Bacher August 17, 2010 Action Alert: Call Wesley Chesbro in Support of MLPA Delay/Sign Tribal Rights Petition! If you haven't done so already, I strongly urge you to call Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro's office TODAY to show support for his request for a six-month delay in the implementation of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Imitative on the North Coast. Chesbro recently asked Resources Secretary Lester Snow for the delay to ensure that environmental protection is balanced with traditional access rights. All you need to do is give your name and city and say that you support the six-month delay. Supporters of the Governor's fast-track MLPA process are trying to pressure Chesbro to back down on his request, so we need to show Chesbro that there is overwhelming support for his request. The letters and phone calls from fishermen and their allies really helped make the difference in pressuring the Legislature to not confirm Don Benninghoven, a Schwarzenegger appointee, as a Fish and Game Commissioner. We can have the same impact here if EVERYBODY who reads this alert calls Chesbro's office today! Here are his contact numbers: Capitol Office: State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0001 Tel: (916) 319-2001 Fax: (916) 319-2101 District Offices Humboldt: (Also represents Del Norte and Trinity Counties.) 710 E Street, Suite 150 Eureka, CA 95501 Tel: (707) 445-7014 Fax: (707) 445-6607 Mendocino & Lake: 311 N. State Street Ukiah, CA 95482 Tel: (707) 463-5770 Fax: (707) 463-5773 Sonoma: 50 "D" Street, Suite 450 Santa Rosa, CA 95404 Tel: (707) 576-2526 Fax: (707) 576-2297 If you are in his district, you can email him by going to http://legplcms01.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ContactPopup.aspx?district=AD01& Please take a few minutes to let him know how you feel about delaying the implementation of the MLPA. Second, I strongly I urge everybody to sign this petition to the State of California to acknowledge and include Tribal traditional uses within state regulations for marine protected areas of the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative. Go to the Inter-Tribal Water Commission of California website: http://www.itwatercommission.org. There is a link at the bottom of the posting that goes to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/protect-traditional-lifeways-in-the-marine- life-protection-act/ Below is my article about Chesbro's request for a six-month extension of the North Coast MLPA process. Dan Bacher Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Aug 17 16:56:11 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:56:11 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times 8-18-10 Message-ID: <024a01cb3e67$c6338590$529a90b0$@net> latimes.com Something's not right about this California water deal A lawsuit by water agencies and environmental groups contends the Kern Water Bank transaction was essentially a gift of public property to private interests and therefore violates the state constitution. Michael Hiltzik August 18, 2010 http://view.atdmt.com/CNT/view/247809396/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/6028201http ://view.atdmt.com/CNT/view/247809396/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/6028201 Students of California's history of gold and oil rushes know it's filled with examples of profiteering, conspiracy, influence-peddling and other chicanery. So there's no reason the story should be any different with that liquid gold of the 21st century, water. That's the theme of a lawsuit filed a few weeks ago alleging there's something smelly about how a group of private interests - notably a huge agribusiness owned by the wealthy Southern California couple Stewart and Lynda Resnick - got control of an underground water storage project the state had already spent $75 million to develop. The lawsuit was filed by a group of water agencies and environmental groups contending that the transaction was essentially a gift of public property to private interests and therefore violates the state constitution. They're asking a judge to reverse the deal. That way, they contend, the storage facility can be integrated into the state's water management plan, so a precious and dwindling natural resource can serve everyone in the state, not just a few powerful farm companies and real estate developers. "By giving this resource away, not only have we lost money on the deal, but we've lost a mechanism to use this water for the most beneficial purposes," Adam Keats of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, the lead attorney on the lawsuit, told me recently. The storage facility is the Kern Water Bank, a complex of wells, pumps and pipelines on a 20,000-acre parcel of abandoned farmland southwest of Bakersfield. The water bank was initially part of the $1.75-billion bond-funded State Water Project, which provides water for 25 million Californians and irrigates 750,000 acres. For reasons that still seem murky, in 1995 the state gave up on the bank and turned it over to Kern County water authorities. They promptly ceded it to a local consortium of public and private entities, the largest of which was Westside Mutual Water Co. The lawsuit observes that Westside is a subsidiary of the Resnick-owned Paramount Farms, the largest grower and processor of pistachios and almonds in the world. Paramount and the other users pay for the water put into the bank, but the storage capacity assures a steady irrigation supply even in dry years. Paramount acknowledges that without the water bank, it probably wouldn't have planted the nut trees, which can't survive without regular watering. The second-biggest player in the water bank is Tejon Ranch Co., which is planning a 26,000-acre resort community in the nearby Tehachapi Mountains. What did the state get for the bank in 1995? The buyers gave up the right to 45,000 acre-feet of water annually from the State Water Project, an entitlement some value at $30 million. But the lawsuit says that in real terms, the state got almost nothing. The water, it contends, was "paper water," a phantom allocation from a portion of the State Water Project that will never be built and therefore has no value. In fact, the lawsuit says, because the annual fees paid to the State Water Project by the bank's owners had been partially based on the allocation, they actually saved money by giving up the rights. (One acre-foot of water is about 326,000 gallons, or a year's supply for two families of four.) Officers of the Kern Water Bank say the lawsuit is simply a case of sour grapes, and note that the new owners have invested more than $30 million to turn the state's pipe dream into reality. "This wasn't perceived to be a gift at the time," says William D. Phillimore, chairman of the Kern Water Bank Authority, chairman of Westside Mutual Water Co., and executive vice president of Paramount Farms. "It was considered a fairly risky proposition." Westside and the other new owners overcame bureaucratic roadblocks that had flummoxed the state, he says. They completed the design, installed all the necessary equipment and maintain the facility today. "This is something that people paid for 15 years ago, and because of the money they've invested it's perceived at the moment to be a relative success. I don't think any of the participants would look kindly at someone saying it should not have happened." Now we come to the direct beneficiaries of the deal. The owner of Paramount and the Westside water company is Roll International Corp., one of America's largest private companies. It's owed by the multimillionaire Resnicks. You may know Roll better as the former owner of the collectibles firm Franklin Mint and as the purveyor today of Fiji Water. That's the paragon of conspicuous consumption marketed on the theme that it's socially responsible to import your bottled drinking water from an idyllic Pacific island where only about half the population has access to protected water sources, and where the government is a military junta whose disdain for civil liberties wouldn't raise eyebrows at a conference of Mideast oil sheikdoms. The Resnicks hang with green activists such as Barbra Streisand and Laurie David, so no one examines their marketing too closely. Roll International hasn't played an entirely positive role on water issues in the Central Valley. Back in September, Stewart Resnick insinuated himself into the question of whether the severe drought in the region should be blamed on environmental restrictions designed to help revive fisheries and river habitats. This fatuous fish-vs.-people controversy had been ginned up with the help of experts like TV commentator Sean Hannity and Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks), whose goal was to pin the drought not on Mother Nature but on the "environmental left." In a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Resnick accused federal agencies of "sloppy science" in imposing those restrictions. He demanded a new scientific study. Feinstein, possibly aware that Resnick and his wife had made political donations of nearly $500,000 over the previous four years, mostly to Democrats, calculated how high she needed to jump. She pushed the government to fund a study by the National Academy of Sciences, which as it turned out reported in March that the restrictions were, indeed, "scientifically justified." Phillimore, the Paramount executive, says that "the water bank enabled us to plant permanent crops," because Paramount knew it could water its trees even in droughts. That sounds like an acknowledgement that the water bank has encouraged business decisions that wouldn't otherwise be smart for a semiarid region. As water becomes even more precious, it will soon be obvious that such usage isn't smart under any circumstances. If one is forced to choose between devoting water to sustaining nut trees permanently in a near-desert, or finding the most efficient use for it among all possible options, what would be the right way to go - that is, if the choice weren't already made via an ill-considered decision now 15 years old? Michael Hiltzik's column appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Reach him at mhiltzik at latimes.com, read past columns at latimes.com/hiltzik, check out facebook.com/hiltzik, and follow @latimeshiltzik on Twitter. Copyright C 2010, Los Angeles Times Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 42 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Aug 19 15:01:32 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:01:32 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] LA Times 8 18 10 Message-ID: <034b01cb3fea$16da6620$448f3260$@net> Something's not right about this California water deal L.A. Times-8/18/10 By Michael Hiltzik Commentary Students of California's history of gold and oil rushes know it's filled with examples of profiteering, conspiracy, influence-peddling and other chicanery. So there's no reason the story should be any different with that liquid gold of the 21st century, water. That's the theme of a lawsuit filed a few weeks ago alleging there's something smelly about how a group of private interests - notably a huge agribusiness owned by the wealthy Southern California couple Stewart and Lynda Resnick - got control of an underground water storage project the state had already spent $75 million to develop. The lawsuit was filed by a group of water agencies and environmental groups contending that the transaction was essentially a gift of public property to private interests and therefore violates the state constitution. They're asking a judge to reverse the deal. That way, they contend, the storage facility can be integrated into the state's water management plan, so a precious and dwindling natural resource can serve everyone in the state, not just a few powerful farm companies and real estate developers. "By giving this resource away, not only have we lost money on the deal, but we've lost a mechanism to use this water for the most beneficial purposes," Adam Keats of the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, the lead attorney on the lawsuit, told me recently. The storage facility is the Kern Water Bank, a complex of wells, pumps and pipelines on a 20,000-acre parcel of abandoned farmland southwest of Bakersfield. The water bank was initially part of the $1.75-billion bond-funded State Water Project, which provides water for 25 million Californians and irrigates 750,000 acres. For reasons that still seem murky, in 1995 the state gave up on the bank and turned it over to Kern County water authorities. They promptly ceded it to a local consortium of public and private entities, the largest of which was Westside Mutual Water Co. The lawsuit observes that Westside is a subsidiary of the Resnick-owned Paramount Farms, the largest grower and processor of pistachios and almonds in the world. Paramount and the other users pay for the water put into the bank, but the storage capacity assures a steady irrigation supply even in dry years. Paramount acknowledges that without the water bank, it probably wouldn't have planted the nut trees, which can't survive without regular watering. The second-biggest player in the water bank is Tejon Ranch Co., which is planning a 26,000-acre resort community in the nearby Tehachapi Mountains. What did the state get for the bank in 1995? The buyers gave up the right to 45,000 acre-feet of water annually from the State Water Project, an entitlement some value at $30 million. But the lawsuit says that in real terms, the state got almost nothing. The water, it contends, was "paper water," a phantom allocation from a portion of the State Water Project that will never be built and therefore has no value. In fact, the lawsuit says, because the annual fees paid to the State Water Project by the bank's owners had been partially based on the allocation, they actually saved money by giving up the rights. (One acre-foot of water is about 326,000 gallons, or a year's supply for two families of four.) Officers of the Kern Water Bank say the lawsuit is simply a case of sour grapes, and note that the new owners have invested more than $30 million to turn the state's pipe dream into reality. "This wasn't perceived to be a gift at the time," says William D. Phillimore, chairman of the Kern Water Bank Authority, chairman of Westside Mutual Water Co., and executive vice president of Paramount Farms. "It was considered a fairly risky proposition." Westside and the other new owners overcame bureaucratic roadblocks that had flummoxed the state, he says. They completed the design, installed all the necessary equipment and maintain the facility today. "This is something that people paid for 15 years ago, and because of the money they've invested it's perceived at the moment to be a relative success. I don't think any of the participants would look kindly at someone saying it should not have happened." Now we come to the direct beneficiaries of the deal. The owner of Paramount and the Westside water company is Roll International Corp., one of America's largest private companies. It's owed by the multimillionaire Resnicks. You may know Roll better as the former owner of the collectibles firm Franklin Mint and as the purveyor today of Fiji Water. That's the paragon of conspicuous consumption marketed on the theme that it's socially responsible to import your bottled drinking water from an idyllic Pacific island where only about half the population has access to protected water sources, and where the government is a military junta whose disdain for civil liberties wouldn't raise eyebrows at a conference of Mideast oil sheikdoms. The Resnicks hang with green activists such as Barbra Streisand and Laurie David, so no one examines their marketing too closely. Roll International hasn't played an entirely positive role on water issues in the Central Valley. Back in September, Stewart Resnick insinuated himself into the question of whether the severe drought in the region should be blamed on environmental restrictions designed to help revive fisheries and river habitats. This fatuous fish-vs.-people controversy had been ginned up with the help of experts like TV commentator Sean Hannity and Rep. Tom McClintock (R- Thousand Oaks), whose goal was to pin the drought not on Mother Nature but on the "environmental left." In a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Resnick accused federal agencies of "sloppy science" in imposing those restrictions. He demanded a new scientific study. Feinstein, possibly aware that Resnick and his wife had made political donations of nearly $500,000 over the previous four years, mostly to Democrats, calculated how high she needed to jump. She pushed the government to fund a study by the National Academy of Sciences, which as it turned out reported in March that the restrictions were, indeed, "scientifically justified." Phillimore, the Paramount executive, says that "the water bank enabled us to plant permanent crops," because Paramount knew it could water its trees even in droughts. That sounds like an acknowledgement that the water bank has encouraged business decisions that wouldn't otherwise be smart for a semiarid region. As water becomes even more precious, it will soon be obvious that such usage isn't smart under any circumstances. If one is forced to choose between devoting water to sustaining nut trees permanently in a near-desert, or finding the most efficient use for it among all possible options, what would be the right way to go - that is, if the choice weren't already made via an ill-considered decision now 15 years old?# Michael Hiltzik's column appears Sundays and Wednesdays. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20100818-1,0,381499.column Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Aug 19 15:02:20 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:02:20 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Cynthia Koehler SF Chron 8 18 10 Message-ID: <035001cb3fea$3376c530$9a644f90$@net> Science finds exports are harming delta S.F. Chronicle-8/18/10 By Cynthia Koehler Opinion For decades, efforts to fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta were stymied by arguments over whether we need to allow more freshwater to flow through the estuary to alleviate an ecological crisis. The State Water Resources Control Board has now effectively ended this debate. Recently, the board released a report concluding that the amount of water being taken from the delta - about 50 percent of what would naturally flow through it - isn't leaving enough for fish like Chinook salmon. The board found substantially greater flows are needed to preserve the health of the delta estuary - about 75 percent of natural or "unimpaired" flows for about half of the year. When the Legislature called for this report, it directed the board to make flow determinations based on the best available science. The report is a comprehensive review of the health and flow needs of the largest and most important estuary on the West Coast. The downward spiral of salmon fisheries and other resources of the delta is well known, but until this report was released, the debate about whether flows were partly responsible was unresolved. The water board has performed a critical public service in moving the debate to the next level. Other factors such as restoration of habitat, toxic discharges and invasive species also affect the health of the estuary and must be addressed. But one thing is now beyond question: The science confirms that we have fallen out of balance in managing the delta, and future solutions can no longer sidestep the key issue of freshwater flows. Restoring those flows is not the only answer to the estuary's woes, but there is no answer at all without them. The board's work, while important, is not the end of the story. Any long-term solution must provide reliable water supplies for people while protecting salmon and other native fish and the ecological health of the delta. But any balancing of competing interests requires first knowing what both interests need. Water users' demands have long been made clear. The board has now provided the other bookend: the flow needs of the ecosystem. Ahead of us lies the hard work of reconciling what the science tells us about the estuary's needs with how we manage our water supplies. Critics will insist that the board's work can be dismissed because the science is "uncertain." This is a red herring. Public policy is regularly made based on science and information that is not 100 percent certain. Science cannot say with complete certainty that tobacco smoke causes cancer, but that hasn't stopped government authorities from taking action. We now have overwhelming scientific evidence showing that better water flows are essential to restoring the health of the bay-delta. We know for certain that the estuary is dying, that salmon are near extinction and that fishermen are in deep distress. Fortunately, there are ways to balance the water needs of fish, farms and families. Thanks to the water board, we now have the information we need to start bringing balance back to the system.# Cynthia Koehler is a senior attorney and California water legislative director of Environmental Defense Fund in San Francisco. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/18/ED651EURVR.DTL Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Aug 19 15:03:05 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:03:05 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Laura Moon King SF Chron 8-18-10 Message-ID: <035501cb3fea$52e1fbb0$f8a5f310$@net> Water report offers estimate, misses real effect S.F. Chronicle-8/18/10 By Laura King Moon Opinion The State Water Board's recent report suggesting that much of Northern California's water supply should be redirected to benefit fish underscores the importance of addressing the ecological crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. But as the State Water Board itself cautioned, this report does not explain how to restore the delta ecosystem while meeting human water needs, nor how much water fish need if other factors affecting the ecosystem are addressed. Today's delta is nothing like that before the Gold Rush. Levees have eliminated 95 percent of the estuary's original wetlands. Non-native species now comprise 95 percent of the delta's living plants and species. Food supplies for fish are a fraction of those in other estuaries because of rock-walled levees and the lack of suitable habitat. Pushing more water through the barren delta channels will not make for a better ecosystem. When the State Water Board released this non-binding report to consider new flow criteria for fish, it cautioned against misuse of the information because of the limited focus of the analysis. The report explicitly does not consider, for example, the competing needs of different types of fish, such as how depleting reservoirs upstream of the delta could endanger salmon in the rivers during dry years. The report also does not address how flow needs would be affected by pollution reduction or creation of new marsh and floodplain habitat. Because scientists don't know exactly how much water is needed to restore fish populations, the report uses a simplistic assumption that flows should be restored to patterns that existed in the 1920s, and does not consider how restoring flows to this level would affect 25 million Californians and millions of acres of agriculture that rely on supplies from the watershed. The draft report provided estimates of the water supply impacts in an appendix, showing that water users up and down the state would have their current supplies reduced by as much as 67 percent. The final report does not include the appendix, and more careful analysis is needed. But our preliminary analysis suggests tremendous hardship for many water districts throughout the state, including the Bay Area, where more than 70 percent of supplies comes from somewhere in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed. The delta needs a more thorough and balanced solution, based on hard facts about real-world impacts and the best available science. Necessary elements will include more habitat, less pollution and a better water-conveyance system that can separate the movement of water supplies from the natural movements of the tidal estuary. Water districts, environmentalists and federal and state agencies are seeking such a balanced approach through the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Within this comprehensive plan, flows represent one important piece of a much larger challenge to put the delta on a path to sustainability.# Laura King Moon is the assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/18/ED651EUV1G.DTL Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Aug 20 12:43:36 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:43:36 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Count Message-ID: <000b01cb409f$fc515f00$f4f41d00$@net> Folks, Attached is the most recent summary for our Junction City weir operation. Willow Creek weir was installed yesterday, trapping totals will be included for that site next week. Trinity River Hatchery will begin operations in early September. Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weirTRH_summary 8 19 10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 59904 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Aug 20 13:24:33 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:24:33 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] NewsReview 8 19 10 Message-ID: <003c01cb40a5$b6117510$22345f30$@net> cid:3365152799_1289424 ILLUSTRATION BY CHAD CROWE Water grab Proposition 18's off the ballot, but the governor's stealth water plan moves forward By Burt Wilson In a surprise announcement at the end of June, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that he had asked the state Legislature to yank his coveted water bond, Proposition 18, off the November ballot and reposition it for the 2012 elections. Last week, the Legislature gave him exactly what he wanted. If this leaves you wondering why the governor would abandon the bill he thought would be his greatest gubernatorial victory-a wholesale revision of the California Water Plan-you're not alone. Such a massive revision was supposed to be Arnold's supreme political legacy. Was it really too costly in this era of debt and deficits? Was the presence of too much pork a reason to kill it? Did the governor fear it would be rejected at the polls and cost him some prestige? No, no and no again. I believe the water bond was pulled because the governor figured out a better way to get a through-Delta-water conveyance system that would do the job the water bill was designed to do, but without all the water bill headaches! In short, here is the outline of Arnold's secret plan to raid Northern California water and send it south. Most Californians never did understand the water bond completely, because it was so disingenuously promoted to the public. The deception began with the formation of the governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force Delta Vision Committee in 2006, which defined and framed the issue as establishing what the group conceived as "co-equal goals" to "restore the Delta ecosystem" and "maintain a reliable water supply." It was hard for anyone to argue with that. To the casual observer, these co-equal goals seemed to be a harbinger of good water policy in the works, but far from being co-equal, the dual goals were actually mutually exclusive. In fact, the goals cancel each other out because taking more water from the Delta-to "maintain a reliable water supply" was meant for the entire state! And any more water sent to Southern California would destroy the ecosystem, not save it. Was the committee really just about creating a smoke screen for a water grab? The answer lies in the machinations of that great hidden force in California politics, the California Business Roundtable. The roundtable foresees a population growth of 20 million new people for California in the next 20 years. Where will they go? Most of them will end up in Southern California. The CBR and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a major force in the political maneuvering for more water, envision this gigantic influx of people to be a boon to future economic development in the southland. But only if they can get more water. The MWD lost its Colorado River water allotment in 2003 and, ever since, has been looking to the north to supply it with more of California's liquid gold. Long known for its water grab in the Owens Valley, the MWD can't get any more water from the north without a wholesale revision in the California Water Plan, principally one that mandates the equal distribution of California's water resources over the whole state which, of course, would mean diverting more Northern California water south. The Freeport Regional Water Project facility on the Sacramento River boasts state-of-the-art fish screens and eight pumps that can divert 185 million gallons of river water a day. The governor's stealth plan began with the newly created Delta Stewardship Council, led by the crafty Blue Ribbon Delta Vision chair and former Sacramento mayor and state legislator, Phil Isenberg. (Throughout the entire committee process, Isenberg never brought up his conflict-of-interest involvement as a lobbyist for the Irvine Ranch Water District in Southern California.) The council was created with the passage of Senate Bill 1 by the state Legislature. Its creation did not have to go to a public vote and only required a majority legislative vote, which it got. Even though the use of Delta contributes an aura of localness, its website says its members have a "broad statewide perspective" on water issues. This ties in neatly with the fact that the DSC is empowered to veto or approve anything proposed by the more than 400 water agencies scattered throughout California. In short, Isenberg was made, literally, California's water czar-calling the shots for the governor. The existence of the secret plan surfaced this year, innocently enough, on April 7, with the opening of a new water intake at the Freeport Regional Water Project facility on the Sacramento River at Freeport. This facility, complete with state-of-the-art fish screens, has eight pumps that are able to divert 185 million gallons of Sacramento River water a day into a tunnel-now under construction-which would eventually serve the Sacramento County Water Agency and the East Bay Municipal Utility District. At the opening ceremonies, plans were also revealed for five more intake facilities to be built along the Sacramento River from Clarksburg to Courtland. These intakes would handle even more capacity than the Freeport facility. Additionally, plans call for these intakes to be connected to a tunnel which would carry the water south to the Clifton Court Forebay, where it would be pumped south via the California Aqueduct system. The professed theory behind this move is supposedly to establish a new Delta diversion point that would supplant the Clifton Court Forebay. But it's really a new through-Delta conveyance system to feed water diverted from the five Sacramento River intakes directly into the Forebay, circumventing the violent sucking action of the two 40-foot pumps there that not only kill fish, but cause the rivers to run backwards, ravaging the levees. Evidently, Arnold hopes that by showing compassion for the fish (which, incidentally, is the mandate of a federal judge) people will ignore the fact that he's diverting more water south. Plans to carry out this scenario include three possible methods to convey the water south from the Sacramento River intake facilities. The middle conveyance route is a deep tunnel running from the Courtland area straight down to the Clifton Court Forebay, where water gets pumped south. So, to repeat, what we have here is the prospect of a through-Delta water conveyance system that would not require passage of the water bond itself! Its purpose would be to fuel the future economic growth of Southern California-an effort that will require almost double the water the MWD is getting now. Without the water, nothing can be built because all of the developers there have to assure the state of an adequate water supply in order to start any construction. This is why developers and construction companies were the largest backers of the water bill! The big question, of course, is: Where will the money for the tunnel and the intakes come from? This is where Arnold gets really creative. The governor has expressed privately that the authority for building such a conveyance infrastructure and the money to pay for can simply be appropriated by law due to the passage of the Burns-Porter Act in 1960-yes, 1960-which created the original California Water Plan. Section 12201 of the updated state water code reads, "The Legislature finds that the maintenance of an adequate water supply in the Delta sufficient to maintain and expand agriculture, industry, urban and recreational development in the Delta area . and to provide a common source of fresh water for export to areas of water deficiency is necessary to the peace, health, safety and welfare of the people of the State." This document gives the governor the authority to provide facilities to send more Northern California water south because the state water code is state law and is, therefore, seen as a mandate for state funds. As for the money, it can be simply appropriated from the state budget or taken from the billions already set apart for improvements but so far left unspent-the public be damned. Ultimately, the governor's stealth plan should be revealed for what it is. Sending more water downstate to Southern California carries huge risks for Sacramento and Northern California's environment. Better the Delta Stewardship Council heed the prophetic words of philosopher Henry George, who said, "Taking water from where it is needed and sending it to where it is scarce is simply bad water policy." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 202503 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Aug 23 12:18:42 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:18:42 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Los Angeles Times 8-22-10 Message-ID: <01df01cb42f8$0a19b290$1e4d17b0$@net> Wild steelhead to retain endangered species status, court rules Los Angeles Times-8-22-10 By Carol J. Williams Federal appeals panel rebuffs Central Valley irrigators' efforts to relax U.S. protections on the Pacific salmon. A federal appeals court panel has ruled that wild steelhead remain an endangered species and rebuffed Central Valley irrigators' efforts to relax federal government protections on the Pacific salmon. Six irrigation districts had challenged the National Marine Fisheries Service decision to list the oceangoing steelhead separately from more plentiful freshwater rainbow trout on the grounds that the two fish interbreed and the steelhead were therefore protected from extinction. Both types of Pacific salmon are born in fresh water, but steelhead migrate to the ocean whereas rainbow trout remain in rivers and lakes. Wild steelhead once returned to the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems in the millions each year, but their population has dwindled by 95% because of excessive water use, pollution, dam construction and urban sprawl, Earthjustice attorney Steve Mashuda argued on behalf of a group of conservationists and fishing enthusiasts. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed Friday that the steelhead were in need of separate classification, despite interbreeding of the two salmon species. The two species grow to different sizes and have different predators and prey, the court noted, adding that abundant steelhead can regenerate dwindling rainbow trout stocks "but the reverse does not seem to be the case." The ruling was hailed by the environmental and fishing groups who intervened to defend the government agency against the irrigators' lawsuit. "Anyone who's ever been lucky enough to see or catch a steelhead in the wild knows they're a special fish," said Mark Rockwell of the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers.# http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-steelhead-20100823,0,6266043.story Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Aug 23 12:24:58 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:24:58 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Bakersfield Californian 8-22-10 Message-ID: <01e401cb42f8$e15cd070$a4167150$@net> Funny how it all comes back to Kern River water Bakersfield Californian-8-22-10 By Lois Henry I read recently that some investors in a bankrupted real estate company called LandSource Communities Development are suing for fraud. I know, I know, doesn't mean much to you at first glance. But in a funny "hmmm...," rather than a funny "ha ha," kind of way, this all comes back to the Kern River. It also serves as a cautionary tale of the bad things that can befall us all when we let our precious water slip away. OK, follow along. LandSource, controlled by LNR Property Corp. and homebuilder Lennar Corp., had one big fat asset, the 12,000-acre Newhall Ranch tract just north of Los Angeles on which close to 21,000 homes are planned. Around 2006, a number of entities bought in to LandSource, including CalPERS, California's largest public employee pension group, which jumped in to the tune of nearly $1 billion. The idea was they'd slap up a sprawling mega development, people would buy the overpriced homes and everyone would walk away fat and happy. Why they couldn't read the handwriting on the wall in 2006 is a mystery, but there you have it. The real estate market went bust, LandSource filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and CalPERS lost every penny of that investment. CalPERS isn't part of the fraud lawsuit, by the way. Now, of course, CalPERS is leaning on municipalities to increase their annual payments to the pension system to make up for losses incurred from both the stock and real estate markets. (The Sacramento Bee reported CalPERS lost $11 billion in its real estate portfolio in the 12 months ending April 30. Wow.) So, Bakersfield, already strapped for cash from lower sales taxes and state funding cuts, is faced with higher pension payments to CalPERS even as it has to cut employees and scrap much needed public services. But it might not have happened, or at least not been so bad, if Jim Nickel hadn't been able to sell 1,600 acre feet a year of Kern River water in a 30-plus-year contract to Newhall Ranch developers. No secure water supply, no development. No development, no investment opportunity. No crummy investment, no $1 billion loss. No loss, less need for CalPERS to lean on Bakersfield. And here's the real rub. Nickel was only able to sell that Kern River water after the Kern County Water Agency used $10 million of taxpayer money via a state bond to do an elaborate water-rights deal with the Nickel family. The agency bought the Nickels' so-called "Hacienda" right, which is high flow Kern River water that only comes along every four or five years. It's estimated to average 50,000 acre feet a year. Most years it's zero acre feet. The agency gave Nickel the $10 million in taxpayer money and got 40,000 acre feet a year of high flow water, whenever that occurs. The agency also promised to deliver 10,000 acre feet a year to Nickel every single year no matter what, plus it agreed to use its access to canals and facilities through the State Water Project to move that water around for the Nickels to anywhere they wanted to sell it. In exchange, the agency gets 10 percent of every sale. So far, that's added up to $3.2 million for the agency and $30 million for the Nickel family since the deal was inked in 2001. The agency did get two years of high flow water between then and now, which it mostly tucked away in water banks for future use by farmers and for exchanges with Southern California users. Nickel had a steady supply of water that quickly attracted buyers including Newhall, which has been banking that 1,600 acre feet a year as the developers' fortunes have been in flux. And just last year, Nickel sold 8,393 acre feet to DMB Associates, which hopes to use part of it to develop 12,000 homes on 1,400 acres of sensitive salt marshes near Redwood City. So, we taxpayers spent a fortune for Kern River water we don't have the use of, that funded a deal to make one family very rich and trigger sprawl that blew a hole in the finances of a pension system that we're now being tapped to fill. Like I said, funny "hmmm ..." Definitely not funny "ha ha." http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/henry/x1415295836/LOIS-HENRY-Funny -how-it-all-comes-back-to-Kern-River-water Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Aug 23 15:32:38 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:32:38 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Northcoast Journal- Water Snakes Message-ID: http://www.northcoastjournal.com/news/2010/08/19/water-snakes/ the town dandy / By Hank Sims Water Snakes (Aug. 19, 2010) Sometime in the next few weeks, the federal Department of the Interior is scheduled to issue an opinion on the question of whether Humboldt County can finally claim the annual 50,000 acre-feet of Trinity River water that it was promised in 1955, when Congress passed the legislation that built Lewiston Dam near Weaverville and began the diversion of our wild river to the Central Valley. If and when that opinion is released - it has been delayed before - its contents will serve as the best local measure of the Obama administration's steel. It would take a gargantuan feat of twisted reasoning to argue that the water is anything less than the county's due. Back in the '50s, Humboldt County was outraged by the proposed addition of Trinity water to the Central Valley Project. The Board of Supervisors at the time pressed for and received a 50,000 acre-foot water allocation as a way to buy local support. Congress signed off on the deal. Humboldt County's allocation was written into the Trinity River Division Act and reaffirmed by contract four years later. Yet we have never received a drop of that water, and this despite recent protests by county government and, especially, the Hoopa Valley Tribe, whose land is centered on the Trinity and whose people have depended on it since time immemorial. This despite the shocking decline of North Coast salmon fisheries, especially on the Klamath River, of which the Trinity is the largest tributary. Why have we never received our water? Largely because the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Lewiston Dam, has simply refused to give it to us. They are supported in their refusal by the frighteningly powerful Central Valley farming lobby. Together they insist that we are already getting our 50,000 acre-feet a year - it is included, they say, in the water that they graciously allow into the Trinity River from spill gates at the end of their reservoir. Historical research undertaken by the Hoopa Tribe plainly shows this to be nonsense. Humboldt County's allocation was always intended to be an allocation above and beyond the bare-minimal habitat requirements that have been imposed on the river for most of the post-dam era, and was to be used for whatever useful purpose we desire. But it remains to be seen whether Team Obama will stand behind the statutory record, the federal government's unambiguous contract obligations and a river ecosystem on its last legs. It could, instead, follow the treaded path and give Central Valley agribusiness whatever it desires. This has always been sleazy, but it would be especially egregious in this day and age. The Westlands Water District, the largest user of Trinity River water and a massive force in California politics, currently pays around $36 per acre-foot for its Central Valley Project deliveries - a dollar for 9,000 gallons. There might conceivably be some sort of rationale for that massive government subsidy if the water in question were used for its intended purpose - agriculture. Instead, though, Westlands, like many Central Valley Project water users, is developing a sideline in water brokerage. Right now it's considering shipping 100,000 acre-feet of its current humongous water surplus to the Metropolitan Water District, which serves municipal users in the Los Angeles area. Last year, another Central Valley Project customer sold 14,000 acre-feet of irrigation water to San Bernardino County for $5,500 per acre-foot - something like 100 times the price it paid - and netted a profit upwards of $70 million. Of course, such brazen raids on the public treasury require solid political support. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is a public booster of Westlands and other Central Valley users - precisely the people who will squeal loudest if the administration attempts to honor the United States' long-neglected contract with Humboldt County, thereby taking those valuable gallons off their nascent commodities market. Fox News blowhard Sean Hannity has been known to broadcast live from Westlands territory, screaming about the federal government killing Central Valley agriculture (irony is dead) through enforcement of environmental laws. The Obama administration seems to cave to such pressure on alternate days, saving up barely enough political capital to attempt something worthwhile tomorrow. Maybe we'll get lucky. Or maybe the administration will see this case for the clear-cut matter of law and justice that it is. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Aug 30 11:11:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:11:09 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 8/27/10 Message-ID: <00df01cb486e$ba4ad560$2ee08020$@net> Water management shake-up urged by Little Hoover panel Sacramento Bee-8/27/10 By Matt Weiser The state's Little Hoover Commission on Thursday proposed a shake-up in how California manages its water, calling today's "confusing water governance" ineffective for both water efficiency and environmental protection. The commission spent nearly 18 months probing various agencies and laws that govern California water. An independent oversight agency, its 13 members are appointed by the governor and Legislature. Likely the thorniest of its three main recommendations is to divest the State Water Project from the Department of Water Resources. The project delivers water to 25 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland via reservoirs and canals. The project is funded independently from fees paid by contractors who have an ongoing thirst for more water. Yet DWR also must plan the fair distribution of water and award grants for that purpose. "You've got sort of a mission conflict, if you will, and I think it creates mistrust about the motives of the department," said Daniel Hancock, commission chairman. The commission proposes a new California Water Authority to manage the State Water Project like an independent utility. Its members would represent both water users and those with a stake in the environment, and would be appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate. The authority would also insulate the water project from state budget problems that threaten to drain engineering and maintenance talent essential to operating a complicated water system, Hancock said. Laura King-Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors, supports the concept but wants "a close look" at how the authority board would be composed. "It sounds like this is moving in a positive direction, and definitely opening up a discussion we need to have," she said. DWR spokesman Matt Notley had no comment because the department is still reviewing the report. The commission also proposes to combine water rights oversight functions, which now reside among several state agencies, into a new Department of Water Management. The current fragmented approach makes it difficult to know who is abusing water supplies and then take action. Finally, the existing California Water Commission should assume oversight of grant-funded water projects, to ensure that spending serves the state's long-term water needs. The commission has no authority to carry out the proposals. Action by the Legislature and governor would be required. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/27/2985969/water-management-shake-up-urged.htm l Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Aug 30 18:42:23 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:42:23 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Salmon Water Now Videos Message-ID: <012f01cb48ad$c3ff1f50$4bfd5df0$@net> Salmon Water Now has released a two part video on Westlands Water District's role in the devastation of California's Salmon population. The video links: Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivU6YLmI5uo&hd=1 Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzIc8uVMFUM&hd=1 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Aug 31 09:36:28 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:36:28 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times-Standard 8/31/10 Message-ID: <016801cb492a$aa7109e0$ff531da0$@net> Tribes join county's bid for Trinity water Eureka Times-Standard-8/31/10 By John Driscoll Fifty-five years after Congress pledged billions of gallons of water to Humboldt County as part of the effort to dam the Trinity River, the region may be the closest it's been to actually getting it. In the most recent push to see the water released into the river, Humboldt County has taken up offers of assistance from the Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes, both long-engaged in river battles themselves. The group is scheduled to meet with U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Conner on Sept. 16, and is hopeful that a decision will be made on the matter. In the past, the county argued that it should be able to annually use the 50,000 acre feet of water to improve conditions for fish downstream -- especially when the Klamath River is in drought. Now, the group will add to its argument that development and agricultural use along the Trinity has been growing. During the Bush administration, the county's request for the water was snubbed, with government lawyers saying more water would already be coming down the river as part of a plan to restore the Trinity's fisheries. It's long been the county's position that the 50,000 acre feet of water is above and beyond that set aside for fish in the restoration plan, and needed if fisheries managers saw the Klamath becoming too warm and low, threatening a repeat of the 2002 fish kill that wiped out 68,000 salmon. Indeed, a reading of the 1955 Trinity River Diversion Act appears to unequivocally promise the water to the county. In recent years, however, Reclamation has bought water from irrigators in the Central Valley, where the diverted Trinity River water goes, for environmental purposes. This year, Reclamation considered buying 35,000 acre feet of Trinity water to send down the Klamath, after an additional 35,000 acre feet of Klamath water was allocated to farms in the Upper Klamath Basin. "Humboldt County has this water -- it's been 60 years and they've never been given the water they're entitled to," said Hoopa Tribe fisheries communications coordinator Allie Hostler. The tribe has recently become a force behind Humboldt County's request. Hostler said that new blood in Reclamation has been working with the tribe and the county to try to resolve the issues -- and that the tribe currently has the resources to help the county. Reclamation spokesman Pete Lucero wrote in an e-mail that the issue is being discussed internally, and that the bureau and its commissioner are looking forward to the mid-September meeting. "At this point we will wait until after those meetings to determine next steps," Lucero wrote. Humboldt County 1st District Supervisor Jimmy Smith said that the time may be ripe to secure the water that the county was promised. "Chances may never be better," Smith said. "Everybody's trying to touch bases and head in the same direction." Smith said that the county is examining the growth that's occurred in eastern Humboldt County over the past decade, and what can be expected in the coming years. Wineries, farms that produce for farmer's markets and some development in Willow Creek and Hoopa are all increasing use of water in the valley, Smith said. http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_15949060 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Aug 31 11:07:43 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:07:43 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] PEER News Release 8-31-10 Message-ID: <017501cb4937$69dd4990$3d97dcb0$@net> Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility News Release (www.peer.org) For Immediate Release: August 31, 2010 Contact: Kirsten Stade (202) 265-7337 INTERIOR POSTS ONLY HALF OF A SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY POLICY - Draft Would Punish Scientists But Not Protect Against Political Manipulation Washington, DC - Seeking to rehabilitate its tattered reputation, the U.S. Interior Department today proposed rules to improve the accuracy and integrity of its scientific work. Disturbingly, the proposal ignores political manipulation of science and instead focuses on punitive measures against scientific specialists, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). A report issued this year by its Office of Inspector General (IG) faulted Interior for lacking any policy to ensure the integrity of its scientific work. The proposed rules published today in the Federal Register would subject Interior scientists to discipline for actions such as falsification of data, disclosure of proprietary data and avoidance of conflicts of interest. Significantly, the rules do not apply to agency managers or bar alteration of scientific reports by non-scientists for political reasons. "The scientists within Interior are not the ones rewriting documents inappropriately. Scientific misconduct stems from Interior's political appointees and hand-picked senior managers but these folks are not covered by the policy," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, pointing to a recent Government Accountability Office report that found Interior managers short-circuiting environmental reviews of offshore drilling in its Alaska office. "Interior's approach to scientific integrity in essence penalizes the victims and gives a free ride to the perpetrators." In the Gulf of Mexico, Interior managers waived environmental and safety reviews on the BP Deepwater Horizon rig and signed off on a shoddy spill response plan that listed walruses and seals as local wildlife, among other absurdities. This spring, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and top aides overlooked scientific warnings about the risk of oil spills and the lack of response capacity before approving a major expansion of offshore drilling, just days before the disastrous BP explosion and spill. "Interior's performance in the Gulf raised a host of troubling questions - all of which this proposal avoids," added Ruch, noting that agency scientists are already subject to discipline and negative performance reviews for scientific deviations and errors. "Reform at Interior needs to start at the top." The draft Interior policy also appears at odds with a directive issued by President Obama in March 2009 that agencies work with the White House to develop policies providing transparency and peer review to technical work, protecting scientific data from being "compromised" and extending whistleblower protection to scientists. The Interior draft rules contain none of these key elements. The proposed rules are subject to a 20-day public comment period. ### http://www.peer.org/news/print_detail.php?row_id=1396 See the draft Interior scientific integrity policy Look at the Interior Inspector General report View the orphaned Obama scientific integrity plan Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From truman at jeffnet.org Tue Aug 31 11:29:47 2010 From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman) Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:29:47 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Inside a toxic hellhole, Iron Mountain Mine Message-ID: <266878B3A98F42939C139DD2FCBDDD2A@HAL> ----- Original Message ----- From: Patrick Truman To: ENV Trinity Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 9:38 AM Subject: Inside a toxic hellhole, Iron Mountain Mine http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/29/MNB11F0DKL.DTL -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From truman at jeffnet.org Tue Aug 31 09:38:02 2010 From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman) Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:38:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Inside a toxic hellhole, Iron Mountain Mine Message-ID: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/29/MNB11F0DKL.DTL -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Aug 31 19:56:47 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:56:47 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] California Progress Report- Tales of the Westside Message-ID: <2AD226C291834E3F8ACABBFCADB09D5C@homeuserPC> http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=node/7871 Tales of the Westside By Alegria De La Cruz, Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment California Progress Report Created 06/17/2010 - 2:38pm For most Californians, the west side of the San Joaquin Valley is the flat, sere and desolate country you pass through on your way to someplace else. You're more apt to remember the rest stops on I-5 than the features of the surrounding landscape. But the "Westside" is special to me. My grandparents settled here in the 1940s. In the 1970s, they co-founded one of the region's first farmworker co-ops near the small town of Raisin City. I remember picking and packing cherry tomatoes with my cousins on our land. My husband, too, has deep roots in the soils of the western San Joaquin Valley. When he was old enough to do physical labor, he joined his parents, cousins and friends, laboring in the local fields and dairies. His family still lives and works in the region, and we celebrate our birthdays and anniversaries on their one-acre ranch near the small town of Burrell. . We thus represent one face of the Westside. Another is represented by wealthy agribusiness enterprises; foremost among these is the Westlands Water District. There is a misconception that Westlands represents small family farmers who are struggling to survive, but that picture couldn't be farther from the truth. Run by a handful of powerful farming interests, Westlands has received well over a billion dollars in federal subsidies. The district exerts an iron hand over the region's labor, land - and most crucially for all Californians - the water. Under Westlands, the Westside is essentially a feudal society, with powerful corporate farmers directing the politics and the economy and an impoverished working class supplying the labor. Indeed, Westlands' influence reaches far beyond the confines of the San Joaquin Valley. It has established its dominance in both Sacramento and Washington, and has succeeded in shaping water policy to benefit its few hundred constituents at the expense of other agricultural regions, our cities, our fisheries and our wildlife. Several decades ago, my grandparents helped establish National Land for People, a group that was successful in challenging corporate control over the water delivered to Westlands. National Land for People won a federal injunction to stop Westlands' transparent attempt to circumvent the requirements of the Reclamation Act in a series of land transfers intended to maintain corporate farmers' access to subsidized water. Unhappily, this proved a paper victory. In response to the court decision, Westlands' corporate enterprises simply broke up their vast acreages into subsidiary holdings. Some transfers were fraudulent, and some Westlands growers were prosecuted for their attempts to circumvent the law. My grandparents joked that some of the new "farms" on the Westside were registered under the names of their owners' favorite cows. Their black humor was not far off the mark. In 1982, the Westlands again flexed their powerful lobbying muscle when the Reclamation Reform Act was passed. Its "reforms" included eliminating the residency requirement and increasing the acreage limitation, eviscerating the original intent of the Act and benefitting large and absentee landholders. Recently, Westlands corporate farmers have complained that they are not getting enough water due to protections for threatened salmon and other fish. Through a sophisticated -- if utterly cynical -- disinformation campaign, they have portrayed the issue as a matter of social justice, claiming agricultural workers are losing their livelihoods due to environmental restrictions - that it is a matter of "fish versus jobs." This claim is preposterous on two counts. First, the big farms of the western San Joaquin Valley are not withering on the vine. Despite cuts in water deliveries - cuts due to drought and not to protections for fisheries and the Bay-Delta ecosystem - profits for the region's farms are robust. Rather than collapsing, agricultural employment and profits in Fresno County have grown in the past year. Second, the deep and abiding concern that Westlands' growers are expressing for the workers who labor in their fields is altogether unconvincing. The 20th Congressional District, which encompasses Westlands, is the poorest district in the nation. Corporate farmers have done nothing to alleviate the poverty and suffering their practices have caused. The tears they are now shedding must be seen as distinctly crocodilian. What about the "spontaneous" demonstrations by farmworkers marching under the "Fish vs. Jobs" banner? Go talk to the laborers in the small destitute towns of the region such as Five Points, Firebaugh, Mendota and Dos Palos. I have. If you can gain their confidence, they'll tell you, as they've told me: these demonstrations were orchestrated by farm labor contractors and their employers. Workers were either strongly "encouraged" to join the demonstrations with the implication that their jobs were at stake, or were simply paid to march. This is not meant as a criticism of the marchers; on the Westside, you cannot afford to pass up a day's wages. The system is designed that way. A just agricultural economy allows for fair shares of resources and profits among all the players. California is a semi-arid state, with limited water resources. Sadly, Westlands, representing only a fraction of California's agricultural base, perpetuates gross injustice by grabbing the lion's share of the water. This must change. Our water must be shared equitably. What are we asking? Not much. We simply want western San Joaquin growers to play by the same rules that govern the rest of us. Water is a public trust resource that belongs to all the people of California, not the just the few who are wealthy and politically connected. Ms. Alegria de la Cruz is the Legal Director at the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Vina_Frye at fws.gov Wed Sep 1 14:57:51 2010 From: Vina_Frye at fws.gov (Vina_Frye at fws.gov) Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2010 14:57:51 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Federal Register for Sept 13 Message-ID: Hi Folks, The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) meeting notice for September 13, 2010 was published in the Federal Register on August 19, 2010. Cordially, Vina Vina Frye U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata FWO 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Telephone: (707) 822-7201 Fax: (707) 822-8411 vina_frye at fws.gov [Federal Register: August 19, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 160)] [Notices] [Page 51284] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19au10-75] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R8-FHC-2010-N168; 81331-1334-8TWG-W4] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). The TMC interprets and recommends policy, coordinates and reviews management actions, and provides organizational budget oversight. This notice announces a TAMWG meeting, which is open to the public. DATES: TAMWG will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, September 13, 2010. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Trinity Alps Golf Course, 118 Fairway Drive, Weaverville, CA 96093. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meeting Information: Randy A. Brown, TAMWG Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521; telephone: (707) 822-7201. Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) Information: Jennifer Faler, Acting Executive Director, Trinity River Restoration Program, P.O. Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093; telephone: (530) 623- 1800; e-mail: jfaler at usbr.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), this notice announces a meeting of the TAMWG. The meeting will include discussion of the following topics: TMC Chair report, Hatchery operations/Ad-Hoc, Acting Executive Director's Report, TRRP interface with CVO, Klamath River flow augmentation and coordination, Science program report, Rig/Channel rehabilitation, TAMWG involvement in TRRP workgroups, and TAMWG recommendations/status of previous recommendations. Completion of the agenda is dependent on the amount of time each item takes. The meeting could end early if the agenda has been completed. Dated: August 12, 2010. Randy A. Brown, Designated Federal Officer, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, CA. [FR Doc. 2010-20571 Filed 8-18-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Sep 3 09:59:52 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2010 09:59:52 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Trapping Message-ID: <00ef01cb4b89$6e8ce000$4ba6a000$@net> Folks, Attached is a spreadsheet with trapping summaries for Willow Creek and Junction City weirs through August 26th. If you have any questions, please respond to this email. Regards, Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weir&TRH_summary10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 67584 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Sep 3 15:48:57 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2010 15:48:57 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Trapping September 2 2010 Message-ID: <017001cb4bba$32b19450$9814bcf0$@net> Hi folks, Attached is the latest trapping totals for two mainstem weirs on the Trinity River. Trinity River Hatchery will commence spawning operations next week. if you have any questions about the summaries give me a shout. Regards, Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weir&TRH_summary10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 67584 bytes Desc: not available URL: From caltrout at sbcglobal.net Tue Sep 7 10:54:43 2010 From: caltrout at sbcglobal.net (Thomas Weseloh) Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 10:54:43 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] TAMWG agenda for September 13, 2010 Message-ID: <008a01cb4eb5$c13193d0$4394bb70$@sbcglobal.net> Trinity River enthusiasts, Here's the agenda for next week's meeting of the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group. Any interested person may attend. Thanks, Tom Weseloh, TAMWG Vice-Chair Thomas J. Weseloh, Northcoast Manager California Trout Description: email sig fish Keeper of the Streams 1976 Archer Rd. McKinleyville, CA 95519 707.839.1056 caltrout at sbcglobal.net www.caltrout.org Agenda TRINITY ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP Monday, September 13, 2010 Weaverville Golf Course/Johnson's Steakhouse Weaverville, CA Time Presentation, Discussion, and/or Action on: Presenter 1. 9:30 Adopt agenda; approve March minutes 2. 9:40 Open forum; public comment 3. 9:50 Designated Federal Officer topics Randy Brown 4. 10:00 TMC Chair report Brian Person 5. 11:00 Hatchery operations/Ad-Hoc Brian Person 6. 11:30 Acting Executive Director's Report Jennifer Faler 7. 12:00 TRRP interface with CVO Person/Faler 12:30 lunch 8. 1:30 Klamath River flow augmentation and coordination Ernie Clark 9. 2:00 Science program report Ernie Clark - Adaptive Management and hypothesis testing 10. 3:00 Rig/Channel Rehabilitation Jennifer Faler - Phase II and what we learned from Phase I 11. 3:30 TAMWG involvement in TRRP work groups 12. 4:00 TAMWG recommendations/status of previous recommendations 13. 4:45 Tentative date and agenda topics for next meeting 5:00 Adjourn -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Draft Agenda 10-9-13.doc Type: application/msword Size: 25600 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Sep 7 13:36:36 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 13:36:36 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Media Release- C-WIN, CSPA, AquAlliance File Delta Public Trust Lawsuit Message-ID: <649E7A1E309B40ECA7FFDDBF97CEC131@homeuserPC> For Immediate Release: September 7, 2010 Contacts: Michael Jackson, Attorney for Plaintiffs (530) 283-0712, (530) 927-7387 (cell) Carolee Krieger, C-WIN (805) 969-0824 Bill Jennings, CSPA (209) 464-5067, (209) 938-9053 (cell) Barbara Vlamis, AquAlliance (530) 895-9420, (530) 519-7468 (cell) C-WIN, CSPA & AquAlliance File Comprehensive Lawsuit to Protect Delta Public Trust Fisheries by Enforcing State Water Laws The California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) and AquAlliance filed a public trust lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court to protect Delta fisheries and water quality from excessive Delta pumping. "The voters of California passed a constitutional amendment in 1928 to ban wasteful water use and harmful diversions from streams," said attorney Michael Jackson of Quincy who represents C-WIN, CSPA and AquAlliance in this case. "We intend to show the court how DWR and the State Water Board have not complied time and time again, and to persuade the court to end DWR's illegal and excessive water exports from the Delta." "We can no longer stand by while the State Water Board gives a wink and a nod to DWR's illegal Delta pumping," added Jackson. "If we don't act immediately, our historic salmon runs will be lost forever." The lawsuit charges that the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR): a.. Fail to protect public trust fishery resources b.. Divert water from the Delta wastefully and unreasonably c.. Use water from the Delta wastefully and unreasonably d.. Fail to enforce and comply with the State's water quality laws e.. Fail to enforce and comply with the flow and water quality requirements of SWRCB's water rights decision 1641, adopted 10 years ago f.. Fail to comply with the narrative fish doubling standard in the SWRCB's 1995 Water Quality Control Plan Specifically, the suit alleges that the huge state export pumps near Tracy in the south Delta kill thousands upon thousands of Delta smelt, young salmon and other species every year, at different times of year, and are the main threats to public trust resources in the Delta. Even a recent Delta flow report adopted by the State Water Board acknowledged that more fresh water flows into and out of the Delta to the Bay are needed for fish and other species to recover. "California's regulation of its public trust resources and water quality is remarkably similar to federal regulation of the financial and real estate markets. Regulators in both cases went AWOL. The public is left with collapsed fisheries, bankrupt aquatic ecosystems and toxic waters for the taxpayers to clean up" said CSPA Chairman and Director Bill Jennings. "The complete failure of the State Water Resources Control Board to enforce its own laws, regulations and decisions has left us with no alternative but to turn to the courts to prevent the total loss of our historic fisheries." "The State Water Board consistently submits to political pressure to avoid enforcing the law" added Jennings. "They make their decisions based on politics, not science and law." "This is the Delta watershed's version of the Mono Lake case of the 1970s and 1980s," said Barbara Vlamis, Executive Director of AquAlliance in Chico. "These two state agencies charged with protecting California's public trust resources must be forced to comply with the law. They have consistently demonstrated that they are incapable of enforcing existing law and protecting the public trust." DWR increased its water exports since 2000 by 53% over the average of 2.1 million acre-feet it exported in the decade of the 1990s. Meanwhile, Delta fish populations of salmon, striped bass, Delta smelt, and other listed and unlisted species collapsed, despite runoff in 2006 reaching 173% of normal. Much of the increase in exported water is labeled as "excess" by DWR and exported from the Delta as "surplus" under Article 21 of the amended State Water Project contracts, and is largely used to further development, water banking, and water transfers. The plaintiffs recently filed a separate lawsuit challenging the State Water Project contracts known as "Monterey Plus Agreements." "Our state government continues to turn a blind eye to the public trust and the State constitution," said Carolee Krieger, president and executive director of C-WIN. "We have no choice but to petition the court to force the State Water Board and DWR to comply with State water laws and the State constitution." "We must stop the carnage in the Delta now," added Krieger. "Our state government has utterly failed to enforce the public trust and follow the California constitution. It will take lots of people all over California to protect the Delta's public trust resources as was done for Mono Lake," she added. ### For more information on the lawsuit, see http://www.c-win.org/press-room-delta-public-trust-lawsuit.html and http://www.aqualliance.net/pressroom.html The California Water Impact Network promotes the equitable and environmental use of California's water, including instream uses, through research, planning, public education, and litigation. www.c-win.org California Sportfishing Protection Alliance is a nonprofit conservation and research organization established in 1983 for the purpose of conserving, restoring, and enhancing the state's water quality and fishery resources and their aquatic and riparian ecosystems. www.calsport.org AquAlliance was founded in 2010 to protect waters in the northern Sacramento River's watershed to sustain family farms, communities, creeks and river, native flora and fauna, vernal pools, and recreation. www.aqualliance.net. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4505 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: clip_image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3533 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Sep 8 16:43:44 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2010 16:43:44 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal 9 8 2010 Message-ID: <010f01cb4faf$adba4d10$092ee730$@net> Humboldt seeks its share of Trinity River water BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL Humboldt County has stepped up efforts to gain an additional 50,000 acre-feet of water annually down the Trinity River it has long contended the county is owed. With assistance from the Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes, it seems Humboldt may be gaining some traction with the federal Bureau of Reclamation. Humboldt argues that the water was promised when the 1955 Act to dam Trinity River water and divert it to the Central Valley was approved. The Bureau of Reclamation's stance historically has been that the 50,000 acre-feet is included in the water sent down the river for fisheries. "We are actually re-evaluating our position on that 50,000 acre-feet," said Pete Lucero, a public affairs officer for the federal agency. Representatives of Humboldt County and the tribes are scheduled to meet with Reclamation Commissioner Mike Conner on Sept. 16. There is no particular deadline for Reclamation's decision, Lucero said. Lucero said that after the meeting the agency will have a better idea of what steps to take next. >From the Hoopa Valley Tribe, fisheries communications coordinator Allie Hostler said it is hoped that Trinity County will support these efforts. Although Trinity County supported the diversion, Hostler noted that it did so in the belief that basin needs would be cared for and water would be available for future growth. Trinity County has not taken a stand on this issue. The Trinity County Board of Supervisors has not yet been approached by Humboldt County or the tribes seeking support, said Board Chair Judy Pflueger. As to whether the Trinity board would support the Humboldt effort or not, "I'd have to research the facts and the board would have to take a vote on it," she said. Hostler said if the effort is successful it will result in less water sent south for Central Valley Project use, not in a lower Trinity Lake. "We wouldn't support that," she said. "It's water being used south. It's already leaving the reservoir." "They've been getting it - in our opinion illegally - for 50 years," she said. In fact, she said, in a wet year Humboldt could decide to leave its water in the lake so water released to the river would be cooler for fish. In addition to the tribes, Humboldt's efforts also have the support of the Willow Creek Community Services District which draws water from the river. Regarding next week's meeting with Reclamation, Hostler said, "Getting them to revisit that original opinion, we think, is a milestone." Humboldt County and the tribes point to two separate provisions to the 1955 Act that enabled the Trinity River diversion. One calls for preservation and propagation of fish and wildlife through measures including flow releases. The second says, "not less than 50,000 acre-feet shall be released annually from Trinity Reservoir and made available to Humboldt County and downstream water users." "Humboldt County and the tribes, they fought tooth and nail for the water in the '50s, and it has never been realized," Hostler said. As to what Humboldt County would do with the water, Hostler said it could be put to either consumptive or "beneficial use" in the basin. For example, she said, Humboldt County could choose to add the water to the current fisheries flows when necessary to keep the Lower Klamath River cool for fish. It could be used to offset water drawn from the Trinity River downstream of the dam that has cut into the fisheries flows, she said. Even if Reclamation's decision goes against them, Hostler said Humboldt and the tribes will continue pursuing the water. If it is a favorable opinion, she said, the next step will be to figure out a flow schedule for the water. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Sep 8 17:33:57 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2010 17:33:57 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] AP Story on Westlands Settlement Message-ID: <0949600389E4465EAAD09116B85E8C0D@homeuserPC> http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_AGRICULTURE_RUNOFF?SITE=NCASH&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Proposal: Calif. farmers could own water pipes By GARANCE BURKE Associated Press Writer FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- The federal government is considering giving Central California farmers some massive water infrastructure to settle a lawsuit over drainage problems that killed birds and left farmland too salty for crops, according to a draft proposal obtained by The Associated Press. Shifting the cleanup cost to the private sector would save the federal government about $2.2 billion, Bureau of Reclamation officials said Wednesday. The complex deal could transfer the government's stake in local pumps and drain pipes to some of the country's biggest farming operations, according to a bureau letter detailing the legislative strategy for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. In exchange, farmers in the sprawling Westlands Water District and other nearby irrigators would retire at least 200,000 acres of tainted farmland and bear the burden of cleaning up toxic runoff and thousands of acres of polluted soil. Westlands representatives and environmentalists alike blasted the proposal. One environmental group said the government's latest plan would give away too many public facilities and wouldn't take enough cropland out of production. "You can't irrigate this land without creating toxic pollution, bottom line," said Tom Stokely, a water policy analyst with the nonprofit California Water Impact Network. "Taxpayers shouldn't give up that kind of public investment, especially because there is no insurance that the plan will actually work." Westlands is the nation's largest irrigation district and includes giants of agribusiness, such as Harris Farms, one of California's biggest farming operations, and Tanimura & Antle, the nation's top lettuce grower. Despite this year's plentiful rains, the agricultural basin has been hit hard by years of drought, as were workers in the region, where most of the nation's fruits and vegetables are grown. "There is nothing in the proposal that would help them with their drainage problem or to improve water reliability," said Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf. "We will probably be in court about this." Westlands farmers and those who belong to nearby water districts have been banned from disposing of agricultural runoff there since the 1980s, when millions of migratory birds were born deformed after nesting at Kesterson Wildlife Refuge, where federal officials initially routed the poisonous drainage. Irrigation runoff in the area carries concentrated levels of selenium, a naturally occurring trace element that washes down from the volcanic mountain range flanking the valley's western edge. Few realized selenium was toxic when agricultural water was first pumped into Kesterson, which is part of the 26,609-acre San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, about 80 miles northwest of Fresno. After the environmental disaster, the government scrapped plans to build a huge drain to carry the runoff out to sea. Irrigators sued in the mid 1990s, claiming federal officials reneged on their obligation to help them dispose of the tainted water. Officials have proposed numerous solutions as the case has traveled through the courts. Decades later, the Bureau of Reclamation - which runs a massive irrigation complex that makes farming possible in the arid Central Valley - remains under a federal court order to dispose of the tainted water. In 2007, the bureau announced a different $2.6 billion cleanup plan, but the Interior Department now says that it is too expensive to put into place. As part of the new legislative proposal, farmers could get a break on paying back up to $470 million, which is their share of what it cost the federal government to build the water delivery system. The senator's spokesman did not immediately comment on the proposal. Copyright 2008 Associated Press -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Sep 8 17:48:22 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2010 17:48:22 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] CC Times 9 8 2010 Message-ID: <013301cb4fb8$b4f8c490$1eea4db0$@net> Delta talks going on in private Contra Costa Times-9/8/10 By Mike Taugher After three years of intense talks aimed at solving California's water problems, key people have quietly gone behind closed doors to negotiate an agreement in the months before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves office, Bay Area News Group has learned. At stake is the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, already $100 million over budget and far from its goal of completion by the end of the year. Now, regulators, environmentalists and leaders of some of the state's biggest water agencies are meeting privately away from a larger committee that has been deliberating in public. Supporters say the closed-door talks, which began in late August without notice to committee members, are needed to try to break a logjam. Critics see another example of a long practice of secretly settling high-stakes California water issues in ways that end up favoring powerful water contractors while harming the Delta. The closed-door meetings are legal, but the committee's sole Delta representative was not invited. "When the going gets tough, when the contractors feel threatened, a secret meeting is held and, of course, the Delta once again becomes a political pawn in a game of power," said Democratic state Sen. Lois Wolk, a staunch critic of the administration's water planning. "The future of the Delta, for the next 50 years, is being determined in secret by a select few, none of whom represent the Delta." The centerpiece of the plan is a canal, tunnels or pipelines that would carry water from the Sacramento River around or beneath the Delta and reduce reliance on south Delta pumps. A recent estimate put the cost of building two tunnels at more than $11 billion. Despite more than three years of meetings and studies, the committee working on the plan has come to little or no agreement on any of the big-ticket questions. For example: -What, exactly, do they plan to build and how much water would a canal or pipeline carry? They don't know. -How will water be divided between farms and cities on one hand and a vital estuary on the other? They don't know. -What is a realistic goal for the recovery of declining fish populations? They don't know. Where will the money come from? Although water agencies say they will pay for much of the cost, there is no agreement on what the general public should be billed for and how that money will materialize. Just months before a draft plan was supposed to be completed, questions remain about a description of why the project is needed. That wording leaves open the door for a massive increase in Delta water exports that regulators say would be highly damaging. "Now it's time for those who are responsible to step up and narrow down the choices," said state Resources Secretary Lester Snow, who is coleading the closed-door sessions, which include top officials at water agencies and regulatory agencies and three representatives of environmental groups. Supporters of the plan and many scientists contend that the south Delta pumps kill too many fish and that it makes sense to separate water delivery conduits from the channels in which fish live. But critics worry that the new plumbing would pull too much water from the Sacramento River - the Delta's largest source of fresh water - and let it fill with brackish Bay water and polluted drainage from San Joaquin Valley farms. A report last month by the State Water Resources Control Board concluded that water users would have to cut in half their demand for Delta water to allow a healthy estuary to flourish. Snow said when a draft outline is completed in November it will be the first time people will be able to consider the whole project, including key details about how water would be divided between farms and cities on one hand and the environment on the other, as well as a number of measures to protect fish and wildlife. "They can see trade-off and how things fit together," he said. Water agencies proposed a conservation plan in 2006 to address the threat that a collapse in the estuary's fish populations posed to their water supplies. By seeking an alternative response to endangered species laws, they could achieve two goals: eliminate the short-term regulatory permits they blamed for cutting into their water supplies and provide a strong rationale to build a "peripheral canal" to deliver water around the Delta. In exchange, the water agencies would commit to a comprehensive 50-year plan to help restore Delta smelt, salmon and dozens of other sensitive fish and wildlife species. It appears to be the most complex "habitat conservation plan" ever attempted under the federal endangered species law, and it appears to also be the most complicated "natural communities conservation plan" under state law. Nevertheless, Schwarzenegger's team set out in 2006 to finish it in record time. Even simpler conservation plans - including one that governs housing in East Contra Costa County - have taken a decade or more to complete. The Delta plan is more complicated because it involves numerous competing economic interests in California, dozens of species and the knotty ecological problems of a highly altered, major estuary. Even if there is an agreement to build a structure to carry water, it is likely to take at least a decade to build - and committee members have made little progress on what to do in the meantime. The initial phase of studies was supposed to cost $140 million, but earlier this year that was determined to be short by $100 million. Although the Bay-Delta plan remains ill-defined, water agencies consistently point to it as the solution to the state's water problems. For example, when the powerful State Water Resources Control Board adopted an advisory report in July that concluded, in essence, that water users would have to cut by half their use of Delta water to ensure a healthy estuary, several of the state's leading water officials urged board members and the public to effectively ignore it and look instead to the conservation plan for answers. But the Bay-Delta plan committee has no such numbers and it is unclear whether it can develop any acceptable to water agencies, regulators and environmentalists. Negotiators also are grappling with recent criticism of one of the most basic parts of the plan: its "purpose and need" statement. That statement now suggests water contractors could get up to the full amounts of water in their contracts, which at more than 7 million acre-feet would shatter records for water deliveries from the Delta. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently suggested that water users depending on Delta pumps should not expect any more water than the status quo. The EPA "questions the goal of increasing exports out of a severely distressed estuary," the agency wrote in June.# http://www.contracostatimes.com/top-stories/ci_16014714?nclick_check=1 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Sep 8 17:54:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2010 17:54:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times Standard 9 8 2010 Message-ID: <013801cb4fb9$80103140$803093c0$@net> Officials approve Klamath water quality package; limits on pollution seen as key to revitalizing river and its fish Eureka Times-Standard-9/8/10 By John Driscoll State regulators on Tuesday unanimously approved a series of measures meant to improve the often terrible water quality in the Klamath River. The State Water Resources Control Board set limits on nutrients, algae and water temperature over the objection of the owner of four dams on the Klamath River. Pacificorp argued before the board in Sacramento Tuesday that the guidelines were unrealistic, unfeasible and based on flawed models. The regulations -- called Total Maximum Daily Loads, or TMDLs -- were drafted by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board's staff over the course of years. They come in response to the federal government's listing of the river as impaired, because the water is too warm and polluted for salmon, for swimming and for tribal ceremonial uses. The river was once the third most productive salmon fishery on the West Coast, but it is now plagued by overly warm temperatures, huge algae blooms -- especially in Upper Klamath Lake and in the reservoirs behind Pacificorp's dams -- and excess sediment. Regional board water quality engineer Matt St. John said that the TMDLs aim is to control sources of pollutants and protect cool-water areas, called thermal refugia, that are important to salmon. Among the measures would be one to restrict suction dredge mining in the vicinity of these refugia. St. John said that the plan to address the problems is flexible and based on the best available science. The limits are scheduled to be adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at year's end, some 15 years after the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Association sued to force the limits to be developed. Pacificorp and more than two dozen tribes, environmental groups, fishing organizations and agencies have agreed to remove the four dams should the U.S. Interior secretary decide it is in the public interest. Pacificorp counsel Robert Donlan said that the company is fully committed to the dam removal effort, but objected to the TMDLs as written. He said that Pacificorp isn't suggesting that the limits be thrown out altogether, but that they need to be reworked to address what it sees as flawed assumptions. He said that the board should not rush to complete the TMDLs to meet the EPA deadline. "It is more important that the analysis be completed correctly rather than quickly," Donlan said. But Yurok Tribe water quality specialist Ken Fetcho said that the TMDLs are only one step in restoring a river whose degraded condition has a severe effect on tribal members and river and coastal communities. "A restored river will benefit all people and industries that reside in the Klamath Basin," Fetcho said. Concerns were raised by Pacificorp and some state board members about how the TMDL might affect a required water quality certification needed if the Klamath dam removal agreements fall through and the dams stay in place. Questions were also raised about the water quality certification that will be needed if the dams are removed. Language was added toward the end of the meeting that acknowledged that more analysis may be needed for those procedures. EPA Regional Director Alexis Strauss said that the Klamath River is worthy of the attention it is getting and that she is optimistic that the efforts to restore the river will yield results. Strauss said that it will undoubtedly take decades and a commitment by all parties to stay fully engaged. "I think we're all filled with humility by the task that lies ahead," Strauss said.# http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_16019384 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Sep 10 14:37:49 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:37:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Capitol Press 9 8 2010 Message-ID: <003b01cb5130$6b774610$4265d230$@net> Water report sparks debate Ag-water interests say a recent report recommending a shake-up of California's water governance is a decent start to a necessary discussion. The report by the state-oversight agency Little Hoover Commission recommended centralizing management of the State Water Project under a proposed Department of Water Management within the Natural Resources Agency. The commission said such a shift would help implement the policies enacted through last year's landmark water legislation, which created a new governance structure for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the hub of the state's conveyance system. The state's current water-management structure is "not aligned in a way that will allow California to adequately manage and plan for the future, or the full potential of these water reforms," the commission says in its report. "This is a starting point," said Mike Wade, executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition. "Any time you can look at (a bureaucracy) of that size and look for ways to improve its efficiency, it's worth doing." Wade also cautioned that no fix is likely to come free of pitfalls. "There is an upside and a downside to any way the structure changes," he said. The report points out that key elements of California's water planning and management -- water rights accounting and enforcement, flow recommendations and bond-spending decisions -- are too diffused, spread across various departments in three state agencies. "The state lacks the comprehensive view of water use and demand needed for meaningful management and long-term planning," the report says. The state's "inability to develop a comprehensive approach to water management and planning" has resulted in a process whereby legislative action re-allocates water to environmental needs in unpredictable patterns, the commission says. That inability stems from a lack of funding or political will, according to the commission. While water management will never be free of litigation and uncertainty, the state can minimize those factors by centralizing its efforts and making them more consistent, transparent and accountable, the report says. "Despite the courts' best efforts, policy driven by litigation very often reflects the objectives and priorities of those with access to the courts to the exclusion of those stakeholders who do not," it says. Sarah Woolf, spokeswoman for the agricultural Westlands Water District in the San Joaquin Valley, says the positive and negative points of centralizing governance require further debate. "If we were to centralize water decisions, that would be disconcerting because water use is extremely regional," Woolf said. -- Wes Sander Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Sep 11 22:51:52 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2010 22:51:52 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Steelhead and Salmon Message-ID: <000401cb523e$9aa3d7f0$cfeb87d0$@net> steelie and salmon at bar_NEW.jpg -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 22530 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Sep 13 16:22:57 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:22:57 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Spawning surveys to start this week! Message-ID: Hi all, The Fall 2010 Chinook salmon spawning season is upon us! The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, the Yurok Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, and U.S. Forest Service will have crews out on the mainstem Trinity River on a weekly basis from now to December (and in select tribs too in the case of the U.S. Forest Service). We surveyed the river September 7 last week from Lewiston Dam to the Old Bridge to look for early Spring Chinook spawners. We saw no complete redds, though there was a little test digging. That will change soon! This week we'll survey from Lewiston Dam to Cedar Flat. We'll post weekly updates this season as we did last year and those will be available on the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Fisheries webpage. Below is link to a flier you'll soon see physically posted at river access points and various places of business along the Trinity corridor. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates/TrinityRiverUsers_SpawnSurveyFlier.pdf Say "Hi" if you see us out there. Here's to hoping for a great spawning season! Cheers, Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Supervisory Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Sep 20 10:49:41 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:49:41 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times-Standard 9 18 10 Message-ID: <004401cb58ec$34752650$9d5f72f0$@net> Water in limbo: Meetings with reclamation commissioner don't yield answer on Trinity water Eureka Times-Standard-/9/18/10 By John Driscoll Humboldt County and the Hoopa Valley Tribe didn't get the up or down decision they'd hoped for on a promise from Congress for billions of gallons of Trinity River water when they met with U.S. Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor on Thursday. But their request for the water -- 50,000 acre feet -- has been elevated to the highest levels and will get a formal response within a few months, according to those who attended the meetings. Humboldt County's 1955 contract for the water as part of the effort to dam the Trinity River has not been honored, or, as has been maintained by the federal government for years, it's already being released as part of a fisheries restoration program. Humboldt County 5th District Supervisor Jill Duffy said that the county's request had been lodged with other administrations and never fully addressed. Duffy said that Connor pledged that the request would not be swept under the rug this time. Duffy said she came out of the meeting cautiously optimistic. Still, Duffy said that the determination Connor makes will likely be less about whether Humboldt County should get the water, and more about whether it should be in addition to the fisheries restoration flows, or already included in those flows. "It's not whether or not we're going to get it," Duffy said, "it's how it's going to be recognized." The Hoopa Tribe has recently been assisting the county in the effort to clear up the matter. Should another 50,000 acre feet of water be available on the river each year, it could possibly be used to raise and cool water on the Klamath River, where salmon can be susceptible to hot, low flows and resulting disease. In 2002, some 68,000 salmon died in a low, warm river. Whether that would be an allowable use for the water is not entirely certain either, as Reclamation tends to view so-called beneficial uses as consumptive, like for houses, industry or agriculture. Hoopa Tribe fisheries director Mike Orcutt said that the tribal council's separate meeting with Connor didn't yield an answer either, but that he was receptive to the tribe's legal analysis of the 1955 act. The decision, Orcutt expects, will be based entirely on the interpretation of the law. "It's our water in my opinion," Orcutt said. Orcutt said the tribe also discussed contract renewals with Central Valley Project operators, some of whom are recipients of Trinity River water. The tribe argued that those who benefit from the river's water should have to contribute to funds to restore the river's fisheries, which have been suppressed by the damming and diversion of the river.# http://www.times-standard.com/ci_16110442?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.co m-www.times-standard.com Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Sep 20 11:00:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:00:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Message-ID: <004901cb58ed$a71a4040$f54ec0c0$@net> U. S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor met with the Trinity River Restoration Program's Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG - Stakeholder advisors to Trinity Management Council - TMC), on which both Tom Weseloh and Leydecker serve, the TMC (Federal, Tribal, State and County representatives) that are supposed to determine Program policy and action), the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, and the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. The meeting with TAMWG was last Wednesday night and the other meetings were held on Thursday. More about the meetings later. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Sep 20 10:38:13 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:38:13 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Counts Message-ID: <003e01cb58ea$9ad4a5d0$d07df170$@net> Attached is trapping info for Willow Creek and Junction City weirs through Sept. 16 and Trinity River Hatchery through Sept. 9. Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Northern California - North Coast District Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weirTRH_summary 9 16 10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 88064 bytes Desc: not available URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Tue Sep 21 12:52:11 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:52:11 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Severe effect of dust on snowpack melting rate Message-ID: <4C990CEB.8070901@tcrcd.net> *California Water News* */A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment/* * * *September 21, 2010*** *Supply --* *Dust cuts Colorado River flow, scientists say* *L.A. Times* *++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++* *Dust cuts Colorado River flow, scientists say* *L.A. Times-9/21/10* *By Eryn Brown* * * The dark dust thrown up by human activity in the deserts of the Southwest hastens the melting of Rocky Mountain snow and ultimately reduces the amount of water flowing into the upper Colorado River by about 5%, scientists reported Monday. The lost water amounts to more than 250 billion gallons --- enough to supply the Los Angeles region for 18 months, said study leader Thomas H. Painter, a snow hydrologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Ca?ada Flintridge. "That's a lot of water," said Painter, whose study was published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers had already shown that dust emissions in the Southwest have increased fivefold since the mid-19th century, when settlers and their livestock poured across the frontier, breaking up the fragile crusts atop desert soils. That extra dust absorbs more sunlight, melting the snowpack sooner and shortening the duration of snow cover each year by three to four weeks, Painter said. To quantify the effect on runoff, Painter and his colleagues plugged historical data into a computer model that projected what annual runoff would have been from 1916 to 2003 under the cleaner snow conditions that existed before 1880. Accelerated melting due to dust exposes surface vegetation earlier in the year, and the growing plants suck water out of the soil. As a result, the team calculated, there is 5% less runoff available to flow into rivers. The model did not factor in the likelihood that a longer-lasting snowpack also cools the atmosphere, probably resulting in less evaporation and more runoff, Painter said. This means the 5% figure is a minimum estimate of the amount of Colorado River water that is lost, he said. It also suggests that mitigating dust in the region could counteract some of the effects of climate change. It would "allow snowpack to hang around longer, cool the atmosphere and contribute to regional cooling," Painter said. The study of how color affects the rate at which snow melts goes back to a sunny day in the 1720s, when Benjamin Franklin arrayed pieces of colored cloth on snow and observed how quickly the patches beneath them liquefied. "In a few hours, the black, being warmed most by the sun, was sunk so low as to be below the stroke of the sun's rays," he remarked in a letter to a friend. "The other colors [melted] less as they were lighter; and the quite white remained on the surface of the snow." More recently, scientists have used field instruments and satellites to measure dust's effects on snowmelt on small research plots or watershed areas of an acre or two, said University of Colorado snow hydrologist Mark Williams, who was not part of Painter's team. The new study marks the first time that scientists have measured this effect on a vast, watershed-wide scale. Though Williams said he would "quibble" with some of the parameters of Painter's computer model --- including estimates of how much water the early growing plants would draw out of the system --- he said that improving the model "would affect the magnitude, but not the conclusion," of the study. "These are intriguing results," he said. Painter and Williams said that the work had striking --- and potentially controversial --- ramifications for water and land-use policy in the Southwest. The Colorado River and the vast system of dams and reservoirs along it supply water to 27 million people in seven states, including California, and Mexico. Restoring some of its flows by cutting dust emissions could help relieve the longstanding, intractable water shortages that have shaped the history of the West. Dust has already decreased since 1934, when the Taylor Grazing Act limited the amount of grazing allowed on public lands. Scientists have previously analyzed lake deposits and found that dust production fell 17% as a result, Painter said. But finding the collective will to cut dust emissions further would not be easy. Potential measures include banning the use of all-terrain vehicles and imposing further restrictions on grazing. "I can't see too many politicians with enough backbone to make it work," Williams said.# http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-colorado-river-dust-20100921,0,6434114.story * * ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news . DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of California. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Tue Sep 21 15:42:02 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:42:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update Message-ID: Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2009 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Wed Sep 22 10:05:00 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:05:00 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Plans for Delta water tunnel leaked Message-ID: <4C9A373C.9090901@tcrcd.net> *Secret plans for 45-mile long Delta water tunnel leaked * *Central Valley Business Times-9/20/10* A 45-mile long tunnel that would drain fresh water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta -- so wide in diameter that small planes could fly through it -- is being talked about in secret meetings in Sacramento. Broad plans for the tunnel have been worked out, although the planning document prepared by the state's Natural Resources Agency with the plans says that it is "presented only for purposes of facilitating discussion and is not intended as any preliminary or final decision...." "These are government officials using taxpayer funds to try to develop a scheme for spending billions more taxpayer funds and they are doing it in a non-public way," says Jonas Minton, water policy advisor for the Planning and Conservation League, a Sacramento-based nonprofit lobbying organization specializing in environmental issues, and a former deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources. "It includes many, many specifics that are in the form of a proposal. And perhaps this was a slip-up, but in the first appendix included with the document ... it's actually entitled 'state proposal.'" says Mr. Minton. "Although they're saying that this is just an issue paper, it certainly comes across as more than that." Mr. Minton says that at this point there is no indication that others involved in Delta water manager, such as environmental groups or science-based regulations "have any intention of accepting this proposal." The Stockton-based group Restore the Delta, which says it advocates "on behalf of local Delta stakeholders with government water agencies to ensure that water management decisions will protect and benefit local Delta communities," says the hush-hush process of the state in trying to craft a Delta deal has raised the hackles of state and federal lawmakers. It says the lawmakers have sent a letter urging Natural Resources Agency Director Lester Snow and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to open up the closed-door talks now underway. The letter includes a series of questions including a request to know just who is meeting behind the closed doors and why they were invited to participate and others were ignored. "This most recent exclusion only serves to further frustrate and anger those within the Delta community who are genuinely interested in working constructively with the state and federal agencies and the newly formed Delta Stewardship Council," says the letter. "In short, this new 'Delta Principals Group' process represents a return to the closed-door deal-making that has historically resulted in further degradation of the Delta." The letter officially requests that the meetings be more inclusive and transparent Signing the letter were U.S. Reps. John Garamendi, D-Sacramento; Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento; Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton; George Miller, D-Martinez; and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, along with state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis; state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento; state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord; and state Assembly Members Bill Berryhill, R-Ceres; Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo; Alyson Huber, D-El Dorado Hills; Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, and Mariko Yamada, D-West Sacramento. While the Natural Resources Agency is talking water tunnels, other groups are going about their missions involving the fate of the Delta. The new Delta Independent Science Board (ISB) comprised of 10 nationally and internationally prominent scientists is scheduled to hold its first meeting Sept. 30-Oct. 1. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act of 2009 established the Delta ISB, whose members were to be appointed by the Delta Stewardship Council, which was also created by the Delta Reform Act as an independent agency of the state of California. The Delta ISB replaces the previous CALFED Independent Science Board. The meeting is set for 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in the Delta Room, 5th Floor at 650 Capitol Mall, Sacramento.# http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=16351 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Sep 22 11:34:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:34:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Comments to SWRCB Message-ID: <005401cb5a84$bbe8cc10$33ba6430$@net> Comments Attached Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SWRCB Selenium Waiver Comment Letter 9 10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 378602 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Sep 22 17:54:37 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:54:37 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Stockton Record Editorial 9 22 10 Message-ID: <001d01cb5ab9$e6e83ba0$b4b8b2e0$@net> Fighting for water California's battle should at least be fought in public, not behind closed doors By The Record September 22, 2010 12:00 AM To the absolute surprise of no one who has paid attention, participants in the so-called Bay Delta Conservation Plan have been meeting behind closed doors conjuring a plan highly unlikely to conserve any Delta. In November, the group - which includes not one representative from the Delta region - is expected to issue a report calling for construction of a system of ditches or tunnels to bypass the Delta, sending more and more water south. In California, whiskey's for drinkin' and water's for fightin' over, in words widely attributed to Mark Twain. And while the fight certainly is on over Delta water, the fix also seems to be in. Lame-duck governor and Southern California resident Arnold Schwarzenegger favors what he calls a "conveyance system" around the Delta to quench the thirsty south state as well as the water needs of south Valley farmers. Such a system adds not a drop of water to the system but would severely cut flows through the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Some politicians, especially in this season of voter discontent, have framed the issue as a choice between jobs and fish. That's a nice sound bite but is hardly nuanced enough to get at the need to protect the largest freshwater estuary in the Western United States. The Delta needs protecting, not just for the fish that call it home, but also to protect against saltwater intrusion that threatens this entire region. Talk about job losses. A conveyance system - aka a peripheral canal - would cost billions of dollars. At last check, the state didn't have billions. State legislative leaders pulled an expensive and controversial water bond measure off the Nov. 2 ballot, sensing voter outrage over government spending, especially at a time Sacramento politicians have yet to fashion a state budget. That bond was part of a package of five water bills also hatched in secret without meaningful input from Delta region representatives but with considerable help from south state water and south Valley farming interests. That's not fair, of course, but fairness has a lot less to do with politics than votes, and there are a lot of votes south of the Tehachapi Mountains, among whose residents a knowledge of and an appreciation for the Delta might be described as lacking. "We think these processes should include the people who are affected. ... It's about our water, it's about our region, and it's about our land use," state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, said in a letter protesting the secrecy surrounding the DCP's work. We could not agree more. We know there's going to be a fight over water. This is California. That's what we do. But, at least, let's fight it out in public. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Thu Sep 23 10:45:55 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:45:55 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Super-salmon: Something could be fishy from L.A. Times via California Water News Message-ID: <4C9B9253.9010103@tcrcd.net> *Super-salmon: Something could be fishy* *L.A. Times-9/23/10 * *Editorial* * * Salmon that have been genetically engineered to grow twice as fast as wild salmon are not ready for an appearance on the American dinner plate. An advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was wise to push back this week against what looked like fast-track approval of the first genetically altered animal for human consumption, saying more research is needed. Most of the debate has centered on whether the super-salmon proposed by AquaBounty Technologies Inc. are safe to eat. They might well be, despite the just criticisms of poorly designed studies on hormone levels in their flesh and whether they might have lower resistance to disease. That discussion has unfortunately overshadowed the even more troubling question of whether the fish are safe for the environment. There's a big difference between genetically altering domesticated animals --- cattle, for example, which might be designed to resist mad cow disease --- and creating an animal with a possible evolutionary advantage in the wild. Cheaper salmon that can be farmed with less of a carbon footprint might be a tempting idea, but does the modern world really need such salmon? Not enough to merit environmental risk. It would take many more years of research, and far more information than the public has so far been given, to determine whether it's possible to fully guard the world's waters from harm --- such as the possibility that the super-salmon could breed with wild salmon or outcompete wild fish for available food, endangering the survival of the species and possibly harming other aquatic life. In any case, the FDA is the wrong agency to make the environmental decision. It was given authority over such animals because the genes inserted into the animals' DNA are considered a drug. But the FDA isn't where the federal government's top environmental, wildlife and fisheries experts work. Multiple agencies should have responsibility for reviewing these applications, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. In order to avoid escapes of super-salmon into rivers or the ocean, AquaBounty has developed an impressive set of safeguards. It plans to rear the fish in tanks on land rather than in the usual ocean pens. As an added precaution, it would render the fish sterile so they could not mate with wild salmon. But the sterilization process is not perfect; up to 5% of treated salmon could still reproduce. The company has said that the facility in the Panama highlands where the fish would be reared is adjacent to a river, probably because copious amounts of water are needed to flush the tanks. But the specific location has not been revealed, and the public has the right to know more about it. Where is the river exactly? How close to it will the tanks be? Further, even if the FDA approves the process, it's unclear that the agency would be able to ensure compliance. AquaBounty's two small facilities --- it would also run a hatchery on Prince Edward Island in Canada --- probably would offer little chance of escape. But federal regulators must look at the bigger picture. This is a first-phase proposal. If more and larger super-salmon farms come into play, the chances of sloppier facilities and the escape of non-sterile salmon would increase. What would happen then? Possibly nothing. The salmon might be less able to live in a natural environment than their wild counterparts. But we don't know. The environmental assessments so far haven't adequately looked at this question or what kind of environmental response might be needed. Instead, they have mainly been limited to preventing escapes, on the assumption that a serious problem is so unlikely to occur, there's little need for a well-researched plan beyond that point. We all know how well that kind of thinking worked with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.# -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Sep 27 10:01:03 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 10:01:03 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Salmon Water Now, Westlands, Salmon and Reason Message-ID: Bruce Tokars wrote: Hello -- They didn't like our last video, Bullies of Westlands, and they let us know about it. The California Farm Water Coalition made a point of letting the world know just how wrong that Salmon Water Now video was from start to finish. Here is a link to their review: http://www.farmwater.org/Current-News/Videos-provide-half-truths.html So, our new video is for the farmers, and those in the Valley who believe that we want to steal all the water. It is available on Vimeo uninterrupted and on YouTube in two parts. As usual we encourage sharing and embedding. Here is what it is all about: Westlands, Salmon, & Reason (21:18) Our last video, Bullies of Westlands, blamed the powerful Westlands Water District for being the primary reason wild California King salmon are on the edge of extinction. It seems we hit a nerve. We received many comments thanking us for drawing a line between Westland's deeds and actions and the sad condition of what was once a thriving fishery. But the majority of the comments we received came from Central Valley residents who took heated exception to our claims. Accusing us of "having no respect for our audience", of presenting "one big logical fallacy" and asking us "to provide evidence to support the accusations." Many of the comments were angry and critical. Some were more thoughtful. Rushing to the defense of Westlands by way of a point-by-point rebuttal was the California Farm Water Coalition ( http://www.farmwater.org/Current-News/Videos-provide-half-truths.html ). According to their website, they represent a cross-section of the agricultural industry. Their membership includes individual farmers, ag water districts, the California Farm Bureau Federation, and many farm related businesses. They hated our Bullies of Westlands video. They said, "the half-truths presented in these videos will be well received by those who want to take water away from California farmers." Salmon Water Now stands by our claims about Westlands and the collapse of the salmon fishery. Our new video, Westlands, Salmon, & Reason, offers further evidence to support our position. We state unequivocally that our fight to pull salmon from the edge of extinction does not need to be at the expense of agriculture. We believe there is no reason that healthy runs of wild salmon cannot co-exist with productive and profitable agriculture. But restoring salmon, and the health of the Delta, requires that the Westlands Water District take a good long look at their political agenda that pushes hard for water policies which have created misery for thousands of people along the coasts of California and Oregon. Westlands, Salmon, & Reason is a positive, detailed refutation of those who feel that the Westlands Water District was a victim in Salmon Water Now's Bullies of Westlands video. At the end of the new video, Salmon Water Now offers a proposition to the California Farm Water Coalition that we believe can help put an end to the constant bickering over water policies. We seek to expand understanding between agriculture interests and fishermen. We want a productive dialog between Valley farmers, agriculture, fishermen and costal residents. Watch Westlands, Salmon, & Reason and see in detail why we say that Bullies of Westlands was justified as a way to kick-start a meaningful discussion about water, politics, and people. We are reaching out to farmers, and those who depend on agriculture, to join Salmon Water Now's efforts to bring sanity to California water politics and that means REASON to Westlands. YouTube Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC3o8VXulH0&hd=1 YouTube Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEZH52bL2r8&hd=1 Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/14982246 B. Bruce Tokars www.salmonwaternow.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Sep 27 09:47:57 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:47:57 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Counts Message-ID: <004c01cb5e63$be717170$3b545450$@net> The attached spreadsheet contains trapping data for two main stem weirs (through September 23) and Trinity River Hatchery (through September 16). Let me know if you have any questions. Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weirTRH_summary 9 23 10 (2).xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 88576 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Sep 27 11:40:47 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:40:47 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Trinity River spawning survey update 9/27 Message-ID: Hi all, Latest results are available at the link below. Our crews are seeing lots of fish in the river, but spawning seems to be getting a slow start this year. Hopefully things will bust wide open soon. Thanks for looking! Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 09/27/2010 10:51 AM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2009 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Sep 27 20:14:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:14:30 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject) Message-ID: <014001cb5ebb$45241900$cf6c4b00$@net> http://www.tworiverstribune.com/wp-content/themes/TRT/images/masthead.jpg http://www.tworiverstribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/HarvestFestival.j pg Fishy Business On Sept. 8, the Hoopa Valley Tribe hosted a special meeting to discuss issues dealing with commercial fishing on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. / Photo by Manuel Sanchez. On Sept. 8, the Hoopa Valley Tribe hosted a special meeting to discuss issues dealing with commercial fishing on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation. / Photo by Manuel Sanchez. Hoopa Valley Tribe to Rethink Fishing Ordinance After Complaints Surface Regarding Unfair Fishing Claims By Manuel Sanchez, Two Rivers Tribune Contributing Writer The Hoopa Valley Tribe is a fisheries tribe, but one thing it hasn't delved into is selling its salmon on the commercial market. However, according to members of the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council there are plenty of Hoopa Tribal members doing so, so many, in fact, that the HVTC called a special meeting on Sept. 8 to discuss the matter. The meeting was jam-packed with local Hoopa fisherman, tribal elders, and employees of the Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Department (Fisheries). Each had their voices heard, with many criticizing the high number of fish that are allegedly being sold by Tribal employees, mainly employees of Fisheries. "Fisherman were coming to us and complaining that they weren't getting salmon," Nelson said. "They heard rumors of how many fish were being caught in the gorge and they wanted us to look into it." The HVTC had the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police looked into the matter. Hoopa Tribal Police Officer Hess and a member of the Tribal Environmental Protection Agency immediately traveled to the gorge to check the nets. Hess reported the nets were in compliance with the Hoopa Tribe's Fishing Ordinance. This report brought uproar from the gallery as many complained having seen more than the allotted three nets in the gorge. The Hoopa Tribal Fishing Ordinance (Title 16) states that a Tribal member may have up to 100 feet of webbing or two nets, and the nets can't block more than one-third (1/3) of the river-another issued brought up-changing the ordinance. The HVTC not only discussed the possibility of commercial fishing on the reservation, they also received a proposal to change language in the Hoopa Tribe's Fishing Ordinance from Self-Governance Officer, Danny Jordan. With the new changes, Jordan hopes to clear up some ambiguous language that will clarify certain aspects of old language and open the new ordinance for debate. The proposed plan would eliminate the 100 foot length limit and increasing the amount of the river that can be fished to two-thirds (2/3) is also a proposed option. In a proposed plan, the HVTC is looking to delete the snagging prohibition and remove restrictions on people being able to make "improvements" on fishing sites that were damaged by the construction of the Trinity River Dam. Some members of the HVTC see this as a rouse for just a select few members of the tribe to benefit. HVT Councilwoman Marcellene Norton said the proposed changes don't address much of the issues and will only "benefit the few fishing in the gorge." When the proposed changes were brought up, many Tribal members at the meeting were visibly upset and expressed their anger toward the proposed changes. Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Director, Mike Orcutt, stated that the people fishing in the gorge are following the ordinance and the Hoopa Tribe isn't going over its allocated quota of salmon which is 20 percent of the allotted subsistence fishing, with the Yurok Tribe receiving 80 percent. He said members of that Tribe are only catching about nine percent of their allocation, and if they don't get the numbers up, they could be in danger of seeing the allocation percentage lowered by negotiation with the Yurok Tribe. "We don't utilize the full allocation of the salmon," Orcutt said. "We are struggling with data and have offered to write grants for fishing." Norton said she realizes the Tribe has to meet their quota, but would hope that people who are unemployed could benefit from commercial fishing, and not just those who "can afford expensive power boats." Nelson said with many of the Fisheries staff as main suppliers for local buyers, the HVTC needs to do something to correct what he feels is a grievous error. Norton and Nelson said they are in support of commercial fishing, but not at the expense of the Tribe, where only a few profit. "This should be made available to all fishermen, especially those who are unemployed or barely making a living," Norton said. "We could sell to meet our quotas and help people make money, which also includes subsistence and cultural fishing." According to Norton, from January through September of this year, there were over 900 salmon sold to just one buyer on the North Coast, at a cost of $3 per pound. In 2009, this one buyer bought over $120,000 worth of salmon from Hoopa tribal members, with the vast majority of them being employees of Fisheries. Norton said the buyer told her they had contacted Fisheries to get the word out that they were looking for salmon, and requested their contact information be posted at the Hoopa Tribal Police station. The post would have stated the times the buyer was available to purchase salmon daily, and where the salmon was going. According to HVT's Title 16, in order for Tribal resources (i.e. salmon, firewood, mushrooms, etc.) to be shipped off the reservation, a transportation permit must be filled out and signed off by a Hoopa Tribal Police. When a permit is purchased, an employee of the Hoopa Police Department will inspect and document the load before transport. Many people at the Sept. 8 meeting claimed they did not know that they could purchase a permit to sell fish. One Tribal member said he sold $7,000 worth of salmon in 2009, but he was unemployed and that was how he made a living for his family. "I would only catch my fish, about the time the water was too low for the power boats to make it down the gorge," the fisherman said. Hoopa Tribal member Mikey McCovey what said he was upset about, besides the amount of money being made by a few, was that people put their lives on the line fighting for fishing rights in the late 1970s and early 1980s and he never saw any of those people selling salmon commercially. "This is not right, we had families who were putting their lives on the line, just to catch and eat fish," McCovey said. "And now there are people who don't care about the fish, just how much money they could make." Many at the meeting wanted to know where in the ordinance it states tribal members could sell salmon. One commercial fisherman pointed to a July, 29, 1989 special election that discontinued the prohibition of commercial sales of salmon. Resolution # 89-104 states, "Shall the Hoopa Valley Business Council, in order to ensure and enhance the preservation of Hoopa Tribal fishing rights, discontinue the prohibition on commercial fishing on the Hoopa Valley Reservation and if discontinued by this referendum, formulate with input from the Hupa people an ordinance which would regulate a commercial fishery on the Hoopa Valley Reservation." The resolution passed by a 152-100 vote, with 765 eligible voters. For many, the resolution, which has no regulations, has been seen as a loop hole for individuals to sell salmon for personal gain. Nelson said this has been utilized only by the people in the know, mainly employees from Hoopa Tribal Fisheries. "Regulations should have been created by our attorneys with input from the council and Fisheries," Nelson said. "But at the time, they were dealing with the Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act." On Sept. 10, two days after the special meeting, Nelson wrote a memorandum to the Hoopa Tribal Police Chief Robert Kane ordering him to uphold the fishing ordinance, and placed a hold on the sale of transportation permits. Nelson said he wrote that memo because he was concerned about the well being of fisherman on the river. He was told by numerous people that altercations were getting out of hand and that people were threatening others with bodily harm. According to an employee of the Hoopa Tribal Police Department, no permits have been issued since the memo. "We were getting rumors of possible violence," Nelson said. "People were talking about shooting out boats, so I wrote the memo to enforce Title 16 for safety." Nelson said he also wrote the memo enforcing the 1986 law because he felt as though some individuals were taking advantage of their position and profiting off the tribe's resources, adding that under the 1989 vote, it states the Hoopa Tribe would be the sellers for the membership and that the money could go into the "kitty" for Tribal per capita. Nelson and Norton are organizing a general meeting on Oct. 2 to meet with the tribal membership and concerned citizens about Title 16, as well as the proposed changes. "To make a few thousand [dollars] is alright, but there are some who are making tens of thousands of dollars," Nelson said. "The council will tailor Title 16 to meet what the majority of the people want, not just a few." Nelson said what is most disturbing is that the people who are supposed to be protecting Tribal resources are the ones who are profiting from them. He said there are many Tribal members who are calling for select Tribal employees' jobs, and said he would like the Tribal membership's input on the matter. One idea brought up by Norton is to bring buyers to Hoopa and have them go through a bidding process to purchase salmon. Nelson added to this by saying there is a great need for monitoring of resources, making sure the salmon are not being overharvested. He said the HVTC is considering developing a new department under the Hoopa Tribal Police Department to deal solely with Tribal resources. Nelson said with the majority of the sales in recent years coming from Hoopa tribal employees who make high salaries and aren't required to pay taxes, the HVTC needs to make this system fair for all Hoopa Tribal members and not those who are sworn to protect the river. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 16823 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 19901 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 99857 bytes Desc: not available URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Thu Sep 30 10:28:07 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:28:07 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fewer actual job losses linked to Delta and drought Message-ID: <4CA4C8A7.6040901@tcrcd.net> *Fewer job losses linked to Delta, drought* *Contra Costa Times-9/29/10* *By Mike Taugher * * * A jobs plan that is part of Meg Whitman's gubernatorial campaign suggests that drought and Delta pumping restrictions might have cost California 95,000 jobs. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina puts the number at 40,000. Both are relying on early and outdated economic forecasts of what might have happened in 2009. Now, the economist who developed those numbers and his toughest academic critic have joined together in a report that tries to determine what actually transpired. Their conclusions: Those estimates of lost jobs are far too high. Between 5,500 and 7,500 jobs were lost due to water shortages in the San Joaquin Valley last year, and most of the blame goes to the weather, not to environmental protection. One of the economists put the job loss attributable to environmental protections at 1,400 jobs and the other put the figure closer to 3,000 jobs. By comparison, one of the report's authors said the housing downturn cost the region 76,000 construction-related jobs. "Sure, the 2.5 percent decline in crop production had an impact, but the 90 percent decline in home production and the more than 50 percent decline in nonresidential construction had a much bigger impact," said Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of Pacific. The Delta's problems captured national attention last year as drought and new restrictions on water pumping combined to cut supplies to farms and cities that had been taking record amounts of water out of a collapsing Delta. Despite the fact that drought was causing most of the shortages, talk show hosts and politicians took to blaming new court-ordered restrictions meant to prevent Delta smelt from going extinct. Protests were held in the hardest hit area -- the San Joaquin Valley's west side -- where bitter complaints were heard about fish being favored over jobs. In early 2009, UC Davis economist Richard Howitt tried to predict the economic impact the drought and new restrictions on Delta pumping would have on San Joaquin Valley farms. His first attempt resulted in a forecast that 95,000 jobs might be lost, but he revised that figure downward a number of times in response to much lower numbers put forward by Michael. "Yes, it's a problem when candidates don't use the most recent and accurate figures," Howitt said in an e-mail. "I have tried to correct this, but this combined report should help put some of the outdated values to rest." Whitman and Fiorina's opponents -- state Attorney General Jerry Brown and incumbent U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, respectively -- also have made references to problems in the Delta but they do not appear to have used the high job loss estimates as part of their campaigns. The economists said the impact was concentrated in western Fresno, Kern and Kings counties, regions served largely by the nation's largest federal water district, the Westlands Water District, and the State Water Project's second largest customer behind Southern California, the Kern County Water Agency. Howitt noted that economic impact was indeed severe in those regions but that voluntary sales among big water users significantly blunted the effects of shortages. "Despite this, a 10 percent reduction in jobs is a severe impact for farmworkers on the west side," he said. The economists used different methods for determining the actual impact of the drought and the new Delta pumping restrictions, but came up with numbers that were close. Michael estimated water shortages caused farm revenues to decline by $340 million while Howitt put the figure at $370 million. In both cases, the figures represent a lot of money, but less than a 3 percent decline in San Joaquin Valley farm revenues. Michael put the job losses due to environmental protections at 1,400 while Howitt estimated 3,000. If Michael's figure is correct, the number of farmworkers who lost their jobs due to environmental protection would be fewer than the 1,800 fishing jobs he estimates were lost in each of the last two years due to the collapse in California's commercial salmon. The San Joaquin Valley has been battered by chronic unemployment and the evaporation of the housing market, problems that dwarf the losses incurred by drought and recent environmental protections intended to prevent Delta fish from going extinct, he said. "This valley has incredible problems, but our leaders are completely consumed with this one issue," Michael said.# http://www.contracostatimes.com/top-stories/ci_16208283 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Sep 30 14:12:16 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:12:16 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Capital Press 09 30 2010 Message-ID: <000301cb60e4$2a593350$7f0b99f0$@net> Capital Press agriculture news website Investors want share of water Money could boost distribution, but cost farmers By WES SANDER Capital Press A San Joaquin Valley lawyer says hundreds of millions of dollars are waiting to be invested in California's water infrastructure. But there's a tradeoff: The investors putting up the cash want a piece of agriculture's available supplies, which they could sell to urban users for high prices. Despite the loss of the water, such investment could make supplemental water more affordable, and therefore accessible to more farmers, said Gary Sawyers of Sawyers & Holland, a San Joaquin Valley firm that serves mostly agricultural clients. "There are folks who would love to invest in California water infrastructure if we choose to accept it," Sawyers told the State Board of Food and Agriculture at a Sept. 22 meeting. Sawyers recently spoke with 10-15 fund managers in New York, and is aware of up to $500 million ready to be invested in a California water project promising a decent return. That means state and federal managers need to smooth out the kinks in their regulatory processes, including the unpredictable allocations and species protections of the past few years, Sawyers said. But the biggest question is whether water interests can learn to live with the concept, he said. "Can agriculture tolerate the idea of selling water in the marketplace?" Sawyers said. It's an idea "that would have gotten me shot in a lot of rooms just a few years ago." Resistance comes from environmentalists who decry the concept of privatizing water, saying it can only be equitably distributed as a public resource. Farmers, meanwhile, fear any loss of water allocated to agriculture. It's an age-old concern in the state, where fights have brewed for decades over water rights. A large sale of San Joaquin Valley ag water in 2009, made by a San Francisco Bay Area-based investment group to a Southern California urban area, sent shock waves through the farming community. Such sales happen periodically, causing unrest among ag-water interests. Even so, agriculture could benefit from further investigating the pros and cons of altering the state's water management, said Jill Willis, a water attorney with Best, Best and Krieger in California. "I think the future potential is there," Willis said. Private investment could make water more affordable when purchased on a supplemental basis, Sawyers said. A farmer anticipating insufficient deliveries in the coming season can contract to purchase water transferred from another district. Usually transfers take water from north to south, across the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and into the drier San Joaquin Valley. Water could also be transferred east-to-west across the valley to help the parched Westside, but conveyance capacity is limited. Transferred water tends to be expensive, from $300 to nearly $500 per acre-foot. That puts it out of reach to all but urban districts and larger growers of high-value crops, mostly nuts and winegrapes. Because venture capital would expand infrastructure, it would make transfers easier and less expensive, Sawyers said. Despite the loss of some water to investors, what remains could still become more affordable. The decision that the farm community must make is whether the trade-off is worth it, Sawyers said. "Is a percentage of something better than 100 percent of nothing?" he said. Beyond infrastructure, investors would need the regulatory stability that valley farmers have said is a top requirement in the wake of drought conditions and Delta species protections that grew in the past three years. That means accomplishing the reform that water interests, water managers and politicians have been pursuing, through sweeping legislation in 2009 as well as an ongoing plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration to rework Delta conveyance. Sawyers said his first-hand knowledge of the investment landscape is likely the tip of the iceberg. There are "tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars out there right now that are hungry for investments in California (water) infrastructure," he said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 73962 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Sep 30 16:24:27 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:24:27 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] BOR Press Release Message-ID: <003601cb60f6$a171c440$e4554cc0$@net> Mid-Pacific Region Sacramento, CA MP-10-146 Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov For Release On: September 30, 2010 Reclamation Continues Negotiation of a New Repayment Contract for San Luis Drainage Collection Facilities The Bureau of Reclamation has scheduled the fifth session to negotiate a new repayment contract with the Westlands Water District to provide for reimbursement of federal funds used to construct drainage collection facilities within the district. Westlands Water District (WWD) is a contractor in the San Luis Unit of Reclamation's Central Valley Project. Located west of the city of Firebaugh and extending south to Kettleman City, WWD encompasses more than 600,000 acres of farmland in western Fresno and Kings counties. In the San Luis Drainage Feature Re-Evaluation Study, completed in March 2007, Reclamation identified alternatives for providing drainage service to the San Luis Unit. The fifth negotiation session is scheduled in: Sacramento Wednesday, October 6, 1 p.m. 2800 Cottage Way Room E-2901 The public is welcome to attend the negotiation session and will have the opportunity to comment. Participation instructions will be provided at the session along with pertinent documents. For additional information, please contact Valerie Curley, contract administration branch chief, 559-487-5041 (TTY 800-735-2929), fax 559-487-5397 or e-mail vcurley at usbr.gov. # # # Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov. If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Sep 30 16:19:45 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:19:45 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Gate 09 39 2919 Message-ID: <001f01cb60f5$fb0dc9f0$f1295dd0$@net> San Francisco Chronicle click here http://cdn.sfgate.com/graphics/blogs/luminaries/gleick.jpg Dr. Peter Gleick President, Pacific Institute Anyone who pays attention to water in California knows that the state is just getting over (we hope) a serious three-year drought. And anyone who pays attention to water in California knows that the... Misusing California water numbers for political purposes: Jobs, fish, and lies Misusing California water numbers for political purposes: Jobs, fish, and lies Anyone who pays attention to water in California knows that the state is just getting over (we hope) a serious three-year drought. And anyone who pays attention to water in California knows that the drought led to very serious political posturing, arguing, and drama, especially in the Central Valley. Indeed, the drought became a cause celebre for some on the right, Central Valley Tea Partiers, and talk show conservatives, who used it as an excuse to launch a full-scale assault on the environment of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, legal decisions to restore small amounts of water to dried-up rivers, and the Endangered Species Act. Late last summer, Sean Hannity came and held a rally to argue that the drought was caused by politics, not weather, that tens of thousands of farm jobs had been lost because of environmental restrictions, and that the agricultural communities of the Central Valley were being destroyed by efforts to save fish, especially a small fish called the Delta Smelt, from extinction. The problem, they said over and over, was we had to choose "fish versus jobs." Most of what Hannity and other speakers at that rally said was wrong or misleading, but the two most important pieces picked up and repeated over and over by the media were the arguments that (1) the drought was caused by human decisions, rather than the weather (doubly ironic since these same groups consistently argue that humans cannot be causing climate change), and (2) it had led to massive job losses in the agricultural sector. The two major Republican candidates for Senate and Governor in California continue to use these arguments in their water policy pronouncements. The problem is that both claims are false. It was apparent, even then, that these arguments were at best partial truths twisted around a core of lies, and I wrote a previous SFGate post about this in August 2009. But new evidence now shows clearly how false those claims were. What's the real story? A superb article written by reporter Mike Taugher, pulls it all together. In early 2009, Professor Richard Howitt, a UC Davis agricultural economist, tried to predict the economic impact the natural drought and new legal restrictions on Delta pumping would have on San Joaquin Valley farms. His earliest estimate was that these water problems might cost California around 95,000 jobs. Around the same time, Dr. Jeffrey Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at the University of Pacific did a separate estimate , and came up with a far lower number. After the two of them began comparing notes, assumptions, and data, Dr. Howitt revised his figure downward several times. His first estimate, however, was like throwing red meat to lions, and Hannity and others picked it up and, to this day, continue to use it. A jobs plan that is part of Meg Whitman's gubernatorial campaign is still arguing that the drought and Delta pumping restrictions might have cost California 95,000 jobs. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina puts the number at 40,000 using other outdated and inaccurate numbers. Howitt and Michaels, in an open and remarkable academic collaboration, have gotten together and produced a joint analysis . Their conclusions? The early estimates of lost jobs were far, far too high. They now say that between 5,500 and 7,500 jobs were lost due to the water availability constraints in the San Joaquin Valley last year, and equally importantly, most of the blame goes to the weather, NOT to environmental protections. Indeed, while some individual farmers and water districts with junior water rights suffered serious impacts, the agricultural sector of the state as a whole, has had pretty good years even with the drought, because of water transfers, temporary use of groundwater, improved efficiency, high prices for some crops, and other adjustments. Water Numbers: 1,400 to 3,000 jobs (not 95,000 or 40,000). What do the economists now think the actual impacts were? One of the economists put the job loss attributable to environmental protections at 1,400 jobs; the other (using different assumptions and estimates) put the figure closer to 3,000 jobs. Not 95,000. Not 40,000. In comparison, the economic recession cost the region 76,000 construction-related jobs. Watering turf grass in the San Joaquin Valley, summer 2008. (c) Peter Gleick 2008 Watering turf grass in the San Joaquin Valley, summer 2008. Even more ironically, taking water from the environment and the fish costs jobs too, though we've traditionally ignored or failed to estimate these costs. Economist Michaels estimates that 1,800 jobs have been lost by the commercial salmon industry due to the ecological destruction of the fisheries because of water withdrawals and other problems in the Delta -- similar to the number of jobs lost to farmers. That shows some of the potential benefits of delivering a little water to the environment to restore healthy fisheries. As for the politicians, will they change their numbers, websites, and rhetoric? Will they step up for the environment and the salmon fishermen? Professor Howitt said in an email to reporter Mike Taugher, "Yes, it's a problem when candidates don't use the most recent and accurate figures... I have tried to correct this, but this combined report should help put some of the outdated values to rest." Do certain politicians and talk show hosts care about facts, even when they are inconvenient? Will they correct their positions, or will incorrect numbers continue to be used to drive a political agenda? We'll see. Peter Gleick Pacific Institute Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/gleick/detail?entry_id=73561#ixzz113dDoG R3 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 27053 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image004.gif Type: image/gif Size: 5393 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Sep 30 16:29:29 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:29:29 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Ensuring Scientific Integrity at the Department of Interior, Secy of Interior Order, 9.29.2010 Message-ID: <003b01cb60f7$555985b0$000c9110$@net> Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility News Release (www.peer.org) For Immediate Release: September 29, 2010 Contact: Kirsten Stade (202) 265-7337 INTERIOR MAKES BIG STRIDE ON SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY - Secretary Salazar's Order Could Be Transformative Washington, DC - The Secretary of Interior today issued a far-reaching order that may significantly improve the transparency, reliability and verifiability of its scientific and technical work, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Interior's action will likely have government-wide influence on the Obama administration's struggling effort to craft a new system of scientific integrity safeguards. Today Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a "secretarial order" which immediately becomes official policy. This order represents a dramatic break from the agency's checkered past and contains sweeping new mandates, including - . A ban on political appointees rewriting or altering scientific documents; . Transparency that allows changes in technical documents to be tracked; and . Whistleblower protection for scientists who report manipulation of technical reports. These and other changes in the Salazar order now must be reduced into specific procedural steps for inclusion in the departmental manual and incorporation into guidance for individual Interior agencies, such as the National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey and the successors to the former Minerals Management Service. "We congratulate Secretary Salazar for taking a major step forward in protecting both the integrity of government science and its scientists," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, who has been on of Interior's harshest critics on this topic. "There are still a lot of details to be worked out but if agency rules reflect the spirit of this order, then government science will be much more transparent and trustworthy." Major elements of Secretary Salazar's order reflect steps long advocated by PEER and other reform groups, including clear rules allowing scientists to speak to the public, lifting bars against involvement in scientific professional societies and punishment for managers who skew technical data or findings. These broad policy strokes, however, now must be translated into enforceable internal processes. Interior's action will also affect the stalled presidential scientific integrity initiative that was supposed to have been in place in 2009 but is still in limbo. Interior not only leapt ahead of the tardy White House Office of Science & Technology Policy effort but set a bar that all other agencies will have to meet, or else explain why Interior can implement policies that are beyond their ken. "While this is a welcome development, we have seen bold rhetorical commitments to scientific integrity before without follow-up," added Ruch, noting that the Interior order did not set a deadline for promulgation of implementing rules. "Once the rules are in place, they must be enforced. So, we will wait for the day when this administration punishes one of its own political appointees for covering up or sugarcoating inconvenient facts." ### Read the Secretarial Order &PageID=45590> Compare the original Interior proposal See the stalled Obama scientific integrity agenda Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Scientific-Integrity-Policy-Signed-image-PDF.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 701743 bytes Desc: not available URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Thu Sep 30 17:01:16 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:01:16 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Delta and Fishing Activists Disrupt Secret Delta Meetings In-Reply-To: <003b01cb60f7$555985b0$000c9110$@net> References: <003b01cb60f7$555985b0$000c9110$@net> Message-ID: Press Release from Restore the Delta: http://www.restorethedelta.org. September 30, 2010 Delta and Fishing Activists Disrupt Secret Delta Meetings For Immediate Release -- September 30, 2010 Bill Jennings - 209-464-5067 Dan Bacher - 916-685-2245, ext. 224 Brett Baker - 916-719-6586 A Thursday morning meeting of Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) principals was disrupted by a fisherman, two environmentalists, and a Delta farmer protesting the closed process. The Department of Water Resources has told legislators that they're not welcome at meetings of signatories to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the plan that state water exporters have undertaken to secure their water supplies. The meetings have been going forward behind closed doors since August in what Resources Secretary Lester Snow told lawmakers was "a key procedural component of the public BDCP Steering Committee process." Showing up this morning at the meeting convened at the California Farm Bureau Federation in Sacramento were Dan Bacher, fisheries activist, researcher, and editor of The Fish Sniffer; Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA); Jim Crenshaw, President/Treasurer of CSPA; and Brett Baker, sixth generation pear farmer from Sutter Island in the Northern Delta. Speaking seats at the meeting had been reserved for "principals," representatives of the entities who have financed the planning process. Bacher, Jennings, Crenshaw, and Baker were asked not to report the names of any of the participants or attribute quotes to them. They refused. When asked to leave, the four asked whether they would be arrested if they refused. In response, Secretary Lester Snow disbanded the meeting. In an interview last week, Jonas Minton of the Planning and Conservation League told the Central Valley Business Times that exporters had withdrawn from the public BDCP process when confronted with overwhelming scientific evidence that exports from the Bay-Delta would have to be reduced to save the Estuary. Said Minton, "They've been frantically trying to come up with some kind of agreement that could be signed before this Governor leaves office." A similar push by the Governor has driven the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) process going forward in coastal Northern California. The MLPA process, like the BDCP process, has been characterized by attempts to bypass open meeting laws. In that case, MLPA officials have limited media coverage of their "work sessions," which they distinguish from public meetings. One independent journalist was arrested for trying to film "work session" proceedings. Newspaper industry and civil liberties attorneys say the process violated the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act and the 1st Amendment. The Delta and fishing activists involved in disrupting today's meeting are available for interviews. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ema.berol at yahoo.com Thu Sep 30 19:47:34 2010 From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emelia Berol) Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:47:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [env-trinity] Ensuring Scientific Integrity at the Department of Interior, Secy of Interior Order, 9.29.2010 In-Reply-To: <003b01cb60f7$555985b0$000c9110$@net> References: <003b01cb60f7$555985b0$000c9110$@net> Message-ID: <329437.47704.qm@web46214.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> Hallelulia! Too bad it's not retroactive ... ________________________________ From: Byron Leydecker To: FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Thu, September 30, 2010 4:29:29 PM Subject: [env-trinity] Ensuring Scientific Integrity at the Department of Interior, Secy of Interior Order, 9.29.2010 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility News Release (www.peer.org) For Immediate Release: September 29, 2010 Contact: Kirsten Stade (202) 265-7337 INTERIOR MAKES BIG STRIDE ON SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY? Secretary Salazar?s Order Could Be Transformative Washington, DC ? The Secretary of Interior today issued a far-reaching order that may significantly improve the transparency, reliability and verifiability of its scientific and technical work, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Interior?s action will likely have government-wide influence on the Obama administration?s struggling effort to craft a new system of scientific integrity safeguards. Today Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a ?secretarial order? which immediately becomes official policy. This order represents a dramatic break from the agency?s checkered past and contains sweeping new mandates, including ? >? A ban on political appointees rewriting or altering scientific documents; > >? Transparency that allows changes in technical documents to be tracked; and > >? Whistleblower protection for scientists who report manipulation of technical >reports. These and other changes in the Salazar order now must be reduced into specific procedural steps for inclusion in the departmental manual and incorporation into guidance for individual Interior agencies, such as the National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey and the successors to the former Minerals Management Service. ?We congratulate Secretary Salazar for taking a major step forward in protecting both the integrity of government science and its scientists,? stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, who has been on of Interior?s harshest critics on this topic. ?There are still a lot of details to be worked out but if agency rules reflect the spirit of this order, then government science will be much more transparent and trustworthy.? Major elements of Secretary Salazar?s order reflect steps long advocated by PEER and other reform groups, including clear rules allowing scientists to speak to the public, lifting bars against involvement in scientific professional societies and punishment for managers who skew technical data or findings. These broad policy strokes, however, now must be translated into enforceable internal processes. Interior?s action will also affect the stalled presidential scientific integrity initiative that was supposed to have been in place in 2009 but is still in limbo. Interior not only leapt ahead of the tardy White House Office of Science & Technology Policy effort but set a bar that all other agencies will have to meet, or else explain why Interior can implement policies that are beyond their ken. ?While this is a welcome development, we have seen bold rhetorical commitments to scientific integrity before without follow-up,? added Ruch, noting that the Interior order did not set a deadline for promulgation of implementing rules. ?Once the rules are in place, they must be enforced. So, we will wait for the day when this administration punishes one of its own political appointees for covering up or sugarcoating inconvenient facts.? ### Read the Secretarial Order Compare the original Interior proposal See the stalled Obama scientific integrity agenda Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Oct 4 08:42:51 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 08:42:51 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update 10/04/2010 Message-ID: An update of our Trinity River spawning survey results is available at the link in the previous message. Trinity River Chinook salmon spawning is finally on the uptick after a late start. We counted 290 new redds in the upper 10 survey reaches last week (Lewiston Dam to Cedar Flat). Cheers! Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 10/04/2010 08:32 AM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2009 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Oct 4 09:24:20 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 09:24:20 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 Message-ID: <00bf01cb63e0$9a23c250$ce6b46f0$@net> Irrigators may get new free pass to pollute Sacramento Bee-10/3/10 By Jim Metropulos Opinion Longtime residents of California may recall those 1984 pictures of birds with twisted beaks, deformed heads and the limp, dead chicks. These birds died by the hundreds in Kesterson Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos - one of the state's worst wildlife disasters. In the decades that followed, state water officials have looked the other way and refused to enforce the state's tough discharge selenium standards. Kesterson Reservoir became a wake-up call. But no one at the State Water Resources Control Board woke up. Toxic, selenium-contaminated agricultural drainage water still flows through the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and into the San Joaquin River. And the State Water Resources Control Board is about to approve another 10-year waiver for its selenium discharge standards. That means another 10 years of toxic water headed toward the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta - and our drinking water. For west-side irrigators, this is business as usual. And the state water board plans to keep it that way. Some may view this as a blast from the past. In Kesterson, follow-up studies documented that selenium-laced runoff from Westlands Water District lands and other west-side irrigators produced the selenium wastewater that caused the Kesterson disaster. Now, the state water board is about to allow one of the state's biggest drainage polluters to keep loading selenium into our waterways. Of course, the west-side irrigators will tell you things have changed. They may quote their new slogan: "Dilution is Grasslands' and Westlands Water District's solution." But these giant west-side agricultural powerhouses' "solution" falls far short of fixing the problem. Selenium builds up in the bodies of plants and animals. So while the levels of selenium vary with dilution, this toxin builds up in the food chain and has caused bird deformities, reproduction problems and death in wildlife. It can even threaten human health and is known to cause symptoms as varied as hair loss, nervous-system effects, and digestive harm. Let's follow the water. Bearing levels of selenium high enough to deform wildlife and threaten drinking water, the drainage swirls past signs posted along Mud Slough and parts of the San Joaquin River. The signs warn would-be anglers not to eat fish caught in the toxic brew, to prevent potential birth defects. Seeping its toxic cargo into groundwater all the way, the water finally flows to the Merced River and empties into the Delta. Westlands and the other west-side irrigators are simply too politically powerful. Westlands and these other irrigators are some of the state's foremost proponents of a proposed peripheral canal. The federal government has documented that the continued use of federally subsidized irrigation for about 400,000 acres of selenium-rich soils along the west side of the valley are causing the selenium contamination of groundwater and surface waters spreading out from Westlands Water District and the other west-side irrigators. For years, these polluters have received a free pass as they dumped toxic selenium into our drinking water, and harmed our fisheries and the Pacific Flyway. The State Water Resources Control Board should deny approval of the proposed amendment to the San Joaquin Basin Plan that would give Westlands and these water users another decade to avoid enforcement of selenium water-quality standards and aquatic life protections. These west-side irrigators need to wake up and follow the rules. Jim Metropulos represents the Sierra Club on statewide water and energy issues. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Oct 4 09:29:09 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 09:29:09 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 02 10 Westlands Water District Message-ID: <00c401cb63e1$462d33b0$d2879b10$@net> Democrats spar over farm water Sacramento Bee-10/2/10 By Michael Doyle California congressional Democrats are engaged in another of their periodic intramural fights over the state's water, this time involving the giant Westlands Water District near Fresno. Illustrating once more that regional loyalty trumps party labels when it comes to water, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, on Friday pledged "the fight of a lifetime" if some of his Democratic colleagues continued to criticize a proposed Westlands water deal. Costa set his sights on Rep. George Miller, D-Concord. For years, Miller has criticized subsidized water deliveries to San Joaquin Valley farms. "If he wants to pick a fight with an entire valley population whose economy hinges on a fair share of water, we'll give him one," Costa declared. Miller, in turn, is raising pointed questions about Westlands' proposal for a water swap with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Joined by three other California Democrats, Miller last month wondered if the proposed water exchange is inconsistent with the district's earlier dire warnings of a water shortage. "Following Westlands' claims of significant hardship, many stakeholders and policymakers in California and Washington spent considerable time and energy this spring identifying additional water supplies for Westlands," Miller noted in a Sept. 15 letter. Reps. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Creek, Mike Thompson, D-Napa, and Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, joined Miller's letter. It's a potent lineup. Miller and Thompson are particularly close allies of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and Napolitano chairs the House water and power subcommittee. It's Miller, though, whose reputation resonates most among Costa's farm constituents. They still associate the Bay Area liberal with his co- authorship of the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act, which diverted more water from farms to environmental protection. This means publicly sparring with Miller could be politically advantageous for Costa, whose Republican opponent, Andy Vidak, argues that valley Democrats "were not willing to stand up to their own party" on defending the region's water interests. Miller, in turn, answers to urban Bay Area constituents who are skeptical of irrigation subsidies and what he termed Westlands' "political advocacy, press releases and court filings." Though it builds on past conflicts, the latest water fight is rooted in this year's water allocations. The Interior Department initially announced Westlands would only get 5 percent of its contracted water supply. Following intense political pressure and other developments, it increased to 45 percent. Westlands' farmers say they want to send the Metropolitan Water District about 80,000 acre-feet of water stored in San Luis Reservoir. In turn, the farmers will get access to a comparable amount of Southern California-owned water next year. Farmers have practiced such "rescheduling" of water for a number of years. "It is often a necessity for obtaining financing from agricultural lenders," Los Banos-area farmer and Westlands board president Jean P. Sagouspe advised Miller. "One of the first questions a farmer on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley will be asked by a banker is, 'What is your water supply?' " Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Oct 4 09:19:00 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 09:19:00 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Response to WWD Question Re Public Comment At Negotiation of Repayment Contract for San Luis Drainage Collection Facilities Message-ID: <00b901cb63df$dbf36790$93da36b0$@net> See attached Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Comment WWD Repayment Contract Negotiation 9(d).pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 481930 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ara.azhderian at sldmwa.org Mon Oct 4 10:02:36 2010 From: ara.azhderian at sldmwa.org (Ara Azhderian) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 10:02:36 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 In-Reply-To: <00bf01cb63e0$9a23c250$ce6b46f0$@net> References: <00bf01cb63e0$9a23c250$ce6b46f0$@net> Message-ID: WOW... you would think that someone with such a position would be at least partially aware of the facts. For example, Westlands doesn't discharge any drainage. Obfuscating the facts doesn't benefit anyone. Sad. Ara Azhderian Water Policy Adminstrator San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 9:24 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 Irrigators may get new free pass to pollute Sacramento Bee-10/3/10 By Jim Metropulos Opinion Longtime residents of California may recall those 1984 pictures of birds with twisted beaks, deformed heads and the limp, dead chicks. These birds died by the hundreds in Kesterson Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos - one of the state's worst wildlife disasters. In the decades that followed, state water officials have looked the other way and refused to enforce the state's tough discharge selenium standards. Kesterson Reservoir became a wake-up call. But no one at the State Water Resources Control Board woke up. Toxic, selenium-contaminated agricultural drainage water still flows through the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and into the San Joaquin River. And the State Water Resources Control Board is about to approve another 10-year waiver for its selenium discharge standards. That means another 10 years of toxic water headed toward the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta - and our drinking water. For west-side irrigators, this is business as usual. And the state water board plans to keep it that way. Some may view this as a blast from the past. In Kesterson, follow-up studies documented that selenium-laced runoff from Westlands Water District lands and other west-side irrigators produced the selenium wastewater that caused the Kesterson disaster. Now, the state water board is about to allow one of the state's biggest drainage polluters to keep loading selenium into our waterways. Of course, the west-side irrigators will tell you things have changed. They may quote their new slogan: "Dilution is Grasslands' and Westlands Water District's solution." But these giant west-side agricultural powerhouses' "solution" falls far short of fixing the problem. Selenium builds up in the bodies of plants and animals. So while the levels of selenium vary with dilution, this toxin builds up in the food chain and has caused bird deformities, reproduction problems and death in wildlife. It can even threaten human health and is known to cause symptoms as varied as hair loss, nervous-system effects, and digestive harm. Let's follow the water. Bearing levels of selenium high enough to deform wildlife and threaten drinking water, the drainage swirls past signs posted along Mud Slough and parts of the San Joaquin River. The signs warn would-be anglers not to eat fish caught in the toxic brew, to prevent potential birth defects. Seeping its toxic cargo into groundwater all the way, the water finally flows to the Merced River and empties into the Delta. Westlands and the other west-side irrigators are simply too politically powerful. Westlands and these other irrigators are some of the state's foremost proponents of a proposed peripheral canal. The federal government has documented that the continued use of federally subsidized irrigation for about 400,000 acres of selenium-rich soils along the west side of the valley are causing the selenium contamination of groundwater and surface waters spreading out from Westlands Water District and the other west-side irrigators. For years, these polluters have received a free pass as they dumped toxic selenium into our drinking water, and harmed our fisheries and the Pacific Flyway. The State Water Resources Control Board should deny approval of the proposed amendment to the San Joaquin Basin Plan that would give Westlands and these water users another decade to avoid enforcement of selenium water-quality standards and aquatic life protections. These west-side irrigators need to wake up and follow the rules. Jim Metropulos represents the Sierra Club on statewide water and energy issues. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Oct 4 10:21:18 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 10:21:18 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 In-Reply-To: References: <00bf01cb63e0$9a23c250$ce6b46f0$@net> Message-ID: <3310E2085376420BAD2404333688857C@homeuserPC> Ara, I disagree with you on the issue of Westlands discharging to the San Joaquin River. During the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board's May 27, 2010 hearing on the selenium Basin Plan Amendment, the need for an investigation of other sources of selenium pollution to the Grasslands Drainage Area, specifically from Westlands Water District (WWD), was discussed. Rudy Schnagl, Senior Scientist for the Central Valley Regional Board explained that surface and subsurface drainage discharges from WWD flow northeast toward Mud Slough, to other tributaries and to the San Joaquin River. Because of this flow pattern, some of the water that Grassland Area Farmers manage actually originates in WWD. See the Partial Transcript of Proceeding, Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, Agenda Item No. 10, (May 27th, 2010) pp. 89, excerpted below. Tom Stokely Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact California Water Impact Network V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ 89 1 MS. CREEDON: Ms. Hart, if I could ask Rudy 2 to address a couple of issues? 3 MS. HART: Rudy? 4 MS. CREEDON: There was a lot of discussion 5 about upslope and offsite discharges onto the grasslands 6 project or contributing -- can you elaborate for the 7 board so that they understand what other programs may be 8 in place or will be in place to take care of those 9 issues that are not related to this project, so they 10 know we're just not ignoring it? 11 MR. SCHNAGL: Of course. There were 12 mentions of two types of inflows to the grasslands area 13 that are related to this project. First, the 14 groundwater from the Westlands Water District is moving 15 from that area to the northeast, as I mentioned earlier, 16 and that would flow under the project area. And so that 17 is of concern and -- to the commenters and from our 18 standpoint, any of that water that's captured by the 19 Grassland Bypass Project farmers has to be managed by 20 them and be discharged within their load limits. 21 So they're responsible if they collect it in 22 their subsurface drainage systems and discharge it. So 23 that puts the responsibility on this project for any 24 groundwater that enters their area. ----- Original Message ----- From: Ara Azhderian To: Byron Leydecker ; FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 10:02 AM Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 WOW. you would think that someone with such a position would be at least partially aware of the facts. For example, Westlands doesn't discharge any drainage. Obfuscating the facts doesn't benefit anyone. Sad. Ara Azhderian Water Policy Adminstrator San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 9:24 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 Irrigators may get new free pass to pollute Sacramento Bee-10/3/10 By Jim Metropulos Opinion Longtime residents of California may recall those 1984 pictures of birds with twisted beaks, deformed heads and the limp, dead chicks. These birds died by the hundreds in Kesterson Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos - one of the state's worst wildlife disasters. In the decades that followed, state water officials have looked the other way and refused to enforce the state's tough discharge selenium standards. Kesterson Reservoir became a wake-up call. But no one at the State Water Resources Control Board woke up. Toxic, selenium-contaminated agricultural drainage water still flows through the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and into the San Joaquin River. And the State Water Resources Control Board is about to approve another 10-year waiver for its selenium discharge standards. That means another 10 years of toxic water headed toward the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta - and our drinking water. For west-side irrigators, this is business as usual. And the state water board plans to keep it that way. Some may view this as a blast from the past. In Kesterson, follow-up studies documented that selenium-laced runoff from Westlands Water District lands and other west-side irrigators produced the selenium wastewater that caused the Kesterson disaster. Now, the state water board is about to allow one of the state's biggest drainage polluters to keep loading selenium into our waterways. Of course, the west-side irrigators will tell you things have changed. They may quote their new slogan: "Dilution is Grasslands' and Westlands Water District's solution." But these giant west-side agricultural powerhouses' "solution" falls far short of fixing the problem. Selenium builds up in the bodies of plants and animals. So while the levels of selenium vary with dilution, this toxin builds up in the food chain and has caused bird deformities, reproduction problems and death in wildlife. It can even threaten human health and is known to cause symptoms as varied as hair loss, nervous-system effects, and digestive harm. Let's follow the water. Bearing levels of selenium high enough to deform wildlife and threaten drinking water, the drainage swirls past signs posted along Mud Slough and parts of the San Joaquin River. The signs warn would-be anglers not to eat fish caught in the toxic brew, to prevent potential birth defects. Seeping its toxic cargo into groundwater all the way, the water finally flows to the Merced River and empties into the Delta. Westlands and the other west-side irrigators are simply too politically powerful. Westlands and these other irrigators are some of the state's foremost proponents of a proposed peripheral canal. The federal government has documented that the continued use of federally subsidized irrigation for about 400,000 acres of selenium-rich soils along the west side of the valley are causing the selenium contamination of groundwater and surface waters spreading out from Westlands Water District and the other west-side irrigators. For years, these polluters have received a free pass as they dumped toxic selenium into our drinking water, and harmed our fisheries and the Pacific Flyway. The State Water Resources Control Board should deny approval of the proposed amendment to the San Joaquin Basin Plan that would give Westlands and these water users another decade to avoid enforcement of selenium water-quality standards and aquatic life protections. These west-side irrigators need to wake up and follow the rules. Jim Metropulos represents the Sierra Club on statewide water and energy issues. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jim.metropulos at sierraclub.org Mon Oct 4 10:30:22 2010 From: jim.metropulos at sierraclub.org (Jim Metropulos) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 10:30:22 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 In-Reply-To: References: <00bf01cb63e0$9a23c250$ce6b46f0$@net> Message-ID: <0398BF25-1F90-46E6-810D-58A438ED08F6@sierraclub.org> Ara: We know that Westlands has plugged their drains. In theory the Grassland Drainers are the only ones discharging directly into the San Joaquin River via the San Luis Drain. However, the Central Valley Regional Water Board staff testified that Westlands Water District selenium pollution, which is is not regulated by waste discharge requirements, is migrating to surrounding farms and to the San Joaquin River. Because there is no publicly available monitoring of the contaminated groundwater at Westlands or field edge monitoring, ones does not know for certain if Westlands is discharging directly in the San Joaquin River. I can respect that you have a different opinion on this issue but what's sad is your knee-jerk characterization that the op-ed is "obfuscating the facts." Regardless, have a good day. Jim Metropulos Sierra Club California jim.metropulos at sierraclub.org www.twitter.com/SierraClubCA The Regional Board staff testified that Westlands Water District selenium pollution, which is not regulated by waste discharge requirements etc, is migrating to surrounding farms and to the San Joaquin River. Because there is no publicly available monitoring of the contaminated groundwater at Westlands or field edge monitoring, one does not know for certain if Westlands is discharging directly into the San Joaquin River. On Oct 4, 2010, at 10:02 AM, Ara Azhderian wrote: > WOW? you would think that someone with such a position would be at > least partially aware of the facts. For example, Westlands doesn?t > discharge any drainage. > > Obfuscating the facts doesn?t benefit anyone. Sad. > > Ara Azhderian > Water Policy Adminstrator > San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority > > From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > ] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker > Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 9:24 AM > To: FOTR List; Trinity List > Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 > > Irrigators may get new free pass to pollute > Sacramento Bee-10/3/10 > By Jim Metropulos > Opinion > > Longtime residents of California may recall those 1984 pictures of > birds with twisted beaks, deformed heads and the limp, dead chicks. > These birds died by the hundreds in Kesterson Wildlife Refuge near > Los Banos ? one of the state's worst wildlife disasters. > > In the decades that followed, state water officials have looked the > other way and refused to enforce the state's tough discharge > selenium standards. Kesterson Reservoir became a wake-up call. > > But no one at the State Water Resources Control Board woke up. > Toxic, selenium-contaminated agricultural drainage water still flows > through the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and into the San > Joaquin River. > > And the State Water Resources Control Board is about to approve > another 10-year waiver for its selenium discharge standards. That > means another 10 years of toxic water headed toward the Sacramento- > San Joaquin Delta ? and our drinking water. > > For west-side irrigators, this is business as usual. And the state > water board plans to keep it that way. > > Some may view this as a blast from the past. In Kesterson, follow-up > studies documented that selenium-laced runoff from Westlands Water > District lands and other west-side irrigators produced the selenium > wastewater that caused the Kesterson disaster. Now, the state water > board is about to allow one of the state's biggest drainage > polluters to keep loading selenium into our waterways. > > Of course, the west-side irrigators will tell you things have > changed. They may quote their new slogan: "Dilution is Grasslands' > and Westlands Water District's solution." > > But these giant west-side agricultural powerhouses' "solution" falls > far short of fixing the problem. Selenium builds up in the bodies of > plants and animals. So while the levels of selenium vary with > dilution, this toxin builds up in the food chain and has caused bird > deformities, reproduction problems and death in wildlife. It can > even threaten human health and is known to cause symptoms as varied > as hair loss, nervous-system effects, and digestive harm. > > Let's follow the water. Bearing levels of selenium high enough to > deform wildlife and threaten drinking water, the drainage swirls > past signs posted along Mud Slough and parts of the San Joaquin > River. The signs warn would-be anglers not to eat fish caught in the > toxic brew, to prevent potential birth defects. Seeping its toxic > cargo into groundwater all the way, the water finally flows to the > Merced River and empties into the Delta. > > Westlands and the other west-side irrigators are simply too > politically powerful. Westlands and these other irrigators are some > of the state's foremost proponents of a proposed peripheral canal. > The federal government has documented that the continued use of > federally subsidized irrigation for about 400,000 acres of selenium- > rich soils along the west side of the valley are causing the > selenium contamination of groundwater and surface waters spreading > out from Westlands Water District and the other west-side irrigators. > > For years, these polluters have received a free pass as they dumped > toxic selenium into our drinking water, and harmed our fisheries and > the Pacific Flyway. The State Water Resources Control Board should > deny approval of the proposed amendment to the San Joaquin Basin > Plan that would give Westlands and these water users another decade > to avoid enforcement of selenium water-quality standards and aquatic > life protections. > > These west-side irrigators need to wake up and follow the rules. > Jim Metropulos represents the Sierra Club on statewide water and > energy issues. > > > > Byron Leydecker, JcT > Chair, Friends of Trinity River > PO Box 2327 > Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 > 415 383 4810 land/fax > 415 519 4810 mobile > bwl3 at comcast.net > bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) > http://www.fotr.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Oct 4 10:02:12 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 10:02:12 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] HISTORICAL Weir Trapping Summaries Message-ID: <00ef01cb63e5$e4add810$ae098830$@net> Folks, The attached spreadsheet contains trapping totals through September 30 for Willow Creek and Junction City weirs and September 23 for Trinity River Hatchery. This was the last week of trapping at Junction City weir and the weir has been removed for the season. As a reminder, trapping totals for Trinity River Hatchery only include fish which have been processed, those held over for ripening are not included in totals until they are spawned. Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Northern California - North Coast District Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weir&TRH_summary10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 86528 bytes Desc: not available URL: From BGutermuth at usbr.gov Mon Oct 4 14:38:33 2010 From: BGutermuth at usbr.gov (Gutermuth, F. Brandt) Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 15:38:33 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] Walking Tour and Open House to discuss 2011 TRRP projects: Oct 12, 2010 Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF7052B9E1808@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Dear Trinity River Enthusiasts - The Trinity River Restoration Program is holding an open house next Tuesday, October 12, 2010, at the Douglas City School to discuss our upcoming 2011 projects and to gather input from the public on our tentative plans. Several of the projects are in the Douglas City area. We'll start the event at 4:00 pm with a walking tour of the Readings Creek Rehab Site that has been constructed this summer. The gate to the BLM campground at Douglas City (where the Readings Creek site is located) will be open at 4:00 pm, so drive in and we'll meet in the parking area below. At 6:30 pm we'll meet at the school for some refreshments and to get local input on our upcoming projects. Please attend the evening session even if you can't make it to the tour. I attach a copy of an ad that will be in the Trinity Journal this week - and hope that you can all make it. Best Regards, Brandt Brandt Gutermuth Environmental Specialist Trinity River Restoration Program PO Box 1300, 1313 S Main St Weaverville, CA 96093 530.623.1806 (voice) 530.623.5944 (fax) www.trrp.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: DisplayAd10Oct12OpenHouse.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 38163 bytes Desc: DisplayAd10Oct12OpenHouse.pdf URL: From ema.berol at yahoo.com Thu Oct 7 06:52:17 2010 From: ema.berol at yahoo.com (Emelia Berol) Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2010 06:52:17 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 In-Reply-To: <0398BF25-1F90-46E6-810D-58A438ED08F6@sierraclub.org> References: <00bf01cb63e0$9a23c250$ce6b46f0$@net> <0398BF25-1F90-46E6-810D-58A438ED08F6@sierraclub.org> Message-ID: <293287.55818.qm@web46205.mail.sp1.yahoo.com> I thought that Jim's opinion piece was well written and accurate. Whether Westlands is directly discharging into the San Joaquin or whether the selenium is finding its way into the river through leaching is not the issue. The fact is, drainage from the Westlands is polluting the river, and what I have trouble understanding is how state and federal agencies can choose to keep ignoring, or downplaying the seriousness of the problem, especially given the USGS reports that came out in the 90's. The costs to the public are outrageous. My view of the situation is that the damages and losses far outweigh the benefits of farming on the westside. If they want to keep farming, it should not be done with subsidized water, which is a public resource. It's not really about farming, anyway, is it? Last I heard, Lemore Naval Air Base and LAMWD are Westlands WD biggest customers. Emelia Berol Arcata, California ________________________________ From: Jim Metropulos To: Ara Azhderian Cc: FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Mon, October 4, 2010 10:30:22 AM Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 Ara: We know that Westlands has plugged their drains. In theory the Grassland Drainers are the only ones discharging directly into the San Joaquin River via the San Luis Drain. However, the Central Valley Regional Water Board staff testified that Westlands Water District selenium pollution, which is is not regulated by waste discharge requirements, is migrating to surrounding farms and to the San Joaquin River. Because there is no publicly available monitoring of the contaminated groundwater at Westlands or field edge monitoring, ones does not know for certain if Westlands is discharging directly in the San Joaquin River. I can respect that you have a different opinion on this issue but what's sad is your knee-jerk characterization that the op-ed is "obfuscating the facts." Regardless, have a good day. Jim Metropulos Sierra Club California jim.metropulos at sierraclub.org www.twitter.com/SierraClubCA The Regional Board staff testified that Westlands Water District selenium pollution, which is not regulated by waste discharge requirements etc, is migrating to surrounding farms and to the San Joaquin River. Because there is no publicly available monitoring of the contaminated groundwater at Westlands or field edge monitoring, one does not know for certain if Westlands is discharging directly into the San Joaquin River. On Oct 4, 2010, at 10:02 AM, Ara Azhderian wrote: WOW? you would think that someone with such a position would be at least partially aware of the facts. For example, Westlands doesn?t discharge any drainage. > >Obfuscating the facts doesn?t benefit anyone. Sad. > >Ara Azhderian >Water Policy Adminstrator >San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority > >From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On > Behalf Of Byron Leydecker >Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 9:24 AM >To: FOTR List; Trinity List >Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 > >Irrigators may get new free pass to pollute >Sacramento Bee-10/3/10 >By Jim Metropulos >Opinion > >Longtime residents of California may recall those 1984 pictures of birds with >twisted beaks, deformed heads and the limp, dead chicks. These birds died by the >hundreds in Kesterson Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos ? one of the state's worst >wildlife disasters. > >In the decades that followed, state water officials have looked the other way >and refused to enforce the state's tough discharge selenium standards. Kesterson >Reservoir became a wake-up call. > >But no one at the State Water Resources Control Board woke up. Toxic, >selenium-contaminated agricultural drainage water still flows through the west >side of the San Joaquin Valley and into the San Joaquin River. > >And the State Water Resources Control Board is about to approve another 10-year >waiver for its selenium discharge standards. That means another 10 years of >toxic water headed toward the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ? and our drinking >water. > >For west-side irrigators, this is business as usual. And the state water board >plans to keep it that way. > >Some may view this as a blast from the past. In Kesterson, follow-up studies >documented that selenium-laced runoff from Westlands Water District lands and >other west-side irrigators produced the selenium wastewater that caused the >Kesterson disaster. Now, the state water board is about to allow one of the >state's biggest drainage polluters to keep loading selenium into our waterways. > >Of course, the west-side irrigators will tell you things have changed. They may >quote their new slogan: "Dilution is Grasslands' and Westlands Water District's >solution." > >But these giant west-side agricultural powerhouses' "solution" falls far short >of fixing the problem. Selenium builds up in the bodies of plants and animals. >So while the levels of selenium vary with dilution, this toxin builds up in the >food chain and has caused bird deformities, reproduction problems and death in >wildlife. It can even threaten human health and is known to cause symptoms as >varied as hair loss, nervous-system effects, and digestive harm. > >Let's follow the water. Bearing levels of selenium high enough to deform >wildlife and threaten drinking water, the drainage swirls past signs posted >along Mud Slough and parts of the San Joaquin River. The signs warn would-be >anglers not to eat fish caught in the toxic brew, to prevent potential birth >defects. Seeping its toxic cargo into groundwater all the way, the water finally >flows to the Merced River and empties into the Delta. > >Westlands and the other west-side irrigators are simply too politically >powerful. Westlands and these other irrigators are some of the state's foremost >proponents of a proposed peripheral canal. The federal government has documented >that the continued use of federally subsidized irrigation for about 400,000 >acres of selenium-rich soils along the west side of the valley are causing the >selenium contamination of groundwater and surface waters spreading out from >Westlands Water District and the other west-side irrigators. > >For years, these polluters have received a free pass as they dumped toxic >selenium into our drinking water, and harmed our fisheries and the Pacific >Flyway. The State Water Resources Control Board should deny approval of the >proposed amendment to the San Joaquin Basin Plan that would give Westlands and >these water users another decade to avoid enforcement of selenium water-quality >standards and aquatic life protections. > >These west-side irrigators need to wake up and follow the rules. >Jim Metropulos represents the Sierra Club on statewide water and energy issues. > > >Byron Leydecker, JcT >Chair, Friends of Trinity River >PO Box 2327 >Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 >415 383 4810 land/fax >415 519 4810 mobile >bwl3 at comcast.net >bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) >http://fotr.org/ > > > _______________________________________________ >env-trinity mailing list >env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Oct 8 10:24:28 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 10:24:28 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject) Message-ID: <032c01cb670d$ab3d53f0$01b7fbd0$@net> FORlogo_150dpi_RGBFOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Tebbel Executive Director, Friends of the River tel. (916) 442-3155 x212 cell (916) 215-6172 paul at friendsoftheriver.org Amy Peake Press Secretary, Rep. George Miller Tel: (202) 225-2095 Amy.Peake at mail.house.gov Text Box: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rep. George Miller And photographer Tim Palmer to receive prestigious river awards from environmental organization Sacramento, CA (October 8, 2010) - Congressman George Miller (7th District, East Bay of San Francisco) will receive the 2010 Peter H. Behr Award from Friends of the River (FOR), a statewide river conservation organization at their annual California River Awards, October 8 in San Francisco. Serving California since 1975, Congressman Miller is one of the U.S. Congress's most effective and consistent advocates for the nation's water, wildlife, and wild lands. An expert on California water issues, his accomplishments include providing key leadership in protecting the Endangered Species Act, co-authoring the California Desert Protection Act and, in 1992, passing the historic California water reform law -- the Central Valley Project Improvement Act -- that mandated a doubling of California's salmon populations and the protection of other fish and wildlife. "For the past 35 years, Congressman Miller has been a true friend of California's rivers," said Paul Tebbel, Friends of the River's Executive Director. The Peter H. Behr Award is presented by Friends of the River to an elected official who has taken significant and noteworthy action to preserve and protect California rivers. The award is named after Peter H. Behr (1917-1997), esteemed California State Senator, Conservationist, and father of the 1972 California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Previous honorees include State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, Senator Barbara Boxer and State Senator Lois Wolk. Also receiving an award at the California River Awards is author & photographer Tim Palmer, who has written about rivers and the California landscape for over 30 years. His just-published book, Rivers of California, captures the variety, vitality and majesty of California's rivers. Palmer will receive the Mark Dubois Award given to those extraordinary individuals whose efforts echo the spirit shown by Mark Dubois, the first director of Friends of the River, whose campaign to protect the Stanislaus River captured the nation's attention. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 9449 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 874 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2673 bytes Desc: not available URL: From ara.azhderian at sldmwa.org Fri Oct 8 11:10:20 2010 From: ara.azhderian at sldmwa.org (Ara Azhderian) Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 11:10:20 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 In-Reply-To: <0398BF25-1F90-46E6-810D-58A438ED08F6@sierraclub.org> References: <00bf01cb63e0$9a23c250$ce6b46f0$@net> <0398BF25-1F90-46E6-810D-58A438ED08F6@sierraclub.org> Message-ID: Good morning Jim, Thanks for your response. Now that the dust has settled some, I thought it important to circle back to our exchange from Monday. Unfortunately, I fear my use of a simple and contentious example only further distracted from the true issue. Please, let me try again. The San Joaquin Basin Plan amendment that the State Board considered on Tuesday has nothing to do with Westlands. The amendment was requested by the Grassland Bypass Project participants, which does not and never has included Westlands. The amendment simply seeks to extend the current regulatory regime (yes, they are regulated) for up to 10 years to facilitate completion of the Westside Regional Drainage Plan, which aims to eliminate agricultural discharge from the nearly 100,000 acre planning area (which doesn't include Westlands). The project has worked diligently toward having the plan fully implemented by now; however, it has been delayed in large part due to the state's fiscal problems. Local and federal funding is currently stable. An Environmental Impact Statement and Report was prepared and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service subsequently issued a biological opinion. This project is the most proactive and progressive drainage management effort in the Valley, and arguably anywhere. It was initiated by a small group of farmers in the mid-nineties because they saw the need to manage their drainage. Clearly, no one else was going to do it for them. It has grown into a huge success and now enjoys support from an array of local, state, and federal agencies as well as a number of environmental organizations. The project has reduced the discharge of selenium load by over 89% since program implementation and monitoring began in 1995 (http://www.sfei.org/gbp). While the program has experienced a few load limit exceedances, each occasion was the result of a high rainfall event. Regardless, the project Oversight Committee has required the payment of "incentive fees" and these have been paid. Not once has the program experienced a load limit exceedance due to management of the area's agricultural discharge. Your clarification between what's in evidence, that Westlands doesn't drain into the San Joaquin River, and your suspicion that they do, is appreciated. However, I believe the distinction was lost upon your readers. Rather, they were presented a story that interweaves history and speculation with current events in a way that would likely lead a person to conclude there was some relationship between the various and disparate issues and that the character of that relationship was bad. It is this misrepresentation that is the source of my dismay. This project is a good one; one, frankly, that you should support. It aims to accomplish what you claim to want. It will not result in another Kesterson, it will avert one. It will not avoid the rules, it will reinforce them. It is not a "free pass", it is a solution. And fortunately, the State Water Resources Control Board agreed - unanimously. I invite anyone interested in learning more to contact me or the Panoche Drainage District to arrange a tour. Their enthusiasm, resourcefulness, and conviction are inspiring and I encourage each of you to experience that for yourself. Ara Azhderian Water Policy Administrator San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority From: Jim Metropulos [mailto:jim.metropulos at sierraclub.org] Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 10:30 AM To: Ara Azhderian Cc: Byron Leydecker; FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 Ara: We know that Westlands has plugged their drains. In theory the Grassland Drainers are the only ones discharging directly into the San Joaquin River via the San Luis Drain. However, the Central Valley Regional Water Board staff testified that Westlands Water District selenium pollution, which is is not regulated by waste discharge requirements, is migrating to surrounding farms and to the San Joaquin River. Because there is no publicly available monitoring of the contaminated groundwater at Westlands or field edge monitoring, ones does not know for certain if Westlands is discharging directly in the San Joaquin River. I can respect that you have a different opinion on this issue but what's sad is your knee-jerk characterization that the op-ed is "obfuscating the facts." Regardless, have a good day. Jim Metropulos Sierra Club California jim.metropulos at sierraclub.org www.twitter.com/SierraClubCA The Regional Board staff testified that Westlands Water District selenium pollution, which is not regulated by waste discharge requirements etc, is migrating to surrounding farms and to the San Joaquin River. Because there is no publicly available monitoring of the contaminated groundwater at Westlands or field edge monitoring, one does not know for certain if Westlands is discharging directly into the San Joaquin River. On Oct 4, 2010, at 10:02 AM, Ara Azhderian wrote: WOW... you would think that someone with such a position would be at least partially aware of the facts. For example, Westlands doesn't discharge any drainage. Obfuscating the facts doesn't benefit anyone. Sad. Ara Azhderian Water Policy Adminstrator San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Byron Leydecker Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 9:24 AM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 03 10 Irrigators may get new free pass to pollute Sacramento Bee-10/3/10 By Jim Metropulos Opinion Longtime residents of California may recall those 1984 pictures of birds with twisted beaks, deformed heads and the limp, dead chicks. These birds died by the hundreds in Kesterson Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos - one of the state's worst wildlife disasters. In the decades that followed, state water officials have looked the other way and refused to enforce the state's tough discharge selenium standards. Kesterson Reservoir became a wake-up call. But no one at the State Water Resources Control Board woke up. Toxic, selenium-contaminated agricultural drainage water still flows through the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and into the San Joaquin River. And the State Water Resources Control Board is about to approve another 10-year waiver for its selenium discharge standards. That means another 10 years of toxic water headed toward the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta - and our drinking water. For west-side irrigators, this is business as usual. And the state water board plans to keep it that way. Some may view this as a blast from the past. In Kesterson, follow-up studies documented that selenium-laced runoff from Westlands Water District lands and other west-side irrigators produced the selenium wastewater that caused the Kesterson disaster. Now, the state water board is about to allow one of the state's biggest drainage polluters to keep loading selenium into our waterways. Of course, the west-side irrigators will tell you things have changed. They may quote their new slogan: "Dilution is Grasslands' and Westlands Water District's solution." But these giant west-side agricultural powerhouses' "solution" falls far short of fixing the problem. Selenium builds up in the bodies of plants and animals. So while the levels of selenium vary with dilution, this toxin builds up in the food chain and has caused bird deformities, reproduction problems and death in wildlife. It can even threaten human health and is known to cause symptoms as varied as hair loss, nervous-system effects, and digestive harm. Let's follow the water. Bearing levels of selenium high enough to deform wildlife and threaten drinking water, the drainage swirls past signs posted along Mud Slough and parts of the San Joaquin River. The signs warn would-be anglers not to eat fish caught in the toxic brew, to prevent potential birth defects. Seeping its toxic cargo into groundwater all the way, the water finally flows to the Merced River and empties into the Delta. Westlands and the other west-side irrigators are simply too politically powerful. Westlands and these other irrigators are some of the state's foremost proponents of a proposed peripheral canal. The federal government has documented that the continued use of federally subsidized irrigation for about 400,000 acres of selenium-rich soils along the west side of the valley are causing the selenium contamination of groundwater and surface waters spreading out from Westlands Water District and the other west-side irrigators. For years, these polluters have received a free pass as they dumped toxic selenium into our drinking water, and harmed our fisheries and the Pacific Flyway. The State Water Resources Control Board should deny approval of the proposed amendment to the San Joaquin Basin Plan that would give Westlands and these water users another decade to avoid enforcement of selenium water-quality standards and aquatic life protections. These west-side irrigators need to wake up and follow the rules. Jim Metropulos represents the Sierra Club on statewide water and energy issues. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land/fax 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Oct 8 12:13:07 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 8 Oct 2010 12:13:07 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Counts and Historical Data Message-ID: <034901cb671c$d8ce8730$8a6b9590$@net> Folks, Attached are the most recent summaries for two main stem weirs (through Oct. 7) and Trinity River Hatchery (through Sept. 30). Junction City weir was removed for the season September 29. As a reminder, there are seven "tabs" in the attached spreadsheet, an information page, 3 current year trapping pages, and three historical trapping pages. Your screen may not show all of the tabs and you need to scroll with arrows in the lower left corner to move between tabs. I highly recommend reading the information page as it provides information on our methodologies and purpose for the weirs and hatchery operations. Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weirTRH_summary 10 07 10 Plus Historical.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 90624 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Oct 12 13:38:10 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:38:10 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] BOR News Release Message-ID: <008e01cb6a4d$63b12190$2b1364b0$@net> Reclamation Continues Negotiation of a New Repayment Contract for San Luis Drainage Collection Facilities The Bureau of Reclamation has scheduled a sixth session to negotiate a new repayment contract with the Westlands Water District to provide for reimbursement of federal funds used to construct the drainage collection facilities within Westlands. Westlands Water District (WWD) is a contractor in the San Luis Unit of Reclamation's Central Valley Project. Located west of the city of Firebaugh and extending south to Kettleman City, Westlands encompasses more than 600,000 acres of farmland in western Fresno and Kings counties. In the San Luis Drainage Feature Re-Evaluation Study, completed in March 2007, Reclamation identified alternatives for providing drainage service to the San Luis Unit. The sixth negotiation session is scheduled in: Sacramento Monday, October 18, 1 p.m. 2800 Cottage Way Room E-2901 The public is welcome to attend the negotiation session and will have the opportunity to comment. Participation instructions will be provided at the session along with pertinent documents. For additional information, please contact Valerie Curley, contract administration branch chief, at 559-487-5041 (TTY 800-735-2929), fax 559-487-5397 or e-mail vcurley at usbr.gov. # # # Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Wed Oct 13 16:14:17 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:14:17 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update 10/12/2010 Message-ID: Our latest update has been posted at the link below. Our crews are seeing fish in the river, but redd numbers are still accumulating slowly. We counted 288 redds in the river from Lewiston Dam to Pigeon Point. We got our first look of the season at the lower river (Hawkins Bar to Weitchpec), but counted no redds in those reaches. Thanks for checking out our updates! Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 10/04/2010 08:32 AM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2010 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From PManza at usbr.gov Thu Oct 14 09:30:26 2010 From: PManza at usbr.gov (Manza, Peggy L) Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:30:26 -0600 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Release Change Message-ID: Please make the following release changes to the Trinity River Date time from (cfs) to (cfs) 10-16-10 0800 450 400 10-17-10 0800 400 350 10-18-10 0800 350 300 Ordered by: Peggy Manza Note: Annual ramp down to fall/winter ROD flows -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Oct 14 11:42:04 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:42:04 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] BOR News Release Message-ID: <002701cb6bcf$80c0ea80$8242bf80$@net> Secretary Salazar and other Federal, State, Local Leaders Break Ground on Intertie Project Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 10-14-10 Intertie Groundbreaking - press release final.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 40666 bytes Desc: not available URL: From moira at onramp113.com Thu Oct 14 11:53:59 2010 From: moira at onramp113.com (Moira Burke) Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:53:59 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: For Immediate Release: Delta Counties Condemn Closed-Door Talks on the Future of the Delta References: Message-ID: <92122FCD-149B-4357-AC13-3E81344545F7@onramp113.com> PLEASE CIRCULATE > > > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > October 1, 2010 > > > > > > > > Delta Counties Condemn Closed-Door Talks on the Future of the Delta > > Demand greater transparency and a seat at the table > > Sacramento, Calif.? The five Delta Counties yesterday condemned state and federal agency officials for holding private meetings with a select group of stakeholders in an attempt to reach agreement on a plan to address water supply problems south of the Delta. These meetings have excluded the Delta Counties, which means that major water policy that will significantly affect the Delta as it exists today is being developed without taking into consideration the very jurisdictions at the heart of California?s water supply hub. At issue is the development the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), which was incorporated by lawmakers in 2009 into far-reaching new legislation to address the reliability of California?s long-term water supply, while restoring the Delta?s fragile eco-system. > > > > In a letter addressed to the secretaries of the California Natural Resources Agency and the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Delta Counties Coalition, which is comprised of Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano and Yolo counties, raises serious concerns about the current closed-door process and its failure to include Delta communities that stand to be significantly impacted by the plan?s recommendations. The lack of transparency in these negotiations unfortunately reflects the typical way that water policy has historically been negotiated. > > > > ?We are profoundly disappointed with the current process of private discussions which have excluded the very communities with a great deal at stake in the future of the Delta. These talks are nothing more than business as usual and a clear violation of the spirit of the water package, which was crafted to guarantee significant public involvement,? said Contra Costa Supervisor Mary Piepho. > > > > The Delta Counties have repeatedly raised concerns regarding the BDCP process and its failure to incorporate the Delta itself into the planning efforts. These five counties are home to more than four million residents and serve a $36 billion agricultural industry. Water from the Delta provides a portion of the drinking water for 25 million Californians. > > > > The letter also openly criticizes State Resources Secretary Lester Snow, who is co-leading the private talks, for recent statements he made in defense of the meetings, in which he suggested that ?everyone is in the room.? > > > > In yet another example of bureaucratic overreach, Delta Counties have consistently been denied access to these meetings because these counties have failed to agree to a set of required preconditions that include upfront support for an alternative water conveyance system around the Delta, such as a canal or tunnel. > > > > Delta Counties argue that these preconditions are ?inappropriate? and inconsistent with the goals of ensuring public participation and transparency, as required in the 2009 legislation. Delta Counties are also barred from accepting such preconditions given their legal and ethical responsibilities as elected leaders. > > > > Compounding the Delta Counties frustration is the recent release of a draft BDCP document, dated September 9. Absent any public input, this document will be the basis for the BDCP Steering Committee to put the final touches on the environmental review portion of the BDCP plan, which is anticipated to be completed in the near future. > > > > The Delta Counties state in their letter that this gets to ??the root of deep seated concerns that the Principals, convening in private meetings, are using the template of this discussion draft to engage in a process to draft the BDCP behind closed doors and then direct the Steering Committee to hold window dressing public meetings to proceed.? > > > > Members of the Delta Counties Coalition reiterate the importance of trust, communication, transparency and fair representation in all discussions with state and federal agencies regarding the BDCP and its potential impacts to Delta communities. > > > > ?On behalf of the residents we represent, whose well being is directly tied to the Delta economy, we take offense to this process,? said Solano County Supervisor Mike Reagan. Elected members of the Delta Counties Coalition cannot protect the interests of community members if they are not kept informed of activities and proposals that directly impact their constituencies,? he added. > > > > The Delta Counties Coalition, a consortium of five counties, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano and Yolo, which is dedicated to giving one voice to the Delta, advocating on behalf of local government and the four million people living in the Delta Counties. > > > > > > ### > > > > > > Amy O?Gorman Jenkins > > Legislative, Intergovernmental and Public Affairs Officer > > Solano County Administrator?s Office > > 675 Texas Street, Suite 6500 > > Fairfield, CA 94533-6342 > > (707) 784-3002 - direct > > (707) 291-3270 - cell > > (707) 784-7975 - fax > > > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpeg Type: image/jpeg Size: 21231 bytes Desc: not available URL: From moira at onramp113.com Thu Oct 14 11:59:45 2010 From: moira at onramp113.com (Moira Burke) Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:59:45 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Five counties Delta letter Message-ID: I've just sent all of you a document that our ag committee agreed to share/leak - this position is being ignored by media as work proceeds on the "underground Delta tunnels" to divert much of the Sacramento River and change the Delta forever, without public knowledge or approval. Bear in mind these five counties are part of the Bay Area's foodshed and Sacramento's foodshed. We'll all be affected, but public is largely unaware. Without our wonderfully unique environment in northern California, there will be no economy to worry about. I hope you will share this with anyone who will listen. Best, Moira From ahostler at hoopa-nsn.gov Thu Oct 14 15:28:56 2010 From: ahostler at hoopa-nsn.gov (Allie Hostler) Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:28:56 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Klamath Water Quality Put on Hold by State Water Board Message-ID: <001e01cb6bef$612b3b10$2381b130$@gov> ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** HOOPA VALLEY TRIBAL FISHERIES October 14, 2010 Contact: Allie Hostler, HVT Fisheries, (530)625-4267 x12 Why is the California Water Board risking the State's water to protect an Oregon Utility? Klamath Water Quality Still in Peril Last week, the State Water Resources Control Board granted PacifiCorp's request to suspend the Section 401 Water Quality Certification process until May 17, 2011, a whole year beyond target dates set forth in the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) negotiated in February. "PacifiCorp will keep stalling and avoid taking responsibility for the water quality disaster on the Klamath River as long as the State allows. The River needs help NOW," Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman, Leonard Masten said. California's Section 401 Water Quality certification process is the final, required step in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) relicensing process. PacifiCorp's license to operate the Klamath Hydroelectric Project expired in 2006. California was amidst the Section 401 Water Quality Certification process, as required by the Clean Water Act, when the Bush administration in 2008 announced an Agreement between PacifiCorp, California, Oregon and the Federal Government to look into potential dam removal. A year later, in 2009, the Obama administration signed on to the document. "The Agreement in Principle brought the Section 401 Water Quality Certification process to a dead stop in 2008," Masten said. The clock is still ticking, and not in favor of Klamath River salmon that Indians and non-Indians depend on as a subsistence, cultural and economic resource. The KHSA and companion settlement, the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) require federal legislation to be in enacted. The KHSA calls for legislation to be introduced by May 18, 2010. That deadline has come and gone. The Hoopa Tribe believes the $1.5 billion price tag and ongoing disagreements about the KBRA in the basin have stalled its introduction. Water Board Chairman, Charles Hoppin cited a lack of state money to complete the 401 certification process as a reason the Board granted another delay. Vice Chair, Frances Spivy-Weber expressed concerns that the Water Board is not putting PacifiCorp's "feet to the fire." She said, "Sooner or later we'll have get past the abeyance issue. This issue is no closer to being solved today than it was years ago." The Hoopa Tribe sees water quality on the Klamath as an issue that needs immediate attention to avoid another fish kill, like in 2002, when over 68,000 adult Chinook salmon died in warm, shallow, disease ridden waters in the Klamath River. Action to improve the water quality is long overdue. Even if the Klamath Settlements move through Congress, dam removal would not occur until 2020. In the meantime, toxic blue green algae and other contaminants run rampant in the river. "The State Water Board has granted a series of such delays," Masten said. "The resolution they adopted last week will cause the abeyance to lift if federal legislation is not enacted by May 17, 2011, a whole year after the proposed timeline in the KHSA and KBRA settlements. They have, in essence, given PacifiCorp, and themselves, more time to do nothing." ### Helpful Links: To read the State Water Resources Control Board's discussion and resolution click here http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/board_info/agendas/2010/oct/100510_9.pdf To read the November 14, 2008 Agreement in Principle, news release, and correspondence between the Secretary of Interior and PacifiCorp, click here http://www.doi.gov/archive/news/08_News_Releases/111308.html To access the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement click here http://www.edsheets.com/Klamathdocs.html To read more about the Hoopa Valley Tribe's position on the Klamath Settlements click here http://www.hoopafisheries.org/3336.html Allie Hostler Communications Coordinator, HVT Fisheries P.O. Box 417 Hoopa, CA 95546 (530)625-4267 x12 (530)739-2323 cell www.hoopafisheries.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From FISH1IFR at aol.com Fri Oct 15 13:25:50 2010 From: FISH1IFR at aol.com (FISH1IFR at aol.com) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:25:50 EDT Subject: [env-trinity] Klamath Water Quality Put on Hold by State Water Board Message-ID: ALL..... While I have great respect for the Hoopa Valley Tribe, unfortunately the fundamental premise of this Press Release is deeply flawed. The 401 Certification process which has been stayed is to APPROVE 4-DAM FERC RELICENSING, and not to "clean up the river in the interim." Why should anyone be pushing to remove the final barrier between PacifiCorp and 40-year FERC relicensing? Especially since, under the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) it is dam REMOVAL, not relicensing, that is the preferred alternative that we are all now working toward achieving. We and other Parties to the Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement (KHSA) supported staying the current 401 Certification Application as merely a way to halt the run to full and final FERC relicensing while dam removal is being given serious consideration. Dave removal will need its own 401 Certification process down the road -- BUT THIS IS NOT IT. As to cleaning up the river between now and the projected dam removal target date of 2020, there are numerous "Interim Measures" in the KHSA which will help to do that, or at least to minimize water quality impacts as best as can be done short of dam removal, which will of course do much more. PacifiCorp is pledged under the KHSA to paying several million dollars toward those "Interim Measures." Also, with the new approved Klamath Mainstem TMDLs in place, PacifiCorp must also work out a TMDL Implementation Plan to meet its TMDL obligations in the interim until dam removal in 2020. Some have pushed for completing the FERC Relicensing 401 Certification Process in the hopes that the State Water Board (and the Oregon equivalent, the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC)) will simply DENY the permit, putting PacifiCorp in a position where it will eventually have to remove the dams. This ignores the fact that under the KHSA the dams will come down anyway, and sooner. It also takes a HUGE RISK that the California State Water Board (and EQC) will issue a Permit with mitigation measures that PacifiCorp could meet, or that their denial will fall to a later Court challenge with several years of litigation under the current status quo. It also takes a huge risk that PacifiCorp would be able to relicense the dams, or at least J.C. Boyles dam in Oregon. J.C. Boyles is by far the most valuable dam for power production of the four, and has the least water quality impacts, and is in OREGON where the pollution control laws are much less stringent than in California and in which there is much less likelihood that a 401 Certification denial would be upheld by the Courts. In other words, if push comes to shove and the KHSA dissolves, forcing PacifiCorp back to regular FERC relicensing, it is most likely -- in my estimation and that of many others with more expertise in these matters -- that at least one dam (J.C.Boyle) will get a new 40-year FERC license, the opportunity to restore a free-flowing KIamath River will be missed, and both the salmon and the river will not see another such a chance at restoration until at least the year 2052. Thus the efforts should be put towards fully implementing the KHSA, not pushing for a 401 Certification process that leads only toward FERC relicensing. And that is what the Water Board also decided. ================================================ Glen H. Spain, NW Regional Director Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) PO Box 11170, Eugene, OR 97440-3370 Phone: (541)689-2000 Fax: (541)689-2500 Web: _www.pcffa.org_ (http://www.pcffa.org/) Email: fish1ifr at aol.com ================================================ In a message dated 10/15/2010 7:52:52 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, ahostler at hoopa-nsn.gov writes: ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** HOOPA VALLEY TRIBAL FISHERIES October 14, 2010 Contact: Allie Hostler, HVT Fisheries, (530)625-4267 x12 Why is the California Water Board risking the State?s water to protect an Oregon Utility? Klamath Water Quality Still in Peril Last week, the State Water Resources Control Board granted PacifiCorp?s request to suspend the Section 401 Water Quality Certification process until May 17, 2011, a whole year beyond target dates set forth in the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) negotiated in February. ?PacifiCorp will keep stalling and avoid taking responsibility for the water quality disaster on the Klamath River as long as the State allows. The River needs help NOW,? Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman, Leonard Masten said. California?s Section 401 Water Quality certification process is the final, required step in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission?s (FERC) relicensing process. PacifiCorp?s license to operate the Klamath Hydroelectric Project expired in 2006. California was amidst the Section 401 Water Quality Certification process, as required by the Clean Water Act, when the Bush administration in 2008 announced an Agreement between PacifiCorp, California, Oregon and the Federal Government to look into potential dam removal. A year later, in 2009, the Obama administration signed on to the document. ?The Agreement in Principle brought the Section 401 Water Quality Certification process to a dead stop in 2008,? Masten said. The clock is still ticking, and not in favor of Klamath River salmon that Indians and non-Indians depend on as a subsistence, cultural and economic resource. The KHSA and companion settlement, the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) require federal legislation to be in enacted. The KHSA calls for legislation to be introduced by May 18, 2010. That deadline has come and gone. The Hoopa Tribe believes the $1.5 billion price tag and ongoing disagreements about the KBRA in the basin have stalled its introduction. Water Board Chairman, Charles Hoppin cited a lack of state money to complete the 401 certification process as a reason the Board granted another delay. Vice Chair, Frances Spivy-Weber expressed concerns that the Water Board is not putting PacifiCorp?s ?feet to the fire.? She said, ?Sooner or later we?ll have get past the abeyance issue. This issue is no closer to being solved today than it was years ago.? The Hoopa Tribe sees water quality on the Klamath as an issue that needs immediate attention to avoid another fish kill, like in 2002, when over 68,000 adult Chinook salmon died in warm, shallow, disease ridden waters in the Klamath River. Action to improve the water quality is long overdue. Even if the Klamath Settlements move through Congress, dam removal would not occur until 2020. In the meantime, toxic blue green algae and other contaminants run rampant in the river. ?The State Water Board has granted a series of such delays,? Masten said. ?The resolution they adopted last week will cause the abeyance to lift if federal legislation is not enacted by May 17, 2011, a whole year after the proposed timeline in the KHSA and KBRA settlements. They have, in essence, given PacifiCorp, and themselves, more time to do nothing.? ### Helpful Links: To read the State Water Resources Control Board?s discussion and resolution click _here_ (http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/board_info/agendas/2010/oct/100510_9.pdf) _http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/board_info/agendas/2010/oct/100510_9.pdf_ (http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/board_info/agendas/2010/oct/100510_9.pdf) To read the November 14, 2008 Agreement in Principle, news release, and correspondence between the Secretary of Interior and PacifiCorp, click _here_ (http://www.doi.gov/archive/news/08_News_Releases/111308.html) _http://www.doi.gov/archive/news/08_News_Releases/111308.html_ (http://www.doi.gov/archive/news/08_News_Releases/111308.html) To access the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement click _here_ (http://www.edsheets.com/Klamathdocs.html) _http://www.edsheets.com/Klamathdocs.html_ (http://www.edsheets.com/Klamathdocs.html) To read more about the Hoopa Valley Tribe?s position on the Klamath Settlements click _here_ (http://www.hoopafisheries.org/3336.html) _http://www.hoopafisheries.org/3336.html_ (http://www.hoopafisheries.org/3336.html) Allie Hostler Communications Coordinator, HVT Fisheries P.O. Box 417 Hoopa, CA 95546 (530)625-4267 x12 (530)739-2323 cell www.hoopafisheries.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Oct 15 14:41:07 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:41:07 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Newsweek Cover Message-ID: <002601cb6cb1$aeb85bc0$0c291340$@net> Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Privatization of Water.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 2174209 bytes Desc: not available URL: From t.schlosser at msaj.com Fri Oct 15 15:32:11 2010 From: t.schlosser at msaj.com (Tom Schlosser) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:32:11 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Klamath Water Quality Put on Hold by State Water Board In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4CB8D66B.5000803@msaj.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Oct 15 16:11:20 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:11:20 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Water Wars Message-ID: <004401cb6cbe$4861dbf0$d92593d0$@net> Along the lines of the Newsweek cover I posted, a great deal of information on water wars is contained at the following link. To me, this is one of the more significant issues we face (yeah, there are a lot). And for California and its part in this issue, it's appalling that there hasn't been and isn't as much media coverage as is required for what needs to be an informed public. http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From FISH1IFR at aol.com Fri Oct 15 16:35:03 2010 From: FISH1IFR at aol.com (FISH1IFR at aol.com) Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:35:03 EDT Subject: [env-trinity] Klamath Water Quality Put on Hold by State Water Board Message-ID: In a message dated 10/15/2010 3:31:14 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, t.schlosser at msaj.com writes: Maybe the press release should have been entitled--why is PCFFA's regional director risking California's water quality to protect PacifiCorp? Glen seems to think the water board would have to choose between merely granting or denying PacifiCorp's application; in fact, the board can place conditions on any certification, conditions that protect fish and water quality. Recall PUD No. 1 of Jefferson County, 511 U.S. 700 (1994). Recall S.D. Warren, 547 U.S. 370 (2006). Tom ..... As you know, as a friend and colleague, I respectfully disagree. While a conditional permit IS the likely outcome of continuing the 401 Certification process under the current Application for FERC Relicensing, since we have no idea how much "backbone" the Water Board would actually assert (much less the Oregon EQC), or what conditions they might impose, it is simply an article of faith that these unknown conditions could NOT be met by PacifiCorp and that therefore this would automatically result in dam removal. However, if they COULD be cost effectively met (or overturned in Court), this instead results in 40-year FERC Relicensing! As I noted in my prior comment, this is highly likely in Oregon in any event under that FERC route. The Oregon EQC is not noted for its 401 Certification backbone. I am not willing to take that risk when the dam removal result we all want could be more certainly achieved through the KHSA, and within only ten years. As these things go, that is not actually that much time. Yet even if these conditions cannot be met, however, that alternative only results in AT LEAST ten years of litigation (first through all the State Courts in both states, then through the federal Courts), during which time PacifiCorp simply operates the dams just as they are, under automatic FERC status quo one-year license extensions. This is not theoretical. One well-known similar FERC relicensing case has limped along on annual licenses for more than 23 years now, still with no resolution in sight, all the while doing nothing to protect water quality. A date certain for dam removal within a mere ten years under the KHSA is a hell of a lot more certain, contingencies and all, than relying on the outcomes of litigation in which we would have to win at every stage on every issue, likely against the efforts of the entire hydropower industry terrified of setting such a precedent. The board's willing inaction on Sec. 401 is simply an effort to block the regulatory process that would have forced PacifiCorp to remove the dams already, or face the large costs of full upstream and downstream volitional fish passage. Why does the hope of removal in 2020 sound so good to Glen? There are a lot of contingencies in the Hydro settlement. FERC may not be a great alternative but as the regulatory agency charged with licensing, its orders would produce dam removal. But as you know, FERC has NEVER ONCE ORDERED A DAM TO COME DOWN AGAINST THE WISHES OF AN APPLICANT -- not once, during its entire history! Based on that past record, the chances of such a FERC order for dam removal in this case is essentially zero. FERC is an agency that has never seen a dam it does not like. Again, it is an article of faith among those that oppose the KHSA that the regular FERC process would ultimately result in the dams coming down. But faith-based dam removal efforts are (in my analysis) far riskier than a deal in hand called the KHSA, even with its various contingencies (major ones of which have now been accomplished, such as the Oregon PUC approval of the KHSA 9/16/10). None of those contingencies are in any way unreasonable nor unexpected for a project this size. The further notion that the TMDLs place on PacifiCorp a burden to "work out a TMDL implementation plan" is just fanciful. All PacifiCorp must do is file a plan that incorporates the "interim measures" they put into the Hydro settlement, nothing more. The State board approved the NCWQCB's resolution no. R1-2010-0026, which adopts TMDLs and establishes an action plan for carrying them out. The action plan addresses PacifiCorp at page 4-13.00. I've added bold in the text below. PacifiCorp's implementation plan need only incorporate KHSA requirements. They've got 60 days to file that plan. The Hydro agreement interim measures PacifiCorp put forward are feeble indeed. They do pay $150k per year for Boyle gravel; they fund maintenance of a couple USGS gages; they provide $100k for a one-time conference; they pay $250k per year for "studies or pilot projects" (That could rise if Interior makes an affirmative determination to remove dams, perhaps as soon as 2012.) It goes on from there. Notably absent is any work in or near surface water to actually improve water quality. Those suffering from blue-green algae, do you feel better now? Ignoring the sarcasm above, you should first ask what "Interim Measures" would be required under a continuing FERC annual extension for the next 10-15 years of likely litigation? Answer: NONE. As you also know, the current FERC license simply continues as long as PacifiCorp is able to stall the process in Court -- which, as you know as a fellow Attorney, could potentially be a very long time. Your client the Hoopa Valley Tribe has ongoing litigation to impose such interim measures for the first time in FERC history which could prove me wrong, but so far they have not prevailed against long-established FERC policy to require NO INTERIM MEASURES while a FERC relicensing application is pending, just status quo automatic annual license extensions. While I agree that the Interim Measures in the KHSA are in themselves weak, they are infinitely better than the result of forcing the FERC process forward without them. Under that pathway there are no Interim Measures at all. Just as you do, I believe the only ultimate solution is dam removal, but that a ten year track to accomplish that under the KHSA is far more certain than trying to force FERC, which has never ordered a dam down in its existence against the wishes of an Application, to suddenly do so now -- and even if achieved through the FERC process would almost certainly be more than ten years down the road counting normal litigation timelines. I wish it were otherwise.... but reality prevails over wishful thinking in this, as in most other, issues. Respectfully, ====================================== Glen H. Spain, Northwest Regional Director Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) PO Box 11170, Eugene, OR 97440-3370 Office: (541)689-2000 Fax: (541)689-2500 Web Home Page: _www.pcffa.org_ (http://www.pcffa.org/) Email: fish1ifr at aol.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Oct 18 08:13:32 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:13:32 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update 10/18/2010 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Trinity River mainstem Redd numbers are finally starting to creep up. Last week alone our crews counted 599 new redds from Lewiston Dam to Cedar Flat. Our latest survey update is available through the link below. Enjoy! Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 10/04/2010 08:32 AM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2010 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: graycol.gif Type: image/gif Size: 105 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Oct 18 15:11:19 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:11:19 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 10-15-10 Message-ID: <005901cb6f11$6583ba50$308b2ef0$@net> Westlands Water investigation sought Tainted drainage water is moving, activists say. Posted at 07:45 PM on Friday, Oct. 15, 2010 By Mark Grossi / The Fresno Bee River's flow to ocean strong sign for San Joaquin rebirth On the Valley's west side near Los Banos, something strange is happening this summer in the San Joaquin River -- water. The river has continued to flow to the Pacific Ocean throughout the first summer after an ambitious restoration effort began, sending a powerful signal about the project's potential for success. This end of the river has been dry in summer since Friant Dam was finished in the late 1940s. Kings River park puts danger within floaters' reach Floating the Kings River on an inflatable raft or inner tube with nothing but a swimsuit, sunglasses and cooler of beer is a summertime tradition. But head upriver a few miles, closer to the foothills, and the Lower Kings takes on a different character. The current quickens with the gain in elevation, creating sections of rapids and navigational hazards. Floaters unprepared for this kind of trip should steer clear of a new launch facility just above the Highway 180 bridge, authorities and experienced boaters say. They'll get more than the lazy, carefree ride they bargained for. Calling for a state investigation, water activists say tainted irrigation drainage from Westlands Water District is moving undetected into the San Joaquin River. The nonprofit California Water Impact Network says underground drainage in Westlands is migrating slowly downhill to neighboring farmland, where subsurface drainage is captured and sent to the river. "We'd like to know how much Westlands contributes," said Tom Stokely of the water network. "We think it might be significant." Westlands officials say the activists are wrong, adding that the district has a history of trapped underground drainage that does not move. Officials said they welcome the scrutiny. The activists' request for the state study came Thursday, just days after the state approved a nine-year extension on a drainage cleanup program for the neighboring farmland that sends some drainage into the river. Farmers on 97,000 acres downslope from Westlands have been dramatically reducing drainage contaminants for many years in the Grassland Bypass Project. The activist network, based in Santa Barbara, opposed the extension and is considering legal action against it. Activists say the farm drainage in the Grassland project makes the San Joaquin exceed the standard for a natural element called selenium, which is toxic to wildlife in high doses. The contamination spreads downstream to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where dwindling fish species suffer, activists say. Westlands was painted as an environmental villain in the 1980s when biologists discovered high concentrations of selenium had killed and maimed wildlife at evaporation ponds. The selenium-laced water had been drained from beneath Westlands fields. The underground geology in parts of Westlands traps the bad water, which must be captured in perforated pipes and removed or it will poison the land. After the wildlife disaster in the 1980s, the ponds were closed and thousands of acres were taken out of production. But a lot of drainage remains trapped. For years, the district has been involved in legal action against the federal government to dispose of the bad water. Even though Westland's fields are upslope from the Grasslands Bypass Project, the water could only migrate very slowly over centuries, said Westlands general manager Tom Birmingham. "The state has studied this type of claim against the district many times before and has rejected them," Birmingham said. "We think it's a good idea to put this ridiculous assertion to rest." Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/10/15/2120000/westlands-water-investigation.ht ml#ixzz12kcIeSVX Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Oct 18 15:19:33 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:19:33 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fresno Bee 10-15-10 Message-ID: <005e01cb6f12$8b9344d0$a2b9ce70$@net> Westlands Water investigation sought Fresno Bee-10/15/10 By Mark Grossi The federal government wants to offer west Valley farmers some of the canals, pumps and other facilities in the Central Valley Project to settle a long-running lawsuit over drainage problems. The deal also would reduce or relieve hundreds of millions of dollars in farm debt created to build the water project. In return, farmers would be responsible for cleaning up the drainage. But farmers, who first raised these ideas three years ago, say the offer does not have what they want most -- assurance that they will get a reliable water supply to ease chronic shortages. On the Valley's west side near Los Banos, something strange is happening this summer in the San Joaquin River -- water. The river has continued to flow to the Pacific Ocean throughout the first summer after an ambitious restoration effort began, sending a powerful signal about the project's potential for success. This end of the river has been dry in summer since Friant Dam was finished in the late 1940s. A story worthy of Hollywood will soon unfold in California courtrooms -- allegations of government corruption and corporate greed to rival the infamous Los Angeles water grab that inspired the film "Chinatown." Call it "Chinatown II," a tale beginning 15 years ago -- when, according to lawsuits filed in the last three months, the state illegally turned over the publicly owned Kern Water Bank to an agency controlled by giant corporations in a backroom deal. Defendants say the charges, like the movie, are mostly fiction. But environmentalists and others who are suing say innocent people have been hurt while big landowners reaped big profits. Calling for a state investigation, water activists say tainted irrigation drainage from Westlands Water District is moving undetected into the San Joaquin River. The nonprofit California Water Impact Network says underground drainage in Westlands is migrating slowly downhill to neighboring farmland, where subsurface drainage is captured and sent to the river. "We'd like to know how much Westlands contributes," said Tom Stokely of the water network. "We think it might be significant." Westlands officials say the activists are wrong, adding that the district has a history of trapped underground drainage that does not move. Officials said they welcome the scrutiny. The activists' request for the state study came Thursday, just days after the state approved a nine-year extension on a drainage cleanup program for the neighboring farmland that sends some drainage into the river. Farmers on 97,000 acres downslope from Westlands have been dramatically reducing drainage contaminants for many years in the Grassland Bypass Project. The activist network, based in Santa Barbara, opposed the extension and is considering legal action against it. Activists say the farm drainage in the Grassland project makes the San Joaquin exceed the standard for a natural element called selenium, which is toxic to wildlife in high doses. The contamination spreads downstream to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where dwindling fish species suffer, activists say. Westlands was painted as an environmental villain in the 1980s when biologists discovered high concentrations of selenium had killed and maimed wildlife at evaporation ponds. The selenium-laced water had been drained from beneath Westlands fields. The underground geology in parts of Westlands traps the bad water, which must be captured in perforated pipes and removed or it will poison the land. After the wildlife disaster in the 1980s, the ponds were closed and thousands of acres were taken out of production. But a lot of drainage remains trapped. For years, the district has been involved in legal action against the federal government to dispose of the bad water. Even though Westland's fields are upslope from the Grasslands Bypass Project, the water could only migrate very slowly over centuries, said Westlands general manager Tom Birmingham. "The state has studied this type of claim against the district many times before and has rejected them," Birmingham said. "We think it's a good idea to put this ridiculous assertion to rest."# Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Oct 19 10:27:46 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2010 10:27:46 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Can Solar, Nuclear or Both Save the Westside SJV? The Solar Home and Business Journal, 10.18.2010 Message-ID: <00a001cb6fb2$f3982f50$dac88df0$@net> Can Solar, Nuclear or Both Save California's San Joaquin Valley? http://sunpluggers.com/news/can-solar-nuclear-or-both-save-californias-suffe ring-san-joaquin-valley-01036 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Oct 20 13:12:41 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:12:41 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] EWG Report- Throwing Good Money at Bad Land Message-ID: <5DE522CA8F4048E7831D9345F2296722@homeuserPC> Environmental Working Group News Release Throwing Good Money at Bad Land Related EWG Content a.. Throwing Good Money at Bad Land September 28, 2010 Categories Water Subsidies Natural Resources a.. CONTACT: Contact EWG Public Affairs: 202.667.6982. alex at ewg.org b.. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 20, 2010 Oakland, Calif. -- A new Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis has found that a federal Bureau of Reclamation proposal to continue farming on a vast swath of selenium-tainted acreage in the Central Valley's giant Westlands Water District would cause a taxpayer boondoggle. "There is only one solution that makes sense for the great majority of Americans: retire all of the selenium-laced land from farming and transition it to other uses that would be less costly to taxpayers and the environment and provide the nation more benefit," said Renee Sharp, director of EWG's California office. "Instead of ending irrigation of this toxic land, the federal government plans to build a drainage system to nowhere that will cost many more times more than the land is worth," said Tom Stokely of the California Water Impact Network, a Santa Barbara-Based non-profit organization allied with EWG. EWG has determined that between 2005 and 2009, $54 million dollars in crop subsidy checks went to Westlands farms with high selenium concentrations. The Bureau of Reclamation has consistently ignored these crop subsidies - which are direct costs to taxpayers - whenever it has calculated the costs and benefits of its plan. The Westlands acreage at issue is so loaded with selenium and other salts that when it is irrigated, the water must be drained away to avoid poisoning the crops. The fate of this area has been the subject of repeated lawsuits ever since the 1980s, when Westlands water draining into the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge caused an environmental disaster. In 1983, scientists reported that record numbers of migratory birds at Kesterson were hatching with massive deformities, including grossly misshapen beaks, twisted legs, missing wings and malformed skulls. More than 1,000 waterfowl died before the drain from Westlands into the refuge was closed down. Bureau of Reclamation commissioner Michael Connor outlined the latest plan in a September 1, 2010, letter to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Unfortunately, the agency's latest plan is just as problematic as the previous one. Among other things, it would: a.. Require the federal government to pay to build drainage and treatment facilities for a subsection of the selenium tainted land within Westlands, with the District itself footing the bill for additional drainage and treatment facilities to service acres remaining in production; b.. Forgive some or all of Westlands' $497 million debt to taxpayers; c.. Transfer ownership of "appropriate" elements of San Luis Unit, a federal-state water infrastructure complex of dams, reservoirs, canals, pumping plants and a power generation station, to Westlands if requested. (According to the Bureau of Reclamation website, the federal government owns the San Luis Drain, the O`Neill Pumping Plant and Intake Canal, Coalinga Canal and Pleasant Valley Pumping Plant. The federal and California state governments jointly and operate O`Neill Dam and Forebay, B.F. Sisk San Luis Dam, San Luis Reservoir, William R. Gianelli Pumping-Generating Plant, Dos Amigos Pumping Plant, Los Banos and Little Panoche Reservoirs, and San Luis Canal from O`Neill Forebay to Kettleman City, with switchyard facilities (USBR 2010b).) d.. Extend Westlands' water contract length beyond the standard 25 years; e.. Provide federal incentives for renewable energy development within Westlands; f.. Require Westlands to retire 200,000 acres of selenium-tainted land (it is unclear from the proposal whether this figure would include or would be in addition to already retired land); g.. Reduce Westlands' water deliveries proportional to the amount of land retired, but only in years with very high rainfall. Interior's proposal was not accompanied by an economic analysis. It is impossible to see how this project would end up anywhere but deep in the red. The true cost to the American people of farming in this area becomes even more exorbitant when millions of dollars in crop subsidies for these farmlands are taken into account. "It is simply inappropriate to exclude crop subsidies when considering the potential economic costs and benefits of various alternatives in Westlands," said Sharp. "Subsidy payments are real cost outlays by the federal government and are easy to calculate since they have hard numbers attached. " Federal agencies and Congress must soon settle on a long-term solution for Westlands' toxic lands. The stakes are high: untold millions of taxpayer dollars; hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water in the drought-prone West; the health of the fragile San Francisco-San Joaquin Bay/Delta; the potential for a second Kesterson disaster; and future litigation costs to taxpayers. The EWG report concludes: The true costs of farming on Westlands' toxic lands cannot be justified by any measure - economic or environmental. The time has come to fix the Bureau of Reclamation's costly mistake and retire all of the selenium-tainted land in Westlands. # # # EWG is a nonprofit research organization with offices in Washington, DC, Oakland CA, and Ames IA, that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.http://www.ewg.org Tom Stokely Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact California Water Impact Network V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Wed Oct 20 17:05:02 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:05:02 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Environmental Water Caucus Unveils California Water Solutions In-Reply-To: <5DE522CA8F4048E7831D9345F2296722@homeuserPC> References: <5DE522CA8F4048E7831D9345F2296722@homeuserPC> Message-ID: http://blogs.alternet.org/danbacher/2010/10/20/environmental-water- caucus-unveils-california-water-solutions Environmental Water Caucus Unveils California Water Solutions by Dan Bacher Proponents of the peripheral canal and new dams often complain that critics of these controversial water projects have no "solutions" to California's water and fishery problems. Well, the Environmental Water Caucus (EWC), a coalition of 27 environmental groups, fishing organizations, environmental justice groups and Native American tribes, has crafted a comprehensive solution to how Californians can restore their fisheries and meet water needs at the same time. The EWC recently presented a ground-breaking series of proposals to the Delta Stewardship Council, the newly-formed state agency that is charged with finding a balance between water reliability and Bay- Delta environmental recovery. The caucus provided a series of recommendations on water that included an aggressive statewide water conservation program that can reduce water use by 8 million acre feet annually and the retirement of toxic farmlands that use almost 4 million acre feet of water per year, acccording to a news release from EWC. They paired their recommendations with a reduction of Delta pumping that will help restore the Bay-Delta ecology and fisheries. "The Caucus recommendations have been boosted by the State Water Resources Control Board?s recent report that concluded that more water must be allowed to flow through the Bay-Delta in order to protect the health and public resources of this critically important watershed," EWC noted. The recommendations by the Caucus were presented as an alternative to the pending proposals by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The widely-criticized plan is designed to construct either a tunnel under the Bay-Delta or a peripheral canal around the Delta BDCP critics fear that the peripheral canal/tunnel, designed to facilitate water exports to corporate agribusiness and southern California, will lead to the extinction of collapsing populations of Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River chinook salmon, Delta smelt, green sturgeon, Sacramento splittail and other fish. The canal/ tunnel would cost an estimated $23 billion to $53.8 billion, according to an analysis last year by economist Steven Kasower. Dr. Mark Rockwell, representing the fishing community for EWC, said, ?This BDCP plan will continue the destructive water extractions from the Delta and block any hope of recovery for fisheries and the Delta environment. We have to find a new way to manage water that does not involve reliance on the Delta. The recently published EWC report, California Water Solutions Now, accomplishes this goal.? For many years, fishermen, Tribes and environmentalistshave worked relentlessly to increase the amount of water flowing through the Delta and to San Francisco Bay in order to restore and protect the health of the estuary. Large water contractors south of the Delta, led by Westlands Water District, have fought just as incessantly to increase the amount of water pumped through the Delta in order to irrigate farms and accommodate a growing population. "It?s a classic California water battle and seems to have no end," said David Nesmith, EWC coordinator. "This battle for water must end if we are to ever achieve a balance between the State?s need for water, and our desire to have a healthy environment and save our fisheries." ?The Environmental Water Caucus has presented this alternative proposal that stresses water use reductions and avoids the multiple billions of dollars that would be needed to construct a major tunnel or canal through the Delta," said Nick Di Croce, long time water advocate and EWC consultant. "It is a non-structural alternative (no surface storage or new Delta conveyance) that can meet the needs of our growing population at least until 2050.? This report documents numerous analyses of water efficient technologies and approaches that can save or reduce water consumption in urban areas by as much as 5 million acre-feet a year by 2030 compared with current trends ? enough water to support population growth of almost 30,000,000 people. "According to the California Water Plan Update 2009, the state?s population can be expected to increase by 22,000,000 over the next 40 years if current population trends hold," the report's executive summary states. "Clearly, a well-managed future water supply to take us to 2050 is within reach with the current supplies and with an aggressive water conservation program." Using the Strategic Goals and Recommendations from the Environmental Water Caucus? report, the Caucus showed in their presentation how the actions called for in the report will save or reduce enough water consumption to allow the Delta exports to be reduced, in keeping with the State Water Board?s report on Delta flows. ?In the same way that California can no longer just continue to build highways to accommodate our population growth, we must find different kinds of technological and societal solutions to protect our most valuable, limited and life-giving resource: water," said Michael Jackson, EWC steering committee member. The Caucus closed their proposal by challenging the Delta Stewardship Council to analyze their proposal as one of the alternatives to be considered in the future Delta Plan. Additionally, they proposed a council workgroup to further develop the recommendations in the EWC report, and to bring together people from all sides to discuss how this can be implemented. Mark Franco, headman of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and an EWC member, pointed out the absurdity of claims that building a peripheral canal, as envisioned by BDCP officials, will somehow "save" the Delta. ?The peripheral canal is a big, stupid idea that doesn?t make any sense from a tribal environmental perspective,? stated Franco. ?Building a canal to save the Delta is like a doctor inserting an arterial bypass from your shoulder to your hand? it will cause your elbow to die just like taking water out of the Delta through a peripheral canal will cause the Delta to die.? The EWC report shows how California can meet its water needs and restore its imperiled fish populations without building an environmentally destructive and enormously costly peripheral canal and new dams. You can read the report and find out more about the Environmental Water Caucus at their website: http://ewccalifornia.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Oct 22 11:06:23 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:06:23 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Weir Hatchery Counts 10 21 10 Message-ID: <028801cb7213$d7f84bf0$87e8e3d0$@net> Folks, The attached spreadsheet contains the latest trapping totals for two main stem weirs and Trinity River Hatchery through Oct. 21. The hatchery did not spawn fish this week as it is the time of year when they shift to fall Chinook spawning operations. Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weirTRH_summary-10-21 -10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 91648 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Oct 25 17:32:31 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:32:31 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update 10/25/2010 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Update from the 2010 Mainstem Trinity River Spawning Survey available at the link in the message below. We counted 391 new redds. We'll see how it goes this week, but today there is lots of turbid water out there with the soaking we got this last weekend. Hopefully clarity comes around soon. I hope you're getting to enjoy this fall on one or more of your favorite rivers! I'll check in with y'all again next week, Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 10/04/2010 08:32 AM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2010 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: graycol.gif Type: image/gif Size: 105 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Oct 26 14:04:35 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:04:35 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject) Message-ID: <005e01cb7551$65617e40$30247ac0$@net> Lake Shasta rising Redding Record Searchlight-10/25/10 By Dylan Darling Lake Shasta is again on the rise following a wet weekend in the north state. The lake level rose almost a foot after storm clouds steadily dropped more than 5 inches of rain onto the lake from 3:30 p.m. Saturday until 1 p.m. Sunday said Sheri Harral, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Reclamation at Shasta Dam. The lake went from being 48.65 feet below its high water line Friday to 47.82 feet below Monday. "That's not a whole lot of room at all," she said. Depending on whether rainstorms continue at the lake, the bureau may have to start letting increased flows out of Lake Shasta and down the Sacramento River for flood control, she said. If the rains return soon, the lake also likely already has hit its lowest level for the year. Last year, which saw a mostly dry November, the lake didn't bottom out until Nov. 18, when it hit 130.5 feet below the high water line. A year earlier the lake dropped to its lowest level since 1991 when it fell to 157.77 feet below the top of Shasta Dam on Oct. 13, 2008. The record low for the lake is 230.32 feet below set in 1977. At Lassen Volcanic National Park, the same storm that brought rain to Lake Shasta and Redding delivered more wintry weather. The storm dropped 8 inches of snow at Lake Helen, 8,200 feet above sea level near the base of Lassen Peak, said Karen Haner, spokeswoman at Lassen. "It kind of surprised us Saturday," she said. Cold temperatures then turned the snow to ice, prompting the closure of the road through the park over the weekend. The 33-mile-long road remained closed for 22 miles - between the Devastated Area and Sulphur Works - Monday and likely will be closed until it warms up in the park, Haner said. She said she didn't think the road was closed for the season yet. Last year the road closed Nov. 18. While last weekend's storm closed Lassen's road, it opened burning season around much of the north state. The rain prompted the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to lift open burning bans in Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity counties. The ban remained in Tehama County. The storm is also spurring the state's Regional Water Quality Control Board's Redding office to check for heavy sediment runoff at construction sites around the north state. Robert Crandall, the office's assistant executive officer, said the office received two citizen's complaints about runoff one at the Salt Creek development by Sierra Pacific Industries in west Redding and the other at the city's overpass construction on Interstate 5 at Oasis Road. He said an inspector from the office is set to visit both sites today. At the Antlers Bridge project in Lakehead, where a similar storm last year prompted runoff concerns, there was no sign of sediment pouring into Lake Shasta, said Mark Darnall, a resident engineer for Caltrans. He said the storm did shift dirt around within the 14-acre site and crews are bracing for more rainstorms after the weekend's douser. "It was a good warm-up for the season," he said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Oct 29 14:06:38 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:06:38 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee 10 28 2010 Message-ID: <016c01cb77ad$2eec8090$8cc581b0$@net> $188 million agreement will restore habitat Sacramento Bee, 10/29/10 By Matt Weiser State officials have reached an agreement that will provide an estimated $188 million over 10 years to restore habitat for imperiled fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The deal between the state Water Resources and Fish and Game departments binds the water agency to certain restoration activities to satisfy state and federal environmental laws. State water contractors, who buy Delta water from DWR, will pay for those projects. Among the first projects will be restoration of Prospect Island, near Rio Vista, as tidal wetland habitat. DWR acquired the 1,253- acre island from the federal government at no cost earlier this year. In the agreement, finalized last week, DWR also commits to restoring a total of 8,000 acres of habitat for fish including salmon, sturgeon, Delta smelt and Sacramento splittail. This may involve acquiring additional Delta properties. The deal is intended to satisfy state and federal endangered species acts, as well as the terms of a forthcoming Bay Delta Conservation Plan. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Oct 29 14:10:49 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:10:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Smart Planet 10 28 2010 Message-ID: <017101cb77ad$c3febbd0$4bfc3370$@net> Lengthy, but of interest and significance. Who owns water? Experts debate pricing, infrastructure investment Smart Planet, 10/28/10 By Andrew Nusca Does the public own it? Does the federal government? How about private entities, such as farmers and manufacturers? Who gets to foot the bill when something goes wrong - or when it's all gone? Those were the questions debated this morning at The Atlantic's Green Intelligence Forum 2010, where water experts weighed in on the difficulties in framing a global water crisis. According to the experts, water is certainly not free - but establishing ownership gets tricky once you try to price it to curb excessive usage. "On the one hand, one can be agnostic about it, simply because it's either a public monopoly or private monopoly, and both of those are regulated," said economist and Resources for the Future fellow Sheila Olmstead. "We can't, on the whole, say that in many developing countries. Where we've had strongly negative experiences is where the regulatory structure is simply not [robust] enough to support that. There's this really important regulatory side." Former Arizona governor and World Wildlife Fund trustee Bruce Babbitt said the question of who owns water isn't nearly as important as who distributes it. "I think you start off by saying, 'Water is a public resource,' " he said. "That is the American tradition. You can deal out the management and use through regulations, which have an economic aspect to them. To move toward privatization as you go down stream. It's not about owning the water, it's about how you're allocating the water, providing the resources and providing a return." Pacific Institute president Peter Gleick said the costs incurred by distributing water requires a set of laws to protect both the resource and the business. "The important distinction is ownership versus service," Gleick said. "In Islam, water is supposed to be free. But some very smart Islamic scholars are saying, 'Well, who's paying for the service?' Water should be public. Public or private, it's a monopoly. You need efficient, smart, non-predatory services. There are badly-run examples on both the public and the private sides." The other issue is water rights, Gleick said. "I don't think water rights are property rights. I think they're use rights," Gleick said. "In the West, this is a big debate. There are use rights - you have the right to use based on where you are. In the constitution of the state of California, that use is based on it being reasonable and beneficial. If you don't have that reason, you can't use it. "So take a farmer growing four acres. If they can grow it in three, that last acre is not reasonable. [The issue of] rights is unresolved, and it's wrapped up in this public-private question." ITT senior vice president Gretchen McClain said different business models and partnerships between industry and government are the way to tackle the real goal - reducing water usage. "Today, we have leakage and good [money] going down the drain," she said. "There's got to be incentives." A PRICE ON WATER To address quality and scarcity from an economic perspective, water should have a price, Olmstead said. "The price of water is artificially low," she said. "If it reflected the opportunity cost of not leaving it in-stream and the price of getting it to your house, it would make everything look better. And it would provide investors with incentive for more developed technologies to improve efficiency." Babbitt called the argument a "false dichotomy" and advocated for a price on water. "Water is a human right," he said. "Everyone should pay something. There should be that step toward the market - it's a concept called 'block rates.' People should understand the system and pay a small amount, and it should scale up with consumption." Is water ready to be bought and sold on the market? Gleick said anything deemed a resource essential to human well-being isn't by its very nature. "If water were truly a private commodity - there were markets for it - ecosystems would be, pardon the technical term, screwed," he said. "They have no money. They have no standing rights. We have to figure out how to protect these systems. It's a public good." McClain said the ownership question complicates accountability, especially with regard to federal oversight. "There is different accountability - the EPA makes decisions, the Interior makes decisions - [and] it's very fragmented," she said."If we can't get it to where we can get alignment on that, do we ever get to the solution we need? Look at the national infrastructure debate today - water is not on the agenda. That to me is a huge, glaring oversight." Public awareness is key, McClain said. "I still think there's a lot to be done to stop taking water for granted, she said. "It's the lifeblood of our lives, of industry - without water there's no growth, no economic development. It's a global issue, but it really has a local face. Technology is out there to address the issues. Given the market is very fragmented, we need to work together. To make sure that the public understands the value.of water." A TECHNICAL SOLUTION So what's the solution to using water more efficiently? McClain said the technology's already available - it's just a matter of inserting it into existing infrastructure. "The infrastructure in the U.S. is aging and it's failing us," she said. "There is technology today to go into the leaks and close up the leaks, or you can do a complete dig-up. But with technology that's out there, you can make the system more efficient. It's not a lack of technology. It's about addressing something before it fails." Efficient water use "doesn't require rocket science technology," Gleick said. "There is remarkable technology that involves replacing pipes without digging up the streets, that involves inserting pipes into pipes," he said. "There's wastewater treatment technology. There's innovative monitoring and metering technology to understand where we have these leaks." There are remarkable changes already underway, Gleick said. "This summer, Los Angeles used less water for everything than it used 40 years ago, despite the growth in its population and economy," he said. "We are changing the dynamics already. Sometimes there's not enough water for everything we want to do as inefficiently as we're using that water." EXAMINING THE REAL 'CRISIS' But it was Babbitt who shook the foundations of the topic of discussion by saying that the phrase "global water crisis" was merely "Leninist history." Calling himself a skeptic, Babbitt said the "relentless talk" of a crisis was, in effect, scaremongering. "There is no lack of water on this globe," he said. "There is not a water supply crisis. Water is a renewable resource. There are some distributional issues, yes. But we're not going to make any progress into buying into this notion." The real issue? Sanitation and accessibility in the developing world, he said. Gleick agreed, but said Babbitt's argument was based on semantics. "Water is a huge issue. It's connected to everything we care about," he said. "I believe there is a global water crisis, in different places in different times. My issue: the failure to ensure that people have access to clean drinking water. But there are other problems [like] climate change. Water is connected to climate change - that's a new challenge for the 21st century that we're just beginning to wrap our minds around." Water distribution and efficiency also impacts food production, for which 80 percent of the world's water is used, Gleick said. "Water is a political issue - it crosses borders. We share water with Canada and Mexico. In many parts of the world, it's a security issue. There are political issues with water that are not well resolved." Citing a survey conducted by her company, McClain said that 95 percent of voters believe water is the most valued resource they receive - more important than electricity. It's why people will pay for water and the costs incurred to distribute it, she said. "Any economy doesn't grow unless you have power and water," she said. "The issue is really around clean water. We spend an awful amount of money to make water clean. I don't think people realize the cost of taking water, cleaning it and delivering it to the home. "We lose 1.7 trillion gallons of water each year because of our aging infrastructure, just leaking away after it's been cleaned. That's a huge cost to each of us. When someone turns on the tap and they don't have water, that's when we feel it." THE CLIMATE CHANGE FACTOR And what of climate change? Babbitt said that "solid scientific consensus" on the topic means that a one meter rise in sea levels is "baked in" over the next 100 years. The problem? The nation's infrastructure isn't ready for it, he said. "Sea levels in this coming century are going to rise at least one meter, which is going to make obsolete the water and infrastructure systems of every coastal city in this country," he said, adding that unpredictable weather will only magnify the lack of flexibility in existing infrastructure. "These coastal systems are going to be useless. We must have a national policy and we must get started soon." Gleick said we're not doing enough to manage our water systems for climate change. "In the Bay Area alone, there are 29 wastewater treatment plants that are at risk of flooding from a one-foot increase," he said. "We need to mitigate the aspects that we can't adapt to. That means greenhouse gases. Three feet's going to be tough enough. Twenty feet is inconceivable." GROUNDWATER FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS The panelists also discussed the issue of groundwater, a hidden water resource that's quickly being depleted by developing communities with no alternative. Babbitt called the issue "important" and "complex." "It's out of sight," he said. "We don't fish in groundwater or sail our boat on groundwater or watch a sun set into groundwater. We must recognize the connection between groundwater and its role and generating surface water. The connection is an important issue. You've got to manage that thoughtfully and carefully." In most parts of the world, groundwater is a non-renewable resource, Babbitt said. "It has accumulated since the Ice Ages," he said. "It must be treated as a finite resource. It will not be refilled in less than geological time." >From a legal standpoint, groundwater is difficult to resolve, and is the "Wild West" from a rights perspective, Olmstead said. "On one hand, it's take as much as you can," she said. "On the other hand, it's a critical resource in many areas of the world where we have large populations who need access to water, in part because surface sources are so contaminated." Gleick said the issue calls for a technological solution. "We don't monitor it, meter it, manage it," he said. "It's often over-pumped. That's unsustainable. As much as 30 or 40 percent of the world's food production comes from groundwater." CAMPAIGNING FOR AWARENESS So how will we conserve water - through economic, environmental or sociological means? It starts with education, Gleick said. "Public awareness is a critical piece to this," he said. "The more we know about water, the more we understand where it comes from." Gleick said the United Nations' recent declaration of a binding human right to water and sanitation was an example of how minds can be changed. "We haven't had this for a lot of reasons. But we do now," he said. "It's very explicit. It doesn't say it has to be free, or that it's unlimited, but it does say that there's a basic human right to water and sanitation." McClain agreed, saying that a recent visit to Singapore revealed that young children are taught about their water system from a young age. "We do need to think about the cycle of water," she said. "It has to be addressed in a closed-loop cycle." McClain said it's time to start thinking about water the way space-bound astronauts do - as a limited, finite resource that requires demand management. "Having been in the space business, astronauts recycle water," she said. "Do we have the appetite for it [on Earth]? " Babbitt said he had a foolproof solution to whet America's appetite. "Pricing," he said. "I rest my case." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Oct 29 14:12:54 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:12:54 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] BOR Press Release 10 29 2010 Message-ID: <017601cb77ae$0e8408e0$2b8c1aa0$@net> Reclamation, Fish & Wildlife Service, and California Fish & Game logos Mid-Pacific Region Sacramento, CA MP-10-165 Media Contact: Pete Lucero (BOR) 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov Sarah Swenty (USFWS) 916-414-6571, sarah_swenty at fws.gov Kyle Orr (CDFG) 916-322-8958, KOrr at dfg.ca.gov For Release On: October 29, 2010 Federal, State Agencies Release Environmental Document on Suisun Marsh Habitat Management, Preservation, and Restoration Plan The Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Game, have made available for public review an environmental document on the Suisun Marsh Habitat Management, Preservation and Restoration Plan. The agencies also have scheduled two public meetings to answer questions and are accepting written comments on the environmental document. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIS/EIR) assesses a comprehensive 30-year plan designed to address use of resources within about 60,000 acres of wetlands in the Suisun Marsh near Fairfield, California. The focus of the plan is a mutually agreed upon multi-stakeholder approach to the restoration of tidal wetlands and the enhancement of managed wetlands. Once in place, the plan will help in the recovery of endangered species and increase tidal marsh habitat to benefit all. Federal and state agencies prepared a joint Draft EIS/EIR in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and California Environmental Quality Act. The lead agencies have collaboratively prepared the environmental documents with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the California Department of Water Resources, and the Suisun Resource Conservation District. The two public meetings have been scheduled on November 18 to receive written comments regarding environmental effects: * 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. at Rush Ranch, 3521 Grizzly Island Road, Suisun City, CA 94585. * 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Benicia Public Library, Dona Benicia Meeting Room, 150 East L Street, Benicia, CA 94510. The Draft EIS/EIR is available online at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=781 . If you encounter problems accessing the Draft EIS/EIR online, please call the Reclamation Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5100 (TTY 916-978-5608) or e-mail mppublicaffairs at usbr.gov. Please send comments to Becky Victorine, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, by close of business Wednesday, December 29, 2010. Comments may also be faxed to Ms. Victorine at 916-978-5055 or e-mailed to rvictorine at usbr.gov. For additional information or to request a copy of the Draft EIS/EIR, please contact either Ms. Victorine at 916-978-5035 (TTY 916-978-5608) or Mr. Andrew Raabe of the Fish and Wildlife Service at (916) 414-6679. Copies of the Draft EIS/EIR may also be viewed at Reclamation's Sacramento office at the above address. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 23912 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Nov 1 11:45:15 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2010 11:45:15 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi guys and gals, Trinity River spawning survey info available at the link below has once again been updated. We counted 236 new redds in the reaches we were able to survey last week. No survey of Reach 10 was conducted due to turbidity (Del Loma to Cedar Flat). I don't know if we'll be able to survey downstream of South Fork Trinity this week for the same reason. Thanks for tuning in! Charlie Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2009 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Nov 1 14:00:23 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2010 14:00:23 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Jason_Phillips_Selected_as_Area_Manager_f?= =?utf-8?q?or_Reclamation=E2=80=99s_Klamath_Basin_Area_Office?= Message-ID: <761A54A5299344D6A0802E406F69EA8C@homeuserPC> Jason Phillips Selected as Area Manager for Reclamation?s Klamath Basin Area Office ----- Original Message ----- From: Ellen Glover To: tstokely at att.net Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 1:47 PM Subject: Jason Phillips Selected as Area Manager for Reclamation?s Klamath Basin Area Office Mid-Pacific Region Sacramento, CA MP-10-166 Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov For Release On: November 1, 2010 Jason Phillips Selected as Area Manager for Reclamation?s Klamath Basin Area Office The Bureau of Reclamation?s Mid-Pacific Region announces the selection of Jason Phillips as the Area Manager of the Klamath Basin Area Office located in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Phillips is scheduled to begin his new job in January 2011. Donald R. Glaser, Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region, stated: ?Jason Phillips? past experience and demonstrated skills managing complex water management programs make him extremely well-suited to lead the Klamath Basin Area Office.? As Area Manager, Phillips will direct and oversee program activities for the Klamath Project which provides irrigation water for about 240,000 acres as well as water for the Klamath National Wildlife Refuges. A key element of the Area Manager position will be continuing to lead the extensive restoration programs under way in the Klamath Basin. Phillips began his federal career working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Portland, Oregon, and later in Sacramento, California, as a project manager on flood control and ecosystem restoration projects, including the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Comprehensive Study. Phillips joined the Mid-Pacific Region in 2001 and has managed several critical water resources programs, including the Upper San Joaquin River Basin Storage Investigation, the San Luis Drainage Feature Re-evaluation, federal CALFED Bay-Delta Program activities, and currently the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. Phillips holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Portland State University. ### If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: MP-10-166 Jason Phillips to KBAO.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 45365 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Nov 2 15:44:11 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2010 15:44:11 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment on 2009 Delta Reform Act Instream Flow Studies Report Message-ID: Please note that the Trinity River and South Fork Trinity River are on this list. Tom Stokely Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact California Water Impact Network V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ ----- Original Message ----- From: To: "Tom Stokely" Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 2:08 PM Subject: Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment on 2009 Delta Reform Act Instream Flow Studies Report > This is a message from the State Water Resources Control Board. > _______________________________________________________________ > The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) has issued a > Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment on a draft report to the > Legislature. Water Code section 85087, contained in the Delta Reform > Act, requires the State Water Board to submit to the Legislature by > December 31, 2010 a prioritized schedule and estimate of costs to > complete instream flow studies for two categories of rivers and streams > by two specific deadlines: (1) *high priority rivers and streams in > the Delta watershed, not otherwise covered by section 85086, by 2012*; > and (2) *all major rivers and streams outside the Sacramento River > watershed by 2018 > > At the November 16, 2010 Board meeting, participants will be given an > opportunity to summarize and supplement their written materials with > oral presentations. Written comments on the draft report must be > submitted by 12 noon on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. Please see the > public notice for more details. > > Copies of the public notice, and the draft report are attached. These > documents are also available at the Division of Water Rights' website > at: > http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/instream_flows/instreamflow.shtml > > > If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact Marie > Hoffman, at (916) 341-5395 or mhoffman at waterboards.ca.gov. > > > > _________________________________________________ > You are currently subscribed to bay_delta_notices as: tstokely at att.net. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov/u?id=191118.f0d55dda20638cdb102fea74a69c4ca8&n=T&l=bay_delta_notices&o=118184 > or send a blank email to > leave-118184-191118.f0d55dda20638cdb102fea74a69c4ca8 at swrcb18.waterboards.ca.gov -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Instream Flow Report Notice nov 16 10_29_2.PDF Type: application/pdf Size: 35539 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: instream flow report 11_2.PDF Type: application/pdf Size: 83152 bytes Desc: not available URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Wed Nov 3 12:22:12 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 12:22:12 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Seeking internship with director/executive level manager Message-ID: Hello Trinity River enthusiasts, I am writing to all of you today to inform you that I am seeking an internship. Currently I am working on a Masters of Public Administration at CSU Chico. My completion date for the program is December 2011. Prior to graduation from the program, I would like to find an internship with an director/executive level manager of an agency for next summer. This internship is not required for my graduation, as it is an elective option, so I will not be completing it for class credit. Rather I am seeking to work an internship with an executive level person to get an understanding of what it means to manage a program and personnel at the managerial level. The internship could allow me to shadow an administrator while they do their work, have me involved in any sort of project, and anything else you may think would be interesting, and/or useful for a master student in administrative policy. I have attached a copy of my resume for reference. Please contact me if you're interested in speaking about an internship. Thank you! Joshua Allen -- "A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive." ~ Albert Einstein, 1954 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Resume_JAllen_112010.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 35025 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Nov 4 09:51:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2010 09:51:30 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Red Bluff Daily News Message-ID: <018601cb7c40$88ac1040$9a0430c0$@net> Popular dungeness crab sport fishery to open statewide Red Bluff Daily News-11/3/10 The much anticipated annual Dungeness crab sport fishery opens statewide on Nov. 6, according to the California Department of Fish and Game. Every November in northern and central California, the season opener triggers recreational crab fishing enthusiasts to set out in pursuit of these tasty crustaceans. Some set hoop nets and crab traps from boats and piers while others fish crab loop traps on the end of a fishing rod. Still others will dive in the cold waters to take the crabs by hand. The daily bag limit is 10 Dungeness crabs per person, except when fishing from a commercial passenger fishing vessel (or party boat ) south of Mendocino County, in which case the limit is six. Dungeness crab may not be taken within San Francisco or San Pablo bays, which are important crab nursery areas. A legal-sized crab must be five and three-quarter inches measured by the shortest distance through the body from edge of shell to edge of shell directly in front of a excluding the points (lateral spines). Crabs taken from party boats must measure six inches minimum distance. In California, the Dungeness crab range is from the California- Oregon border southward to Santa Barbara, although they are uncommon south of Point Conception. Dungeness crabs prefer sandy or sand-mud bottom, but may be found in almost any sea floor habitat. They range from the intertidal zone to a depth of at least 750 ft., but are not abundant beyond 300 ft. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Nov 4 14:31:11 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2010 14:31:11 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Final Reconsideration of Selenium Waiver Message-ID: <01d401cb7c67$9ac55350$d04ff9f0$@net> Attached Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Environmental Advocates Request Reconsideration of Selenium Basin Plan Amendment Pollution Waiver.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 1025761 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Nov 5 10:16:08 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 10:16:08 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Reclamation Announces 2-Year Interim Renewal CVP Water Service Contracts Available for Public Review Message-ID: <022201cb7d0d$2361cd10$6a256730$@net> Reclamation News Release Header Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region Sacramento, CA MP-10-169 Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov For Release On: November 5, 2010 Reclamation Announces 2-Year Interim Renewal CVP Water Service Contracts Available for Public Review and Comment The Bureau of Reclamation and six Central Valley Project contractors will be executing 2-year interim renewal contracts effective March 1, 2011, through February 28, 2013. The existing contracts expire on February 28, 2011. This action is dependent upon the final National Environmental Policy Act documentation and Endangered Species Act compliance. The draft contracts for the cities of Avenal, Coalinga, and Huron; the California Department of Fish and Game; Panoche Water District; and San Luis Water District are available for a 60-day public review and comment period. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance is final for the first four contractors. Contracts for the Panoche and San Luis Water Districts, while available for review, are dependent upon NEPA and ESA findings. The six draft contracts are available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvpia/3404c/lt_contracts/2011_int_cts/index.html. If you encounter problems accessing the draft contracts please call 916-978-5100 or e-mail mppublicaffairs at usbr.gov. Written comments must be received by close of business Tuesday, January 4, 2011, and should be sent to Karen Hall, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-440, Sacramento, CA 95825. Comments may also be e-mailed to khall at usbr.gov or faxed to 916-978-5292. For additional information or to request a copy of the draft contracts, please contact Ms. Hall at 916-978-5254 (TTY 916-978-5608). # # # Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sat Nov 6 17:50:31 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 17:50:31 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times 11 15 10 Message-ID: <000601cb7e15$c898a110$59c9e330$@net> Delta plan may do more harm, biologists find By Mike Taugher Contra Costa Times Posted: 11/05/2010 08:44:13 PM PDT Updated: 11/05/2010 08:44:14 PM PDT A plan promoted as the way to balance environmental protection with the state's water needs is more likely to drive at least one native species to extinction than to help it recover, federal biologists have found. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which has racked up nearly $140 million in study costs, would reduce the flow of water through the Delta and send more to farms and cities, according to a review obtained by Bay Area News Group. The waning flow would draw brackish Bay water deeper into the estuary and reduce freshwater flushing, spreading habitat changes that have degraded the estuary and harmed native species. Water weeds, toxic algae and undesirable bass would likely spread, the biologists found. "Therefore, overall habitat conditions under the proposed project are likely to be worse than present day conditions or future conditions (if the project is not built)," the biologists concluded. The water agencies that are counting on the plan to increase their water supplies reject that conclusion, documents show. Their consultants contend the water flows are not as big a deal and that other elements of the plan would more than offset any problems caused by the flow changes. The 50-year water supply and environmental protection plan, trumpeted for four years by the Schwarzenegger administration and the state's biggest water agencies, will not be completed this month as planned. Instead, an incomplete draft is scheduled to be released in the coming weeks. Top water officials in state and federal government, local water agencies and environmental groups are meeting privately, trying to resolve a host of thorny questions in advance of the report. The plan's fate remains uncertain. Regulators are unlikely to approve it if it cannot make good on the promise of Delta restoration. And if it cannot deliver an ample, secure supply of water, water agencies that rely on the Delta may be unwilling to pay for it. On top of the biologists' review, an independent consultant hired to assess the plan also questions its progress and the emphasis on increasing water supplies. That critique brought a sharp reaction from water users, who called the assessment "rife with inappropriate and inaccurate" statements. Acknowledging that the point of the plan is to increase water supplies, they noted that it made little sense for them to invest in an expensive project if the result would be less water. "(Water) Exports can be reduced without the investment of tens of billions of dollars and, in fact, have been significantly reduced over the last decade with little environmental benefit to show for it," said a recent letter from water contractors to the Delta Stewardship Council. Ideas for more water Central to the plan is a tunnel system capable of carrying 15,000 cubic feet per second -- big enough to carry the entire Sacramento River most of the time. By taking water from the proposed tunnels rather than Delta pumps, fewer fish would be killed at the pumping stations near Tracy. And investing billions of dollars in wetlands restoration and other ecosystem improvements will justify the water diversions, supporters say. But a number of recent studies suggest too much water is taken out of the Delta watershed to sustain a healthy ecosystem, and a high-cost construction project is not likely to change that basic imbalance. "Four years ago, a lot of people thought this project would consist of a $3.5 billion ditch that would get a lot more water supply with big benefits to fish, but it is not working out that way at all," said Greg Gartrell, assistant general manager of the Contra Costa Water District. "They need to step back and rethink this project using this new information that has replaced all the old assumptions." The $12 billion tunnel option would deliver just 3 percent more water than a much smaller tunnel that would cost half as much, Gartrell said. The Concord-based water district has a lot at stake because the state and federal water projects affect the water quality around its Delta intake pipes. A top federal official cautioned that a final plan will not be adopted without public review. The ultimate decisions are months away, Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes said in an interview. Hayes said he had not seen the paper by his department's biologists, who concluded that the proposal was likely to cause more environmental harm than good, but he said the federal scientists' findings would weigh heavily. "This is going to be a science-driven process. We feel very strongly about that," Hayes said. "The environment needs to get better under the BDCP (Bay Delta Conservation Plan). That's going to be the bottom line, in addition to the water reliability," Hayes said. Who pays for it? Water districts across the state will have to decide whether to commit billions of dollars to the plan, but there is a more immediate decision. To complete the studies, water districts will have to pay another $100 million. One already balked but later got back on board. Others are wary. "We're not at the point where push comes to shove, but there is going to be a point in time in the near future where everybody is going to have to put their cards on the table," said Dennis Cushman, a manager with the San Diego Water Authority. Project costs and benefit questions loom large. One farm district in Kings County that primarily serves two wealthy landowners had opted out as of April 2009, documents show. More than 80 percent of the irrigated acreage in the Dudley Ridge Water District is owned by Paramount Farming, which is owned by Stewart and Lynda Resnick, one of the richest couples in Los Angeles, and Sunnyvale-based Sandridge Partners. "The primary reason was financial," Dudley Ridge general manager Dale Melville said in an e-mail. The district's board of directors preferred to keep money to buy supplemental water. Melville said the district still could choose to participate. But the costs keep climbing. Southern California water officials were told this year that the aqueduct would cost about $8 billion, but the latest figure is $13 billion, Cushman said. The decisions will be relatively simple once water agencies know two things: how much water they will get, and how much they will have to pay. And there's a third variable: the nature of guarantees, or assurances, that the water will be there even if the ecosystem does not improve. Generally speaking, urban water agencies like those in the Bay Area and Southern California can afford to pay more than agricultural districts in the San Joaquin Valley, because cities have no choice, but farmers do. They could choose not to plant such crops as cotton, lettuce, almonds or pomegranates if water costs exceeded the crop value. "All of us are working with our growers to make sure they understand what the costs are," said Brent Walthall, an assistant general manager at the Kern County Water Agency. "I think they will (support the plan), but they want to know there are going to be assurances." "Everybody is in a mode of getting as much information as possible before we make a decision (to fund the studies)," said Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, an association comprised mostly of west San Joaquin Valley farm districts. If any water agency drops out, the price for everyone else will rise. But even urban districts will look carefully at the project's economics before committing their customers to paying higher rates. Water rates have been climbing sharply and water usage in the declining economy is way down in San Diego, Cushman said. "The biggest (unresolved question) of all is: Who is going to pay for it? Those tough conversations have not been had," Cushman said. Balancing act The plan being drafted came in response to the environmental collapse in the Delta that became apparent in 2005 and the water supply cuts that followed as regulators and judges tried to reduce the number of fish killed by the pumps. The strategy was for water users to commit to a "habitat conservation plan," using alternative provisions of endangered species laws to escape the close supervision regulators normally exercise. In exchange for a relatively stable water supply permit, good for 50 years, water users would have to set up a comprehensive plan to protect a host of fish and wildlife species, and not just prevent their extinction. Among the targeted species are Delta smelt, longfin smelt, several salmon runs, green sturgeon and even terrestrial species. Water agencies are expected to pay for the tunnels, but ecosystem-restoration projects, which could cost billions of dollars, would mostly be charged to taxpayers. The conservation plan has been described as the most complex such plan ever undertaken because of its focus on fish (not just land animals), its location in a highly altered and complex estuary, its broad scope, and the number of overlapping and competing demands on the Delta. Schwarzenegger's team also tried to get it done in record time: four years. By contrast, a comparatively simple habitat conservation plan that most affects East Contra Costa County housing took about 10 years to complete. "The BDCP is on a collision course with reality," said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, one of the authors of water reforms passed last year. Under new law, the plan must be approved if it meets certain standards. But the new laws also require the state to reduce its dependence on the Delta, treat the environment and economy as "coequal" goals and increase regional self-sufficiency in water supply around the state. Huffman, a former environmental lawyer and chairman of the Assembly's water committee, said the plan taking shape does not appear to strike the balance required by the new laws. "The Legislature was very clear in laying out a policy of reduced dependence on the Delta," Huffman said. "One cannot credibly reconcile these new policies with an attempt to return to (pre-Delta crisis) exports for the next 50 years." Of course, conservation plan supporters don't exactly see it that way. They see the goal to reduce dependence on the Delta as a statewide responsibility and are emphatic that it is the plan, and not recent contrary studies, that is consistent with the balancing act required by the new "coequal" goals. "If those flow criteria had any regulatory effect, it's 'game over' for the Delta," said Cushman, the San Diego water official. Mike Taugher covers the environment. Contact him at 925-943-8257 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Mon Nov 8 13:55:11 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:55:11 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] EcoCloud Innovation and California Water System: Nov. 12th Meeting at SAP, Palo Alto Message-ID: <4CD871BF.7070209@tcrcd.net> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: EcoCloud Nov. 12th Meeting at SAP Date: Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:55:04 -0600 From: Wholly H2o Reply-To: r.162.31392.0d38c40ee568a4f7 at whollyh2o.org To: M. MDowdle *Wholly H2o is an active member of the SSV EcoCloud. At this month's meeting, Elizabeth Dougherty, director of Wholly H2o will be presenting on Integrated Water Management. **Join us!* *When: * *Friday, November 12, 2010 8:30 AM ? 12:00 PM* *Where:* *SAP * Executive Briefing Center 3410 Hillview Ave, Building 1 Palo Alto, CA 94304-1395 Sustainable Silicon Valley is organizing an event ? Come hear the next in Ecocloud lessons learned and upcoming concerns and solutions for /California?s Water System/ that our speakers have to impart and /network with your virtual Ecocloud Neighbors/. The EcoCloud is a virtual neighborhood of existing and potential recycled water customers, ?virtual? industrial neighbors, consultants, vendors and other technical experts. Ecocloud gives you a way to reducing costs and networking with your partners. * *Statewide data for California's water systems, and potential regional application*: /Rich Juricich/, water resources engineer at /DWR/ will talk with us about the statewide system being created to monitor California?s entire water cycle (inputs, outputs, human uses, environmental uses). Rich works in the Integrated Data and Analysis Branch of DWR. * *Aligning Human and Earth Life Support Systems:*/John Hogan,/ environmental scientist at /NASA /will explore how the principles of regenerative life support and systems engineering developed for space exploration may be applied to create integrated and regenerative human systems that simultaneously support and respond to dynamic physical, chemical, and biological life support system here on Earth. * *Integrated Water Management in the Context of California's Water Crisis:*/Elizabeth Doughtery/, Director of /Wholly H2o/,will address the potential features of an integrated water management approach that focuses on conservation, efficiency and rain, storm, gray and black (recycled) water as the primary features. * *Market for H2Ownership: Smart Markets */James Workman*, */co-founder*//*/SmartMarkets LLC/*,* will raise some of the economic challenges facing the EcoCloud, and how the emerging online platform for trading water efficiency within and between water districts could make recycled water increasingly viable, and valuable, for more businesses and cities. He will also describe how the coping skills of Kalahari desert bushman can help us address our water crisis. * *Sustainable Water Use: A case study of cooling tower use of recycled water:* /Erick Hawkins/, /Air Products/ * *Ecocloud Innovation Virtual Network Update* *For More information, please contact* Mary Kean, PE Program Manager, Sustainable Silicon Valley Email: mkean at sustainablesv.org (650) 318-3638 x 106 *More information about EcoCloud* */EcoCloud? /*is a ?virtual industrial ecosystem? where Silicon Valley industry, government and educational institutions work together to implement and share sustainable business practices. Sponsored by Sustainable Silicon Valley, a cross-sector collaborative dedicated to a sustainable future, and drawing on the latest social networking tools, EcoCloud? is designed to put the principles of industrial ecology to work in Silicon Valley and beyond. */A Virtual Industrial Ecosystem for Silicon Valley/* Inspired by the model of industrial ecology, the *EcoCloud?* is designed to be a */virtual /*industrial ecosystem, providing a forum for companies to share sustainable business practices. Although most industries in the *EcoCloud? *are not located next to each other, they share a common interest in reducing energy usage, conserving resource and eliminating waste?while at the same time cutting costs to improve their bottom line. Just as ?cloud computing? uses the distributed power of the internet for more efficient data processing, the EcoCloud? harnesses the power of web-based social networking tools so local business leaders and facility managers can work with industry experts, technology innovators, university researchers and government agencies to make their enterprises more sustainable and more profitable. Still under development, the *EcoCloud?* will ultimately address all the major intersections of industry and environment, including energy, air, water, land use and material resources. Currently, *EcoCloud?* members are paying particular attention to the *urban water cycle*, focusing on the *industrial use of recycled water* as a way to minimize demand on drinking water supplies, lower total energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wholly H2o's mission is to equip Californians with the information and skills necessary to normalize water conservation and efficiency, as well as rainwater, graywater, stormwater and black water reuse/recycling. The purpose is to mitigate the currently unsustainable demands on California water supplies, and corresponding environmental degradation to California?s natural water systems. The goal is to use our water in the most appropriate manner possible given our realtime existing conditions. Our secondary mission is to provide the information and training necessary to expand the water-related green jobs market throughout the state of California. If you would prefer not to receive announcement from Wholly H2o, please unsubscribe here . Fiscal Sponsor Trust for Conservation Innovation 423 Washington Street San Francisco, CA 94111 United States -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Mon Nov 8 13:55:11 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:55:11 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] EcoCloud Innovation and California Water System: Nov. 12th Meeting at SAP, Palo Alto Message-ID: <4CD871BF.7070209@tcrcd.net> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: EcoCloud Nov. 12th Meeting at SAP Date: Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:55:04 -0600 From: Wholly H2o Reply-To: r.162.31392.0d38c40ee568a4f7 at whollyh2o.org To: M. MDowdle *Wholly H2o is an active member of the SSV EcoCloud. At this month's meeting, Elizabeth Dougherty, director of Wholly H2o will be presenting on Integrated Water Management. **Join us!* *When: * *Friday, November 12, 2010 8:30 AM ? 12:00 PM* *Where:* *SAP * Executive Briefing Center 3410 Hillview Ave, Building 1 Palo Alto, CA 94304-1395 Sustainable Silicon Valley is organizing an event ? Come hear the next in Ecocloud lessons learned and upcoming concerns and solutions for /California?s Water System/ that our speakers have to impart and /network with your virtual Ecocloud Neighbors/. The EcoCloud is a virtual neighborhood of existing and potential recycled water customers, ?virtual? industrial neighbors, consultants, vendors and other technical experts. Ecocloud gives you a way to reducing costs and networking with your partners. * *Statewide data for California's water systems, and potential regional application*: /Rich Juricich/, water resources engineer at /DWR/ will talk with us about the statewide system being created to monitor California?s entire water cycle (inputs, outputs, human uses, environmental uses). Rich works in the Integrated Data and Analysis Branch of DWR. * *Aligning Human and Earth Life Support Systems:*/John Hogan,/ environmental scientist at /NASA /will explore how the principles of regenerative life support and systems engineering developed for space exploration may be applied to create integrated and regenerative human systems that simultaneously support and respond to dynamic physical, chemical, and biological life support system here on Earth. * *Integrated Water Management in the Context of California's Water Crisis:*/Elizabeth Doughtery/, Director of /Wholly H2o/,will address the potential features of an integrated water management approach that focuses on conservation, efficiency and rain, storm, gray and black (recycled) water as the primary features. * *Market for H2Ownership: Smart Markets */James Workman*, */co-founder*//*/SmartMarkets LLC/*,* will raise some of the economic challenges facing the EcoCloud, and how the emerging online platform for trading water efficiency within and between water districts could make recycled water increasingly viable, and valuable, for more businesses and cities. He will also describe how the coping skills of Kalahari desert bushman can help us address our water crisis. * *Sustainable Water Use: A case study of cooling tower use of recycled water:* /Erick Hawkins/, /Air Products/ * *Ecocloud Innovation Virtual Network Update* *For More information, please contact* Mary Kean, PE Program Manager, Sustainable Silicon Valley Email: mkean at sustainablesv.org (650) 318-3638 x 106 *More information about EcoCloud* */EcoCloud? /*is a ?virtual industrial ecosystem? where Silicon Valley industry, government and educational institutions work together to implement and share sustainable business practices. Sponsored by Sustainable Silicon Valley, a cross-sector collaborative dedicated to a sustainable future, and drawing on the latest social networking tools, EcoCloud? is designed to put the principles of industrial ecology to work in Silicon Valley and beyond. */A Virtual Industrial Ecosystem for Silicon Valley/* Inspired by the model of industrial ecology, the *EcoCloud?* is designed to be a */virtual /*industrial ecosystem, providing a forum for companies to share sustainable business practices. Although most industries in the *EcoCloud? *are not located next to each other, they share a common interest in reducing energy usage, conserving resource and eliminating waste?while at the same time cutting costs to improve their bottom line. Just as ?cloud computing? uses the distributed power of the internet for more efficient data processing, the EcoCloud? harnesses the power of web-based social networking tools so local business leaders and facility managers can work with industry experts, technology innovators, university researchers and government agencies to make their enterprises more sustainable and more profitable. Still under development, the *EcoCloud?* will ultimately address all the major intersections of industry and environment, including energy, air, water, land use and material resources. Currently, *EcoCloud?* members are paying particular attention to the *urban water cycle*, focusing on the *industrial use of recycled water* as a way to minimize demand on drinking water supplies, lower total energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wholly H2o's mission is to equip Californians with the information and skills necessary to normalize water conservation and efficiency, as well as rainwater, graywater, stormwater and black water reuse/recycling. The purpose is to mitigate the currently unsustainable demands on California water supplies, and corresponding environmental degradation to California?s natural water systems. The goal is to use our water in the most appropriate manner possible given our realtime existing conditions. Our secondary mission is to provide the information and training necessary to expand the water-related green jobs market throughout the state of California. If you would prefer not to receive announcement from Wholly H2o, please unsubscribe here . Fiscal Sponsor Trust for Conservation Innovation 423 Washington Street San Francisco, CA 94111 United States -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 9 10:37:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2010 10:37:02 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] High Country News 11 08 10 Message-ID: <010b01cb803d$1ae07870$50a16950$@net> BWL editorial comment: Bill Berry was one of the greatest contributors to the restoration and the saving of California's wild fisheries. He was a genuine hero. Info HCN bids farewell to an old friend News - From the November 08, 2010 issue of High Country News by Paul Larmer and Jodi Peterson http://www.hcn.org/issues/42.19/hcn-bids-farewell-to-an-old-friend/68962_101 410_1.jpg/image_mini Sometimes we are fortunate enough to get a closer look at the lives of our remarkable readers. Shortly after longtime HCN reader and donor William L. Berry Jr. died on Sept. 30 from pancreatic cancer, two of his sons, John and Scott, got in touch with us to tell us a bit more about their dad. Some of what follows is from the obituary they wrote, which appeared in the Sacramento Bee Oct. 14. Born in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1932, Bill moved as a high school student to Sacramento, where his father worked for the State Division of Water Resources and was one of the principal architects of the California Water Plan. His father's role in the plan -- which resulted in the damming of many important rivers -- and seemingly contradictory love for fly-fishing on unspoiled streams would become grist for Bill in later years. Bill shared his dad's enthusiasm for rivers, and, during college, developed his own passion for trains, working summers as an assistant brakeman on the Southern Pacific line. After a long career as an attorney, Bill's two early interests literally collided in 1991, when a Southern Pacific train derailed and dumped an herbicide into the Upper Sacramento River, killing all aquatic life for 40 miles downstream. Bill labored for the next 10 years to force the railroad to implement safety measures that would prevent future derailments. Although Southern Pacific eventually had to pay a substantial fine, change certain operating procedures and build a containment structure, the more far-reaching safety reforms sought by Bill and his allies were rebuffed in the courts. Years later, Frank Pipgras, an executive at the conservation group California Trout, wrote, "If I had to name the one person most responsible for extracting a $38,000,000 settlement and bringing the railroad to its knees, it was and still is Bill Berry." In recognition of his efforts, California Trout presented Bill with its Joseph Paul Award in 2003. Today the Upper Sacramento again supports a healthy population of wild trout, which Bill enjoyed fishing for until early this summer. The staff at HCN remembers Bill most vividly for a letter he wrote last year, urging us to not forget those readers who love print more than electrons. "Last week, my wife and I made a donation to the HCN Research Fund in what for us was a substantial amount, given the declining state of our retirement account -- more than we'll give to many other nonprofit organizations appealing for our help in this dark economic time. Would we have done so for an online magazine of similar content? Would I faithfully renew subscriptions for myself and three of our kids for a website publication? I'm afraid the answer is no. If I couldn't read High Country News during lunch at the cafe near my retirement office, or carry it in my briefcase to pull out for a doctor's office wait, or mark and save articles for future reference and sharing with my wife and friends -- I'd simply fall out of touch. I don't say this as a threat, but as a fact -- and in serious concern for a publication I value highly. ... As you take HCN further into the era of electronic communication, remember that the Web, fast and far-reaching as it is, tends to be cluttered, transitory, and unappealing to page-turners like me. Please keep one foot on the solid ground of print journalism -- at least until I'm gone!" Bill would be relieved to know we have no intention of abandoning print journalism. Those who would like to remember Bill can make a donation to Save the American River Association, California Trout, High Country News, or the Effie Yeaw Nature Center (c/o The American River Natural History Association). Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 10769 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Tue Nov 9 11:28:09 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2010 11:28:09 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update November 9, 2010 Message-ID: Hi all, An update of our 2010 mainstem spawning survey is available at the link below. Last week's redd counting was a bit slower except for Reach 1 (Lewiston Dam to Old Lewiston Bridge) where 111 of the total 274 new redds were mapped. Coho Salmon carcasses haven't made much of a showing in number yet but I expect they will soon in the upper Reach or two. Thanks again for tuning in! Until next week, Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 11/09/2010 08:36 AM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2009 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Nov 12 08:49:05 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:49:05 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] KQED Bay Area Public TV 11 10 2010 Message-ID: <00d601cb8289$85d39ec0$917adc40$@net> Running Dry? California Water Supply at Risk KQED-11/10/10 By Gretchen Weber Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the country. It's located on the Colorado River, which provides water for about 27 million people in seven states, including millions of Californians. In fact, California gets more than a trillion gallons of water from the Colorado River each year, directly from Lake Mead via the Colorado River Aqueduct which snakes across the desert. Eighteen million people in Southern California are dependent on the Colorado for 40% of their water. And for some agricultural operations, that percentage is more like 100. Needless to say, it's a critical source of water. The thing is, after 11 years of dry conditions in the region, Lake Mead dropped to its lowest level ever in October. And so far, it's stayed there. Since Hoover Dam was completed in the 1937 the water level has never been so low. As of today, it's at 38% of capacity. And it's not just Lake Mead that's low. The whole Colorado River storage system is at just 55% of capacity, so forget just filling it up with water from upstream. Of course, winter's on its way, and with that, precipitation, so the lake shouldn't stay quite so low for long. And, thanks to a wet year, Northern California's reservoirs are doing well. But when you think about this water shortage in terms of population trends and the changing climate, the future for water in the Southwest looks grim. Population areas supplied by the Colorado River are some of the fastest growing in the country. So demand is going up. At the same time, scientists and water managers say the supply will go down. The region is expected to get warmer and drier in the coming decades, which means less precipitation, and more specifically, less snow. Which means that of the precipitation that does come, more will come as rain, which is harder to capture and store for use throughout the dry summer months. In fact, studies show that the river's flow is likely to decrease 10-15% in coming decades due to climate change, according to the Bureau of Land Management's Terry Fulp, and, he said, the demand is already outpacing the supply. "The supply and demand curves have crossed," he told me last May. The question of just how long the Colorado River can continue meet the needs of seven states with growing populations, depends on how quickly those supply and demand curves are diverging. Scientists have given varying estimates of when Lake Mead will go dry, but recent studies estimate a 50-50 chance that it could happen before 2057. (Earlier studies had estimated it as soon as 2021.) The state's population is expected to increase by half, to nearly 60 million, by 2050. So, Californians, what happens then? And what should we be doing now to prepare? It might be worth thinking about. In 2060, taking shorter showers and turning off the water when you brush your teeth might not be enough. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Nov 12 08:51:22 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:51:22 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] San Jose Mercury News 11-11-2010 Message-ID: <00db01cb8289$d77e7330$867b5990$@net> Delta's health must take priority for California San Jose Mercury News-11/11/10 Editorial California's $25 billion budget deficit is not the biggest political headache Jerry Brown faces as he returns to the governor's office. That dubious distinction belongs to the ongoing battle over water. The deadline for the draft of the long-awaited Bay Delta Conservation Plan is Thursday. It's designed to serve as a road map to balance protecting the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta's environment with providing a reliable water supply for farmers and cities. But the team of experts working on it is reportedly nowhere near agreement on the most important issue: How much water flow is needed to restore the health of the Delta? That must determine how much is left for distribution to agriculture and to residential water agencies throughout the state. Among its many flaws, the draft plan fails to take into account an independent, comprehensive study on the health of the Delta completed in July by the state Water Resources Control Board. It concluded that users are taking twice as much water from the Delta as they should, diverting as much as 50 percent. If this continues, the study says, the Delta eventually will be unable to provide safe water to anyone. It's inconceivable that a Bay Delta Conservation Plan could be offered without taking this report into consideration. Now we're told a consensus plan could take another year. There's little choice but to wait, since a weak plan based on questionable science is worthless. Brown needs to make sure the next version deals with the science in a credible way. The Delta is the West Coast's largest estuary, providing about half of Silicon Valley's water supply. Its health has been declining for years, posing the threat that the quality of the water would become undrinkable. Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature put together an $11 billion bond deal designed to fix the problem, but last summer they decided to pull it from this fall's ballot: It was loaded with too much pork to pass, even if voters could get beyond the fact that there's no real agreement on what to do. A workable plan needs the buy-in of urban dwellers, environmentalists, agriculture, water agencies and the fishing industry. Besides restoring the health of the estuary, funding is needed to repair the maze of 1,000 levees that could collapse Katrina-style in a stormy year or a major earthquake. The biggest frustration is that California really has enough water. It's just that agriculture, which gulps 80 percent of it, has not been a partner in conservation. Schwarzenegger's deal called on urban users to reduce consumption by 20 percent but asked nothing of farmers. If ag conserved just 10 percent, there would be no need for billions of dollars to pay for new water storage facilities. Of course, now is a terrible time to put new burdens on the agricultural Central Valley, whose economy is among the worst-hit in the nation. But water is a long-term challenge, and the state has an obligation to preserve a healthy Delta for generations to come. Welcome back to the governor's chair, Mr. Brown. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Nov 12 15:42:14 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:42:14 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] MP-10-173 Shasta Dam Area to be Closed for Full Scale Emergency Exercise Message-ID: <000e01cb82c3$3caa52e0$b5fef8a0$@net> Reclamation News Release Header MP-10-173 Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov For Release On: November 12, 2010 Shasta Dam Area to be Closed for Full Scale Emergency Exercise The Bureau of Reclamation, in conjunction with other federal, state and local agencies, will be conducting a full scale emergency exercise at Shasta Dam on Wednesday, November 17, 2010. The exercise will take place at a variety of locations in the vicinity of Shasta Dam over a 12-hour period. Due to security and safety concerns, all exercise training events are closed to the public. The roads leading to Shasta Dam, which include Highway 151, will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the intersection of Shasta Dam Boulevard and Lake Boulevard. Fishermen?s Point Day Use Area and Centimudi Boat Ramp will be closed, and boaters intending to use the area on that day should make alternate plans. Access across Shasta Dam to the Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Area (OHV) will also be closed. Riders planning to use the OHV area are asked to access the area from the Copley Mountain Staging Area off Iron Mountain Road for the duration of the exercise. For their own safety, and to ensure a successful training event, the public should stay away from the closed areas. The purpose of the security-based exercise is to establish a training opportunity for first responders and to employ emergency response and security plans, policies and procedures as they pertain to a potential terrorist threat at Shasta Dam. More than 250 individuals are expected to participate in the training as they would in an actual emergency. This exercise is designed to allow Reclamation and its partners to practice plans and operating procedures developed specifically to address threats to Shasta Dam. The exercise is also expected to enhance the working relationships and communication among local, state and federal agencies that would assist in the event of a real emergency. Media Briefing: What: Media Briefing/Orientation of Emergency Exercise at Shasta Dam When: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Where: Shasta Dam Visitor Center Auditorium, 16349 Shasta Dam Boulevard, Shasta Lake, CA (at Shasta Dam) For questions or concerns about the exercise, please contact Sheri Harral, Bureau of Reclamation, Public Affairs Specialist, at 530-276-2030 (TTY 530-275-8991) or e-mail sharral at usbr.gov. # # # -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Nov 15 15:53:19 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:53:19 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Trinity River spawning survey update November 15, 2010 Message-ID: Another update of our preliminary redd counts is available through the link below. Reaches 2 and 8 (Old Bridge to Bucktail, and Pigeon Point to Big Bar) were not surveyed due to the shortened workweek (Thursday was Veteran's Day). Reach 1 is taking off with 172 of the total 294 redds counted last week. Our season's total count is 2,483 as of Friday 11/12. I've been told that some of the redds in the Google Earth file show up on land. Don't worry, there aren't mutant salmon spawning on dry ground! Most of these "dry" redds are attributable to image alignment of the latest aerial photos by Google. Regardless, they line up darned close so still give you a good sense of the distribution of redds. It's been great to be able to share that with you all with such resolution! Talk to you next week, Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 11/15/2010 01:18 PM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2009 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Nov 15 20:10:06 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:10:06 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] San Luis Unit Water Service Interim Renewal Contracts Message-ID: <005701cb8544$2ae3beb0$80ab3c10$@net> Mid-Pacific Region Sacramento, CA MP-10-175 Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov For Release On: Monday, November 15, 2010 Reclamation Releases Draft Environmental Documents for San Luis Unit Water Service Interim Renewal Contracts The Bureau of Reclamation has released for public review a Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for proposed Interim Renewal Contracts for the San Luis Water District and the Panoche Water District for March 1, 2011, through February 28, 2013. Interim renewal contracts are undertaken under the authority of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) to provide a "bridge" between expiration of the original long-term water service contracts and long-term renewal of those contracts. The CVPIA allows for the repeated execution of two-year interim renewal contracts until long-term renewal contracts are executed. The Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) were prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and are available online at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=6449. If you encounter problems accessing the documents online, please call 916-978-5100 or e-mail ibr2mprpao at usbr.gov. Please send written comments to Rain Healer, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721, by December 14, 2010. Comments may also be faxed to Ms. Healer at 559-487-5397, or e-mailed to rhealer at usbr.gov. For additional information or to request a copy of the Draft EA and FONSI, please contact Ms. Healer at 559-487-5196, TDD 559-487-5933. Copies of the draft documents may also be viewed at Reclamation's Fresno office, 1243 N Street, Fresno, CA 93721. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 16 18:49:24 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:49:24 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] New Letter on Federal Subsidies vs. Land Retirement in Westlands Message-ID: <003601cb8602$47a45640$d6ed02c0$@net> To: Interested Federal and State Agencies, Other Interested Parties From: Hal Candee, counsel to Bay Institute and NRDC in pending drainage litigation (Firebaugh Canal Co v. US) Re: Additional grounds for expanding land retirement in the drainage impaired lands in Westlands Water District The Commissioner of Reclamation recently advised Senator Feinstein and other congressional leaders that the Administration favors a long term solution to the west side drainage problems that includes a minimum of 200,000 acres of land retirement in Westlands and a corresponding reduction in the amount of water provided to Westlands by long term CVP contract. And of course, Westlands is now attacking that proposal in the pending court case in Fresno. However, new research by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) indicates that the existing economic analyses by federal agencies have understated the burdens on federal taxpayers of keeping these drainage-impaired lands in production, and therefore also undervalued the benefits to taxpayers of expanding land retirement beyond the minimums called for by the Administration. Attached is a new letter from EWG to federal officials urging a more expanded land retirement effort and a more complete economic analysis of current federal proposals for solving this longstanding drainage problem. Hamilton Candee Altshuler Berzon LLP 177 Post Street, Suite 300 San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 421-7151 (phone) (415) 362-8064 (fax) hcandee at altshulerberzon.com This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or attorney work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies. _____ From: Renee Sharp [mailto:renee at ewg.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 4:41 PM ....................... . . . . . . . . . Renee Sharp California Director Environmental Working Group :: www.ewg.org 2201 Broadway Suite 308 Oakland CA 94612 p >> 510.444.0973 + 302 :: f >> 510-444-0982 Join us on Facebook and Twitter! facebook.com/ewg.org Twitter.com/ewgtoxics -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 11-16-10 EWG letter to Reclamation.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 156078 bytes Desc: not available URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Wed Nov 17 11:39:46 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:39:46 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Water forum gets update on state plans Message-ID: Water forum gets update on state plans http://www.chicoer.com/rss/ci_16634485?source=rss By HEATHER HACKING-Staff Writer Posted: 11/17/2010 12:08:58 AM PST CHICO ? A push for a new water conveyance system around the Delta, habitat restoration, endangered fish and other wildlife, a growing population, and a lot of politics surround plans for what to do in California about water. Other big unknowns include climate change, earthquake risk and the question of who will pay for what. With all that on the table, the Northern Sacramento Valley Water Forum gathered some heavy hitters in the state water world to talk about the Delta and the idea of "more water flowing north to south" at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Tuesday with an audience of about 80. The push for the state is to recognize "co-equal goals" that include restoring the ecosystem while improving water reliability for the entire state. Within this broad plan are several pieces, which panelists addressed during the forum. Joe Grindstaff is executive director of the Delta Stewardship Council, which is working on a plan that focuses on the Delta. He noted recent studies have shown that since 1998, the state has been using groundwater at an enormous rate. Issues are especially precarious in the Delta, which has 1,300 miles of levees, most of them privately owned, that could falter in a large earthquake. Also, even a rise in sea level of three feet could flood much of the area. The Delta Plan currently calls for habitat restoration on 100,000 acres of the 700,000 acres in the area, which Grindstaff said is "a massive undertaking." He said ------------------------------ Advertisement ------------------------------ it is "highly likely" the Delta Steering Committee will recommend building either a canal or tunnel that would take water around the Delta. Another part of the plan talks about preserving the Delta as a special place, where generations of people have lived, farmed and enjoyed the outdoors. The second part of the plan calls for folding the Delta blueprint into the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, currently in the works and led by the Department of Water Resources. Russ Stein heads the office of Environmental Compliance for DWR, which has been working with federal and state agencies and many other water-related groups on the plan since 2006. The draft plan calls for restoration of 65,000 acres of freshwater and brackish tidal habitat, 5,000 acres of riparian forest, 20-40 miles of riverbank improvement, 10,000 acres of seasonal floodplain and using Yolo Bypass for fish habitat. Other targets would include control of non-native species and illegal harvest, reducing predators and improving water quality. Stein said all this would need to be done while existing systems such as water delivery and power generation continue. Predictions are that climate change will significantly reduce the amount of water available in the state. Models predict that by 2015 there will be 6.2 million acre-feet of water available for diversion each year, Stein said. By 2025, sea level rise is predicted to drop this amount to 5.9 million acre feet, and a dip to 5.4 million acre feet of water by 2060. One acre-foot of water is 325,851 gallons, enough water to flood one acre of land with one foot of water. Then there are uncertainties such as earthquakes or levee failures. For these reasons, the plan is purposely crafted to be as adaptable as possible, he said. Two speakers also addressed recent reports on a process to quantify how much water would be needed for protected land and water species, as well as species of concern. Les Grober of the State Water Resources Control Board, is the primary author of the "Instream Flow Criteria," that, if taken verbatim, would dictate enormous cutbacks to diversions along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Grober spent several minutes explaining this document. Chad Dibble, a staff environmental scientist for California Fish and Game, has been working on a a companion report which maps out the water needs of different species, including 26 terrestrial and 20 aquatic species. Some of the management concerns include the need for low salinity water in the Suisun Bay, as well as water in the Yolo bypass. The report is at: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/ water/water_rights_docs.html. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Nov 18 10:18:38 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:18:38 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Delta Canal, Tunnel? Message-ID: <00d901cb874d$07b3da50$171b8ef0$@net> Delta canal agenda put off again Stockton Record-11/17/10 By Alex Breitler Last April, state and federal agencies announced their commitment to finishing - by this month - a plan to save the Delta by building a peripheral canal or tunnel and converting farms to wetlands. The official draft was to be unveiled Thursday. Instead, a "working draft" is coming. But it will lack answers to fundamental questions, such as: > Who will pay for what? Those who export water from the Delta have said they'll pay for a canal or tunnel that takes water around or beneath the estuary, but that's only part of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. > Will it be a canal or a tunnel, and how large? > What rules will determine when the canal can be used and how much water can be taken? Four years of effort and more than $100 million spent have not resolved those basic questions. Thursday will be the 122nd and final scheduled gathering of the plan's steering committee, a group of government agencies, environmentalists, and urban and rural water districts that export water south from the Delta. The draft due this month has been kicked to the middle of 2011, and with it, construction of any canal or tunnel to 2013. Divisions among the disparate group were apparent in a legislative oversight hearing Tuesday. "(Environmentalists) seem to envision a perfect world," said Jason Peltier of Westlands Water District, which receives water pumped from the Delta. "We can't find perfection in this process. If that is their demand, that rock doesn't exist, and we ought not continue spending money to try and find this perfect world." Conversely, environmental organizations warn that this week's report will merely be the latest in a series of placeholder documents. It will not, they say, assure that ecosystem needs will be placed at the same level as providing a reliable water supply. "This document will not reflect a consensus view," said Jonathan Rosenfield, a biologist with the conservation group The Bay Institute. He noted that smaller, less complex conservation plans have taken 10 years or more to piece together. The Bay Delta plan, if successful, would grant 50-year permits for water agencies to continue taking water from the Delta. Routing that water through a canal or tunnel rather than - or in addition to - existing Delta channels could reduce the number of fish sucked into the giant pumps near Tracy, supporters say. Others say it is inherently illogical to save a dying estuary by rerouting its freshwater flows. Officials also plan to prepare a transition report in early December for Gov.-elect Jerry Brown and his administration. "It's my expectation there will not be a five-minute delay" in picking up where the Schwarzenegger administration is leaving off, said California Resources Secretary Lester Snow. "It is my view this may be our last chance before we experience a disaster of some sort" to fix the Delta, Snow said, adding there is dedication to resolving all the unanswered questions. Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, chairman of the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, asked Snow at Tuesday's hearing about a September brief by federal Department of the Interior biologists, who concluded that decreases in the amount of water flowing out of the Delta under the conservation plan would actually heighten the risk that the Delta smelt will go extinct. Snow said he hadn't seen that report. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Fri Nov 19 10:38:44 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:38:44 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands Water District Says Political Appointees Should Decide Delta Flows In-Reply-To: <5738669D-E52B-48EA-98D6-E7087110C6BE@macnexus.org> References: <5738669D-E52B-48EA-98D6-E7087110C6BE@macnexus.org> Message-ID: <4E83E9E5-D296-4D59-A701-8014D4213E19@fishsniffer.com> Byron Here's the revised version. Dan ?We cannot as a society continue to dump the burden of the remaining cost of the BDCP on the counties and water ratepayers,? said Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis). ?What the BDCP expects to do is simplify not feasible. There will be a revolution." Westlands Water District Says Political Appointees Should Decide Delta Flows by Dan Bacher Fishermen, conservationists, Delta farmers, Indian Tribal members, environmentalists and elected leaders from diverse political perspectives have slammed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger?s Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) process over the past four years for being a thinly disguised plan to build a peripheral canal to export more water from the California Delta to agribusiness and southern California. Now a new and surprising critic of the BDCP process ? the giant Westlands Water District on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley ? has emerged, although the district?s critique is much different than those working to provide the estuary with more water for fish and Delta farms. Westlands and other water contractors fear that the plan may include reduced water exports to comply with studies by state and federal biologists recommending increased Delta flows for fish. Jason Peltier, Chief Deputy General Manager of Westlands Water District and one of the principals in the process, shocked many with his strong criticism of the BDCP?s current direction during his testimony at an oversight hearing held by the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife at the State Capitol in Sacramento on November 16. Peltier blasted the work of "mid-level biologists" from the federal government for recommending increased flows through the Delta for salmon, Delta smelt and other fish and boldly recommended that political appointees, rather than scientists, make the decisions over how much water must flow through the estuary. Peltier said the water contractors have heard from federal agencies that the BDCP is on track to produce a document that the federal government does not consider permittable. At the same time, Peltier slammed a recent report by unnamed federal biologists that said that at least one species of fish would be threatened with extinction if the BDCP went forward. The biologists concluded "overall habitat conditions under the proposed project are likely to be worse than present day conditions or future conditions (if the project is not built).? "Yes, I would ask political appointees to weigh in to make a decision based on informed views - not just a little paper with no names," Peltier emphasized, referring to the recent report. "The world is bigger than the word of a few biologists." "It is important that agencies get the best available science," Peltier stated. "It's unfair to ask biologists to choose the flows for fish." He also claimed there is "scientific uncertainty" on the flows needed for fish, noting the "complex tidal swing" in Delta channels of 30,000 cfs on every tide change. "We have to listen to debate and to make the best decisions we can," said Peltier. While responding to questions by Senator Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), chairman of the Committee, Peltier criticized environmental groups for "nasty rhetoric" and spreading a "mythology." Peltier voiced frustration about the "never-ending stream of letters" from environmental organizations both on and off the BDCP steering committee who ignore economic realities. "They seem to envision a perfect world," claimed Peltier. "We can't find perfection in this process. If that is their demand, that rock doesn't exist, and we ought not continue spending money to try and find this perfect world." Peltier also warned the Committee, "There's going to need to be some kind of a reset - some kind of a come-to-Jesus - about how all of our interests can be met, or not met, and tell people they're not going to get what they had been hoping for." Peltier was on a panel of BDCP "stakeholders" including Laura King- Moon, California Water Contractors Association; Cynthia Koehler, California Water Legislative Director, Environmental Defense Fund; Jonathan Rosenfield, Ph.D., Conservation Biologist, The Bay Institute; Melinda Terry, Manager, North Delta Water Agency; and Don Nottoli, Delta Stewardship Council Member, Delta Protection Commission Chair, and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Jonathan Rosenfield responded to Peltier's complaints about "scientific uncertainty" by stating that federal, state and independent biologists have all identified, in a number of reports, the flows needed to maintain healthy salmon and Delta fish populations. These reports include ones conducted by the State Water Resources Control Board, the National Academy of Sciences and the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). "I don't know of any scientist who disagrees with the need for flows out of the Delta," Rosenfield emphasized. Ironically, the report that Peltier, a member of the BDCP Steering Committee, criticized was part of the "effects analysis" of proposed operations authorized under the BDCP process. ?They (Westlands) are decrying this report that the BDCP Steering Committee asked for,? said Jonas Minton, water policy advisor of the Planning and Conservation League. ?Now Westlands is recommending the same policy of political interference that occurred under the Bush administration, a policy that allowed the collapse of the Delta ecosystem to occur.? Julie A. MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks under President GW Bush, resigned on May 2007 after a scathing investigation by the Inspector General found that she had "injected herself personally and profoundly" in a number of Endangered Species Act decisions, including the Sacramento splittail of the Delta, a violation of the Code of Federal Regulations. The Legislature failed to ask members of California Indian Tribes, recreational fishing groups, commercial fishing organizations, or environmental justice groups to speak on the hearing panels, even though they will be impacted dramatically by the construction of a peripheral canal or tunnel. However, Dick Pool, administrator of Water 4 Fish, spoke in the public comment period about the urgent need for immediate action to save collapsing runs of Sacramento River chinook salmon. "I have a major concern about the rapid decline in fall-run chinook salmon from 800,000 fish in 2002 to only 39,500 fish in 2009," said Pool. "We don't have a lot of time left - there won't be any fish around if we rely on the BDCP schedule. We need to implement early projects to recover fish populations." Resources Secretary Announces Release of Delta Plan Reports During the hearing, Natural Resources Secretary Lester Snow announced that two major reports on the controversial Bay Delta Conservation Plan, developed after 4 years of meetings and $140 million spent, will be released in the next few weeks. ?While the Delta has become the most politically contentious water management issue in California,? Snow said, ?our progress in developing the Bay Delta Conservation Plan speaks to a growing consensus that we must achieve a Delta ecosystem that is more resilient and improve the state?s water supply reliability.? Snow said that the BDCP Steering Committee plans to finalize its "working draft plan" at its meeting on Thursday, November 18. Snow lauded the draft as "a product of a collaborative process that has included the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, federal and state fisheries agencies, water contractors, environmental organizations and other stakeholders. It will reflect substantial progress towards a completed Bay Delta Conservation Plan, and identify remaining elements where scientific work and other analysis is needed." Snow said a separate "status report and issues summary" on the BDCP will be released the week of December 6, 2010. This document will include the State of California?s assessment of the issues, but will reflect the work of state and federal agencies, water users, and the environmental community. "It will also identify issues that require further resolution, including additional scientific analysis to improve upon water operations for Delta fisheries, ecological metrics to measure progress, and ongoing development of an adaptive management plan," according to Snow. Snow stated that a draft habitat conservation plan/environmental impact report will be released in mid-2011 and the final report will be released in 2012. He said the current plan could lead to the construction of the peripheral canal/tunnel by 2013. Delta Advocates Blast BDCP Goals and Costs Delta advocates who attended the hearing were very critical of the BDCP's failure to address how it can possibly provide both the water and habitat that imperiled fish populations need and the water that the exporters desire. "After 4 years and $140 million, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan is going to release some kind of document this week, but it won't answer the central question of the exercise: how do exporters plan to get the amount of water they want while giving fish and habitat the water they need?" said Jane Wagner-Tyack, a policy consultant for Restore the Delta. Wagner-Tyack also criticized the BDCP for its failure to address how it will come up with the money for canal/tunnel construction and habitat "restoration" at a time when the state of California is besieged with an unprecedented budget crisis. "And no one knows how this will all be paid for," she concluded. "However, one thing that seems clear is that exporters are unlikely to continue to pay for a plan that will not give them the amount and reliability of water that they thought they were getting with their investment in the BDCP." Committee member Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) also pointed out the ?incredible disconnect? of the BDCP proposals and the actual financing available for the plan as the state budget has grown to $25.4 billion. ?We cannot as a society continue to dump the burden of the remaining cost of the BDCP on the counties and water ratepayers,? said Wolk. ?What the BDCP expects to do is simplify not feasible. There will be a revolution." In response to Wolk?s comments that the state can?t afford the facilities, Peltier said, ?My response is that we cannot afford not to invest in the future.? ?The contractors will pay for construction of the facilities, but none of the farmers want a tunnel or canal just as an accomplishment. They want something out of it more than they get out of the current system. If this is not going to happen, we need to have a discussion on closing down the economy of the state or letting anarchy happen,? concluded Peltier. With the BDCP process now under attack by both Delta advocates and water contractors, it will be interesting to see whether the incoming Brown administration will move the BDCP forward under its current path or to start anew with a process that asks first how much water fish and the Delta need for full restoration before considering exports to corporate agribusiness and southern California water. After all, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) of 1992 mandated the doubling of all naturally spawning anadromous fish populations ? Sacramento River chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, white sturgeon, green sturgeon, striped bass and other species ? by 2002. Rather than the doubling of these fish populations occurring, many of these species have declined to record low populations, due to record water exports by the state and federal governments. Immediate action must be taken to double these fish populations, as well as recovering Delta smelt, longfin smelt and other imperiled fish under the state and federal Endangered Species Acts. For more information about Restore the Delta, go to: http:// www.restorethedelta.org. BDCP documents will be available at http:// www.resources.ca.gov and http://www.baydeltaconservationplan.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Fri Nov 19 10:38:44 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:38:44 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands Water District Says Political Appointees Should Decide Delta Flows In-Reply-To: <5738669D-E52B-48EA-98D6-E7087110C6BE@macnexus.org> References: <5738669D-E52B-48EA-98D6-E7087110C6BE@macnexus.org> Message-ID: <4E83E9E5-D296-4D59-A701-8014D4213E19@fishsniffer.com> Byron Here's the revised version. Dan ?We cannot as a society continue to dump the burden of the remaining cost of the BDCP on the counties and water ratepayers,? said Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis). ?What the BDCP expects to do is simplify not feasible. There will be a revolution." Westlands Water District Says Political Appointees Should Decide Delta Flows by Dan Bacher Fishermen, conservationists, Delta farmers, Indian Tribal members, environmentalists and elected leaders from diverse political perspectives have slammed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger?s Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) process over the past four years for being a thinly disguised plan to build a peripheral canal to export more water from the California Delta to agribusiness and southern California. Now a new and surprising critic of the BDCP process ? the giant Westlands Water District on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley ? has emerged, although the district?s critique is much different than those working to provide the estuary with more water for fish and Delta farms. Westlands and other water contractors fear that the plan may include reduced water exports to comply with studies by state and federal biologists recommending increased Delta flows for fish. Jason Peltier, Chief Deputy General Manager of Westlands Water District and one of the principals in the process, shocked many with his strong criticism of the BDCP?s current direction during his testimony at an oversight hearing held by the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife at the State Capitol in Sacramento on November 16. Peltier blasted the work of "mid-level biologists" from the federal government for recommending increased flows through the Delta for salmon, Delta smelt and other fish and boldly recommended that political appointees, rather than scientists, make the decisions over how much water must flow through the estuary. Peltier said the water contractors have heard from federal agencies that the BDCP is on track to produce a document that the federal government does not consider permittable. At the same time, Peltier slammed a recent report by unnamed federal biologists that said that at least one species of fish would be threatened with extinction if the BDCP went forward. The biologists concluded "overall habitat conditions under the proposed project are likely to be worse than present day conditions or future conditions (if the project is not built).? "Yes, I would ask political appointees to weigh in to make a decision based on informed views - not just a little paper with no names," Peltier emphasized, referring to the recent report. "The world is bigger than the word of a few biologists." "It is important that agencies get the best available science," Peltier stated. "It's unfair to ask biologists to choose the flows for fish." He also claimed there is "scientific uncertainty" on the flows needed for fish, noting the "complex tidal swing" in Delta channels of 30,000 cfs on every tide change. "We have to listen to debate and to make the best decisions we can," said Peltier. While responding to questions by Senator Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), chairman of the Committee, Peltier criticized environmental groups for "nasty rhetoric" and spreading a "mythology." Peltier voiced frustration about the "never-ending stream of letters" from environmental organizations both on and off the BDCP steering committee who ignore economic realities. "They seem to envision a perfect world," claimed Peltier. "We can't find perfection in this process. If that is their demand, that rock doesn't exist, and we ought not continue spending money to try and find this perfect world." Peltier also warned the Committee, "There's going to need to be some kind of a reset - some kind of a come-to-Jesus - about how all of our interests can be met, or not met, and tell people they're not going to get what they had been hoping for." Peltier was on a panel of BDCP "stakeholders" including Laura King- Moon, California Water Contractors Association; Cynthia Koehler, California Water Legislative Director, Environmental Defense Fund; Jonathan Rosenfield, Ph.D., Conservation Biologist, The Bay Institute; Melinda Terry, Manager, North Delta Water Agency; and Don Nottoli, Delta Stewardship Council Member, Delta Protection Commission Chair, and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Jonathan Rosenfield responded to Peltier's complaints about "scientific uncertainty" by stating that federal, state and independent biologists have all identified, in a number of reports, the flows needed to maintain healthy salmon and Delta fish populations. These reports include ones conducted by the State Water Resources Control Board, the National Academy of Sciences and the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). "I don't know of any scientist who disagrees with the need for flows out of the Delta," Rosenfield emphasized. Ironically, the report that Peltier, a member of the BDCP Steering Committee, criticized was part of the "effects analysis" of proposed operations authorized under the BDCP process. ?They (Westlands) are decrying this report that the BDCP Steering Committee asked for,? said Jonas Minton, water policy advisor of the Planning and Conservation League. ?Now Westlands is recommending the same policy of political interference that occurred under the Bush administration, a policy that allowed the collapse of the Delta ecosystem to occur.? Julie A. MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks under President GW Bush, resigned on May 2007 after a scathing investigation by the Inspector General found that she had "injected herself personally and profoundly" in a number of Endangered Species Act decisions, including the Sacramento splittail of the Delta, a violation of the Code of Federal Regulations. The Legislature failed to ask members of California Indian Tribes, recreational fishing groups, commercial fishing organizations, or environmental justice groups to speak on the hearing panels, even though they will be impacted dramatically by the construction of a peripheral canal or tunnel. However, Dick Pool, administrator of Water 4 Fish, spoke in the public comment period about the urgent need for immediate action to save collapsing runs of Sacramento River chinook salmon. "I have a major concern about the rapid decline in fall-run chinook salmon from 800,000 fish in 2002 to only 39,500 fish in 2009," said Pool. "We don't have a lot of time left - there won't be any fish around if we rely on the BDCP schedule. We need to implement early projects to recover fish populations." Resources Secretary Announces Release of Delta Plan Reports During the hearing, Natural Resources Secretary Lester Snow announced that two major reports on the controversial Bay Delta Conservation Plan, developed after 4 years of meetings and $140 million spent, will be released in the next few weeks. ?While the Delta has become the most politically contentious water management issue in California,? Snow said, ?our progress in developing the Bay Delta Conservation Plan speaks to a growing consensus that we must achieve a Delta ecosystem that is more resilient and improve the state?s water supply reliability.? Snow said that the BDCP Steering Committee plans to finalize its "working draft plan" at its meeting on Thursday, November 18. Snow lauded the draft as "a product of a collaborative process that has included the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, federal and state fisheries agencies, water contractors, environmental organizations and other stakeholders. It will reflect substantial progress towards a completed Bay Delta Conservation Plan, and identify remaining elements where scientific work and other analysis is needed." Snow said a separate "status report and issues summary" on the BDCP will be released the week of December 6, 2010. This document will include the State of California?s assessment of the issues, but will reflect the work of state and federal agencies, water users, and the environmental community. "It will also identify issues that require further resolution, including additional scientific analysis to improve upon water operations for Delta fisheries, ecological metrics to measure progress, and ongoing development of an adaptive management plan," according to Snow. Snow stated that a draft habitat conservation plan/environmental impact report will be released in mid-2011 and the final report will be released in 2012. He said the current plan could lead to the construction of the peripheral canal/tunnel by 2013. Delta Advocates Blast BDCP Goals and Costs Delta advocates who attended the hearing were very critical of the BDCP's failure to address how it can possibly provide both the water and habitat that imperiled fish populations need and the water that the exporters desire. "After 4 years and $140 million, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan is going to release some kind of document this week, but it won't answer the central question of the exercise: how do exporters plan to get the amount of water they want while giving fish and habitat the water they need?" said Jane Wagner-Tyack, a policy consultant for Restore the Delta. Wagner-Tyack also criticized the BDCP for its failure to address how it will come up with the money for canal/tunnel construction and habitat "restoration" at a time when the state of California is besieged with an unprecedented budget crisis. "And no one knows how this will all be paid for," she concluded. "However, one thing that seems clear is that exporters are unlikely to continue to pay for a plan that will not give them the amount and reliability of water that they thought they were getting with their investment in the BDCP." Committee member Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis) also pointed out the ?incredible disconnect? of the BDCP proposals and the actual financing available for the plan as the state budget has grown to $25.4 billion. ?We cannot as a society continue to dump the burden of the remaining cost of the BDCP on the counties and water ratepayers,? said Wolk. ?What the BDCP expects to do is simplify not feasible. There will be a revolution." In response to Wolk?s comments that the state can?t afford the facilities, Peltier said, ?My response is that we cannot afford not to invest in the future.? ?The contractors will pay for construction of the facilities, but none of the farmers want a tunnel or canal just as an accomplishment. They want something out of it more than they get out of the current system. If this is not going to happen, we need to have a discussion on closing down the economy of the state or letting anarchy happen,? concluded Peltier. With the BDCP process now under attack by both Delta advocates and water contractors, it will be interesting to see whether the incoming Brown administration will move the BDCP forward under its current path or to start anew with a process that asks first how much water fish and the Delta need for full restoration before considering exports to corporate agribusiness and southern California water. After all, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) of 1992 mandated the doubling of all naturally spawning anadromous fish populations ? Sacramento River chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, white sturgeon, green sturgeon, striped bass and other species ? by 2002. Rather than the doubling of these fish populations occurring, many of these species have declined to record low populations, due to record water exports by the state and federal governments. Immediate action must be taken to double these fish populations, as well as recovering Delta smelt, longfin smelt and other imperiled fish under the state and federal Endangered Species Acts. For more information about Restore the Delta, go to: http:// www.restorethedelta.org. BDCP documents will be available at http:// www.resources.ca.gov and http://www.baydeltaconservationplan.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Nov 19 11:15:57 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:15:57 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 11/19/10 Message-ID: <018a01cb881e$33310c80$99932580$@net> Delta plan churns up concerns Sacramento Bee-11/19/10 By Matt Weiser In a glassy conference room alongside a Sacramento River levee, a committee of 25 people struggled Thursday to do what Californians have never been able to do before: reach agreement on how to drink from the Delta without killing it. After meeting for four years and spending $140 million, the committee drafting the Bay Delta Conservation Plan aimed Thursday to complete a "Nov. 18 draft" of its progress so far. This odd name for the document reflects the enormous stakes in crafting a plan that meets two goals: restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem and building a pair of tunnels or canal to ferry its water elsewhere. It is not the final draft that water agencies and the Schwarzenegger administration wanted by this date, nor even the "working draft" they were prepared to settle for. It is enough of a draft, however, to keep environmental groups and Delta residents in the room. "It is a snapshot in time on where we've gotten to date," said Karen Scarborough, undersecretary of the state's Natural Resources Agency and chair of the steering committee. "We are not at the top yet, but we are at a very broad, stable ledge." The multibillion-dollar plan may be teetering on the brink of that ledge, however, after developments over the last two weeks. At a meeting last week in Washington, D.C., representatives of the Westlands Water District, a huge irrigation agency in the San Joaquin Valley, reportedly stormed out of a meeting with David Hayes, an Interior Department undersecretary. Other meeting participants told The Bee the trigger was a discussion that the plan may include reduced water deliveries. And at a meeting in Los Banos on Wednesday, a number of federal water contractors were ready to withdraw funding to continue the conservation plan, said Brett Baker, a lobbyist for the Central Delta Water Agency who was there. The group plans to consider the motion again next week, he said. "It's just, in my opinion, not going very well," Jason Peltier, a Westlands representative, told an Assembly oversight hearing on the Delta on Tuesday. "There's going to need to be some kind of a reset - some kind of a come to Jesus - about how all our interests can be met, or not met, and tell people they're not going to get what they had been hoping for," he said. The plan's goal is to protect freshwater exports while also restoring Delta habitat. Seven fish species in the Delta, the West's largest estuary, have been driven to the brink of extinction by demand for its water, which serves 25 million Californians and 3 million acres of farmland. The centerpiece of the conservation plan is a tunnel system or canal to divert Sacramento River water out of the estuary and deliver it directly to export canals near Tracy. In addition, more than 115,000 acres of restored habitat would help wildlife rebound. The project is unprecedented in California and perhaps the nation. The tunnels option would cost $12.7 billion, while the canal would cost $8.4 billion. Habitat projects would add about $4 billion more to either option. Completion of the Nov. 18 draft marks an important milestone. But numerous political and economic obstacles loom, and the question now is whether the project is on a path to construction or veering toward a bureaucratic dustbin. It came under attack by some committee members who objected to calling the draft "finished," as Scarborough's agency did in a press release on Tuesday. That's because, while the draft is the most complete so far, it leaves enormous holes. One is a lack of substantive analysis of how water diversions into a new canal or tunnels will affect the Delta's aquatic environment. Either design is large enough to divert the Sacramento River's entire flow under some conditions, and environmentalists and Delta residents are still waiting for language that would guarantee adequate river flows to protect habitat and water quality. "I'm not feeling well," said Deanna Sereno, a committee member representing the Contra Costa Water District, which often finds itself allied with environmental groups because it draws drinking water directly from the Delta. "I'm really nervous about what we're finalizing here." The committee plans to complete an official draft of the plan by July and an environmental impact study by October. Final approval is expected in late 2012 or early 2013. The plan would then have to be approved by state and federal wildlife agencies. Whether all of this happens depends largely on two things: Gov.-elect Jerry Brown and economics. Brown asserted in his campaign that he intends to see the plan through to completion of the environmental review process. Money may be a bigger concern, and it is amplified by a growing realization that water agencies may not get as much Delta water from the project as they hoped. If deliveries are reduced, the economics make even less sense. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Nov 19 11:22:37 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:22:37 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Delta News Message-ID: <018f01cb881f$21556780$64003680$@net> Here are some current sites that deal with San Francisco Bay Delta issues - an enormously important subject for all of us concerned about the fate of the Delta, fish and Northern California rivers. Resources Secretary Announces Release of Delta Plan Reports. AlterNet. http://blogs.alternet.org/danbacher/2010/11/17/resources-secretary-announces -release-of-delta-plan-reports/ Lester Snow Announces Release of Delta Plan Reports. IndyBay. http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/11/17/18664419.php For those interested in seeing the video of the above hearing: https://www.calchannel.com/channel/viewVideo/1901 An Outsider's Perspective on the Past Four Years, and the Next Few Years, of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) Process. NRDC Switchboard. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dobegi/an_outsiders_perspective_on_th.html Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Nov 19 11:29:43 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:29:43 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Hatchery and Historical Fish Counts Message-ID: <019401cb8820$1f789bc0$5e69d340$@net> Attached is the most current trapping data for Trinity River Hatchery. Two main stem weirs near the towns of Willow Creek and Junction City have been removed for the season. Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Northern California - North Coast District Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weirTRH_summary 11 11 2010.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 92160 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Nov 22 11:32:49 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:32:49 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update November 22, 2010 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi all, Another update reflecting the redds recorded November 15 to 19 will soon be posted at the link in the bottom message. Over this period our crews recorded 588 new mainstem Trinity River redds; 475 from Lewiston Dam to the North Fork and 113 from Hawkins Bar to the mouth. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! Charlie Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 11/15/2010 03:53 cc PM Subject Fw: Trinity River spawning survey update November 15, 2010 Another update of our preliminary redd counts is available through the link below. Reaches 2 and 8 (Old Bridge to Bucktail, and Pigeon Point to Big Bar) were not surveyed due to the shortened workweek (Thursday was Veteran's Day). Reach 1 is taking off with 172 of the total 294 redds counted last week. Our season's total count is 2,483 as of Friday 11/12. I've been told that some of the redds in the Google Earth file show up on land. Don't worry, there aren't mutant salmon spawning on dry ground! Most of these "dry" redds are attributable to image alignment of the latest aerial photos by Google. Regardless, they line up darned close so still give you a good sense of the distribution of redds. It's been great to be able to share that with you all with such resolution! Talk to you next week, Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 11/15/2010 01:18 PM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2010 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: graycol.gif Type: image/gif Size: 105 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Mon Nov 22 13:55:34 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:55:34 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Gene-splice salmon a risky unknown -- Message-ID: <4CEAE6D6.5090305@tcrcd.net> *Gene-spliced salmon a risky unknown* *Sacramento Bee-11/20/10 * *By Noelle Ferdon and Rick Guerrero * *Opinion* Although fish may not be on the menu for your Thanksgiving Day feast, its fate for future meals hangs in the balance. The Food and Drug Administration is on the verge of approving the first genetically engineered fish for human consumption: an Atlantic salmon crossed with the genes of two other fish to make it grow twice as quickly as a normal salmon. If the FDA approves the fish, it may not even be labeled as genetically engineered. Consumers would have no way of knowing whether they were eating a natural salmon or a mutant farmed fish whose impact on human health and the environment is still largely unknown. The last day for public comment is Monday. Comments can be submitted at www.regulations.gov, docket No. FDA-2010-N-0385. A federal bill that would ban the production of genetically engineered fish (HR 6265) was recently introduced to put the brakes on the FDA's runaway process. Sacramento Rep. Doris Matsui should take a stand and co-sponsor this bill. It is not just seafood-loving consumers who should worry about the future of their next salmon fillet if genetically engineered farmed salmon are OK'd. Our local salmon and the communities that depend on them, would be at risk, too. Pacific Coast fisheries have been in a state of crisis for several years. The number of salmon in the Sacramento River fell from 800,000 in 2002 to under 40,000 in 2009. Up and down the West Coast, commercial salmon fisheries have closed for the last few years, costing an estimated 23,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in lost revenue. Farmed salmon already threaten wild stocks, escaping by the millions each year from ocean pens. There, they compete for resources, spread disease and reduce biodiversity. Genetically engineered salmon could be even more dangerous to wild fish, as their quick growth makes them more voracious and aggressive (think salmon on steroids) and more likely to outcompete wild fish for food. In a letter sent to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in September, 14 California legislators registered deep concern that "approval (of AquaBounty's petition) will lead to numerous other applications to grow this and other genetically modified fish. ... California's wild salmon runs are at historical lows and are not capable of withstanding an additional assault that could come from escaped genetically modified farmed salmon in the future." The legislators also point out that California law prohibits the rearing of genetically engineered salmon or any transgenic fish in our ocean waters. FDA approval could pre-empt California from enforcing this law. Even if it did not, flooding the market with genetically engineered farmed salmon raised elsewhere would undercut local producers of wild Pacific Coast salmon -- much like cheap farmed shrimp from foreign operations has driven the few sustainable, local shrimperies left in the United States toward bankruptcy. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have sent letters to the FDA expressing concern over the FDA's shoddy approval process of genetically engineered salmon. Experts, including scientists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, believe that insufficient research has been done on the risks of raising or eating genetically engineered salmon. The FDA only considered studies conducted by AquaBounty or its contractors, not independent scientists. The rapid approval of genetically engineered salmon would open the floodgates for other transgenic food animals. It would also reduce political pressure to restore our natural salmon runs. But we must restore them: their health is critical to our fishing communities, our economy, Pacific tribal cultures and our state's biodiversity. It would be a mistake for our legislators to allow the approval of genetically engineered salmon, particularly at a time when our unemployment rate is at an all-time high and efforts to restore our wild salmon fisheries are in full force. Matsui sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which allocates funding for the FDA. She has an especially important role to play in protecting our health and the critical salmon habitat that helps define the Sacramento region. She can lead on this issue by co-sponsoring HR 6265 and by directing the FDA to develop a robust process for considering genetically engineered animal applications. Our fisheries are nearing the point of no return. We need federal and state investment in their restoration, not a science experiment that uses our plates -- and our environment -- as a Petri dish.# /Noelle Ferdon is senior organizer with the consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch. Rick Guerrero is president of the Green Democratic Club of Sacramento County./ http://www.sacbee.com/2010/11/20/3199355/gene-spliced-salmon-a-risky-unknown.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Vina_Frye at fws.gov Tue Nov 23 09:59:28 2010 From: Vina_Frye at fws.gov (Vina_Frye at fws.gov) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 09:59:28 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) Meeting Message-ID: Hi Folks, The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) is scheduled to meet December 14, 2010. The discussion topics are listed in the meeting notice. Best regards, Vina Vina Frye U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata FWO 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Telephone: (707) 822-7201 Fax: (707) 822-8411 vina_frye at fws.gov [Federal Register: November 19, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 223)] [Notices] [Page 70947] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr19no10-92] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R8-FHC-2010-N253; 81331-1334-8TWG-W4] Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). The TMC interprets and recommends policy, coordinates and reviews management actions, and provides organizational budget oversight. This notice announces a TAMWG meeting, which is open to the public. DATES: TAMWG will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, December 14, 2010. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Redding Library, 1100 Parkview, Redding, CA 96001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meeting Information: Randy A. Brown, TAMWG Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521; telephone: (707) 822-7201. Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) Information: Jennifer Faler, Acting Executive Director, Trinity River Restoration Program, P.O. Box 1300, 1313 South Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093; telephone: (530) 623- 1800; e-mail: jfaler at usbr.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), this notice announces a meeting of the TAMWG. The meeting will include discussion of the following topics: TMC Chair report, Hatchery operations review, Acting Executive Director's Report, Channel rehabilitation program, TRRP adaptive management practices, TRRP interaction with Central Valley Project Operations Office, Preliminary 2012 TRRP work plan, Water year forecasting, South Fork Trinity River, and TAMWG recommendations/status of previous recommendations. Completion of the agenda is dependent on the amount of time each item takes. The meeting could end early if the agenda has been completed. Dated: November 10, 2010. Randy A. Brown, Designated Federal Officer, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, CA. [FR Doc. 2010-28928 Filed 11-18-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AKrause at usbr.gov Tue Nov 23 10:20:04 2010 From: AKrause at usbr.gov (Krause, Andreas F) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:20:04 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF72A2529549A@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Trinity River Enthusiasts- Serge Burke wore many hats over the course of his career and was a strong advocate for restoring the Trinity River fishery throughout them all. He will be missed. Regards, Andreas Krause Trinity River Restoration Program www.trrp.net From: Green, Michael L Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 9:16 AM To: BOR MP All Mid-Pacific Employees Subject: Remembering Serge Birk To everyone in Reclamation who had the pleasure of knowing or working with Serge Birk, Please take a moment to remember our friend and/or coworker who passed away peacefully this am from cancer. Those who knew and worked with Serge know how passionate and dedicated he was to our environmental and fisheries resources, friends, and family. A few of Serge's accomplishments include the completion of the Keswick Dam Stilling Basin notch project for fish passage, funding restoration work at Battle Creek, and the first Biological Assessment for coho at KBAO. We will all miss him greatly. Mike Green Natural Resource Specialist Bureau of Reclamation 6600 Washburn Way Klamath Falls, OR 97603 (541) 880-2565 (541) 884-9053 Fax -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 23 12:59:23 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:59:23 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: FW: Remembering Serge Birk Message-ID: <021e01cb8b51$4fb05880$ef110980$@net> From: MaryEllen Mueller [mailto:mmueller at usgs.gov] Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:19 PM To: Krause, Andreas F Cc: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us; env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us Subject: Re: [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk I am very sad to hear of Serge's passing. He was a formidable proponent for the Trinity River. I will always think of him in his giant cars and he will be missed. Mary Ellen Mary Ellen Mueller, Ph.D. Research Manager,WERC 3020 State University Drive East Modoc Hall, Suite 3006 Sacramento, CA 95819 Office: 916 278 9572 mmueller at usgs.gov From: "Krause, Andreas F" To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us" Date: 11/23/2010 10:41 AM Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk Sent by: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us _____ Trinity River Enthusiasts- Serge Burke wore many hats over the course of his career and was a strong advocate for restoring the Trinity River fishery throughout them all. He will be missed. Regards, Andreas Krause Trinity River Restoration Program www.trrp.net From: Green, Michael L Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 9:16 AM To: BOR MP All Mid-Pacific Employees Subject: Remembering Serge Birk To everyone in Reclamation who had the pleasure of knowing or working with Serge Birk, Please take a moment to remember our friend and/or coworker who passed away peacefully this am from cancer. Those who knew and worked with Serge know how passionate and dedicated he was to our environmental and fisheries resources, friends, and family. A few of Serge's accomplishments include the completion of the Keswick Dam Stilling Basin notch project for fish passage, funding restoration work at Battle Creek, and the first Biological Assessment for coho at KBAO. We will all miss him greatly. Mike Green Natural Resource Specialist Bureau of Reclamation 6600 Washburn Way Klamath Falls, OR 97603 (541) 880-2565 (541) 884-9053 Fax _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 23 13:11:14 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:11:14 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands Out of BDCP Message-ID: <022801cb8b52$f7b56330$e7202990$@net> Westlands bails out of Bay Delta Conservation Plan FRESNO November 22, 2010 10:23pm . Politically powerful district complains of meddling by Interior Department . 'Your myopic and unscientific obstructionism will bring this entire effort . to a halt' The 900-pound gorilla in California's never-ending water wars, the Westlands Water District, has bailed out of an effort to resolve water supply and restoration issues called the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, saying it is "a project that is likely to deliver no more and potentially less water to the public than they are receiving today." The purported goal of the BDCP is identifying water flow and habitat restoration actions to recover endangered and sensitive species and their habitats in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta while supplying water to points south of the Delta, including farming and ranching companies on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, many of which get water from Westlands. "Through this action we are trying to get BDCP back on track," says Thomas Birmingham, general manager of Westlands. The massive water supply district contends that the U.S. Department of the Interior wants to reduce water deliveries from the Delta. "Your myopic and unscientific obstructionism will bring this entire effort at water reform and ecosystem restoration to a halt," says Westlands President Jean Sagouspe, in a letter to Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is the largest estuary on the west coast of North America. Fresh water pumped from it supplies about 23 million Californians. Pumping restrictions had been imposed during the recent years of drought to protect fish populations. Copyright C2010 Central Valley Business Times No content may be reused without written permission. An online unit of BizGnus, Inc. All rights reserved. http://aquafornia.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/WWD-Press-Release -11-22-10.pdf http://aquafornia.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Sagouspe-to-Hayes -Transmittal-FINAL-22-November-2010.pdf Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Tue Nov 23 15:19:30 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:19:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: FW: Remembering Serge Birk In-Reply-To: <021e01cb8b51$4fb05880$ef110980$@net> References: <021e01cb8b51$4fb05880$ef110980$@net> Message-ID: It's unfortunate to hear about the loss of a good man such as Serge; he will be missed. My condolences to his family and close friends. If someone knows where/when a memorial service or funeral for him will be, please let us all us Trinity folks know. Josh 2010/11/23 Byron Leydecker > * * > > * * > > *From:* MaryEllen Mueller [mailto:mmueller at usgs.gov] > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:19 PM > *To:* Krause, Andreas F > *Cc:* env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us; > env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > *Subject:* Re: [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk > > > > > I am very sad to hear of Serge's passing. He was a formidable proponent > for the Trinity River. I will always think of him in his giant cars and he > will be missed. Mary Ellen > > > > Mary Ellen Mueller, Ph.D. > Research Manager,WERC > 3020 State University Drive East > Modoc Hall, Suite 3006 > Sacramento, CA 95819 > Office: 916 278 9572 > mmueller at usgs.gov > > From: > > "Krause, Andreas F" > > To: > > "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us" < > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us> > > Date: > > 11/23/2010 10:41 AM > > Subject: > > [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk > > Sent by: > > env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > Trinity River Enthusiasts- > > Serge Burke wore many hats over the course of his career and was a strong > advocate for restoring the Trinity River fishery throughout them all. He > will be missed. > > Regards, > Andreas Krause > Trinity River Restoration Program > www.trrp.net > > *From:* Green, Michael L * > Sent:* Monday, November 22, 2010 9:16 AM* > To:* BOR MP All Mid-Pacific Employees* > Subject:* Remembering Serge Birk > > To everyone in Reclamation who had the pleasure of knowing or working with > Serge Birk, > > Please take a moment to remember our friend and/or coworker who passed away > peacefully this am from cancer. > > Those who knew and worked with Serge know how passionate and dedicated he > was to our environmental and fisheries resources, friends, and family. > > A few of Serge?s accomplishments include the completion of the Keswick Dam > Stilling Basin notch project for fish passage, funding restoration work at > Battle Creek, and the first Biological Assessment for coho at KBAO. > > We will all miss him greatly. > > Mike Green > Natural Resource Specialist > Bureau of Reclamation > 6600 Washburn Way > Klamath Falls, OR 97603 > (541) 880-2565 > (541) 884-9053 Fax > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > -- "A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive." ~ Albert Einstein, 1954 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From srosekrans at edf.org Tue Nov 23 11:00:36 2010 From: srosekrans at edf.org (Spreck Rosekrans) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:00:36 -0500 Subject: [env-trinity] Remembering Serge Birk In-Reply-To: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF72A2529549A@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> References: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF72A2529549A@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Message-ID: <5d32f0a0-d8d0-4494-9109-772e405303b9@NY-Mail.environmentaldefense.local> All: I worked in Serge in a number of fora. Our employers have had an often adversarial relationship that often affected our public interchanges. I remember Serge best from Trinity meetings in Weaverville that were sometimes followed with beer at La Grange. Serge was clearly a smart guy and perhaps most importantly an independent thinker. We need more like him who are willing to challenge established paradigms. He was serious when he needed to be and fun the rest of the time. I will miss him. For those who may be unaware, Serge had a side business raising Australian Redclaw Crayfish. See attached (if this server allows attachments). Best, Spreck From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Krause, Andreas F Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 10:20 AM To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk Trinity River Enthusiasts- Serge Burke wore many hats over the course of his career and was a strong advocate for restoring the Trinity River fishery throughout them all. He will be missed. Regards, Andreas Krause Trinity River Restoration Program www.trrp.net From: Green, Michael L Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 9:16 AM To: BOR MP All Mid-Pacific Employees Subject: Remembering Serge Birk To everyone in Reclamation who had the pleasure of knowing or working with Serge Birk, Please take a moment to remember our friend and/or coworker who passed away peacefully this am from cancer. Those who knew and worked with Serge know how passionate and dedicated he was to our environmental and fisheries resources, friends, and family. A few of Serge's accomplishments include the completion of the Keswick Dam Stilling Basin notch project for fish passage, funding restoration work at Battle Creek, and the first Biological Assessment for coho at KBAO. We will all miss him greatly. Mike Green Natural Resource Specialist Bureau of Reclamation 6600 Washburn Way Klamath Falls, OR 97603 (541) 880-2565 (541) 884-9053 Fax This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Serge and Redclaw Lobster Farm.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 69631 bytes Desc: Serge and Redclaw Lobster Farm.pdf URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 23 21:56:31 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:56:31 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] David Hayes Response to Westlands Message-ID: <001501cb8b9c$59dc4d00$0d94e700$@net> Attached Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 20101123 HayesWestlandsResponse.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 325024 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 23 23:57:18 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:57:18 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands Letter to David Hayes Message-ID: <033f01cb8bad$39771660$ac654320$@net> http://aquafornia.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Sagouspe-to-Hayes -Transmittal-FINAL-22-November-2010.pdf Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Nov 24 00:01:04 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:01:04 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands Letter to David Hayes Message-ID: <000001cb8bad$becadcc0$3c609640$@net> http://aquafornia.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Sagouspe-to-Hayes -Transmittal-FINAL-22-November-2010.pdf Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Nov 24 08:34:47 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:34:47 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] SF Chronicle 11 24 10 Message-ID: <002d01cb8bf5$8395ebc0$8ac1c340$@net> Westlands Water District yanks delta plan funding Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer San Francisco Chronicle November 24, 2010 04:00 AM Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. http://analytics.apnewsregistry.com/analytics/v2/image.svc/SFC/RWS/www.sfgat e.com/MAI/ca20101124MNP21GGIUR.DTL/E/ProdWednesday, November 24, 2010 http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2010/11/23/mn-water24_ph_0494825827_part6. jpghttp://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/article/articlebox_img_bg.gif Michael Macor / SFC Fishermen try their luck in the California Aqueduct near Mountain House Road at the eastern end of the Altamont Pass in 2007. http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/utils/plus-green.gifView Larger Image * AP Exclusive: Color-coded terror alerts may end 11.24.10 The largest agricultural water district in the country has yanked its support for a plan to manage the future of California's deteriorating Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta , casting doubt on the fate of a process many hoped would solve the water supply and environmental crises in the estuary. In a strongly worded letter sent late Monday to David Hayes, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior , the Westlands Water District charged the Obama administration with "misinformed political interference" and said the district wouldn't fund the Bay Delta Conservation Plan unless it was guaranteed sufficient water deliveries - roughly 70 percent of historical averages. "As a public agency, Westlands cannot continue to spend millions of our ratepayers' dollars on a project that is likely to deliver no more and potentially less water to the public than they are receiving today," wrote Jean Sagouspe, president of Westlands, the agency that irrigates as much as $2 billion worth of nuts and produce on 600,000 acres in and around Fresno. In his response Tuesday, Hayes called the district's assertions about reduced water deliveries baseless and committed his department to a thorough scientific analysis of the plan, a draft of which was released last week. "Given the status of the (Bay Delta Conservation Plan) process, the promise it holds, and the consequences of its failure, it will be a disservice to all involved if Westlands prematurely walks away from the process based on unfounded conclusions or the mere fact that a range of operational criteria are being reviewed," Hayes wrote. Targeting Brown Critics privately called Westlands' withdrawal political grand-standing aimed at winning concessions on environmental rules from Gov.-elect Jerry Brown and possibly even federal regulators. Earlier this year, Westlands ally Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif., proposed, then withdrew, a proposal to suspend the Endangered Species Act in order to increase water exports from the delta. One of the environmental groups on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan steering committee said the delta's crashing habitat simply must come first. "Westlands wants its supply guarantees before anyone else - that's not how this process works," said Cynthia Koehler, water legislative director with the Environmental Defense Fund . "This is about saving the estuary from death. We could all march into this process and have temper tantrums, but that's not going to get us very far." The Bay Delta Conservation Plan committee convened four years ago under the auspices of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The idea was to craft a roadmap to balance the needs of a healthy estuary and water supplies for farms and millions of city dwellers over a 50-year period. While the effort involved a coalition of water agencies, environmental groups and state and federal agencies, Westlands picked up most of the $150 million tab for studies and planning. Focus on pipeline To date, work has focused on a pipeline - now a tunnel estimated at more than $12 billion - that would route water from the Sacramento River , around the core of the estuary, to large pumps in the south delta. Proponents say the structure would achieve two goals: ensure a stable supply of water and prevent native fish from being entrained in the current pumps. Federal orders designed to protect those fish have in recent years reduced pumping by the federal and state networks that send water to 3 million acres of farmland and 25 million residents. Recent federal scientific reports have suggested, however, that diverting water around the delta would pull salty water farther inland and harm sensitive fish species. And, some state research supports additional flow through the estuary, not less. http://imgs.sfgate.com/graphics/clear.gif * AP Exclusive: Color-coded terror alerts may end 11.24.10 The political winds have also shifted. Water utilities that draw their water from sources upstream of the delta, including many in the Bay Area - argue that a new delta pipeline amounts to a water grab masterminded by a set of politically connected agencies, mostly in Southern California . At the same time, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has taken a more active role in trying to solve the delta's thorny ecological problems. The state, meanwhile, mandated cities cut water use 20 percent by 2020 to reduce stress on the delta. California lawmakers discussed similar targets for agriculture during the debate over 2009's water reform package, but none made the final bill. Nevertheless, Westlands insists that it and its fellow water contractors have done their part by forgoing about 1 million acre-feet of water annually as prescribed by earlier environmental agreements. These days the agency says it receives between 25 and 45 percent of the water it requests from the federal Central Valley Project. Sacrifices made "We agree that everyone has to sacrifice," said Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf. "But we can't grow crops with no water." Even without Westlands' checkbook, many of the other water agencies involved in the planning process expect it to continue. The State Water Contractors, a group of 27 utilities, said Tuesday enough money remains to complete the next phase of the plan, including more technical analysis. In the very near term, the state is planning to release an assessment of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan work thus far. The early December report will provide some guidance on next steps to the incoming administration. With California mired in a $25 billion financial hole, however, few observers anticipate any major moves on the water front. "Westlands is laying out a marker here as we're in this holding pattern between administrations," said Jim Metropulos, water analyst with the Sierra Club. "But with the deficit, that's going to suck a lot of the air out of the room." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 19037 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image005.gif Type: image/gif Size: 76 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image006.gif Type: image/gif Size: 54 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image007.gif Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Nov 24 08:56:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:56:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] The California Spigot 11 24 10 Message-ID: <004b01cb8bf8$8bbe0eb0$a33a2c10$@net> More on BDCP and Westlands' withdrawal: www.californiaspigot.blogspot.com Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From danielbacher at fishsniffer.com Wed Nov 24 09:06:03 2010 From: danielbacher at fishsniffer.com (Dan Bacher) Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:06:03 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] The California Spigot 11 24 10 In-Reply-To: <004b01cb8bf8$8bbe0eb0$a33a2c10$@net> References: <004b01cb8bf8$8bbe0eb0$a33a2c10$@net> Message-ID: <0D1EF5BF-5F50-450C-9EFC-130C578E6A0F@fishsniffer.com> Hey Byron Here's my piece on Westlands. Thanks dan Westlands Water District Withdraws from BDCP Process by Dan Bacher The Westlands Water District, criticizing what it described as ?political interference,? announced on November 22 that it is withdrawing its support for the ?continued development? of the controversial Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The BDCP, a process opposed by many fishing groups, environmental organizations, Indian Tribes, family farmers and Delta residents, is a plan started four years ago by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to build a peripheral canal/tunnel to facilitate the export of California Delta water to corporate agribusiness and southern California. In a letter to David Hayes, Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the district?s President, Jean P. Sagouspe, wrote, ?As a public agency, Westlands cannot continue to spend millions of our ratepayers? dollars on a project that is likely to deliver no more and potentially less water to the public than they are receiving today.? Westlands? withdrawal from the BDCP process was no surprise, considering that Thomas W. Birmingham, general manager of Westlands, reportedly walked out of a meeting in Washington D.C. on November 10 with Hayes and other federal and state officials and BDCP stakeholders. The walk out was prodded by a discussion that the plan may include reduced water exports to protect endangered fish species. Westlands has filed numerous lawsuits to stop fishery restoration programs in recent years, ranging from its lawsuit in 2000 to block Trinity River restoration to its latest litigation attacking the federal biological opinions protecting imperiled Central Valley salmon, Sacramento River chinook salmon, green sturgeon, Delta smelt and the southern resident killer whale populations under the Endangered Species Act. The Westlands Water District includes 600,000 acres of farmland on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley in Fresno and Kings counties. 73 miles long by 15 miles wide, the district stretches from Mendota in the north to Kettleman City in the south. Much of the land is laced with selenium and other salts and minerals that are toxic to fish and wildlife when agricultural waste water drains back into the San Joaquin River system. ?Westlands and the other public water agencies that rely upon water supplies pumped through the Delta have invested nearly $150 million and more than four years of effort to develop the BDCP program for fixing California?s broken water system,? according to a news release from Westlands. ?BDCP was created to help resolve regulatory shortages through a balanced plan to meet California?s co-equal objectives of repairing the Delta environment and restoring reliable, adequate water supplies for California.? Tom Birmingham: Interior?s Approach Is ?Destructive? Birmingham claimed that over the last three years, federal regulations have reduced California?s public water supplies by more than one-third. ?But instead of working to solve the problems caused by these regulatory shortages, the Department of the Interior, at David Hayes? direction, is now proposing to add even more regulatory restrictions, reducing even more drastically the deliveries that California?s farms and cities and two-thirds of the state?s residents depend on,? said Birmingham. Birmingham said Sagouspe?s letter ?expresses confidence that there are many dedicated employees? within Reclamation, the Fish & Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service who could achieve a successful outcome of the BDCP process if they were not being subjected to ?misinformed political interference.? ?Instead of working with the BDCP participants, Hayes is relying on the same special interests that have refused to join the BDCP process and have opposed its development from the beginning,? Birmingham claimed. ?He apparently agrees with the idea that ?success? in the Delta can be measured on the basis of how much water is taken away from the people of California.? ?Through this action we are trying to get BDCP back on track,? said Birmingham. ?Such a destructive approach directly undermines the objective of fixing the water supply problem,? the Westlands letter concluded. ?And without a project to fix the water supply problem, California won?t have the means to restore the Delta either. In short, it is our view that your myopic and unscientific obstructionism will bring this entire effort at water reform and ecosystem restoration to a halt.? Sarah Woolf, spokesperson for Westlands, added that with Westlands gone from the BDCP process, ?Our hope is that will elevate the need for the BDCP to come to some resolution on meeting everyone?s needs in the process. The BDCP is a very fragile and very difficult process.? Bill Jennings: A Publicity Stunt by Westlands? Bill Jennings, chairman/executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, said he suspected that Westland?s announcement of their withdrawal from the BDCP process was ?a publicity stunt to focus their attacks on the administration just like they did when they launched their ?New Dust Bowl? campaign last year.? ?They joined the process with the assumption that that they could get more water out of it,? said Jennings. ?Now that they aren?t getting what they want, they are threatening to withdraw funding. Their letter strikes me as political grandstanding and an attack of David Hayes and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to pressure them to back down over their concerns that the project as proposed could have disastrous consequences on the Delta.? ?Westlands is obviously groaning under the weight of the cost of the project,? added Jennings. ?The district is saying it will only play if they get more water. However, the best available science shows that the project would be a disaster for the Delta. To protect ESA listed species such as Central Valley salmon and Delta smelt, is is unlikely that water exports will be maintained at the current levels.? The Planning and Conservation League also responded to Westlands? withdrawl from the BDCP in a statement. ?There is overwhelming scientific consensus that diversions from the Delta must be reduced in order for its ecosystem to be revived. Although Westlands does not like the broad scientific consensus, they are beginning to realize that diversions will be reduced, not increased,? the group stated. Department of Interior: District Decision Is ?Short Sighted and Misguided? The Department of Interior on November 23 issued a sharply worded response to the Westlands letter. ?I believe the district?s decision is short-sighted and misguided,? said David Hayes. ?From the statements in your letter, it is also based on characterizations of my role in the process that are contrary to the facts.? ?I will not address in detail in this response your characterization of my role, nor will I repeat them here,? added Hayes. ?But I can state unequivocally that the Secretary?s and my intent, and that of our entire Department, is to develop and complete a successful plan that is consistent with the twin goals of water supply reliability and ecosystem restoration.? ?The Secretary and I firmly believe that the BDCP process continues to affort the best opportunity to resolve California?s water issues. We would prefer to pursue this course with Westlands? participation,? he concluded. The peripheral canal/tunnel proposed by the BDCP would cost an estimated $23 to $53.8 billion, according to a study conducted last year by Steven Kasower and Associates. The $11.14 billion water bond, taken off this November?s ballot by the Legislature and rescheduled to November 2012 because of its impending defeat by the voters this year, would not specifically fund the canal/tunnel. However, it would put in place the infrastructure for the canal and new surface storage facilities. The ?New Dust Bowl? Exposed Throughout 2009 and 2008, Astroturf groups led by the Latino Water Coalition and west side San Joaquin agribusiness interests claimed that court-imposed reductions in Delta water exports to protect Delta smelt had created a ?New Dust Bowl? in the Central Valley. Mother Jones magazine joined Sean Hannity, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and agribusiness ?Astroturf? groups in perpetuating the ?Big Lie? about the alleged ?drought? and ?New Dust Bowl (http:// www.c-win.org/blog/dan-bacher-doubts-westside-san-joaquin-growers- feed-nation.html). According to an article by Lloyd Carter and Patrick Porgans (More Doubts About the Drought), this ?New Dust Bowl? rhetoric had no basis in reality (http://www.lloydgcarter.com/content/100901425_more-doubts- about-the-drought). ?Figures obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, August 31, 2010, show the Golden State?s agricultural earnings have reached historic highs during the so- called three-year drought,? noted Carter and Porgans. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), California?s cash receipts from crop and livestock sales were $34.841 billion in 2009, $38.407 billion in 2008 and $36.386 billon in 2007. How could there be ?New Dust Bowl? with record agricultural earnings in the Central Valley and other agricultural regions? The BDCP ?Complete Working Draft? is now posted online and available here: http://www.baydeltaconservationplan.com/BDCPPlanningProcess/ ReadDraftPlan.aspx. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Nov 26 10:03:25 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:03:25 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Letter to Garamendi Message-ID: <002601cb8d94$3a209080$ae61b180$@net> Attached Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: LTR to Garamendi Seeking SEC Investigation Final.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 670626 bytes Desc: not available URL: From AKrause at usbr.gov Fri Nov 26 14:20:54 2010 From: AKrause at usbr.gov (Krause, Andreas F) Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:20:54 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Accidental turbidity release to the Trinity River Nov. 24, 2010 Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF72A252FD494@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> Hello Trinity River Enthusiasts: An accidental release of turbidity (silt that makes the water cloudy) to the Trinity River occurred on November 24. The turbidity originated from construction at Lowden Meadows restoration site, located on the mainstem Trinity River just upstream of Grass Valley Creek at River Mile 104.4. The site was completely separated from the river by a series of containment structures to prevent turbidity caused by construction activities from entering the river. Restoration construction activities are being wrapped up in the area. For several days prior, the site was actively being pumped out to clear the turbidity from the water in preparation for removing the containment structures. Sometime early morning on Nov. 24, the downstream containment structure failed and washed just downstream. This failure prematurely connected the construction area with the Trinity River allowing turbidity to be released. The turbidity released is non-toxic. The cause of the failure was an unanticipated increase in flow releases from Lewiston Dam. The Bureau of Reclamation maintains a steady release of 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) from Lewiston Dam to the Trinity River throughout the winter. The dam releases are based on provisional real-time readings from the Trinity River at Lewiston stream gage (#11525500) operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. Around midnight, the real time readings from the streamgage dropped from 300 cfs to 150 cfs. Consequently, the Bureau of Reclamation, following standard operating procedures, increased the releases from Lewiston Dam by 150 cfs to maintain the 300 cfs winter base flow. Once it was light in the morning, the Bureau of Reclamation visually inspected the stream gage and found it was reading erroneously. The flow drop from 300 cfs to 150 cfs reported by the gage never occurred. Therefore, the corrective action taken by the Bureau of Reclamation inadvertently increased the flow from 300 cfs to 450 cfs. Once discovered, flow releases were brought back down to the 300 cfs target. The reason for the stream gage malfunction is under investigation but was likely caused by the freezing temperatures experienced that night. The failure of the containment structure at Lowden Meadows coincided with the unanticipated 450 cfs flow release. This flow increase could not have been reasonably foreseen and was not accounted for in the design of the containment structures. The remains of the containment structure that washed downstream were immediately removed from the river the morning of Nov 24. The Trinity River Restoration Program has notified the regulatory agencies (California Department of Fish and Game, California Water Quality Control Board, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) about the accidental turbidity release. A very minor amount of turbidity is still washing out of the affected area. The site is expected to completely clear within the next day or so. We apologize for any inconvenience the turbidity releases may have caused. Please contact me if you have any additional questions or concerns. Regards, Andreas Krause Acting Branch Chief - Restoration Implementation Group Trinity River Restoration Program phone: 530-623-1807 email: akrause at usbr.gov www.trrp.net _______________________ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Nov 28 12:37:28 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 12:37:28 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands Bond Issue Message-ID: <00d601cb8f3c$14507ce0$3cf176a0$@net> Westlands' recent bond issue and SEC requirements http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiP5QuKjd5A Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Nov 29 10:25:19 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:25:19 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update November 22, 2010 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: An update with our latest redd survey results is available from the link in the bottom message. Numbers will look deceivingly low with this week's report (162 new redds marked). Due to logistics around the Thanksgiving holiday, no survey was conducted of Reach 1 (Lewiston Dam to Old Bridge), nor Reach 8 (Pigeon Point to Big Bar). Crews are getting Reach 1 covered today (11/29) and those results will be available with next week's update. Thanks for looking! Charlie Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca 11/22/2010 11:32 .us AM cc Subject Trinity River spawning survey update November 22, 2010(Document link: Charles Chamberlain) Hi all, Another update reflecting the redds recorded November 15 to 19 will soon be posted at the link in the bottom message. Over this period our crews recorded 588 new mainstem Trinity River redds; 475 from Lewiston Dam to the North Fork and 113 from Hawkins Bar to the mouth. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! Charlie Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 11/15/2010 03:53 cc PM Subject Fw: Trinity River spawning survey update November 15, 2010 Another update of our preliminary redd counts is available through the link below. Reaches 2 and 8 (Old Bridge to Bucktail, and Pigeon Point to Big Bar) were not surveyed due to the shortened workweek (Thursday was Veteran's Day). Reach 1 is taking off with 172 of the total 294 redds counted last week. Our season's total count is 2,483 as of Friday 11/12. I've been told that some of the redds in the Google Earth file show up on land. Don't worry, there aren't mutant salmon spawning on dry ground! Most of these "dry" redds are attributable to image alignment of the latest aerial photos by Google. Regardless, they line up darned close so still give you a good sense of the distribution of redds. It's been great to be able to share that with you all with such resolution! Talk to you next week, Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 11/15/2010 01:18 PM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2010 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: graycol.gif Type: image/gif Size: 105 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: doclink.gif Type: image/gif Size: 149 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Nov 29 10:47:00 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:47:00 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Reclamation Releases Final Appraisal and Optimization Study for Long Lake Valley Off-Stream Storage Message-ID: Reclamation Releases Final Appraisal and Optimization Study for Long Lake Valley Off-Stream Storage Mid-Pacific Region Sacramento, CA MP-10-181 Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov For Release On: November 29, 2010 Reclamation Releases Final Appraisal and Optimization Study for the Long Lake Valley Off-Stream Storage Project The Bureau of Reclamation?s Klamath Basin Area Office (KBAO) has released the Final Appraisal and Optimization Study for a proposed off-stream storage project to be located at Long Lake Valley. Reclamation used study criteria which met objectives in the 2000 Klamath Basin Water Supply Enhancement Act to evaluate the possibility of constructing the project. The study considered possible benefits to Klamath Project irrigators and fish species in the Klamath River. Additionally, the fishery restoration benefits of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement were taken into consideration. The study findings indicate that the return on investment of the project is extremely low and does not warrant additional study. Estimates developed in 2009 indicate the cost of the project to be between $550 million and $2.3 billion. The range in costs is due to various options in the study, which include different sizes and combinations of storage, pumping and power generation facilities and different levels of lining for the lake bottom to prevent water loss from seepage. The study also considered the availability of water to pump into the facility. Based on historical inflow data and assuming current legally-mandated requirements are met, water would only be available for storage in the facility in 1 out of every 7 to 10 years. ?Reclamation will continue to evaluate other opportunities to provide additional water supplies for the Klamath Project. Plans are to examine smaller off-stream and on-stream storage options in the Upper Klamath Basin as well as groundwater utilization options that make sense for the entire Klamath watershed,? said Sue Fry, KBAO Area Manager. The study may be viewed at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/kbao/. For additional information or to request a copy of the study, please contact Kevin Moore at klmoore at usbr.gov or 541-880-2557 (TTY 541-883-6935). # # # If you would rather not receive future communications from Bureau of Reclamation, let us know by clicking here. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Federal Center, Alameda & Kipling Street PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225 United States -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Nov 29 12:05:56 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:05:56 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Request for Proposals Message-ID: <007301cb9000$d5f0f810$81d2e830$@net> Are you a member of a small, grassroots group that is working to improve Northern California's wild places, open spaces, rivers, streams or groundwater? Are you working to make communities more livable and more healthy for people? Trying to preserve agricultural lands and promote environmentally sound food production and distribution? Are you working to promote sustainable energy and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, please take a minute to review the eligibility requirements below. If your group is eligible, please apply for a small grant ($5000 maximum) from the Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund. Deadlines are every 3 months, with awards made 2 months after the deadline. The next deadline is February 1, 2011. If you know other groups who would be interested, please forward this to them. About the Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund The Fund was established in 2003 by a consortium of foundations to support community-based grassroots environmental efforts throughout Northern California. The Fund's goal is to award small grants ($5000 maximum) to small organizations that are currently underserved by most funding strategies. The Fund has four grant cycles per year, one every three months. Currently the Fund is distributing $60,000 per quarter, or $240,000 per year. Eligible Projects and Organizations Geographic Scope: Project impact must be in Northern California (includes San Luis Obispo and Kern County and all counties north) Organizational Size: Annual expenses of $100,000 or less (actual expenses, not projected - for exceptions, see application) Issues: Include, but are not limited to, environmental health and justice, land management and urban sprawl, habitat and wilderness protection, sustainable forestry, water resources, agriculture, sustainability, and pollution. Strategies: Community-based advocacy, technical assistance, litigation, restoration projects, organizing expenses, grassroots campaigns, and environmental education. Tax status: Applicants may be a nonprofit, be fiscally sponsored by another nonprofit, or ask for fiscal sponsorship from the Grassroots Fund. Frequency: Organizations whose proposals are rejected may re-apply after one year. Organizations that are funded may re-apply after one year if their final report has been submitted. Since a goal of the Grassroots Fund is to support the development and creation of small, new nonprofit groups, we ask organizations who have been funded 3 times to take a one year break before submitting a 4th application. Excluded Capital campaigns, annual fundraising appeals, government agencies, colleges or universities and individuals. Application Process 1. Download application materials at www.rosefdn.org ( http://rosefdn.org/article.php?list=type &type=36 ), or request by e-mail from grassroots at rosefdn.org, or call (510) 658-0702. 2. Complete the application 3. Add required attachments: a. Project or organizational budget (use the worksheet provided at the end of the application packet, or attach your own spreadsheet - for applicant organization, not fiscal sponsor) b. Organizational financial statement from most recent completed fiscal year (must include profit/loss statement with income and expenses - for applicant organization, not fiscal sponsor) c. List of board of directors, advisory board or steering committee members with affiliations (for applicant organization, not fiscal sponsor) d. List of key staff and/or volunteers with a very brief bio, or description of responsibilities (for applicant organization, not fiscal sponsor) e. 501(c)(3) determination letter, or that of the organization's fiscal sponsor (not necessary if seeking fiscal sponsorship from the Fund) 4. Add optional attachments: a. Letters of support (maximum of 2 letters, maximum 2 pages each - highly recommended) b. Press clippings c. Newsletters or other publications Deadlines Submit the completed application and attachments by mail, postmarked by the deadline date: February 1, May 1, August 1, or November 1. Please do not send applications by Express mail, Federal Express, or UPS. E-mailed or faxed applications will not be accepted. If the deadline falls on a Sunday or postal holiday, applications must be postmarked on (or before) the next day the post office is open. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Karla James Grassroots Fund Coordinator -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Karla James The Rose Foundation 6008 College Ave., Suite 10 Oakland, CA 94618 510/658.0702 v 510/658.0732 f kjames at rosefdn.org www.rosefdn.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Gary_Curtis at fws.gov Mon Nov 29 15:05:24 2010 From: Gary_Curtis at fws.gov (Gary_Curtis at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:05:24 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Remembering Serge Birk In-Reply-To: <5d32f0a0-d8d0-4494-9109-772e405303b9@NY-Mail.environmentaldefense.local> Message-ID: Serge was my first supervisor back in the "B St." days of NMFS's Tuna-Porpoise Observer Program (circa 1977). He kept 20-30 of us in line....not sure how he did that.....but his good nature and humor helped a lot.... he will be missed.. Gary Curtis Restoration Branch Supervisor Klamath River Restoration Program USFWS-Yreka Fish and Wildlife Office 1829 S. Oregon St., Yreka, CA 96097 530-841-3117 (office) 541-613-4914 (cell) gary_curtis at fws.gov Spreck Rosekrans To Sent by: "Krause, Andreas F" env-trinity-bounc , es+gary_curtis=fw "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.c s.gov at velocipede. a.us" dcn.davis.ca.us cc 11/23/2010 11:00 Ann Hayden , "Vina AM Frye \(vina_frye at fws.gov\)" Subject [env-trinity] Remembering Serge Birk All: I worked in Serge in a number of fora. Our employers have had an often adversarial relationship that often affected our public interchanges. I remember Serge best from Trinity meetings in Weaverville that were sometimes followed with beer at La Grange. Serge was clearly a smart guy and perhaps most importantly an independent thinker. We need more like him who are willing to challenge established paradigms. He was serious when he needed to be and fun the rest of the time. I will miss him. For those who may be unaware, Serge had a side business raising Australian Redclaw Crayfish. See attached (if this server allows attachments). Best, Spreck From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Krause, Andreas F Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 10:20 AM To: env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk Trinity River Enthusiasts- Serge Burke wore many hats over the course of his career and was a strong advocate for restoring the Trinity River fishery throughout them all. He will be missed. Regards, Andreas Krause Trinity River Restoration Program www.trrp.net From: Green, Michael L Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 9:16 AM To: BOR MP All Mid-Pacific Employees Subject: Remembering Serge Birk To everyone in Reclamation who had the pleasure of knowing or working with Serge Birk, Please take a moment to remember our friend and/or coworker who passed away peacefully this am from cancer. Those who knew and worked with Serge know how passionate and dedicated he was to our environmental and fisheries resources, friends, and family. A few of Serge?s accomplishments include the completion of the Keswick Dam Stilling Basin notch project for fish passage, funding restoration work at Battle Creek, and the first Biological Assessment for coho at KBAO. We will all miss him greatly. Mike Green Natural Resource Specialist Bureau of Reclamation 6600 Washburn Way Klamath Falls, OR 97603 (541) 880-2565 (541) 884-9053 Fax This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. (See attached file: Serge and Redclaw Lobster Farm.pdf) _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: graycol.gif Type: image/gif Size: 105 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: pic06038.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1255 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Serge and Redclaw Lobster Farm.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 69631 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Nov 29 15:43:20 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:43:20 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Memorial Service Serge Birk Message-ID: <00a501cb901f$34894b70$9d9be250$@net> The memorial service for Serge will be December 12 at 1 PM in the Los Molinos Veterans' Hall. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From NHemphill at usbr.gov Mon Nov 29 15:54:51 2010 From: NHemphill at usbr.gov (Hemphill, Nina P) Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:54:51 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Remembering Serge Birk In-Reply-To: <021e01cb8b51$4fb05880$ef110980$@net> References: <021e01cb8b51$4fb05880$ef110980$@net> Message-ID: <469C3D002DBB944BBEAEC89CBE8D1DF72A253F748D@IBR5DENMXCMX01.bor.doi.net> I very much enjoyed working with Serge. He could always be counted on to have some pithy and interesting perspective on the Trinity river restoration. I will miss him. Nina Hemphill Fish Biologist and Aqautic Ecologist Trinity River Restoration Program 1313 South Main St.; P.O. Box 1300 Weaverville, Ca 530-623-1812 Nina From: MaryEllen Mueller [mailto:mmueller at usgs.gov] Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:19 PM To: Krause, Andreas F Cc: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us Subject: Re: [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk I am very sad to hear of Serge's passing. He was a formidable proponent for the Trinity River. I will always think of him in his giant cars and he will be missed. Mary Ellen Mary Ellen Mueller, Ph.D. Research Manager,WERC 3020 State University Drive East Modoc Hall, Suite 3006 Sacramento, CA 95819 Office: 916 278 9572 mmueller at usgs.gov From: "Krause, Andreas F" To: "env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us" Date: 11/23/2010 10:41 AM Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Remembering Serge Birk Sent by: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us ________________________________ Trinity River Enthusiasts- Serge Burke wore many hats over the course of his career and was a strong advocate for restoring the Trinity River fishery throughout them all. He will be missed. Regards, Andreas Krause Trinity River Restoration Program www.trrp.net From: Green, Michael L Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 9:16 AM To: BOR MP All Mid-Pacific Employees Subject: Remembering Serge Birk To everyone in Reclamation who had the pleasure of knowing or working with Serge Birk, Please take a moment to remember our friend and/or coworker who passed away peacefully this am from cancer. Those who knew and worked with Serge know how passionate and dedicated he was to our environmental and fisheries resources, friends, and family. A few of Serge's accomplishments include the completion of the Keswick Dam Stilling Basin notch project for fish passage, funding restoration work at Battle Creek, and the first Biological Assessment for coho at KBAO. We will all miss him greatly. Mike Green Natural Resource Specialist Bureau of Reclamation 6600 Washburn Way Klamath Falls, OR 97603 (541) 880-2565 (541) 884-9053 Fax _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 30 10:44:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:44:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Memorial Service Serge Birk Message-ID: <003b01cb90be$a02de760$e089b620$@net> Some people have asked me for the location of the memorial service for Serge on December 12 at 1 PM. I'll just put this out for everyone. It's at Los Molinos Veterans Hall, 7980 Sherwood Blvd., Los Molinos, Los Molinos, CA, 96055. You can Google that for directions if you don't have a navigation system in your car: http://maps.google.com Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 30 11:25:21 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:25:21 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Congresswoman Jackie Speier and California Congressional Delegation will host Salmon Summit in Half Moon Bay Message-ID: <007d01cb90c4$599aad50$0cd007f0$@net> From: Dan Bacher [mailto:danielbacher at fishsniffer.com] For Immediate Release November 30, 2010 Contact: Katrina Rill (650) 342-0300, cell (650) 208-7441 Katrina.rill at mail.house.gov Advisory: Congresswoman Jackie Speier and California Congressional Delegation will host Salmon Summit in Half Moon Bay San Mateo, CA Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), Congressman Mike Thompson, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (invited) will address the collapse of Californias salmon industry and what is needed to restore it. The estimated value of full recovery of the Central Valley Chinook salmon runs could provide 94,000 new jobs and $5.7 billion in annual revenue for the state. Who: Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Congressman Mike Thompson, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (invited), Salmon experts including commercial fishermen, anglers, fish buyers, conservationists and small business owners What: Salmon Summit open to the public and press When: Saturday, December 4, 2010 11 a.m. 2 p.m. Where: Mavericks Lodge and Event Center 107 Broadway Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 ________________________________________ Katrina Rill District Press Secretary Office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-12) U.S. House of Representatives (T) 650-342-0300 (M) 650-208-7441 speier.house.gov Save paper. Think before you print. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.png Type: image/png Size: 100183 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.png Type: image/png Size: 3736 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.png Type: image/png Size: 3339 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1268 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1627 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 30 16:10:18 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:10:18 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 11-27-10 Message-ID: <00ce01cb90ec$23f08d00$6bd1a700$@net> Water diversions are killing the Delta Sacramento Bee-11/27/10 By Marc M. Gorelnik Opinion California Department of Fish and Game Director John McCamman expresses well the perspective of those who would irresponsibly drain the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of fresh water. The fundamental issue isn't where the water is taken - pump or canal - but that too much fresh water is already taken. For millennia, a hydrologic tug of war has played out in the Delta and San Francisco Bay between freshwater outflows from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers on the one hand, and the rising and falling tidewaters of the salty Pacific Ocean. This creates a rich estuarine environment that feeds countless birds, amphibians, fish and other animals. Aside from the inherent benefits of a healthy environment, a well-cared-for Delta and bay have great economic value, providing jobs and recreational opportunities for all Californians, rich and poor alike. When excessive amounts of fresh water are impounded and diverted, the Pacific Ocean handily wins the tug of war, radically changing the environment. It doesn't really matter how far upstream the fresh water is taken. Its depletion destroys ecosystems and their associated fisheries, including the iconic and valuable fall-run chinook salmon runs that - until a few years ago - exceeded 600,000 fish. In 2009, in the complete absence of any recreational or commercial fishing, fewer than 40,000 of these fish returned to spawn. Other salmon runs from the Sacramento River are already listed under the Endangered Species Act. State and federal water studies have consistently held that the Delta is being starved of fresh water. The Delta must be restored and protected. Since at least 1988, the need to increase freshwater flows has been widely recognized, albeit disregarded owing to the powerful political forces of those that benefit richly from this public trust resource. The State Water Resources Control Board determined that 1.6 million acre-feet of additional freshwater flows were needed to protect and restore the estuary, and in 1992 the federal Central Valley Project Improvement Act required that 800,000 acre-feet be restored to freshwater flows. None of these flows has been restored. Assuming diversions are brought in line with the freshwater demands of the Delta and bay, there may be merit to all stakeholders in a canal over the existing pumps. However, the promotion of an expensive canal in addition to existing pumps belies the agenda of McCamman and those he speaks for: more water exports to benefit a few Californians, the environment be damned.# Marc M. Gorelnik is director of the Coastside Fishing Club, with members throughout San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 30 16:07:01 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:07:01 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Delta RMP - Invitation to Review Draft Article for "Pulse of the Delta" by December 14th Message-ID: <00c801cb90eb$afda8880$0f8f9980$@net> This is a message from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley (5). _________________________________________________ In January, the Delta RMP will publish the first edition of the Pulse of the Delta report. The Pulse of the Delta 2011 will be the first communication product for the emerging Delta RMP and will be modeled after the San Francisco Bay RMP's Pulse of the Estuary. This document is intended to help inform agency program managers, decision-makers, scientists, and the public. The first issue will be framed around the theme of "Re-thinking Monitoring in the Delta". It includes an opening article on the Contaminants Synthesis Report produced by UC Davis, a management update on the Delta RMP, and feature articles on ammonia, pyrethroids, and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). The topics reflect current management priorities of the Regional Board and were discussed with stakeholders at various stakeholder meetings. The text of the draft articles are attached to this email as one PDF document for review by stakeholders. Please focus your review and comments on the technical/science aspects. General comments about the topics and overall look, feel, and production of the document will be solicited upon release of the final finished product. Please send comments by Tuesday, December 14, 2010 to Thomas Jabusch of the Aquatic Science Center (thomasj at aquaticsciencecenter.org), and courtesy copy Meghan Sullivan of the Central Valley Regional Water Board (msullivan at waterboards.gov). Any other questions can be directed to Meghan Sullivan (see contact information below). Thank you! ======================== Thomas Jabusch Aquatic Science Center 510-746-7340 Meghan Sullivan Environmental Scientist Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board 11020 Sun Center Drive, #200 Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-6114 (916) 464-4858 msullivan at waterboards.ca.gov Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: DRAFT ARTICLES Pulse of the Delta 11-29-10.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 4628715 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Nov 30 19:00:49 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:00:49 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Court to Hear Challenge to Water Diversion Permits on Scott and Shasta Rivers Message-ID: <012001cb9103$f6deff50$e49cfdf0$@net> http://blogs.alternet.org/danbacher/2010/11/30/ Scott River photo courtesy of the Klamath Riverkeeper (http://www.klamathriver.org ) 640_hwy-3-scott-river_186... original image ( 1319x786) Court to Hear Challenge to Water Diversion Permits on Scott and Shasta Rivers by Dan Bacher The Superior Court in San Francisco on Wednesday, December 1 will hear a court challenge to salmon-killing water diversion permits approved by the California Department of Fish and Game on the Scott and Shasta Rivers on September 29, 2009. Earthjustice Attorneys Wendy Park and Greg Loarie will be in court challenging the permitting programs that are driving endangered wild coho salmon extinct. The de-watering of the two major Klamath River tributaries has resulted in major fish kills over the years. During the past two years, DFG staff were forced to rescue juvenile salmon from certain death in drying pools on the rivers. Earthjustice is representing the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Klamath Riverkeeper, the Sierra Club, the Quartz Valley Indian Tribe, Northcoast Environmental Center and Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) in the case. "The permits would allow the 'incidental take' (i.e., killing) of coho by agriculture, so long as these water users abide by a list of generic, unstudied, and inadequate mitigation measures," said Park. "Ultimately, the permits allow the continuation of the destructive activities that resulted in the collapse of the coho fishery in the first place." Local ranchers divert so much water from both rivers to grow hay that the rivers often dry up during part of the year, according to Park. Coho salmon that historically spawned in these two rivers are at, or close to, extinction. "The California Department of Fish and Game is issuing permits to ranchers to continue dewatering the rivers based on historic diversion levels which leave baby salmon high and dry and block the return of adult fish to spawn," Park added. "Last year only nine adult coho salmon returned to the Shasta River to spawn." In April 2010, water conditions on the Scott and Shasta became so inhospitable that DFG staff relocated what few endangered coho salmon could still be found in the two rivers, transplanting them dozens of miles down the mainstem Klamath River to supposed safety. "At this point, coho are so close to extinction and the Scott and Shasta are so severely dewatered each year that this type of rescue action may be warranted, but it cannot be a substitute for rewatering, and in the long term it's not likely to be a viable survival strategy for coho in these basins," said Klamath Riverkeeper Erica Terence. "It's a band-aid solution at best on what has become a major water hemorrhage." Wild steelhead have also perished in fish kills on the Scott and Shasta, most notably in 2001 under the Gray Davis administration. For example, Game Warden Renie Cleland said he was told to "back off" from citing ranchers on the Scott and Shasta for killing off fish, according to an article by Tom Stienstra and Glen Martin in the San Francisco Chronicle on June 22, 2001 ( http://articles.sfgate.com/2001-06-22/news/17604602_1_shasta-rivers-major-klamath-tributaries-scott-and-shasta). "This has gone all the way to Sacramento," Cleland was quoted. "It's extremely politically sensitive. I was told to take no enforcement action on it. These fish are dying. We've got five or six thousand steelhead trout dead on the Scott, and (dead juvenile steelhead) everywhere on the Shasta." The latest permit to dewater the Scott and Shasta was granted by the DFG under the administration of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is the same Governor who has attacked the biological opinion protecting imperiled Delta smelt and Central Valley salmon, has relentlessly campaigned for a peripheral canal and new dams, and has fast-tracked his corrupt and unjust Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative. Schwarzenegger, who is worshipped by the corporate media and some environmental NGO's for his grandstanding about "climate change" and "green energy" corporate greenwashing scams, has pursued a "scorched earth" policy towards California's fish populations that has resulted in the unprecedented collapse of Central Valley chinook salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon, Sacramento splittail, young striped bass, and other fish species in recent years. I applaud the Earthjustice attorneys for constantly standing up for the fish, fishermen, Tribes and grassroots environmentalists in court! The hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the Superior Court, 400 McAllister Street, Dept 618, in San Francisco. For more information, call Wendy Park, Earthjustice, 510-550-6792, or John McManus, Earthjustice, 510-550-6707,www.earthjustice.org. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 640_hwy-3-scott-river_1863_upriver_8.18.09-mm.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 214397 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Dec 1 11:39:22 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:39:22 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Serge Birk Obituary Message-ID: <004a01cb918f$749258d0$5db70a70$@net> Serge Birk (1949 - 2010) Photo SERGE BIRK Serge Birk passed away on November 22, 2010 at his beloved "River Retreat" in Dairyville, CA, with his wife and love of his life, Beth at his side. A worldly man from the beginning, Serge and his twin sister Catherine were born in Paris, France on March 23, 1949. The family moved to Montreal, Canada in 1952, where, like most boys in Canada, he wanted to grow up to be a professional hockey player. The hockey stick was easily replaced by a surf board however when the family moved to southern California in 1959. Serge's charm was noticed early on in the Golden State when talent scouts visiting his elementary school chose him to appear on the popular Art Linkletter Show. Serge received his B.S. in Fisheries from Humboldt State University in 1973 and quickly put his education to good use as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines. He lived on the island of Ilo Ilo which was so isolated that he did not learn of Nixon's resignation until he spotted a newspaper headline referring to President Ford in Manila some weeks after the fact. Serge worked on another global concern after he returned to the United States. Serving as an observer with the NOAA Tuna-porpoise program, he developed his own brand of d,tente while on Soviet fishing boats months at a time. This program resulted in improved fishing techniques which dramatically reduced mortalities of dolphins in commercial tuna fishing. Serge then headed back to Palau. Known affectionately as "starfish man" on the island, he developed a program to limit the population of starfish that was destroying Palau's reef. To no small extent, his efforts contributed to Palau remaining one of the most desired and pristine diving spots in the world. Other public service included working for the Bureau of Reclamation, serving as the Environmental Director for the Central Valley Project Water Association, and most recently as the Natural Resource Manager for U.S. Forest Service at Lassen National Forest. He was a proud member of Class XXXI of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation. Even those who briefly knew Serge knew his life-long passion was aquaculture. He often joked, "Some people play golf, I grow fish." Serge spearheaded two aquaculture enterprises. In conjunction with the Washoe Tribe in Genoa, Nevada, Serge founded and operated Gourmet Prawnz, Inc. with Dick Butler in the 1980s. Utilizing geothermal resources and innovative techniques, they developed a sustainable system for prawn production. Later he established Redclaw Lobster in Red Bluff, CA and held the only license in California to grow the Australian Redclaw Lobster. His business also included angel fish and koi. Serge loved scuba diving, salmon fishing, Hawaiian shirts, photography, collecting classic cars, "adopting" palm trees and succulents for his River Retreat, practicing yoga, and listening to the Rolling Stones - all with his trademark enthusiasm. He was also known for hosting an annual "40 - Something" party for his wife. Serge was a loyal and generous friend, a hardworking and innovative colleague, and a loving, devoted, and protective brother. Most of all, he had limitless love for Beth, his loving wife of 25 years. Together they island hopped, collected ethnic art from around the world, and celebrated every sunrise and sunset together on their piece of paradise on the Sacramento River. One need only look at the numerous joyful photos of Serge and Beth displayed at their home to recognize their love for each other. Serge is survived by his wife Beth (Dairyville, CA), his twin sister Catherine (Evanston, IL), his sister Natalie (Sacramento, CA), brother-in-law and sister-in-law Del and Donna Whitaker (Elk Grove, CA), nephew Sammy Wayhou, his niece Delany Whitaker, and in-laws Kay and Elbert Whitaker. A celebration of Serge's life will be held Sunday, December 12 at 1:00 pm, Los Molinos Veterans Hall, 7980 Sherwood Blvd. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Serge may be sent to Tehama County Education Foundation for the SERRF program, P.O. Box 525, Red Bluff, CA 96080 and St. Elizabeth Hospice, 1425 Vista Way, Red Bluff, CA 96080. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 907 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Dec 1 11:43:30 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:43:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 11/29/10 Message-ID: <005001cb9190$09c7fa90$1d57efb0$@net> National Academy of Sciences continues examination of Delta Sacramento Bee-11/29/10 By Matt Weiser The National Academy of Sciences holds its third committee meeting on issues affecting the Delta in San Francisco on Dec. 8. Considered the nation's most esteemed independent science panel, the National Academy was asked by the Department of Interior and members of Congress to review the technical issues surrounding water supply and restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The committee's 17 members include water, wildlife and legal experts from across the nation. The committee earlier this year released a preliminary report that called most of endangered species protections in the Delta "scientifically justified." Its next charge is to complete a final report by November 2011 analyzing a range of environmental problems affecting the estuary. A second committee will convene at the same time to review the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. This committee, composed of many of the same experts, is charged with analyzing the science behind the conservation plan, a joint project of state and federal agencies to develop water diversion plumbing and habitat projects in the Delta. At this joint meeting, the committees will hear from scientists and managers who helped write the conservation plan, and from experts about climate change, computer modeling, and problems affecting the ecosystem. The public will have a chance to address the committees during a comment session. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Dec 1 11:44:46 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 11:44:46 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] S.F. Chronicle-12/1/10 Message-ID: <005501cb9190$369e1900$a3da4b00$@net> San Luis & Delta Mendota agency quits delta plan S.F. Chronicle-12/1/10 By Kelly Zito Another power player in California agriculture has withdrawn from a highly touted effort to fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the deteriorating estuary at the heart of the state's water-supply system. The San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority has decided to suspend funding for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, citing a lack of good faith by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Westlands Water District leveled the same accusations when it pulled its support for the 4-year-old, $150 million process last week. "The lack of creativity and leadership from Washington is perpetuating the same flawed practices that have led too many of California's fisheries to the brink of extinction and imperiled our once thriving economy," according to a statement by Dan Nelson, executive director of the water authority. Westlands and the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, which together irrigate more than 1.5 million acres of Central Valley farmland, argue that federal officials intend to reduce the amount of water they can divert from the delta. The water agencies want a huge pipeline around or under the delta that they hope would return water exports to levels last seen in the early 1990s. But officials with the Obama administration say they've reached no conclusions about water deliveries and insist they're taking a thorough, scientific approach to the conservation plan's two aims: restoring health of the ecosystem while ensuring a stable water supply. As overseer of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Interior Department must sign off on the 50-year management plan for the delta. Critics of the two politically connected agricultural water agencies suggest they are trying to strong-arm state and federal regulators into waiving laws designed to protect vulnerable fish species in the delta. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Dec 1 12:00:55 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 12:00:55 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Westlands and the Securities and Exchange Commission Message-ID: <005f01cb9192$79038e40$6b0aaac0$@net> This video by Salmon Waters Now is again on the net at: YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lYZhZAAmP8 &hd=1 Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/16694817 Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Dec 1 12:18:47 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 1 Dec 2010 12:18:47 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Friends of Trinity River Message-ID: <006401cb9194$f72d0060$e5870120$@net> By now, most of you will have received our letter indicating that FOTR will conclude its operations at December 31. For those of you who may not have received the letter, a copy is attached. Additionally, we intend to continue several functions after December 31 as outlined below. First, our activities will proceed normally until then. You will be receiving our December Newsletter as usual. We will continue to maintain our website for some time into the future: www.fotr.org We also have arranged to continue the Env-Trinity List following FOTR's dissolution. However, since it makes no sense to pay for two Lists, we will be discontinuing the FOTR List. If you subscribe to the FOTR List, but not the Env-Trinity List, I suggest that you do so if you'd like to continue to be informed about Trinity restoration and related issues. There are many more subscribers to the FOTR List than to the Env-Trinity List currently. Postings will continue to be made to it. To subscribe to the Env-Trinity List, go to the website: http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity Additionally, we will continue to maintain our FOTR Facebook site. If you haven't visited it, you can do so by going to the following: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Trinity-River/110397522327168 Finally, we will continue to be involved personally in Trinity restoration and related issues. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: FOTR Letter.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 2972687 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Dec 2 11:46:03 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 11:46:03 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] S.F. Chronicle 12/2/10 Message-ID: <01a301cb9259$8ee49200$acadb600$@net> Special interests threaten salmon fisheries S.F. Chronicle-12/2/10 By Jackie Speier Opinion Wake up, Californians! We are on the verge of losing Pacific salmon runs. This loss would be devastating to both our health - salmon are high in nutritional value - and our welfare - salmon support a multibillion-dollar fishing industry. Three years ago, this industry boasted 1,200 commercial boats, half a million recreational fishermen, hundreds of retailers, commercial charters, river guides, marinas and restaurants. Then in 2008, the once-robust salmon run in the Central Valley collapsed - endangering the fish and the associated jobs. Fish returns in the Sacramento River plummeted from a high of 768,000 in 2002 to a staggering low of 39,500 fish in 2009. Low runs canceled fishing in 2008 and 2009. This year's commercial season lasted eight days - few fish were caught, and fishermen could not earn a living. The California salmon industry includes such people as Jacky Douglas, skipper of the charter boat Wacky Jacky for 30 years; Duncan MacLean, a commercial fisherman for four decades; Paul Johnson, a fish buyer and former chef in San Francisco; and Peggy Becket, owner of a sport fishing store in Half Moon Bay. I've met with these proud industry representatives to learn firsthand what abuse of our river water is doing to California salmon. Salmon face many obstacles: dams, logging, development, agriculture - all factors that destroy or alter their habitat. Salmon are born in rivers. In a miracle of nature, after three years at sea, they return to their birth river, where they spawn and then die, leaving the next generation to fend for itself. But this doesn't happen when river levels are too low or excessive water diversions disrupt the natural cycle, as has occurred in recent years. The biggest hazard the Central Valley runs confront is the lack of robust spring outflows through the delta to flush baby salmon out to the ocean. Water has long been the gold of California: Everyone is fighting for its limited supply. The good news is that scientists know how much water is needed to support healthy salmon runs. The bad news is that in years of drought, rivers and the delta are being drained by farmers and developers. A 2009 study released by the American Sportfishing Association estimates that the shutdown of the salmon fishery cost California 23,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in economic activity. The same study projects that a full recovery of California's Central Valley chinook salmon runs can potentially provide $5.7 billion in new economic activity and 94,000 new jobs. We need those jobs! Salmon have been around since before the ice age. We can't afford to be the generation that forces them into extinction, but we will if we continue to let rivers and the delta be drained by special interests that do not have salmon in mind. I will be sponsoring a Salmon Summit in conjunction with Reps. Anna Eshoo, Mike Thompson, George Miller and Lynn Woolsey. I encourage the public to get involved by attending this free meeting to learn more about what is killing our salmon and what can be done to save them. Jackie Speier represents San Mateo and San Francisco counties in the U.S. House of Representatives. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Dec 3 13:44:25 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 13:44:25 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Hatchery Count to November 18 2010 Message-ID: <028e01cb9333$41c62170$c5526450$@net> Folks, Attached is the most recent update for the hatchery as well as completed trapping totals at two main stem weirs, Let me know if you have any questions. Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Northern California - North Coast District Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weir&TRH_summary10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 88064 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Dec 3 23:01:04 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2010 23:01:04 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] F&WS Director Message-ID: <02ea01cb9381$05b6a030$1123e090$@net> cid:3374259171_1910889 Secretary Salazar Applauds President's Nomination of Dan Ashe to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service _____ 12/03/2010 Contact: Hugh Vickery (202) 208-6416 WASHINGTON, D.C.-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama's nomination of Dan Ashe to be the next Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ashe currently serves as the agency's deputy director. "As a senior manager with the Fish and Wildlife Service for more than 15 years, Dan Ashe has experience leading many of the agency's programs, including the National Wildlife Refuge System and the migratory bird program," Salazar said. "He is an outstanding choice to ensure the Service's programs are both innovative and science-driven as we face the challenges of managing our fish and wildlife resources in the 21st century." If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Ashe would succeed Sam Hamilton, who died last February. Rowan Gould has served as Acting Director since February 2009. Ashe has served as the Service's deputy director since August 2009. From 2003 to 2009, he was the science advisor to the Service's director with broad responsibility in providing counsel and leadership in developing the agency's scientific policy and scientific applications for resource management. Prior to that, Ashe served as the Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System from 1998 to 2003, directing operation and management of the 93 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System and the Service's land acquisition program. Ashe joined the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1995 as assistant director for external affairs where he directed the agency's programs in legislative, public, and Native American affairs, research coordination, and state grants-in-aid. >From 1982 until 1995, Ashe was a member of the professional staff of the former Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ashe has a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences from the Florida State University and a graduate degree in marine affairs from the University of Washington. ### Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 69765 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Mon Dec 6 15:01:32 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 15:01:32 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update December 6, 2010 Message-ID: Hi all, See the link in the bottom message to our latest update. The weather got a bit uncooperative about midweek so the following Reaches were not surveyed due to low visibility: Reach 3 - Bucktail to Steelbridge Reach 4 - Steelbridge to Douglas City Campground) Reach 13 - Camp Kimtu to Roland's Bar Reach 14 - Roland's Bar to Weitchpec It's really too bad we couldn't get the lowest two reaches surveyed ; there were 108 new redds in the Hawkins Bar to Camp Kimtu stretch alone. Upstream, there are more Coho Salmon beginning to show in our carcass data, especially upstream of Bucktail. Next week's report may reflect non-surveyed sections again. Flow at Junction City today (12/6) is nearly double what it was yesterday and Sky Ranch area was too turbid to survey. Another round of moisture is forecast to move through Tuesday evening and Wednesday. We've mapped 3,728 redds this year as of last Thursday December 2. Thanks for checking out our in-season reports! Charlie ----- Forwarded by Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/R1/FWS/DOI on 11/15/2010 01:18 PM ----- Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2010 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Dec 6 17:46:52 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 17:46:52 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] San Francisco Chronicle Editorial 12/6/10 Message-ID: <00a701cb95b0$a0e44bd0$e2ace370$@net> A risky development San Francisco Chronicle-12/6/10 When DMB Associates, a developer from Scottsdale, Ariz., began talking to the city of Redwood City about building an enormous housing project on a sprawl of salt ponds near Highway 101, company officials were told that they had to find their own water solution. "One of the first things we learned from Redwood City was that they're already upside-down on water," said DMB Associates Vice President David Smith. So DMB put together a complex water transfer with a family from Bakersfield to buy enough water for their development - and, if needs be, to kick back a little water to Redwood City in tough times. The water agreement is precedent-setting, just like the development itself. But both of the precedents being set here are the wrong ones. DMB struck a deal with Nickel Family LLC, a Bakersfield agriculture company that's made a fortune by marketing its water rights to developers in the Bakersfield area. For an undisclosed sum (that probably ran into the tens of millions of dollars), DMB will have 8,393 acre-feet of guaranteed water from the family - about 2.7 billion gallons, for as long as 70 years. Because there's no way to move that water from Bakersfield up to Redwood City, the water exists only on paper. The Nickel family is supposed to now receive 8,393 acre-feet less water, while a water agency up north is supposed to increase its share from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Then, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission would move the extra water to Redwood City. Confused yet? So are a number of observers in the Bay Area, who see everything about this water deal - and about this development - as something that California needs to avoid. In a letter to Redwood City's mayor, Jeff Ira, state Assemblyman Jared Huffman , D-San Rafael, called the transfer "legally suspect" and added, "The idea that there is a substantial amount of water in Kern County that is unneeded and available for sale without redirected impacts is fanciful. In reality, California's future water reliability and the Delta ecosystem will require fewer diversions of water from the Central Valley, not more." In reality, California's future sea levels also make the location of DMB's development unacceptable. The idea of building 12,000 new homes on potentially restorable salt ponds right at the bay's edge isn't just irresponsible, it flies in the face of California's climate change policies. DMB says that the development will be encircled by levees built to withstand up to 55 inches of sea level rise. But levees fail, and when they do, taxpayers are left to pay for the mess. This region already has more than enough homes and businesses imperiled by rising sea levels. There's no good reason for Redwood City to continue entertaining a project so fraught with environmental and fiscal risk.# Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Dec 6 17:48:55 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 17:48:55 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Ventura County Star 12/4/10 and San Mateo Daily Journal 12/6/10 Message-ID: <00ac01cb95b0$e9ab2000$bd016000$@net> Summit focuses on restoration of Calif salmon runs Ventura County Star-12/4/10 SUDHIN THANAWALA HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) - Members of Congress and fishermen grilled federal and state officials on Saturday about efforts to restore California's once-abundant salmon runs. U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, who helped organize Saturday's wild Pacific salmon summit, said she was alarmed by dwindling salmon populations and suggested more needed to be done to prevent their demise. "We have evidence and science suggesting we're losing the salmon run, and we're not doing anything about it," Speier told Federico Barajas, a representative of the federal Bureau of Reclamation. Barajas spoke about a conservation plan in the works for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta aimed in part at restoring sensitive and endangered species and their habitat. The Sacramento River Basin has experienced particularly dramatic losses in its once-healthy runs of fall chinook salmon - the cornerstone of commercial fisheries in Oregon and California. Numbers there have plummeted from about 770,000 returning chinook in 2002 to a record-low 39,500 fall chinook last year. Officials have responded with a ban on commercial fishing the past two seasons that has devastated the industry. "It's not just the salmon (we're losing)," said Rod McInnis, a representative of the National Marine Fisheries Service. "It's the communities and the good people who built those communities and are tied together by salmon." Many in the fishing industry blame the decline on the transfer of water from the Sacramento River to farms in the San Joaquin Valley. But Jerry Johns with the California Department of Water Resources said other factors, including toxins in the water and predators, were also to blame. Representatives of the fishing industry say whatever is causing the decline, their livelihoods are at stake. Dick Pool, owner of Concord-based Pro-Troll Inc., which manufactures salmon fishing equipment, said his business is suffering. "Last three years have been mighty tough. We haven't made a dollar," he said. "We need some emergency action here if we're ever going to fish again."# http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/dec/04/summit-focuses-on-restoration-of-cali f-salmon/?print=1 Saving salmon: Decline of iconic fish hurting economy San Mateo Daily Journal-12/6/10 By Bill Silverfarb Peggy Beckett is struggling to keep her coastal sportfishing shop open as salmon numbers decline. Five years ago, Peggy and Bill Beckett had plans to one day sell their coastal sportfishing shop to help them get through retirement. The couple spent their entire adult lives fishing for salmon, chartering boats and selling bait and tackle to recreational anglers. But salmon season was closed in both 2008 and 2009 and Bill Beckett died just more than a year ago. Although salmon season was opened this year, Peggy Beckett said there was "no fish locally to catch." Now Peggy wonders whether she will be able to keep the Huck Finn Center at Pillar Point open another year. She has put every dollar she has into keeping the shop open but is not sure she will be able to renew the lease when it expires in 18 months. She first landed in Half Moon Bay with her husband on their boat the Red Baron back in 1987. The couple saw some incredible years together as fishermen, especially in 2002 when a record-high 800,000 Central Valley Chinook salmon returned to spawn in the Sacramento River. Anglers were able to haul in an incredible 700,000 salmon out of the Pacific Ocean that year. Last year, less than 40,000 fall Chinooks returned to Central Valley rivers, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. The low numbers have brought the salmon fishing industry to the brink of extinction and has cost the state billions in revenue. Locally, Beckett knows she is not the only one suffering through the decline in salmon numbers. The bookings she makes for local charter boats has dropped dramatically. Duncan MacLean, who captains the boat Barbara Faye out of Pillar Point, has been forced to take his boat to fishing waters off the coast of Oregon and Washington this past year to keep food on the table. For MacLean, "fishing was never a living and always a lifestyle." But the lifestyle is deteriorating, he told a packed house of fishermen and government officials at a salmon summit at Mavericks Lodge and Event Center at Pillar Point Saturday, hosted by U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo. Speier, along with U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, invited scientists, state water agency representatives and those affected by the industry's decline to gather at Pillar Point to discuss what is needed to restore California's salmon runs. Central Valley Chinook salmon runs, if recovered fully, could provide 94,000 new jobs and $5.7 billion in annual revenue for the state. The numbers have dropped for a variety of reasons, including pollution and predation. But many fisherman, including Dick Pool and Marc Gorelnik, blame water diversions out of the Delta and the state agencies that allow it for bringing salmon to the brink of extinction. "If business as usual continues, this fish is headed for extinction," said Pool, the owner of Pro-Troll Fishing Products in Concord. Gorelnik, who serves on the board of the Coastside Fishing Club, blames corporate farms, and Southern California parks and golf courses for draining water away from the Delta at the expense of salmon and the industry the fish supports. "State agencies are playing God, by diverting water to the San Joaquin Valley. Access to salmon is critical to the livelihood of coastal communities," Gorelnik said. It is not "Mother Nature" at work in the salmon's decline but something more "sinister," Gorelnik said. But it is not all bad news for salmon, said Tina Swanson, executive director and chief scientist at The Bay Institute. "Salmon is a resilient species. If we improve conditions, they will be able to bounce back," Swanson said. Restoring the Delta's ecosystem and improving fresh water inflow will be key to the recovery of the species," Swanson said. A collaboration of state, federal, and local water agencies, state and federal fish agencies and environmental groups are currently preparing the Bay Delta Conservation Plan with the goal of identifying water flow and habitat restoration actions to recover endangered and sensitive species and their habitats in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The plan, however, is in its early stages and is not expected to be completed until 2013. For some fisherman, that may be too long. "We can't wait 20 years in the future. We need emergency actions. We need help now or we will never fish again," Pro-Troll Fishing Products owner Pool said. Peggy Beckett, 63, can't wait 20 years either for solving salmon's decline. "I'm out of savings both personally and for the business. I can't afford employees," Beckett said. She has no retirement and is too old for a career change, she said. "Salmon is an indicator of what will happen to all of us," Beckett said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Dec 9 12:21:21 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 12:21:21 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times 12/8/10 Message-ID: <01fb01cb97de$a6eaa300$f4bfe900$@net> Panel calls Delta recovery plan woefully incomplete Contra Costa Times-12/8/10 By Mike Taugher A national panel of experts appeared frustrated Wednesday by gaping holes in a developing master plan for the Delta despite four years and $140 million in studies. The report provided the committee no straightforward description of the recovery goals for the Delta ecosystem, no analysis of water demands compared to available supplies and, perhaps most troubling, portions of an ongoing study on the environmental effects of the proposal were described as woefully incomplete. How can the panel review the science behind the plan, asked Denise Reed of the University of New Orleans, when the analysis provided contains "no depth, frankly?" The National Academy of Sciences panel has been reviewing new environmental regulations, water supply and ecosystem problems in the Delta for about a year. Next fall, the group is set to release its final report that will analyze the Delta's environmental problems and provide recommendations for moving toward solutions. The reviews were triggered by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, acting at the request of Kern County water and farming magnate Stewart Resnick, to review new restrictions on Delta pumping. But a public session Wednesday focused largely on a more recent assignment, scheduled to be done in April, that involves evaluating the science used in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The plan would move Sacramento River water by canal or tunnels to the south as part of a sweeping strategy to restore the West Coast's largest estuary. Its cost would exceed $11 billion. Supporters hope it will lead to the recovery of declining fish species and stable water supplies. But it is facing growing questions about its viability. Can the conservation plan provide enough water to make it financially worthwhile for water districts, or does significantly more water need to flow into San Francisco Bay to help fish? Despite the lack of answers to basic questions the panel had, Jason Peltier, Assistant General Manager of Westlands Water District, said that after more than 100 meetings and $140 million, it was time to make decisions. "We have to make decisions with the science we have," Peltier said. But Reed, echoing a number of colleagues who expressed dismay at the lack of answers to basic questions, asked how the committee could meet its charge to evaluate science when, "frankly, it hasn't been provided." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Dec 9 13:50:03 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 13:50:03 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 Message-ID: <024401cb97eb$0b3ce500$21b6af00$@net> Friends of Trinity River draws to a close BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL Friends of Trinity River, founded to protect and restore the river and its tributaries, has announced it will cease operations. The organization's founder and board chairman, Byron Leydecker of Mill Valley, said the group which has about 1,700 members has accomplished many objectives. "I am 83 years old and that figures into it," he added. "There is no successor lined up here." You could say Leydecker jumped right into Trinity River issues. It started on a steelhead fishing trip in 1992 when he got stuck in sediments like "quicksand" from a restoration project going on upstream and had to be rescued. Leydecker found such projects to be irrational, and with a group of like-minded citizens started the predecessor organization to Friends of Trinity River which put a stop to channel projects until full environmental reports and the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision were completed. Friends of Trinity River has also worked with the restoration program and was instrumental in obtaining funding for the bridge replacements that have allowed higher Trinity River flows. Members also helped to reauthorize the original restoration program that expired in 1994. Another member of the Friends of Trinity River board, retired Trinity County senior resource planner Tom Stokely, had high praise for Leydecker although their first conversation was heated. "Actually, the first time I met Byron he called me on the phone. It was in the summer of 92 and he immediately started yelling at me," Stokely said. It was after the fishing trip which wound up with Leydecker stuck in the mud. "He was not very popular with the restoration program," Stokely said, but he added the resulting full environmental study for the program likely made former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's Trinity River decision possible. The decision returned almost half of the river's pre-dam water flows to the river. Leydecker added that members have helped to increase the certainty of the river retaining that water by commenting on many environmental assessments, statements and reports, and have educated officials and the public. "Byron's done a great job," Stokely said, adding that he's hopeful Leydecker will have more time to do things for the river without the burden of administrative duties. Both Stokely and Leydecker said there are still issues to be addressed. One goal is to get the Bureau of Reclamation's water permits for the Trinity River, which allow a minimum annual flow down the river of only 120,000 acre-feet, amended to reflect the Record of Decision which calls for much higher flows even in a critically dry year. The decision also calls for $2 million annually for work on the Trinity River's watersheds and tributaries where steelhead and coho spawn. The amount spent for that is currently $500,000, and Friends of Trinity River lobbied to get it up to that amount. They also want to see use of independent science review panels, as called for in the Record of Decision, to study projects on the river both before and after they are completed. Leydecker is also concerned that the Trinity Management Council's direct connection to the Interior Secretary in times of disagreement has been shifted to lower level employees. Leydecker said he still plans to be involved with Trinity River issues, and members can still accomplish their aims without the paperwork to maintain a corporation. He is working to turn over remaining Friends of Trinity River funds of about $10,000 to the California Water Impact Network (C-WINN) with the provision that they be used exclusively for advancement of Trinity River restoration. The goal is to have river Friends operations closed down by the end of the year, Leydecker said. He recommends any members wishing to stay involved with the Trinity River consider C-WIN, which has a Web site, www.c-win.org. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From frank.t.emerson at gmail.com Thu Dec 9 14:47:24 2010 From: frank.t.emerson at gmail.com (Frank Emerson) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 14:47:24 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] [FOTR] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 In-Reply-To: References: <024401cb97eb$0b3ce500$21b6af00$@net> Message-ID: What MaryEllen said! And Happy Holidays to everyone at FOTR. Thanks so much Byron. Frank Emerson CRSA (831) 277-0544 On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 2:24 PM, MaryEllen Mueller wrote: > > Thank you Byron for everything you have done to get us where we are today > on the Trinity River. You have been a tireless warrior and have > accomplished so much. It is much appreciated and I hope you will always > stay involved and keep an eye on things. Sincerely, Mary Ellen Mueller > > > > Mary Ellen Mueller, Ph.D. > Research Manager,WERC > 3020 State University Drive East > Modoc Hall, Suite 3006 > Sacramento, CA 95819 > Office: 916 278 9572 > mmueller at usgs.gov > > > From: "Byron Leydecker" To: "FOTR List" < > fotr at mailman.dcn.org>, "Trinity List" Date: 12/09/2010 > 01:53 PM Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 Sent by: > env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > ------------------------------ > > > > *Friends of Trinity River draws to a close * > BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL > > *Friends of Trinity River, founded to protect and restore the river and > its tributaries, has announced it will cease operations. * > > *The organization?s founder and board chairman, Byron Leydecker of Mill > Valley, said the group which has about 1,700 members has accomplished many > objectives. * > > *?I am 83 years old and that figures into it,? he added. ?There is no > successor lined up here.? * > > *You could say Leydecker jumped right into Trinity River issues. It > started on a steelhead fishing trip in 1992 when he got stuck in sediments > like ?quicksand? from a restoration project going on upstream and had to be > rescued. Leydecker found such projects to be irrational, and with a group of > like-minded citizens started the predecessor organization to Friends of > Trinity River which put a stop to channel projects until full environmental > reports and the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision were completed. * > > *Friends of Trinity River has also worked with the restoration program > and was instrumental in obtaining funding for the bridge replacements that > have allowed higher Trinity River flows. * > > *Members also helped to reauthorize the original restoration program that > expired in 1994. * > > *Another member of the Friends of Trinity River board, retired Trinity > County senior resource planner Tom Stokely, had high praise for Leydecker > although their first conversation was heated. * > > *?Actually, the first time I met Byron he called me on the phone. It was > in the summer of 92 and he immediately started yelling at me,? Stokely said. > It was after the fishing trip which wound up with Leydecker stuck in the > mud. * > > *?He was not very popular with the restoration program,? Stokely said, > but he added the resulting full environmental study for the program likely > made former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt?s Trinity River decision > possible. The decision returned almost half of the river?s pre-dam water > flows to the river. * > > *Leydecker added that members have helped to increase the certainty of > the river retaining that water by commenting on many environmental > assessments, statements and reports, and have educated officials and the > public. * > > *?Byron?s done a great job,? Stokely said, adding that he?s hopeful > Leydecker will have more time to do things for the river without the burden > of administrative duties. * > > *Both Stokely and Leydecker said there are still issues to be addressed. > * > > *One goal is to get the Bureau of Reclamation?s water permits for the > Trinity River, which allow a minimum annual flow down the river of only > 120,000 acre-feet, amended to reflect the Record of Decision which calls for > much higher flows even in a critically dry year. * > > *The decision also calls for $2 million annually for work on the Trinity > River?s watersheds and tributaries where steelhead and coho spawn. The > amount spent for that is currently $500,000, and Friends of Trinity River > lobbied to get it up to that amount. * > > *They also want to see use of independent science review panels, as > called for in the Record of Decision, to study projects on the river both > before and after they are completed. * > > *Leydecker is also concerned that the Trinity Management Council?s direct > connection to the Interior Secretary in times of disagreement has been > shifted to lower level employees. * > > *Leydecker said he still plans to be involved with Trinity River issues, > and members can still accomplish their aims without the paperwork to > maintain a corporation. * > > *He is working to turn over remaining Friends of Trinity River funds of > about $10,000 to the California Water Impact Network (C-WINN) with the > provision that they be used exclusively for advancement of Trinity River > restoration. The goal is to have river Friends operations closed down by the > end of the year, Leydecker said. * > > *He recommends any members wishing to stay involved with the Trinity > River consider C-WIN, which has a Web site, **www.c-win.org* > *. * > * * > * * > *Byron Leydecker, JcT* > *Chair, Friends of Trinity River* > *PO Box 2327* > *Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327* > *415 383 4810 land* > *415 519 4810 mobile* > *bwl3 at comcast.net* > *bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org* * ** > (secondary)* > *http://www.fotr.org* * * > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > > > _______________________________________________ > FOTR mailing list > FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From caltrout at sbcglobal.net Thu Dec 9 18:10:56 2010 From: caltrout at sbcglobal.net (Thomas Weseloh) Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 18:10:56 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] CalTrout resignation Message-ID: <011601cb980f$7b9a9210$72cfb630$@sbcglobal.net> Dear Friends: December 10 is my last day with CalTrout. My 20+ years with the organization have been wonderful and rewarding. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with you to protect and restore our watersheds and fish populations. Thank you for your friendship and support. I am excited to announce I have accepted a position as the Consultant to the California Legislative Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture chaired by Assemblyman Wes Chesbro. I'm honored to be joining his staff. Beginning December 13 my new contact information will be: tom.weseloh at asm.ca.gov 707.445.7014. As a result of my change in positions I will no longer be able to serve as a TAMWG member or on any associated work groups and committees. CalTrout will apply for membership during the next application process. While the TRRP process has been difficult, I've thoroughly enjoyed working with you and sincerely hope you succeed in fully restoring the Trinity River. Thank you and please be in touch, especially if I can be of assistance in my new capacity. Thomas J. Weseloh, Northcoast Manager California Trout Description: Description: Description: email sig fish Keeper of the Streams 1976 Archer Rd. McKinleyville, CA 95519 707.839.1056 caltrout at sbcglobal.net www.caltrout.org P.S. I apologize for any duplicate messages or anyone I may have inadvertently omitted. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1675 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Irma.Lagomarsino at noaa.gov Fri Dec 10 08:55:40 2010 From: Irma.Lagomarsino at noaa.gov (Irma Lagomarsino) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 08:55:40 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] CalTrout resignation In-Reply-To: <011601cb980f$7b9a9210$72cfb630$@sbcglobal.net> References: <011601cb980f$7b9a9210$72cfb630$@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: <4D025B8C.3090809@noaa.gov> Tom, Thank you for your many, many years of dedicated efforts to restore our public trust resources in the Trinity River and in other Northern California watersheds. Your extensive fishing experience and knowledge of fish biology/ecology uniquely combined with an understanding of environmental laws and policy has enabled you to be one of our strongest advocates for common sense resource management and restoration. Best of luck in your new position and you will be missed. Sincerely, Irma Thomas Weseloh wrote: > > Dear Friends: > > > > December 10 is my last day with CalTrout. My 20+ years with the > organization have been wonderful and rewarding. I am grateful for the > opportunity to have worked with you to protect and restore our > watersheds and fish populations. Thank you for your friendship and > support. > > > > I am excited to announce I have accepted a position as the Consultant > to the California Legislative Joint Committee on Fisheries and > Aquaculture chaired by Assemblyman Wes Chesbro. I'm honored to be > joining his staff. > > > > Beginning December 13 my new contact information will be: > > tom.weseloh at asm.ca.gov > > 707.445.7014. > > > > As a result of my change in positions I will no longer be able to > serve as a TAMWG member or on any associated work groups and > committees. CalTrout will apply for membership during the next > application process. > > > > While the TRRP process has been difficult, I've thoroughly enjoyed > working with you and sincerely hope you succeed in fully restoring the > Trinity River. > > > > Thank you and please be in touch, especially if I can be of assistance > in my new capacity. > > > > Thomas J. Weseloh, Northcoast Manager > > California Trout > > /Description: Description: Description: email sig fish Keeper of the > Streams/ > > 1976 Archer Rd. McKinleyville, CA 95519 > > 707.839.1056 > > caltrout at sbcglobal.net > > www.caltrout.org > > > > P.S. I apologize for any duplicate messages or anyone I may have > inadvertently omitted. > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 1675 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Irma_Lagomarsino.vcf Type: text/x-vcard Size: 257 bytes Desc: not available URL: From pbrucker at srrc.org Fri Dec 10 11:46:04 2010 From: pbrucker at srrc.org (Peter Brucker) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:46:04 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] CalTrout resignation In-Reply-To: <011601cb980f$7b9a9210$72cfb630$@sbcglobal.net> References: <011601cb980f$7b9a9210$72cfb630$@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: Tom, I also want to thank you for you incredible commitment to our watersheds and the fish. Thanks for promoting a sense of sound reasoning, on the ground virtues, and good science amongst us all. Your dedication is worthy of noting in the many venues, forums, sessions etc. that you've participated in and we've shared together at times over the years. It always been reassuring to know that you've been on it. Although change is good and needed at times, we will miss you in your old capacity and work. I look forward to hearing from and/or about you in your new position with Wes. It is is very exciting. I wish you well in your new work and life changes. Keep fishing. Sooner, Petey Brucker Salmon River Restoration Council Forks of Salmon, CA 96031 530-598 - 4229 ------------------------------------- 2010/12/9 Thomas Weseloh > Dear Friends: > > > > December 10 is my last day with CalTrout. My 20+ years with the > organization have been wonderful and rewarding. I am grateful for the > opportunity to have worked with you to protect and restore our watersheds > and fish populations. Thank you for your friendship and support. > > > > I am excited to announce I have accepted a position as the Consultant to > the California Legislative Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture > chaired by Assemblyman Wes Chesbro. I?m honored to be joining his staff. > > > > Beginning December 13 my new contact information will be: > > tom.weseloh at asm.ca.gov > > 707.445.7014. > > > > As a result of my change in positions I will no longer be able to serve as > a TAMWG member or on any associated work groups and committees. CalTrout > will apply for membership during the next application process. > > > > While the TRRP process has been difficult, I?ve thoroughly enjoyed working > with you and sincerely hope you succeed in fully restoring the Trinity > River. > > > > Thank you and please be in touch, especially if I can be of assistance in > my new capacity. > > > > Thomas J. Weseloh, Northcoast Manager > > California Trout > > *[image: Description: Description: Description: email sig fish] Keeper of > the Streams* > > 1976 Archer Rd. McKinleyville, CA 95519 > > 707.839.1056 > > caltrout at sbcglobal.net > > www.caltrout.org > > > > P.S. I apologize for any duplicate messages or anyone I may have > inadvertently omitted. > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From amey at mindspring.com Sun Dec 12 15:19:13 2010 From: amey at mindspring.com (Amey Miller) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 18:19:13 -0500 Subject: [env-trinity] [FOTR] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 In-Reply-To: References: <024401cb97eb$0b3ce500$21b6af00$@net> Message-ID: <5100E4B0-64E0-43FB-88F6-DB11B6FD44C5@mindspring.com> What Mary Ellen and Frank said! I wonder if some have not yet signed up for the other list because they can't quite believe they need to! Byron's updates have been one of the hearts of my email life, and have definitely impacted my understanding of California's ongoing environmental crises. Many thanks to Byron& All Best to the FOTR family. Amey Miller On Dec 9, 2010, at 5:47 PM, Frank Emerson wrote: > What MaryEllen said! And Happy Holidays to everyone at FOTR. > > Thanks so much Byron. > > Frank Emerson > CRSA > (831) 277-0544 > > On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 2:24 PM, MaryEllen Mueller > wrote: > > Thank you Byron for everything you have done to get us where we are > today on the Trinity River. You have been a tireless warrior and > have accomplished so much. It is much appreciated and I hope you > will always stay involved and keep an eye on things. Sincerely, > Mary Ellen Mueller > > > > Mary Ellen Mueller, Ph.D. > Research Manager,WERC > 3020 State University Drive East > Modoc Hall, Suite 3006 > Sacramento, CA 95819 > Office: 916 278 9572 > mmueller at usgs.gov > > > From: "Byron Leydecker" > To: "FOTR List" , "Trinity List" > > Date: 12/09/2010 01:53 PM > Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 > Sent by: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > > > > > Friends of Trinity River draws to a close > BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL > > Friends of Trinity River, founded to protect and restore the river > and its tributaries, has announced it will cease operations. > > The organization?s founder and board chairman, Byron Leydecker of > Mill Valley, said the group which has about 1,700 members has > accomplished many objectives. > > ?I am 83 years old and that figures into it,? he added. ?There is no > successor lined up here.? > > You could say Leydecker jumped right into Trinity River issues. It > started on a steelhead fishing trip in 1992 when he got stuck in > sediments like ?quicksand? from a restoration project going on > upstream and had to be rescued. Leydecker found such projects to be > irrational, and with a group of like-minded citizens started the > predecessor organization to Friends of Trinity River which put a > stop to channel projects until full environmental reports and the > 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision were completed. > > Friends of Trinity River has also worked with the restoration > program and was instrumental in obtaining funding for the bridge > replacements that have allowed higher Trinity River flows. > > Members also helped to reauthorize the original restoration program > that expired in 1994. > > Another member of the Friends of Trinity River board, retired > Trinity County senior resource planner Tom Stokely, had high praise > for Leydecker although their first conversation was heated. > > ?Actually, the first time I met Byron he called me on the phone. It > was in the summer of 92 and he immediately started yelling at me,? > Stokely said. It was after the fishing trip which wound up with > Leydecker stuck in the mud. > > ?He was not very popular with the restoration program,? Stokely > said, but he added the resulting full environmental study for the > program likely made former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt?s > Trinity River decision possible. The decision returned almost half > of the river?s pre-dam water flows to the river. > > Leydecker added that members have helped to increase the certainty > of the river retaining that water by commenting on many > environmental assessments, statements and reports, and have educated > officials and the public. > > ?Byron?s done a great job,? Stokely said, adding that he?s hopeful > Leydecker will have more time to do things for the river without the > burden of administrative duties. > > Both Stokely and Leydecker said there are still issues to be > addressed. > > One goal is to get the Bureau of Reclamation?s water permits for the > Trinity River, which allow a minimum annual flow down the river of > only 120,000 acre-feet, amended to reflect the Record of Decision > which calls for much higher flows even in a critically dry year. > > The decision also calls for $2 million annually for work on the > Trinity River?s watersheds and tributaries where steelhead and coho > spawn. The amount spent for that is currently $500,000, and Friends > of Trinity River lobbied to get it up to that amount. > > They also want to see use of independent science review panels, as > called for in the Record of Decision, to study projects on the river > both before and after they are completed. > > Leydecker is also concerned that the Trinity Management Council?s > direct connection to the Interior Secretary in times of disagreement > has been shifted to lower level employees. > > Leydecker said he still plans to be involved with Trinity River > issues, and members can still accomplish their aims without the > paperwork to maintain a corporation. > > He is working to turn over remaining Friends of Trinity River funds > of about $10,000 to the California Water Impact Network (C-WINN) > with the provision that they be used exclusively for advancement of > Trinity River restoration. The goal is to have river Friends > operations closed down by the end of the year, Leydecker said. > > He recommends any members wishing to stay involved with the Trinity > River consider C-WIN, which has a Web site, www.c-win.org. > > > Byron Leydecker, JcT > Chair, Friends of Trinity River > PO Box 2327 > Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 > 415 383 4810 land > 415 519 4810 mobile > bwl3 at comcast.net > bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) > http://www.fotr.org > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > FOTR mailing list > FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > FOTR mailing list > FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From moira at onramp113.com Sun Dec 12 21:56:01 2010 From: moira at onramp113.com (Moira Burke) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 21:56:01 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] [FOTR] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 In-Reply-To: <5100E4B0-64E0-43FB-88F6-DB11B6FD44C5@mindspring.com> References: <024401cb97eb$0b3ce500$21b6af00$@net> <5100E4B0-64E0-43FB-88F6-DB11B6FD44C5@mindspring.com> Message-ID: <8287D185-F6CC-484D-BD17-6DC40D78710D@onramp113.com> Not sure about this, Amey. Are you saying that Trinity List will be shut down? The info. from Byron has been invaluable to me in following the Delta issue. Please let me know. Thank you. Moira M o i r a B u r k e tel 707 678 3591 On Dec 12, 2010, at 3:19 PM, Amey Miller wrote: > What Mary Ellen and Frank said! I wonder if some have not yet signed up for the other list because they can't quite believe they need to! Byron's updates have been one of the hearts of my email life, and have definitely impacted my understanding of California's ongoing environmental crises. Many thanks to Byron& All Best to the FOTR family. Amey Miller > > On Dec 9, 2010, at 5:47 PM, Frank Emerson wrote: > >> What MaryEllen said! And Happy Holidays to everyone at FOTR. >> >> Thanks so much Byron. >> >> Frank Emerson >> CRSA >> (831) 277-0544 >> >> On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 2:24 PM, MaryEllen Mueller wrote: >> >> Thank you Byron for everything you have done to get us where we are today on the Trinity River. You have been a tireless warrior and have accomplished so much. It is much appreciated and I hope you will always stay involved and keep an eye on things. Sincerely, Mary Ellen Mueller >> >> >> >> Mary Ellen Mueller, Ph.D. >> Research Manager,WERC >> 3020 State University Drive East >> Modoc Hall, Suite 3006 >> Sacramento, CA 95819 >> Office: 916 278 9572 >> mmueller at usgs.gov >> >> >> From: "Byron Leydecker" >> To: "FOTR List" , "Trinity List" >> Date: 12/09/2010 01:53 PM >> Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 >> Sent by: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> >> >> >> >> Friends of Trinity River draws to a close >> BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL >> >> Friends of Trinity River, founded to protect and restore the river and its tributaries, has announced it will cease operations. >> >> The organization?s founder and board chairman, Byron Leydecker of Mill Valley, said the group which has about 1,700 members has accomplished many objectives. >> >> ?I am 83 years old and that figures into it,? he added. ?There is no successor lined up here.? >> >> You could say Leydecker jumped right into Trinity River issues. It started on a steelhead fishing trip in 1992 when he got stuck in sediments like ?quicksand? from a restoration project going on upstream and had to be rescued. Leydecker found such projects to be irrational, and with a group of like-minded citizens started the predecessor organization to Friends of Trinity River which put a stop to channel projects until full environmental reports and the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision were completed. >> >> Friends of Trinity River has also worked with the restoration program and was instrumental in obtaining funding for the bridge replacements that have allowed higher Trinity River flows. >> >> Members also helped to reauthorize the original restoration program that expired in 1994. >> >> Another member of the Friends of Trinity River board, retired Trinity County senior resource planner Tom Stokely, had high praise for Leydecker although their first conversation was heated. >> >> ?Actually, the first time I met Byron he called me on the phone. It was in the summer of 92 and he immediately started yelling at me,? Stokely said. It was after the fishing trip which wound up with Leydecker stuck in the mud. >> >> ?He was not very popular with the restoration program,? Stokely said, but he added the resulting full environmental study for the program likely made former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt?s Trinity River decision possible. The decision returned almost half of the river?s pre-dam water flows to the river. >> >> Leydecker added that members have helped to increase the certainty of the river retaining that water by commenting on many environmental assessments, statements and reports, and have educated officials and the public. >> >> ?Byron?s done a great job,? Stokely said, adding that he?s hopeful Leydecker will have more time to do things for the river without the burden of administrative duties. >> >> Both Stokely and Leydecker said there are still issues to be addressed. >> >> One goal is to get the Bureau of Reclamation?s water permits for the Trinity River, which allow a minimum annual flow down the river of only 120,000 acre-feet, amended to reflect the Record of Decision which calls for much higher flows even in a critically dry year. >> >> The decision also calls for $2 million annually for work on the Trinity River?s watersheds and tributaries where steelhead and coho spawn. The amount spent for that is currently $500,000, and Friends of Trinity River lobbied to get it up to that amount. >> >> They also want to see use of independent science review panels, as called for in the Record of Decision, to study projects on the river both before and after they are completed. >> >> Leydecker is also concerned that the Trinity Management Council?s direct connection to the Interior Secretary in times of disagreement has been shifted to lower level employees. >> >> Leydecker said he still plans to be involved with Trinity River issues, and members can still accomplish their aims without the paperwork to maintain a corporation. >> >> He is working to turn over remaining Friends of Trinity River funds of about $10,000 to the California Water Impact Network (C-WINN) with the provision that they be used exclusively for advancement of Trinity River restoration. The goal is to have river Friends operations closed down by the end of the year, Leydecker said. >> >> He recommends any members wishing to stay involved with the Trinity River consider C-WIN, which has a Web site, www.c-win.org. >> >> >> Byron Leydecker, JcT >> Chair, Friends of Trinity River >> PO Box 2327 >> Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 >> 415 383 4810 land >> 415 519 4810 mobile >> bwl3 at comcast.net >> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) >> http://www.fotr.org >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> env-trinity mailing list >> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> FOTR mailing list >> FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> FOTR mailing list >> FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Sun Dec 12 22:25:11 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 22:25:11 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: [FOTR] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 Message-ID: <001d01cb9a8e$7f56a750$7e03f5f0$@net> Greetings, Moira.The Friends of Trinity List will be closed down at the end of the year. The Env-Trinity List will continue into the foreseeable future, paid for by an advance payment from FOTR (or me). Byron From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Moira Burke Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2010 9:56 PM To: Amey Miller Cc: FOTR List; Trinity List; env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us; MaryEllen Mueller Subject: Re: [env-trinity] [FOTR] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 Not sure about this, Amey. Are you saying that Trinity List will be shut down? The info. from Byron has been invaluable to me in following the Delta issue. Please let me know. Thank you. Moira M o i r a B u r k e tel 707 678 3591 On Dec 12, 2010, at 3:19 PM, Amey Miller wrote: What Mary Ellen and Frank said! I wonder if some have not yet signed up for the other list because they can't quite believe they need to! Byron's updates have been one of the hearts of my email life, and have definitely impacted my understanding of California's ongoing environmental crises. Many thanks to Byron& All Best to the FOTR family. Amey Miller On Dec 9, 2010, at 5:47 PM, Frank Emerson wrote: What MaryEllen said! And Happy Holidays to everyone at FOTR. Thanks so much Byron. Frank Emerson CRSA (831) 277-0544 On Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 2:24 PM, MaryEllen Mueller wrote: Thank you Byron for everything you have done to get us where we are today on the Trinity River. You have been a tireless warrior and have accomplished so much. It is much appreciated and I hope you will always stay involved and keep an eye on things. Sincerely, Mary Ellen Mueller Mary Ellen Mueller, Ph.D. Research Manager,WERC 3020 State University Drive East Modoc Hall, Suite 3006 Sacramento, CA 95819 Office: 916 278 9572 mmueller at usgs.gov From: "Byron Leydecker" To: "FOTR List" , "Trinity List" Date: 12/09/2010 01:53 PM Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal 12/8/10 Sent by: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us _____ Friends of Trinity River draws to a close BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL Friends of Trinity River, founded to protect and restore the river and its tributaries, has announced it will cease operations. The organization's founder and board chairman, Byron Leydecker of Mill Valley, said the group which has about 1,700 members has accomplished many objectives. "I am 83 years old and that figures into it," he added. "There is no successor lined up here." You could say Leydecker jumped right into Trinity River issues. It started on a steelhead fishing trip in 1992 when he got stuck in sediments like "quicksand" from a restoration project going on upstream and had to be rescued. Leydecker found such projects to be irrational, and with a group of like-minded citizens started the predecessor organization to Friends of Trinity River which put a stop to channel projects until full environmental reports and the 2000 Trinity River Record of Decision were completed. Friends of Trinity River has also worked with the restoration program and was instrumental in obtaining funding for the bridge replacements that have allowed higher Trinity River flows. Members also helped to reauthorize the original restoration program that expired in 1994. Another member of the Friends of Trinity River board, retired Trinity County senior resource planner Tom Stokely, had high praise for Leydecker although their first conversation was heated. "Actually, the first time I met Byron he called me on the phone. It was in the summer of 92 and he immediately started yelling at me," Stokely said. It was after the fishing trip which wound up with Leydecker stuck in the mud. "He was not very popular with the restoration program," Stokely said, but he added the resulting full environmental study for the program likely made former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's Trinity River decision possible. The decision returned almost half of the river's pre-dam water flows to the river. Leydecker added that members have helped to increase the certainty of the river retaining that water by commenting on many environmental assessments, statements and reports, and have educated officials and the public. "Byron's done a great job," Stokely said, adding that he's hopeful Leydecker will have more time to do things for the river without the burden of administrative duties. Both Stokely and Leydecker said there are still issues to be addressed. One goal is to get the Bureau of Reclamation's water permits for the Trinity River, which allow a minimum annual flow down the river of only 120,000 acre-feet, amended to reflect the Record of Decision which calls for much higher flows even in a critically dry year. The decision also calls for $2 million annually for work on the Trinity River's watersheds and tributaries where steelhead and coho spawn. The amount spent for that is currently $500,000, and Friends of Trinity River lobbied to get it up to that amount. They also want to see use of independent science review panels, as called for in the Record of Decision, to study projects on the river both before and after they are completed. Leydecker is also concerned that the Trinity Management Council's direct connection to the Interior Secretary in times of disagreement has been shifted to lower level employees. Leydecker said he still plans to be involved with Trinity River issues, and members can still accomplish their aims without the paperwork to maintain a corporation. He is working to turn over remaining Friends of Trinity River funds of about $10,000 to the California Water Impact Network (C-WINN) with the provision that they be used exclusively for advancement of Trinity River restoration. The goal is to have river Friends operations closed down by the end of the year, Leydecker said. He recommends any members wishing to stay involved with the Trinity River consider C-WIN, which has a Web site, www.c-win.org. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity _______________________________________________ FOTR mailing list FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr _______________________________________________ FOTR mailing list FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00027.txt URL: From awhitridge at snowcrest.net Mon Dec 13 06:58:53 2010 From: awhitridge at snowcrest.net (Arnold Whitridge) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 06:58:53 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] agenda for TAMWG meeting, Tuesday, December 14 in Redding Message-ID: <01D1945365BD442C841B6FBCFDE49380@arnPC> Here's the proposed agenda for this week's meeting of the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group. All TAMWG meetings are open to the public. Arnold Whitridge, TAMWG chair 530 623-6688 Proposed Agenda TRINITY ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP Tuesday, December 14, 2010 Redding City Library, 1100 Parkview, Redding, CA Time Presentation, Discussion, and/or Action on: Presenter 1. 9:30 Adopt agenda; approve September minutes 2. 9:40 Open forum; public comment 3. 9:50 TMC Chair report Brian Person 4. 10:30 Channel rehabilitation program Andreas Krause, J. Faler Progress report, Phase II plan, design trends, design review 5. 11:30 Science program report Ernie Clarke 12:30 lunch on site 6. 1:00 Central Valley Project Operations Paul Fujitani, CVO reservoir management, TRRP-CVO interaction 7. 2:00 FWS California Hatchery Scientific Review Jim Smith, FWS Red Bluff 8. 3:00 Acting Executive Director's Report Jennifer Faler 9. 3:30 Designated Federal Officer topics Randy Brown 10. 4:00 TAMWG involvement in TRRP work groups Jennifer Faler 11. 4:30 TAMWG recommendations 12. 4:50 Tentative date and agenda topics for next meeting 5:00 Adjourn -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Draft TAMWG Agenda December 2010.doc Type: application/msword Size: 33280 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Jay_Glase at nps.gov Mon Dec 13 09:38:45 2010 From: Jay_Glase at nps.gov (Jay_Glase at nps.gov) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:38:45 -0500 Subject: [env-trinity] Serge, Byron, Tom Message-ID: what a crazy and sad few weeks it's been. I don't usually write to the list anymore, but all this news has me getting nostalgic. First the news about Serge birk. Regardless of who you worked for and whether you agreed with some of serge's ideas or not, there's a big hole without serge around. One thing I remember about Serge - we were at some fisheries event and he said something to me about how good it was to have a great wife - he was complimenting three people at once (not including himself!) and it was genuine. It helped me understand where his values really were. Even though I haven't seen Serge in years, I'm sad knowing he's not around. Then the end of FOTR. Byron, I remember the day you got stuck in that new side channel - Upper Svenson, I'm pretty sure it was. You and Herb Burton floated downstream from there and saw two USFWS employees working at one of the other side channels - we gave a wave since we knew it was Herb's boat, and Byron you waved back - kind of, in a very upset Byron kind of way - we new you were pretty mad about something. Interesting that this float trip and that side channel were the beginning of FOTR. Also interesting was that in the following year, after some high flows did some real work on the river, this side channel produced well over 10,000 salmon fry because it was so loaded with redds. Then in 1995 or 96, the river did some more work and completely eliminated that channel except for during high flow events. Seems like the river didn't like that location for a permanent side channel. Byron, we didn't always agree on what was good or not so good for the river and the fish, but you were one of the most instrumental individual in bringing more awareness to the Trinity than would have been possible without FOTR. Thanks for your hard work, and happy fishing! And now Tom is leaving Cal-Trout? What's going on - isn't this kind of like Brett Favre leaving the Greenbay Packers? Ok, go ahead and soak that one in Tom - but really, you've been with Cal Trout and involved with the Trinity work for such a long time that it's impossible to think of you not there. Good luck with your future adventures - I'm sure you'll do great work as you have for the past couple of decades on the Trinity. So, no more depressing news from anyone ok? - just enjoy the holidays and go find some snow to play in like we're supposed to do this time of year. Cheers and Happy Holidays to everyone in the trinity family jay glase, Midwest Regional Fish Biologist National Park Service From ESoderstrom at americanrivers.org Mon Dec 13 10:01:29 2010 From: ESoderstrom at americanrivers.org (Elizabeth Soderstrom) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:01:29 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] Serge, Byron, Tom In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <33B7D982780027419A3F9352BDB5B66004B01B96@ARVMEX01.amrivers.org> Greetings: I, too, am so saddened by the news of Serge. I loved seeing him and interacting with him at Trinity meetings. And when I would run into him in Sacramento, it was a blast of fresh air - he always had the biggest smile and the best hugs. He would lean into me and tell me something funny and it felt like I was part of Serge's world - which was a great place to be. I miss him. I am also sad to hear about the end of FOTR, but thankfully Bryon is still with us, and Tom's departure from CalTrout is disturbing, but I hope our paths cross again. Cheers, Elizabeth Elizabeth Soderstrom, PhD Senior Director of Conservation American Rivers 432 Broad Street Nevada City, CA 95959 Phone: 530 478 5694 Email: esoderstrom at amrivers.org -----Original Message----- From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Jay_Glase at nps.gov Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 9:39 AM To: Trinity List Subject: [env-trinity] Serge, Byron, Tom what a crazy and sad few weeks it's been. I don't usually write to the list anymore, but all this news has me getting nostalgic. First the news about Serge birk. Regardless of who you worked for and whether you agreed with some of serge's ideas or not, there's a big hole without serge around. One thing I remember about Serge - we were at some fisheries event and he said something to me about how good it was to have a great wife - he was complimenting three people at once (not including himself!) and it was genuine. It helped me understand where his values really were. Even though I haven't seen Serge in years, I'm sad knowing he's not around. Then the end of FOTR. Byron, I remember the day you got stuck in that new side channel - Upper Svenson, I'm pretty sure it was. You and Herb Burton floated downstream from there and saw two USFWS employees working at one of the other side channels - we gave a wave since we knew it was Herb's boat, and Byron you waved back - kind of, in a very upset Byron kind of way - we new you were pretty mad about something. Interesting that this float trip and that side channel were the beginning of FOTR. Also interesting was that in the following year, after some high flows did some real work on the river, this side channel produced well over 10,000 salmon fry because it was so loaded with redds. Then in 1995 or 96, the river did some more work and completely eliminated that channel except for during high flow events. Seems like the river didn't like that location for a permanent side channel. Byron, we didn't always agree on what was good or not so good for the river and the fish, but you were one of the most instrumental individual in bringing more awareness to the Trinity than would have been possible without FOTR. Thanks for your hard work, and happy fishing! And now Tom is leaving Cal-Trout? What's going on - isn't this kind of like Brett Favre leaving the Greenbay Packers? Ok, go ahead and soak that one in Tom - but really, you've been with Cal Trout and involved with the Trinity work for such a long time that it's impossible to think of you not there. Good luck with your future adventures - I'm sure you'll do great work as you have for the past couple of decades on the Trinity. So, no more depressing news from anyone ok? - just enjoy the holidays and go find some snow to play in like we're supposed to do this time of year. Cheers and Happy Holidays to everyone in the trinity family jay glase, Midwest Regional Fish Biologist National Park Service _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity From garabian at cacre.com Mon Dec 13 12:09:10 2010 From: garabian at cacre.com (Gary Arabian) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:09:10 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Friends of Trinity River In-Reply-To: <006401cb9194$f72d0060$e5870120$@net> References: <006401cb9194$f72d0060$e5870120$@net> Message-ID: <8A231E2184FA3C409687EDCE314BC7CF20762C847E@CACEXCBE01.cacsf.com> Byron: Thank you for your many years of dedicated service and unwavering focus on the restoration of the Trinity River. Few individuals in the California water wars have achieved the tangible results that you have over the past 18+ years; with the increased water allocations to the Trinity River memorialized in the Record of Decision the steelhead returned in numbers not seen since the pre-dam days. Byron, I know you will continue to be involved in the restoration of the Trinity; I just want to say thanks for all of your efforts to date and for caring enough to make a difference! My best, Gary Arabian California Trout Board of Governors? Member Gary Arabian Principal ? License No. 00844856 The CAC Group 255 California Street, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94111 415.291.8881 Direct 415.291.8208 Fax garabian at cacre.com Visit our website at http://www.thecacgroup.com ________________________________ From: Byron Leydecker [mailto:bwl3 at comcast.net] Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 12:19 PM To: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: Friends of Trinity River By now, most of you will have received our letter indicating that FOTR will conclude its operations at December 31. For those of you who may not have received the letter, a copy is attached. Additionally, we intend to continue several functions after December 31 as outlined below. First, our activities will proceed normally until then. You will be receiving our December Newsletter as usual. We will continue to maintain our website for some time into the future: www.fotr.org We also have arranged to continue the Env-Trinity List following FOTR's dissolution. However, since it makes no sense to pay for two Lists, we will be discontinuing the FOTR List. If you subscribe to the FOTR List, but not the Env-Trinity List, I suggest that you do so if you'd like to continue to be informed about Trinity restoration and related issues. There are many more subscribers to the FOTR List than to the Env-Trinity List currently. Postings will continue to be made to it. To subscribe to the Env-Trinity List, go to the website: http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity Additionally, we will continue to maintain our FOTR Facebook site. If you haven't visited it, you can do so by going to the following: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Trinity-River/110397522327168 Finally, we will continue to be involved personally in Trinity restoration and related issues. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Dec 13 16:54:24 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:54:24 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Trinity River Hatchery trapping update Message-ID: <004701cb9b2a$036c44f0$0a44ced0$@net> Attached is the most recent summary (through Dec. 9) for Trinity River Hatchery. Cheers, Wade Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Northern California - North Coast District -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weir&TRH_summary10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 88576 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Dec 13 19:21:39 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:21:39 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] (no subject) Message-ID: <007c01cb9b3e$950e4890$bf2ad9b0$@net> Mid-Pacific Region Sacramento, CA MP-10-186 Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at mp.usbr.gov For Release On: December 13, 2010 Reclamation Increases Flows in the Sacramento River for Flood Control Management of Shasta Reservoir On Tuesday, December 14, the Bureau of Reclamation will increase releases from Shasta Dam into the Sacramento River from 7,000 to 15,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) for flood control management. Although 15,000 cfs is the normal maximum summer time release, the public should be aware of the change and the increase flows will be released through the powerplant, not through the spillway. People who reside and/or are recreating in or along the Sacramento River should take appropriate safety precautions during periods of higher river flows. Shasta Dam, located 10 miles north of Redding, California, is a regulatory dam that forms Shasta Lake. Shasta Dam's primary purposes are flood control, irrigation, fish and wildlife habitat, salinity control in the Delta, and power production. The current storage in Shasta Lake is approximately 3,332,586 acre-feet. With a series of winter storms expected during the next 10 days, higher flows will occur in the river. Higher releases are expected as storage levels at Shasta Lake continue to encroach into the required flood control reservation storage. Daily information on expected flows in the Sacramento River can be found on the California Data Exchange Center website at http://cdec.water.ca.gov./cgi-progs/getAll?sens_num=23 or on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website at http://www.spk-wc.usace.army.mil/generic/rel_rep_s.html. For information on the Sacramento River, please visit Reclamation's Central Valley Operation Office website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvo. # # # Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Dec 13 19:25:45 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:25:45 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Comments on the Draft Finding of No Significant Impact San Luis Water District's and Panoche Water District's Water Service Interim Renewal Contracts 2011-2013 FONSI-10-070 Message-ID: <008a01cb9b3f$2336f400$69a4dc00$@net> Attached Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Final Comments Draft EA FONSI for San Luis and Panoche Interim Contract Renewals 12-2010.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 434108 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Dec 14 07:33:06 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:33:06 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Times Standard- Friends of Trinity River to close: Founder Byron Leydecker won't quit working for the river Message-ID: Friends of Trinity River to close; founder Byron Leydecker won't quit working for the river John Driscoll/The Times-Standard Posted: 12/14/2010 01:25:49 AM PST http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_16854377 Eighteen years ago, retired bank owner and fly fisherman Byron Leydecker was fishing downstream from Junction City on the Trinity River. For years, it had been a great riffle. Just upstream, the Trinity River Restoration Program had completed a channel modification project, one of many aimed at improving fisheries. But high water had hit the disturbed ground, muddying the water around Leydecker's feet. Soon, his feet were stuck in the mud. "I literally couldn't get out," Leydecker said. His friend and guide managed to get a raft to Leydecker and helped pull him out. Steaming mad, Leydecker called then-Trinity County planner Tom Stokely, saying the project was ridiculous, pumping huge amounts of mud into the clean river. When Leydecker asked Stokely what he might do about it, Stokely suggested Leydecker get a lawyer, go to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and ask for a cease-and-desist order. He succeeded. Oddly, Leydecker's first act toward helping on the Trinity River was to stop those restoration efforts. But Stokely said he was just getting the program back on track, demanding the projects undergo scientific scrutiny before continuing. Leydecker also started the nonprofit organization Friends of the Trinity River, which is now shutting down as the 83-year-old looks to shrug off the administrative duties of running an organization. While the 1,700-member nonprofit is on its way out, Leydecker intends to stay involved. A Stanford University economics graduate in 1950, Leydecker went on to start Redwood Bancorp and Redwood Bank in 1962. In the early 1980s, the politically-connected Leydecker retired, getting to spend more time fishing, including on the Trinity. By then, salmon and steelhead populations on the river were faltering after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dammed the river to divert water to the Sacramento River, where it is used to irrigate farms. Friends of the Trinity River quickly became an influence in efforts on the river, though Leydecker's outspoken nature sometimes put him at odds with other parties. Leydecker helped persuade the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to look at channel restoration and restoration of long-diverted water together through an environmental analysis. Leydecker was among those who pushed for a U.S Interior secretarial decision before President Bill Clinton left office, and drummed up public support for the decision. In 2000, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt signed the decision on the banks of the Trinity River on the Hoopa Valley Reservation. Leydecker was also instrumental in working with the Environmental Defense Fund to get a number of hydropower interests to back away from litigation over the decision. "I think his effectiveness was that he was a businessman," Stokely said. "He was used to getting things done, setting goals and objectives and getting them done." Political connections to Reps. Mike Thompson and George Miller and Sens. Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer also helped, Stokely said. Leydecker intends to continue stirring the pot, and he said that several key Trinity River issues still need to be tracked. Leydecker said the program needs to be kept focused, and decisions should be made with input from science advisory panels. Channel restoration projects should continue to go through environmental review to ensure that they meet the original intent of the 2000 record of decision, he said. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's efforts to have its state water permits approved -- permits which do not account for the 2000 decision's restoration of 47 percent of flows to the river -- need to be watched, Leydecker said. "It's a question of trying to keep the original intent and vision of the program on track," Leydecker said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Tue Dec 14 09:09:44 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:09:44 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey update December 14, 2010 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi all, An update on our spawning survey is available at the link in the message below. Our Chinook Salmon redd survey season is just about over for 2010. I'll send announcement of one more season's progress report next week. Last week was a pretty turbid one for the downstream survey reaches. Our crews were only able to survey Reaches 1 through 5 (Lewiston Dam to Round House). 184 new redds were mapped with the most (151) occurring in Reach 1 (Lewiston Dam to Old Bridge). With more rain on the way, our ability to survey this last week will likely be pretty limited again. It's good to see the rain however, and I hope it's putting some snow on the Alps! Until next week.... Charlie Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2010 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: graycol.gif Type: image/gif Size: 105 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From mdowdle at tcrcd.net Tue Dec 14 10:52:17 2010 From: mdowdle at tcrcd.net (Mark Dowdle - TCRCD) Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:52:17 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Shasta County and Redding settle CSPA lawsuit over storm runoff from Igo dump Message-ID: <4D07BCE1.6010406@tcrcd.net> *County, Redding settle for $80,000* *Redding Record Searchlight-12/13/10 * *By Scott Mobley * Shasta County and the city of Redding have agreed to settle an environmental lawsuit for $80,000 and increased pollution control. The Stockton-based California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) lawsuit targets stormwater runoff from the West-Central Landfill near Igo. The county owns the dump, and the city manages its daily operation. The lawsuit accuses Redding officials of failing to adequately monitor stormwater runoff flowing from the dump into Sacramento River tributaries for pollutants. The city and county acknowledged no wrongdoing in agreeing to the proposed settlement with CSPA. Two federal agencies and the U.S. District Court still must approve the agreement. As part of the settlement, Redding and Shasta County will contribute $30,000 to the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, an Oakland-based nonprofit, for projects to improve water quality downstream from the dump. The city and county also will pay $32,500 of attorney fees and contribute $17,500 for water-quality-compliance monitoring. Pat Minturn, Shasta County public works director, called the lawsuit a minor expense that will have no impact on utility rates or tipping fees at the dump. CSPA claims about 2,000 members who live and fish in California. The nonprofit maintains an enforcement wing that looks for stormwater permit violations that could lower water quality and damage fisheries in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. CSPA has filed a couple of dozen suits against private firms and government agencies over compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, said Andrew Packard, a Petaluma-based attorney representing the group. The Redding-Shasta County settlement is fairly typical of agreements the group reaches, he said. "In a sense it's a win-win," Packard said. "We can avoid much more expensive litigation, they are brought into compliance with the Clean Water Act and they make a contribution to a third-party water group that benefits the environment." City and county officials said they have always monitored stormwater runoff at West Central, and no pollutants escape from the dump into nearby Dry Creek, which flows into Cottonwood Creek and, ultimately, the delta. Still, the city and county will beef up monitoring at West Central and take further steps to keep spills from reaching the Sacramento River under the proposed lawsuit settlement, Minturn said. "We believe we were in compliance," Minturn said. "But there is always room for improvement and clarification." CSPA had zeroed in on the transfer station at the dump as a potential source of river contamination. Customers throw their trash into four bins there. Local officials have agreed to create berms around the transfer station directing storm runoff to a sampling station that will monitor for any oil, paint or other types of spills, Minturn said. Officials will install a litter filter and water-oil separator at the monitoring point to catch any potential contaminants from the transfer station, he said. "The landfill's larger program took care of these spills, and they never went into the creek," Minturn said. "But we felt there was an opportunity to tighten up that operation. We were willing to make improvements to address (CSPA's) concerns." The county already has built the berms around the transfer station, Minturn said. The water-oil separator will cost about $10,000. The agreement requires stormwater monitoring beyond the lab testing already performed, Minturn said. Officials must sample runoff during four storm days each year and meet with CSPA officers from time to time to discuss results during the next five years to ensure compliance. The settlement also calls for added erosion control at the dump and directs officials to remove windblown trash from the transfer station twice a week.# http://www.redding.com/news/2010/dec/13/county-redding-settle-for-80000/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Wed Dec 15 09:32:22 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:32:22 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] The Japanese black kokanee thought extinct, found Message-ID: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_extinct_fish_found Scientist says he found Japan fish thought extinct By JAY ALABASTER, Associated Press Jay Alabaster, Associated Press ? Wed Dec 15, 2:36 am ET TOKYO ? A Japanese salmon species thought to be extinct for 70 years is alive and well in a lake near Mount Fuji, a science professor said Wednesday. The black kokanee, or "kunimasu" in Japanese, was thought to have died out in 1940, when a hydroelectric project made its native lake in northern Akita Prefecture more acidic. Before then, 100,000 eggs were reportedly transported to Lake Saiko but the species was still thought to have died off. But Tetsuji Nakabo, a professor at Kyoto University, said his team of researchers found the species in Lake Saiko, about 310 miles (500 kilometers) south of the native lake. "I was really surprised. This is a very interesting fish ? it's a treasure. We have to protect it and not let it disappear again," he said. He posed for pictures and video with a specimen that was dark olive with black spots on its back. The kunimasu grow to about a foot (30 centimers) in length. Nakabo said the lake had sufficent kunimasu for the species to survive if the current environment is maintained, though he said in interviews he hoped fishermen would not catch it. Lake Saiko is in a region popular with tourists for its Fuji views and hot spring baths. The salmon is still listed as extinct in the public records of the Environment Ministry. Yobukaze Naniwa, an official at the ministry, said Nakabo's claim would be investigated before records are due to be updated in 2012. Other species, including shellfish and plants, have also been discovered in Japan after being declared extinct, Naniwa said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Dec 15 12:29:59 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:29:59 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] South Fork/Watersheds White Paper Message-ID: I understand that the Trinity Management Council is meeting this week and one of the discussion items is whether there should be funding of projects in the South Fork Trinity River and perhaps downstream of the North Fork Trinity River confluence. Below is a draft issue paper that I put together back in 2003 when I worked for Trinity County. So far, the Trinity River Restoration Program will not fund watershed restoration activities in the South Fork Trinity River basin. The issue paper was never finalized or adopted by anybody, so it was and is my personal and professional opinion only then and at this time. If somebody has the TMC agenda, it might be a good idea to post it on this list server. Tom Stokely Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact California Water Impact Network V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ ISSUE PAPER FOR THE TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL IS THERE A CAUSAL LINK BETWEEN RESTORATION ACTIVITIES IN THE SOUTH FORK TRINITY RIVER AND OTHER TRIBUTARIES AND THE TRINITY RIVER DIVISION OF THE CVP DRAFT 1/9/03 Background Funding for the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) between 1985 and 1998 occurred under the authorization of the Trinity River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Act of 1984 (P.L. 98-541, as amended). When the funding authorities of PL 98-541 expired on October 1, 1998, there were questions about whether or not all or a portion of the activities of the TRRP were authorized for funding through the Bureau of Reclamation's budget and the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), including the CVPIA Restoration Fund (CVPIA RF). As a result, former California First District Representative Frank D. Riggs requested a legal opinion from the Department of Interior on what funding authorities would exist after expiration of funding authorities in P.L. 98-541. On May 22, 1998, the Interior Department responded to Representative Riggs with an Interior Solicitor's Opinion on the subject matter (attached). Of particular interest and varied interpretation, is a footnote on page 5 of the Solicitor's Opinion, which states as follows: "Like the mechanical restoration recommendations, sediment control management entails activities independent of management of a flow regime or OCAP. Nonetheless, to the extent activities are designed to address "adverse environmental impacts of the project" they are authorized by Section 3406(b)(1)." And "Other activities may also fall under the authority of section 3406(b)(1), to the extent they are directed at rectifying the impacts sustained from operation the Project ("the Secretary shall make all reasonable efforts.to address other identified adverse environmental impacts of the Central Valley Project"). If no causal link be established between the harm being rectified and the operation of the Project, section 3406(b)(1) is inapplicable." (emphasis added) And a footnote: "To the extent the Flow Study identifies work on tributaries or elsewhere in the Basin that lacks a causal link to impacts of the project, reauthorization of the 1984 Act might prove an appropriate vehicle for seeking authorization of such work. Such a conclusion seems premature, however, until the recommendations of the Flow Study are finalized and until compliance with NEPA is complete." It is understood that the Bureau of Reclamation's (Reclamation) interpretation of the 1998 Solicitor's Opinion regarding the Trinity River Restoration Program, is that the expenditure of program funds on watershed restoration within the South Fork Trinity River basin (and possibly other tributaries below the North Fork confluence) has been prohibited on the grounds that there is no "causal link" between problems in the South Fork of the Trinity River and other tributaries and the operation of the Trinity River Division (TRD) of the Central Valley Project (CVP). The discussion below could be used by the Trinity Management Council or the Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group to make a finding that there is a strong "causal link" between the South Fork Trinity River and other tributaries, and the operation of the TRD. The Solicitor's Opinion recognizes the Trinity River Division as part of the Central Valley Project, thus qualifying the Trinity River as a part of the anadromous fish restoration program directed towards Central Valley rivers and streams. The opinion states that Congress has directed the Secretary to address adverse impacts of the project, including those activities directed at rectifying the impacts sustained from operating the Project ("the Secretary shall make all reasonable efforts . . . to address other identified adverse environmental impacts of the Central Valley Project") provided that a causal link can be established between the harm being rectified and the operation of the Project. The causal linkage between watershed restoration, fisheries restoration and monitoring work in the South Fork and other tributaries of the Trinity River can be put into four categories as follows: . Sediment and water quality contributions to the mainstem Trinity River . Hatchery and fish harvest impacts to the South Fork and other tributaries . The use of tributary fish in meeting Trinity River fishery restoration and ESA goals . Consistency with the Trinity River Record of Decision (Trinity ROD) Sediment and Water Quality Contributions to the Mainstem Trinity River The South Fork of the Trinity River is inextricably linked to the Trinity River system. As the Trinity River's largest tributary encompassing approximately one-third of the Trinity River watershed, the South Fork annually contributes large amounts of sediment into the system which cannot be flushed out as a result of "streamflow depletion" (see "Water Quality Control Plan for the North Coast Region" North Coast Water Quality Control Board, pg I-15). Sediment loading from the Trinity River's tributaries has contributed to poor water quality conditions in the mainstem Trinity, and has resulted in the loss of anadromous habitat, such as juvenile salmon and steelhead moving through the lower Trinity and Klamath Rivers which are trying to get to the Pacific Ocean. Flows are often reduced during the spring smolt outmigration period as a result of Reclamation's diversions from both the Trinity and Klamath projects. Reduced flows can result in increased adult fish densities, increased temperatures and low dissolved oxygen and fish kills under certain circumstances such as the historic fish kill of September 2002. Formerly deep pools have filled in, and in some areas, the river runs wider and shallower, thus reducing fish habitat and pool refugia. This is easily demonstrated in odd numbered years through Reclamation's additional water releases from Trinity Dam for the Hoopa Valley Tribe's Boat Dance Ceremony. Reclamation, since 1993, has increased Lewiston Dam releases from 450 cfs to 1250 cfs (1650 cfs in 2001) in late August or early September for the Boat Dance on the premise that the traditional log canoes can no longer go down the river during that time due of year due to sediment accumulation in the Hoopa Valley (downstream of the South Fork confluence). The Hoopa Valley Tribe contends that many of the traditional holes and runs have been filled with sediment, thus the river runs wider and shallower. The relationship of sediment from the South Fork and the operation of the TRD clearly establishes a causal link between the adverse environmental impacts that have resulted since the construction of the TRD and the Trinity River. Hatchery and fish harvest impacts to the South Fork and other tributaries The effects of the dam go far beyond sediment and instream habitat issues of the mainstem river, and have far reaching effects on the river's tributaries through the complex dynamics of anadromous fish populations and their interactions with other biological elements. South Fork anadromous fish populations have been severely impacted by the reductions of Trinity and Klamath populations in terms of both actual numerical loss and stock diversity loss. For instance, when the Klamath and Trinity fall chinook runs are strong, but South Fork runs are not, fish harvest allocations are increased, thus increasing pressure on a weak stock. Conversely, as Klamath-Trinity stocks have declined overall, SFTR fish have, in the past, been harvested at a higher and higher rate, and as a weak stock, their decline is precipitous and disproportionate. The dams on both the Klamath and Trinity systems have had a dramatic effect on the Klamath-Trinity anadromous fish runs, and have also been instrumental in the decline of the South Fork runs. Additionally, the introduction of hatchery stocks through straying or past planting into the South Fork and other tributaries has had negative impacts in terms of loss of genetic diversity, and reductions in population size caused by competition, predation, disease, and other factors. For example, direct genetic effects occur as hatchery fish interbreed with natives, resulting in the loss of genetic diversity. With salmonids, the concern is that a variety of locally adapted stocks will be replaced with a smaller number of relatively homogeneous ones (Allendorf and Leary, 1988). This process of consolidation tends to limit the evolutionary potential of the species as a whole. For example, different salmonid populations utilize spawning, rearing, migratory, and oceanic resources in a variety of ways and show a similar diversity in response to changing environmental conditions. This diversity helps to buffer population loss against periodic or unpredictable changes (Riggs 1990). Without this diversity, weaker stocks are put at higher risk. For example, as the hatcheries produces more and more fish and the ocean harvest increases, a strain is put on weak stocks as harvest quotas are increased for all stocks, without a corresponding increase in the run size of weaker stocks such as those in the South Fork Trinity River. These factors, including the South Fork Trinity River's anadromous fish populations as they relate to the Trinity River, demonstrate a causal link between the South Fork Trinity River and the harm that has been imposed on the system through the construction and operation of the TRD of the CVP. This includes the operation of the Trinity River Hatchery at Lewiston. The use of tributary fish to meeting Trinity River fishery restoration goals This causal linkage is further demonstrated through the South Fork's role in meeting restoration program goals. In helping to determine compliance with TRRP numerical fishery restoration goals, upstream adult migrant fish traps are set at Willow Creek where numbers of fish moving upstream to spawn are counted. Located below the confluence of the South Fork and the mainstem Trinity River, those fish counted at Willow Creek moving upstream to spawn in the South Fork and other tributaries play an important role in determining compliance with Trinity River Restoration Program fishery goals, as well as determination of adult chinook populations for Harvest Management purposes. The information is closely linked to the Trinity River Restoration Program and the harm being rectified associated with the operation of the TRD. Downstream juvenile salmonid migrant fish traps are also placed downstream of the South Fork's confluence with the Trinity River. Those fish would also be counted as meeting restoration program goals for smolt production, if the trapping program could be calibrated to actual populations of smolts. In addition to meeting overall TRRP fishery restoration goals, the South Fork and other tributaries have an important role to play in restoration of the coho salmon, which are listed as "threatened" under both the federal and State Endangered Species Acts. The only known and consistent population of non-hatchery coho salmon is located in Old Campbell Creek, a tributary of the lower South Fork Trinity. Stream surveys conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game in 2002 may have found coho juveniles in other South Fork tributaries. Coho are known, in general, to prefer tributaries for spawning and rearing because of suitable habitat conditions found there. If the Trinity River Restoration Program develops or is assigned an ESA or CESA coho recovery target, it is clear that tributaries, including the South Fork will play a vital role in coho recovery. Consistency with Trinity River Record of Decision (Trinity ROD) Finally, the Watershed Restoration Component of the ROD explicitly calls for watershed restoration throughout the Trinity River basin. The ROD states as follows: "This decision recognizes that restoration and perpetual maintenance of the Trinity River's fishery resources require rehabilitating the river itself, restoring the attributes that produce a healthy, functioning alluvial river system. Therefore, the components of the selected course of action include:" . "Sediment management, including the supplementation of spawning gravels below the TRD and reduction in fine sediments which degrade fish habitats." and "The Trinity Management Council will guide an upslope watershed restoration program to address the problems of excessive sediment input from many of the tributaries of the Trinity River resulting from land use practices. The watershed protection program of the Preferred Alternative includes road maintenance, road rehabilitation and road decommissioning on private and public lands within the Trinity River basin below Lewiston Dam, including the South Fork Trinity River basin. Approximately 80 percent of the lands within the Trinity basin are federally managed of which the USDA Forest Service administers approximately 95 percent and the Bureau of Land Management administers five percent. Of the remaining 20 percent privately owned land in the basin, approximately half (10 percent of the total) are industrial timberlands, with the remainder being small private holdings. Additional environmental planning and environmental compliance steps will be performed as necessary in order to acquire all the necessary permits and other authorizations prior to implementation of this portion of the Preferred Alternative." Furthermore, the Final EIS/EIR states (page C-17): "CVPIA Restoration Fund- An Interior Solicitor's Opinion states that these funds, appropriated by Congress from fees charged to CVP water and power users, could be used to implement this ROD. This could include watershed protection and restoration activities." The Trinity ROD makes no differentiation between the South Fork and the mainstem Trinity River, nor does it contain any prohibition whatsoever on allocation of funding to implement watershed restoration. Lack of any funding authority by the TMC for the South Fork and other tributaries appears to undermine the Trinity ROD's effectiveness and the TMC's authority. Implementation Strategies The Trinity River Task Force allocated substantial funds to the South Fork and watersheds in general after issuance of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board's Cease and Desist Order on mainstem restoration program in 1993. Concerns exist among some Trinity River Restoration Program participants that the tributaries and watersheds of the Trinity River will siphon off substantial sums of money that would otherwise be used to "restore" the mainstem. No funds have been spent in the South Fork since about 1998 because of Reclamation's objections, but the issue has never been resolved at the level of the TMC. Since 1998, work in tributaries and watersheds (other than Grass Valley Creek) has come primarily through the California Department of Fish and Game's Coastal Salmon Recovery Program (formerly known as the SB 271 program). Over $3 million has been allocated to the Trinity River and lower Klamath River over the past 3 years for a variety of projects including, but not limited to education, environmental review and permitting of the Trinity River bridges project, road and watershed inventories, fish barrier removal, and extensive up-slope watershed restoration and road decommissioning by the Yurok Tribe, the Trinity County Resource Conservation District and others. Funding for projects in the South Fork and other tributaries need not be substantial, but could still make a big difference. For instance, small amounts of funding through the Trinity River Restoration Program could provide strategic matching fund sources for programs such as Clean Water Act 205j and 319h, Fish and Game's Coastal Salmon Recovery Program (CSRP), Forest Service Resource Advisory Committee funds and other programs. Funding of coordination for the South Fork Trinity River CRMP could be tailored to specifically develop project proposals to submit to the CSRP. It would indeed be unreasonable to expect that the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) should shoulder the entire burden, but occasional strategic contributions from the TRRP could generate substantial funding from other sources to help meet fishery restoration goals for the Trinity River. Recommendation It should be the position of the Trinity Management Council that there is a clear causal link between the South Fork Trinity River, and other tributaries and watersheds in the Trinity River Basin and the adverse impacts that have resulted from the construction and operation of the TRD for the reasons stated above. The TMC should determine that it is appropriate and proper for the Trinity River Restoration Program, through whatever funds are available, to fund appropriate monitoring and restoration work on the South Fork Trinity River, as well as other tributaries from Lewiston Dam to the Pacific Ocean (excluding the Klamath River upstream of Weitchpec). The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group should be given an opportunity to evaluate the issue prior to action by the TMC. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Dec 15 13:20:56 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:20:56 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] 1998 Solicitor's Opinion on TRRP funding Message-ID: <65733B4869E940119BF949193BCC1F85@homeuserPC> Attached is the 1998 Solicitor's Opinion referenced in the South Fork White Paper previously distributed. Tom Stokely Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact California Water Impact Network V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Solicitor's Opinion on Trinity 1998.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 166809 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Dec 15 19:32:36 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:32:36 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] TMC Agenda, Dec 15-16, Redding Message-ID: Final Agenda TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL US Forest Service Conference Room, Redding, CA Wednesday and Thursday, December 15-16, 2010 Wednesday, December 15 Topic, Purpose and/or Time Decision to be Made Discussion Leader Regular Business: 1:00 Introductions: Brian Person, Chair - Approval of Agenda - Approval of September 2010 Minutes 1:15 Open Forum: Comments from the public Brian Person 1:30 Report from TAMWG Chair Arnold Whitridge 2:00 Report from TMC Chair Brian Person 2:30 Report from Acting Executive Director Jennifer Faler 2:45 Action Items Update Jennifer Faler Information Item/Decision Items: 3:00 Klamath Biological Opinion Update Jim Simondet 4:00 Channel Rehabilitation Update Jennifer Faler / Andreas Krause 5:00 Adjourn for the day Thursday, December 16 Topic, Purpose and/or Time Decision to be Made Discussion Leader Information Item/Decision Items: 9:00 Watershed Policy Jennifer Faler Background, funding limitations, TMC policy discussion 9:30 Temperature Update Rod Wittler 10:00 Science Program Update Jennifer Faler / Ernie Clarke - Roles and Responsibilities - Work Group Update o Descriptions, membership, and charters - Continuing Resolution Impact on 2011 Work Plan - 2012 Budget Development Update o Process and schedule o Science Work Plan o Implementation Work Plan - Presentation Disclaimer Language 12:00 - 1:30 Lunch 1:30 Science Program Update Continued Ernie Clark / Jennifer Faler 2:00 Hatchery Review Jim Smith Regular Business: 3:15 Open Forum: Comments from the public Brian Person 3:30 Calendars: Confirm next meeting dates and locations Brian Person 4:00 Adjourn -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Dec 15 19:35:30 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:35:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] correction on South Fork Watershed Work Message-ID: I have been informed that there was a South Fork Trinity River project funded in 2010 and potentially more in 2011. Tom Stokely Water Policy Analyst/Media Contact California Water Impact Network V/FAX 530-926-9727 Cell 530-524-0315 tstokely at att.net http://www.c-win.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Dec 15 21:09:10 2010 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:09:10 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity PUD may possibly help county with resources position Message-ID: TPUD may possibly help county with resources position BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINITY JOURNAL http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/2010-12-15/Front_Page/TPUD_may_possibly_help_county_with_resources_posit.html The Trinity Public Utilities District Board is suggesting a joint approach to Trinity County's efforts to get up to speed on natural resources issues. The TPUD has a stake in some of the decisions the county may consider - particularly pertaining to positions on water. So when county supervisors heard a proposal for a part-time natural resources position to help the board keep abreast of natural resources issues, it drew the attention of TPUD officials. County supervisors had found themselves out of the loop on certain forestry and water matters after what had been a fully staffed natural resources division was reduced to zero staff. In October, County Administrative Officer Dero Forslund proposed to supervisors that a half-time position be funded to do research and policy development on current natural resources issues. Forslund was to come back with a more detailed plan and funding possibilities, but the idea is on a backburner at the moment due to the county grants department financial problems. Still, the proposal was of high interest at Thursday's TPUD meeting. Of immediate concern to the TPUD board is the county's position - as yet undetermined - on the release sought by Humboldt County of an additional 50,000 acre-feet of water to the Trinity River. Release of the water from Trinity Lake was promised as part of the 1955 Trinity River Act. However, the federal Bureau of Reclamation has long contended that the 50,000 acre-feet is included within the amount already sent downstream for fisher- ies. With a new federal administration in place, the Hoopa and Yurok tribes have joined Humboldt in pressing the claim that the water to be released for "Humboldt County and downstream users," as the act states, is separate. Reclamation is now re-evaluating that position and has no deadline for when the decision will be announced. The TPUD is not supportive of this effort to release more water to the river. Water down the river does not generate as much hydroelectricity as water diverted via the Clear Creek Tunnel and sent south. While the water to the river does go through the Trinity Powerplant and the very small Lewiston plant, water diverted through the tunnel goes through not only the Trinity plant but also two plants with a higher capacity than Trinity's - Judge Francis Carr plant at the outlet of the tunnel and Spring Creek plant entering Keswick Reservoir. All four plants are included in the Central Valley Project's Trinity River Division, and under the Trinity River Act, Trinity County residents are entitled to 25 percent of energy produced at the plants, at cost. "The allocation will raise and lower depending on the generation that takes place," TPUD Director Dick Morris noted. Currently, Trinity County residents use less than 30 percent of their allocation as customers of the TPUD - but TPUD officials want to preserve the availability of power for the county's future needs. The energy allocation is the only economic gain to Trinity County from construction of the Trinity River Division, Morris said. "I hate to see it undermined and diminished," he added. A more immediate concern is that lower power production increases the cost of electricity to the federal Western Area Power Administration - a cost which is passed on to the TPUD. Still other Western customers who don't get Trinity's "first preference" energy pricing could opt out of buying Trinity hydro power if it gets more expensive than market, Morris said, meaning less buyers to support the agency's costs. "Those costs may end up being borne by the people of Trinity County," Morris noted. The TPUD generally has thought of water issues as the prerogative the county and electricity that of the TPUD, Morris said. But he noted that the district's two main goals are to have the lowest electricity rates in the state and preserve Trinity's energy allocation. "To achieve our goals I think we have to get involved," he said. Director Richard Stiliha agreed, saying there is a need to let the public know, "it's not just water down the river." TPUD General Manager Rick Coleman said he believes the 50,000 acrefeet decision is "fait accompli" - "and it's going to probably go to court." But he noted that the natural resources position is not just about water. "It's also timber," Coleman said, adding that a co-generation plant is needed here to help reduce forest fuels. The board wound up voting unanimously to send a letter to county supervisors offering help and participation on these issues because of potential impacts to TPUD customers. Further, a meeting of representatives from the TPUD and Board of Supervisors is proposed in the letter if the supervisors are open to discussions and exploring joint action agency options for the position. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Dec 16 11:11:48 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:11:48 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS 12/16/10 Message-ID: <005301cb9d55$17dfb930$479f2b90$@net> December 16, 2010 Underground tunnels proposed for Calif. water woes L.A. Daily News California urges tunnel system for delta L.A. Times Delta plan gets a nod from federal government Contra Costa Times California $13 Billion Water Tunnel Gets Federal, State Support S.F. Chronicle Californians Who Rely on Delta at "Severe Risk" KQED State faces pivotal point in water future Sacramento Bee +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Underground tunnels proposed for Calif. water woes L.A. Daily News (Associated Press)-12/15/10 Federal and state officials threw their support Wednesday behind the construction of two underground tunnels as the best option for restoring California's freshwater delta and meeting the needs of farmers and Southern California cities. The diversion of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to croplands and urban areas has furthered the decline of the largest estuary in the West. Officials are trying to find a solution that would reduce the ecological stress on the delta without harming the state's agricultural economy. Under the plan, two tunnels that are 33-feet in diameter and 150 feet below the surface would deliver water from north of the delta to the south. Water users would pay the tab, an estimated $13 billion. The tunnels would take about 10 years to construct. The plan drew immediate protests from environmental groups, who said it doesn't include specific goals that would measure success in protecting salmon and other endangered species. They also said it failed to contain measures that would lead people to conserve water. The delta, where the state's major rivers drain from the northern and central Sierra Nevada, is the hub of California's water supply. Both the state and federal government run massive pumps that siphon drinking and irrigation water to more than 25 million Californians and the Central Valley farms that grow much of the nation's fruits and vegetables. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is a federal and state initiative that would determine a framework for dealing with the declining health of the delta, as well as the increasing demand for its water. One of the leading players in the negotiations, the Westlands Water District, pulled out of negotiations a few weeks ago. The announcement seemed designed to give stakeholders and the public a sense of progress. "The status quo is not acceptable. The status quo will only result in a continuing and endless cycle of conflict, litigation and paralysis," Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar said during a conference call summarizing the plan to reporters. Salazar and other officials also said they still considered Westlands a part of the planning process. "This is the only game in town, and we're hopeful they'll be full and robust participants as we move forward," Salazar said. Officials said the key elements to the plan were restoring tens of thousands of acres of marshland and floodplains, and developing a new system of moving water around the delta. In recent years, court decisions aimed at protecting endangered fish have restricted water deliveries from the delta and have spelled major losses for growers in the state's farm belt who rely on the delta's water to irrigate their crops. The Kern County Water Agency called the plan an important development in coming up with a strategy for restoring the delta. Agency officials, however, said they were concerned that the proposal leaves open the amount of water supply that the tunnels could provide. State officials only said that modeling suggests that annual water exports would be more reliable and greater than current exports.# http://www.dailynews.com/ci_16866638?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dail ynews.com California urges tunnel system for delta L.A. Times-12/16/10 By Bettina Boxall State officials Wednesday recommended construction of a $13-billion tunnel system that would carry water under the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to southbound aqueducts, a project that would replumb a perpetual bottleneck in California's vast water delivery network. The proposal is far from final. It faces a new administration, lengthy environmental reviews and controversy over how much water should be exported from the Northern California estuary system that serves as a conduit for water shipments to Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. The earliest completion date would be 2022. The tunnel plan is a variation of an idea that has been around for decades. Voters in 1982 killed a proposal to route water around the delta in a canal. But talk of a bypass has resurfaced as endangered species protections in recent years have forced cutbacks in pumping from the south delta. Some water would still be pumped from the south under the new proposal, but the bulk would be drawn from the Sacramento River as it enters the north delta. The water would then be carried by two huge tunnels, 150 feet deep, to the federal and state aqueducts. Some delta advocates remain staunchly opposed to the concept. But there is growing agreement that changing diversion points could lessen the environmental impacts of pumping and that a tunnel would not be as vulnerable to earthquake damage as a canal bypass or the existing pumping operations. The project, which would be accompanied by $3.3-billion worth of habitat restoration over 50 years, is part of an ambitious multi-agency program intended to resolve the conflict that has enveloped the delta for decades. Reaction to the state recommendations, which the Obama administration generally endorsed, underscored how difficult it may be to achieve a delta truce. Environmental groups assailed the planning report as "flawed, incomplete and disappointing." And the largest irrigation district in California already pulled its support of the plan, suspecting that it would not restore its water supplies. Of particular contention to environmentalists are the size of the tunnel system and the operating rules that would determine the volume of diversions. California Natural Resources Secretary Lester Snow said Wednesday that annual delta exports under the project could average 5.4 to 5.9 million acre-feet, more than allowed under current environmental restrictions - and considerably more than environmentalists and some fish biologists say the delta ecosystem can withstand if it is to make any sort of recovery. Critics said there were too many unsettled issues to make such a projection, and they accused federal and state officials of pandering to the agricultural and urban water agencies that would pay for the tunnel system. Officials "know the assertions that they're making aren't true," said Gary Bobker of the Bay Institute, one of the environmental groups participating in the delta program. "They know that the amount of water that we're going to be able to export from the delta in the future is probably not going to be the kind of numbers the [plan] is talking about." Last month, the giant Westlands Water District said it was pulling out of the delta program because it didn't think the project would live up to its promise of restoring delta exports, which had reached record levels before the recent drought and endangered species cutbacks of the last two years. "We cannot justify the expenditure of billions of dollars for a program that is unlikely to restore our water supply," Westlands General Manager Tom Birmingham said Wednesday. He added that the state plans and statements by the U.S. Interior Department that the project could increase deliveries were a good sign. "What Interior said today is encouraging. But whether Westlands reverses its position or decision is going to be determined by what Interior does, as opposed to what it says."# http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-tunnel-20101216,0,4140245.stor y Delta plan gets a nod from federal government Contra Costa Times-12/15/10 By Mike Taugher The Obama administration said Wednesday that it supports plans to build a new aqueduct to deliver Sacramento River water to the south, marking the first time the federal government has endorsed a proposal that has simmered in California for decades. However, federal officials stopped short of endorsing a massive set of intakes and tunnels that state officials want to build. With support fraying for an ambitious Delta water supply and ecosystem restoration plan, state and federal officials issued a pair of reports Wednesday intended to shore up support for the beleaguered Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. "This is the last best hope to deal with these issues in the San Francisco Bay-Delta," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. "This is the only game in town." The state report, issued by the Resources Agency, calls for five intakes and two huge tunnels to carry Sacramento River water from the north Delta to south Delta pumps, a project that is estimated to cost $13 billion. The tunnels would replace earlier plans to build a peripheral canal around the Delta, a plan that was rejected by voters in 1982 after it was authorized by once and future Gov. Jerry Brown. The federal report, issued by six federal water supply and environmental regulatory agencies, was less specific and more cautious in assessing what the plan could deliver. However, it said a new water delivery system would help stabilize water supplies and restore the failing Delta ecosystem. The incoming Brown administration, which will inherit the politically tricky Delta problems, had no comment, spokesman Evan Westrup said. The fact that two reports were issued instead of one shows that the Obama and Schwarzenegger administrations are not in full agreement on the plan's details. During a joint conference call with media members, state and federal officials were equally emphatic that the answers to the Delta's problems lie in the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, which is still an incomplete draft. "This is the time to build a long-term strategy," Salazar said. "The status quo is unacceptable." Four years and $140 million in the making, the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan would include two 33-foot tunnels to deliver water and a large wetlands restoration program in the Delta that supporters say would boost fish populations and eliminate the uncertainty surrounding water supplies that comes when fish are near extinction. The plan faces a series of challenges. Last month, the Westlands Water District, the nation's largest irrigation district, withdrew support because it said federal regulators were making demands that would decrease the amount of water they could receive. Although many observers and participants contend that Westlands is likely to rejoin, another major water district with an extensive farm sector said Wednesday that it also would consider withdrawing support if it does not think enough water will be available. "We need to know that the yield of the project that is going to be proposed is at a level that is cost-effective for us," said Jim Beck, general manager for the Kern County Water Agency. Environmentalists, meanwhile, say state and federal officials appear to be bowing to pressure from water agencies and threaten to knock the plan off-balance. "For them to step out and take positions on issues that are far from resolved could be detrimental to the process. They could slow it down and cause delays," said Ann Hayden, a water policy analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund and a member of the steering committee that is writing the plan. The estimates put forward so far likely are too high in part because planners have not established goals for recovering fish populations, Hayden said. Dwindling fish populations will likely need more water flowing into San Francisco Bay to recover, she said. Still, the state report suggested that water districts in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California could receive 5.4 million to 5.9 million acre-feet a year on average under the plan. The federal report said it appeared that the plan could result in more than 5.2 million acre-feet a year. That's an improvement over the 4.7 million acre-feet that can be delivered on average with new restrictions in the Delta but less than the 6 million acre-feet a year delivered from 2000 to 2007. "If it's under 5.9 "... it will require our water users to re-evaluate whether BDCP meets their water supply objectives," Beck said. The next several months could determine the plan's fate. "Certainly there's a risk of failure," said Tim Quinn, the executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies and strong supporter of the plan. "What I'm hoping is everybody on both sides is asking themselves the hard question: What happens if we don't find a way?"# http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16868146?source=rss California $13 Billion Water Tunnel Gets Federal, State Support S.F. Chronicle (Bloomberg)-12/16/10 California is one step closer to getting a $13 billion "conveyance system" that would carry water from the northern part of the state to a region that grows half the nation's fresh produce, Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar said. Salazar's office today released a status report that he said was designed to end years of "conflict, litigation and paralysis" and bring consensus to a project debated for four decades. The state of California today also issued a report, outlining how a tunnel or canal would bring water from the northern end of San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the south where it would provide irrigation for farmers and drinking water to residents. "After years of drought, growing stress on water supplies, and with the Bay-Delta in full environmental collapse, it has become clear to everyone that the status quo for California's water infrastructure is no longer an option," Salazar said in a statement. The Delta is a 738,000-acre (298,700-hectare) maze of islands and canals south of Sacramento created by the confluence of two large rivers, according to the state Department of Water Resources. Runoff from the Sierra Nevada Mountains provides water to 25 million Californians, according to the state's report. Maximizing the water flow for consumers while protecting wildlife habitats has been an issue unresolved for four decades, according to California Secretary of Natural Resources Lester Snow. The state's report summarizes 3,000 pages of research, identifies key issues and makes them easier for citizens to understand, Snow said in a press conference today. "This is a significant milestone," he said. "We are for the first time within striking distance of a balanced approach." A tunnel would provide a direct route to Southern California consumers while minimizing interference with the wildlife on the ground, said Pete Lucero, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Completion of a tunnel, estimated in the state report to cost $13 billion, may take 10 to 15 years, Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said at the press conference. U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno ruled on Dec. 14 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have to rewrite its plans to protect the Delta smelt, an endangered fish, according to the Fresno Bee. "This is one court decision," Salazar said in the press conference in response to a question about the case. "If everyone gets wrapped up in litigation there will never be a decision."# http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/12/16/bloomberg1376-LD HQ811A1I4J01-6L3OHI1UD308GQSIP85GQ685J7.DTL Californians Who Rely on Delta at "Severe Risk" KQED-12/15/10 by Gretchen Weber Here's a shocker: Yes, action is necessary on the San Francisco Bay Delta State and federal authorities provided an update Wednesday on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), which is tasked with restoring the damaged ecosystems of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and safeguarding California's water supply. "The 25 million Californians who rely on the Delta for clean drinking water are at severe risk," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, on a call with reporters. It's well established that the current system of water delivery that shuttles water from north to south through the Delta causes damage to wetlands and threatens native species, as well as leaving the water supply vulnerable to earthquakes and pollution. "There is now a clear consensus that the status quo is unsustainable," said Senator Dianne Feinstein, in a written statement. The report released Wednesday focuses on three key elements, which Deputy Secretary David Hayes outlined on the call: 1. Improve water quality and restore the ecosystems 2. Rather than just pumping water through the Delta, water should also be moved around the Delta through an underground tunnel 3. Create a monitoring and adaptive management plan for the Delta, that would allow for flexibility The 92-page "highlights" report is not a final plan, nor even a draft plan, which is not expected until next year. Instead it is a "status report on the condition of the BDCP" and a "transition document" from the Schwarzenegger-to-Brown administrations, said Lester Snow, head of the California Natural Resources Agency. Despite its preliminary nature, however, the report has sparked criticism from environmental groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund, The Bay Institute, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, which cite its lack of endangered species protections and a water conservation strategy, among other concerns. "This plan is not ready for prime time," said Gary Bobker, Program Director at the Bay Institute. "Whether it's the quality of the analysis, or paying attention to the best available scientific information, or facing up to some hard policy choices about the future, the plan simply does not pass the laugh test."# http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2010/12/15/californians-who-rely-on-delta -at-severe-risk/?utm_source=feedburner &utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Cl imate+Watch+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader State faces pivotal point in water future Sacramento Bee-12/16/10 By Ken Salazar and David J. Hayes Opinion California's water hub - the San Francisco Bay-Delta - can no longer do it all. Years of drought, worsening water pollution, rising water demands and the disappearance of wildlife and habitat have left the Bay-Delta in a state of environmental collapse. As a result, a multibillion-dollar agricultural economy, coastal fishing fleets and the 25 million Californians who rely on the Delta for clean drinking water are at severe risk. This is the deciding moment for California's water future. We can either complete the much-needed long-term California Bay-Delta Conservation Plan on which the Obama administration, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, water users and other partners have made significant progress, or fall back into an endless cycle of conflict, litigation and paralysis. While the conservation plan is still a work in progress, its essential elements are simple. First, scientists and policymakers alike have concluded that California's economic and environmental health can no longer tolerate exclusive reliance on a 50-year-old system of pumping water directly through the Delta - a system that reverses river flows, causes direct harm to fisheries, leads to unreliable water supplies and leaves many Californians at risk of losing clean water supplies if there were an earthquake. Therefore, rather than simply pumping water from north to south through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, there is an emerging consensus that we should reduce pressure on the system by also moving water around the Delta through a water conveyance system, such as a canal or a tunnel. Second, to help improve water quality and restore the ecosystem to health, the conservation plan calls for the restoration of tens of thousands of acres of marshes, floodplains and riparian habitats in the Delta. Third, the conservation plan would establish a detailed monitoring and adaptive management plan for the Delta that would allow us to use the most up-to-date science to guide the management of water and environmental resources. We need to be able to adjust the implementation of the plan over time to make the most efficient and effective use of water resources and management tools. These three essential elements of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan are the foundation for a long-term water strategy that meets the dual goals of restoring the Bay-Delta ecosystem and securing more reliable water supplies. Early scientific analysis of the conservation plan offers cause to be optimistic. Preliminary modeling suggests that a new north-south water conveyance facility - as contemplated by the conservation plan - could be operated in a manner that would generate annual water exports over the long term that are more reliable, and greater, than the average annual exports achievable under current conditions. This is good news for California's economy and environment because it means that with science-based operating criteria and other measures to address fish and habitat needs, a north-south water conveyance facility could be a major step forward in meeting the dual goals of ecosystem restoration and water supply reliability. Of course, there is much more work to do. Our experts are working in partnership with the state and stakeholders to develop a plan proposal that will meet California's objectives. Also, at our request, the scientists at the National Academy of Sciences are providing input on what additional scientific analysis needs to occur to ensure the success of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. As we move forward with the next steps, it is vital that we carry forward the momentum that Schwarzenegger, the California Legislature, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the California congressional delegation and many stakeholders have built for the conservation plan over the past two years. We can't afford to lose sight of long-term or near-term solutions that benefit all Californians. To that end, the Obama administration will continue to work closely with all parties to advance the conservation plan, and we will also aggressively pursue immediate actions to make water supplies more secure. In 2011, for example, we will continue the innovative water augmentation strategies we initiated in 2010 as an additional assurance that adequate supplies will be available from the Central Valley Project. These activities, developed cooperatively with the state and other stakeholders, include more integrated operations with the State Water Project, source shifting with SWP contractors, and additional types of water transfers within the CVP and SWP service areas. Federal agencies are also working together with state authorities in an unprecedented way to conserve water, improve water quality, address invasive species issues and improve levee integrity. Taken together, the progress we have made in the last year and the opportunities that lie ahead present an opportunity for California's water future we can't afford to miss. This is the moment - decades in the making - to transform a crisis into a lasting legacy of water security and conservation for the state of California.# Ken Salazar is the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. David J. Hayes is the deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/16/3261116/state-faces-pivotal-point-in-water. html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From moira at onramp113.com Thu Dec 16 11:40:09 2010 From: moira at onramp113.com (Moira Burke) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:40:09 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS 12/16/10 In-Reply-To: <005301cb9d55$17dfb930$479f2b90$@net> References: <005301cb9d55$17dfb930$479f2b90$@net> Message-ID: <0762F225-B9EA-452A-9D49-7076A055C529@onramp113.com> This is disastrous. Does Obama understand what this means? M o i r a B u r k e tel 707 678 3591 On Dec 16, 2010, at 11:11 AM, Byron Leydecker wrote: > December 16, 2010 > > Underground tunnels proposed for Calif. water woes > L.A. Daily News > > California urges tunnel system for delta > L.A. Times > > Delta plan gets a nod from federal government > Contra Costa Times > > California $13 Billion Water Tunnel Gets Federal, State Support > S.F. Chronicle > > Californians Who Rely on Delta at "Severe Risk" > KQED > > State faces pivotal point in water future > Sacramento Bee > > > > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > Underground tunnels proposed for Calif. water woes > L.A. Daily News (Associated Press)-12/15/10 > > Federal and state officials threw their support Wednesday behind the construction of two underground tunnels as the best option for restoring California's freshwater delta and meeting the needs of farmers and Southern California cities. > > The diversion of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to croplands and urban areas has furthered the decline of the largest estuary in the West. Officials are trying to find a solution that would reduce the ecological stress on the delta without harming the state's agricultural economy. > > Under the plan, two tunnels that are 33-feet in diameter and 150 feet below the surface would deliver water from north of the delta to the south. Water users would pay the tab, an estimated $13 billion. The tunnels would take about 10 years to construct. > > The plan drew immediate protests from environmental groups, who said it doesn't include specific goals that would measure success in protecting salmon and other endangered species. They also said it failed to contain measures that would lead people to conserve water. > > The delta, where the state's major rivers drain from the northern and central Sierra Nevada, is the hub of California's water supply. Both the state and federal government run massive pumps that siphon drinking and irrigation water to more than 25 million Californians and the Central Valley farms that grow much of the nation's fruits and vegetables. > > The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is a federal and state initiative that would determine a framework for dealing with the declining health of the delta, as well as the increasing demand for its water. One of the leading players in the negotiations, the Westlands Water District, pulled out of negotiations a few weeks ago. > The announcement seemed designed to give stakeholders and the public a sense of progress. > > "The status quo is not acceptable. The status quo will only result in a continuing and endless cycle of conflict, litigation and paralysis," Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar said during a conference call summarizing the plan to reporters. > > Salazar and other officials also said they still considered Westlands a part of the planning process. > > "This is the only game in town, and we're hopeful they'll be full and robust participants as we move forward," Salazar said. > > Officials said the key elements to the plan were restoring tens of thousands of acres of marshland and floodplains, and developing a new system of moving water around the delta. > > In recent years, court decisions aimed at protecting endangered fish have restricted water deliveries from the delta and have spelled major losses for growers in the state's farm belt who rely on the delta's water to irrigate their crops. > > The Kern County Water Agency called the plan an important development in coming up with a strategy for restoring the delta. > > Agency officials, however, said they were concerned that the proposal leaves open the amount of water supply that the tunnels could provide. > > State officials only said that modeling suggests that annual water exports would be more reliable and greater than current exports.# > > http://www.dailynews.com/ci_16866638?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com > > > California urges tunnel system for delta > L.A. Times-12/16/10 > By Bettina Boxall > > State officials Wednesday recommended construction of a $13-billion tunnel system that would carry water under the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to southbound aqueducts, a project that would replumb a perpetual bottleneck in California's vast water delivery network. > > The proposal is far from final. It faces a new administration, lengthy environmental reviews and controversy over how much water should be exported from the Northern California estuary system that serves as a conduit for water shipments to Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. The earliest completion date would be 2022. > > The tunnel plan is a variation of an idea that has been around for decades. Voters in 1982 killed a proposal to route water around the delta in a canal. But talk of a bypass has resurfaced as endangered species protections in recent years have forced cutbacks in pumping from the south delta. > > Some water would still be pumped from the south under the new proposal, but the bulk would be drawn from the Sacramento River as it enters the north delta. The water would then be carried by two huge tunnels, 150 feet deep, to the federal and state aqueducts. > > Some delta advocates remain staunchly opposed to the concept. But there is growing agreement that changing diversion points could lessen the environmental impacts of pumping and that a tunnel would not be as vulnerable to earthquake damage as a canal bypass or the existing pumping operations. > > The project, which would be accompanied by $3.3-billion worth of habitat restoration over 50 years, is part of an ambitious multi-agency program intended to resolve the conflict that has enveloped the delta for decades. > > Reaction to the state recommendations, which the Obama administration generally endorsed, underscored how difficult it may be to achieve a delta truce. Environmental groups assailed the planning report as "flawed, incomplete and disappointing." And the largest irrigation district in California already pulled its support of the plan, suspecting that it would not restore its water supplies. > > Of particular contention to environmentalists are the size of the tunnel system and the operating rules that would determine the volume of diversions. > > California Natural Resources Secretary Lester Snow said Wednesday that annual delta exports under the project could average 5.4 to 5.9 million acre-feet, more than allowed under current environmental restrictions ? and considerably more than environmentalists and some fish biologists say the delta ecosystem can withstand if it is to make any sort of recovery. > > Critics said there were too many unsettled issues to make such a projection, and they accused federal and state officials of pandering to the agricultural and urban water agencies that would pay for the tunnel system. > > Officials "know the assertions that they're making aren't true," said Gary Bobker of the Bay Institute, one of the environmental groups participating in the delta program. "They know that the amount of water that we're going to be able to export from the delta in the future is probably not going to be the kind of numbers the [plan] is talking about." > > Last month, the giant Westlands Water District said it was pulling out of the delta program because it didn't think the project would live up to its promise of restoring delta exports, which had reached record levels before the recent drought and endangered species cutbacks of the last two years. > > "We cannot justify the expenditure of billions of dollars for a program that is unlikely to restore our water supply," Westlands General Manager Tom Birmingham said Wednesday. > > He added that the state plans and statements by the U.S. Interior Department that the project could increase deliveries were a good sign. > > "What Interior said today is encouraging. But whether Westlands reverses its position or decision is going to be determined by what Interior does, as opposed to what it says."# > > http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-tunnel-20101216,0,4140245.story > > > Delta plan gets a nod from federal government > Contra Costa Times-12/15/10 > By Mike Taugher > > The Obama administration said Wednesday that it supports plans to build a new aqueduct to deliver Sacramento River water to the south, marking the first time the federal government has endorsed a proposal that has simmered in California for decades. > > However, federal officials stopped short of endorsing a massive set of intakes and tunnels that state officials want to build. > > With support fraying for an ambitious Delta water supply and ecosystem restoration plan, state and federal officials issued a pair of reports Wednesday intended to shore up support for the beleaguered Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. > > "This is the last best hope to deal with these issues in the San Francisco Bay-Delta," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. "This is the only game in town." > > The state report, issued by the Resources Agency, calls for five intakes and two huge tunnels to carry Sacramento River water from the north Delta to south Delta pumps, a project that is estimated to cost $13 billion. The tunnels would replace earlier plans to build a peripheral canal around the Delta, a plan that was rejected by voters in 1982 after it was authorized by once and future Gov. Jerry Brown. > > The federal report, issued by six federal water supply and environmental regulatory agencies, was less specific and more cautious in assessing what the plan could deliver. However, it said a new water delivery system would help stabilize water supplies and restore the failing Delta ecosystem. > > The incoming Brown administration, which will inherit the politically tricky Delta problems, had no comment, spokesman Evan Westrup said. > > The fact that two reports were issued instead of one shows that the Obama and Schwarzenegger administrations are not in full agreement on the plan's details. > > During a joint conference call with media members, state and federal officials were equally emphatic that the answers to the Delta's problems lie in the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, which is still an incomplete draft. > > "This is the time to build a long-term strategy," Salazar said. "The status quo is unacceptable." > > Four years and $140 million in the making, the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan would include two 33-foot tunnels to deliver water and a large wetlands restoration program in the Delta that supporters say would boost fish populations and eliminate the uncertainty surrounding water supplies that comes when fish are near extinction. > > The plan faces a series of challenges. Last month, the Westlands Water District, the nation's largest irrigation district, withdrew support because it said federal regulators were making demands that would decrease the amount of water they could receive. > > Although many observers and participants contend that Westlands is likely to rejoin, another major water district with an extensive farm sector said Wednesday that it also would consider withdrawing support if it does not think enough water will be available. > > "We need to know that the yield of the project that is going to be proposed is at a level that is cost-effective for us," said Jim Beck, general manager for the Kern County Water Agency. > > Environmentalists, meanwhile, say state and federal officials appear to be bowing to pressure from water agencies and threaten to knock the plan off-balance. > > "For them to step out and take positions on issues that are far from resolved could be detrimental to the process. They could slow it down and cause delays," said Ann Hayden, a water policy analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund and a member of the steering committee that is writing the plan. > > The estimates put forward so far likely are too high in part because planners have not established goals for recovering fish populations, Hayden said. Dwindling fish populations will likely need more water flowing into San Francisco Bay to recover, she said. > > Still, the state report suggested that water districts in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California could receive 5.4 million to 5.9 million acre-feet a year on average under the plan. The federal report said it appeared that the plan could result in more than 5.2 million acre-feet a year. > > That's an improvement over the 4.7 million acre-feet that can be delivered on average with new restrictions in the Delta but less than the 6 million acre-feet a year delivered from 2000 to 2007. > > "If it's under 5.9 "... it will require our water users to re-evaluate whether BDCP meets their water supply objectives," Beck said. > > The next several months could determine the plan's fate. > > "Certainly there's a risk of failure," said Tim Quinn, the executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies and strong supporter of the plan. "What I'm hoping is everybody on both sides is asking themselves the hard question: What happens if we don't find a way?"# > > http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16868146?source=rss > > > California $13 Billion Water Tunnel Gets Federal, State Support > S.F. Chronicle (Bloomberg)-12/16/10 > > California is one step closer to getting a $13 billion "conveyance system" that would carry water from the northern part of the state to a region that grows half the nation's fresh produce, Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar said. > > Salazar's office today released a status report that he said was designed to end years of "conflict, litigation and paralysis" and bring consensus to a project debated for four decades. > > The state of California today also issued a report, outlining how a tunnel or canal would bring water from the northern end of San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the south where it would provide irrigation for farmers and drinking water to residents. > > "After years of drought, growing stress on water supplies, and with the Bay-Delta in full environmental collapse, it has become clear to everyone that the status quo for California's water infrastructure is no longer an option," Salazar said in a statement. > > The Delta is a 738,000-acre (298,700-hectare) maze of islands and canals south of Sacramento created by the confluence of two large rivers, according to the state Department of Water Resources. Runoff from the Sierra Nevada Mountains provides water to 25 million Californians, according to the state's report. > > Maximizing the water flow for consumers while protecting wildlife habitats has been an issue unresolved for four decades, according to California Secretary of Natural Resources Lester Snow. The state's report summarizes 3,000 pages of research, identifies key issues and makes them easier for citizens to understand, Snow said in a press conference today. > > "This is a significant milestone," he said. "We are for the first time within striking distance of a balanced approach." > > A tunnel would provide a direct route to Southern California consumers while minimizing interference with the wildlife on the ground, said Pete Lucero, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. > > Completion of a tunnel, estimated in the state report to cost $13 billion, may take 10 to 15 years, Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said at the press conference. > > U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno ruled on Dec. 14 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have to rewrite its plans to protect the Delta smelt, an endangered fish, according to the Fresno Bee. > > "This is one court decision," Salazar said in the press conference in response to a question about the case. "If everyone gets wrapped up in litigation there will never be a decision."# > > http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/12/16/bloomberg1376-LDHQ811A1I4J01-6L3OHI1UD308GQSIP85GQ685J7.DTL > > > > > Californians Who Rely on Delta at "Severe Risk" > KQED-12/15/10 > by Gretchen Weber > > Here's a shocker: Yes, action is necessary on the San Francisco Bay Delta > > State and federal authorities provided an update Wednesday on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), which is tasked with restoring the damaged ecosystems of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and safeguarding California's water supply. > > "The 25 million Californians who rely on the Delta for clean drinking water are at severe risk," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, on a call with reporters. > > It's well established that the current system of water delivery that shuttles water from north to south through the Delta causes damage to wetlands and threatens native species, as well as leaving the water supply vulnerable to earthquakes and pollution. > > "There is now a clear consensus that the status quo is unsustainable," said Senator Dianne Feinstein, in a written statement. > > The report released Wednesday focuses on three key elements, which Deputy Secretary David Hayes outlined on the call: > > 1. Improve water quality and restore the ecosystems > 2. Rather than just pumping water through the Delta, water should also be moved around the Delta through an underground tunnel > 3. Create a monitoring and adaptive management plan for the Delta, that would allow for flexibility > > The 92-page "highlights" report is not a final plan, nor even a draft plan, which is not expected until next year. Instead it is a "status report on the condition of the BDCP" and a "transition document" from the Schwarzenegger-to-Brown administrations, said Lester Snow, head of the California Natural Resources Agency. > > Despite its preliminary nature, however, the report has sparked criticism from environmental groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund, The Bay Institute, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, which cite its lack of endangered species protections and a water conservation strategy, among other concerns. > > "This plan is not ready for prime time," said Gary Bobker, Program Director at the Bay Institute. "Whether it's the quality of the analysis, or paying attention to the best available scientific information, or facing up to some hard policy choices about the future, the plan simply does not pass the laugh test."# > > http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2010/12/15/californians-who-rely-on-delta-at-severe-risk/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Climate+Watch+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader > > > State faces pivotal point in water future > Sacramento Bee-12/16/10 > By Ken Salazar and David J. Hayes > Opinion > > California's water hub ? the San Francisco Bay-Delta ? can no longer do it all. Years of drought, worsening water pollution, rising water demands and the disappearance of wildlife and habitat have left the Bay-Delta in a state of environmental collapse. As a result, a multibillion-dollar agricultural economy, coastal fishing fleets and the 25 million Californians who rely on the Delta for clean drinking water are at severe risk. > > This is the deciding moment for California's water future. We can either complete the much-needed long-term California Bay-Delta Conservation Plan on which the Obama administration, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, water users and other partners have made significant progress, or fall back into an endless cycle of conflict, litigation and paralysis. > > While the conservation plan is still a work in progress, its essential elements are simple. > > First, scientists and policymakers alike have concluded that California's economic and environmental health can no longer tolerate exclusive reliance on a 50-year-old system of pumping water directly through the Delta ? a system that reverses river flows, causes direct harm to fisheries, leads to unreliable water supplies and leaves many Californians at risk of losing clean water supplies if there were an earthquake. > > Therefore, rather than simply pumping water from north to south through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, there is an emerging consensus that we should reduce pressure on the system by also moving water around the Delta through a water conveyance system, such as a canal or a tunnel. > > Second, to help improve water quality and restore the ecosystem to health, the conservation plan calls for the restoration of tens of thousands of acres of marshes, floodplains and riparian habitats in the Delta. > > Third, the conservation plan would establish a detailed monitoring and adaptive management plan for the Delta that would allow us to use the most up-to-date science to guide the management of water and environmental resources. We need to be able to adjust the implementation of the plan over time to make the most efficient and effective use of water resources and management tools. > > These three essential elements of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan are the foundation for a long-term water strategy that meets the dual goals of restoring the Bay-Delta ecosystem and securing more reliable water supplies. > > Early scientific analysis of the conservation plan offers cause to be optimistic. Preliminary modeling suggests that a new north-south water conveyance facility ? as contemplated by the conservation plan ? could be operated in a manner that would generate annual water exports over the long term that are more reliable, and greater, than the average annual exports achievable under current conditions. > > This is good news for California's economy and environment because it means that with science-based operating criteria and other measures to address fish and habitat needs, a north-south water conveyance facility could be a major step forward in meeting the dual goals of ecosystem restoration and water supply reliability. > > Of course, there is much more work to do. Our experts are working in partnership with the state and stakeholders to develop a plan proposal that will meet California's objectives. > > Also, at our request, the scientists at the National Academy of Sciences are providing input on what additional scientific analysis needs to occur to ensure the success of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. > > As we move forward with the next steps, it is vital that we carry forward the momentum that Schwarzenegger, the California Legislature, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the California congressional delegation and many stakeholders have built for the conservation plan over the past two years. > > We can't afford to lose sight of long-term or near-term solutions that benefit all Californians. > > To that end, the Obama administration will continue to work closely with all parties to advance the conservation plan, and we will also aggressively pursue immediate actions to make water supplies more secure. > > In 2011, for example, we will continue the innovative water augmentation strategies we initiated in 2010 as an additional assurance that adequate supplies will be available from the Central Valley Project. These activities, developed cooperatively with the state and other stakeholders, include more integrated operations with the State Water Project, source shifting with SWP contractors, and additional types of water transfers within the CVP and SWP service areas. > > Federal agencies are also working together with state authorities in an unprecedented way to conserve water, improve water quality, address invasive species issues and improve levee integrity. > > Taken together, the progress we have made in the last year and the opportunities that lie ahead present an opportunity for California's water future we can't afford to miss. This is the moment ? decades in the making ? to transform a crisis into a lasting legacy of water security and conservation for the state of California.# > > Ken Salazar is the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. David J. Hayes is the deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior. > > http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/16/3261116/state-faces-pivotal-point-in-water.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Dec 16 11:56:32 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:56:32 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Delta Message-ID: <007601cb9d5b$5c16bd50$144437f0$@net> Valley Economy A discussion of economic, business, and environmental issues of importance in the Central Valley. Thursday, December 16, 2010 Financing a Big Delta Tunnel will Require Big Water Exports About Me Jeff I am Director of the Business Forecasting Center and Associate Professor, Eberhardt School of Business, University of the Pacific. My professional areas of expertise are regional economics (such as labor and real estate markets), and environmental economics. Much of my research has been on the economic impacts of environmental policies such as the Endangered Species Act, sea-level rise, greenhouse gas controls, and land preservation. Depending on the facts, these studies sometimes favor environmental viewpoints and sometimes business points of view. This is a personal journal and reflects my thoughts at a particular time. I am open to changing my mind in light of new facts and better arguments. For the past two years, I have said that "beneficiary pays" financing of the peripheral canal only pencils out if it increases water deliveries to record levels. After reviewing Wednesday's state and federal BDCP updates and subsequent news stories, it is becoming more obvious that this is true. These quotes from Mike Taugher's article are particularly revealing. "We need to know that the yield of the project that is going to be proposed is at a level that is cost-effective for us," said Jim Beck, general manager for the Kern County Water Agency... Still, the state report suggested that water districts in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California could receive 5.4 million to 5.9 million acre-feet a year on average under the plan. The federal report said it appeared that the plan could result in more than 5.2 million acre-feet a year. That's an improvement over the 4.7 million acre-feet that can be delivered on average with new restrictions in the Delta but less than the 6 million acre-feet a year delivered from 2000 to 2007. "If it's under 5.9 ... it will require our water users to re-evaluate whether BDCP meets their water supply objectives," Beck said. Some back of the envelope calculations reveal that the exporters' concerns are very valid. At $13 billion and over $80 million annual operations costs, the annual costs of operating the 15,000 cfs tunnel for exporters will be about $900 million per year. As Taugher reports above, the BDCP highlights report reveals that conveyance is only expected to increase diversions between 0.7 and 1.2 million acre feet. Thus, the each additional af of water delivered because of the canal will cost about $900 per af. And that only gets the water to Tracy, delivery from there to end users and treatment for urban users further increases costs. That is well beyond the ability of agricultural users to pay, and it makes conservation, recycling and desal. look a lot cheaper to urban users. Of course, most of this is fixed costs, so if deliveries were increased by 2 maf or more, the unit costs drop quickly. This is a simplistic calculation worthy of no more than blog publication, but it is nonetheless revealing. (I am aware that the project adds value not just through additional water, but by increasing reliability or the risk of disruptions...but conservation, water recycling and desal. provide equally if not more reliable water.) It is rather obvious that the pressure to increase deliveries beyond whatever limits will be agreed upon in the BDCP will be enormous. And if it doesn't happen, it is likely that agricultural water exporters will be unable to meet their financial requirements and there will be calls for billion dollar taxpayer subsidies or a lot more costs will be dumped on Socal urban users than they expected. Why, after 4 years, can't a 100 page document on the BDCP take its financial analysis one baby step forward? Some real economic analysis early in the process would have helped create more realistic expectations on the part of participants and greatly increased the probability of reaching a solution. (I also note that Met's new water plan says they are only planning on a $2.3 billion contribution to the Delta plan. Is that realistic? Who do they think is going to come up with the other $10.7 billion the BDCP allocates to water exporters?) This is part of the reason I have been so critical for so long of the economic analysis in the 2008 PPIC study that exagerrated the willingness of exporters to pay for a canal as well as the costs of "doing nothing". In doing so, they gave a lot of people false expectations about the financial viability of a BDCP type plan. I am disapointed in the way the federal document seems to cite the 2008 PPIC report as the sole, infallible source of Delta analysis. Indeed, my pastor typically cites more non-Bible sources in his Sunday sermons than the federal government cites non-PPIC/Davis sources on the Delta. The PPIC report does not follow the federal governments own guidelines for cost-benefit analysis for infrastructure, and exagerrates the costs of alternative water supplies among other problems. According to PPIC, water exporters should be willing to pay for a $20 billion canal AND ecosystem improvements. So, either these exporters are lying or PPIC's calculations were wrong. I believe it is the latter. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From JRSmith at co.humboldt.ca.us Thu Dec 16 14:17:11 2010 From: JRSmith at co.humboldt.ca.us (Smith, Jimmy R.) Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:17:11 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] [FOTR] CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS 12/16/10 References: <005301cb9d55$17dfb930$479f2b90$@net> <0762F225-B9EA-452A-9D49-7076A055C529@onramp113.com> Message-ID: <6F19A9EC89972E46AF3871655EAF8632039C7A5B@CTYEX.county.co.humboldt.ca.us> Thank you for keeping me informed, they are incessant jimmy _____ From: fotr-bounces+jrsmith=co.humboldt.ca.us at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:fotr-bounces+jrsmith=co.humboldt.ca.us at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.u s] On Behalf Of Moira Burke Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2010 11:40 AM To: Byron Leydecker Cc: FOTR List; Trinity List Subject: Re: [FOTR] [env-trinity] CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS 12/16/10 This is disastrous. Does Obama understand what this means? M o i r a B u r k e tel 707 678 3591 On Dec 16, 2010, at 11:11 AM, Byron Leydecker wrote: December 16, 2010 Underground tunnels proposed for Calif. water woes L.A. Daily News California urges tunnel system for delta L.A. Times Delta plan gets a nod from federal government Contra Costa Times California $13 Billion Water Tunnel Gets Federal, State Support S.F. Chronicle Californians Who Rely on Delta at "Severe Risk" KQED State faces pivotal point in water future Sacramento Bee ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Underground tunnels proposed for Calif. water woes L.A. Daily News (Associated Press)-12/15/10 Federal and state officials threw their support Wednesday behind the construction of two underground tunnels as the best option for restoring California's freshwater delta and meeting the needs of farmers and Southern California cities. The diversion of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to croplands and urban areas has furthered the decline of the largest estuary in the West. Officials are trying to find a solution that would reduce the ecological stress on the delta without harming the state's agricultural economy. Under the plan, two tunnels that are 33-feet in diameter and 150 feet below the surface would deliver water from north of the delta to the south. Water users would pay the tab, an estimated $13 billion. The tunnels would take about 10 years to construct. The plan drew immediate protests from environmental groups, who said it doesn't include specific goals that would measure success in protecting salmon and other endangered species. They also said it failed to contain measures that would lead people to conserve water. The delta, where the state's major rivers drain from the northern and central Sierra Nevada, is the hub of California's water supply. Both the state and federal government run massive pumps that siphon drinking and irrigation water to more than 25 million Californians and the Central Valley farms that grow much of the nation's fruits and vegetables. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is a federal and state initiative that would determine a framework for dealing with the declining health of the delta, as well as the increasing demand for its water. One of the leading players in the negotiations, the Westlands Water District, pulled out of negotiations a few weeks ago. The announcement seemed designed to give stakeholders and the public a sense of progress. "The status quo is not acceptable. The status quo will only result in a continuing and endless cycle of conflict, litigation and paralysis," Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar said during a conference call summarizing the plan to reporters. Salazar and other officials also said they still considered Westlands a part of the planning process. "This is the only game in town, and we're hopeful they'll be full and robust participants as we move forward," Salazar said. Officials said the key elements to the plan were restoring tens of thousands of acres of marshland and floodplains, and developing a new system of moving water around the delta. In recent years, court decisions aimed at protecting endangered fish have restricted water deliveries from the delta and have spelled major losses for growers in the state's farm belt who rely on the delta's water to irrigate their crops. The Kern County Water Agency called the plan an important development in coming up with a strategy for restoring the delta. Agency officials, however, said they were concerned that the proposal leaves open the amount of water supply that the tunnels could provide. State officials only said that modeling suggests that annual water exports would be more reliable and greater than current exports.# http://www.dailynews.com/ci_16866638?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www. dailynews.com California urges tunnel system for delta L.A. Times-12/16/10 By Bettina Boxall State officials Wednesday recommended construction of a $13-billion tunnel system that would carry water under the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to southbound aqueducts, a project that would replumb a perpetual bottleneck in California's vast water delivery network. The proposal is far from final. It faces a new administration, lengthy environmental reviews and controversy over how much water should be exported from the Northern California estuary system that serves as a conduit for water shipments to Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. The earliest completion date would be 2022. The tunnel plan is a variation of an idea that has been around for decades. Voters in 1982 killed a proposal to route water around the delta in a canal. But talk of a bypass has resurfaced as endangered species protections in recent years have forced cutbacks in pumping from the south delta. Some water would still be pumped from the south under the new proposal, but the bulk would be drawn from the Sacramento River as it enters the north delta. The water would then be carried by two huge tunnels, 150 feet deep, to the federal and state aqueducts. Some delta advocates remain staunchly opposed to the concept. But there is growing agreement that changing diversion points could lessen the environmental impacts of pumping and that a tunnel would not be as vulnerable to earthquake damage as a canal bypass or the existing pumping operations. The project, which would be accompanied by $3.3-billion worth of habitat restoration over 50 years, is part of an ambitious multi-agency program intended to resolve the conflict that has enveloped the delta for decades. Reaction to the state recommendations, which the Obama administration generally endorsed, underscored how difficult it may be to achieve a delta truce. Environmental groups assailed the planning report as "flawed, incomplete and disappointing." And the largest irrigation district in California already pulled its support of the plan, suspecting that it would not restore its water supplies. Of particular contention to environmentalists are the size of the tunnel system and the operating rules that would determine the volume of diversions. California Natural Resources Secretary Lester Snow said Wednesday that annual delta exports under the project could average 5.4 to 5.9 million acre-feet, more than allowed under current environmental restrictions - and considerably more than environmentalists and some fish biologists say the delta ecosystem can withstand if it is to make any sort of recovery. Critics said there were too many unsettled issues to make such a projection, and they accused federal and state officials of pandering to the agricultural and urban water agencies that would pay for the tunnel system. Officials "know the assertions that they're making aren't true," said Gary Bobker of the Bay Institute, one of the environmental groups participating in the delta program. "They know that the amount of water that we're going to be able to export from the delta in the future is probably not going to be the kind of numbers the [plan] is talking about." Last month, the giant Westlands Water District said it was pulling out of the delta program because it didn't think the project would live up to its promise of restoring delta exports, which had reached record levels before the recent drought and endangered species cutbacks of the last two years. "We cannot justify the expenditure of billions of dollars for a program that is unlikely to restore our water supply," Westlands General Manager Tom Birmingham said Wednesday. He added that the state plans and statements by the U.S. Interior Department that the project could increase deliveries were a good sign. "What Interior said today is encouraging. But whether Westlands reverses its position or decision is going to be determined by what Interior does, as opposed to what it says."# http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-tunnel-20101216,0,4140245. story Delta plan gets a nod from federal government Contra Costa Times-12/15/10 By Mike Taugher The Obama administration said Wednesday that it supports plans to build a new aqueduct to deliver Sacramento River water to the south, marking the first time the federal government has endorsed a proposal that has simmered in California for decades. However, federal officials stopped short of endorsing a massive set of intakes and tunnels that state officials want to build. With support fraying for an ambitious Delta water supply and ecosystem restoration plan, state and federal officials issued a pair of reports Wednesday intended to shore up support for the beleaguered Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. "This is the last best hope to deal with these issues in the San Francisco Bay-Delta," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. "This is the only game in town." The state report, issued by the Resources Agency, calls for five intakes and two huge tunnels to carry Sacramento River water from the north Delta to south Delta pumps, a project that is estimated to cost $13 billion. The tunnels would replace earlier plans to build a peripheral canal around the Delta, a plan that was rejected by voters in 1982 after it was authorized by once and future Gov. Jerry Brown. The federal report, issued by six federal water supply and environmental regulatory agencies, was less specific and more cautious in assessing what the plan could deliver. However, it said a new water delivery system would help stabilize water supplies and restore the failing Delta ecosystem. The incoming Brown administration, which will inherit the politically tricky Delta problems, had no comment, spokesman Evan Westrup said. The fact that two reports were issued instead of one shows that the Obama and Schwarzenegger administrations are not in full agreement on the plan's details. During a joint conference call with media members, state and federal officials were equally emphatic that the answers to the Delta's problems lie in the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, which is still an incomplete draft. "This is the time to build a long-term strategy," Salazar said. "The status quo is unacceptable." Four years and $140 million in the making, the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan would include two 33-foot tunnels to deliver water and a large wetlands restoration program in the Delta that supporters say would boost fish populations and eliminate the uncertainty surrounding water supplies that comes when fish are near extinction. The plan faces a series of challenges. Last month, the Westlands Water District, the nation's largest irrigation district, withdrew support because it said federal regulators were making demands that would decrease the amount of water they could receive. Although many observers and participants contend that Westlands is likely to rejoin, another major water district with an extensive farm sector said Wednesday that it also would consider withdrawing support if it does not think enough water will be available. "We need to know that the yield of the project that is going to be proposed is at a level that is cost-effective for us," said Jim Beck, general manager for the Kern County Water Agency. Environmentalists, meanwhile, say state and federal officials appear to be bowing to pressure from water agencies and threaten to knock the plan off-balance. "For them to step out and take positions on issues that are far from resolved could be detrimental to the process. They could slow it down and cause delays," said Ann Hayden, a water policy analyst at the Environmental Defense Fund and a member of the steering committee that is writing the plan. The estimates put forward so far likely are too high in part because planners have not established goals for recovering fish populations, Hayden said. Dwindling fish populations will likely need more water flowing into San Francisco Bay to recover, she said. Still, the state report suggested that water districts in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California could receive 5.4 million to 5.9 million acre-feet a year on average under the plan. The federal report said it appeared that the plan could result in more than 5.2 million acre-feet a year. That's an improvement over the 4.7 million acre-feet that can be delivered on average with new restrictions in the Delta but less than the 6 million acre-feet a year delivered from 2000 to 2007. "If it's under 5.9 "... it will require our water users to re-evaluate whether BDCP meets their water supply objectives," Beck said. The next several months could determine the plan's fate. "Certainly there's a risk of failure," said Tim Quinn, the executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies and strong supporter of the plan. "What I'm hoping is everybody on both sides is asking themselves the hard question: What happens if we don't find a way?"# http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_16868146?source=rss California $13 Billion Water Tunnel Gets Federal, State Support S.F. Chronicle (Bloomberg)-12/16/10 California is one step closer to getting a $13 billion "conveyance system" that would carry water from the northern part of the state to a region that grows half the nation's fresh produce, Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar said. Salazar's office today released a status report that he said was designed to end years of "conflict, litigation and paralysis" and bring consensus to a project debated for four decades. The state of California today also issued a report, outlining how a tunnel or canal would bring water from the northern end of San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the south where it would provide irrigation for farmers and drinking water to residents. "After years of drought, growing stress on water supplies, and with the Bay-Delta in full environmental collapse, it has become clear to everyone that the status quo for California's water infrastructure is no longer an option," Salazar said in a statement. The Delta is a 738,000-acre (298,700-hectare) maze of islands and canals south of Sacramento created by the confluence of two large rivers, according to the state Department of Water Resources. Runoff from the Sierra Nevada Mountains provides water to 25 million Californians, according to the state's report. Maximizing the water flow for consumers while protecting wildlife habitats has been an issue unresolved for four decades, according to California Secretary of Natural Resources Lester Snow. The state's report summarizes 3,000 pages of research, identifies key issues and makes them easier for citizens to understand, Snow said in a press conference today. "This is a significant milestone," he said. "We are for the first time within striking distance of a balanced approach." A tunnel would provide a direct route to Southern California consumers while minimizing interference with the wildlife on the ground, said Pete Lucero, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Completion of a tunnel, estimated in the state report to cost $13 billion, may take 10 to 15 years, Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said at the press conference. U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno ruled on Dec. 14 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have to rewrite its plans to protect the Delta smelt, an endangered fish, according to the Fresno Bee. "This is one court decision," Salazar said in the press conference in response to a question about the case. "If everyone gets wrapped up in litigation there will never be a decision."# http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/12/16/bloomberg137 6-LDHQ811A1I4J01-6L3OHI1UD308GQSIP85GQ685J7.DTL Californians Who Rely on Delta at "Severe Risk" KQED-12/15/10 by Gretchen Weber Here's a shocker: Yes, action is necessary on the San Francisco Bay Delta State and federal authorities provided an update Wednesday on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), which is tasked with restoring the damaged ecosystems of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and safeguarding California's water supply. "The 25 million Californians who rely on the Delta for clean drinking water are at severe risk," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, on a call with reporters. It's well established that the current system of water delivery that shuttles water from north to south through the Delta causes damage to wetlands and threatens native species, as well as leaving the water supply vulnerable to earthquakes and pollution. "There is now a clear consensus that the status quo is unsustainable," said Senator Dianne Feinstein, in a written statement. The report released Wednesday focuses on three key elements, which Deputy Secretary David Hayes outlined on the call: 1. Improve water quality and restore the ecosystems 2. Rather than just pumping water through the Delta, water should also be moved around the Delta through an underground tunnel 3. Create a monitoring and adaptive management plan for the Delta, that would allow for flexibility The 92-page "highlights" report is not a final plan, nor even a draft plan, which is not expected until next year. Instead it is a "status report on the condition of the BDCP" and a "transition document" from the Schwarzenegger-to-Brown administrations, said Lester Snow, head of the California Natural Resources Agency. Despite its preliminary nature, however, the report has sparked criticism from environmental groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund, The Bay Institute, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, which cite its lack of endangered species protections and a water conservation strategy, among other concerns. "This plan is not ready for prime time," said Gary Bobker, Program Director at the Bay Institute. "Whether it's the quality of the analysis, or paying attention to the best available scientific information, or facing up to some hard policy choices about the future, the plan simply does not pass the laugh test."# http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2010/12/15/californians-who-rely-on-d elta-at-severe-risk/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign= Feed%3A+kqed%2FClimateWatchBlog+%28KQED%27s+Climate+Watch+Blog%29&utm_co ntent=Google+Reader State faces pivotal point in water future Sacramento Bee-12/16/10 By Ken Salazar and David J. Hayes Opinion California's water hub - the San Francisco Bay-Delta - can no longer do it all. Years of drought, worsening water pollution, rising water demands and the disappearance of wildlife and habitat have left the Bay-Delta in a state of environmental collapse. As a result, a multibillion-dollar agricultural economy, coastal fishing fleets and the 25 million Californians who rely on the Delta for clean drinking water are at severe risk. This is the deciding moment for California's water future. We can either complete the much-needed long-term California Bay-Delta Conservation Plan on which the Obama administration, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, water users and other partners have made significant progress, or fall back into an endless cycle of conflict, litigation and paralysis. While the conservation plan is still a work in progress, its essential elements are simple. First, scientists and policymakers alike have concluded that California's economic and environmental health can no longer tolerate exclusive reliance on a 50-year-old system of pumping water directly through the Delta - a system that reverses river flows, causes direct harm to fisheries, leads to unreliable water supplies and leaves many Californians at risk of losing clean water supplies if there were an earthquake. Therefore, rather than simply pumping water from north to south through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, there is an emerging consensus that we should reduce pressure on the system by also moving water around the Delta through a water conveyance system, such as a canal or a tunnel. Second, to help improve water quality and restore the ecosystem to health, the conservation plan calls for the restoration of tens of thousands of acres of marshes, floodplains and riparian habitats in the Delta. Third, the conservation plan would establish a detailed monitoring and adaptive management plan for the Delta that would allow us to use the most up-to-date science to guide the management of water and environmental resources. We need to be able to adjust the implementation of the plan over time to make the most efficient and effective use of water resources and management tools. These three essential elements of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan are the foundation for a long-term water strategy that meets the dual goals of restoring the Bay-Delta ecosystem and securing more reliable water supplies. Early scientific analysis of the conservation plan offers cause to be optimistic. Preliminary modeling suggests that a new north-south water conveyance facility - as contemplated by the conservation plan - could be operated in a manner that would generate annual water exports over the long term that are more reliable, and greater, than the average annual exports achievable under current conditions. This is good news for California's economy and environment because it means that with science-based operating criteria and other measures to address fish and habitat needs, a north-south water conveyance facility could be a major step forward in meeting the dual goals of ecosystem restoration and water supply reliability. Of course, there is much more work to do. Our experts are working in partnership with the state and stakeholders to develop a plan proposal that will meet California's objectives. Also, at our request, the scientists at the National Academy of Sciences are providing input on what additional scientific analysis needs to occur to ensure the success of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. As we move forward with the next steps, it is vital that we carry forward the momentum that Schwarzenegger, the California Legislature, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the California congressional delegation and many stakeholders have built for the conservation plan over the past two years. We can't afford to lose sight of long-term or near-term solutions that benefit all Californians. To that end, the Obama administration will continue to work closely with all parties to advance the conservation plan, and we will also aggressively pursue immediate actions to make water supplies more secure. In 2011, for example, we will continue the innovative water augmentation strategies we initiated in 2010 as an additional assurance that adequate supplies will be available from the Central Valley Project. These activities, developed cooperatively with the state and other stakeholders, include more integrated operations with the State Water Project, source shifting with SWP contractors, and additional types of water transfers within the CVP and SWP service areas. Federal agencies are also working together with state authorities in an unprecedented way to conserve water, improve water quality, address invasive species issues and improve levee integrity. Taken together, the progress we have made in the last year and the opportunities that lie ahead present an opportunity for California's water future we can't afford to miss. This is the moment - decades in the making - to transform a crisis into a lasting legacy of water security and conservation for the state of California.# Ken Salazar is the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. David J. Hayes is the deputy secretary of the Department of the Interior. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/12/16/3261116/state-faces-pivotal-point-in-wa ter.html _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sari at sisqtel.net Fri Dec 17 15:27:05 2010 From: sari at sisqtel.net (Sari Sommarstrom) Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:27:05 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] =?iso-8859-1?q?CBB=3A_Ocean_Indicators=92_Efforts_L?= =?iso-8859-1?q?eading_To__More_Certainty_In_Predicting_Annual_Salmon_Retu?= =?iso-8859-1?q?rns?= Message-ID: <20101217232714.EC7C517083E7@mx.dcn.davis.ca.us> But what about predicting how well the Klamath River's young salmon fare in the ocean? Is the science getting more certainty here also, and not just the Columbia River fish? ?Ocean Indicators? Efforts Leading To More Certainty In Predicting Annual Salmon Returns THE COLUMBIA BASIN BULLETIN: Weekly Fish and Wildlife News www.cbbulletin.com December 17, 2010 --- Issue No. 556 Fifteen years of monitoring a suite of 16 physical, biological and ecological ?indicators? of ocean conditions has left NOAA Fisheries scientists confident they could now predict with reasonable certainty how young salmon from the Columbia River might fare during their first few months in the Pacific Ocean. ?We feel like we?ve kind of got it figured out except for this year,? said Bill Peterson, a senior scientist and oceanographer with NOAA Fisheries? Northwest Fisheries Science Center. After years of collecting, analyzing and summing up indicator data, researchers began issuing forecasts about relative strength of salmon runs in the years to come. The forecasts are based on the ocean conditions the fish had encountered when entering the ocean as juveniles. The NWFSC scientists have a seen strong correlation between highly ranked years (favorable indicators) and strong coho and spring chinook adult returns one and two years later, respectively. In 2008, as an example, the average rank (each indicator is ranked poor, good or average each year) was the best in a 12-year data set. The return of coho last year was the fifth highest since 1970; and the upriver spring chinook was the third best since at least 1980. The ocean signals measured this year were all over the board, though most were at the low end of the 12 years of rankings. And some went from very bad to great in terms of how they are believed to affect young salmon. The average of all 16 indicator rankings combined for this year is ninth best out of 12 years. ?2010 was a very confusing year,? Peterson told the Northwest Power and Conservation Council during a Wednesday presentation in Portland. He and others involved with the project are still trying to figure out what to make of it, and produce forecasts for the 2011 coho return and the 2012 spring chinook run. ?We?re going to see this year what drives the system,? Peterson said. Cold is good when it comes to salmon survival and growth in the California Current that runs, sometimes northward and sometimes southward, along the coast. ?It?s not just the temperature itself,? Peterson said. ?A different kind of water comes to the coast? when a cold period is in place and the current shifts in spring to bring water from the north that brings foodstuffs and produces an upwelling of nutrients to fuel the food chain. Coldwater copepods swept down from the north are larger than their warmwater cousins from the south and literally build stores of lipids or fats. They in turn add a rich source to the food chain. A southward current ?fills this food chain with real nutritional stuff,? Peterson said. A fortified food chain is beneficial to the young salmon in a couple ways. Food is more plentiful for them and helps fill up fish that would eat the juveniles. The juvenile salmon have two missions in life, Peterson said. No. 1 is ?find something to eat, and the other is to not be eaten. They live a simple life.? There are four physical factors that affect plankton, food chains, pelagic fish and the growth and survival of salmon in the northern California Current, Peterson said. They include large scale water circulation patterns, that season reversal of coastal currents, coastal upwelling and the phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation ? warm (bad for salmon) or cold. 2010 proved to be a transition year with ?El Nino? conditions, which are generally a negative influence on salmon, holding sway until June before a shift to cold La Nina conditions. Likewise the PDO, a climate index based upon patterns of variation in sea surface temperature of the North Pacific, shifted strongly into a cold phase. Its ranking changed from the eleventh worst in the data set for December-March to the third best for May-September. ?In July, just like that, the ocean went cold,? Peterson said. ?Conditions (for young salmon) were great later on? in the summer. The jury is still out on whether or not enough of the fish lingered long enough in the current that runs up and down the continental shelf long enough to receive a benefit. Strangely enough, the sampling of juvenile chinook with a trawler at various sites off the Oregon and Washington coasts during May and June produced relatively strong numbers ? the fifth highest. September trawling for coho, however, netted the eleventh ranked class in the date set. The years of trawling has revealed that the juvenile coho and yearling chinook remain for a time in the shallower waters above the continental shelf. Sampling off the shelf has produced very few fish, Peterson said. ?That?s where they?re living, right in close.? The research involves long-term monitoring of climate conditions, hydrography, zooplankton (copepods) and juvenile salmon abundance. The indicators are based on physical factors such as the state of the PDO, sea surface temperature, timing of the initiation of upwelling and strength of upwelling, along with biological indicators that index the quality of food within the food chain. The time of the start of upwelling this year (July instead of April or May) and its duration (likely short because of its late start) were also well down on the chart in 2010, both ranked as the 11th best out of 12. ?The earlier the transition comes, the more upwelling there is..., Peterson said. More information, go to NWFSC?s website at http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov and click on ?Ocean Conditions and Salmon Forecasting? in the box on the right-hand side of the page. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Mon Dec 20 11:06:01 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:06:01 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Sacramento Bee 12-17-10 Message-ID: <000501cba078$fb318f80$f194ae80$@net> Calif water projections raised as storms roll in Sacramento Bee-12/17/10 Water officials say recent storms have given California the best early-season water supply outlook in five years. As a result, Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin on Friday said farms and cities can expect half the water they request next year. That's double the 25-percent projection he made just lasmonth. Cowin says next year's delivery outlook should continue to improve for water districts serving about 25 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. Snowpack is 122 percent of normal for this time of year. Lake Shasta and Folsom Lake reservoirs are releasing water to make room for runoff from the latest storm that began raking the state Friday. The news comes after three dry winters that led to low initial projections a year ago. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Daryl_Van_Dyke at fws.gov Mon Dec 20 17:41:12 2010 From: Daryl_Van_Dyke at fws.gov (Daryl_Van_Dyke at fws.gov) Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:41:12 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Daryl Van Dyke is out of the office. Message-ID: I will be out of the office starting 12/20/2010 and will not return until 12/27/2010. I will respond to your message when I return. Happy Holiday! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Dec 21 17:34:46 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:34:46 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Hatchery Count 12 16 2010 Message-ID: <025401cba178$72cf0b30$586d2190$@net> Folks, The attached spreadsheet has the most recent Trinity River hatchery totals. Both Chinook and coho salmon are on the wane, however steelhead numbers finally started to pick up this week. Steelhead entry generally peaks in Jan - Feb. For historical yearly figures, click on tabs at far left bottom of main file. Happy Holidays, Wade Sinnen Associate Biologist Trinity River Project CA Dept. of Fish and Game Northern California - North Coast District Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: weirTRH_summary 12 16 10.xls Type: application/vnd.ms-excel Size: 92672 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Dec 22 12:23:08 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:23:08 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Eureka Times Standard 12-22-2010 Message-ID: <001f01cba216$0cf7fcb0$26e7f610$@net> Hoopa Tribe to get share of Trinity River power John Driscoll/The Times-Standard Five decades after the federal government dammed the Trinity River, the Hoopa Valley Tribe will get some power from the project that diverts billions of gallons of water to the Central Valley each year. Beginning in 2015, the tribe will get an allocation through the Western Area Power Administration, a U.S. Department of Energy power marketing branch, that should meet a substantial part of the tribe's power needs long into the future. The tribe will get about 4,102 megawatt hours of electricity each year -- about three times the amount of power used by homes and businesses connected to the electrical grid currently. "We felt it was time to see the benefits of the water being diverted," Hoopa Tribe Fisheries Department communications director Allie Hostler said. Just over half of the upper Trinity River's water is sent through three powerhouses on its way to the Sacramento River. The Trinity River's fisheries collapsed after the dam and diversion were in place in 1963. In 2000, a federal record of decision was signed that reduced the diversion. That decision will govern the diversion into the foreseeable future, Hostler said, so the tribe applied to the power administration to procure some of the electricity the Central Valley Project generates. Central Valley Project contractors get power at wholesale rates, while about 2 percent of the power is set aside for public utilities, tribes, universities and other entities that meet certain requirements. The Hoopa Tribe will be the second-largest recipient of that power allocation. The contract for the power will last until 2024, and can be renewed. The tribe does not own its own power transmission lines and intends to negotiate with the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. -- possibly in exchange for excess power -- for delivery of power through existing lines, Hostler said. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Wed Dec 22 12:27:02 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:27:02 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Capital Press 12-21-2010 Message-ID: <002401cba216$a5c78e10$f156aa30$@net> California storms fill reservoirs, snowpack By Tim Hearden California's record-setting rainfall in the past week has left many reservoirs flush with water and mountains smothered in snow. The state's Department of Water Resources is predicting its deliveries of state project water will be at least half of contractors' requests -- an extraordinarily high amount for this early in the season. "The usual procedure is to start out conservatively at the first of the water year and see what kind of direction mother nature is going to take," DWR spokesman Don Strickland said. "Obviously she is going in the right direction now, so it's not beyond the possibility that water allocations could be increased again provided the storms keep coming on through." The prediction comes as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has been releasing water from several nearly full reservoirs to make room for more. At Shasta Lake, crews have been sending 15,000 cubic feet per second down the Sacramento River, up from the normal 7,000 cfs. Releases from Folsom Lake near Sacramento were ramped up from 15,000 cfs to 30,000 cfs, and the Tolluch Reservoir on the Stanislaus River has been letting out 1,500 cfs rather than the normal 200 cfs. Bureau officials expected releases to ease back to normal by this weekend as the deluge lets up, spokesman Pete Lucero said. "With all of our reservoirs, one of their main purposes is for flood control," Lucero said. With these storms coming in this past weekend and coming up this week, we need to be sure we have enough flood reservation space within the reservoirs." There's plenty more water coming. As of Tuesday, Dec. 21, the water content in snowpack statewide was 204 percent of normal for this time of year, including 274 percent of normal for the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The abundance follows nearly a week of virtually nonstop precipitation throughout the state -- particularly in usually parched Central California. About 40 residents of the San Joaquin Valley farming community of McFarland were briefly evacuated Monday, Dec. 20 for fear of flooding. >From Dec. 17-21, Visalia sopped up 4.29 inches of rain, while 3.92 inches fell in Bakersfield, 4.41 inches were recorded in Delano and 3.25 inches fell in Hanford, according to the National Weather Service. Fresno has received 3.19 inches of rain so far in December -- a big leap from its normal 0.8 inches. "I haven't seen this much (rain) at one time in quite a while," said Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for the Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual. "It's pretty much shut us down for the week, although we've gotten a break today (Tuesday) which may allow some packing houses to get in if they've got some sandier soil and the fruit dries off." Rainfall is generally good for the navel orange harvest, which is in high gear at this time of year. But too much of it shuts down picking and could lead to rind deterioration and fungus-infected trees, Blakely said. The West has been locked in a La Ni?a pattern this winter, with lots of storms pelting the Pacific Northwest and far Northern California. But lately, a persistent parade of storm clouds has been dousing virtually all of California, and that parade may not end soon. "It looks like it pretty much continues in that pattern," said George Cline, a National Weather Service forecaster in Sacramento. "The storm door is open, I guess, and we are tending to get these systems coming through." Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Wed Dec 22 16:51:43 2010 From: Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov (Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov) Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:51:43 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River spawning survey - LAST update December 22, 2010 Message-ID: Hi all, Our mainstem Trinity River spawning survey season has drawn to a close. Our crews mapped the locations of 4,030 redds and handled over 3,700 carcasses. A swollen river kept us off the lower reaches late in the season, especially in the lower reaches where Chinook Salmon spawn a bit later into the year or the numbers would have been a bit higher. Preliminary results are available through the link below. I'd like to thank the crews of Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for conducting a safe survey and collecting this critical data for the Trinity River Restoration Program. It looks like fun work (and it is!), but there can also be some long days grinding it out in foul weather while handling dozens of rotting carcasses. Thanks for getting quality data! And thanks to all of you for tuning in this season! Charlie Charles Chamberlain/AFWO/ R1/FWS/DOI To env trinity 09/21/2010 03:42 cc PM Subject Trinity River spawning survey update Hi all, It's that season again! Fall 2010 salmon spawning surveys of the mainstem Trinity River are underway. These are conducted collaboratively by the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, California Department of Fish and Game, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department, and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Our first within-season update for the 2010 redd survey is available from the Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Website at the link below. Click on "Trinity River 2010 Redd Survey Update" near the bottom of the page. We will make updates available throughout this season at this same site. http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html Here's to hoping for a great run this year. Cheers! Charlie Charlie Chamberlain Fish Biologist - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish & Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, CA 95521 Charles_Chamberlain at fws.gov Phone: (707) 825-5110 Fax: (707) 822-8411 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: graycol.gif Type: image/gif Size: 105 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ecblank.gif Type: image/gif Size: 45 bytes Desc: not available URL: From bhill at igc.org Thu Dec 23 09:47:33 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:47:33 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] military exercises threaten marine life in Pacific NW Message-ID: <045601cba2c9$8ebc6a70$ac353f50$@org> from below; The Navy is all set to say that Mendocino County will not be impacted by Navy training. However, the FEIS states that sonar and other warfare testing will be conducted by the Navy in all areas even during gray whale and fish migrations. From: Beth Robinson Bosk [mailto:nsi at mcn.org] ----- Original Message ----- From: Rosalind Peterson To: Susan Nutter Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2010 6:04 AM Subject: Additional Note from Rosalind December 16, 2010 December 16, 2010 Dear Susan: When people attend rallies they sometimes don't know what to ask the Navy...and also they haven't read the Navy Final Environmental Impact Statement, the Navy Record of Decision, and other documents. When we prepared some optional questions for the Navy...we gave page numbers in the documents and direct quotes from letters written by our elected officials and other information with some background documentation. This helped many to understand more clearly the issues during the rally and before the meeting. The group in Humboldt County made the rally educational as much as possible so that those who attended were not just protesting but were putting the Navy on the spot with their questions...thus, the media coverage was good and very pointed...the Navy tried to deny many items but the page numbers and documents spoke for themselves when those items were used as a basis for questions...others asked great questions as well. The Navy is all set to say that Mendocino County will not be impacted by Navy training. However, the FEIS states that sonar and other warfare testing will be conducted by the Navy in all areas even during gray whale and fish migrations. This will have an impact in our area as the Navy Southern California and Hawaiian 5-Year warfare testing program has been ongoing for over a year in both places. The Navy yesterday did not want to talk about those areas and kept making the statement that the NWTRC was not part of those warfare areas...even though the testing the will be conducted in the NWTRC is almost identical (per EIS documents), with those areas. The impacts from Southern California and Hawaii 5-Year warfare testing will be exacerbated by the addition of new weapons system testing in the NWTRC, use of sonar, bomb blasts, etc. The Navy clearly did not want to talk about those other areas because it brings to public attention that we are not the only area with this type of ongoing military warfare exercises. These and other questions pressed the Navy hard to find answers to our questions. And one questions that stumped them the most was about where they were going to dump the toxic chemicals and debris used in the NWTRC. They didn't know the answer. In addition, they could not identify any safe areas where chemicals could be released safely in the ocean even though they state clearly in their FEIS that some items were to be dumped overboard. When questioned the Navy also denied that any of the toxic chemicals listed and used in the NWTRC were hazardous and that they would have no effect on the environment or marine life. One person read a list of chemicals at this point and the Navy reiterated that they were all safe...mercury, cadmium, lead, red phosphorus, etc. Several people who called me last night said that the Navy appeared to be in denial most of the time. I just wanted to prepare you for this event ahead of time. It would be good to press the Navy with our own information from their documents. Also Congressman Thompson's letter of October 8, 2010, to the Navy is good to reference as well as Dr. Lubchenco's statement from the meeting here on December 9, 2010, in Ukiah. My mom is having a lot of difficulties which precludes me from making many trips. However, if she seems better today and her friend will come and be with her while I am gone...I will be there. Just in case - good luck...thank you very much for all you do. The video that you sent was great - and I sent it out everywhere as well...just to see the reaction...it was good. Just a note to let you know that our next actions in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, will be to pressure Congressman Thompson and respective senators to have NOAA rescind their Permit and Letter of Authorization to the Navy until such time as the workshops/working groups are held in Northern California with regard to the use of sonar in our area and protecting our biologically sensitive areas. They should be held here as soon as possible and we should bring that up here with our supervisors...also when I handed thousands of petitions to Dr. Lubchenco of NOAA I made sure to ask for NOAA to rescind their permit and have the workshops here ASAP. Humboldt County, Marin County, and Sonoma County residents will be making the same requests to their supervisors this week as well. We are hoping that this can come up on the agenda with their next meetings...also we should continue to encourage Congressman Thompson and our senators to work for U.S. Senate Hearings. We shall see. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Thu Dec 23 10:30:58 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:30:58 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Contra Costa Times 12-23-10 Message-ID: <033e01cba2cf$964b2c30$c2e18490$@net> Forecasters: California should see drier winter Contra Costa Times-12/23/10 Despite the weeklong rains deluging California, the Golden State should experience a drier than average winter thanks to the La Nina climate phenomenon, forecasters said Wednesday. Just because a series of pre-winter storms drenched the state "doesn't mean the entire season is going to be like this," said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the Climate Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA center said California should be drying out in the first three months of the new year. Its outlook is driven mostly by a strong La Nina in the tropical Pacific. The phenomenon is marked by a cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which usually means drier than normal winter conditions in California and the Southwest. There are other factors besides La Nina that affect local weather. The latest storm system was caused by cold polar air clashing with warm, moist air to create the wild weather, said Bill Patzert of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Even though La Nina is very strong, what's really dominating the weather is the Arctic Oscillation in the short term," Patzert said. If La Nina remains strong as forecasters expect, California should see drier conditions from January to March. Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Thu Dec 23 12:54:30 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 12:54:30 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] military exercises threaten marine life in Pacific NW In-Reply-To: <045601cba2c9$8ebc6a70$ac353f50$@org> References: <045601cba2c9$8ebc6a70$ac353f50$@org> Message-ID: Here is more information about the Navy's proposed war games. EPIC: http://www.wildcalifornia.org/blog/navywarfaretraining/ Navy Environmental documentation: http://www.nwtrangecomplexeis.com/Documents.aspx 2010/12/23 Brian Hill > from below; > > > The Navy is all set to say that Mendocino County will not be impacted by > Navy training. However, the FEIS states that > sonar and other warfare testing will be conducted by the Navy in all areas > even during gray whale and fish migrations. > > > > *From:* Beth Robinson Bosk [mailto:nsi at mcn.org] > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > *From:* Rosalind Peterson > > *To:* Susan Nutter > > *Sent:* Thursday, December 16, 2010 6:04 AM > > *Subject:* Additional Note from Rosalind December 16, 2010 > > > > December 16, 2010 > > Dear Susan: > > When people attend rallies they sometimes don't know what to ask the > Navy...and also they haven't read the > Navy Final Environmental Impact Statement, the Navy Record of Decision, and > other documents. When we prepared > some optional questions for the Navy...we gave page numbers in the > documents and direct quotes from letters written > by our elected officials and other information with some background > documentation. This helped many to understand > more clearly the issues during the rally and before the meeting. > > The group in Humboldt County made the rally educational as much as possible > so that those who attended were not > just protesting but were putting the Navy on the spot with their > questions...thus, the media coverage was good and > very pointed...the Navy tried to deny many items but the page numbers and > documents spoke for themselves when > those items were used as a basis for questions...others asked great > questions as well. > > The Navy is all set to say that Mendocino County will not be impacted by > Navy training. However, the FEIS states that > sonar and other warfare testing will be conducted by the Navy in all areas > even during gray whale and fish migrations. > This will have an impact in our area as the Navy Southern California and > Hawaiian 5-Year warfare testing program has been > ongoing for over a year in both places. The Navy yesterday did not want to > talk about those areas and kept making the > statement that the NWTRC was not part of those warfare areas...even though > the testing the will be conducted in the NWTRC > is almost identical (per EIS documents), with those areas. > > The impacts from Southern California and Hawaii 5-Year warfare testing will > be exacerbated by the addition of new weapons > system testing in the NWTRC, use of sonar, bomb blasts, etc. The Navy > clearly did not want to talk about those other areas because > it brings to public attention that we are not the only area with this type > of ongoing military warfare exercises. These and other > questions pressed the Navy hard to find answers to our questions. > > And one questions that stumped them the most was about where they were > going to dump the toxic chemicals and debris > used in the NWTRC. They didn't know the answer. In addition, they could > not identify any safe areas where chemicals could > be released safely in the ocean even though they state clearly in their > FEIS that some items were to be dumped overboard. > > When questioned the Navy also denied that any of the toxic chemicals listed > and used in the NWTRC were hazardous and > that they would have no effect on the environment or marine life. One > person read a list of chemicals at this point and the > Navy reiterated that they were all safe...mercury, cadmium, lead, red > phosphorus, etc. Several people who called me last > night said that the Navy appeared to be in denial most of the time. > > I just wanted to prepare you for this event ahead of time. It would be > good to press the Navy with our own information > from their documents. Also Congressman Thompson's letter of October 8, > 2010, to the Navy is good to reference as well as > Dr. Lubchenco's statement from the meeting here on December 9, 2010, in > Ukiah. > > My mom is having a lot of difficulties which precludes me from making many > trips. However, if she seems better today > and her friend will come and be with her while I am gone...I will be there. > > Just in case - good luck...thank you very much for all you do. The video > that you sent was great - and I sent it out everywhere > as well...just to see the reaction...it was good. > > Just a note to let you know that our next actions in Northern California, > Oregon, and Washington, will be to pressure > Congressman Thompson and respective senators to have NOAA rescind their > Permit and Letter of Authorization to the > Navy until such time as the workshops/working groups are held in Northern > California with regard to the use of sonar > in our area and protecting our biologically sensitive areas. They should > be held here as soon as possible and we should > bring that up here with our supervisors...also when I handed thousands of > petitions to Dr. Lubchenco of NOAA I made > sure to ask for NOAA to rescind their permit and have the workshops here > ASAP. > > Humboldt County, Marin County, and Sonoma County residents will be making > the same requests to their supervisors > this week as well. We are hoping that this can come up on the agenda with > their next meetings...also we should continue > to encourage Congressman Thompson and our senators to work for U.S. Senate > Hearings. We shall see. > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > -- "A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive." ~ Albert Einstein, 1954 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From t.schlosser at msaj.com Thu Dec 23 13:13:18 2010 From: t.schlosser at msaj.com (Tom Schlosser) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:13:18 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] military exercises threaten marine life in Pacific NW In-Reply-To: References: <045601cba2c9$8ebc6a70$ac353f50$@org> Message-ID: <4D13BB6E.5070304@msaj.com> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Fri Dec 24 11:48:12 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:48:12 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] The Forthcoming Holidays Message-ID: <03e201cba3a3$802ef970$808cec50$@net> To My Democratic Friends: Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wish. To My Republican Friends: Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary) http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From oepcsfn at aol.com Fri Dec 24 12:37:59 2010 From: oepcsfn at aol.com (Pat Port) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 15:37:59 -0500 Subject: [env-trinity] The Forthcoming Holidays In-Reply-To: <03e201cba3a3$802ef970$808cec50$@net> References: <03e201cba3a3$802ef970$808cec50$@net> Message-ID: <8CD71C196414BB0-1574-A3A4@Webmail-d121.sysops.aol.com> Holiday greetings from sunny Ft. Lauderdale! Happy and merry to one and all! P2 Patricia Sanderson Port Regional Environmental Officer Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance Department of the Interior 1111 Jackson St., Ste. 520 Oakland, CA 94607 Tel: 510-817-1477 Fax: 510-419-0177 -----Original Message----- From: Byron Leydecker To: FOTR List ; Trinity List Sent: Fri, Dec 24, 2010 2:48 pm Subject: [env-trinity] The Forthcoming Holidays To My Democratic Friends: Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wish. To My Republican Friends: Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Byron Leydecker, JcTChair, Friends of Trinity RiverPO Box 2327Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327415 383 4810 land415 519 4810 mobilebwl3 at comcast.netbleydecker@stanfordalumni.org (secondary)http://www.fotr.org ???_______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity From bhill at igc.org Fri Dec 24 13:32:03 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:32:03 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] FW: Is Navy Plan a Threat to World's Oldest Killer Whales? | CommonDreams.org Message-ID: <00cc01cba3b2$09cbf9e0$1d63eda0$@org> http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/12/24-3 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bhill at igc.org Fri Dec 24 17:54:41 2010 From: bhill at igc.org (Brian Hill) Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 17:54:41 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Navy exercises In-Reply-To: <001401cba3c4$a4b11fa0$dc285142@beth0f39f142bc> References: <043f01cba2be$fa2202d0$ee660870$@org> <001401cba3c4$a4b11fa0$dc285142@beth0f39f142bc> Message-ID: <00ee01cba3d6$bd8749c0$3895dd40$@org> Beth the env-trinity list threatened to block me for posting emails regarding Navy exercises, so I'll have to contact members individually. I already sent an note to Schlosser. Brian From: Beth Robinson Bosk [mailto:nsi at mcn.org] Sent: Friday, December 24, 2010 3:45 PM To: Brian Hill; 'David Frankel' Cc: 'Tom Ballanco'; 'Bill Weinberg'; Richard K. Moore; 'Ed Saukkooja' We need a Brown v. Board of Education argument based on harm in front of a west coast federal judge to overturn the Supreme Court decision David Frankel alluded to. [It was Tom Schlosser [t.schlosser at msaj.com who is a member of env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] Plessey was overturned because societal values changed. The armed forces in this country no longer go unchallenged by a majority. Tom, David can you pull together a contingent of attorneys from the Pacific Rim realms of Washington, Oregon and California to take the Navy on based on harm. Because people coalesce into a spoken-word mob every time there is another meeting re. Navy Weapons training & testing off the California, Oregon and Washington coast. Have been very plain spoken about militarization of the oceans and ecocide. At the hall- packed meeting in Fort Bragg, the Navy's PR guy opened with a paragraph stating the Navy DOES NOT OWN the open seas and has no legitimate jurisdiction out there to keep people away from their vessels. Talk of flotillas is already on the airwaves in Humboldt County. A good team of lawyers seems to me to be a necessary step and will have plenty of support. --Beth Bosk P.S. Anybody who needs a copy of my last issue of New Settler [magazine], where the owner of the Mendocino Cafe lays out the Navy's plans from the point of view of a no-nonsense citizen, can email me for a copy with their address. It's a bracing commentary and indicative of how courageous people will get around this issue. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From trinityjosh at gmail.com Sat Dec 25 17:47:50 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 17:47:50 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Navy exercises In-Reply-To: <00ee01cba3d6$bd8749c0$3895dd40$@org> References: <043f01cba2be$fa2202d0$ee660870$@org> <001401cba3c4$a4b11fa0$dc285142@beth0f39f142bc> <00ee01cba3d6$bd8749c0$3895dd40$@org> Message-ID: Brian, That email probably came from either Byron or Tom, probably the later, based upon how it is written. Though as much as I may agree with you, in that war games in the Pacific Ocean in areas where Sacramento, Klamath, other salmonid fishery runs, and other endemic marine life will be directly affected by these actions; I also understand that some people are touchy about posting information on the list-serve not directly related to the Trinity. They have gotten complaints from a minority few who only want Trinity River restoration info posted. You just need to be aware of that. However I do not agree with the threat to ban you, or that this topic is not related to the Trinity restoration effort, because it is. Its kind of like saying, "Don't post about the Bay-Delta or agricultural water related issues because it's not directly related to restoration", which technically is not related to restoration. Though because those issues are indirectly connected with Trinity Restoration, the topic is discussed. It's kind of like going to TMC meetings and listening to them argue about jurisdiction. The ROD says that the TMC has restoration authority to the Pacific Ocean, though for some reason, they think that the parts that directly related to Trinity River restoration starts at Weithpec and ends at Lewiston. Though this viewpoint does not take into the whole of issues (i.e. systems theory), as only a part of the problem is taken into account. Yeah, we can raise fish in a hatchery and below the dam, but what about their native habitat above the dam, and providing access to it? What about Klamath River water quality affecting Trinity River fish? What about coordinated restoration of habitat below Weitchpec? What about oceanic conditions that affect Trinity River fish during their maturation phase? How many fish will be killed during war games that would have otherwise made it back upstream to spawn? What about the water that the powers that be would rather send over the hill? Some of these questions are directly related, while others are indirectly related. Either way, as a planner, you take into account direct and indirect effects to propose alternative solutions. If you don't, the proposition is incomplete. So yes, I agree with you, and think Trinity River enthusiasts should know about oceanic actions by our government that will affect a program ran by same said government. We should always question authority, be it the federal, state, local government, or military; as well as test comfort boundaries of some people who only want to look at directly related issues. Such is the purpose of pluralism; to exchange ideas, discuss issues, and propose solutions that meet everyone's needs. Josh 2010/12/24 Brian Hill > Beth > > > > the env-trinity list threatened to block me for posting emails regarding > Navy exercises, so I'll have to contact members individually. I already > sent an note to Schlosser. > > > > Brian > > > > *From:* Beth Robinson Bosk [mailto:nsi at mcn.org] > *Sent:* Friday, December 24, 2010 3:45 PM > *To:* Brian Hill; 'David Frankel' > *Cc:* 'Tom Ballanco'; 'Bill Weinberg'; Richard K. Moore; 'Ed Saukkooja' > > > > We need a Brown v. Board of Education argument based on harm in front of a > west coast federal judge to overturn the Supreme Court decision David > Frankel alluded to. [It was Tom Schlosser [t.schlosser at msaj.com who is a > member of env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] Plessey was > overturned because societal values changed. The armed forces in this country > no longer go unchallenged by a majority. Tom, David can you pull together a > contingent of attorneys from the Pacific Rim realms of Washington, Oregon > and California to take the Navy on based on harm. Because people coalesce > into a spoken-word mob every time there is another meeting re. Navy Weapons > training & testing off the California, Oregon and Washington coast. Have > been very plain spoken about militarization of the oceans and ecocide. At > the hall- packed meeting in Fort Bragg, the Navy's PR guy opened with a > paragraph stating the Navy DOES NOT OWN the open seas and has no legitimate > jurisdiction out there to keep people away from their vessels. Talk of > flotillas is already on the airwaves in Humboldt County. A good team of > lawyers seems to me to be a necessary step and will have plenty of support. > --Beth Bosk > > > > P.S. Anybody who needs a copy of my last issue of New Settler [magazine], where > the owner of the Mendocino Cafe lays out the Navy's plans from the point of > view of a no-nonsense citizen, can email me for a copy with their address. > It's a bracing commentary and indicative of how courageous people will get > around this issue. > > > > _______________________________________________ > env-trinity mailing list > env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wjcarl1 at yahoo.com Sat Dec 25 18:49:09 2010 From: wjcarl1 at yahoo.com (Warren Carlson) Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 18:49:09 -0800 (PST) Subject: [env-trinity] Reading Message-ID: <167962.4393.qm@web80207.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I have been on the env-trinity and have read a lot your output. I am curious whether I have, or who has, mailing services on the listserve. Thanks, Warren Carlson From trinityjosh at gmail.com Sat Dec 25 19:13:19 2010 From: trinityjosh at gmail.com (Joshua Allen) Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 19:13:19 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Navy exercises In-Reply-To: References: <043f01cba2be$fa2202d0$ee660870$@org> <001401cba3c4$a4b11fa0$dc285142@beth0f39f142bc> <00ee01cba3d6$bd8749c0$3895dd40$@org> Message-ID: Oh yeah, forgot to mention. I'm not he moderator; haven't been for a few years now. This is Byron and Tom's list-serve. So you should discuss it with them. Josh On Sat, Dec 25, 2010 at 5:47 PM, Joshua Allen wrote: > Brian, > > That email probably came from either Byron or Tom, probably the later, > based upon how it is written. Though as much as I may agree with you, in > that war games in the Pacific Ocean in areas where Sacramento, Klamath, > other salmonid fishery runs, and other endemic marine life will be directly > affected by these actions; I also understand that some people are touchy > about posting information on the list-serve not directly related to the > Trinity. They have gotten complaints from a minority few who only want > Trinity River restoration info posted. You just need to be aware of that. > > However I do not agree with the threat to ban you, or that this topic is > not related to the Trinity restoration effort, because it is. Its kind of > like saying, "Don't post about the Bay-Delta or agricultural water related > issues because it's not directly related to restoration", which technically > is not related to restoration. Though because those issues are indirectly > connected with Trinity Restoration, the topic is discussed. > > It's kind of like going to TMC meetings and listening to them argue about > jurisdiction. The ROD says that the TMC has restoration authority to the > Pacific Ocean, though for some reason, they think that the parts that > directly related to Trinity River restoration starts at Weithpec and ends at > Lewiston. Though this viewpoint does not take into the whole of issues (i.e. > systems theory), as only a part of the problem is taken into account. > > Yeah, we can raise fish in a hatchery and below the dam, but what about > their native habitat above the dam, and providing access to it? What about > Klamath River water quality affecting Trinity River fish? What about > coordinated restoration of habitat below Weitchpec? What about oceanic > conditions that affect Trinity River fish during their maturation phase? How > many fish will be killed during war games that would have otherwise made it > back upstream to spawn? What about the water that the powers that be would > rather send over the hill? Some of these questions are directly related, > while others are indirectly related. Either way, as a planner, you take into > account direct and indirect effects to propose alternative solutions. If you > don't, the proposition is incomplete. > > So yes, I agree with you, and think Trinity River enthusiasts should know > about oceanic actions by our government that will affect a program ran by > same said government. We should always question authority, be it the > federal, state, local government, or military; as well as test comfort > boundaries of some people who only want to look at directly related issues. > Such is the purpose of pluralism; to exchange ideas, discuss issues, and > propose solutions that meet everyone's needs. > > Josh > > > 2010/12/24 Brian Hill > >> Beth >> >> >> >> the env-trinity list threatened to block me for posting emails regarding >> Navy exercises, so I'll have to contact members individually. I already >> sent an note to Schlosser. >> >> >> >> Brian >> >> >> >> *From:* Beth Robinson Bosk [mailto:nsi at mcn.org] >> *Sent:* Friday, December 24, 2010 3:45 PM >> *To:* Brian Hill; 'David Frankel' >> *Cc:* 'Tom Ballanco'; 'Bill Weinberg'; Richard K. Moore; 'Ed Saukkooja' >> >> >> >> We need a Brown v. Board of Education argument based on harm in front of a >> west coast federal judge to overturn the Supreme Court decision David >> Frankel alluded to. [It was Tom Schlosser [t.schlosser at msaj.com who is a >> member of env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] Plessey was >> overturned because societal values changed. The armed forces in this country >> no longer go unchallenged by a majority. Tom, David can you pull together a >> contingent of attorneys from the Pacific Rim realms of Washington, Oregon >> and California to take the Navy on based on harm. Because people coalesce >> into a spoken-word mob every time there is another meeting re. Navy Weapons >> training & testing off the California, Oregon and Washington coast. Have >> been very plain spoken about militarization of the oceans and ecocide. At >> the hall- packed meeting in Fort Bragg, the Navy's PR guy opened with a >> paragraph stating the Navy DOES NOT OWN the open seas and has no legitimate >> jurisdiction out there to keep people away from their vessels. Talk of >> flotillas is already on the airwaves in Humboldt County. A good team of >> lawyers seems to me to be a necessary step and will have plenty of support. >> --Beth Bosk >> >> >> >> P.S. Anybody who needs a copy of my last issue of New Settler [magazine], where >> the owner of the Mendocino Cafe lays out the Navy's plans from the point of >> view of a no-nonsense citizen, can email me for a copy with their address. >> It's a bracing commentary and indicative of how courageous people will get >> around this issue. >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> env-trinity mailing list >> env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us >> http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity >> >> > > -- "A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive." ~ Albert Einstein, 1954 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From truman at jeffnet.org Sat Dec 25 12:21:09 2010 From: truman at jeffnet.org (Patrick Truman) Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:21:09 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Navy exercises References: <043f01cba2be$fa2202d0$ee660870$@org><001401cba3c4$a4b11fa0$dc285142@beth0f39f142bc> <00ee01cba3d6$bd8749c0$3895dd40$@org> Message-ID: <279EDCC2E639403FB56E46CEE0225EED@HAL> i thought Stokely was the manager of this list serve, and if not, who is? nobody should be blocking Brian for a discussion of Navy exercises what the 'ell is going on? and by the way, Happy Holidaze ----- Original Message ---- From: Brian Hill To: 'Beth Robinson Bosk' ; env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org Cc: 'David Frankel' ; 'Tom Ballanco' Sent: Friday, December 24, 2010 5:54 PM Subject: [env-trinity] Navy exercises Beth the env-trinity list threatened to block me for posting emails regarding Navy exercises, so I'll have to contact members individually. I already sent an note to Schlosser. Brian From: Beth Robinson Bosk [mailto:nsi at mcn.org] Sent: Friday, December 24, 2010 3:45 PM To: Brian Hill; 'David Frankel' Cc: 'Tom Ballanco'; 'Bill Weinberg'; Richard K. Moore; 'Ed Saukkooja' We need a Brown v. Board of Education argument based on harm in front of a west coast federal judge to overturn the Supreme Court decision David Frankel alluded to. [It was Tom Schlosser [t.schlosser at msaj.com who is a member of env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] Plessey was overturned because societal values changed. The armed forces in this country no longer go unchallenged by a majority. Tom, David can you pull together a contingent of attorneys from the Pacific Rim realms of Washington, Oregon and California to take the Navy on based on harm. Because people coalesce into a spoken-word mob every time there is another meeting re. Navy Weapons training & testing off the California, Oregon and Washington coast. Have been very plain spoken about militarization of the oceans and ecocide. At the hall- packed meeting in Fort Bragg, the Navy's PR guy opened with a paragraph stating the Navy DOES NOT OWN the open seas and has no legitimate jurisdiction out there to keep people away from their vessels. Talk of flotillas is already on the airwaves in Humboldt County. A good team of lawyers seems to me to be a necessary step and will have plenty of support. --Beth Bosk P.S. Anybody who needs a copy of my last issue of New Settler [magazine], where the owner of the Mendocino Cafe lays out the Navy's plans from the point of view of a no-nonsense citizen, can email me for a copy with their address. It's a bracing commentary and indicative of how courageous people will get around this issue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From srosekrans at edf.org Mon Dec 27 12:23:31 2010 From: srosekrans at edf.org (Spreck Rosekrans) Date: Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:23:31 -0500 Subject: [env-trinity] Navy exercises and free speech In-Reply-To: <279EDCC2E639403FB56E46CEE0225EED@HAL> References: <043f01cba2be$fa2202d0$ee660870$@org><001401cba3c4$a4b11fa0$dc285142@beth0f39f142bc> <00ee01cba3d6$bd8749c0$3895dd40$@org> <279EDCC2E639403FB56E46CEE0225EED@HAL> Message-ID: <9B3402DBFFD40E42A4858B233E3BE9C90719276770@ny-mail> Writing as the proud father of a Naval officer and having had the opportunity to meet a great many of his colleagues, I can say that some of them would probably defend the exercises themselves but none would oppose public discourse of the matter. -Spreck From: env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us [mailto:env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] On Behalf Of Patrick Truman Sent: Saturday, December 25, 2010 12:21 PM To: Brian Hill; 'Beth Robinson Bosk'; env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org Cc: 'Tom Ballanco'; 'David Frankel' Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Navy exercises i thought Stokely was the manager of this list serve, and if not, who is? nobody should be blocking Brian for a discussion of Navy exercises what the 'ell is going on? and by the way, Happy Holidaze ----- Original Message ---- From: Brian Hill To: 'Beth Robinson Bosk' ; env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org Cc: 'David Frankel' ; 'Tom Ballanco' Sent: Friday, December 24, 2010 5:54 PM Subject: [env-trinity] Navy exercises Beth the env-trinity list threatened to block me for posting emails regarding Navy exercises, so I'll have to contact members individually. I already sent an note to Schlosser. Brian From: Beth Robinson Bosk [mailto:nsi at mcn.org] Sent: Friday, December 24, 2010 3:45 PM To: Brian Hill; 'David Frankel' Cc: 'Tom Ballanco'; 'Bill Weinberg'; Richard K. Moore; 'Ed Saukkooja' We need a Brown v. Board of Education argument based on harm in front of a west coast federal judge to overturn the Supreme Court decision David Frankel alluded to. [It was Tom Schlosser [t.schlosser at msaj.com who is a member of env-trinity-bounces at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us] Plessey was overturned because societal values changed. The armed forces in this country no longer go unchallenged by a majority. Tom, David can you pull together a contingent of attorneys from the Pacific Rim realms of Washington, Oregon and California to take the Navy on based on harm. Because people coalesce into a spoken-word mob every time there is another meeting re. Navy Weapons training & testing off the California, Oregon and Washington coast. Have been very plain spoken about militarization of the oceans and ecocide. At the hall- packed meeting in Fort Bragg, the Navy's PR guy opened with a paragraph stating the Navy DOES NOT OWN the open seas and has no legitimate jurisdiction out there to keep people away from their vessels. Talk of flotillas is already on the airwaves in Humboldt County. A good team of lawyers seems to me to be a necessary step and will have plenty of support. --Beth Bosk P.S. Anybody who needs a copy of my last issue of New Settler [magazine], where the owner of the Mendocino Cafe lays out the Navy's plans from the point of view of a no-nonsense citizen, can email me for a copy with their address. It's a bracing commentary and indicative of how courageous people will get around this issue. ________________________________ _______________________________________________ env-trinity mailing list env-trinity at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bwl3 at comcast.net Tue Dec 28 18:07:00 2010 From: bwl3 at comcast.net (Byron Leydecker) Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:07:00 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] Meetings on Proposed EIS/EIR Long-Term 'North-to-South Water Transfers Message-ID: <001101cba6fd$18b14ac0$4a13e040$@net> Mid-Pacific Region Sacramento, CA Media Contacts: (Reclamation) Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov (SLDMWA) Frances Mizuno, 209-832-6200, frances.mizuno at sldmwa.org For Release On: December 28, 2010 Public Meetings Scheduled on Proposed Long-Term 'North-to-South' Water Transfers Environmental Document Preparation The Bureau of Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority have scheduled public meetings on topics to address in a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) on the effects of proposed water transfers from willing sellers in northern California to buyers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and in the San Francisco Bay Area. The EIS/EIR will address transfers of Central Valley Project (CVP) water through CVP or State Water Project facilities, and transfers of non-CVP water supplies that require the use of CVP facilities. Individual and multi-year water transfers could occur through various methods, including groundwater substitution and cropland idling, from 2012 through 2022. Meetings to solicit comment on topics to be addressed in the EIS/EIR have been scheduled for: * Chico: Tuesday, January 11, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., 1110 W. East Avenue, Chico Masonic Family Center * Sacramento: Wednesday, January 12, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., 1413 Howe Avenue, Best Western Expo Inn * Los Banos: Thursday, January 13, 6 p.m-8 p.m., 842 Sixth Street, Los Banos, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority Written comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR should be received by close of business Friday, February 11, 2011, and should be sent to Brad Hubbard, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-410, Sacramento CA 95825, via e-mail to bhubbard at usbr.gov, or faxed to 916-978-5290. For additional information, please contact Mr. Hubbard at 916-978-5204 (TTY 916-978-5608)or Frances Mizuno, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, P.O. Box 2157, Los Banos CA, 93635, at 209-832-6200. # # # Byron Leydecker, JcT Chair, Friends of Trinity River PO Box 2327 Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 415 383 4810 land 415 519 4810 mobile bwl3 at comcast.net bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org http://www.fotr.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tdregan at comcast.net Fri Dec 31 20:20:08 2010 From: tdregan at comcast.net (Tim Regan) Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:20:08 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] A Tribute to Byron Lydecker In-Reply-To: <001101cba6fd$18b14ac0$4a13e040$@net> References: <001101cba6fd$18b14ac0$4a13e040$@net> Message-ID: I have never met the man, but I have thought of him often. He must awaken each morning with a sense of urgency, a need to understand, to respond, to expose, to inform. He has had his river epiphany, no doubt in multiples. He was probably born with it. He dances with Mother Nature, and understands her modest requirements. His work no doubt has had its times of frustration, of weariness, of anger, of impatience. But I believe he really had no choice. His passion compelled him to shoulder the burdens of Trinity River protector and advocate, for the benefit of all of us and for our descendants. I salute Byron, I thank him, and I wish him well. We will miss him and his Bulletins. Tim Regan December 31, 2010 On Dec 28, 2010, at 6:07 PM, Byron Leydecker wrote: > Mid-Pacific Region > Sacramento, CA > > Media Contacts: > > (Reclamation) Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100, plucero at usbr.gov > > (SLDMWA) Frances Mizuno, 209-832-6200, frances.mizuno at sldmwa.org > > For Release On: December 28, 2010 > > Public Meetings Scheduled on Proposed Long-Term 'North-to-South' Water Transfers Environmental Document Preparation > > The Bureau of Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority have scheduled public meetings on topics to address in a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) on the effects of proposed water transfers from willing sellers in northern California to buyers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and in the San Francisco Bay Area. > > The EIS/EIR will address transfers of Central Valley Project (CVP) water through CVP or State Water Project facilities, and transfers of non-CVP water supplies that require the use of CVP facilities. Individual and multi-year water transfers could occur through various methods, including groundwater substitution and cropland idling, from 2012 through 2022. > > Meetings to solicit comment on topics to be addressed in the EIS/EIR have been scheduled for: > > * Chico: Tuesday, January 11, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., 1110 W. East Avenue, Chico Masonic Family Center > * Sacramento: Wednesday, January 12, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., 1413 Howe Avenue, Best Western Expo Inn > * Los Banos: Thursday, January 13, 6 p.m-8 p.m., 842 Sixth Street, Los Banos, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority > > Written comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR should be received by close of business Friday, February 11, 2011, and should be sent to Brad Hubbard, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-410, Sacramento CA 95825, via e-mail to bhubbard at usbr.gov, or faxed to 916-978-5290. For additional information, please contact Mr. Hubbard at 916-978-5204 (TTY 916-978-5608)or Frances Mizuno, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, P.O. Box 2157, Los Banos CA, 93635, at 209-832-6200. > > # # # > > Byron Leydecker, JcT > Chair, Friends of Trinity River > PO Box 2327 > Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327 > 415 383 4810 land > 415 519 4810 mobile > bwl3 at comcast.net > bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org > http://www.fotr.org > > _______________________________________________ > FOTR mailing list > FOTR at velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us > http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/fotr -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: