On October 5th, California Trout and the Foothill Conservancy hosted the “Wild and Scenic Celebration!” event in Volcano, CA. About 80 attendees came to watch the film “Run Wild, Run Free” by Shane Anderson, short videos by Michael Wier, and listen to live music from the Risky Biscuits.
With the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, we’d like to take a moment and recognize California Trout’s founding members Richard May and Joe Paul. Over 45 years ago, May and Paul were instrumental in helping pass the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act which has helped protect almost 200,000 miles of free-flowing rivers across our state.
It is with great pride that every year California Trout picks outstanding individuals who help carry on that legacy and award them with the Streamkeepers Award. This year we recognize and honor Katherine Evatt and Pete Bell of the Foothill Conservancy and Steve Evans of Friends of the River for their outstanding dedication to help designate 37 miles of the Mokelumne as the latest addition to the state wild and scenic network.
After a 10 years of hard work, the Mokelumne River was officially designated a Wild and Scenic River, signed into law on June 27, 2018 by Governor Edmund G. Brown, becoming the 12th river in our state with this protection status. The Mokelumne River offers critical, cold-water habitat for native salmonids. It is neither stocked nor managed as a fishery in any of the protected sections yet robust populations of wild trout persist in all of these reaches. This is a testament to the quality of the habitat and presence of cold, clean water.
Congrats again to Katherine Evatt and Pete Bell on receiving the Streamkeepers Award. Special thanks to our own Michael Wier for his involvement in the designation process and presenting the awards. Thank you to those of you who came out last Friday to the little town of Volcano CA to help us celebrate 50 years of Wild and Scenic Rivers. Cheers to 50 more years to come!
Sign up to hear from California Trout! CalTrout’s mission is to ensure healthy waters and resilient wild fish for a better California. Hear about our work and how to get involved through our monthly newsletter, The Streamkeeper’s Blog, “Trout Clout” action alerts, article from our e-magazine, The Current, event invites, and much more! We respect your privacy and will never sell or share your information with other organizations.
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.