Clean drinking water is sacred to Californians – especially in light of our historic drought. Watersheds play a critical role in California’s supply system by providing clean, reliable water for the environment, communities, agriculture, and industry statewide. These water systems naturally collect, store, filter, and transport water.
Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law Assembly Bill 2480 that puts Sierra Nevada watersheds on par with built infrastructure for future water investments. “AB 2480 recognize[s] an essential truth: the natural water storage systems found throughout the Sierra Nevada are just as critical to our state’s water security as are dams, tunnels and aqueducts. It doesn’t matter how sophisticated our systems are for moving water to serve agriculture and urban users if there is no water available to move”, as stated by CalTrout’s Sierra Program Director, Dr. Mark Drew.
Click here to read Dr. Drew’s full editorial in the Bakersfield Californian newspaper discussing AB 2480 and how it will work to protect and restore our state’s source waters, naturally.
CalTrout actively pursues the protection of California’s precious waterways, and recognizes nature’s work to be as valuable as human-engineered parts of the state’s water infrastructure. Learn more about California Trout’s work to restore and ensure the health of Sierra Nevada headwaters here.
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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.