We recently submitted a letter to Chuck Bonham, the director of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, requesting that his agency provide overdue stream flow studies and minimum flow recommendations to the State Water Resources Control Board. The State Water Board is in turn responsible for managing instream flows and rights to divert water. Maintaining … Read more
Three separate strains of fish – the Eel River strain of American River steelhead, the Coleman Hatchery steelhead strain and Central Valley hatchery steelhead of undetermined origin – are returning to the American River this year, as evidenced in a trip that I made to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery on January 30. The hatchery staff … Read more
Jon Holcomb is an old-time urchin diver with the leathery skin of a man who spends a lot of time on his boat. On a sunny morning in August, he motors out to a cove by the town of Mendocino, and squints across the water. “This was solid kelp,” says Holcomb. “When we first came … 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
By: Scott Greacen Originally published by Econews, August 2014 Responding to one of the most severe and persistent droughts in the history of California, state agencies are now moving to shut down water diversions that harm fisheries and wildlife, using a mixture of unusual and unprecedented measures. The State Water Board is issuing “curtailment notices” … Read more
…with logging activity on the decline across much of the region and a thriving black market for pot — plus state-sanctioned recreational marijuana sales in Washington and Colorado — the spread of cannabis cultivation is now seen by many environmentalists and government scientists as the greatest threat to forests and streams damaged by decades of … Read more
After two good falls, a disastrous summer for fish. This year presents a deadly challenge for fish in the Eel River. A very dry winter, little relieved by sparse, late rains, yielded low flows even in spring. Flows were very low even before summer brought very high temperatures inland. These facts alone raise concerns for … Read more
SHUTE MIHALY & WEINBERGER LLP 396 HAYES STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 T: 415 55 2-7272 F: 415 55 2-5816 www.smwl aw.com AMY J. BRICKER Attorney October 26, 2011 Via U.S. Mail and Electronic Mail Chuck Bonham, Director California Department of Fish and Game 1416 Ninth Street, 12th Floor Sacramento, CA 95814 via email … Read more