Advocacy

One of CalTrout’s major accomplishments has been achieving protection for the Golden Trout, the California state fish, through constant vigilance.

After six years of litigation led by CalTrout and a coalition of conservation organizations, Anheuser-Busch agreed to discontinue destructive grazing practices in the Golden Trout Wilderness. Ending these practices, which had destroyed the in-stream and riparian corridors of the South Fork of the Kern River and threatened the very existence of the California Golden Trout, was a major win for conservationists.

 

In its continued efforts to protect the state fish, CalTrout-led genetic sampling of Golden Trout beginning in 2004, and set the tone for a new era in conservation that provides innovative, science-based solutions. Genetic sampling enables researchers to estimate the level of hybridization with non-native trout and the amount of genetic diversity in a particular population. Hybridization can corrupt California Golden Trout’s native genes, which are highly evolved to the environmental conditions of the southern Sierra Nevada. Genetic diversity is important in native fish because it enables them to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

 

In 2007, as a result of the tandem restoration and scientific efforts embodied by the Golden Trout Program, CalTrout was awarded the Take Pride in America Award by the U.S. Department of the Interior. CalTrout and its partners in the project were honored in Washington, D.C. for “outstanding commitment to the stewardship of America’s public lands and natural and cultural resources.”

January 6, 2021

Golden Trout Wilderness Saved From Destructive Grazing

January 6, 2021
One of CalTrout’s major accomplishments has been achieving protection for the Golden Trout, the California state fish, through constant vigilance. After six years of litigation led…
January 6, 2021

Flows Restored From a Trickle on Trinity River

January 6, 2021
Following a Federal Court decision of 2000, an increase in flows to the Trinity River—from 16% to 50%—began in 2006. The Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP)…
January 6, 2021

Protecting the Eel River from Headwaters to Sea

January 6, 2021
A significant and long-fought victory for Eel River salmon and steelhead was won in 2004 when FERC issued an order amending PG&E’s 1983 operating license for…
January 6, 2021

Coho Salmon Receive California Endangered Species Protection

January 6, 2021
In addition to working to restore California’s native trout, CalTrout increased its efforts in the new millennium to protect the state’s salmon populations, who, like the…
November 11, 2020

Klamath Will Flow Free to the Sea

November 11, 2020
Decades of hard work and resilience on the part of more than 40 partner organizations—including CalTrout, the Karuk, Yurok, and Klamath Tribes, the states of California…
November 11, 2020

Caltrout Turns 50

November 11, 2020
Our roots at CalTrout are among passionate anglers concerned with the threats facing our state’s unique and awe-inspiring wild fisheries. But our impact serves everyone –…
November 10, 2020

Southern Steelhead Protected by Endangered Species Act

November 10, 2020
In 1996, CalTrout contributed to the development of the Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California. The following year, in response to a lawsuit by CalTrout…
November 10, 2020

Introducing the Steelhead Report Card

November 10, 2020
With their populations in decline, steelhead management became a focus of CalTrout’s conservation efforts, beginning in 1991 with the institution of the Steelhead Report Card. Data…
November 10, 2020

Heritage Trout Program

November 10, 2020
In 1998, CalTrout helped establish the Fish and Game Commission’s Heritage Trout Program to increase appreciation and improve management for California’s unique different native trout species…
November 10, 2020

Major Forestry Reforms

November 10, 2020
CalTrout’s efforts in the 1990s included an increased emphasis on protecting the forests and riparian environments surrounding trout waters. As a result, in 1994, major forestry…
Prev pageNext page