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Eel River Forum Tackles Issues Facing One Of California’s Great Rivers

May 7, 2013 Leave a Comment

While individuals and groups have been working to restore California’s Eel River for decades, CalTrout’s North Coast Manager Darren Mierau has added the organization’s horsepower to the fight with the formation and launch of the brand-new Eel River Forum — a group created to:

“Coordinate and integrate conservation and recovery efforts in the Eel River watershed to conserve its ecological resilience, restore its native fish populations, and protect other watershed beneficial uses. These actions are also intended to enhance the economic vitality and sustainability of human communities in the Eel River basin.”

“The Eel River is an amazing place” said Mierau. “But its native fish populations never recovered from the bad practices of the past.”

“The Eel drains 2.3 million acres and the potential is enormous, yet native fish populations are typically only 3% of their historic numbers. We think that we can work with all the stakeholders and build a better Eel.”

Eel River Delta

The Eel River

According to the story printed in the Redwood Times, public interest in the forum is high:

ERF, a coalition of public agencies, conservation groups, tribes, and other stakeholders concerned about fisheries on the Eel River, rotates the site of its monthly meetings. Its previous meeting in Benbow on Jan. 23 drew nearly 40 members of the public.

The Eel River Forum’s 21 Charter Members include many groups who have been working on the Eel for years. Charter members include:

  • California Trout
  • CA Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • CA State Parks
  • Coastal Conservancy
  • Eel River Recovery Project
  • Eel River Watershed Improvement Group
  • Environmental Protection Information Center
  • Friends of the Eel River
  • Friends of the Van Duzen River
  • Humboldt County Resource Conservation District
  • Mendocino County Resource Conservation District
  • National Marine Fisheries Service
  • North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
  • Pacific Gas and Electric Company
  • Potter Valley Irrigation District
  • Round Valley Indian Tribe
  • Salmonid Restoration Federation
  • Sonoma County Water Agency
  • US Bureau of Land Management
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service
  • US Forest Service
  • Wiyot Tribe

Currently, CalTrout’s Mierau is most involved in the the Eel River Estuary Preserve project, the Bridge Creek railroad crossing removal, Salt River and PG&E’s Potter Valley project.

CalTrout is also hosting an Eel River Forum mini-site here, where you’ll find updates on the progress of the group.

Filed Under: North Coast, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With:

After Two Dry Months, California’s Waterpack Swings From Feast To Famine

February 28, 2013 Leave a Comment

A warm early winter storm and record-setting Holiday snowfall put California’s snowpack at 150% of normal at the turn of the year, but the driest January and February on record have moved the pendulum the other way — the snowpack is now only 63% of normal.

With little in the way of precipitation in the forecast, it’s clear that California’s water users — and its steelhead, salmon and trout — could be facing a painful, low-water year (from the SacBee):

If February concludes without additional storms — and none are expected — the northern Sierra will have seen 2.2 inches of precipitation in January and February, the least since record-keeping began in the region in 1921.

That is well below the historical average of 17.1 inches.

And,

The prospects for more rain this winter are not good. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center released a long-range forecast on Feb. 21, saying that the odds favor dry conditions across California and the Southwest through May.

Fortunately, it’s too early for fishermen to panic; California has experienced heavy late precipitation the last few years, and while you never want to find yourself counting on late storms to prop up a sub-par snowpack, it’s possible.

Should the water situation not improve dramatically, expect California’s reservoirs to end the rainy season far below capacity, leaving the water users and fish to deal with the consequences of too many promises for too little water.

Filed Under: California Water, Eastern Sierra, Mount Shasta, North Coast, Northern Sierra, Southern California Tagged With:

A CalTrout Interview: North Coast Regional Manager Darren Mierau

February 27, 2013 1 Comment

Editor’s Note: CalTrout’s Regional Managers are at the heart of CalTrout’s accomplishments; they make the calls, visit the sites, attend the meetings, protect the rivers, negotiate when they can, fight when they can’t, and generally show up for work wearing a big red “S.”

We think it’s time you met them.

Accordingly, enjoy the first in a series of interviews with our Regional Managers.

Meet Darren Mierau

Tell us a little about yourself and your region.

I’m Darren Mierau and I manage California Trout’s North Coast region, which stretches roughly from the Russian River north to the Smith River. I’d say the heart of the region revolves around the Smith River, Redwood Creek, the Trinity River and the Eel River.

Darren Mierau

CalTrout North Coast Manager Darren Mierau.

There are some truly amazing rivers on the Mendocino coast, but I’m focused on the rivers like the Trinity and Eel where CalTrout’s biggest opportunities lie. They hold a lot of potential for recovering salmon and steelhead populations.

I can say this: I work in a beautiful part of the world.

What are the critical issues facing the North Coast region?

Two issues that consume much of my time are the Trinity River restoration and our work on the Eel River, which is really picking up momentum.

The Trinity River is a story that many are familiar with; starting in the early 1960s, up to 90% of the Trinity’s flows were diverted south, and it took 38 years to get even some of that water back.

Now we’re in the midst of one of the largest steelhead and salmon restoration program in the State, and while that’s generally moving along, some stakeholders — including me — have concerns that the Program is veering away from how it was originally envisioned.

The Eel River is occupying a lot of my attention. CalTrout’s leading the development of the Eel River Task Force, a recognition of the fact the Eel is a huge watershed with some issues that are too complex for any one agency or organization to address. We have to work together to make critical decisions about how to allocate limited resources to achieve the most progress toward species recovery and protection.

I’m working with stakeholders on several projects: the Eel River Estuary Preserve project, the Bridge Creek railroad crossing removal, Woodman Creek Fish Passage Project, and eventually PG&E’s Potter Valley Project to name a few.

Some projects — the Bridge Creek barrier removal — will have an immediate impact by opening up more habitat.

Other projects — like the Estuary Preserve — are more of a blank slate. The results could be spectacular, but a lot needs to be done.

The Eel has enormous potential — it drains about 3,684 square miles — yet it has suffered so much from poor logging practices and the floods of the 50s and 60s, from which it’s never really recovered. Today’s Chinook, steelhead and coho runs are in the 1% to 10% range of historic numbers.

I’m really looking forward to seeing it come back to life.

What are the long-term issues facing the north coast region?

Many of the projects I’m working on today will be the same projects I’m working on a few years from now. Some — like the Bridge Creek and Woodman Creek railroad crossing removal — will go quickly, but restoring the Eel River and Trinity River are long-term prospects.

Tell us about your favorite place in your region – where you’d send visitors to the area.

The South Fork Smith River is as beautiful as any place in the state, and the steelhead fishing can be good. The Mattole is also beautiful, and its steelhead fishery is coming back.

The whole Mendocino Coast is awesome. I hope to expand my program out there in the near future.

Filed Under: CalTrout People, North Coast, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With:

Trinity Salmon Redd Counts Looking Very Promising…

November 9, 2012 Leave a Comment

For a time, 90% of the Trinity River’s water was being diverted for agricultural use, and the river’s salmon and steelhead runs suffered accordingly.

The current restoration effort put a little water back in the river and launched habitat restoration projects, and in a record salmon year, we’re seeing a lot of salmon redds appearing in the Trinity:

Trinity Redds Graph

It’s looking good for Trinity salmon restoration…

Stay tuned; if we get more graphs we’ll post them.

For now, Enjoy the numbers — and perhaps the fishing too.

 

Filed Under: News, North Coast, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With: ,

Feds Detail Central Coast Coho Recovery Plan

September 10, 2012 Leave a Comment

California’s coho salmon are in dire trouble, especially along the central coast, where they’ve all but disappeared.

The NOAA plan is not only significant in scope, it’s also apparently extraordinarily detailed (from the Santa Cruz Sentinel):

Meeting in Scotts Valley, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday detailed a road map to restore the legendary fish to local streams, slipping from the mountains to the sea for millions years before all but disappearing during the post-WWII era. And with it came a warning that the time for action is short.

“The situation south of the Golden Gate is dire,” warned Jon Ambrose, a NOAA biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Once found in more than a dozen rivers between San Francisco and Aptos, Coho are now found in two: Scott Creek and San Vicente Creek. The population ran into the hundreds of thousands during the 1940s; it is now listed as an endangered species.

The highly detailed recovery plan includes scores of recommendations and a detailed analysis of specific rivers. It covers proposed legislative and regulatory changes, pollution control practices, road and sewer management, monitoring and much more.

It calls for specific activities, such as felling trees into rivers to bolster habitat, restoring estuaries, reducing nitrate discharges from stables and even working with the Santa Cruz Seaside Co. to come up with a way to keep litter from drifting from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk into the San Lorenzo River.

The full 24-page executive summary is found at the bottom of the article, and it includes many of the habitat improvements (large woody debris, etc) championed by CalTrout in restoration projects (and legislation like the Coho “HELP” act).

NOAA coho salmon restoration plan

The NOAA coho salmon restoration plan (click image for document)

Filed Under: Mount Shasta, News, North Coast, Southern California, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With:

The Coho Salmon “Help” Act Passes California Assembly, Heads For Governor’s Desk

August 28, 2012 Leave a Comment

Preventing the extinction of California’s fast-disappearing coho salmon populations is the goal of AB 1961, which just passed the State Assembly and is headed for the Governor’s desk.

Authored by Jared Huffman (San Rafael), the bill speeds permitting of voluntary habitat improvements for California’s fast-failing coho salmon, and will help landowners quickly provide habitat improvements for these iconic fish (from Huffman’s web page):

Coho salmon have virtually disappeared in some areas of California; in other areas they are teetering on the brink of extinction. AB 1961, the Coho Salmon Habitat Enhancement Leading to Preservation Act (Coho HELP Act) could be a vital step towards arresting that slide. It empowers the California Department of Fish and Game to use a one-stop process for approving immediate on-the-ground habitat restoration projects proposed by governmental and non-governmental partners to aid California’s struggling coho salmon populations.

“Coho salmon cannot afford to wait and neither can the communities where these restoration projects would provide much needed jobs,” said Huffman. “This bill lets us work together in a new way so that immediate actions can yield near-term results.”

CalTrout’s Conservation Director Curtis Knight said:

“Declining coastal salmon populations need immediate attention,” said Curtis Knight, Conservation Director for California Trout. “These fish need abundant water. They need access to spawning habitat. And they need wood in the streams to create shelter and cool, deep pools. AB 1961 will help us and our partners provide some of these basic needs in our coastal streams.”

California’s coho salmon stocks face a host of challenges; AB 1961 will simply make it easier to solve some of them more quickly than before.

California Coho Salmon

Coho salmon spend a year in fresh water, so they require deep, cool habitat to survive.

For more information, visit Jared Huffman’s web page.

Filed Under: Legislation, North Coast, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With: , ,

San Francisco Presentation of: Pesticides, Endangered Salmon, and the Fight for California’s Last Wild River

June 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

Celebrating the Life of California’s Last Wild River

On June 30, award-winning journalist and activist Greg King tells us why we should care about the Bay Area’s “Wild Back Yard” in a presentation titled:

Pesticides, Endangered Salmon, and the Fight for California’s Last Wild River

His presentation will be followed by a special appearance of performer/songwriter Joanne Rand

WHERE
Royce Gallery, 2901 Mariposa Street, San Francisco

WHEN
Saturday, June 30. Doors: 7:30, presentation 8 p.m. Music 9 p.m.

TICKETS
Only $15, available here.

The Smith River Flyer

Click to learn more about the San Francisco presentation about Celebrating the Life of California’s Last Wild River)

Click Here for a .PDF Flyer

Filed Under: North Coast, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With: ,

CalTrout Making Waves on North Coast’s Eel River

May 24, 2012 Leave a Comment

California’s Eel River needs help. It’s suffering the effects of decades of habitat destruction (fish populations have yet to recover from the disastrous 1964 floods, which were driven in part by logging), and CalTrout’s North Coast Manager Darren Mierau has made the Eel one of his priorities.

Currently, the Eel River suffers from:

  • Depressed chinook, coho and steelhead populations, which are about 3% of historic numbers
  • Resource management that’s fragmented among three groups
  • The lingering effects of logging and tributary blockage by railroad culverts
  • Potential listings under the ESA for chinook salmon, coho salmon, and winter & summer steelhead

CalTrout is leading the Eel River Estuary Preserve Project, which promises to restore one of the Eel’s critical southern estuary — including critical wetlands habitat restoration.

These wetlands — drained upwards of a century ago for agricultural use — fall within the boundaries of the Wildlife Conservancy’s 1,100 acre Eel River Estuary Preserve, and CalTrout is the lead entity in the FRGP grant application.

In addition, we’re asking the North Coast Rail Authority for permission to remove two of their railroad crossings that are barriers to fish migration. These non-operating railroad crossings are strong barriers to salmon migration, yet the rail authority has never conceded the idea the railroad will never operate again.

More to come on the Eel River.

Filed Under: North Coast, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With:

Friends of the Eel River Holding The Eel River Symposium, April 14 (Fortuna, CA)

March 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
Eel River Symposium

The Eel River Symposium, April 14 (click image for info)

Filed Under: North Coast, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With:

CalTrout Supports Salmon Protection Through Higher Smith River Flows

March 14, 2012 Leave a Comment

The Smith River remains one of California’s most pristine rivers, and it supports good salmon and steelhead runs — both of which are highly sought after by fishermen.

To protect salmon populations, existing fishing regulations only allow fishing on the entire river if flows rise above 400cfs (below 400cfs, fishing is only allowed from Rowdy Creek to the mouth).

Last fall, river flows hovered at 450cfs, and while the whole river was open to fishing, there were a lot of reports to Fish & Game of intentional snagging (some call it “tightlining”) of salmon.

With flows so low, salmon are easy to see and snag, and Fish & Game wardens said enforcement was problematic due to the size of the river and the diffculty proving somone was intentionally snagging fish.

CalTrout backs a proposed solution which would raise “fishing” flows (for the whole river) to 600cfs — a proposal which will be heard at the April Fish & Game Commission meeting in Eureka.

“I’ve been listening to the fishermen and other advocates and trying to determine what’s best for the fish and for the anglers” said CalTrout North Coast Regional Manager Darren Mierau.

“We’re definitely in support of changing the river flow closures from 400 cfs to 600 cfs, which better protects salmon.”

Filed Under: North Coast, Steelhead & Salmon Tagged With: , ,
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