In the world of migratory fish, the plight of the salmon dominates the public’s attention and the research and recovery budgets of both federal and state wildlife agencies working in Southwest Washington.
There are more than 87,000 dams in America and, like most infrastructure, they go largely unnoticed — until something goes wrong. That was the case in and around South Carolina’s capital this week, when at least 20 dams collapsed during catastrophic floods. The number of dam breaches was rare. But to experts who monitor dam … Read more
Read Friends of the Eel River’s response to this article. The Eel River came close to reaching its lowest recorded flow reading near Scotia on Tuesday but is not expected to reach it any time this week due to Wednesday’s rainfall. On Monday and Tuesday, pressure flow gauges near Scotia recorded an average flow of … Read more
Dear Friends, You have all seen drastic changes taking place in our world. Locally, we are watching coho disappear from our community forever. Current damages to the Eel River watershed like illegal diversions, sediment discharges, and pesticide runoff are all adding up towards ruin. We must put a stop to these current and future impacts. … Read more
In July, roughly 1,000 rural Sonoma County residents overflowed classrooms and small meeting chambers at five informational sessions convened by the State Water Resources Control Board. It would be hard to exaggerate many attendees’ outrage. At one meeting, two men got in a fistfight over whether to be “respectful” to the state and federal officials … Read more
“The coho salmon (populations) have been pushed to the brink by logging,” Greacen said. “But they’re being pushed over the brink by weed.” The California Department of Fish and Wildlife helicopter circled over steep timberland in Humboldt County’s coastal mountains, prowling for potential water diversions and environmental damage caused by what is arguably the state’s … Read more
State agencies are currently assessing potential impacts to Scotia’s drinking water system after three separate incidents at the Humboldt Redwood Company sawmill caused water contaminated with woody materials to infiltrate into the town’s drinking water system on the Eel River. Other than an unpalatable taste, odor and a slight golden tinge, Scotia’s drinking water was … Read more
This short film from the producers of DamNation looks at the effects of four dams on the lower Snake River. It envisions how a future without those dams might bring back a resurgence of salmon to the area.
“In our fourth year of this historic drought, we have to find ways to protect our fisheries from the impacts of the driest years on record, and the devastating impacts of rogue marijuana grows. The combination of the drought and rogue grows have resulted in unprecedented damage to our state’s watersheds, they have put endangered … Read more
This afternoon, with an impassioned presentation outside the Humboldt County Courthouse, leaders of the political action group California Cannabis Voice-Humboldt (CCVH) unveiled a proposed land use ordinance aimed at regulating marijuana cultivation throughout the county’s unincorporated areas. …local environmental leaders remain skeptical about the ordinance and the process through which it has developed. One of … Read more