<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--></head><body><div class="ydp64a1fb8yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"> <div><div><div><div class="ydpe03535d0x1iorvi4 ydpe03535d0x1pi30zi ydpe03535d0x1l90r2v ydpe03535d0x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message"><div class="ydpe03535d0x78zum5 ydpe03535d0xdt5ytf ydpe03535d0xz62fqu ydpe03535d0x16ldp7u"><div class="ydpe03535d0xu06os2 ydpe03535d0x1ok221b"><span class="ydpe03535d0x193iq5w ydpe03535d0xeuugli ydpe03535d0x13faqbe ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xlh3980 ydpe03535d0xvmahel ydpe03535d0x1n0sxbx ydpe03535d0x1lliihq ydpe03535d0x1s928wv ydpe03535d0xhkezso ydpe03535d0x1gmr53x ydpe03535d0x1cpjm7i ydpe03535d0x1fgarty ydpe03535d0x1943h6x ydpe03535d0xudqn12 ydpe03535d0x3x7a5m ydpe03535d0x6prxxf ydpe03535d0xvq8zen ydpe03535d0xo1l8bm ydpe03535d0xzsf02u ydpe03535d0x1yc453h"><div class="ydpe03535d0xdj266r ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div>All, Here is an opinion piece that was published today in the Sacramento Bee, Modesto Bee and the Fresno Bee. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>To salmon, Indigenous tribes and <span></span>conservationists, Newsom says: Let them eat almonds |</div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div>Opinion By Tom Stokely Special to The Sacramento Bee January 18, 2024 6:00 AM </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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. </div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div><br></div><div>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.</div></div><div class="ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0x1vvkbs ydpe03535d0xtlvy1s ydpe03535d0x126k92a"><div>Read more at: <span><a class="ydpe03535d0x1i10hfl ydpe03535d0xjbqb8w ydpe03535d0x6umtig ydpe03535d0x1b1mbwd ydpe03535d0xaqea5y ydpe03535d0xav7gou ydpe03535d0x9f619 ydpe03535d0x1ypdohk ydpe03535d0xt0psk2 ydpe03535d0xe8uvvx ydpe03535d0xdj266r ydpe03535d0x11i5rnm ydpe03535d0xat24cr ydpe03535d0x1mh8g0r ydpe03535d0xexx8yu ydpe03535d0x4uap5 ydpe03535d0x18d9i69 ydpe03535d0xkhd6sd ydpe03535d0x16tdsg8 ydpe03535d0x1hl2dhg ydpe03535d0xggy1nq ydpe03535d0x1a2a7pz ydpe03535d0xt0b8zv ydpe03535d0x1fey0fg enhancr_card_5631326855" href="https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article283248328.html?fbclid=IwAR3v-hwPaqxAanwZh9AThNiukxEThpKIHF683Ux15Fz3sFLXqTmGt2u_Eec#storylink=c" tabindex="0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.sacbee.com/opi.../op-ed/article283248328.html...</a></span><div><br></div><div id="ydp1c1f9086enhancr_card_5631326855" class="ydp1c1f9086yahoo-link-enhancr-card ydp1c1f9086ymail-preserve-class ydp1c1f9086ymail-preserve-style" style="max-width:400px;font-family:YahooSans VF, YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" data-url="https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article283248328.html?fbclid=IwAR3v-hwPaqxAanwZh9AThNiukxEThpKIHF683Ux15Fz3sFLXqTmGt2u_Eec#storylink=c" data-type="YENHANCER" data-size="MEDIUM" contenteditable="false"><a href="https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article283248328.html?fbclid=IwAR3v-hwPaqxAanwZh9AThNiukxEThpKIHF683Ux15Fz3sFLXqTmGt2u_Eec#storylink=c" style="text-decoration-line: none !important; 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line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: YahooSans VF, YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 34, 40); max-width: 314px;">To salmon, Indigenous tribes and conservationists, Newsom says: Let them...</h2><p class="ydp1c1f9086card-description" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(151, 158, 168);">“Newsom must direct the State Water Resources Control Board to update orders governing water releases to accommo...</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div></body></html>