Next Water Talk planned for Yreka

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Meadow Barr, 530.859.1411

First 2012 “Water Talks” program focuses on Local Watershed Successes in Siskiyou County

Yreka, CA — The public is invited to an educational panel presentation about local watershed successes featuring four watershed scientists working in Siskiyou County. The Water Talks series are informal, informational gatherings which are free and open to the public.

What: Local Watershed Successes in Siskiyou County: Putting Watershed Pieces Together
When: Tuesday March 27th 2012 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: The Yreka Community Center (810 North Oregon Street in Yreka)

The first Water Talks to be held in Yreka is on the topic “Putting Watershed Pieces Together in Siskiyou County” and will feature presentations from:

• Dr. Sari Sommarstrom, Watershed Consultant, on “Successes in Watershed and Water Management”
• Megan Wargo, Conservation Director of the Pacific Forest Trust on “Working Forest Conservation Easements,”
• Environmental engineer Lisa Unkefer of AquaTerra Consulting on “Tailwater Management and Springs Monitoring,”
• Dr. Jennifer Silveira, USFWS habitat restoration biologist on “Floodplain Restoration in the Yreka Creek Watershed.”

First Yreka Water Talk

“The purpose of our Water Talks program is to provide a place for people to learn about water-related topics,” explained Curtis Knight, Conservation Director for California Trout. “Water Talks provide information and education from a diverse range of perspectives so attendees can form their own opinions,” he said.

“Water talks provides a great opportunity for fair, balanced and honest discussion about a topic that is critically important to all of us, and one where people of all persuasions and opinions can participate,” said Dave Webb of Shasta Valley RCD and a past presenter at Water Talks.

“We started the Water Talks program in 2008 with presentations held in Weed, Mount Shasta, Dunsmuir and McCloud on Mount Shasta’s unique geology, hydrology and ecology” said Water Talk program coordinator Meadow Barr.

“In 2011 we held a successful series of Water Talks in Mount Shasta on the topics of Climate, Water and Forests, California Water Law and Policy, Local Fish and Fishing, Land Management and Restoration, and Agriculture in Siskiyou County.”

To date, 31 presenters representing federal and state agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations, community groups, Tribes, local government, academic institutions, farmers, ranchers, and private business have volunteered their time to participate in Water Talks.

“We look forward to expanding the program regionally with our first Water Talks in Yreka” said Barr.

Water Talks are an ongoing series of informational and educational presentations with local and regional experts sharing their knowledge with the public on a range of water related topics.

The purpose of Water Talks is to provide a place to learn about water related topics. Water Talks is a project of California Trout. California Trout is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring California’s wild trout, steelhead, salmon and their waters throughout California.

For more information contact Meadow Barr, California Trout Outreach Coordinator at 530-859-1411 or mbarr@caltrout.org.