After an over-whelming successful summer in 2013, and with continued support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, California Trout is ready to launch year 2 of the Hat Creek Youth Initiative (HCYI). The objective of CalTrout’s HCYI is to develop the next generation of watershed stewards who will care for California’s important natural resources. With over 100 hours of professional mentorship guidance from the USFS, BLM, CDFW, Pit River Tribe and other important partners, these students were provided with meaningful conservation work experience, tangible job-readiness skills and career guidance while working every day out at Hat Creek.
In 2014, the HCYI will spend the summer pulling invasive weeds, learning about watershed restoration, completing snorkel surveys, and giving back to their “neighborhood stream”. The HCYI crew will also spend one week with the BLM at Fitzhugh Creek revitalizing a 30 year-old restoration project; engaging students in the full-circle of restoration.
Want to follow what the group is accomplishing this summer? Check out our blog: www.hatcreekyouth.blogspot.com
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.