From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Mon Jan 4 10:56:01 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2021 18:56:01 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 51 Message-ID: Greetings! Happy New Year! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 51 (Dec 23). As a reminder, folks, your 2020 salmon and steelhead cards should be sent in to the address printed on them ASAP, as should any fish tags you have to return (whether harvested or not, or reward tag or not). This information can only help up with our run and angler estimates if we get the information back from you. Also please remember we no longer pay rewards on tag received outside of the season the fish was caught. Help us out, send in your information. Thanks Let's hope the rain and snow keeps coming and lots more steelhead come on up the river. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW51.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 77852 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW51.xlsx URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Wed Jan 6 13:01:50 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Wed, 6 Jan 2021 21:01:50 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 1 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 1 (Jan 7). Please note: recovery efforts at TRH were suspended during JW 52, therefore there is no data for that week. I am reminded that use of the online reporting of salmon and steelhead report card data (https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales/CustomerSearch/Begin ) precludes the need to mail your card(s). However you get your information to the department we appreciate your efforts. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW1.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 77874 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW1.xlsx URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Sun Jan 17 12:36:34 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2021 20:36:34 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 2 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 2 (Jan 14). Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW2.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78031 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW2.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Jan 18 18:16:13 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2021 02:16:13 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Amy Cordalis of McKinleyville, has been appointed to the California Water Commission References: <1613868868.3139856.1611022573724.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1613868868.3139856.1611022573724@mail.yahoo.com> SACRAMENTO ? Among the appointments announced today by Governor Gavin Newsom: Amy Cordalis, 40, of McKinleyville, has been appointed to the California Water Commission. Cordalis, a member of the Yurok Tribe, has been General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe since 2016 and served as a Staff Attorney for the Tribe from 2014 to 2016. She was Staff Attorney at Berkey Williams LLP from 2012 to 2014 and at the Native American Rights Fund from 2007 to 2012. Cordalis is a member of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation Board of Directors. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver College of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Cordalis is a Democrat. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Jan 18 19:15:28 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2021 03:15:28 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Clash over TMC committee appointment References: <1199084300.703282.1611026128903.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1199084300.703282.1611026128903@mail.yahoo.com> http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/local/article_949ea224-552d-11eb-ba27-03d3137755af.html#tncms-source=login Clash over TMC committee appointment - By Sally Morris The Trinity Journal ? - Jan 13, 2021 ? - ?0 - Facebook - Twitter - Email - Print - Save A normally routine matter of updating the Trinity County Board of Supervisors? annual list of board appointments to some 36 committees, regional boards and commissions sparked a clash last week as one newly sworn supervisor challenged a third-term supervisor for his seat as a voting member on the Trinity River Management Council (TMC). District 1 Sup. Keith Groves has held the seat for several years. However, District 3?s newly elected Sup. Liam Gogan argued he is the candidate with the most experience on river restoration issues, having worked for over 30 years as a Trinity River fishing guide and participating in thousands of hours of stakeholder input on the Trinity River Restoration Program to the TMC that oversees it.?? ? Prior to the agenda item for committee appointments, the board heard via Zoom from Tom Stokely, Trinity County?s retired natural resource planner who continued his career of working on Trinity River restoration issues after his departure from the county in 2008. He said prior to Gogan?s election to office, it was logical for Keith Groves to serve as the board?s representative on the TMC because of his knowledge on statewide water issues, ?but he?s a lake guy, not a river guy. The Trinity River Restoration Program has failed to restore fish populations despite millions spent and a whole lot of water down the river. There are many factors, but one has been lack of public involvement. Liam will bring a fresh set of eyes, engage the public and keep the board well-informed.? Stokely presented the board with a petition he said contained 300 signatures in support of Gogan?s appointment to the TMC now because ?few people know the river better than Liam who has worked over 30 years as a licensed and bonded fishing guide, owns a business in Douglas City open 365 days a year and served as past president of the Trinity River Fishing Guides Association.? Board Chairman Jeremy Brown, currently the board?s alternate TMC representative after Keith Groves? primary position, advocated for stepping aside from the alternate role so Gogan could take his place, at least for the short-term of six months. ?I want him to get more experience before becoming a voting member,? Brown said. Groves agreed, saying he wants to keep the primary position, at least for the short-term, and believes that as a team, he and Gogan ?would be pretty powerful and bring a lot of strength to Trinity County. It is not only a river issue. It is a Trinity County issue and very complex. It is the lake, recreation, fish and power. You can?t fix one issue without looking at all the other problems that would cause. Remove the dam, and sure, it would improve fishing, but you?d lose $8 million in power. We need a strategy and I totally welcome his input and experience on the river in that process.? Gogan argued for the primary position, saying that after 30 years on the river, there is nothing on the list of committee appointments he is more familiar with or better suited for. ?I know more and I would like a vote. Waiting doesn?t help anything. It gives the public the perception that we?re just going to wait it out. I have worked with everyone and I don?t need to get up to speed. I know everything about this council and I?m pretty adamant about this,? he said. Groves said he didn?t want to start a fight on Gogan?s first day, but said some of his views on the river program ?are extreme views compared to past board policy. You have lobbied a U.S. representative, Jared Huffman, to remove monies from this group and that is not the political view of the county at this time.? Groves acknowledged Gogan?s experience on the river, but advised against ?just charging in without having any idea what two new supervisors think or the two others. Not once in five years did you ever come to me with ideas on what we could work on together. You need understanding of the county overview before just stepping in without the board?s input and support.? ?If the county has a stance, why do none of us know it?? Gogan said and Groves responded that one is to not defund the program below $4 million annually ?which is one of your recommendations. And you will find out in closed session the stances we?ve taken that are not made public.? Gogan said he is in full support of restoration and wants to see more fish in the river, but he is also supportive of defunding the program as it is ?because they continue to get $10 million annually and keep plowing ahead with their projects. They had deadlines and scored an ?F,? yet they continue to get funded. There couldn?t be a more upside-down restoration project in this country. "It?s going to be tough to turn around restoration as long as they keep getting funded annually.? Groves said Gogan?s arguments hold ?a lot of merit, but you?re missing the point. It is not your position to take. You are 20 percent of this board. The board as a whole has to work to come up with policy.? Brown closed the topic by standing behind his recommendation for Gogan to take his place on the TMC as alternate and let Groves continue as the county?s primary, voting member for at least the next few months while the rest of the board receives information to bring it up to speed on the restoration program. His motion to that effect was approved 4-1 with Gogan opposed. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Jan 19 16:04:50 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2021 00:04:50 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Oregon Gulch Channel Rehabilitation Project NEPA Notification References: <37186658.3441146.1611101090968.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <37186658.3441146.1611101090968@mail.yahoo.com> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "sha-mpr-nepanotice at usbr.gov" Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2021, 2:52:04 PM PSTSubject: Reclamation California-Great Basin Region NEPA Notification Greetings, The Bureau of Reclamation is making National Environmental Policy Act documents for the following project ? ? Oregon Gulch Channel Rehabilitation Project available to the public for review. Please provide your comments by 02/16/2021. To view or download these documents, please visit https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=48284 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kheld at usbr.gov Tue Jan 19 17:09:33 2021 From: kheld at usbr.gov (Held, Kevin M) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2021 01:09:33 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Oregon Gulch Channel Rehabilitation Draft EA/IS Available for Review Message-ID: The Trinity River Oregon Gulch Draft EA/IS is available for review here: https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=48284. Please submit written comments to Brandt Gutermuth at fgutermuth at usbr.gov by February 18, 2021. As part of the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) channel rehabilitation activities to restore fish habitat, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Federal agency co-leads); and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (lead State agency), announce the availability of a draft Environmental Assessment/Initial Study (EA/IS) for the proposed Oregon Gulch channel rehabilitation project. The proposed Oregon Gulch project site encompasses approximately 134 acres upstream of Junction City, CA between river miles 80.9 and 81.7. Equipment access to the site would be via Sky Ranch Road off CA State Route 299. The project footprint consists of approximately 96 acres of public lands managed by the BLM-Redding Field Office, along with 38 privately owned acres. See map enclosure for project area. The project intends to increase salmon and steelhead habitat downstream of Lewiston Dam, as authorized in the December 19, 2000, Record of Decision for the Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration Environmental Impact Statement. The proposed activities would take place in two phases: excavation/removal of mine tailings in the first phase and in-river channel/floodplain rehabilitation work in the second. Initial excavation and hauling of up to 500,000 cubic yards of mine tailings could begin as early as fall 2021. Transport of this material would continue, as funding is available, for approximately 1.5 ? 4 years prior to commencement of the in-river channel work planned in the second phase. In-river work would occur between July 15 and Oct. 15 and take an additional one to two years. The second phase of the project work could extend through 2025. The draft environmental document that formally analyzes the impacts of this proposed project, adhereing to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements, will be available for public review January 15, 2021 at either of the follow following websites: https://www.trrp.net/restoration/channel-rehab/sites/oregon-gulch-channel-rehabilitation-page/ or https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=48284. The TRRP encourages members of public to provide input on the draft EA/IS. The public comment period will extend 30 days from the date of posting though February 18, 2021. Please submit written comments to: Brandt Gutermuth, Trinity River Restoration Program, ATTN: Oregon Gulch, P.O. Box 1300, Weaverville, CA 96093 or fgutermuth at usbr.gov. For further information or to request a copy of the document, please contact Brandt Gutermuth at fgutermuth at usbr.gov or 530-623-1806. Thank you, Kevin Held Project Coordination Specialist | Trinity River Restoration Program | Bureau of Reclamation | 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA| 530.623.1809| kheld at usbr.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Wed Jan 20 15:53:05 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2021 23:53:05 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 3 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 3 (Jan 21). Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW3.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78114 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW3.xlsx URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Thu Jan 28 13:48:27 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2021 21:48:27 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 4 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 4 (Jan 28). Just as a reminder, folks, especially you new to the list, the steelhead showing up are those processed at the hatchery, not strictly entry numbers. Check the first tab of the workbook for further explanation, or shoot me your questions email. Looks like a lot of that moisture came down as snow so maybe the river is fishable (albeit, brrrrrrr). Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW4.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78142 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW4.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Feb 1 12:28:54 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2021 20:28:54 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal LTE's : Board's indifference + TMC, TRRP must change References: <884468145.966047.1612211334921.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <884468145.966047.1612211334921@mail.yahoo.com> http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_d9f5d2a4-6025-11eb-b0ae-97e240db3542.html Board's indifference - From Russ Giuntini Lewiston ? - Jan 27, 2021 ? - The Board of Supervisors showed its indifference toward the Trinity River by appointing Sup. Keith Groves as its Trinity Management Council representative. Despite Grove?s protests about Liam Gogan?s having to work with the entire board to develop Trinity County?s water policies, Groves has not done so himself, and most of the board doesn?t seem to know or care about Grove?s unilateral views of our river.? Sadly, the board?s indifference has been manifested by their failure to delve into the complex aspects of California?s Water Wars that threaten very soul of Trinity County. Groves has been supporting a new flow regime for the river that includes low flows that will destroy the last of the spring chinook and the summer whitewater rafting industry.?Moreover, he hasn?t supported getting the public input in the decision-making process of the Trinity River Restoration Program. On the record, Groves prioritized yellow-legged frogs over water and fish in the river. He supported extermination of brown trout in the Trinity River, which have coexisted with salmon and steelhead for more than 100 years. I respectfully urge the board to reconsider Groves? appointment to the TMC and instead appoint Sup. Liam Gogan.?It?s clear that Groves does not care about our river. As a fishing guide for 30 years and Douglas City Store owner, Liam Gogan will do what?s best for all of Trinity County, the river and the lake, and will ensure that the Board of Supervisors is fully informed and involved in his decisions. http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_996d6f76-6025-11eb-812f-73f14194542c.html#tncms-source=article-nav-next TMC, TRRP must change - From Clark Tuthill Friends of the Trinity River ? - Jan 27, 2021 ? - ?0 - Facebook - Twitter - Email - Print - Save We write to clarify the position of Friends of the Trinity River (FOTTR) with regard to the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP). The article ?Clash over TMC appointment? (Journal, Jan. 13) contains a statement by Sup. Keith Groves that Sup. Liam Gogan wants to see funding cut for the TRRP. The statement is not correct. FOTTR, which formerly included Gogan, who is no longer a member, has requested the Interior Department or Congress reform the TRRP by implementing the main recommendations in the 2018 ?Headwaters Report? on ?TRRP Refinements? such as adding public members to the TMC. Supervisor Groves has publicly objected to including public members on the TMC. The Headwaters Report is the third negative report in 15 years on the dysfunction of the TRRP. Headwaters described the TRRP as a ?jobs program? lacking leadership? lacking transparency? struggles for power and control of the TMC? rewarding bad behavior? ignoring public input? conflicts of interest? lack of auditing? poor public perception? lack of clear goals and objectives? decision making not shared,? etc. FOTTR is extremely supportive of a restored Trinity River, but it?s clear the TRRP has failed to restore the river and will not self-reform. We did ask Congress and the Interior Department to either reform the TRRP per the Headwaters Report, OR cut funding by $6 million annually. We much prefer a successful program to a funding cut, but we were left with no other choice but to threaten the TRRP?s funding in order to reform it. Liam is a better TMC representative choice and the TRRP must change. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Feb 1 12:34:40 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2021 20:34:40 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] A strange die-off of baby Chinook salmon References: <29183423.964124.1612211680933.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <29183423.964124.1612211680933@mail.yahoo.com> I heard a presentation on this recently and I heard that it wasn't a problem for Klamath-Trinity salmon at this time.? TS A strange die-off of baby Chinook salmon | | | | | | | | | | | A strange die-off of baby Chinook salmon A strange die-off of baby Chinook salmon | | | A strange die-off of baby Chinook salmon Scientists find that the fish near Shasta Dam were suffering from a vitamin B1 deficiency. A TRAY at the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery near Redding holds offspring of endangered Chinook salmon that scientists injected with thiamine. (Heather Bell UC Davis )Image 1 of 2NEXT IMAGE By Susanne Rust The biologists working in a fish hatchery near Shasta Dam grew increasingly concerned last year when newly hatched salmon fry began to act strangely ? swimming around and around, in tight, corkscrewing motions, before spiraling to their deaths at the bottom of the tanks. Certain runs of Chinook salmon in California are imperiled; the hatcheries and the fry raised there are the federal government?s last-ditch effort to sustain these ecologically and economically vital fish populations. So, when scientists observed the young salmon?s screwball behavior, they reached out to their networks in oceanography, ecology and fisheries: Had anyone seen anything similar? Did anybody know what was going on? As it happened, scientists and hatchery managers around the Great Lakes had observed similar abnormalities in lake trout, beginning in the 1960s. Although it took a few decades, scientists eventually unlocked part of the mystery: The fish had a deficiency of thiamine, or vitamin B1. Thiamine is essential among living things for critical metabolic processes, such as energy production and nervous system functioning. Humans and animals acquire the vitamin through food, or in the case of modern humans, supplements. It is created by certain plants, phytoplankton, bacteria and fungi. People, plants and animals can?t live without it. The essential nutrient was first identified in the early 1900s by a Dutch physician, Christiaan Eijkman, who noted a similarity between the human disease beriberi and a similarly debilitating syndrome in chickens. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery in 1929. Soon after, thiamine deficiencies were identified as the cause of scores of die-offs in domesticated animals, such as sheep, cattle, mink and goats. It became standard practice for veterinarians to prescribe the vitamin to livestock. Beriberi in humans was also linked to thiamine deficiency. Symptoms include weight loss, emotional disturbances, impaired sensory perception, weakness and pain in the limbs, and irregular heartbeats. It is a risk factor for alcoholics and those who eat diets composed of primarily white rice. It?s also an affliction that researchers say may be appearing more frequently among wild populations of animals ? including fish, mussels, birds, moose and wolves. In the case of the California salmon, federal scientists and hatchery workers decided to see if their hunch was correct. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees bathed the young fry in vitamin-enriched water. The fish started acting normal. ?The great thing about hatcheries is they provide an opportunity? to observe broader issues that may be playing out on the salmon life cycle, said Rachel Johnson, a fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and UC Davis. It allowed the researchers to recognize a deficiency that is probably affecting wild populations, too. Johnson, who came to the project after the deficiency had been identified, then worked to take the experiment one step further. She and her team pulled 60 adult winter run female salmon and treated half with thiamine, the other half with a placebo. The eggs and fry from the treated females thrived. About half of those from the placebo group didn?t. ?This suggests that a significant portion of the wild winter run spawning in the river may have been significantly impacted by thiamine deficiency,? she said. California?s winter run Chinook are federally listed as endangered, the spring run is threatened, and the fall and late fall runs are the dominant source to the commercial fishery. The names refer to when the four subpopulations make their migrations to high-elevation spawning waters, nearly all of which were blocked by dams decades ago. | | | | Chinook Salmon Conservation status, management efforts and general information about Chinook Salmon in California | | | The next question was the cause of the vitamin deficiency. In the case of the fish in the Great Lakes, stomach content analyses showed that lake trout and salmon had been feeding heavily on alewives, which contain an enzyme known as thiaminase that breaks down thiamine. In 2019 and 2020, reports from commercial anglers off the Central California coast, as well as from bird biologists at the Farallon Islands and A?o Nuevo Island, indicated an unusually large anchovy presence. Nate Mantua, a fisheries researcher with NOAA in Santa Cruz, found that the salmon were gorging on the small, silvery fish by examining the stomach contents of some local, commercially harvested salmon. Anchovies, like alewives, he said, are rich in thiaminase. Combine the observations of funny-acting fry, anchovy-filled stomachs, and thiamine supplements that seem to work, and it seemed the culprit had been found. But Mantua and others think there may be more to the story than a simple, isolated vitamin deficiency. ?We?re looking at a big ecosystem disruption,? said Clifford Kraft, a professor of environmental science at Cornell University. ?All of these anchovies in this unusual band along the coast, it?s a sign that things are changing.? And not just the climate, he said. He referred to the work of Lennart Balk, an environmental biochemist at Stockholm University in Sweden, who has been documenting thiamine deficiencies in a range of species around the Baltic Sea and elsewhere for decades. His work has caught the attention of other scientists, including the editorial staff of the peer-reviewed journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, which in 2018 labeled worldwide thiamine deficiencies ?as a possible driver of wildlife population declines? and called it an ?emerging? issue. ?I think it?s been going on for a number of decades,? said Balk, who noted that more than 75% of egg-laying bird species he investigated around the Baltic Sea in 2009 were suffering from a deficiency. ?We are witnessing mass extinctions at a global scale,? he said. ?This could be connected. This could be very important.? Though Balk thinks thiamine deficiencies could be caused by industrial or pharmaceutical agents and Kraft wonders if sewage outflow of transformed thiamine could be disrupting the availability of the vitamin, others are calling on the scientific world to first gather baseline data on B1 levels in the environment. ?We don?t know what?s normal,? Kraft said. ?And that?s where it gets a little murky,? he said. ?Is this an emerging problem? Or is it our perception of it as an issue that is emerging?? But it?s caught the attention of Mantua, who is now reading the work of scientists such as Balk and Kraft, as well as collaborating with researchers, such as Don Tillitt ? a toxicologist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Missouri who helped identify the connection between thiamine and lake trout in the Great Lakes. Tillitt has called for more research, noting, like Kraft and Mantua, that we can?t know if something is a problem until we understand what is normal. Mantua says he feels like he and other researchers are embarking on a new paradigm for studying and understanding ecological systems around the globe. ?This has pulled me in different directions and ideas I?d never thought about,? he said. ?We?re now at that point of how do we uncover this story? It?s really intimidating and exciting.? As for the California salmon, scientists are now waiting to see if the fry that received the thiamine treatments develop and reproduce normally, or whether their offspring are damaged irreparably. As for the wild salmon along the coast, the researchers can only wait and hope. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Fri Feb 5 12:01:48 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2021 20:01:48 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 5 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 5 (Feb 4). Steelhead spawning is definitely slowing down, looking slightly better than last year, but not by much. Let's hope for more snow for the mountains! Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW5.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78210 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW5.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Feb 10 17:07:41 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2021 01:07:41 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: 2020 Klamath River Basin Fall Chinook Salmon Megatable In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1222706404.364967.1613005661979@mail.yahoo.com> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Lindke, Kenneth at Wildlife Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 4:26:13 PM PSTSubject: 2020 Klamath River Basin Fall Chinook Salmon Megatable Hello all, Please find attached the 2020 updated Klamath River Basin Fall Chinook Salmon Megatable. Total in-river run and hatchery returns in 2020 were very similar to last year and 2017. That?s not great, but it is about double what we saw in 2016. We?ve got a ways to go until the stock is rebuilt and some real harvest can be had again. If you think of anyone I have omitted from this email list, please let me know.?Thanks. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I am working from home. It is best to contact me via email. ? Ken Lindke Environmental Scientist ? Trinity River Restoration Program Coordinator Klamath-Trinity Program California Department of Fish and Wildlife ? Northern Region Kenneth.Lindke at wildlife.ca.gov ? ?An approximate answer to the right question is worth a great deal more than a precise answer to the wrong question.? ? John Tukey ? REPORT POACHERS AND POLLUTERS: 1-888-334-2258 ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 Klamath Basin Megatable_20210210.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 444460 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Feb 10 17:18:31 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2021 01:18:31 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal Letters to the Editor 2.10.21: TMC needs a watchdog; Groves isn't it/The truth matters/Discontinue removing browns References: <1068932021.365117.1613006311595.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1068932021.365117.1613006311595@mail.yahoo.com> http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_d4383346-6b30-11eb-a708-37034b7d6244.html#tncms-source=login TMC needs a watchdog; Groves isn't it - From Tom Stokely Mount Shasta, Calif. ? - 10 hrs ago ? - ?0 I was involved in the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) from 1988-2008 as a county staffer, and then as a member and eventually chairman of the Trinity River Adaptive Management Working Group from 2012-2017 when it was disbanded. While Keith Groves claimed in his Feb. 3 letter that he voted to keep the TAMWG federal advisory committee, my review of Trinity Management Council? minutes and Board of Supervisors minutes shows that there has never even been a motion or vote by the TMC to keep the TAMWG, and the supervisors never sent a letter to the Interior Department asking to have it reinstated. Keith also claims to never have opposed a public seat on the TMC. I have a very different memory of his statement at the May 6, 2019, TMC meeting whereby he specifically said that he opposed having public voting members on the TMC. I was so angry that I left the meeting early and swore to myself to NEVER go to another TMC meeting and, after nearly 30 years of participation, to wash my hands of the TRRP forever. Not allowing public members on the TMC avoids imposition of federal conflict of interest rules, thus enabling a corrupt program whereby TMC members vote on a budget that provides them with no-bid contracts, sometimes amounting to multi-millions of dollars. The Board of Supervisors should be lobbying to have voting public members on the TMC. Keith has not stood up for the river or the public, which is why I support Liam Gogan as the county?s primary TMC representative.http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_5dbc4db4-6b31-11eb-ae15-4bc2f8546d3d.html The truth matters - From Russ Giuntini Lewiston? ? - 10 hrs ago ? - http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_5dbc4db4-6b31-11eb-ae15-4bc2f8546d3d.html#comments Sup. Keith Groves says he ?never voted to exterminate brown trout ? in the Trinity River.? That simply is not true. The minutes of the April 2, 2019, Board of Supervisors meeting reflect Groves seconded the motion and voted to approve the board?s letter to the Fish & Game Commission supporting the brown trout kill. I encourage the current board to write the California Commission of Fish & Wildlife asking them to rescind their order calling for the killing of brown trout in the Trinity River.http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_9e263d9c-6b31-11eb-b8b3-2f426e50bcdf.html Discontinue removing browns - From John Vorpahl Weaverville ? - 11 hrs ago ? - ?0 Responding to Sup. Keith Groves that ?Trinity County has never voted to exterminate, by any means, the brown trout in the Trinity River.? In April 2019 the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support the Brown Trout Management Plan proposed by the Hoopa tribe and other fisheries managers. This plan would selectively eliminate the large, trophy brown trout that consume salmon and steelhead smolts. A variety of measures, including electrofishing, were proposed. Although this plan would never lead to the extermination of brown trout, it would absolutely and by design destroy the Trinity as a trophy brown trout destination. The brown trout counted annually at the Junction City weir has been at an historical low (20 fish) for the past five years. The low population of brown trout has not resulted in increased returns of salmonids and the attempt to remove browns should be discontinued. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Feb 10 20:11:34 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2021 04:11:34 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] TJ Fishing report References: <1205533861.400420.1613016694240.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1205533861.400420.1613016694240@mail.yahoo.com> http://www.trinityjournal.com/sports/outdoors/article_d5efd254-65b1-11eb-b79d-6f2744d1b37f.html Weather determinants, fish and fishing - Fishing Report E.B. Duggan ?D? Fishing 530-629-3554 yen2fish at yahoo.com? ? - Feb 3, 2021 ? - ?0 - Facebook - Twitter - Email - Print - Save What does the weather have to do with fish and fishing? Many people have asked that question. The weather has much to do with fishing. If we have had fair to good rain to get fish to come into the river to spawn, if the rivers get low amounts of rain then there is very low spawning, if the rivers get large amounts of rain then the rivers get a large number of fish to return. The return is what makes fishing good, great or awful. Right now it is a mystery why we are having low amounts of adults returning to the hatchery or streams they spawn in. The Trinity River Hatchery has received 8,363 chinook spawners (great), 2,333 coho spawners (great) and 459 steelhead spawners (poor). The CDFW has not been able to go out and do their usual spawning checks due to the COVID-19 restrictions this year. I am sure that the spawning of native coho and steelhead will do much better if we get enough rain to open up the mouth of the spawning streams. The Trinity River Record of Decision was made in the 1990s and signed by Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt in Hoopa in 2000. The ROD states the need for Trinity River restoration and part of it states that the watersheds of the Trinity are in need of restoration also. This is the problem in the Trinity Management Council, they only do the main stem of the Trinity and neglect the watersheds with no to very little public input, and that is why there is such an uproar about the Trinity River Restoration Program. We all should write our congressmen and request a complete revamp of TRRP and review of the programs it has done to see if they are working. From my experience it is NOT working as per the ROD. I am sorry about last week as I got caught up in football and was unable to make a proper report in time. I also asked for pictures of your fishing experience but made a mistake in the email address. It should be?yen2fish at netzero.net. I apologize for the mistake and hope you can now reach me. Trinity River Hatchery, Julian week 4 ending Jan. 28: Fall chinook salmon, 0 jacks, 0 adults, total 0, season total 7,103; coho, 0 jacks, 0 adults, total 0, season total 2,333; steelhead 126, season total 459. ? Upper Klamath River video count, Julian week 3 ending on Jan. 21: Shasta River, chinook salmon 0, season total 4,101; coho 0, season total 37; Scott River, chinook salmon 0, season total 252; coho salmon 2, season total 1,754; Bogus Creek, chinook salmon 0, season total 2,289; coho salmon 0, season total 145. ? Fishing: The weather has been a big factor for fishing in the area. Lately we have been able to see a lot of half-pounder action with a few small steelhead adults in the mix. From the reports I have been getting one has a good chance to hook a good-size adult steelhead around the mouth of the South Fork or even up the South Fork. There is some fair to good fishing below the Salyer Bridge and up in the Hawkins Bar area. I haven?t received anything about fishing from there all the way up to Big Bar which has been fair to good fly fishing. ? Mid-Klamath to Happy Camp: The Klamath River at Weitchpec is flowing at 7,102 cfs, a decrease of 4,437 cfs. Iron Gate Dam is releasing 1,014 cfs. The Weitchpec area is still closed to the general public because of COVID-19 protocols but there is some fair to good action around Bluff Creek. The Orleans area has been fair to good but the rains have made it hard to fish. The good news is that the Klamath has been dropping and the fishing has been picking up some for half-pounders. The Happy Camp fishing has been getting better as the river drops but another storm is in the works and could blow the river out again. I am not sure how the fishing the Klamath above I-5 is right now but if you contact Scott Coldwell Guide Service you might get a good report. Lake Conditions: Whiskeytown is 85 percent of capacity (no change) with inflows of 827 cfs and releasing 277 cfs on to Keswick. Shasta Lake is 47 percent of capacity (an increase of 1 percent, plus 2 feet) with inflows of 5,811 cfs and releasing 2,733 cfs into Keswick. Keswick is 86 percent (no change) with inflows of 3,131 cfs and releasing 3,290 cfs into the Sacramento River. Lake Oroville is 35 percent of capacity (an increase of 2 percent, plus 2 feet) with inflows of 1,592 cfs with releases of 671 cfs into the Feather River. Folsom Lake is 30 percent of capacity (an increase of 2 percent, plus 2 feet) with inflows of 2,125 cfs with releases of 1,056 cfs into the American River. ? Trinity Lake: The lake is 89 feet below the overflow (no change) and 51 percent of capacity with inflows of 467 cfs and releasing 879 cfs into Lewiston Lake with 563 cfs being diverted to Whiskeytown Lake and on to Keswick Power Plant. ? Trinity River flows and conditions: Lewiston Lake is 98 percent of capacity (no change) and water releases are 316 cfs into the Trinity River, with water temperature of 44 degrees as of Sunday afternoon, Jan. 31. Limekiln Gulch is 4.76ft at 326 cfs. Douglas City is 6.48ft with flows of 440 cfs with water temperature of 43.2 degrees. Junction City is 1.93ft at 444 cfs. Helena is 8.70ft at 566 cfs with water temp of 43.4 degrees. Cedar Flat (Burnt Ranch) is 3.35ft at 774 cfs. Willow Creek is estimated at 1,379 cfs and water at 43.5 degrees. Hoopa is 13.22ft at 2,153 cfs and water is 44 degrees. Water flows at the mouth of the Trinity River at the Klamath in Weitchpec are estimated to be 7,102 cfs, a decrease of 4,437 cfs. ? Klamath River flows and conditions: Iron Gate is releasing 1,014 cfs. Seiad Valley is 2.72ft at 1,639 cfs. Happy Camp is estimated at 2,325 cfs. Somes Bar is estimated to be 3,997 cfs. The Salmon River is 2.94ft at 952 cfs. Orleans is 4.97ft at 4,949 cfs. The Klamath River at Terwer Creek is 11.44ft at 10,311 cfs and water temp is 44.8 degrees. Flows for the Smith River at Jedediah Smith are 11.70ft with flows of 9,950 cfs, and flows at Dr. Fine Bridge are at 16.97ft. The Smith could be blown out by this coming weekend with the new storm coming in. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Fri Feb 12 07:34:12 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2021 15:34:12 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: CalTrout job opening in Central Valley In-Reply-To: <33051D3B-84C5-464D-A70D-D64BABCB9084@caltrout.org> References: <33051D3B-84C5-464D-A70D-D64BABCB9084@caltrout.org> Message-ID: <299206795.832897.1613144052774@mail.yahoo.com> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Jacob Katz To: Jacob Katz Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2021, 5:49:19 PM PSTSubject: CalTrout job opening in Central Valley Hello, We have great job opening for a project manager working with our Central Valley team to recover robust salmon populations.Job Description attached. ?Please circulate widely. Thanks and best fishes, Jacob Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.-Aldo Leopold, 1934 Check out the?New Way Forward,?a short film about how farmers and conservationists are working together to recover salmon in the Sacramento Valley Jacob Katz, PhD Lead ScientistNigiri Project?Principal Investigator?SF Chron?-?Sac Bee?-?NY Times?-?LA Times?-?Smithsonian?-?NPR?-?Cal Academy of Sciences?-??-?Inside Climate Newsjkatz at caltrout.org(707) 477-9978 | | | | -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CalTrout CV Project Manager Description 2-10-21.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 183410 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CT logo word letterhead version .png Type: image/png Size: 43847 bytes Desc: not available URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Tue Feb 16 09:53:43 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2021 17:53:43 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 6 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 6 (Feb 11). Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW6.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78190 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW6.xlsx URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Wed Feb 17 11:14:15 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2021 19:14:15 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 7 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 7 (Feb 18). Not a lot more to report, with only three or four more spawning Tuesdays in the season... Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW7.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78213 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW7.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Feb 22 17:42:48 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 01:42:48 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Feb 25 Webinar - Elements of the natural flow regime for consideration in management of regulated rivers In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1501147613.1099617.1614044568514@mail.yahoo.com> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Hetrick, Nick Sent: Friday, February 19, 2021, 5:30:24 PM PSTSubject: Feb 25 Webinar - Elements of the natural flow regime for consideration in management of regulated rivers Klamath River Fish Health Enthusiasts...?? We are pleased to introduce a new learning opportunity to enhance scientific and technical exchange.? Event Information.?Exploring the role of the natural hydrograph in riverine ecology:?Elements of the natural flow regime for consideration in management of regulated rivers? Thursday, February 25, 2021 12:00 pm?Pacific Standard Time?? Damon Goodman and Nicholas Som, USFWS, Arcata, CA? The Webinar home page is here:?FWCO Webinar Series Link.??On this webpage, individuals can register to attend talks and view archived presentations from this webinar series.? Abstract.?Flow regimes are a key driver in the ecology of riverine systems world-wide and directly influence the habitats and behaviors of aquatic species. Streamflows provide biological cues and a template for habitats of aquatic organisms by influencing the wetted channel extent, the distribution of water depths and velocities and the interaction with substrate, vegetation and the adjacent bank. The distribution and spatial arrangement of hydraulic variables are dynamic and change with streamflow, a process inherent to free-flowing rivers that is, at times, overlooked when evaluating the effects of managed flow regimes on habitats available to aquatic organisms. This is exemplified by the increase in availability and spatial variation in Chinook Salmon spawning habitats associated with naturally ascending fall baseflows. We found this component of the natural hydrograph to provide a benefit across a range of channel forms and hydrologic regimes. Naturally ascending baseflows also provide ecological benefits during springtime and have been associated with providing additional habitat that temporally overlaps with fry emergence and times critical for development of juvenile salmonids. Streamflow variation induced by winter and spring storm events has also been associated with benefits to ecological processes. Juvenile Pacific Lamprey have a punctuated seaward migration with 90% of individuals outmigrating in a series of large schools. We found strong evidence these migration clusters are associated with rain events, a surrogate for streamflow, with over 90% of emigrants caught during an event and the two subsequent days. The importance of these peak streamflow events is also associated with fish disease management where peak streamflows have been associated with sediment transport, and the subsequent reduction in disease mortality risk for salmonids. These examples provide support for the application of new management tools to support species conservation, such as real-time streamflow management, that integrate elements of the natural flow regime into dam release strategies.?? ? Nicholas J. HetrickFish & Aquatic Conservation Program LeadArcata Fish & Wildlife Office, USFWSOffice (707) 822-7201Cell (707) 267-5856(due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am teleworking and can be reached by cell or email)? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Feb 22 17:43:33 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 01:43:33 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: Save the Date - Klamath Fish Health Workshop March 16, 2021 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <69391767.1103450.1614044613932@mail.yahoo.com> ---- Forwarded Message ----- From: Hetrick, Nick Sent: Friday, February 19, 2021, 6:46:52 PM PSTSubject: Save the Date - Klamath Fish Health Workshop March 16, 2021 Klamath Basin Partners....?? ? The 2021 Klamath Fish Health Workshop will be held virtually on March 16...? Please save the date!??A general overview of the event and subsequent project planning meeting?follows, with a detailed agenda forthcoming. Workshop:? Tuesday March 16, 2021?9am - 4pm:? ?Klamath River?fish?health?research updates, overviews, and presentations followed by an open forum Q & A session.??The March 16 workshopwill be open to the public?to promote an open exchange of information -?attendance is free.? ? ? Project Planning Session:? ?Wednesday March 17, 9am - 12pm.?Project planning session?reserved for fish health researchers to discuss 2021 study plans and to promote fish health project coordination and collaboration.? The planning session will include an opportunity for Q & A between fish health researchers and agency/tribal co-managers.?? ? Please stay tuned for a more detailed agenda and many txs to Sascha Hallet at OSU for her efforts to make this, our 17th annual Fish Health Workshop, possible!? ?- nick Nicholas J. HetrickFish & Aquatic Conservation Program LeadArcata Fish & Wildlife Office, USFWSOffice (707) 822-7201Cell (707) 267-5856(due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am teleworking and can be reached by cell phone or email)? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Feb 22 17:45:49 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 01:45:49 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Sac Bee/Guardian Article: Trump sending more California water to farms troubled federal biologists. They were sidelined References: <2097638069.1088902.1614044749988.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <2097638069.1088902.1614044749988@mail.yahoo.com> https://www.sacbee.com/article249212275.html ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Trump sending more California water to farms troubled federal biologists. They were sidelined By Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler, Jimmy Tobias for The Guardian, and Emily Holden for The Guardian February 13, 2021 02:45 AM, Updated 12 minutes ago - - - - Duration?3:30Hear President Trump talk about California's water situation and what he's going to do about it President Donald Trump made a visit to Bakersfield on Wednesday to sign an agreement that will provide more northern California water to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. By Craig Kohlruss Federal scientists and regulators repeatedly complained they were sidelined by former President Donald Trump?s administration when they warned of risks to wildlife posed by a California water management plan, according to newly unveiled documents. The plan, which was finalized in late 2019, favored the former president?s political allies ? farmers upset with environmental protections that kept them from receiving more irrigation water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the hub of California?s water network. A top California fisheries regulator questioned whether officials with the Trump administration were violating her agency?s ?scientific integrity? policy, and warned her boss that the administration?s methodology ?definitely raises a flag.? A scientist said he feared ?the pendulum was always going to swing in the favor of political decisions.? Another vowed to stand up for science even if ?someone tries to bury it.? These blunt exchanges are among 350 pages of emails, memos and meeting notes filed in federal court in Sacramento by California officials in December that provide evidence of political meddling in federal environmental regulation in California. They are part of a lawsuit from the state to overturn the Trump administration?s rewrite of rules for how California?s increasingly scarce water supplies are shared. The plan now could be overturned by the courts or by a review launched by President Joe Biden. Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat who sits on the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service, called some of the revelations ?blatantly illegal,? and ?text-book illegal.? ?Frankly we all knew they were going to find a way to do this. The surprising part is that they were so overt and ham handed about it,? Huffman said. Trump promised to deliver At issue was the federal plan to divide water between the state?s Central Valley farmers and its river ecosystems, which support fish protected by endangered species laws. Under law, the U.S. government is supposed to rely on a trove of scientific data to strike a balance between the two. But in this case, a federal official urged scientists to help green-light bigger water deliveries to agriculture. California?s water problems are increasingly the norm across the American West, where communities from Idaho to Arizona are grappling with persistent and worsening drought conditions. The allotment of this shrinking supply of water is becoming a political question of existential importance for thirsty industries, imperiled wildlife and urban dwellers who some day could be forced into rationing. In 2016, Trump promised farmers at a Fresno campaign rally he would ?solve your water problem,? and stop environmentalists from ?taking the water and shoving it out to sea.? Two years later, he issued an executive order that called for ?maximizing water supply deliveries? to farmers. The state?s two most important rivers, the Sacramento and San Joaquin, converge into an enormous freshwater estuary. Much of the water is allowed to flow to the Pacific, but giant pumps operated by the state and the federal government?s Central Valley Project siphon a significant portion and ship it to farms in the San Joaquin Valley and more than 20 million Southern Californians and Silicon Valley residents. Powerful agricultural groups have seen their deliveries curtailed over the decades to protect fish. They brought their concerns to Trump, and he turned to David Bernhardt, the head of the Interior department and a former lobbyist for the Westlands Water District, an influential farm-irrigation district in the San Joaquin Valley. Federal agency scientists are required under federal law to review any changes to how the Central Valley?s water delivery system is managed to ensure no further harm comes to the species. Scientists say shipping more water to the Central Valley over the years has contributed to the decline of the delta eco-system and brought smelt, Chinook salmon and other species to the brink of extinction. The pumps are so powerful that they can reverse the river flows within the estuary, diverting migratory fish into the paths of predatory fish and the pumps themselves. In the spring of 2019, a few months after Trump issued his order to maximize water deliveries, federal scientists were rushing to complete the legally-required study of how Trump?s plan would impact endangered fish that live and migrate through the delta?s fragile estuary. They had to decide whether to issue a species ?jeopardy opinion,? meaning the fish?s continued existence would have been jeopardized by the Trump plan. That could have thwarted the effort to move more water to farmers. Paul Souza, a regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who is still in his position under the Biden administration, didn?t want that to happen. In the May 2019 meeting, Souza told his colleagues that the ?goal? of their reviews was ?no J?, a reference to a jeopardy opinion, according to the meeting notes. ?That is the objective,? Souza said, ?and the schedule does not allow time for a J.? ?No one,? he added later in the meeting, ?would ask anyone in this room to do something that lacks in integrity.? Regulators and scientists push back Two weeks after that meeting, Maria Rea, a senior policy advisor with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Sacramento, sent her boss an email complaining that the Department of Interior was halting her from sending scientific data out for peer review, a common practice among scientists. That ?definitely raises a flag with respect to scientific integrity,? she wrote. A month later, Cathy Marcinkevage, an agency branch chief, sent her colleagues a link to a news story about a federal scientist being forbidden from testifying before Congress about climate change. Marcinkevage wrote that the story left her with a familiar feeling, but she vowed to ?do the right thing? even if ?someone else tries to bury? her work. On July 1, the scientists issued their report, saying the Trump water plan would hurt endangered and threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead, as well as endangered killer whales that depend on the fish for their food supply. Independently, fisheries biologist Howard Brown wrote a five-page memo arguing that his team delivered an honest, scientifically-based conclusion in spite of political interference. ?From the beginning of this consultation it was clear to me that the pendulum was always going to swing in the favor of political decisions,? he wrote. Two days after the report, the Trump administration directed a ?strike team? to rewrite the scientists? findings. Gone were the warnings that salmon and whales would suffer. The new version, finalized in the fall of 2019, loosened the rules to free up more water deliveries to farmers, as Trump had demanded. Critics say Souza, in encouraging his colleagues to approve the administration?s plan by pursuing a preordained outcome during their environmental review, may have violated the Endangered Species Act. Dan Rohlf, an endangered species law expert and professor at Lewis and Clark Law School in Oregon, said Souza?s actions may also have violated federal procedural rules. During environmental reviews, federal agencies are supposed to ?start with facts, go through an analysis, then reach a conclusion,? he said. What happened here was basically the opposite, he said. Doug Obegi, a water attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council ? which is challenging the Trump decisions ? called the process revealed by the records ?incredibly disturbing.? Souza insisted in October 2019 there was no political interference. The final decision, he told reporters in a conference call, was the product of ?career conservation professionals.? The Biden administration?s Interior Department and the National Marine Fisheries Service declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined an interview request on Souza?s behalf. This story was also published in The Guardian. Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/article249212275.html#storylink=cpy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Fri Feb 26 12:23:45 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2021 20:23:45 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 8 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 8 (Feb 25). Just a few steelhead traipsing up the fish ladder at this point, we'll be done with the trapping season soon. The Coho Salmon are getting marked and will be released next mid-month next month. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW8.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78222 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW8.xlsx URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Wed Mar 3 15:22:12 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2021 23:22:12 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 8 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 8 (March 4). The season is definitely winding down. I believe we have one more week of recovery at the hatchery after this. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW9.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78255 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW9.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Mar 9 14:28:34 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2021 22:28:34 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] TMC Draft Agenda Weds, March 10- Thursday, March 11, 2021 References: <1948380494.964657.1615328914595.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1948380494.964657.1615328914595@mail.yahoo.com> https://www.trrp.net/calendar/event/?id=11698 TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL March 2021 Quarterly Meeting 1 Wednesday March 10 ? Thursday, March 11, 2021 Location: Virtual Webex info on second page Agenda Wednesday March 10, 2021 Time Discussion Leader Regular Business 9:00 Introductions: Don Bader, Chair ? Welcome and Introductions ? Approval of Agenda ? Approval of December TMC Meeting Minutes 9:30 Public Forum: Comments from the public Don Bader, Chair 9:45 Report from Executive Director (Acting) James Lee Informational 10:30 CVP operations update Don Bader 10:45 Break 11:00 2020 run size summary/2021 run size forecast George Kautsky 11:45 Juvenile and adult synthesis reports B. Pinnix/S. Gough 12:30 Lunch 1:30 Update on EA for shifting ROD peak flow Seth Naman 2:00 Fine sediment synthesis report findings Todd Buxton 3:00 Break 3:15 Lower Klamath augmentation flow releases Paul Zedonis 3:45 Public Forum: Comments from the public Don Bader, Chair 4:00 Adjourn TRINITY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL March 2021 Quarterly Meeting 2 Thursday, March 11, 2021 Time Discussion Leader Regular Business 9:00 Public Forum: Comments from the public Don Bader, Chair Decision Items 9:15 FY21 Budget check-in and FY22 initial budget discussion James Lee 10:15 Workgroup manual revisions James Lee 10:45 Break 11:00 WY21 flow release proposal Seth Naman 12:00 Lunch 1:00 WY21 sediment augmentation proposal Conor Shea 1:30 Monitoring objectives and targets James Lee 2:30 Break 2:45 Monitoring objectives and targets cont?d James Lee Regular Business 3:30 Topics for June TMC meeting Group 3:45 Public Forum: Comments from the public Don Bader, Chair 4:00 Adjourn WEBEX INFO https://trrp.webex.com/trrp/j.php?MTID=m34a0165950b87a7c20fc406c0bcd4d2e Meeting number: 177 656 2337 Password: jCpAJWSG222 4be5076db64140a680a2af027ef05b24_20210310T170000Z Join by video system Dial 1776562337 at trrp.webex.com You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number. Join by phone 1-408-792-6300 Call-in toll number (US/Canada) Access code: 177 656 2337 Directors Reports: - 10 March 2021 Executive Director Report [112.29 KB] TRRP ED Report March 2021 KM Revised.docx 10 March 2021 Executive Director Report Published: - Added: 2021-03-09 03:02:40 Updated: 2021-03-09 18:23:20. Draft Agenda: - Mar 10-11 2021 Agenda [237.07 KB] March 10-11 2021 TMC Agenda DRAFT 23FEB2021.pdf Note - agendas are always draft Published: - Added: 2021-02-19 16:02:56 Updated: 2021-02-23 19:36:14. Other: - Draft Meeting Notes from December 2020 [238.82 KB] Draft December 2020 Quarterly Meeting Notes 12222020-Clean-1.pdf Published: - Added: 2021-03-07 01:08:44 Updated: 2021-03-07 01:09:44. - Objectives Table 1 [270.85 KB] Table 1 All Objectives and Targets-1.pdf Published: - Added: 2021-03-07 01:08:44 Updated: 2021-03-07 01:09:44. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Wed Mar 10 10:30:00 2021 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2021 18:30:00 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2020/21 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 10 (last one of season) Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the TRP trapping summary through JW 10 (Mar 10). This was the last week of spawning at the Trinity River hatchery for the season. I will start sending out the next round of summaries whenever we get Junction City weir installed (likely in June). Stay safe, have some fun. Until next time... Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries 707/822-5876 (I'm currently teleworking. Please use my email address if you need to contact me.) 5341 Ericson Way, Arcata CA 95521 ****************************************************** Klamath/Trinity Program reports can be found online @ https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/documents/ContextDocs.aspx?cat=KlamathTrinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW10.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 78269 bytes Desc: 2020 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW10.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Sat Mar 13 08:10:50 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2021 16:10:50 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Fight of the River People References: <1503425664.431013.1615651850664.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1503425664.431013.1615651850664@mail.yahoo.com> https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/fight-of-the-river-people/Content?mode=print&oid=19878127 Fight of the River People? The generational push that brought Berkshire Hathaway to the table and put dam removal back on track BY?THADEUS GREENSON?THAD at NORTHCOASTJOURNAL.COM?@THADEUSGREENSON MAHLIJA FLORENDO A floating blockade stretches across the Klamath River waiting to stop boats carrying Yurok and Karuk tribal officials and Berkshire Hathaway executives upriver on Aug. 28, 2020. It was a Friday in late August when four jet boats made their way up the Klamath River under a cloudless blue sky. The boats carried three tribal chairs. From the Karuk Tribe, there was Russell "Buster" Attebery, who'd found pride as a boy catching salmon from the river and bringing them home to his family, and later come to believe some tribal youth's troubles ? from suicides to substance use ? could be traced back to their never having had that opportunity, growing up alongside a river now choked with algae and diminishing fish populations. There was Joseph James from the Yurok Tribe, who'd come to see the river's declining health as a "slow strangulation" of his people ? "river people" ? who have lived along its banks and relied on its salmon as the bedrock of their diet since time immemorial. And there was Don Gentry, recently elected to a third term as the upriver Klamath Tribes' chair, whose people hadn't seen salmon and steelhead swimming in their ancestral territory in a generation.? There were others on the boats, too. People like Craig Tucker, an environmentalist who promised himself in school he'd never waste his career fighting for quixotic causes, yet had now come to spend two decades working on Klamath dam removal. There was Frankie Joe Myers, who'd come of age amid the fight to undam the river and was now in the thick of it as the Yurok Tribe's vice chair.? But the trip up the Klamath that day in August wasn't really about any of the people who'd made undamming the river a central part of their life's work, it was about about making a case to two men who'd never set eyes on the river before but held its future in their hands.? Weeks earlier, after a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruling had derailed a hard-fought 2016 agreement to remove the four hydroelectric dams choking the lower Klamath River, Myers and James had issued a plea. While PacifiCorp, the electric company that owns and operates the dams, was publicly musing about walking away from the agreements, Myers and James decided to appeal directly to Berkshire Hathaway, the holding company run by Warren Buffett, perhaps the world's most successful and famous investor, which had acquired PacifiCorp for more than $5 billion back in 2005.? In a meticulously worded email to Berkshire Hathaway Energy Vice Chair Greg Abel, who's believed by many to be the 89-year-old Buffett's successor, Myers said he and James invited one of the world's most powerful men to simply come see the river, sit and talk. Abel accepted and soon he and Berkshire Hathaway Energy CEO William Fehrman were sitting on a jet boat headed upriver.? It's hard to overstate the stakes that day on the river. Activists and officials alike had long believed the best chance to fundamentally change the dam-removal conversation was to get Berkshire engaged, a step the company seemed entirely unwilling to take, a core tenet of its company ethos being not to interfere in the operations of its subsidiaries. Yet here sat Abel and Fehrman, the Klamath wind in their hair.? Tribal officials had worked hard to keep word of the visit close, concerned an ill-timed protest or demonstration could jeopardize this show of good faith. They'd mapped out the day carefully to showcase the Klamath's beauty and potential, planning to give the executives a meandering tour of family fishing holes and camps on the river until eventually landing where Blue Creek enters the Klamath ? a scenic spot filled with biological diversity and spiritual significance for the Yurok Tribe ? where they'd lunch on traditional salmon cooked on sticks over an open flame. But as the boats rounded a sweeping bend in the river, it became instantly clear some had other plans. A floating blockade ? a few boats and dugout canoes, with large nets stretched across the river ? came into view, dotted with signs calling for the river's undamming, some punctuated by red fists.? Myers, who said he'd personally assured Berkshire representatives they would be safe coming to Klamath, said his heart quickened a bit when he saw the blockade, unsure what was to follow.? "It was risky," Myers said. "There were a few moments when I was like, 'I have a couple of the richest men in the country on a jet boat and I don't know what [the protesters] were going to do.' ... Everyone in the boats felt very vulnerable."? The blockade, which comprised a couple dozen of the Klamath River's most ardent activists, ordered the jet boats to stop. Then, the activists took turns addressing the representatives of one of the world's most powerful companies.? One of them presented the men with a plastic jug of water pulled from behind one of the dams, where the water is choked with bright green algae and pressed them to open the jug and smell the toxic brew. Another noted that an entire generation of water protectors had been raised in this fight under the oppressive weight of a sick river. Jon Luke Gensaw pulled off his COVID-19 facial covering, telling the men to take a good look at his face.? "If this doesn't end, you're going to see more of us," he said. "I want you to remember my face because you'll see me again."? Chook-Chook Hillman, who joined the effort to remove the dams when he was a teenager and whose dad would take him to the meetings with upriver irrigators and ranchers that led to the 2010 dam removal agreement that died in Congress, started by asking his son to present the executives with a gift.? "Thank you ? very kind," one of them can be heard to stammer in a recording of the exchange.? click to enlarge - MAHLIJA FLORENDO - Berkshire Hathaway executives talk to Klamath Justice Coalition activists who stopped them on a trip to the river. The gift, Hillman later told the men, was a small white flag affixed to a wooden stick. Hillman said he and his fellow water protectors would be waiting when the executives and tribal officials returned downriver. If they waved the flag, it would be a sign that an agreement had been restored. But if not, Hillman warned, Berkshire Hathaway should brace for protests like it had never seen.? "If you guys ain't waiving that flag when you're coming down the river ? it's on," he said.? Annelia Hillman told the executives that the health of the river is their responsibility ? their problem ? and one that's going to effect their children and grandchildren, their futures.? "It's affecting you, too," she said. "Don't think this is an Indian problem. It's your fucking problem, too."? After a tense 15 or so minutes, the blockade moved to the side and the boats headed on. When they came back down again some hours later, Hillman said no one aboard would make eye contact with him or the other water protectors.? The flag was nowhere to be seen.? About six weeks?before that day on the river, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had issued a ruling that put the groundbreaking dam removal deal ? itself a resuscitation of a more ambitious deal reached in 2010 that was dependent on Congressional approval that withered on the vine ? in serious jeopardy.? Under the terms of the 2016 deal, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation had asked FERC to transfer the licenses of the four dams to a newly created nonprofit, which would then oversee and assume liability for the removal process, allowing PacifiCorp to step away cleanly. The dams would then be removed using $450 million already raised for the purpose ? $200 million from PacifiCorp ratepayers and $250 million in water bonds authorized by California's Proposition 1.? But FERC ruled the company couldn't simply walk away from the dams it built and the situation it had created, and would need to remain attached to the dams as their co-licensee until their removal.? Regina Chichizola, the policy director at Save California's Salmon who has been involved in Klamath dam removal and other watershed restoration efforts for more than a decade, said she had mixed emotions watching the FERC hearing. On the one hand, she said, she personally understood the ruling and why a private company shouldn't be allowed to permanently alter a river for profit and then simply walk away. She also knew it would mean trouble.? "I know how PacifiCorp is and I knew they would demand more because they always demand more," Chichizola said.? Within days of the ruling, PacifiCorp began publicly hedging, saying it had undercut some of the main "customer protections" that had brought the company to the table for the deal. This was a foundational shift, it held, and the deal would need to be re-negotiated.? But any sizeable delay would cut sharply against the chances of reaching a new accord and seeing the dams removed, as the pot of money for the project was unlikely to grow and cost projections would escalate with every month or year that passed.? In the days that followed FERC's ruling, pockets of dam removal stakeholders met quietly, plotting paths forward. Chook-Chook Hillman said he and a handful of longtime river advocates got together on the banks of the Klamath with a whiteboard and started brainstorming. Chichizola held conference calls with environmental groups and other stakeholders. Tucker and tribal leaders pondered their next move. And North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman readied to throw all his weight as a member of Congress at the problem.? They all settled on a single target for what would be a months-long, multi-pronged campaign the likes of which the Klamath had never seen: Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffett.? Since Berkshire purchased PacifiCorp back in 2005, many dam removal advocates had felt Buffett was the key to getting the company on board. He wasn't simply one of the world's richest man, but the Oracle of Omaha, an almost mythical business figure famed for down-home sensibilities and philanthropy.? Advocates had long sought to turn his attention to the Klamath. For consecutive years, Tucker had bought up as many tickets as possible to Buffett's annual shareholders' meetings ? known by some as the "Woodstock of capitalism" ? schmoozy affairs more focused on symposiums and cocktail parties than balance sheets. They'd successfully bombarded question and answer periods with Buffett with inquiries on the Klamath, staged die-ins in front of black tie events and even had Native women flood a cocktail party at a diamond store wearing traditional regalia to talk to revelers about the Klamath and what it means to them.? "I have no idea how somebody like Warren Buffett thinks," Tucker said of the rationale for the approach. "It's hard for me to put myself in the shoes [of someone] who has more money than God. But I do know he's 90 and I do know he has Native grandchildren. These shareholder meetings of Berkshire Hathaway are big parties. There's not that much business but a lot of cocktail parties. And I don't think he wants them to be dominated by talk of the plight of Native people."? But publicly anyway, none of these efforts seemed to get through to the man who'd built an empire at least on the image that he purchased good companies and let them operate as they saw fit.? This time had to be different. And the effort also had to break through amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which made mass demonstrations ? and even traditional organizing strategies ? dangerous and impractical.? On the banks of the river, Hillman and other Klamath Justice Coalition members decided they would use personal connections to write heartfelt letters appealing to people close to Buffett.? Chichizola and others, meanwhile, plotted a massive social media push. They found Gates scholars willing to post messages in support of dam removal, hoping to catch the ear of Bill Gates, a longtime friend of Buffett's. And they'd work toward a large scale day of action that would feature an online event as well as on-the-ground protests.? Meanwhile, Myers and James got to work on their letter to Abel, the man many expect to succeed Buffett at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway and its quarter of a trillion dollars in annual revenue, imploring him to come see the Klamath River and its people for himself.? Ten days prior?to the blockade on the river, Huffman convened a special virtual hearing of his Water, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee on dam removal and Klamath River conditions. The hearing featured tribal leaders who spoke of the river's importance to their people; environmental scientists who detailed its dire condition and the dams' impacts on water quality and fish populations; and North Coast State Sen. Mike McGuire and State Water Resources Control Board Chair Joaquin Esquivel, both of whom indicated the state had taken a light hand with permitting PacifiCorp's Klamath dams ? a practice that would end should the company walk away from the deals.? Berkshire Hathaway sent to the forum PacifiCorp Vice President Scott Bolton, whom Huffman, an environmental lawyer prior to entering politics, seemed to relish questioning.? click to enlarge - STORMY STAATS - Chris Weinstein, a GIS and drone operator for the Karuk Tribe, holds a jar full of Microcystis cyanobacteria from the Copco Reservoir on the Klamath River. The algae produces a carcinogenic liver toxin called microcystin, which is harmful to humans and animals, including salmon. "Mr. Bolton, I think it's pretty clear that you and PacifiCorp are at a crossroads," he said. "You have a choice. The river is dying. The fishery is dying. Your dam is causing a toxic concentration of algae that's the worst in the world. ... But you're not powerless to protect your ratepayers. We can work shoulder to shoulder, get this done on time and on budget, or you can blow this thing up."? The comment struck back to something Huffman said in his opening statement, laying the Klamath River's future squarely at Buffett's feet.? "Warren Buffett has the chance to be a hero in Indian country," he said. "Or he has the potential to be remembered as someone who perpetuated a grave injustice just to make a little more money."? The ensuing weeks would see a bevy of action. Huffman introduced legislation that would have essentially given downriver tribes a voice in FERC's re-licensing processes, ensuring they would be unpleasant affairs for PacifiCorp moving forward.? Meanwhile, as Chichizola and others pushed toward the day of action in October, protests began to pop up ? in San Diego, where PacifiCorp was pursuing a power deal, at the company's headquarters in Oregon and elsewhere ? and Klamath hashtags began to trend.? "One of the things I like to stress when talking about the story is how every single part was in play," said Chichizola, adding that scientists argued the scientific case for dam removal, politicians played politics, tribal leaders negotiated and coordinated, and a community of activists ? many who'd grown up in this effort ? organized and rallied.? When the day of action arrived, it was massive, with COVID-19 adapted protests in 11 cities ? and in front of Buffett's home ? 7,000 people attending a live online forum and 10,000 signing petitions calling for dam removal. Multiple national Native rights groups joined the social media push and #undamtheklamath began trending on multiple social media platforms. Meanwhile, a coalition took out a full-page advertisement in?USA Today?calling for dam removal and casting it as a social justice issue.? Tucker said he's simply never seen anything like it.? "We had protests popping up all over the place that we didn't really organize and that's what you want ? that's a grassroots movement right there," he said.? It's hard to pinpoint?the moment it happened ? whether it was on the river that day, Huffman's grilling of Bolton, the scores of heartfelt testimonials on the day of action ? but something moved and Berkshire came to the table. (Berkshire Hathaway, through a spokesperson, "declined the opportunity" to be interviewed for this story.)? But when the company did decide to take PacifiCorp's position at the negotiating table, stakeholders say everything changed. Myers, the Yurok Tribe's vice chair, said Fehrman, Berkshire Hathaway Energy's CEO, stepped in as the company's lead negotiator and took a granular approach to understanding the agreement, the dam removal process and potential liabilities involved.? Over the course of about a week, a core negotiating team formed, with Fehrman representing Berkshire, Myers representing the Yurok Tribe and Tucker there for the Karuk Tribe, as well as Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Director Richard Whitman and California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham. Because everyone's schedules were packed, the only time they could find to meet were early mornings and weekends, but Myers said no one flinched and the group began meeting three or four times a week, with participants often joining the video conferences from their homes.? "It did bring a certain amount of closeness to these meetings," Myers said. "The first hour of everyone's day, people are pretty straightforward with who they are. You get to see people in their homes getting their first cups of coffee. There's some real humility there."? Tucker said Berkshire wanted to be walked through every aspect of the plan in fine detail, how construction would work and a detailed breakdown of the budget, the insurance plan and liability concerns.? click to enlarge - SAMMY GENSAW - Berkshire Hathaway Energy CEO William Fehrman smells a bottle of toxic algae pulled from above one of the four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River while speaking to protesters at a blockade on Aug. 28, 2020. "We're talking about removing four large dams ? this is on the scale of demolishing skyscrapers or decommissioning giant power plants," Tucker said. "But they committed to being open-minded and said, 'OK, you keep telling us this is buttoned up, so let's go through it again.' Once we went through it, they were like, 'Wow, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation has it together.' ... We kind of watched the realization of the company that this wasn't just some pipe dream. This was well-thought-out and well-managed."? It was another shift. "And," Tucker continued, "once they decided they were going to go for it, everything changed. Every interaction with the company was all of a sudden, they are clearly 100 percent committed to dam removal."? Ultimately, the parties agreed PacifiCorp, California and Oregon would pledge another $45 million in contingency funds to account for cost overruns or liabilities and that Berkshire would agree to a three-way split of any liabilities or overruns beyond that moving forward. But a significant hurdle still remained: Berkshire wanted another entity to take over PacifiCorp's status as co-licensee on the dams through the removal process. Oregon agreed to sign into the role. But the deal needed California to do so, too.? Myers said Bonham had done a "phenomenal job" throughout the negotiations but indicated this kind of decision was beyond him. The tribes would need to talk directly with Gov. Gavin Newsom.? When tribal representatives met with Newsom in Sacramento, Myers said he knew the stakes couldn't be higher. His approach, he said, was not to vouch for the science or the economics of the project ? others had done that for years. Instead, he said, the goal of the day was to really show Newsom what this agreement would mean to tribal people.? "It was our role to really say, 'This is worth it,' and to speak to the 150-plus years of pretty horrific negotiations with California," Myers said. "When you look at the gold rush in California, when you look at the timber barons in California, the commercial fleets of California, the mission system in California, there is an atrocity built on an atrocity built on the graves of our people. This is the world's fifth largest economy because it's built on the resources of the Indigenous people of California. ... This is our land and we're still here."? After the group finished making its case to the governor and the meeting was wrapping up, Myers said he offered a last push: "California has a huge debt to Indian people and dam removal does not repay that debt by a long shot. But it's a good down payment."? Newsom, Myers said, responded: "California is all in and we're never going to stop until the dams come out."? In late October?and early November, word crept into activist circles that negotiations with Berkshire were going well, that there was progress. But it was hard to believe.? "I was still tepid," said Hillman. "I'd heard there was another agreement in principle. Well, I remembered the other agreements in principle. We were hearing that there's an agreement, that the states are involved. That sounds good. But other agreements have sounded good as well."? It was mid-November when word began circulating that a press conference was in the works when Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Berkshire Hathaway and the Yurok and Karuk tribes would announce a new deal had been reached. But most interviewed for this story recall a singular moment when this agreement felt not just real but substantively different than its predecessors ? a draft press release began to circulate and in it was a quote from Buffett himself. And the quote didn't talk about ratepayers. It talked about the good of Native people.? "I recognize the importance of Klamath dam removal and river restoration for tribal people in the Klamath Basin," Buffett said. "We appreciate and respect our tribal partners for their collaboration in forging an agreement that delivers an exceptional outcome for the river, as well as future generations. Working together from this historic moment, we can complete the project and remove these dams."? For Hillman, who once fasted for 10 days in preparation for a meeting with Buffett only to be turned away, the moment was profound.? "It hit me a lot harder than I thought it was going to, for his words not to be about ratepayers but about restorative justice," he said. "That day did feel a lot different than it ever has. People say we've been here before but I'm saying, 'Not here.' We haven't been here, where the states and the company and Fish and Wildlife are talking about restorative justice. Those statements are hard to walk back. It sure does feel different."? Last month, the KRRC filed the new agreement with FERC for approval and, this time, the consensus is it will be approved without issue, having checked all the boxes the regulatory agency laid out with its prior ruling, laying the path for dam removal to begin in 2023. Hillman said he's heard Berkshire Hathaway representatives have been meeting with FERC staff to make sure everything is in order, noting that he and other advocates were repeatedly denied such meetings.? "That makes me happy on the one hand but just angry on the other," he said. "We've always known that if the big wigs decide they want to do something as a corporation in America, they do it. They could have done this the whole time."? But they didn't. Repeatedly. So what, after years of pushing and angling, finally brought Buffett to the Klamath table? Everyone interviewed for this story said it's impossible to pinpoint any one thing, as changing economics and political sentiments coupled with stalwart generational activism all created a perfect storm. But if there was a tipping point, Myers and Tucker said it was likely that moment on the Klamath when a group of Native people seeking justice for their river refused to let Berkshire Hathaway executives pass.? "At the end of the day," Tucker recalled, "I was like, 'I'm not sure that went the way we wanted it to.' The tribal activists became a little confrontational and I thought in the moment, 'Oh, no.' But what I thought was things going off the rails and all our best laid plans starting to go awry I think was serendipitous. It created opportunities for interactions that wouldn't have happened otherwise.? "No one sells the Klamath better than the people who live there," Tucker continued. "People's entire adult lives have been spent fighting these dams. My child is 16 years old and that's all he's ever known that I do. And I think there's a lot of Native kids who have grown up, and that's all they know their parents do. ... We are committed. And it's generational. If something happens to me, something happens to Frankie (Myers), something happens to whoever, there's a generation of young people who will step in to fill our shoes. I think Berkshire finally understood that."? Thadeus Greenson (he/him) is the?Journal's news editor. Reach him at 442-1400, extension 321, or?thad at northcoastjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @thadeusgreenson. The Community Voices Coalition is a project funded by Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation to support local journalism. This story was produced by the?North Coast Journal?newsroom with full editorial independence and control. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Mar 18 14:43:05 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2021 21:43:05 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal editorial: County water stance shouldn't be a secret Selection of TMC representative raises larger question References: <1003829981.316699.1616103785169.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1003829981.316699.1616103785169@mail.yahoo.com> http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/editorials/article_8e3fe950-8134-11eb-ab40-7b4fc321d3c6.html County water stance shouldn't be a secret Selection of TMC representative raises larger question - Mar 10, 2021 ? - ?0 District 1 Sup. Keith Groves has held the seat for several years and was reappointed Jan. 5 to represent the board on the TMC. However, District 3?s newly elected Sup. Liam Gogan and others have argued he is the supervisor with the most experience on river restoration issues, having worked for more than 30 years as a Trinity River fishing guide and participating in thousands of hours of stakeholder input on the Trinity River Restoration Program to the TMC that oversees it. In the end, the board voted 4-1 to have Groves continue as the primary representative and named Gogan to serve as the alternate with the likelihood he?ll move up to the primary spot soon. We believe Gogan should be the primary representative at some point, but we have no problem with him serving as the alternate for six months or a year to get his feet wet (or wetter, so to speak). Together, they probably make a pretty good team. Frankly, it was a Groves? comment during the debate that worries us more. ?You need understanding of the county overview before just stepping in without the board?s input and support,? Groves said to Gogan. ?And you will find out in closed session the stances we?ve taken that are not made public.? Should Trinity County?s stances on critical water issues be a secret? We think not. Everyone from the federal government to the state to its local citizenry should have a full and unencumbered understanding on where the Board of Supervisors sits on Trinity County water issues. Groves? comment is representative of past boards? tendency to do most of their heavy lifting in closed session, whether or not such is permitted by the Brown Act. Nor have they been particularly adept at reporting out anything more than the bare necessities from closed sessions; sometimes not even that. Let?s hope this new board moves away from such tactics. In fact, it was in closed session, as an emergency item, that supervisors decided in December 2019 that Trinity County would join San Joaquin County in filing a formal legal response to the Westlands Water District efforts to permanently lock in its contract for Central Valley Project water deliveries, which would likely have severe implications on local water availability. This was another ?and you will find out? moment. And while the Brown Act does permit government entities to consider litigation in closed session, generalities on whether or not to join the response could and should have been done in open session for the public, with specific legal tactics saved for the closed session. It?s almost ironic that next week, March 14-20, is Sunshine Week, an annual initiative to promote open government, and we?re still talking about the lack of openness in local county government. Water in Trinity County will always be divisive. As we?ve pointed out numerous times, the Trinity River serves many masters ? lake interests, river and fish interests, and power. It?s a balancing act that will never make all three factions completely happy. And we won?t even get into the issue of Trinity receiving zero dollars for the roughly half a million acre feet of increasingly valuable water shipped annually to the Central Valley Project. Still, the county?s stance on water issues shouldn?t be a secret. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Mar 18 15:15:12 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2021 22:15:12 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Various Trinity Journal Letters to Editor: Where's the fish? TMC Needs Oversight. Defense of Sup Groves References: <1587815238.2088442.1616105712267.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1587815238.2088442.1616105712267@mail.yahoo.com> http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_2c575790-86ad-11eb-813b-dbac00fc014c.html Where?s the fish? >From Dony Morris Junction CityMar 17, 2021 The Feb. 24 letter to the editor just touched the surface. The Oregon Gulch project would remove largeamounts of 100-year-old riparian habitat, including a year-round pond that is fed by Mun Loa spring. It is so full of life it has its own game trail, so what is the plan for all life that lives in the pond, just bulldoze it? Also in the plan is the removal of the open area at the beginning Sky Ranch Road where the fishermen parkand launch, no doubt to be gated off as protected ?floodplain.? As a resident of Sky Ranch Road, I have seen what was done on one of the last phases of the project, the TRRP contractors hauled in dozers, loaders, scrapers and excavators down our road. Their 100-ton trucks cracking the asphalt, they proceeded to tear out the riparian habitat, screened the gravel and jammed some logs in the river, and then spread hay over the exposed soil. Now, instead of wild grasses and plants we have hay and star thistle, half a summer of noise, dust and exhaust. The biggest question is it working for the fish? Isn?t climate change a bigger threat? Twenty-nine thousandtruck trips worth of carbon emissions is a necessity? When is the TRRP going to repair the damage to our road? Oh, and when are you going to restore the heron rookery? We are just venting, TRRP does not care for input and complaints, that is why they have closed meetings. http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_102f2ec6-86ad-11eb-aefe-e34987f2aae3.html TMC oversight needs attention >From Edmond E. Bates Jr. Rockport, TexasMar 17, 2021 Since I moved from Trinity County 13 years ago, I have refrained from commenting too much on things thatare happening out there. However, after reading Tom Stokely?s letter in the Feb. 10 issue of The Trinity Journal, I found myself deeply disturbed over the potential loss of the Board of Supervisors? oversight of the TMC that could result from the ongoing disagreement between Supervisors Liam Gogan and Keith Groves. I believe the Trinity River Restoration Program was the group that I was involved with some 25 years ago.Arnold Whitridge was the chairman, and the fisheries biologists were claiming that they could create environments downstream from the dams that would replace the 107 miles of spawning habitat that was lost when the dams were constructed. Although my education and training was in geology rather than biology, botany, or other life sciences, I was not convinced that those claims were realistic. I even objected at one point to the use of the word ?create? in a resolution because I felt some of those fishery biologists already thought they were responsible for Creation. Then, as now, the destruction of the dams seemed to be the only way that fisheries could be fully restored,and that was and is not an economically viable alternative. Attempting the solutions presented by the fishery biologists was the better alternative. I believe time has shown that some procedures have had better results than others, and that two things need to be carefully monitored by the Board of Supervisors. The first is that continued work to establish new spawning habitat will yield an improvement that justifiesthe expense of the project, and the second is that continuing to modify the drainage below the dams is not an excuse to maintain jobs for folks who would prefer to eventually retire in the county. Therefore, I hope that Supervisors Jeremy Brown, Jill Cox, and Dan Frasier can come together so that thedisagreement between Supervisors Gogan and Groves does not create a rift that threatens the river itself. It might be appropriate for the aforementioned trio to seek the counsel of former Supervisor Whitridge who I credit with always doing the necessary homework before making a decision. Thus, I found myself having to accept his decision sometimes even though I disagreed with it. I have also found Stokley to be very knowledgeable about all water issues that involve Trinity County. In conclusion, the health of both the river and the lakes is critical to Trinity County?s future. The Board ofSupervisors needs to closely monitor activities of the TMC and others, while also avoiding anything close to the gridlock we have witnessed in the nation?s Capitol. http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_3b20108c-7bb8-11eb-943a-1f93d80a03f1.html Is TRRP Oregon Gulch Project beneficial? >From Clark Tuthill Douglas CityMar 3, 2021 The Trinity River Restoration Program is planning yet again another major mainstem project that will costsmillions of dollars with unknown benefits. Did you know the project will require over 29,000 semi-truck loads of rock to be moved from the projectarea, out Sky Ranch Road, on to Highway 299 near Junction City and trucked approximately 3 miles to Eagle Rock? The project failed to get any California funding, so depending upon what funding is secured, semi-truckscould be running for a 2- to 4-year period. This means traffic delays on Highway 299 near Junction City, extremely high traffic accident risks and a very high probability the section of 299 will need to be replaced after the heavy equipment use, causing disruption and delays yet again. Under the proposed project, approximately 500,000 cubic yards of material will be transported to EagleRock from 38 areas of private land. The private land is owned by the Yurok Tribe and the remaining 96 areas is BLM land. The ?mining tailings? have been at the current location for over 100 years, well before the dam was built andwhen the fish returns were abundant. So why do the ?mining tailings? need to be removed now and the whole mainstem river be moved to conveniently flow through the 38 areas of private land? Additionally, to reach project objectives, river flows of more than 600 cfs are required to get water on thenew ?floodplain.? However, the river flows below 600 cfs for over nine months of the year and the majority of the ?floodplain? will be dry. Is this project worth the lost county revenue and inconveniences? The ?science? just doesn?t make sense. Let us know what you think, Armand Castagna, Paul Catanese, Russ Giuntini, Tom Mahan, Jim Smith, ScottStraton, Clark Tuthill, Trent Tuthill, Darren Victorine. http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_3c5f37d4-70b4-11eb-8fc5-db6c66e926e7.html In defense of Sup. Groves >From Douglas Corcoran WeavervilleFeb 17, 2021 The past few weeks have seen a flurry of letters to the editor that have piled on criticisms andmisrepresentations about Sup. Keith Groves and his record of representing Trinity County?s interest on the multiagency Trinity Management Council (TMC). I can only imagine that, with the election behind us, people must feel a residual need to be outraged aboutsomething, or perhaps there is just a dearth of other topics on people?s radars at the moment. Regardless, someone needs to speak up in defense of Supervisor Groves. A simple search of publicly available TMC meeting notes will find that, for years, Supervisor Groves has beenan outspoken advocate for active and meaningful public participation on that body. The fact that the TMC failed to pass a motion advocating for reinstatement of its public advisory group was not a failure of Groves? leadership, but a product of the TMC being 50 percent federal agencies who didn?t want to countermand their bosses. At the risk of falling into an ad hominem attack trap and exacerbating the personal side of the recent smearcampaign against Supervisor Groves, I would also suggest that Tom Stokely, who authored one of the most misleading letters last week, has not been a resident of Trinity County for years and perhaps he should attend to the business in Siskiyou County. Shame on these recent letter to the editor authors for misleading the public about who is responsible for thefailings of the TMC. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Fri Apr 2 17:46:46 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2021 00:46:46 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Drought is back. But Southern California faces less pain than Northern California References: <1574750015.455662.1617410806899.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1574750015.455662.1617410806899@mail.yahoo.com> https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-04-02/drought-conditions-hit-northern-california-harder-than-in-the-south Drought is back. But Southern California faces less pain than Northern California Sean de Guzman, chief of snow surveys for the California Department of Water Resources measures snowpack at Phillips Station near Echo Summit in February.?(Rich Pedroncelli /Associated Press)By?BETTINA BOXALLSTAFF WRITER?APRIL 2, 2021?5 AM PT? - Facebook - Twitter - Show more sharing options | | | | | | | | | | | Drought is back. But Southern California faces less pain than Northern C... Record amounts of regional water storage will buffer urban Southern California from the effects of drought this ... | | | Drought is returning to California as a second, consecutive parched winter draws to a close in the usually wet north, leaving the state?s major reservoirs half empty.? But this latest period of prolonged dryness will probably play out very differently across this vast state.? In Northern California, areas dependent on local supplies, such as Sonoma County, could be the hardest-hit. Central Valley growers have been told of steep cuts to upcoming water deliveries. Environmentalists too are warning of grave harm to native fish.? Yet, hundreds of miles to the south, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California reports record amounts of reserves ? enough to carry the state?s most populous region through this year and even next. Memories of?unprecedented water-use restrictions?in cities and towns, dry country wells and shriveled croplands linger from California?s punishing 2012-16 drought. Officials say the lessons of those withering years have left the state in a somewhat better position to deal with its inevitable dry periods, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is not expected to declare a statewide drought emergency this year.? CALIFORNIA This year will likely be critically dry for California, state officials say March 2, 2021 ?We don?t see ourselves in that position in terms of supply,? said Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth. ?If it?s dry next year, then maybe it?s a different story.? PAID CONTENT Helping your child?s smile shine By?Brandpoint (BPT) - February is Children?s Dental Health Month. What better time to help ensure that your child?s smile shines brightly for years to come? Here are some useful tips for protecting your child?s teeth from infancy on. Get an early start! Your... Southern California is a case in point.? Lake Oroville, the big Sacramento Valley reservoir that helps supply the urban Southland, is only 41% full and the Metropolitan Water District can expect a mere 5% of full deliveries from the north this year. But the agency has more water than ever stored in regional reservoirs and groundwater banks.? ?We?re not contemplating any difficulty in meeting deliveries,? said Brad Coffey, water resources manager for the MWD, which imports supplies from the Colorado River and Northern California. Los Angeles, which is partially supplied by the MWD, is similarly confident that it will have no problem meeting local demand. ?We?re not in any shortage,? said Delon Kwan, assistant director of water resources for the L.A. Department of Water and Power. L.A.'s water use has declined to 1970s levels, despite the fact that California?s biggest city has nearly 1 million more residents than it did then. Restrictions on landscape watering have been in place for a decade, and the city continues to offer conservation rebates for water-efficient appliances and lawn removal.? Across the state, overall urban water use remains 16% less than it was in 2013. ?We see an enduring conservation and efficiency from the last drought,? said E. Joaquin Esquivel, chairman of the State Water Resources Control Board. ?We changed fundamentally our water use on the urban side.? System improvements have been made in?small rural communities?that ran out of water when their wells dried up during the last drought. Though agriculture is expected to once again turn to groundwater to make up for sharp cuts in federal irrigation deliveries, officials are hoping to avert a repeat of the last drought, when growers rushed to?drill new wells?and ramped up pumping so much that parts of the intensely farmed San Joaquin Valley?sank several feet. CALIFORNIA Overpumping of Central Valley groundwater creating a crisis, experts say March 18, 2015 ?I don?t fully expect the same scenario to play out,? said state Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. ?It was more of a free-for-all? before passage of a 2014 state law that requires groundwater users to stop chronic overpumping of the enormous Central Valley aquifer by 2040. ?My sense is that there?s a strong understanding among local water agencies that they now have a responsibility to achieve sustainability,? he added. But environmentalists and the commercial salmon industry worry that this year will be a repeat of 2014-15, when low flows in the Sacramento River pushed water temperatures to lethally warm levels for salmon eggs, virtually?wiping out two years of reproduction?for endangered winter-run Chinook. ?Good for Metropolitan ? they?ve got record storage,? said Barry Nelson of Western Water Strategies. ?But the ecosystem and the fishing industry are cratering.? CALIFORNIA The drought?s hidden victim: California?s native fish Aug. 24, 2015 Precipitation is only about half of average in key northern and central Sierra Nevada watersheds and 39% of average in the southern range. The statewide snowpack that helps fill reservoirs is well below average ? 59% on Thursday ? but not nearly as grim as 2014, when it was 33%, or the record low of 5% in 2015. With Shasta Lake, the biggest reservoir in the federal Central Valley Project system, 53% full, the Bureau of Reclamation is significantly cutting supplies to many farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. Growers on the west side of the valley are slated to get only 5% of their contract amounts, and even those deliveries have been temporarily frozen. On the east side, Millerton Lake deliveries have been reduced to 20% of contracted amounts. But the cuts will be far less for irrigation districts with the oldest diversion rights on the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Those senior rights holders can expect 75% of their contract amounts, which comes out to a total of 2.2 million acre-feet ? more than four times what Los Angeles uses in a year. Those huge contracts, which the bureau signed when the Central Valley Project dammed the Sacramento and San Joaquin, have long been attacked by the environmental community. BUSINESS Farmers drilling deeper for water as drought drags on | | | | | | | | | | | Farmers drilling deeper for water as drought drags on On a dusty clearing between a fallow wheat field and wilting orange groves, Steve Arthur's crew of two mud-splat... | | | July 26, 2014 In a March 12 letter to the state water board, environmental groups complained that releases from Shasta Lake for senior rights holders will deplete the reservoir of cold water needed later in the year to maintain salmon-friendly temperatures on the Sacramento River. They also point out that meager precipitation is not the only reason Oroville, the State Water Project?s principal reservoir, is so low. In 2018, the state and federal water projects amended a 30-year-old agreement that spelled out how they would coordinate operations to meet water quality and environmental standards in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a distribution hub for both projects. Because Shasta?s capacity is considerably greater than Oroville?s, the original pact called for Shasta to provide the bulk of the releases necessary to meet delta standards. The 2018 agreement shifted some of the federal obligations to the state. Especially in dry years, the state now has to release more water from Oroville to flow through the delta and out to sea than previously required. That has resulted in a corresponding reduction in state deliveries from the delta and an increase in federal deliveries. The Water Resources Department did not provide numbers for this year. But in 2018, the agency estimated the new formula would reduce state deliveries by an average of 100,000 acre-feet a year, with that number increasing to 200,000 acre-feet in very dry years. Nemeth acknowledged that the new operating terms have played a role in Oroville?s steep drop. But she attributed most of the decline to what she called ?catastrophically dry? conditions in the Feather River watershed that feeds Oroville. She also defended the 2018 deal, saying that in wet years it allows the state project to slightly increase delta exports to the MWD and other customers. ?It?s a trade-off,? said Doug Obegi, an environmental attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. ?It?s not solving the problem that they?ve contracted more water than can be sustainably delivered.? Two years ago, Shasta and Oroville were nearly full, thanks to 2019, the nation?s second-wettest year on record; and 2017, the wettest year on record in the northern Sierra. That the levels of California?s two biggest reservoirs fell so quickly is another reminder of the effects of climate change, which is accentuating the swings from drought to flood that California has always experienced. ?Are we adapting enough? No,? Esquivel said.??We need to adapt further and faster and more. And we know that it takes dollars and resources to accomplish that work. It?s not any one thing. It?s investing in infrastructure ? in water systems that will receive the brunt of the climate crisis.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Sun Apr 4 18:29:28 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2021 01:29:28 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: 2020 Klamath River Basin Fall Chinook Salmon Megatable In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <2120269079.491242.1617586168164@mail.yahoo.com> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Lindke, Kenneth at Wildlife To: Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 4:26:13 PM PSTSubject: 2020 Klamath River Basin Fall Chinook Salmon Megatable Hello all, Please find attached the 2020 updated Klamath River Basin Fall Chinook Salmon Megatable. Total in-river run and hatchery returns in 2020 were very similar to last year and 2017. That?s not great, but it is about double what we saw in 2016. We?ve got a ways to go until the stock is rebuilt and some real harvest can be had again. If you think of anyone I have omitted from this email list, please let me know.?Thanks. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I am working from home. It is best to contact me via email. ? Ken Lindke Environmental Scientist ? Trinity River Restoration Program Coordinator Klamath-Trinity Program California Department of Fish and Wildlife ? Northern Region Kenneth.Lindke at wildlife.ca.gov ? ?An approximate answer to the right question is worth a great deal more than a precise answer to the wrong question.? ? John Tukey ? REPORT POACHERS AND POLLUTERS: 1-888-334-2258 ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2020 Klamath Basin Megatable_20210210.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 444460 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Apr 12 16:33:11 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2021 23:33:11 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Fw: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <588581745.950940.1618270391158@mail.yahoo.com> ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: 'Patton, Thomas K' via trinity-releases To: Sent: Monday, April 12, 2021, 1:38:44 PM PDTSubject: [Trinity Releases] Change Order - Lewiston Dam Please make the following release?changes to the Trinity River | Date | Time | From (cfs) | To (cfs) | | | | | | | 04/16/21 | 0200 | 300 | 400 | | 04/16/21 | 0400 | 400 | 500 | | 04/16/21 | 0600 | 500 | 750 | | 04/16/21 | 0800 | 750 | 1000 | | 04/16/21 | 1000 | 1000 | 1250 | | 04/16/21 | 1200 | 1250 | 1500 | | 04/16/21 | 1400 | 1500 | 1750 | | 04/16/21 | 1800 | 1750 | 1650 | | | | | | | 04/17/21 | 0001 | 1650 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Trinity River ROD flows Issued by:? Tom Patton -- View online at http://www.trrp.net/restore/flows/release-email/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Apr 27 10:33:04 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2021 17:33:04 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Cold and Swift: Another Round of Trinity River Releases This Week References: <595713549.870783.1619544784112.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <595713549.870783.1619544784112@mail.yahoo.com> https://www.northcoastjournal.com/NewsBlog/archives/2021/04/26/cold-and-swift-another-round-of-trinity-river-releases Cold and Swift: Another Round of Trinity River Releases This Week Posted By Kimberly Wear @kimberly_wear on Mon, Apr 26, 2021 at 10:34 AM click to enlarge Another round of Trinity River restoration flows being released from the Lewiston Dam takes place this week to help improve conditions after another critically dry water year. That means rising and swifter water at a time when the rivers are already running high and cold. Earlier this month, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and area residents rescued three swimmers who became stranded on a rock in the Trinity River at a day use area in Willow Creek. "This year marks the third critically dry year in the last five years for the Trinity watershed," the Bureau of Reclamation release on the releases stated. "The planned release schedule attempts to maximize benefits to the physical and biological character of the Trinity River, given the constraints of the limited amount of water available. A peak release to increase flows to 3,550 cfs is slated for April 28. Two others are scheduled in May. A flow schedule based on the expected amount of water available to support salmon restoration efforts on the Trinity River is brought forward by the Trinity Management Council each year. "Visitors near or on the river can expect river levels to increase during the flow releases and should take appropriate safety precautions," the release states. "Landowners are advised to clear personal items from the floodplain prior to the releases." A daily schedule of flow releases is available at the program?s website www.trrp.net/restore/flows/current/. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Apr 27 10:39:54 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2021 17:39:54 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Humboldt_County_Receives_Grant_to_Develop?= =?utf-8?q?_Water_Management_Plan_to_Finally_Deliver_the_Trinity_River_Flo?= =?utf-8?q?w_We=E2=80=99re_Due?= References: <879879008.865123.1619545194484.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <879879008.865123.1619545194484@mail.yahoo.com> https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/apr/23/humboldt-county-receives-grant-develop-water-manag/ LoCO Staff / Friday, April 23 @ 11:39 a.m. / Government, Tribes Humboldt County Receives Grant to Develop Water Management Plan to Finally Deliver the Trinity River Flow We?re Due The Trinity River. | Submitted. Press release from the County of Humboldt: The [California] Wildlife Conservation Board [on Thursday] approved a grant award of $574,980 to Humboldt County to develop a water management plan for Humboldt County?s 1959 contract for water releases from Trinity Reservoir. Completion of the water management plan is necessary to make Humboldt County?s contract water available to support fishery resources and other beneficial uses in the Trinity River and lower Klamath River.? ?Commercial, recreational, and tribal fisheries are a vital part of Humboldt County?s economy and cultural identity,? said Steve Madrone, Humboldt County Fifth District Supervisor. ?Humboldt County is committed to protecting and restoring our natural and cultural resources. For far too long, Humboldt County?s contract right for releases of additional water into the Trinity River has been denied. This grant from the Water Conservation Board is a major breakthrough toward performing the required studies and addressing unresolved legal questions that will enable putting more water into the Trinity River at optimal times for the benefit of Humboldt County residents.? In 1955, Congress adopted legislation authorizing creation of Trinity Reservoir and diversion of Trinity River water to the Sacramento River basin as part of the Central Valley Project. Leading up to the passage of this resolution, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors opposed the diversion of the Trinity River unless provisions were made to address Humboldt County?s water needs. Humboldt County?s interests were incorporated into the legislation, which stipulates that ?not less than 50,000 acre-feet shall be released annually from the Trinity Reservoir and made available to Humboldt County and downstream water users.? This statutory entitlement for water releases was implemented through a water contract executed in 1959 between the Bureau of Reclamation and Humboldt County. However, the Bureau of Reclamation has never released water to fulfill the contract. After decades of debate and delay, and critical advocacy from the Hoopa Valley Tribe and Yurok Tribe, the Department of the Interior?s Solicitor issued a memorandum in 2014 affirming the Bureau of Reclamation?s obligation to release water for Humboldt County?s beneficial use as provided for in the 1955 legislation and the 1959 water contract. Humboldt County has been working with the involved parties since the 2014 Solicitor?s memorandum to address outstanding legal and administrative barriers to releasing the contract water. The Trinity River flows through Humboldt County for approximately 31 river miles before discharging into the Klamath River at Weitchpec. The Trinity River is an essential part of the cultural heritage and natural resource wealth of the North Coast. The Trinity River provides drinking water supply, habitat for fisheries, recreation opportunities, and an abundance of ecosystem services for Humboldt County residents. Water diversions from the Trinity River Division have contributed to habitat degradation, declining fish populations, economic losses, diminishment of recreational opportunities, water quality impairments, and impacts to tribal cultural practices within Humboldt County. Current water flows in the Trinity River vary significantly from the natural flow regime that existed prior to construction of Trinity Dam and Lewiston Dam. The grant to Humboldt County was issued through the Wildlife Conservation Board?s Stream Flow Enhancement Program with funding from the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (Proposition 1) which was approved by California voters in November, 2014. Humboldt County will collaborate with tribes and state and federal agencies to perform technical studies and address unresolved questions regarding water rights and regulatory compliance. The studies will identify needs and priorities for releasing additional water from Trinity Reservoir into the Trinity River to help restore natural processes and improve fisheries and water quality. They will also address existing conditions and a range of climate change scenarios over the 25-year planning period. The water management plan will provide a structure and process for annual decision-making to optimize the beneficial use of Humboldt County?s contract water and provide tangible benefits for fisheries. The anticipated completion date of the water management plan is December 31, 2022. The water management plan will support modification of the Bureau of Reclamation?s water rights and development of any environmental compliance reports that are determined to be required. Once these regulatory steps are completed, Humboldt County will be able to work with its tribal partners and other stakeholders to make calls for annual releases of contract water into the Trinity River based on adaptive management principles and the specific objectives for a given water year.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Apr 28 15:01:38 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2021 22:01:38 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Column: Water created California and the West. Will drought finish them off? References: <17979216.1299476.1619647298101.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <17979216.1299476.1619647298101@mail.yahoo.com> https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-04-28/water-california-west-drought Column:?Water created California and the West. Will drought finish them off? Gov. Gavin Newsom holds an emergency drought declaration for Sonoma and Mendocino counties Wednesday while standing on the dry bed of Lake Mendocino.(Office of the Governor/Facebook) By?Michael HiltzikBusiness Columnist? April 28, 2021 6 AM PT In what may become an iconic image for drought-stricken California, Gov. Gavin Newsom stood on the parched bed of Lake Mendocino on April 21 to announce an emergency declaration for Sonoma and Mendocino counties. ?I?m standing currently 40 feet underwater,? he said, ?or should be standing 40 feet underwater, save for this rather historic moment.? Newsom?s point was that the reservoir was at a historically low 43% of capacity, the harbinger of what could be a devastating drought cycle not only for the Northern California counties that fell within his drought declaration, but for most of the state ? indeed, the American West. Gentlemen, you are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over water rights, for there is not sufficient water to supply the land. John Wesley Powell, 1893 Advertisement The last extended drought struck California in 2012-16. Still fresh in the memory, it was a period of stringent mandated cutbacks in water usage. Lawns were forced to go brown, homeowners prompted to replace their thirsty yards with drought-resistant landscaping and to upgrade their vintage dishwashers and laundry machines with new water-efficient models. Profligate users were ferreted out from public records and, if they could be identified, shamed. Although there have been wet years since then, notably 2017, the big picture suggests that the drought never really ended and the dry periods of this year and 2020 are representative of the new normal ? a permanent drought. Newsletter Get the latest from Michael Hiltzik Commentary on economics and more from a Pulitzer Prize winner. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Paid Content Maximum Observability, Minimum Effort By IBM | IBM Content Instana Powered Automated APM Experts warn that climate change will only make things worse. The years 2014 and 2015 were the two hottest on record, ?which made coping with water shortages even more difficult,? the Public Policy Institute of California observed in 2018. Research suggests that extreme dry years will become more common, but so will extreme wet years. The latter isn?t a panacea for the drought, because the state?s water storage capacity can be overwhelmed by excessive rainfall, especially if a warmer climate reduces the snowpack, nature?s own seasonal reservoir. Newsom?s step-wise approach of declaring emergencies in the hardest-hit regions of the state and holding back elsewhere until conditions spread shouldn?t leave any doubt that the crisis is just beginning. ?We?re definitely in a drought,? Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the giant Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, told me. ?This may go down as one of the five worst years on record.? Column: This zombie dam project underscores California?s dilemma over water May 16, 2018 Water supply in the State Water Project, which distributes water to agencies and districts serving 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland, is so low that the project is delivering only 5% of requested supplies this year. The allocation has fallen that far only twice before since 1996, according to the state Department of Water Resources, which runs the project. It may already be too late to avoid some of the conflicts and consequences of the drought age in California. Every segment of society will have to come to terms with deepening scarcity, and with each others? competing demands. Residential users, growers, the fishing industry and stewards of the environment will be increasingly at odds, unless the state can craft a drought response that spreads sacrifices in a way that each group considers fair. To ask the question whether that is likely is to answer it. Dry years, defined as those with below-average precipitation (brown), have outnumbered wet years in California at least since before 1900?and they?re becoming more common and more severe.(Public Policy Institute of California) California?s water policies and infrastructure were products of an era of abundance. During a century of growth there always seemed to be enough water to satisfy demand ? and when there wasn?t, engineering know-how and public funding provided the means to move water from where it was to where demand was growing. That was the case with the construction of the Los Angeles and Colorado River aqueducts early in the last century and the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project in succeeding decades. Complacency marked some of this work. The expectations of the water supply that would be provided by Hoover Dam, for example, were based on surveys of the Colorado River?s flow taken during a historically wet period. Column: California?s salmon industry fears it will be wiped out by Trump Aug. 3, 2018 The river has never provided as much water as was estimated in 1922, when the prospective supply was apportioned among the seven states of the Colorado basin. Dealing with the shortfall has been a challenge ever since, at one point even bringing Arizona and California to the brink of interstate war. Water policy in California has historically been reactive rather than proactive. The first years of 2012-16 drought yielded the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Known as SGMA and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016, the law was the first to regulate the exploitation of groundwater, which feeds one-third of the state?s demand in normal years and half in dry years. The SGMA places overdrawn groundwater regions, such as the southern part of the agriculturally rich Central Valley, under stringent rules starting in 2040. The drought has already left its mark on California. Rate increases by the San Diego County Water Authority averaging 8% a year over the last decade have driven many of that county?s avocado growers out of business, local farmers say, but the pain is more widespread: Agricultural acreage in the county fell to 234,477 in 2019 from 302,000 in 2010. Residents in the San Jose region are facing annual rate increases for drinking water of up to 9.6% each year for the next eight years; that would mean increases of as much as $5.10 a month on their bills, according to the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Let?s take a look at the implications for different segments of California society. To begin with, the structure of California agriculture will have to change, though no one is yet sure how. ?The unfortunate reality is that some amount of farmland will probably have to go out of production to manage the reduced supply of water,? says Ann Hayden, a water expert at the Environmental Defense Fund in Sacramento. She calls for planning now ?to support farmers as they?re making decisions about what lands to take out of production.? Fallowed land, she observes, creates air quality and water quality problems that will have to be addressed proactively. Business Column: Right-wingers again demonize the tiny delta smelt to protect Big Agriculture Aug. 12, 2019 Among the crops vulnerable to changing conditions are almonds, which at $6 billion in value are the state?s second-largest farm commodity (after milk and cream). Driven by the profits to be made, almond acreage has roughly doubled over the last decade to 1.6 million acres. Almonds are known as thirsty crops, but the real significance of the expansion of acreage is that they?re permanent crops ? they must be watered every year. As a result, almond orchards have been heavy users of groundwater. That?s a practice certain to come under pressure as the SGMA mandates come into effect in 2040. Almond growers are only now starting to come to terms with the looming restrictions. ?I?ve been in the industry for 25 years,? Holly A. King, a grower and chair of the California Almond Board, told the California Tree Nut Report last year. ?What?s it going to look like in 25 more years? It?s not going to look like what it is today.? As agricultural and residential demands take center stage, the environment suffers. In commercial terms, the fishing industry bears the brunt. The state?s salmon fishery was on the verge of being wiped out during the last drought stage. This one could finish the job. As pressure intensifies on federal officials to increase releases from the Central Valley Project?s Shasta Lake ? the reservoir behind Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River ? to serve farmers, the threat to the fishing industry intensifies. Business The wrong way to think about California water April 11, 2015 That?s because releasing water raises the temperature of the reservoir and then the river. ?We?re looking at the loss of 90%-100% of juvenile salmon in the Sacramento River this fall,? says Barry Nelson, a consultant to the Golden Gate Salmon Assn. That would wipe out fall-run salmon, the industry?s lifeblood. The last time that happened, in 2014-15, as few as 2% of naturally spawning fall-run salmon survived. ?They were killed in their nests,? Nelson says. ?They were cooked by high water temperatures.? If there?s a bright spot in drought planning, it?s in the Southern California residential sector, which has become a world-leader in water conservation and recycling. Within the MWD, total water demand has fallen over the last decade even as the population has edged up to 19 million from 18 million. Much of the gain has come from installation of stingier household appliances, but much more can be done in exterior demand through the planting of drought-resistant vegetation to replace lawns. ?We think we?ve gotten all the low-hanging fruit indoors,? Kightlinger says, ?but there?s a lot more we could do outdoors. We could probably squeeze out another 10% to 20% relatively painlessly.? By pushing down demand, the MWD has been able to store more water. Its current storage of about 3.4 million acre-feet (one acre-foot or 326,000 gallons is enough to supply one or two families for a year) would cushion the district for about six or seven years, Kightlinger says, given expected supplies coming from the Colorado and in-state sources. But more planning and management will be needed in coming decades. Some solutions that seemed drastic in the past are getting closer looks. Those include draining Lake Powell, north of the Grand Canyon on the Arizona-Utah border, and making Lake Mead, behind Hoover Dam, the primary reservoir on the Colorado River for California, Arizona and Nevada. The ?Fill Mead First? campaign says that would reduce losses from evaporation and preserve Mead?s capacity to generate hydroelectricity. But deliberately lowering Lake Powell would foster a political backlash in the upper-basin states of Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, which view Lake Powell?s supply as a sort of guarantee that they can exploit the headwaters of the Colorado for their own purposes. Both reservoirs are approaching critically low levels, with the surface of Mead currently about 150 feet below its maximum, with expectations that it could fall an additional 50 feet by late 2022; Powell is currently about 134 feet below its maximum elevation, and could fall an additional 25 feet by early next year, according to projections by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. If all this seems dizzyingly complicated, that?s the product of more than a century of fragmented water law and policy in California. The riddle can?t be solved by a patchwork of emergency declarations, no matter how urgent, but only by the crafting now of a comprehensive plan to address the inevitable consequences of climate change in the already arid West. It?s well past time to come to terms with the words of John Wesley Powell, who led the first government expedition of the Grand Canyon, and who warned of a fraught future at a Los Angeles irrigation conference in 1893. ?Gentlemen,? he said, ?you are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over water rights, for there is not sufficient water to supply the land.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Fri Apr 30 14:43:37 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2021 21:43:37 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] HCN: Klamath water illegally diverted to farming during severe drought References: <1272948517.26293.1619819017651.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1272948517.26293.1619819017651@mail.yahoo.com> https://www.hcn.org/articles/water-klamath-water-illegally-diverted-to-farming-during-severe-drought Klamath water illegally diverted to farming during severe drought Agricultural interests are pitted against the needs of tribes and endangered species on the Klamath River. Jessica Fu April 30, 2021 Like Tweet Email Print ? The Klamath River, pictured from the International Space Station, runs through Oregon just north of the border with California.NASA/CC via Flickr This story was originally published by?The Counter,?a nonprofit newsroom covering the forces shaping how and what we eat. It is republished here by permission. The federal government is strictly curtailing irrigation this year in an attempt to protect endangered fish important to Indigenous tribes. Farmers say this will make it all but impossible to farm, while tribal nations say the plan doesn?t go far enough to save their fisheries. In mid-April, a farming region in southern Oregon began to release water from the Klamath River into its irrigation canals. According to the local water authority, this was a standard move to jumpstart the farming season during one of the driest seasons in recent memory. But according to the federal government, it was an illegal maneuver that could further jeopardize the survival of multiple endangered species and food sources important to Indigenous tribes and fisheries in the region. Because of?severe drought conditions?in the region and low snowpack levels, the Upper Klamath Lake ? a large, natural reservoir of freshwater that drains into the Klamath River ? has experienced historically low inflow this year. That means there?s not enough water to go around for everyone who needs it: tribes that depend on the lake to sustain culturally important species of suckerfish, commercial and tribal fisheries downstream who depend on flow from the lake to support salmon populations, and farmers and ranchers who rely on irrigation to harvest crops. On April 14, the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), a federal agency that oversees the Klamath irrigation project, announced that farmers would only get 33,000 acre-feet of water this year due to drought conditions ? the lowest allotment in its history. The project spans from southern Oregon to northern California. For context, farmers?say?they need 400,000 acre-feet in drought years. That didn?t stop the Klamath Drainage District (KDD) in southern Oregon ? a public entity contracted to deliver water in the region ? from turning on the spigot for its constituents two days later. ?We tried to hold off [diversion] as long as we could,? said district manager Scott White. White said the district board faced immense pressure to divert water from farmers in the region dealing with low soil moisture. ?Our landowners were just champing at the bit.? White said that the district was accessing water from the Klamath River through a state water permit rather than through the federal government?s allocation, which he claimed was standard operating procedure. The federal government doesn?t see it that way. In a letter addressed to the district shared with The Counter, USBR ordered White to stop making the diversions, which it called unlawful. ?[The] water that is currently in the Klamath River is committed to satisfying the Endangered Species Act (ESA), an obligation that supersedes irrigation deliveries and rights,? the agency wrote. ?Therefore, KDD?s diversion of water ? is contrary to the ESA and may subject KDD to legal action if it does not immediately cease diversions.? The releases mean that there?s less water to go around for everyone else who needs it, in a year where there was already little to begin with. According to a USBR spokesperson, the agency is making up for the diversions by releasing more water from the lake. However, tribes and commercial fishermen downriver are worried that prolonged diversions will reduce river flow long-term, in turn exacerbating poor environmental conditions and further harming salmon populations that they depend on for food, income, and ceremonial practices. ?It felt very, very disappointing that individuals would take actions, such as to illegally divert water, when there is so much pain being felt throughout the basin for communities who aren?t getting the flows or the water levels necessary for their communities,? said Frankie Myers, vice-chairman of the Yurok Tribe. ?It felt like a pretty selfish act.? Yurok Tribal members harvest salmon in large gill nets he waters at the sand spit across the mouth of the Klamath River.Linda Tanner / CC via Flickr Salmon are a culturally and economically important species for the Yurok. But poor river flow, pollution, disease, and dams that obstruct movement have all played a role in the decline of the Klamath River?s salmon population. Every year, a coalition of tribal representatives, fishermen, and community and environmental advocates sets catch limits on salmon in the region in order to maintain long-term viability. Three decades ago, Myers recalls, Yurok families could each harvest hundreds of fish from the Klamath River, enough to sustain themselves for a year. This year, he estimates that the tribe will be allocated the equivalent of one fish per person, raising concerns about food sovereignty. The water shortage also exacerbates the woes of non-tribal commercial fisheries. For years, the region has put in place strict quotas to conserve salmon populations. Earlier this month, the coalition?closed off?commercial fishing in the region completely. ?I understand how people get desperate, but violating the law and stealing your neighbor?s water is not the way to solve this problem.? ?It?s really a very sad situation,? said Glen Spain, northwest regional director for the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen?s Associations, which represents West Coast commercial fishermen. ?I understand how people get desperate, but violating the law and stealing your neighbor?s water is not the way to solve this problem.? Not only does the water shortage pit agricultural interests against the needs of communities downriver ? the scarcity also puts the survival of different endangered species in conflict with one another. Shortly before USBR announced this year?s allocations, the Klamath Tribes ? which are a separate tribal nation from the Yurok and have?senior water rights?in the Upper Klamath Lake ? filed a lawsuit against the agency. The tribes are accusing USBR of letting the lake?s water levels to fall below minimum thresholds required by the Endangered Species Act for two years in a row. This, in turn, puts two spiritually important suckerfish species, the C?waam and Koptu, at risk of extinction, the lawsuit reads. The tribes are demanding that USBR more than halve the average rate of water flow out of the lake until it recovers to a minimum threshold set by the Fish and Wildlife Service. That action, in turn, would mean less abundant flows for farmers and salmon fisheries downriver. Someone loses, no matter what. ?The Klamath Tribes certainly believe that everything should be done to satisfy all of the biological needs of all of the species,? said Jay Weiner, attorney for the Klamath Tribes. Weiner points out that salmon are also significant for the Klamath Tribes, which retain fishing rights to them. ?The difficulty we find ourselves in this particular year is that there is not enough water in the system to do that. And under those conditions, we believe that the needs of the C?waam and Koptu, as much more critically endangered and vulnerable species, need to come first.? For some, the diversions are reminiscent of a painful chapter in the region?s history. In 2001, USBR curtailed irrigation to farms to prioritize the survival of endangered fish in compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Farmers responded by physically forcing open irrigation gates and even staging a symbolic ?bucket brigade,? in which residents manually diverted water from the river via buckets passed from person to person along a human chain. The next year,?Washington Post?reported, Vice President Dick Cheney personally lobbied the Bureau of Reclamation to release water to farmers ? a move that resulted in the largest salmon die-off recorded in the region. - The residual power of Ammon Bundy - Read more Growing resentment from farmers has caused some to worry about potential violence this year. Last Thursday, the ?People?s Rights? group announced a call to farmers and ranchers in the basin to ?STAND UP AND PROTECT YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY, YOUR WATER!? People?s Rights is the far-right militia group founded by Ammon Bundy, known for leading a takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in 2016.? ?I?m worried about it,? said Craig Tucker, a natural resources consultant for the Karuk Tribe, another downriver community that depends on the salmon for food. ?The politics here in the Klamath, just like in the rest of the country, are pretty volatile.? Farmers and ranchers commonly frame USBR?s obligations under the Endangered Species Act as a form of ?single-species management? that prioritizes conservation efforts to the detriment of other interests.? ?We?re looking at not being able to produce crops this year,? said Ben Duval, president of the Klamath Water Users Association and farmer in Tulelake, California. ?When that?s what you do for a living, it makes it pretty tough.? It?s worth noting USBR and USDA have set aside $25 million in relief funds to help farmers in the region recover drought-related losses. In addition, farmers who have opted into?crop insurance?and disaster assistance programs may also be able to recover some of their expenses through those avenues, as well. However, Duval said, relief money doesn?t accurately reflect the true loss of farming, which can have a multiplier effect within local economies. Many people I spoke with believe that today?s water crisis is a catastrophe created by the federal government, which historically overcommitted the region?s water resources and is now underdelivering to all stakeholders. Environmentalists point out that these kinds of crises are likely to become more common in the future, as the climate crisis reduces snowpack in the mountains and drought conditions become more frequent. ?I think it?s pretty clear there?s not enough water to support the existing level of agriculture.? ?There?s got to be some retreat in the Klamath Basin,? said Dan Tarlock, a professor emeritus of environmental law at the Illinois Institute of Technology, who has written extensively about water conflicts in the basin. ?I think it?s pretty clear there?s not enough water to support the existing level of agriculture.? This year?s water crisis just might spur some dialogue on what a sustainable level of farming in the region should look like in the long-term. Last Wednesday, in response to unprecedented water shortages in the West, the White House?announced?that it would create an interagency task force, led by Secretaries of the Interior Deb Haaland and Agriculture Tom Vilsack, to ?explore opportunities to improve our nation?s resilience to droughts.? - The Klamath River now has the legal rights of a person - Read more Until then, the ongoing crisis may continue to raise tensions in the region, and even lead some to obtain limited water resources by any means necessary. As of today, according to?live discharge data?from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Klamath Drainage District continues to divert water from the river at a rate of 200 cubic feet per second. Jessica Fu?is a staff writer for The Counter. She previously worked for?The Stranger, Seattle's alt-weekly newspaper. Her reporting has won awards from the Association of Food Journalists and the Newswomen?s Club of New York.?Email?High Country News?at?editor at hcn.org?or submit a?letter to the editor. Get our Indigenous Affairs newsletter ? 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California?s decades-old ?tough on crime? laws still fill prisons, creating disease danger zones. | | | ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon May 10 09:37:36 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 10 May 2021 16:37:36 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Crisis on the Klamath References: <1405533200.2612292.1620664656185.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1405533200.2612292.1620664656185@mail.yahoo.com> Crisis on the Klamath | | | | | | | | | | | Crisis on the Klamath Jessica Fu With too little water to go around, the fighting has begun in a zero-sum game pitting farmers against fish and e... | | | Tom Stokely?Salmon and Water Policy Consultant530-524-0315?tstokely at att.net? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon May 10 10:08:06 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Mon, 10 May 2021 10:08:06 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: Crisis on the Klamath References: Message-ID: <5C399E69-AC54-4565-8872-52402248370E@att.net> Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > From: Felice Pace > Date: May 10, 2021 at 9:49:07 AM PDT > To: Tom Stokely > Subject: Re: [env-trinity] Crisis on the Klamath > > ? > Tom, > > Did you see my comment on this one: > > Your article reprinted from The Counter and titled "On the Klamath River, agricultural interests are pitted against the needs of tribes and endangered species" by Jessica Fu contains a factual error. It states: "Every year, a coalition of tribal representatives, fishermen, and community and environmental advocates sets catch limits on salmon in the region in order to maintain long-term viability." > > While the groups mentioned participate in the process, catch limits are recommended by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, a federal advisory committee, and set by the US Department of Commerce. By court decree and settled law, those tribes with treaty or reserve fishing rights are allocated 50% of the allowable catch of each stock. Individual tribes then allocate their share among members. State fish and wildlife agencies allocate 50% of the allowable catch for each stock to sport and commercial, ocean and in-river fisheries. > Otherwise, the article is excellent. It rightly highlights the only solution to recurring and deepening water conflicts by quoting Professor Turlock: ?There?s got to be some retreat in the Klamath Basin...I think it?s pretty clear there?s not enough water to support the existing level of agriculture.? > We, the people of the Klamath River Basin, don't need another back room deal that takes years to negotiate and keeps too much water with white irrigators. What we need is to reduce irrigation water demand in a fair, equitable and smart manner. That means a basin-wide program that purchases water rights from willing sellers and dedicates that water to in-stream use. It is time for key senators and representatives to step up and lead the way. Disaster assistance, while it is appreciated, is not enough. Real leadership will deliver real solutions. > > Felice Pace, Coordinator > > Unofelice at gmail.com > 707-954-6588 > www.grazingreform.org > Gratefully living in the Polikla (Yurok) homeland > > >> On Mon, May 10, 2021 at 9:38 AM Tom Stokely wrote: >> Crisis on the Klamath >> >> Crisis on the Klamath >> Jessica Fu >> With too little water to go around, the fighting has begun in a zero-sum game pitting farmers against fish and e... >> >> >> >> Tom Stokely >> Salmon and Water Policy Consultant >> 530-524-0315 >> tstokely at att.net >> >> _______________________________________________ >> env-trinity mailing list >> env-trinity at mailman.dcn.org >> http://mailman.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue May 11 06:08:29 2021 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 11 May 2021 13:08:29 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Judge rules against Klamath Tribes in lawsuit over sucker fish References: <1308348401.108087.1620738509554.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1308348401.108087.1620738509554@mail.yahoo.com> https://www.redding.com/story/news/2021/05/08/judge-rules-against-klamath-tribes-lawsuit-over-sucker-fish/5004986001/ Judge rules against Klamath Tribes in lawsuit over sucker fishThe Associated PressView Comments KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) ? A judge has ruled against the Klamath Tribes in a lawsuit that accuses federal regulators of violating the Endangered Species Act by letting water levels fall too low for sucker fish to spawn in a lake that also feeds an elaborate irrigation system along the Oregon-California border. The ruling,?reported?Friday by the Herald and News in Klamath Falls, comes as the region confronts one of the driest years in memory. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation last month announced that farmers who irrigate from its Klamath Project water-management area will get so little water that farming may not even be worthwhile this summer. At the same time, the drought has brought to a head a conflict between the water needs of two protected fish species in the region after decades of instability. The Klamath Tribes consider the federally endangered sucker fish central to their creation story and culture, while the Yurok hold the federally threatened coho salmon in the lower Klamath River sacred and rely on them as a critical food source.

With scarce water in the Klamath Basin, the tribes are left to try to use the courts to secure enough of the precious liquid for the respective fish species.

The Klamath Tribes sued the bureau earlier this year, arguing it had violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing the Upper Klamath Lake to dip below a certain level in 2020 and 2021 that is necessary for successful sucker fish spawning.