Streamkeeper’s bLog – October 2021
Streamkeeper’s bLog – October 2021
Celebrate Good Times
A word from CalTrout’s ED, Curtis Knight
Happy Fall! With Autumn representing the harvest period of the year, it’s a time to acknowledge growth. Our organization has seen recent growth in staff, with four new employees all starting just this last month. It’s always a pleasure to welcome new people to the CalTrout family. Read more about our new staff members in the blog below.
We’ve also seen recent growth in our legislative, legal, and advocacy pursuits. Earlier this month, and at long last, the California State Water Board approved a comprehensive program to restore four key tributaries to Mono Lake. This represents a major milestone in the implementation of the Mono Lake Settlement and requires the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to implement this restoration program. The Water Board’s recent approval of the settlement ends decades of litigation, negotiations, and controversy.
In more collaborative success stories, CalTrout and partners gathered just north of Sacramento in mid-October to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for our shared vision of an ecologically functioning Sacramento Valley ecosystem. We see a new way forward that makes space for farms, fowl, and fish to all thrive without choosing between one or another.
And finally, just last week, CalTrout and partners experienced a major litigation victory for clean water protection nationwide. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in favor of fishing and recreation advocates and threw out (vacated) a Trump-era rule implementing section 401 of the Clean Water Act. As CalTrout’s Legal and Policy Director, Redgie Collins, explains, “the rule changes would have devastated California’s ability to manage its rivers. We are relieved hydroelectric projects must still comply with local and state rules to provide flowing water and protect fish.”
Kudos to our partners for making this work possible, and as always- to you our member base for supporting our efforts. Be on the lookout for more growth from CalTrout as we continue to make great strides in the conservation world.
Enjoy the changing season and be well.
Best,
