From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Tue Jan 9 14:59:45 2024 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2024 22:59:45 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2023/24 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 1 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the most current TRP trapping summary, including data from Trinity River Hatchery through Julian week 1 (Jan 7) of this new year. I hope you all had fine holidays and didn't even miss that I've been late in sending these out. I've been out of town, like many of you. Let me know if you have any questions and please send in any fish tags you might have SOON! Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries (I'm often teleworking, or in the field. 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 If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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URL: From tgstoked at gmail.com Thu Jan 18 09:50:51 2024 From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2024 09:50:51 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] PRESS RELEASE: State Water Board's Bay-Delta Environmental Analysis Falls Short In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: January 19, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *Muddying the Waters: State Water Board?s Bay-Delta Environmental Analysis Falls Short* *Agency?s CEQA Analysis Provides No Clear Plan for Restoring and Protecting California?s Greatest Aquatic Resource* The State Water Control Board?s long-awaited environmental assessment of the San Francisco Bay/ Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary correctly describes the dire state of current affairs: keystone native fish species are nearing extinction, commercial fisheries, sport angling and recreational opportunities are disappearing, costs for domestic water services are skyrocketing, toxic algal blooms are threatening human health and wildlife, and salinity is intruding far into the Delta, threatening domestic water supplies and arable farmland. The Water Board also notes in the 6,000-page assessment that tree nuts ? notoriously thirsty crops that have been the mainstay of San Joaquin Valley agribusiness for two decades ? are now spreading northward into the Sacramento Valley. The Board tacitly acknowledges it has responded to recent droughts in an ad hoc fashion by waiving water quality standards, a policy that has expedited water deliveries to agricultural operations despite dwindling supplies and concomitant environmental degradation. But while the Board has met its obligation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to accurately report existing conditions, it has failed to present a coherent plan to remedy the crisis as required by law and the agency?s own policies, said Max Gomberg, a senior policy advisor for the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) and the former Climate and Conservation Manager for the State Water Board. ?The assessment does not include a full solution set, it does not track the science, there is no serious attempt to weigh costs and benefits, and there is no acknowledgement of accountability for the Board?s past actions ? and inactions ? that have been harmful to tribes, communities, and the environment,? Gomberg said. Gomberg cited some of the most egregious examples of the assessment?s failings: ? It does not specify new and necessary rules for reservoir operations, water conveyance projects, water temperature, fish passage infrastructure, and habitat restoration. ? It provides no proposals for restoring equity to tribes deprived of water and fisheries by government projects. ? It cites the necessity of higher downriver flows and colder temperatures to maintain salmon fisheries but provides no concrete baselines or proposals for either. ? It entertains exclusionary voluntary agreements among water districts and government agencies despite clear evidence that such accords are inadequate and would circumvent the Board?s duty to set and enforce protective water quality standards. ? It provides no clear cost/benefit analyses weighing the value of an improved environment, better water quality, enhanced watershed, estuarine, and riverine habitats, sustainable fisheries, and tribal and community prosperity against Central Valley corporate agriculture. Tom Stokely, C-WIN?s advisor on anadromous fisheries and the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), excoriated the report for its lack of attention to the Trinity River, which provides essential cold water to Klamath/Trinity salmon, one of the last major anadromous fish runs in the continental United States. ?Excessive water exports from the Trinity River to the CVP during recent drought created severe cold-water depletion, devastating the Klamath/Trinity fish,? said Stokely. ?Trinity River Coho salmon, a federal and state threatened species, suffered nearly 75% egg mortality at the Trinity River Hatchery in November 2021 due to warm water because of low Trinity Lake storage resulting from excessive agricultural exports. But the Trinity River and Trinity Reservoir aren?t even shown on the report?s maps ? even though the report acknowledges that on average almost 700,000 acre-feet of water a year is exported from the Trinity and sent south via the CVP to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness operations.? C-WIN?s Executive Director, Carolee Krieger, noted the report made no attempt to propose remedies for the greatest oversight in state water policy: ?paper? water. ?That?s water that exists in state water rights claims and other documents, but not in our reservoirs, rivers or aquifers,? said Krieger. ?The Board has acknowledged that water rights claims exceed supplies by a factor of five. Until they start bringing claims in line with water that actually exists, any assessment they produce amounts to little more than wasted taxpayer money.? Ultimately, concluded Gomberg, ?The Board has refused to acknowledge its obligations and use its authority to reverse a long-established legacy of social harm and environmental degradation. In the current situation, everyone who is not an agricultural baron loses. We deserve better. The Board needs to revisit its Bay-Delta environmental analysis and come back with a better plan.? *Contact:* *Max Gomberg* C-WIN Senior Policy Advisor Phone: (415) 310-7013 Email: maxgombergca at gmail.com *Tom Stokely* C-WIN Senior Policy Analyst Phone: (503) 524-0315 Email: tgstoked at gmail.com *Carolee Krieger* C-WIN Executive Director Phone: (805) ?451-9565? Email: caroleekrieger7 at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jabel at usbr.gov Wed Jan 17 11:40:49 2024 From: jabel at usbr.gov (Abel, Kiana) Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 19:40:49 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] TRRP River Riffle Newsletter - January Edition Message-ID: [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/January-banner-OG-Michael-Burke-Dec-2023-01-1024x465.png] Header photo provided by Michael Burke, Reclamation River Riffle Newsletter ? January Contents * Program Update * Implementation Branch Update * Featured Article: Algae, Food-Webs, and Flows * Trinity River Watershed: Plant Spotlight * Upcoming Meetings and Events Good morning & happy Wednesday to each of you, We hope you enjoy this edition of the River Riffle! Please click the links above or follow this link to read the January Newsletter - https://www.trrp.net/newsletter-january/ As always, please send any comments or suggestions for newsletter content to jabel at usbr.gov. Cheers, Kiana Kiana Abel Secretary | Trinity River Restoration Program | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093 | 530-623-1800 (desk) | 530-623-5944 (fax) | jabel at usbr.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Wed Jan 17 10:30:34 2024 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:30:34 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2023/24 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 3 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the most current TRP trapping summary, including data from Trinity River Hatchery through Julian week 3 (Jan 21). Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries (I'm often teleworking, or in the field. 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 If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW3.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 99871 bytes Desc: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW3.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Jan 18 17:45:21 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2024 01:45:21 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] To salmon, Indigenous tribes and conservationists, Newsom says: Let them eat almonds! References: <1309061682.156026.1705628721500.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1309061682.156026.1705628721500@mail.yahoo.com> All, Here is an opinion piece that was published today in the Sacramento Bee, Modesto Bee and the Fresno Bee. To salmon, Indigenous tribes and conservationists, Newsom says: Let them eat almonds |Opinion By Tom Stokely Special to The Sacramento Bee January 18, 2024 6:00 AM Gov. Gavin Newsom has made it a point to tout his green credentials whenever possible ? citing his administration?s initiative to derive 90% of the state?s energy from sustainable sources by 2035, for example. But Newsom has a blind spot in his progressive environmental agenda, and it?s overshadowing his laudable efforts elsewhere. Under Newsom?s watch, the state?s once abundant salmon runs are plummeting. But instead of promoting policies that could reverse the trend, the governor is actively driving the fish to extinction. Salmon need clean, cold water in their natal rivers to survive. And while it?s true that recent droughts have severely taxed these iconic fish, Newsom has failed to help them even when he had the means at hand ? as he did this year, following one of California?s wettest winters on record. There was plenty of cold water sitting behind the state?s dams for our beleaguered salmon. But instead of releasing it for the fish, Newsom directed the State Water Resources Control Board to waive rules designed to protect salmon. The greatest beneficiaries of this move? Large corporate agricultural enterprises in the San Joaquin Valley, which concentrate on the production of almonds and pistachios for export. Newsom rescinded that request following a massive backlash and more rain. But his policy remains one of not-so-benign neglect, and the salmon are still free-falling to extinction. Most of California?s remaining salmon are concentrated in the main stems and tributaries of three large rivers: the Sacramento River, Trinity River and Klamath River. Since the late ?80s, state and federal authorities have issued orders mandating cold water releases down the Sacramento and Trinity Rivers sufficient to sustain the fish. These decisions were heralded as evidence of government commitment to salmon conservation. One example is the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation controls water releases from both Trinity Dam on the Trinity River and Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River (the systems are connected). Via a tunnel, Trinity water can be released to the Sacramento River for Central Valley agriculture. But if too much water is sent to the Sacramento system, Trinity River salmon may be denied the cold water they need to survive. In 1990, the State Water Resources Control Board decreed that water diversions from the Trinity River to the Sacramento River must not come at the expense of Trinity salmon. Unfortunately, these regulations have never been enforced over the 30-plus years of their existence. Worse: Even if they were enforced, salmon would continue to die because the established temperature parameters are far too warm to ensure their survival. Indeed, water temperatures in the Trinity and Sacramento Rivers? spawning reaches regularly exceed the salmon?s lethal limit of 56? F, killing fish year after year. This inequity doesn?t just affect seafood lovers who want local wild salmon. Commercial fishing and sport angling were once revenue-generating dynamos for the state, and both were eliminated this year by fishing closures due to the crash in salmon numbers. The decline is also a social justice issue: the Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes on the Trinity River are among California?s largest tribes, and salmon have been a dietary staple and revered cultural touchstone for both communities for centuries. Today, these tribes are denied a foundational resource simply to provide the mega-farms of the Central Valley with maximum water deliveries. The Newsom administration deserves credit for supporting the removal of four dams on the Klamath River, a project that will restore hundreds of miles of spawning habitat for anadromous fish. But taking down the dams won?t be enough to save the salmon. Without releases of cold water from the Trinity River, the Klamath will experience major fish kills, such as the major warm water-induced die-off that wiped out 65,000 adult salmon. This must change. Water and salmon are public trust resources. Newsom must immediately direct the State Water Resources Control Board to update and enforce its orders governing water releases to accommodate the biological realities of the salmon life cycle. Tom Stokely is a senior water policy analyst and board member of the California Water Impact Network. Specializing in salmon and steelhead restoration, San Joaquin Valley agricultural drainage issues and the operation of the federal Central Valley Project, he has served as past chairman and vice-chairman of the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout.Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/opi.../op-ed/article283248328.html... | | | | | | | | | | | To salmon, Indigenous tribes and conservationists, Newsom says: Let them... ?Newsom must direct the State Water Resources Control Board to update orders governing water releases to accommo... | | | -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Tue Feb 6 14:37:07 2024 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2024 22:37:07 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2023/24 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 5 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the most current TRP trapping summary, including data from Trinity River Hatchery through Julian week 5 (Feb 04). Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries (I'm often teleworking, or in the field. 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 If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW5.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 99993 bytes Desc: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW5.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Feb 14 10:51:32 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2024 18:51:32 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?Monday=E2=80=99s_order_upholds_the_notion?= =?utf-8?q?_that_irrigators=E2=80=99_rights_come_after_the_Bureau_of_Recla?= =?utf-8?q?mation=E2=80=99s_obligations_to_protected_fish_species_and_trib?= =?utf-8?q?al_rights_in_the_Klamath_Basin=2E?= References: <973872080.2017998.1707936692281.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <973872080.2017998.1707936692281@mail.yahoo.com> https://mavensnotebook.com/2023/09/12/courthouse-news-judge-finds-feds-violated-law-by-favoring-irrigators-in-the-klamath-basin/ Monday?s order upholds the notion that irrigators? rights come after the Bureau of Reclamation?s obligations to protected fish species and tribal rights in the Klamath Basin. By Alanna Madden, Courthouse News Service A magistrate judge in Oregon sided with the Klamath Tribes on Monday in finding that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation violated the Endangered Species Act by misallocating limited water supplies from the Upper Klamath Lake, harming endangered sucker fish and other aquatic wildlife. In the 52-page findings and recommendation, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke found the central question is whether the federal government broke the law by allocating water for irrigation when it knew it could not comply with its Endangered Species Act obligations to endangered sucker fish in the Upper Klamath Lake, a freshwater reservoir in the southern Oregon portion of the Klamath Basin. ?The answer to this question is yes,? Clarke wrote, adding that the courts have held that irrigators? rights are subservient to the bureau?s obligations under the Endangered Species Act and the tribes? fishing and water rights. Known to the tribes as C?waam and Koptu, the Lost River and shortnose sucker fish represent two species in Oregon?s largest freshwater lake that have ?played a central role in the tribes? cultural and spiritual practices? for millennia, according to the Klamath Tribes. The two species were listed as endangered in 1988, and since 2001, their populations have decreased substantially. In 2018, the Upper Klamath Lake had an estimated 100,000 Lost River suckers and 20,000 shortnose suckers. Four years later, this number dropped to 27,000 and 3,500, respectively, the tribes claim in their May 2022 lawsuit. The Klamath Tribes noted in similar lawsuits that the lake?s water levels frequently fall below the historical minimum of 4,140 feet, interfering with the suckers? spawning, rearing, feeding and access to water quality refuge areas. These changes, they contend, first began after the Link River Dam was built in 1921 to regulate water for the Klamath Project, an undertaking that diverts about 340,000 acre-feet of water annually to farms and ranches. However, this particular case ? initially filed against the bureau and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ? shines a light on how the Klamath Basin had been experiencing its third straight year of intense drought, making it ?nearly impossible? for the bureau to balance competing interests, including that of tribal water and fishing rights, obligations under the Endangered Species Act and project irrigators. According to the tribes? complaint, Reclamation consulted with Fish and Wildlife regarding the Endangered Species Act on its proposed action for operating the project from 2020 to 2022. Ahead of that consultation, they say, Fish and Wildlife issued a biological opinion concluding that the project would not harm the endangered fish or adversely modify their critical habitat ? a conclusion based on the bureau?s proposed action, including its water allocation formula. ?Reclamation?s response to this year?s poor hydrology, however, has been in direct contravention of that formula,? the tribes say, adding that after the agencies adopted a 2022 operations plan, the bureau began allocating water to project irrigators in the middle of spawning season, cutting the species off from spawning grounds and leaving no rearing habitat for larvae and juvenile fish. ?The net effect of the 2022 ops plan, therefore, is to consign to death 2022?s entire year class of baby C?waam and Koptu,? the tribes say, later noting that Fish and Wildlife had identified several risks to the fish and failed to rescind or modify its incidental take statement from its 2020 biological opinion. Ultimately, the tribes sought a declaration that the bureau violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act for improperly prioritizing irrigators over endangered fish and implementing unpermitted take. Judge Clarke recommended granting the tribes that declaration on Monday, concluding that the agency failed to take a hard look at the environmental consequences of its actions that violated sections seven and nine of the Endangered Species Act. Clarke wrote that while severe drought made it impossible to maintain sufficient water levels in 2022, ?severe drought conditions were not an excuse for Reclamation to abandon its ESA obligations to the suckers in UKL and instead allocate water for Klamath project irrigators.? The judge said the bureau?s obligations ?required it to take all steps necessary to avoid jeopardizing the suckers, even if that meant allocating no water to project irrigators for a second consecutive year.? Yet, instead of heeding Fish and Wildlife?s warnings about failing to meet certain water levels, Clarke noted that the bureau delivered 60,000 acre-feet of water to irrigators by July 2022, deviating from its 2018 water allocation formula that would have directed zero irrigation delivery. Intervenor defendant Klamath Water Users Association argued in its motion for summary judgment that the tribes had not provided any evidence of fish take, which includes significant habitat modification that harms wildlife by impairing essential behavioral patterns. Clarke disregarded this argument, though, finding lower water levels are directly proportional to decreased reproductive output and increased larvae mortality. ?Even if the precise number of suckers taken is difficult to determine, it is beyond question that the suckers? spawning behaviors have been impaired,? Clarke wrote. ?The tribes need not literally bring a dead fish before this court to show that Reclamation?s operation of the Klamath project under the 2022 TOP has harmed the suckers. As such, KWUA?s argument is unavailing.? Clarke?s recommendation next goes to a federal judge who will make a final ruling. Representatives for the tribes and the bureau were not immediately available for comment. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Feb 14 11:28:48 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2024 19:28:48 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Journal LTE's on Winter Flow Issue References: <2017253661.2035447.1707938928364.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <2017253661.2035447.1707938928364@mail.yahoo.com> http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_6e4e3b7e-c542-11ee-88f1-0be7700109cc.html Better options for supervisor - From Chad AbelWeaverville - Feb 7, 2024 The Trinity River Restoration Program has worked to implement winter flow variability (WFV) for a decade. WVF simply means dam releases are higher in winter, just like the higher flows that naturally occur this time of year to our tributaries. WFV creates shallow water habitat for salmon fry and distributes dam releases across two seasons (winter and spring) instead of the approach Reclamation has used since 2004 to do restoration releases only in the spring. Big late-spring releases chill the river so much that every cold-blooded aquatic organism suffers, including our juvenile salmon. WVF does not increase the annual volume of water released from Trinity Lake to the river. It?s the same amount of water over a longer period. Scientists from six federal, state and tribal agencies on the Trinity River agree WFV will result in healthier juvenile salmon that will grow faster and reach the ocean sooner, as does all the published literature on temperature suppression from rivers across the West. Trout Unlimited, a very sportsmen-centric organization, likewise agrees. So why hasn?t this simple change to dam operations occurred? Because Trinity County gets to weigh in on this decision, and Sup. Liam Gogan, as the county representative, continues to oppose. Then in a disgusting act of bait and switch, he recently said yes, if TRRP met his conditions, and TRRP acquiesced, only to have him again vote no just two weeks ago. District 3 deserves a better supervisor than a science denier that prioritizes his own self-interest over the health of our river. http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_46c10f6a-cacd-11ee-a301-0f0807a23501.html County engaged in water issues - From Russ GiuntiniLewiston I am writing in response to Chad Abel?s letter to the editor that ran on Feb. 7. What he wrote was misleading at best, but it?s something we?ve come to expect from TRRP over the past 20 years. The fact of the matter is the county put together a winter flow proposal that TRRP rejected. Rather than negotiating, TRRP counter-offered with the same plan they implemented the year before that harmed the local economy and the taxpayers of Trinity County. With that in mind, their counteroffer was rejected by Sup. Liam Gogan, the county?s representative on TMC, and the Hoopa Tribe thereby blocking its implementation. Facts matter Mr. Abel. It?s a new day and thankfully the county is fully engaged and at the table. http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_911957de-cacd-11ee-940c-937da97d2e76.html Gogan working to solve issues - From Tom StokelyMount Shasta I write as an individual. I disagree with Chad Abel on Liam Gogan?s integrity, and I call him out for his lack of honesty and the TRRP?s lack of integrity. Vote for Liam Gogan, supervisor, District 3. I supported winter flows in 2023 as an experiment. Unfortunately, there were many negative consequences of the winter flow for Trinity County that the TRRP continues to deny. To break a stalemate at the Trinity Management Council, I hired a salmon biologist with years of experience on the Trinity River to develop a compromise winter flow that perhaps Trinity County could live with and might benefit the fishery. The biologist?s proposal called for increased winter flows from Feb. 15 through April 28 with a range of 26,244 to 107,075 acre feet, no small amount of water. It was offered in good faith by Liam. Unfortunately, the TRRP came back with a counteroffer that was more water ? 60,000 to 120,000 acre-feet, and wouldn?t even consider the county?s proposal, even though it had reduced impacts. Negotiations simply broke down. Abel misrepresented Liam?s actions on the winter flow as ?disgusting.? I disagree. I think it showed a spirit of openness and compromise by Gogan, despite criticism from some of his constituents and friends. Sadly, despite my years of trying to support the TRRP, the continued misrepresentation of facts and lack of integrity by some TRRP staff and their spouses like Abel makes it difficult to believe or support anything that they do. Vote for Liam Gogan. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tgstoked at gmail.com Wed Feb 14 19:15:24 2024 From: tgstoked at gmail.com (Tom Stokely) Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2024 19:15:24 -0800 Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?=2472_M_=E2=80=94EMBARGOED=3A_Klamath_MOU?= =?utf-8?q?_and_funding_announcement?= In-Reply-To: References: <4827BCAD-ED01-45E5-AD83-6005E22B6826@gmail.com> <970F3875-B5BC-48AB-9826-216202AB7F41@gmail.com> Message-ID: ? *EMBARGOED UNTIL 3:00 PM ET FEBRUARY 14, 2024:* *Interior Department Reaches Landmark Agreement with Klamath Basin Tribes, Project Irrigators to Collaborate on Ecosystem Restoration and Water Reliability* *Funding from President Biden?s Investing in America agenda will support critical restoration work, drought resilience efforts in Klamath Basin* *WASHINGTON ? *The Department of the Interior today announced a historic agreement with the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe and Klamath Water Users Association to advance collaborative efforts to restore the Klamath Basin ecosystem and improve water supply reliability for Klamath Project agriculture. The Department also announced more than $72 million in new investments ? including funding from President Biden?s Investing in America agenda ? for ecosystem restoration and agricultural infrastructure modernization. ?The collaboration and cooperation reached today in the Klamath Basin is a critical step forward as we work to support healthy ecosystems and water reliability in the region for generations to come,? said *Secretary Deb Haaland. *?Following months of consultation and discussions, we?re proud to formalize this partnership with Tribes and irrigators and make a shared commitment that will benefit the forests, watersheds, agriculture and abundant populations of migratory bird and fish species that are unique to this Basin. With new resources from President Biden?s Investing in America agenda, we?re able to make immediate investments that will benefit the communities and wildlife that call this place home.? As part of today?s announcements, the Department also unveiled the Klamath Basin Drought Resilience Keystone Initiative , a new effort to steward investments from President Biden?s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, and support a wide range of restoration activities that will help recover listed species, create new habitat for fish and birds, and rethink the way water moves across the Klamath Basin to better align agriculture with ecosystem function. The initiative is one of nine key conservation areas that the Department is focusing resources towards through a new restoration and resilience framework , and comes at a critical time as the removal of four dams on the Klamath River is underway. *New Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Collaborative Conservation* A newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe and Klamath Water Users Association commits the parties to working together to identify, recommend and support projects that advance shared Klamath Basin restoration goals, including improving water and irrigation stability and reliability; strengthening ecosystem resilience; protecting fish populations; and advancing drought resilience. The MOU also commits the Department of the Interior to working across its bureaus, other federal Departments and agencies, the states of Oregon and California, and non-governmental partners to help secure funding and approval for projects and actions that advance these shared goals, including new investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, the agreement formally recognizes the significant value of Indigenous Knowledge and commits the parties to incorporate it into its restoration efforts throughout the basin. *Investing in America Investments to Restore Klamath Basin Ecosystems* The Interior Department today announced more than $72 million in funding for ecosystem restoration and agricultural infrastructure modernization throughout the Klamath Basin. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will dedicate $64 million for work to restore the regional ecosystem and repair local economies in the coming years. This investment will fully fund completion of the Klamath Falls National Fish Hatchery by 2027, focus on innovative collaborative conservation in the Sprague River watershed, and continue implementation of Tribally led projects throughout the Basin. As part of the $64 million investment, $25 million will be made available for co-developed restoration projects in the Klamath Basin that will help resolve ongoing water-related challenges and invest in water stability and restoration efforts throughout the region. The full project list may be found on the Service?s website . Additionally, the Service will provide $4 million to support the 14,000-acre Agency-Barnes wetland restoration project at Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, as well as $1.8 million to support a feasibility analysis of modifications to water supply infrastructure in Klamath Drainage District for the benefit of fish, wildlife, and farms. The Service will also engage Klamath Basin conservation partners in the coming year to develop a conservation and restoration project database and interactive map. This tool will track and describe conservation work in the Klamath Basin for the public and help to coordinate restoration efforts among partners in the Basin. It will also house and provide access to important data sets that can help drive long-term restoration success and support science and research efforts. With resources provided by President Biden?s Investing in America agenda, the Bureau of Reclamation is also establishing a robust drought resilience program for basins experiencing long-term drought and the impacts of climate change ? including throughout the Klamath Basin. In the coming months, Reclamation will announce significant additional funding throughout the region to facilitate multi-year planning and alignment of water supply and demand as well as to address critical infrastructure needs. Additionally, Reclamation is funding $2.9 million to the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe and Modoc Nation for projects that restore watersheds and revitalize water infrastructure. *###* -- Matthew J. Strickler Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks (202) 208-3047 -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Mon Feb 12 12:38:53 2024 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2024 20:38:53 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2023/24 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 6 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the most current TRP trapping summary, including data from Trinity River Hatchery through Julian week 6 (Feb 11). One very slow Chinook showed up last week, and we've finally hit the 1000 mark on the steelhead. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries (I'm often teleworking, or in the field. 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 If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW6.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 99958 bytes Desc: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW6.xlsx URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Fri Feb 16 15:07:54 2024 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2024 23:07:54 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2023/24 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 6 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the most recent TRP trapping summary, including data from Trinity River Hatchery through Julian week 7 (Feb18). No salmon this week, just steelhead. If you've got any fish tags please send them in. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries (I'm often teleworking, or in the field. 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 If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW7.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 100065 bytes Desc: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW7.xlsx URL: From jabel at usbr.gov Thu Feb 15 14:56:33 2024 From: jabel at usbr.gov (Abel, Kiana) Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2024 22:56:33 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Restoration Program - February Newsletter Message-ID: [cid:fbd6bcc7-f597-4e7b-b7ce-0befc1c3a353] River Riffle Newsletter - February Contents * Current Conditions * Implementation Branch: Proposed Restoration Activities * Featured Article: Sediment, the Building Blocks of the Trinity River * Trinity River Watershed Animal Spotlight: Freshwater Mussels in the Trinity River * Upcoming Meetings and Events What we?re reading/watching Green Sturgeon aren?t Salmon: Updated life cycle models for management Over 65 million years ago, as Tyrannosaurus rex roamed the great plains, green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) were already roaming the world?s waters. While these ancient fish survived the fall of dinosaurs, they are now in danger of extinction largely due to humans. (California Water Blog) California Gov. Newsom pledges to remove dams to restore salmon runs California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday released a plan to restore wild salmon habitat by removing or bypassing dams that block the migration of a keystone species for ecosystems and tribal communities. (Jan. 30) (AP Video: Terry Chea) A Beautiful Mess ? Improving Brook Trout Habitat in the Southeast ? Trout Unlimited Check out this video from Trout Unlimited who are helping streams recover from long ago logging practices in the Southern Appalachians by felling trees into streams. The woody structures are helping streams recover by providing needed cover for fish, as well as aiding the streams? ability to be resilient to flooding and droughts. Stage 0 Floodplain Restoration on the Lower South Fork McKenzie River ? McKenzie Watershed Council ?Stage 0? refers to an approach to floodplain restoration that seeks to maximize the floodplain at all flow conditions by removing artificially placed sediments (i.e. berms, historic roadbeds, etc.). The Stage 0 design approach was also used by our partners the Yurok Tribe in constructing the first Stage 0 design in California at Indian Creek in 2021. The presentation given by Jared Weybright, McKenzie Watershed Council Executive Director, describes the South Fork Mckenzie river project?s which was an inspiration for the Yurok Design team. Current Conditions Scour Scour is an important ecological function of rivers that occurs when winter rains and snowmelt grace the landscape. Scour is a term that refers to the pushing sediments in building a rivers landscape both ecologically and physically. Scour moves rocks, resets algae and macroinvertebrate populations and clears holding pools, all with the power of water. For fish the timing of scour events is critically important. As flow calms, algae and eventually macroinvertebrates begin to colonize. As flows begin to rise, scour occurs dislodging algal and bug colonies into the drift providing food for hungry migrating juvenile salmon on their way to the ocean. If scour events do not occur (like near Lewiston Dam in the winter) bugs and algae are allowed to grow eventually becoming too large for the freshly emerged salmon to eat. Listen in as Dr. Eric Peterson, Vegetation Ecologist for the Trinity River Restoration Program explain this process. Eric Peterson talks about the relationship with winter scour, bug and algae populations on January 22, 2024. 2024 Water Year, thus far [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/feb-14-2024-WY-trend-plot.jpg]A screenshot from Feb. 14, 2024 of the CNRFC Water Year (2024) Trend Plot for Trinity Reservoir NOAA?s California Nevada River Forecast Center has a Water Year trend plot that tracks Trinity Lakes accumulation in real time and also predicts reservoir levels based on the current year?s trend which starts in October. Check out Trinity Lakes WY 2024 Trend Plot (CNRFC) The California Department of Water Resources B-120 is an additional tool that utilizes human and station collected snow pack data from targeted areas within the Trinity Reservoir drainage. The B-120 reports are published around the 10th of the month in February, March, April and May. The April B-120 designation defines the water year type for the Trinity watershed and has only overpredicted the water year type once, in 2008. Check out the February B-120 Implementation Branch [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/UCC-Sawmill-1024x683.png]Photos of the proposed Channel Rehabilitation Sites currently under Environmental Assessment, Upper Conner Creek (left) and Sawmill Gravel Processing Rehabilitation (right). A draft environmental assessment (EA) will be released in the coming weeks for two proposed channel rehabilitation projects on the Trinity River, the Upper Conner Creek Rehabilitation Project in Junction City and the Sawmill Gravel Processing Site Project in Lewiston. The Implementation Branch and those involved in the projects will host an open house to discuss the proposed designs and restoration activities. See below in the Events Section for the details. We hope to see you there! Click to read more about each proposal ? Featured Article Sediment, the Building Blocks of the Trinity River When you go down to the river, it?s hard to ignore the assortment of sediment on the bed and banks ? from sand and silt, to gravel, to larger cobbles, to the largest of boulders. Seeing rocks that contrast so strongly with the rough, jagged ones in the surrounding hills might beg the question ? how did these get here, where did they come from, and how long ago did they arrive? Continue reading ? Photo: Riparian area along the Trinity River above Trinity Reservoir showing an assortment of sediment, vegetation and large wood. [TRRP] Trinity River Watershed: Animal Spotlight Freshwater Mussels in the Trinity River Freshwater mussels are considered to be one of the most sensitive and threatened aquatic species within Northwestern watersheds. In North America, there are 297 known freshwater mussel species. Nearly three-quarters of these are considered imperiled, and more than 35 species have gone extinct in the last century and only eight species are known to exist west of the Continental Divide. Mussels have a fascinating life history strategy, which involves parasitizing on fish during their larval stage, and can live to be over 100 years old. They are considered an indicator species, like the good ole canary in a coal mine, as they require pristine water quality to thrive. Continue to the Animal Spotlight Photo Credit: Western pearlshell Mussel photo by Roger Tabor USFWS Upcoming Meetings and Events For a full list of events, click to view the TRRP Calendar. ________________________________ [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/425266199_877364270854743_8795854235676385645_n-1024x1024.jpg] February 28, 6pm ? Science on Tap Trinity County Brewing Company Join us and Aaron Martin, fisheries biologist from the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, who will present, ?Oregon Gulch ? Freeing the River and Embracing Change.? Aaron?s presentation aims to shed light on the complexities of river restoration and the necessity of adaptive approaches to river ecosystem conservation. As the technical field manager and habitat specialist for the Yurok Tribe, Aaron Martin has made a notable impact on habitat restoration. His role includes innovative design planning and project implementation, which seek to address challenges, enhance aquatic habitats, and increase biodiversity. Event Details ________________________________ [photo] March 19, 5-8pm ? Save the Date! Open House information meeting for two proposed channel restoration sites Junction City Elementary School The Trinity River Restoration Program will host an Open House on Tuesday, March 19 from 5:00-8:00pm at the Junction City Elementary School. The event will feature presentations regarding two proposed rehabilitation sites, Upper Conner Creek located in Junction City and Sawmill Gravel Processing Site near Lewiston. Restorationists, designers, ecologists and the construction crew will be present to talk about restoration activities and answer questions regarding the two proposed projects. Additionally, in honor of Junction City Elementary School, students will be showcasing an ecological art show for attendees featuring Trinity River salmonids. The art show is made possible by the amazing teaching and administrative staff of Junction City Elementary School, as well as the Trinity County Resource Conservation District. ________________________________ [TMC Partnership Ring] March 20 & 21, All Day ? Quarterly TMC Meeting In Person: Weaverville, Ca. Virtual: Teams meeting call-in info on the agenda. Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 261 404 741 506 Passcode: gyLhfr Download Teams | Join on the web ________________________________ [Bucktail restoration site, 2021, invasive species pull (photo by TCRCD).] April 6, Volunteer Invasive Plant Pull ? Save the Date! Junction City, Ca. An invasive plant pull volunteer event will be held at the Junction City Campground River Access and Restoration Site on Saturday, April 6 (time TBD)! Join the Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD), Trinity River Restoration Program, and Bureau of Land Management to help eradicate invasive Scotch and Spanish broom, making space for native plants and preventing the spread of these weeds in our watershed. Volunteers are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing for working outdoors, and to bring their own reusable water bottle. Water, snacks, tools, and gloves will be provided. * Kiana Abel Secretary | Trinity River Restoration Program | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093 | 530-623-1800 (desk) | 530-623-5944 (fax) | jabel at usbr.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-eitqlmvi.png Type: image/png Size: 2668651 bytes Desc: Outlook-eitqlmvi.png URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Wed Feb 28 11:41:35 2024 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:41:35 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2023/24 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 8 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the most recent TRP trapping summary, including data from Trinity River Hatchery through Julian week 8 (Feb 25). Steelhead only again this week, as expected. There are two more weeks of steelhead spawning at TRH this year then we'll be done with trapping. I hope you are all appropriately set for the storm rolling in this weekend. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries (I'm often teleworking, or in the field. 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 If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW8.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 100084 bytes Desc: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW8.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Sun Mar 3 15:13:27 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2024 23:13:27 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Dan Bacher: 830, 000 Fall-Run Chinook Salmon Fry Die from Gas Bubble Disease in Klamath River References: <1818916986.385476.1709507607505.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1818916986.385476.1709507607505@mail.yahoo.com> Breaking: 830,000 Fall-Run Chinook Salmon Fry Die from Gas Bubble Disease in Klamath River 830,000 Fall-Run Chinook Salmon Fry Die from Gas Bubble Disease in Klamath River by Dan Bacher The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced Saturday morning that hundreds of thousands of fall-run Chinook salmon fry, released for the first time from its Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County,?are ?presumed to have succumbed to gas bubble disease in the Klamath River? as the dam removal process moves forward. The Department said they released approximately 830,000 fall-run Chinook salmon fry on Monday, February 25, into Fall Creek, a tributary of the Klamath River above Iron Gate Dam. ?The fish were hatched at CDFW?s new, $35 million, state-of-the-art Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, which represents California?s long-term commitment to supporting and restoring both Chinook and coho salmon runs on an undammed Klamath River,? the Department said in a statement. ?The salmon fry experienced a large mortality based on monitoring data downstream,? the agency continued. ?Indications are the cause of mortality is gas bubble disease that likely occurred as the fry migrated through the Iron Gate Dam tunnel, old infrastructure that is targeted for removal along with the Iron Gate Dam itself later this year. Gas bubble disease results from environmental or physical trauma often associated with severe pressure change.? ?There is no indication the mortality is associated with other Klamath River water quality conditions such as turbidity and dissolved oxygen, which were reading at suitable levels on Feb. 26 and the days prior to release,? the agency argued. ?The visual appearance of the dead fry detected by monitoring equipment points to gas bubble disease. Monitoring equipment documented other healthy yearling coho and Chinook salmon that came from downstream of the dam.? The Department said the problems associated with the Iron Gate Dam tunnel ?are temporary and yet another sad reminder of how the Klamath River dams have harmed salmon runs for generations.? After this big fish kill, CDFW said it will plan all future salmon releases below Iron Gate Dam until this infrastructure is removed. ?Poor habitat conditions caused by the dams and other circumstances such as this are reasons why CDFW conducts releases of hatchery fish at various life stages,? the Department stated. CDFW?s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery continues to hold approximately 3.27 million healthy, fall-run Chinook salmon, according to the CDFW. Additional releases are planned later in the month. ?The annual fall-run Chinook salmon production goal for the hatchery is to raise and release 3.25 million fish ? 1.25 million released as fry, 1.75 million as smolts, and 250,000 as yearlings. The additional stock of fall-run Chinook salmon remaining in the hatchery exceeds the annual production goal and will help offset losses experienced with the initial release of fry,? the CDFW concluded. This fish kill comes at a critical time for salmon and other fish populations in California.?Due to the collapse of fall-run Chinook salmon on the Klamath/Trinity and Sacramento River systems in 2022, all commercial and recreational salmon fishing on the ocean was closed in California and most of Oregon. All recreational fishing was closed on all California rivers last year?? and salmon fishing by the Yurok Tribe on the Klamath River and the Hoopa Valley Tribe on the Trinity was restricted to a quota of just 2,000 fish. The salmon seasons are also likely to be closed or severely restricted this year also, based on relatively low abundance forecasts for Sacramento and Klamath River fall-run Chinook salmon that were released by state and federal fishery scientists at the CDFW?s annual salmon information meeting via webinar yesterday. The forecasted adult Sacramento Valley fall-run Chinook salmon population number is only 213,622, based on a jack escapement of only 11,933, according to Dr. Michael O?Farrell of NOAA Fisheries. This is the second lowest abundance forecast since the salmon fishing closure of 2008 to 2009. Considering that the goal for spawning escapement is 180,000 this year, this would only leave 33,622 fish for a fishing season. ? The Klamath River fall Chinook abundance forecast is 138,741 for age 3 fish, 39,531 for age 4 fish and 2,409 for age 5 fish. The fishery is now in ?overfished? status? and the 2023 regulations applied to the 2024 abundance forecast would result in a natural area spawner prediction of 42,932, according to O?Farrell. ?It?s predecisional to say what the fishing opportunities will be this year,? said Kandice Morgenstern, CDFW environmental scientist, at Friday?s meeting. ?A fisheries closure is a possibility, but it?s too early to preclude some fishing this season. It?s too early to say yes or no on a season.? California representatives will work together to develop a range of recommended ocean fishing season alternatives at the March 6-11 Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meeting in Fresno, Calif. Final season recommendations will be adopted at the PFMC?s April 6-11 meeting in Seattle, Wash. For more information related to the salmon preseason process, including contact information, timeline and other opportunities for public engagement, please visit the?CDFW?s Ocean Salmon Calendar of Events?page. | | | | Salmon Preseason Process: Calendar of Events and Contact Information The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the ha... | | | -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Wed Mar 6 15:03:52 2024 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2024 23:03:52 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2023/24 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 10 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the most recent TRP trapping summary, including data from Trinity River Hatchery through Julian week 10 (Mar 5's spawning). They have one last day of spawning next Tuesday then TRH will be wrapped up with adult recovery work for the year. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries (I'm often teleworking, or in the field. 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 If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW10.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 102866 bytes Desc: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW10.xlsx URL: From tstokely at att.net Mon Mar 11 17:24:20 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:24:20 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] =?utf-8?q?CAL_MATTERS=3A_=E2=80=98Simply_catastroph?= =?utf-8?q?ic=E2=80=99=3A_California_salmon_season_to_be_restricted_or_shu?= =?utf-8?q?t_down_=E2=80=94_again?= References: <2080884562.2366150.1710203060388.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <2080884562.2366150.1710203060388@mail.yahoo.com> CAL MATTERS: ?Simply catastrophic?: California salmon season to be restricted or shut down ? again | | | | | | | | | | | CAL MATTERS: ?Simply catastrophic?: California salmon season to be restr... Cal Matters Chinook counts are less dire than last year, but fishery managers are still opting to heavily reduce or ban comm... | | | It's no wonder there are no Sacramento River Fall Chinook.? Here are the temperatures at Keswick Dam for 2021: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 1710203059613blob.jpg Type: image/png Size: 133087 bytes Desc: not available URL: From MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov Tue Mar 12 12:12:39 2024 From: MaryClaire.Kier at wildlife.ca.gov (Kier, Mary Claire@Wildlife) Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 19:12:39 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] 2023/24 CDFW Trinity River Project trapping summary through Julian week 11 Message-ID: Greetings! Attached please find the LAST TRP trapping summary of this season, including data from Trinity River Hatchery through Julian week 11 (March 12th's spawning). I think it is safe to say the hatchery staff could use a break after this record season. Junction City weir will be installed when the flows come down (June?) and it will all begin again. Cheers! MC ****************************************************** Mary Claire Kier CA Department of Fish and Wildlife - Trinity River Project Environmental Scientist - Fisheries (I'm often teleworking, or in the field. 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 If you'd like to be added to the distribution list of the Trinity River Project's trapping summaries let me know. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW11.xlsx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet Size: 100387 bytes Desc: 2023 TRP_ trapping_summary_through_JW11.xlsx URL: From jabel at usbr.gov Fri Mar 15 13:36:51 2024 From: jabel at usbr.gov (Abel, Kiana) Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2024 20:36:51 -0000 Subject: [env-trinity] The River Riffle - Trinity River Restoration Program Newsletter (March Edition) Message-ID: [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/March-RR-01-01-1.png] River Riffle Newsletter - March (click to read on our website) Contents * Reading, Listening, Watching * Current Conditions: Inundation and Drift * Implementation Branch: Join us at our March 19 Open House * Featured Article: The River's Liver - the hyporheic zone * Trinity River Watershed Animal Spotlight: Benthic macroinvertebrates * Upcoming Meetings and Events Reading, Listening, Watching Collaborators implement a Remote Stream Incubation system near the headwaters of Grass Valley Creek [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/429580186_800295158798294_5859174027493184083_n.jpg] The Yurok Fisheries Department, in collaboration with the Bureau of Reclamation's Northern California Area Office and the Trinity River Hatchery, are implementing a promising pilot project to augment Grass Valley Creek?s critically imperiled coho salmon population. (The Yurok Tribe) NOAA's California Nevada River Forecast Center Water Year trend plot is predicting a "wet" water year NOAA's California Nevada River Forecast Center has a Water Year trend plot that tracks Trinity Reservoir accumulation in real time. The plot also predicts reservoir levels based on historic trends along with accumulation which starts in October of each year. A "wet" water year is predicted in California Department of Water Resources March B120 The California Department of Water Resources B-120 is an additional tool that utilizes human and station collected snowpack data from targeted areas within the Trinity Reservoir drainage. The B-120 reports are published around the 10th of the month in February, March, April and May. The April B-120 designation defines the water year type for the Trinity watershed and has only overpredicted the water year type once, in 2008. A Functional Flows approach for Environmental Flows in Chile (California Water Blog) [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Rio-Claro-Chile-1.webp] Rio Claro, Chile. [Image adapted from the linked article] Functional flows have gained momentum over the last several years with the California Environmental Flows Framework, which provides a structured approach to distributing available water to meet human needs and functional flow components across the year. Now there is effort underway to take this approach and apply it to rivers of similar annual hydrology in Chile. Read more about this effort from the California Water Blog by clicking the title above. Current Conditions Inundation Inundation is a term river ecologists use to describe the ecological creation of riverine floodplains which are highly productive habitats that often act as nurseries for fish but are threatened by regularities in flow management. Simply, inundation refers to the areas outside of a river's banks getting wet and acting as a garden and resting place for hungry salmon looking for bugs to eat. When these areas are touched by high waters a few things happen; leaves, sticks logs, rocks and sediments are moved helping the river to form habitat features such as log jams, side channels and slow waters. Inundation also allows for benthic macroinvertebrates to be relocated by being dislodged from rolling rocks, catching the drift and landing in slower waters. The habitat features created by inundation give migrating fish areas to rest in safer, slower waters and places to feed as they make their epic journey to the ocean. The process of inundation occurs during winter rainstorms as well as during the spring snow melt where waters are made available to areas outside of its banks. Drift Drift refers to the process of aquatic species catching a ride on river currents and landing in other areas of the river. Drift builds biodiversity and habitat features in inundated floodplain areas. [cid:8f86ca60-031f-43d7-a7a7-b745776e19fb] Chris Laskodi, Fish Biologist for the Yurok Tribe discusses the ecological function of inundation and drift for young salmon and the foods they eat during the winter months when rivers are swollen with water. [February 1, 2024 - Trinity River in Junction City] (link to YouTube) Implementation Branch [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Open-House-Event-FB-Banner-01-1.png]Photos of the proposed Channel Rehabilitation Sites currently under Environmental Assessment, Upper Conner Creek (left) and Sawmill Gravel Processing Rehabilitation (right). A draft environmental assessment (EA) will be released in the coming weeks for two proposed channel rehabilitation projects on the Trinity River, the Upper Conner Creek Rehabilitation Project in Junction City and the Sawmill Gravel Processing Site Project in Lewiston. The Implementation Branch and those involved in the projects are hosting an open house to discuss the proposed designs and restoration activities. We hope to see you there! Click to read more about each proposal... Featured Article [Graphic] The Hyporheic Zone Amaze your river friends by introducing them to the hyporheic zone, an important area where shallow groundwater and surface water mix to support a rich biological habitat of microvegetation that in-turn supports a diverse assemblage of benthic macroinvertebrates, the primary food source for juvenile and adult salmon. Continue Reading ... Graphic: Animated graphic of the Hyporheic Zone Process adapted from wikipedia. Trinity River Watershed: Animal Spotlight [cid:3689516a-5b02-4e4f-911d-22fed9e25591] Photo Credit: Two examples of macroinvertebrates found by students from Trinity Center Elementary School at River Days, 2021. [TRRP] Benthic Macroinvertebrates What are they and why are they important to river ecology? Benthic: bottom-dwelling Macro: see with the naked eye Invertebrates: animals without backbones Most of the life in rivers on any given day of the year are the small creatures that live out of the direct force of the river?s current, either attached to the rocks or wood, in spaces underneath or between pieces of gravel, or burrowed into silt. These animals include mussels, snails, worms, crayfish, and aquatic mites. But among all types of aquatic invertebrates, one class of animals stands out as the most diverse and complex - the insects. Continue to the Animal Spotlight ... Upcoming Meetings and Events For a full list of events, click to view the TRRP Calendar. ________________________________ [photo] Open House Tuesday, March 19, 5pm-8pm Junction City Elementary School (directions) Please join us at our upcoming Open House (March 19 from 5pm - 8pm) at the Junction City Elementary School. The event will feature a Fish of the Trinity River art show created by Junction City Elementary students plus many booths about river restoration. Additionally, the designers, construction managers and revegetation experts will be present to answer questions about river restoration and two proposed TRRP projects. The event is meant to share information and encourage communication with those interested! Event Details ________________________________ [TMC Partnership Ring] March 20 & 21, All Day - Quarterly TMC Meeting March Meeting Details (agenda and other information) Join us in Person: 1313 South Main Street Weaverville, Ca. 96093 Virtual Teams Meeting: (details below) Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 261 404 741 506 Passcode: gyLhfr Download Teams | Join on the web ________________________________ [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/431731544_733522988892600_5432510253991821549_n.jpg] March 27, 6pm - Science on Tap Trinity County Brewing Company Join us in welcoming Seth Naman to Science on Tap March 27, 6 pm at the Trinity County Brewing Company. Seth, a fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, will discuss ?The Importance of Natural Flows on Trinity River Salmon and Steelhead Populations.? Naman brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the program and this event! His presentation will highlight the critical importance of maintaining natural flow regimes for the health of Trinity River salmon and steelhead populations. Event Details ________________________________ [Bucktail restoration site, 2021, invasive species pull (photo by TCRCD).] April 6, 10am - Volunteer Invasive Plant Pull Junction City, Ca. An invasive plant pull volunteer event will be held at the Junction City Campground River Access and Restoration Site on Saturday, April 6! Join the Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD), Trinity River Restoration Program, and Bureau of Land Management to help eradicate invasive Scotch and Spanish broom, making space for native plants and preventing the spread of these weeds in our watershed. Volunteers are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing for working outdoors, and to bring their own reusable water bottle. Water, snacks, tools, and gloves will be provided. Event Details ________________________________ Contact Us Call Us: 530-623-1800 Email Us: info at trrp.net Social: Facebook Visit Us: 1313 Main St. in Weaverville Kiana Abel Secretary | Trinity River Restoration Program | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093 | 530-623-1800 (desk) | 530-623-5944 (fax) | jabel at usbr.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.png Type: image/png Size: 987146 bytes Desc: image.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.png Type: image/png Size: 424595 bytes Desc: image.png URL: From jabel at usbr.gov Fri Mar 22 14:14:11 2024 From: jabel at usbr.gov (Abel, Kiana) Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2024 21:14:11 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] You're Invited - Trinity River Restoration Program Science Symposium - April 30-May 3, 2024 Message-ID: [cid:01558cda-7382-4c2f-92c6-3d2fa1622345] Abstract: For the past 24 years, Trinity River Restoration Program scientists with specialties in geomorphology, hydrology, biology, and ecology have worked to mutually impact management actions with the mission of restoring anadromous populations of Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Steelhead through recovery of river ecosystem function. Adaptive management has played a central role in providing context to scientific debate and implementation as data is received and disseminated. However, challenges remain regarding implementation of adaptive management, particularly in gaining consensus among all entities of the TRRP, including Program technical staff, the Trinity Management Council, and the public. Within the Program we see examples of ?applied scientific paradigms? shifting because of scientific information that we?ve either learned on the Trinity River, learned from other systems, or applied on the Trinity River. Examples span disciplines, but prominently have included changes to the amount, locations, and strategies of sediment augmentation, realized and proposed changes to flow and temperature management, and evolution of channel rehabilitation philosophies and practices. The 2024 Science Symposium asks presenters and attendees to help answer this question: ?How can we better apply findings from scientific inquiry to push boundaries and re-define paradigms of river restoration?? The Program has conducted science for more than two decades, and the recently adopted science plan provides a blueprint for science implementation in the coming years. How can guidance from the science plan leverage two decades of learning to maximize adaptive management potential for achieving programmatic objectives? We hope to gather, learn from each discipline, consider each management action, and focus the Program forward into new paradigms of restoration. We hope you consider joining us for three days of interdisciplinary river restoration presentations and discussion (April 30 - May 2). On May 3, a half-day site tour of Trinity River restoration sites in Junction City is planned. Daily Focus: Tuesday, April 30 - Fish Populations Wednesday, May 1 - Habitat, Flow and Temperature Thursday, May 2 - Physical Channel Form Friday, May 3 - Restoration Site tour (optional) Kindly visit our website to: 1. View the speaker line-up. 2. View the agenda (this is in development and will be updated, likely by April 1). 3. Find the event location. 4. Find lodging. 5. Find links to register. https://www.trrp.net/2024-science-symposium/ Registration is free, yet highly encouraged for planning purposes. Attendees, please register by April 19, 2024. Attendance is open and sharing the event is encouraged. Please encourage those interested in attending to register for the event. If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out via email to Kiana: jabel at usbr.gov or by calling the Trinity River Restoration Program office at 530-623-1800. We look forward to hearing from you! Kiana Abel Secretary | Trinity River Restoration Program | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093 | 530-623-1800 (desk) | 530-623-5944 (fax) | jabel at usbr.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.png Type: image/png Size: 6187081 bytes Desc: image.png URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Mar 26 09:51:31 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 09:51:31 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: 2023 Klamath basin fall Chinook Salmon Megatable References: Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 2023 Klamath Basin Megatable_20240321.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 465171 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Wed Apr 10 18:04:33 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 01:04:33 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] CAL MATTERS: California salmon fishing banned for second year in row References: <1930186468.6823552.1712797473876.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1930186468.6823552.1712797473876@mail.yahoo.com> https://mavensnotebook.com/2024/04/10/cal-matters-california-salmon-fishing-banned-for-second-year-in-row/ CAL MATTERS: California salmon fishing banned for second year in row Maven News April 10, 2024 0 | | | | | | | | | | | CAL MATTERS: California salmon fishing banned for second year in row Maven Federal officials moved to cancel commercial and recreational salmon fishing off California as the fish still ar... | | | 77 Federal officials moved to cancel commercial and recreational salmon fishing off California as the fish still aren?t thriving. By Rachel Becker, Cal Matters Stay up-to-date with free briefings on topics that matter to all Californians. Subscribe to CalMatters today for nonprofit news in your inbox. In a devastating blow to California?s fishing industry, federal fishery managers unanimously voted today to cancel all commercial and recreational salmon fishing off the coast of California for the second year in a row. The decision is designed to protect California?s dwindling salmon populations after drought and water diversions left river flows too warm and sluggish for the state?s iconic Chinook salmon to thrive. Salmon abundance forecasts for the year ?are just too low,? Marci Yaremko, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife?s appointee to the Pacific Fishery Management Council, said last week. ?While the rainfall and the snowpacks have improved, the stocks and their habitats just need another year to recover.? State and federal agencies are now expected to implement the closures for ocean fishing. Had the season not been in question again this year, recreational boats would likely already be fishing off the coast of California, while the commercial season typically runs from May through October. In addition, the California Fish and Game Commission will decide next month whether to cancel inland salmon fishing in California rivers this summer and fall. The closure means that California restaurants and consumers will have to look elsewhere for salmon, in a major blow to an industry estimated in previous years to be worth roughly half a billion dollars. ?It?s catastrophic,? said Tommy ?TF? Graham, a commercial fisherman based in Bodega Bay who now drives a truck delivering frozen and farmed salmon and other fish. ?It means another summer of being forced to do something you don?t want to do, instead of doing something you love.? Chart: John Osborn D?Agostino, CalMattersSource: U.S. Department of Commerce About?213,600 Sacramento River fall-run salmon?? a mainstay of the fishery ? are estimated to be swimming off the coast. Though that?s an improvement over last year, the forecast remains the second-lowest on record since the fishery was closed in 2008 and 2009, Yaremko told the Pacific fishery council. The numbers this year, plus the fact that the forecasts for salmon returning to spawn are routinely overestimated, ?add concern,? Yaremko said. Many in the fishing industry say they support the closure, but urged state and federal officials to do more to improve conditions in the rivers salmon rely on. Fishing advocates and environmentalists have lambasted Gov. Gavin Newsom?s administration for failing to prioritize water quality and flows to protect salmon in the vital Bay-Delta watershed. ?Our fishing fleets and coastal communities can not be the only ones making sacrifices to save these fish,? said Sarah Bates, who owns a commercial fishing boat called the Bounty, berthed at Fisherman?s Wharf in San Francisco. ?Water policy needs to take the health of our river ecosystems seriously.? The closure comes as the fishing industry still awaits disaster aid promised from last year?s salmon fishery closures, which state officials estimated to have cost about $45 million.?The fishing industry says that?s a vast underestimate. | | | | Federal Assistance for California Salmon Fisheries available in 31 Count... State of California | | | ?Some fishermen have already lost their businesses and many will in the coming months,? said RJ Waldron, who runs a charter fishing business out of the East Bay. Last year?s closure dried up his customers, and he put his sportfishing boat up for sale months ago. ?My dream of being a charter boat owner is very much a nightmare now.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jabel at usbr.gov Mon Apr 15 08:35:14 2024 From: jabel at usbr.gov (Abel, Kiana) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2024 15:35:14 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] *Registration Reminder - 2024 TRRP Science Symposium Message-ID: Good Morning, We hope you consider joining us for three days of interdisciplinary river restoration presentations and discussion (April 30 - May 2). On May 3, a half-day site tour of Trinity River restoration sites in Junction City is planned. Daily Focus: Tuesday, April 30 - Fish Populations Wednesday, May 1 - Habitat, Flow and Temperature Thursday, May 2 - Physical Channel Form Friday, May 3 - Restoration Site tour (registration is required to attend) Please register & find the event details by clicking below: https://www.trrp.net/2024-science-symposium/ Kindly register by April 19, 2024 - this Friday! If you plan on attending in person, registration is free and highly encouraged for planning purposes. We are working on a virtual option and will email the group once registration for that is available. Attendance is open and sharing the event is encouraged. Please ask those interested in attending to register for the event. If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out via email to Kiana: jabel at usbr.gov or by calling the Trinity River Restoration Program office at 530-623-1800. We look forward to hearing from you! [cid:f8a3c89a-a1a8-42ad-88a7-c12b83f14ac3] Kiana Abel Public Affairs Specialist | Trinity River Restoration Program | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093-1300 | 530-623-1800 (desk) | 530-739-9761 (cell) | jabel at usbr.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.png Type: image/jpeg Size: 138740 bytes Desc: image.png URL: From tstokely at att.net Tue Apr 16 09:17:17 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2024 16:17:17 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River listed by American Rivers as 7th Most Endangered River! References: <1882265017.8665539.1713284237216.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <1882265017.8665539.1713284237216@mail.yahoo.com> News Release Contact Dr. Ann Willis, American Rivers, 530-867-9807 LeMonie Hutt, Ms. Natinixwe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, 530-360-6161 Regina Chichizola, Save California Salmon, 541-951-0126 www.AmericanRivers.org/EndangeredRivers Embargoed for 12:01am EST, April 16, 2024 Trinity River named among America?s Most Endangered Rivers? of 2024 Washington, D.C. ? Today, American Rivers named the Trinity River, the largest tributary of the Klamath River, among America's Most Endangered Rivers? of 2024. Excessive water withdrawals and rising water temperatures threaten the river, and the people and salmon who depend on it. With the removal of the Klamath River dams, a watershed-wide restoration effort has begun. The Trinity River?the main source of cold, clean water for the Lower Klamath River where over 65,000 adult salmon died in 2002?is critical to this effort. ?Rivers cannot be harvested for their parts and remain healthy, just like we can?t divert excessive volumes of blood from our body without experiencing systemic failure. We need to stop thinking of the Trinity as a piped tributary to the Sacramento River and recognize that its natural value to the Klamath far exceeds any single Central Valley user?s benefit,? said Ann Willis, California Regional Director, American Rivers. The Trinity River is diverted into the Sacramento River for the Central Valley Water Project. Outdated water management has led to reservoir depletion, rising river temperatures, and other environmental impacts that put threatened coho salmon and Chinook salmon at risk. The Hoopa, Yurok and other Tribes are also dealing with some of the lowest salmon returns in history and toxic algae outbreaks, which impacts cultural use, food security, wellness, and livelihoods. American Rivers and its partners called on the California State Water Board and the Department of the Interior to prioritize the health of the Trinity River in the Sites Reservoir and Delta Tunnel water right orders, Bay-Delta Planning phase 2, and the Central Valley Project Reinitiation of Consultation. "Local people, especially the Hoopa and Yurok Tribal members, have been fighting for water to be released from the Trinity reservoirs for the Trinity and Klamath rivers for salmon generations," explained Regina Chichizola from Save California Salmon. "These fights led to real solutions like the Lower Klamath long term plan, which stopped large scale Klamath River fish kills, and Record of the Decision of the Trinity River, which restored some flows, but we still have no protections for our reservoir storage, or from new diversions on the Central Valley side or voluntary agreements. We need the Trinity River water to stay in the Trinity River if we are to restore the Klamath salmon and live up to the agreements to the Tribes." The Trinity River of northwestern California is the largest tributary of the Klamath River. The river begins in the Trinity Alps and Scott Mountains, then flows 165 miles through the Klamath Mountains and Coast Ranges, until it finally meets the Klamath River where the Hoopa and Yurok Reservations intersect. The Trinity River is the lifeblood of the Hoopa Tribe, the Yurok Tribe and Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation. The Hoopa and Yurok tribes maintain fishing rights and rely on the river for their drinking water, ceremonies and their main food source?salmon. The Trinity is a designated Wild and Scenic River and known for its recreational opportunities, including fishing and whitewater rafting. The river is a source of clean, cold water for salmon and downstream communities, and the Trinity?s cold water is used regularly to prevent repeat of the massive 2002 fish kill on the lower Klamath River. The river also produces hydroelectricity at four locations before it is diverted into the Sacramento River for agricultural purposes. Coastal commercial fishermen also rely on Trinity River salmon as the Klamath Basin?s largest salmon spawning tributary. "For the Hoopa Valley people, the river is a lifeline for us. We eat out of the river. Some people go to the store, we go to the river. It used to be one of the best fishing rivers in the West Coast," explained Hoopa Valley Tribal member and Klamath Justice Coalition organizer, Dania Rose Colegrove. "At some point we are going to have to cut off the diversion from Lewiston. This water is being used in the Central Valley for luxury food. It does not benefit us." The annual America?s Most Endangered Rivers? report is a list of rivers at a crossroads, where key decisions in the coming months will determine the rivers? fates. Over the years, the report has helped spur many successes including the removal of outdated dams, the protection of rivers with Wild and Scenic designations, and the prevention of harmful development and pollution. Other rivers in the region listed as Most Endangered in recent years include the Eel River (2023), McCloud River (2021), Bear River (2017) and San Joaquin River (2016) where dams and excessive diversions are most often the greatest threat to clean water. American Rivers reviews nominations for America?s Most Endangered Rivers? from local groups and individuals across the country, and selects rivers based on three criteria: 1) The river?s significance to people and wildlife 2) The magnitude of the threat to the river and communities, especially in light of climate change and environmental injustice 3) A decision in the next 12 months that the public can influence America?s Most Endangered Rivers? of 2024 #1: Rivers of New Mexico Threat: Loss of federal clean water protections #2: Big Sunflower and Yazoo Rivers (MS) Threat: Yazoo Pumps project threatens wetlands #3: Duck River (TN) Threat: Excessive water use #4: Santa Cruz River (AZ, Mexico) Threat: Water scarcity, climate change #5 Little Pee Dee River (NC, SC) Threat: Harmful development, highway construction #6 Farmington River (CT, MA) Threat: Hydro dam #7: Trinity River (CA) Threat: Outdated water management #8: Kobuk River (AK) Threat: Road construction, mining #9 Tijuana River (CA, Mexico) Threat: Pollution #10: Blackwater River (WV) Threat: Highway development About American Rivers American Rivers is championing a national effort to protect and restore all rivers, from remote mountain streams to urban waterways. Healthy rivers provide people and nature with clean, abundant water and natural habitat. For 50 years, American Rivers staff, supporters, and partners have shared a common belief: Life Depends on RiversSM. www.AmericanRivers.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Report_Trinity_Final.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 4119868 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Apr 18 10:33:52 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:33:52 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Hoopa Valley Tribe Press Release on Trinity as 7th Most Endangered River References: <236641474.727881.1713461632233.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <236641474.727881.1713461632233@mail.yahoo.com> For Immediate Release April 17, 2023 CONTACTS: Everett Colegrove, Vice Chairman 530 739-2172 (mobile) everett.colegrove at hoopa-nsn.gov Michael Orcutt, Fisheries Director 707 499-6143 (mobile) mworcutt at gmail.com Trinity River Among Most Endangered American Rivers Yesterday, American Rivers named the Trinty River to its top-ten list of endangered American rivers. https://www.americanrivers.org/media-item/trinity-river-named-among-americas-most-endangered-rivers-of-2024/ Last week, federal agencies called for closure of California?s commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries for the second year in a row. A generation ago, the Ninth Circuit called out the federal government for its devastation of the Trinity River, writing that ?restoration of the Trinity River fishery, and the ESA-listed species that inhabit it, are unlawfully long overdue.? Why has this happened? The answer is clear from Hoopa?s perspective. ?Reclamation has failed to follow the law and has failed to implement the restoration agreement with the Hoopa Valley Tribe that the Secretary of the Interior signed on sacred ground of the Hoopa Valley Reservation in December 2000,? said Hoopa Valley Tribe Vice Chairman Everett Colegrove. Making a bad situation worse, in 2020, the Trump administration unlawfully signed contracts with Central Valley Project industrial farm operations that effectively eviscerated Trinity River restoration. Moreover, as of today, the Trump contracts are costing the federal Treasury nearly three quarters of a billion dollars in uncollected California fishery restoration costs. The Hoopa Valley Tribe sued the Trump Administration to set aside the Trump contracts and in early 2021 urged the Biden Administration to right that wrong. Instead, the Biden Administration remains in court defending Trump Administration water contracts that the California Supreme Court affirmed last year are invalid. Today, Reclamation is hell-bent on making decisions for California water management that will perpetuate the ongoing devastation of the Trinity River fishery that is the lifeblood of the Hupa people. ?We call on our trustee, Secretary Haaland to uphold the Law of the Trinity River for the good of our people and all communities that depend on a healthy Trinity River fishery,? said Vice Chairman Colegrove. -END- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jabel at usbr.gov Tue Apr 16 16:16:31 2024 From: jabel at usbr.gov (Abel, Kiana) Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2024 23:16:31 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity River Restoration Program - April Newsletter Message-ID: The River Riffle Newsletter ? April [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/April-Header-OG-01.png] Header photo credit: Aaron Martin ? Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department River Riffle Newsletter ? April Contents * Reading, Listening, Watching * Current Conditions: Snowmelt Flows and Temperature * Program Update: River Acres Demolition Complete * Implementation Branch: Thank you for attending our Open House! * Featured Article: The Trinity Watershed Basin?s Water Year Forecast & Local Snow Surveys * Upcoming Meetings and Events: 2024 Science Symposium - just two weeks away! Reading, Listening, Watching Calculating the Water Year: Annual Snow Surveys [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SnowSurvey8.png]The Mt. Rose Sampler tube is being weighed on a specialized handheld scale. Using the height and weight of the snow, surveyors are able to calculate the Snow Water Equivalent. Photo curtesy of The Watershed Training and Research Center. Every February, March, April, and May a small team of backcountry skiers travel to Trinity Alps snow survey locations at Shimmy Lake, Red Rock Mountain, and Bear Basin. These snow survey sites have been measured in exactly the same locations since the 1940s. (The Watershed Research and Training Center) Water Year 2024 has been determined as ?wet? by the California Department of Water Resources. The California Department of Water Resources April B-120 Water Supply forecast has determined the 2024 water year as ?wet? with a forecast total of 1,610,000 acre feet if inflow to Trinity and Lewiston Reservoirs. The determination sets the TRRP volume release at 701,000 acre feet for the year (see graph below). State Forecast Inflow to Reservoir (acre-feet) Water Year Type Allocation to Restoration (including base flows) > 2,000,000 Extremely Wet 815,000 1,350,000 ? 1,999,999 Wet 701,000 1,025,000 ? 1,349,999 Normal 647,000 650,000 ? 1,024,999 Dry 453,000 < 650,000 Critically Dry 369,000 Water-Year Volume Allocation as Specified by the Record of Decision. Current Conditions Water year 2024 restoration flows begin increasing from Lewiston Dam on April 16, 2024. Click the link to view details about this year?s release. 2024 Restoration Flow Release Schedule Snow Melt Flows The Trinity River watershed is one of many in California that experience an erratic, unpredictable winter with rain and snow or sometimes lack thereof. Winter is a period of general disturbance for the ecology of the river, with the magnitude of that disturbance defined by the magnitude of received weather events. Check out the unimpaired hydrograph developed from empirical data collected from USGS stations on the Trinity River from 1912 through 1960 below. The graph shows the variability and magnitude of flows during the winter period prior to the construction of Trinity and Lewiston Dams (see below). [graph] In contrast, you can see the graph start to mellow out from mid-May through August in each year represented above. This longer spring snow-melt recession (prior to the dams) offered a period of stability and relatively good, and sometimes great, conditions for fish and other aquatic organisms. This period of relatively predictable elevated flows and slow recession offered the river a protracted period of habitat expansion and growth opportunity for food and fish to grow together. As water traveled down from the mountain tops, temperatures rose slowly to levels that encouraged cold blooded organisms to grow fat. Listen in as Ken Lindke, Senior Environmental Scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, explain the ecological landscape for aquatic species during this annual hydrological event. Ken Lindke, Fish Biologist/Senior Environmental Scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, talks about the ecological landscape for aquatic species during the annual spring snow melt (YouTube Video). Spring Snow Melt and Temperature River temperatures are not as cold as you would think this time of year given that the water is melted snow. By the time this meltwater gets to rearing juvenile salmonids in the lower reaches of tributaries, temperatures are often in the optimal range for juvenile salmonid growth, 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit. This natural pattern of increasing temperature is widespread across tributaries to the Trinity River but the mainstem below Lewiston Dam is altered by Trinity Reservoir. As air temperatures rise, large bodies of water like Trinity Reservoir experience thermal stratification (the process of waters not in direct contact with the air or sun becoming colder and denser, thus sinking toward the lake bottom). Because the intake valve that releases water from Trinity Reservoir into Lewiston Reservoir draws from deep cold water, temperatures released to the river don?t exhibit natural seasonal warming and remain below the optimal range for juvenile salmonid growth. The growth and survival of juvenile salmon depend on two critical components this time of year, temperature and food. Listen in as Ken Lindke, Senior Environmental Scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, discusses natural versus managed temperature patterns in the Trinity Watershed (YouTube Video). Program Update [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Picture1.jpg] While it has not been a focus of the TRRP for many years, infrastructure improvement was one of the foundational tasks that was laid out in the 2000 Trinity River Mainstem Fishery Restoration Record of Decision. Years of low, predictable flows had led riparian property owners to develop very close to the river?s edge. In order to implement restoration releases, the TRRP has worked with willing property owners to upgrade or remove infrastructure that could be damaged by restoration flow releases as guided by the ?maximum fisheries flow? boundary. Continue Reading ... Implementation Branch Open House event a success! Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Open House at the Junction City Elementary School last month! A special thank you to the Trinity County RCD and the students and staff of Junction City Elementary School who lit up the gym with the Fish of the Trinity River Art Show! Please enjoy a few of the event photos below. [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/433685792_408638805096481_1546825947821651111_n.jpg]Fish of the Trinity River artwork provided by Junction City Elementary School students. [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/434078632_408638695096492_8499403345200255630_n.jpg] Kyle Sipes, designer for the Hoopa Valley Tribe/McBain and Associates describes the Upper Conner Creek restoration project design details to a curious attendee. [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024TRRPOpenHouse092w.jpg]Fish of the Trinity River artwork provided by Junction City Elementary School students. Draft Environmental Assessment for Proposed Rehabilitation Sites [photo] A draft environmental assessment is still awaiting approval for public viewing. Our timeline is hopeful for a release in the coming weeks. The draft environmental assessment discusses two proposed channel rehabilitation projects on the Trinity River, the Upper Conner Creek Rehabilitation Project in Junction City and the Sawmill Gravel Processing Site Project in Lewiston. Click to read more about each proposal ... Featured Article Photo provided by: The Watershed Training and Research Center/Dillon Sheedy The Trinity Watershed Basin?s Water Year Forecast & Local Snow Surveys Many Trinity County residents are attuned to the annual water year forecasting prepared by the California Department of Water Resources, also known as the Bulletin 120 or B-120. Every year, the department gathers real time water accumulation information, snowpack data and uses modeling to forecast what to expect for the major snow bearing watersheds in California. The water bean counting starts October 1 (the nominal beginning of California?s wet season) with determinations on the 10th of February, March, April, May and sometimes June each year. The forecasts are broken up into several regions throughout California with the Trinity River at Lewiston Lake forecast filed under the North Coast Hydrologic Region. The ultimate goal of the B-120 is to value expected amounts of water inflow to storage locations around the state. This data makes it possible for water managers to make local informed decisions about potential floods, the amount of water that can be released from reservoir systems, as well as what type of dry season residents and fire agencies could expect within their regions. Continue reading ... __________________________________________________________________________________________ Upcoming Meetings and Events For a full list of events, click to view the TRRP Calendar. ________________________________ [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/434220344_741877634723802_8326605411429148128_n.jpg] April 20, 10am-2pm ? 15th Annual Plant and Seed Exchange Young Family Ranch ? Weaverville Join us in the celebration of Earth Day at the Young Family Ranch (260 Oregon St., Weaverville) on April 20, 2024, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for the 15th Annual Trinity County Plant & Seed Exchange. This event is hosted by the Trinity County Resource Conservation District, the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Program, and the Young Family Ranch Trust. Event Details ________________________________ [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/435516494_748210447423854_1350292834201210732_n.jpg] April 24, 6pm ? Science on Tap Trinity County Brewing Company Join us on April 24th at 6 PM at Trinity County Brewing Company for Science on Tap, featuring Ken DeCamp. Ken, a renowned photographer and naturalist, will discuss ?Klamath Mountain Wildflowers,? spotlighting the region?s diverse flora, including rare wildflowers. With a lifetime spent in the Trinity Alps and its surroundings, Ken truly has a passion for backpacking and photography. He holds a Geography degree from UC Davis, a Master?s in Fluvial Geomorphology, and additional qualifications in Spatial Analysis from Harvard, along with Fire Weather studies in Montana. Event Details ________________________________ [https://www.trrp.net/wordterrain/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Science-Symposium-youre-invited-01.png] April 30 ? May 3 Trinity River Restoration Program Science Symposium Trinity Alps Performing Arts Center Pushing river restoration boundaries toward a better future in our changing world. A science-forward event that is open to the public with the intent of pushing river restoration boundaries toward a better future in our changing world. Check out the presenter line-up by clicking below. Register by April 19 - click here! Event Details ________________________________ [TMC Partnership Ring] June 5 & 6, All Day ? Quarterly TMC Meeting Meeting Details In Person: Weitchpec, Ca. Virtual: Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 240 838 004 048 Passcode: WtYvMS Download Teams | Join on the web ________________________________ Contact Us Call Us: 530-623-1800 Email Us: info at trrp.net Social: Facebook Visit Us: 1313 Main St. in Weaverville Kiana Abel Public Affairs Specialist | Trinity River Restoration Program | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093-1300 | 530-623-1800 (desk) | 530-739-9761 (cell) | jabel at usbr.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jabel at usbr.gov Fri Apr 19 11:11:09 2024 From: jabel at usbr.gov (Abel, Kiana) Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 18:11:09 +0000 Subject: [env-trinity] Last Day to Register! Trinity River Restoration Program 2024 Science Symposium Message-ID: Happy Friday! Today is the last day to register for the 2024 Trinity River Restoration Program Science Symposium which will be held in Weaverville - April 30, May 1 & 2. If you would like to attend in person OR you are interested in attending virtually, please indicate that you would like to be included on the list by registering here: https://forms.gle/djUQqwGesSFsRvr79 Please note that the virtual meeting will require an additional registration step and this email purpose is to develop the notification list for that option. We appreciate all of those who have shared the information and invitation and if you have already registered - please disregard this email. Registration Form: https://forms.gle/djUQqwGesSFsRvr79 Webpage: https://www.trrp.net/2024-science-symposium/ Cheers, Kiana Kiana Abel Public Affairs Specialist | Trinity River Restoration Program | U. S. Bureau of Reclamation 1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093-1300 | 530-623-1800 (desk) | 530-739-9761 (cell) | jabel at usbr.gov -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jerilynsmith49 at gmail.com Sat Apr 20 17:39:24 2024 From: jerilynsmith49 at gmail.com (Jerilyn Smith) Date: Sat, 20 Apr 2024 17:39:24 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Trinity Citizens File Complaint with the Dept. of Interior IG Office Message-ID: Attached you will find links to Trinity Citizens Complaint along with the link to Maven's Notebook and Redheaded Blackbelt. They have both ran this story. Thank you in advance for taking an interest. Jerilyn Smith Trinity River Coalition Trinity County Conflict of Interest Complaint Sparks Concerns Over Trinity River Restoration Program Management - Redheaded Blackbelt (kymkemp.com) LETTER: Trinity County citizens file conflict of interest complaint with Interior Department Inspector General office alleging violation of state and federal laws ~ MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK | California Water News Central (mavensnotebook.com) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Letter to DOI Inspector General.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 438960 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tstokely at att.net Sun Apr 21 10:50:49 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:50:49 -0700 Subject: [env-trinity] Fwd: Lawsuit demands Water Board action on outdated DWR water rights before Delta Tunnel approval References: Message-ID: <566AFDAE-94AB-4F97-8C7C-75A26031B758@att.net> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tstokely at att.net Thu Apr 25 16:32:15 2024 From: tstokely at att.net (Tom Stokely) Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2024 23:32:15 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [env-trinity] Press Release; Coalition Rally at California State Water Resources Control Board Voluntary Agreement Hearing 1001 I street, Sacramento, April 26th, 12:30 pm References: <148948531.3271730.1714087935757.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <148948531.3271730.1714087935757@mail.yahoo.com> Fishermen, Tribal Members, and Residents Ask California Water Board to Support? Science-Based Water Plan, Deny Voluntary Agreements ?Coalition Rally at California State Water Resources Control Board Voluntary Agreement Hearing 1001 I street, Sacramento, April 26th,? 12:30 pm? For immediate release: April 25, 2024 For more information contact: Regina Chichizola, Save California Salmon: Regina at californiasalmon.org, 541-951-0126? Scott Artis, Golden State Salmon Association: scott at goldenstatesalmon.org, 925-550-9208 Ruthie Maloney, North Coast Native Protectors: northcoastnativeprotectors at gmail.com, 707-502-9155 Sacramento, California - A coalition of Tribal members, fishermen, and others from all over Northern California will rally and testify before the State Water Resources Control Board to urge them to deny a proposal to replace flow requirements in the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Bay-Delta Plan) with agriculture-led voluntary flow agreements. Communities from the Klamath River to the South Delta have participated in the science-based Bay-Delta Plan process for almost 15 years and repeatedly seen voluntary agreements and local cooperative solutions in Delta tributary watersheds fail, leading to water quality and salmon crises. On the last day of the State Board Hearing on the Bay-Delta Voluntary Agreements, they will once again urge the Board to heed their warnings. ?For a decade, California water agencies have promised a voluntary agreement to address the deteriorating health in Central Valley rivers and the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary. Unfortunately, the process seems less focused on creating a credible agreement than on preventing the State Water Board from actually implementing a plan that recognizes the need for increased cold-water flows,? said Scott Artis, executive director of Golden State Salmon Association. ?Yet, during all this inaction, there?s been massive water diversions from our rivers, plummeting salmon populations, closed fishing seasons, and lost jobs. People and our rivers are suffering. It?s unacceptable.? ?Phase 1 of the Bay-Delta Plan, which was based on science and input from impacted communities, was passed 5 years ago. Now due to? politics the biggest water users in California are pushing their own weaker plan without including the input of impacted communities, interests, and Tribal governments,? explained Regina Chichizola from Save California Salmon, a Tribally-led environmental group located on the Klamath and Sacramento Rivers. ?During this time, salmon numbers have plummeted to the point that most of the salmon runs in the Delta are facing extinction due to the diversions by these same water users. The Trinity RIver, the Klamath?s largest tributary, is also suffering due to over-diversion for Central Valley agricultural interests. The VA put the fox in charge of the hen house at a time when the Delta watersheds are in crisis.?? "Instead of focusing on the outdated and harmful policies of hoarding water, we should focus on water conservation, recycling, and efficiency,? stated Gia Moreno of Save Hood, a Central Valley non-profit dedicated to protecting the town of Hood. ?We can't continue to rely on archaic methods of water conveyance. We can't continue to sacrifice the Delta, the northern river communities, and wildlife because state officials refuse to move us forward. We can't claim to be at the forefront of addressing climate change and protecting the environment while actively working to build infrastructure that will destroy California for future generations." Atta Stevenson of the California Indian Water Commission said, ?The Voluntary Agreements are exclusive of people of color and especially Natives, who rely on water not only for their subsistence but their way of life. I would instead like for a group that includes people of color and Tribal people to decide the Delta Plan together rather than a select special interest group like the VA folks doing it without us. The State of California needs to respect our food subsistence, tribal beneficial uses, and honor us as the original stewards of the state of California."? Today, during testimony,? Stevenson told the Water Board that Native people will continue to comment, protest, and show up until they are included in water quality and fisheries decisions, and their water is protected. The Bay-Delta watershed covers more than 75,000 square miles, many rivers, and is the largest estuary on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Native species in the Bay-Delta are experiencing an ecological crisis due to habitat conversion, degraded water quality, harmful algal blooms, reductions in flows, and the inability to access natural habitats that are blocked by dams and levees. This has led to a severe decline and extinction of native fish and other aquatic species. The salmon levels have become so low that salmon fishing has been canceled in California for the second year in a row and only the fourth time in state history.? ### Save California Salmon is dedicated to policy change and community advocacy for Northern California?s salmon and fish dependent people. We support the fisheries and water protection work of the local communities, and advocate effective policy change for clean water, restored fisheries and vibrant communities. We aim to help to support Tribes and the general public in engaging with public comments related to water pollution, fisheries, and beneficial use issues.? The California Indian Water Commission provides Tribes, (federally and non-federally recognized), Tribal People, and communities residing in California to have a voice in water planning, protection of our sacred water, and educating the public about Tribal water rights, and traditional cultural ecological stewardship. Golden State Salmon Association is a coalition of salmon advocates that includes commercial and recreational salmon fishermen and women, businesses, restaurants, native tribes, environmentalists, elected officials, families and communities that rely on salmon. GSSA?s mission is to restore California salmon for their economic, recreational, commercial, environmental, cultural and health values. | | | | | | | | | | | Home - Golden State Salmon Association Golden State Salmon Association's mission is to restore California salmon for their economic, recreational, comm... | | | -- Regina Chichizola?Executive Director Save California Salmon?541 951-0126? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: