Streamkeeper’s bLog – June 2019

June 30, 2019

Feeling the Heat

A word from CalTrout’s ED, Curtis Knight

It was just summer solstice here in California. And around the Northern Hemisphere, the days are at their longest and the temperatures continue to rise. In San Francisco a couple of weeks back the mercury hit 100 degrees! Unheard of (it was literally a record for the hottest temps ever recorded at SFO for June 10th). Up north in Mt. Shasta we were also feeling the heat, but thankfully we have the cool, spring-fed waters of the Pit, McCloud, Fall River, Hat Creek, and the Upper Sacramento to wade in for a respite.

Back in the office, we’ve been working on keeping you informed about our latest and ongoing projects. To that end, most of you will have recently received our latest edition of the Watershed Review in the mail. To help you get even closer to our work in a dynamic, interactive way, we have also compiled news of the latest and greatest into our quarterly e-news magazine, The Current, to bring our projects to life online through words, images, and videos.

The latest edition of The Current features a cover story by Drew Braugh, Program Director of our Mount Shasta/Klamath Regional Office, on the misguided effort by the Army Corps of Engineers to explore the possibility of raising Shasta Dam

At CalTrout, we believe it’s time to take obsolete dams out and not build others higher. While we recognize the need for sensible water management projects and hydropower as part of the sustainable energy mix, we continue to target for removal dams that have outlived their usefulness and which represent one of the greatest threats to the survival of California’s native salmonids.

With climate change contributing to longer, hotter summers and wetter winters, we need innovative solutions to address the water challenges of the future. California’s salmon and steelhead are already living at the southernmost end of their native range and are among the species most sensitive to a changing climate.

Entering the dog days of summer it’s important to remember, as we all seek a break from the heat, that the fish we all love are also in desperate need of protected sources of cold, clean water in order to survive.

Sincerely,

CURTIS SIG

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MEET THE AUTHORS

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.

Streamkeeper’s bLog – June 2019

U P C O M I N G E V E N T

Science on Tap: Staying Flexible in a Complex World – A Look into Lamprey

MEET THE AUTHORS

Streamkeeper’s bLog – June 2019

Streamkeeper’s bLog – June 2019

Feeling the Heat

A word from CalTrout’s ED, Curtis Knight

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