Santa Clara River Steelhead Coalition Efforts Forge On
The CalTrout chaired Santa Clara River Steelhead Coalition has been extended from June 2015 through May 2017; with generous funds from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (FRGP), and additional support from The Rose Foundation, Marisla Foundation, Patagonia, Southern California Edison, and Friends of the Santa Clara River.
The Coalition will pursue six planning and/or implementation projects, such as the Harvey Diversion and 12th Street Infiltration Gallery Fish Passage Restoration Projects led by CalTrout (Read more about 12th Street below), as well as the Santa Clara River Estuary Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Feasibility Study (FRGP 2013); and, IRWM Prop 84 Arundo donax removal and riparian habitat restoration project (read more on that project here), led by Coalition members the Wishtoyo Foundation and University of California Santa Barbara Riparian Invasion Research Laboratory respectively.
A key recovery strategy has been and will continue to be outreach, education and community engagement. Further objectives of the renewal are to grow and strengthen the existing Coalition of partners. This will be done through a minimum of eight outreach events, from large-scale participation events to a hosted Water Talks Program; expanding on the Mount Shasta model, and sharing our lessons and projects at scientific conferences.
The Coalition is also pleased to announce it has secured its third California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program project to fund the 12th Street Infiltration Gallery Fish Passage Restoration Project
This project is located on the main-stem of the Santa Clara River – a “salmonid stronghold” that historically supported a steelhead run of 9,000 adults. CalTrout is working with a private diversion operator to replace a gigantic earthen diversion/sand berm; which irrigates local citrus orchards, with an infiltration gallery (essentially an enormous French drain comprised of a matrix of perforated pipes). The project is truly a “win-win” for environmental and agricultural stakeholders as it will restore fish passage, ensure reliable water infrastructure in this drought era, and reduce the landowner’s recurrent operational and maintenance costs to rebuild the diversion every year.
The Coalition hosts a webpage, Facebook Page and Twitter Account @SCRSC1, and will be producing a host of outreach materials and videos to support this strategy.
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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.