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<div><div id="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879"><div dir="ltr"><h1 class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-headline">Note: The Winter Flow EA/FONSI and HVT's signing considerations can be found here: <a href="https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=55082" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=55082</a> <br></h1><h1 class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-headline">
<span></span></h1><h1 class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-headline"><span>Winter flows decided</span>
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<h2 class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subhead">
<span>Some displeased, some hopeful</span>
</h2><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-meta">
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<ul class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-list-inline"><li><span class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tnt-byline">By Josh Cozine
The Trinity Journal
</span></li><li class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-hidden-print">
Dec 25, 2024</li></ul></span></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-share-container ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-content-above"><form method="post" class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-save-list-6cd4c7b2-c187-11ef-b398-5ffb0502c639-form ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-save-asset-to-list" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
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<div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-preview"><p>The much-contested Winter Variable Flow period has begun on the Trinity River with a storm pulse event scheduled to peak today.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-preview"><p>The history of the winter variable flows in Trinity County goes back several years with proponents and dissidents on both sides.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Scientists
and biologists within the Trinity River Restoration Program and Bureau
of Reclamation have touted the idea as having the potential to grow
juvenile anadromous fish larger before reaching the sea. Anadromous fish
— like endangered salmon and threatened steelhead that populate the
Trinity — hatch and rear in fresh water before heading to the ocean, but
then return later in life to spawn and see their life cycle complete.</p></div>
<div id="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region-article_instory_top" class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-hidden-print"></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Everyone
agrees that larger fish reaching the ocean are more likely to survive
and return. Not everyone agrees that the new winter flows will produce
such results, however, and many in the local fishing industry have been
against the flows from the start and remain so despite concessions that
were said to be made for the local economy.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Further
details of the new flow plans were laid out Dec. 3 in a presentation in
front of the county supervisors as discussions were still taking place
to ensure a sign-off by both the Hoopa Valley and Yurok Tribes, who were
at odds over specifics in federal court (“Hoopa seeks dismissal of
Yurok lawsuit over river flows,” Dec. 18, and “Changes to river flow
approved,” Dec. 18).</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p><strong>Caveats and agreement</strong></p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>The
tribal litigation was dismissed Dec. 12 and on Monday, Dec. 23, a storm
pulse synchronization event began. Storm pulse synchronization refers
to increasing flows out of the dam in tandem with large rain events to
increase flows two-fold in the hopes of scouring the riverbed for it to
replenish later.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Winter
flows and storm pulse synchronizations were shot down last winter
season with Trinity County voting against them, and the year before that
winter flows were delayed by a federal court injunction causing them to
start past the period for a storm pulse. The storm pulse peaking Dec.
25 will be the only pulse event that will involve raising outflows from
Lewiston Dam higher than 1,500 cubic feet of water per second — a caveat
requested by the county in order to vote in favor of the flows.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Another
caveat requested by the county was to see the elevated flows recede
back to base flows more quickly and ensure that no more than 10
boat-fishing days would be lost to anglers on the river. While that
request was eventually rescinded as a part of the agreement to dismiss
the tribal litigation, the number of lost days should still not reach
more than 10, according to Sup. Liam Gogan, who votes for Trinity County
on river management advisory issues.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p><strong>Still in disagreement</strong></p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>One
of the reasons for Gogan casting his votes against last year's flows
were reports of lost commerce — said to be possibly in the millions —
from local fishing guides and fishing equipment sellers, as well as
adjacent industries that profit from fishing tourism, like hotels and
restaurants (“Guides: Winter flows washing out early fishing season,”
April 12, 2023).</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Darren
Victorine, owner and operator of Trinity-Fly Guide Service, continues
to assert his position that flows are unproven and disruptive to the
local economy, but more than that, come from a restoration program with a
track record of not meeting goals of restoring the river for fish in
its more than 20 year history and hundreds of millions of dollars spent.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“The
Winter Variable Flows are based on shoddy science at best,” Victorine
said. “I just don’t believe this justifies the negative effects on the
community.”</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Victorine
stressed the fact that he, much like most guides who fish the Trinity,
have other options, but he simply does not trust TRRP large-scale
projects anymore.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“I don’t believe that any of their management philosophies are the right choice,” he said.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“They’ve
spent nearly a half billion dollars with zero results,” Victorine said.
“They continue to spend large amounts of money, and this is another one
of their experiments.”</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“It’s
like taking your car to a mechanic for 25 years and they never fix it,”
he said. “When are we going to get a new mechanic?”</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Victorine
said despite his sometimes harsh criticisms, he believes staff at TRRP
do have the best intentions, and if there was any evidence of more fish
returning due to the constant projects no one would be against it, but
that’s not how it has played out.</p></div>
<div id="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region-article_instory_middle" class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-hidden-print"></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“Not one guide would pitch a fit about them, if their science had worked,” Victorine said.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Brian
Clemens operates Nor Cal Fly Guides on the Trinity River for nearly a
quarter of the year — although he said, similar to Victorine, that he
could book services in several other rivers. He cites similar complaints
to the experimental nature of the winter flows and their extent.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>One
of the primary disagreements Clemens says he holds with the objectives
of the winter flows is in trying to mimic natural flows with the storm
pulse. The dams in Trinity County are not going away, and trying to
manage the river like they are not there does not make sense.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“We
have a dam; it doesn’t matter what you do, you’re never going to be
able to mimic pre-dam historical flows,” Clemens said. The flows needed
to truly scour the river are unobtainable on the Trinity, he says.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“To
get the flows really needed would be 30,000 plus (cubic feet per
second) and the dam cannot release that much,” Clemens said. “It’s never
gonna happen.” He also added that the metrics used to judge what flow
rates are or are not fishable doesn’t mesh with what he feels is safe to
take clients out on, and it doesn’t fully take into account how much
flow different tributaries can add to the total flow further downstream.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Instead,
Clemens suggests following the 2000 “Record of Decision,” or ROD, the
foundational document for the restoration program.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>With
the constant and ongoing projects in the Trinity, Clemens said he does
not feel like the ROD has ever been fully followed. He said that after
following the ROD last year after the winter flows failed to be
implemented the juvenile fish this year have been larger than he has
seen in recent memory.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“Last year they followed ROD flows and I have never seen so many more big fat juveniles,” Clemens said.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p><strong>Not all disagree</strong></p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>While less vocal than others, some fishing guides say they are hopeful for the winter variable flows.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Dave
Neal, owner of Reel Adventures Guide Service, said that over the
weekend, Dec. 21-22, he had to cancel a trip on the Trinity with a
longtime annual client, but says that it is worth losing a few days on
the river if the winter flows and storm pulse synchronization work as
intended.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“It can be
frustrating to schedule and have to cancel, but it’s something we have
to work around,” Neal said, adding that heavy storms can cause
cancellations the same as increased flows from the dam.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Neal
agreed the current juvenile runs are looking better than they have in
many years, but says he thinks it might have to do with restoration
programs creating habitat for fish rearing finally paying off.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“Those fish came from somewhere,” Neal said. “They were spawned in tributaries and are now in the mainstem river.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“My
opinion is TRRP projects are finally gaining traction and we’re seeing
more juvenile recruitment,” Neal said, adding “I’m pretty bullish that
the future is going to be even better for these fish.”</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Travis
Michel, owner of Sweet Trinity Guide Service out of Lewiston, said he
also sees the merit of the winter flows, and said he is hopeful for
anything that might raise salmon numbers which have created a fishing
moratorium for the past two seasons.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“It’s worth losing a few days guiding in winter if it helps fish come back,” Michel said.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>“I
think this is going to end up helping the salmon in the long run,” he
said. “We haven’t been able to fish for salmon in two years.”</p></div>
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<span>Flows increasing in Trinity River</span>
</h1>
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<ul class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-list-inline"><li class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-hidden-print">
Dec 25, 2024</li></ul></span></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-share-container ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-content-above"><form method="post" class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-save-list-bbfc4c5c-c187-11ef-8aad-8f5c34cf6658-form ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-save-asset-to-list" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
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<div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-preview"><p>The
Bureau of Reclamation Central Valley Operations has approved the Trinity
River Restoration Program’s request to raise river flows on the Trinity
River from Lewiston Dam.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-preview"><p>Please
expect the following: The releases began the morning of Monday, Dec.
23, and peak at 6,500 cubic feet per second starting at midnight on
Wednesday, Dec. 25. Flows will slowly ramp down to 300 cubic feet per
second on Jan. 11.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>The
purpose of a synchronized flow is to use the power of a winter storm to
maintain and form river complexity. By combining dam releases with a
storm event, mainstem flows help to reduce the impact of sediment
deposited from tributaries like Deadwood Creek and recondition the
riverbed for prime salmonid habitat and food production.</p></div>
<div id="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region-article_instory_top" class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-hidden-print"></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>If you live along the river (or any tributaries), please make sure to move items from the river’s edge.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>If you would like to receive future Lewiston Dam change order notifications, sign up at <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/trinity-releases/boxsubscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/trinity-releases/boxsubscribe</a>.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>To contact the Trinity River Restoration Program: <a href="mailto:info@trrp.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">info@trrp.net</a> or 530-623-1800.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p><strong>Timing of Flow Thresholds for Water Year 2025 Synchronized Storm Event</strong></p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>Direction Date/Time Threshold</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>rising Dec. 23 8 a.m. 350</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>rising Dec. 24 2 a.m. 1,500 </p></div>
<div id="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region-article_instory_middle" class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-hidden-print"></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>rising Dec. 24 10 a.m. 3,000 </p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>rising Dec. 24 6 p.m. 5,000 </p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>rising Dec. 24 10 p.m. 6,000 </p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>peak Dec. 25 12 a.m. 6,500</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>descending Dec. 25 2 p.m. 6,000 </p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>descending Dec. 26 10 a.m. 5,000 </p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>descending Dec. 28 2 p.m. 3,000 </p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>descending Jan. 1 12 a.m. 1,500 </p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>descending Jan. 11 4 a.m. 300</p></div></div>**************************************************</div><div><br></div><div><h1 class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-headline">
<span>Yurok Tribe lawsuit dismissed</span>
</h1>
<div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-meta">
<span>
<ul class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-list-inline"><li><span class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tnt-byline">By Francisco Martínezcuello
California Local News Fellow
The Trinity Journal</span></li><li class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-hidden-print">
Dec 25, 2024</li></ul></span></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-share-container ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-content-above"><form method="post" class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-save-list-4031e118-c187-11ef-8ac3-aba15746a5db-form ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-save-asset-to-list" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">
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<div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-preview"><p>The Yurok Tribe lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has been dismissed.</p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-preview"><p>The
Yurok Tribe filed the lawsuit on Nov. 20, alleging violations of the
Endangered Species Act due to the federal agency’s operation of the
Trinity River District. The complaint focused on the harm to Southern
Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon, a federally threatened
species, caused by the Bureau of Reclamation’s water flow practices in
the Trinity River.</p></div>
<div id="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region-article_instory_top" class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-tncms-region ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-hidden-print"></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>But
that all changed when Yurok, Hoopa, and Reclamation all signed a
finding of no significant impact when it came to implementing winter
flows this year through an adaptative management agreement for the next
two water years.
(<a href="http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=55082" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=55082</a>) </p></div><div class="ydp27de3622yiv5009149879gmail-subscriber-only"><p>The Yurok Tribe voluntarily dismissed the case on Thursday, Dec. 12.</p></div></div><br></div>
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