Streamkeeper’s bLog – June 2023

October 20, 2023

A word from CalTrout’s ED, Curtis Knight

June was a big month for us!

After over twenty years of work with so many others, including the amazing leadership of the Yurok and Karuk tribes in particular, I got to tour the removal of Copco 2 Dam this week—or I should say the dam formerly known as Copco 2. It was stunning and surreal to see the dam almost entirely gone. This is the smallest and first of four dams to be removed from the Klamath River, with Iron Gate, Copco 1, and JC Boyle all slated for removal next year. I was struck by the beehive construction and deconstruction activity taking place along stretches of the Klamath River from Iron Gate up to the Copco in part to remove Copco 2, but also to set the stage reservoir drawdown in January 2024 and the removal of the remaining three dams. Work has started and won’t stop until the Klamath is a free flowing river in the fall of 2024. Our latest Current cover story shares why this was such an emotional and imperative moment for so many. And we continue our “Dams Out” work to remove an additional 13 deadbeat dams in 5 other watersheds to enhance our ecosystems, watersheds, fish populations, and communities.

We had another historic event on June 15^th when we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the Scott River Valley. Representatives from the Yurok Tribe, CalTrout, and Farmers Ditch Company convened at the Scott River Ranch to sign the MOU and shared a celebratory meal of salmon and organic beef raised in the Scott Valley. This unconventional group of stakeholders agreed to pursue collaborative projects “that provide landscape-scale benefits for fish and wildlife and farms.” Upon attending this event, I was struck by the connection we all felt to the land, the tributaries, the fish, and one another. We hope this partnership will continue to grow and build.

This summer our staff is getting after it, out there implementing projects in California’s amazing rivers from San Diego to the Oregon border and from the ocean to the Eastern Sierra. Hopefully, you can get out and enjoy this amazing state this summer too.

Curtis

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 2023

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

Trinity Steelhead Fishing Trip

MEET THE AUTHORS

Streamkeeper’s bLog – June 2023

Streamkeeper’s bLog – June 2023

A word from CalTrout’s ED, Curtis Knight

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