On Feb 26, 2021 Friends of the Eel River filed documents with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) challenging a Commission order of Jan 28, 2021 for violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) at Cape Horn Dam, a component of PG&E’s Potter Valley Project. FERC’s order approved a Winter Operations Plan for a newly installed … Read more
By Scott Greacen, FOER Conservation Director Over the last few years, Friends of the Eel River has been calling particular attention to summer steelhead in the Eel River. These extraordinary fish certainly deserve the spotlight. What makes their fascinating story of summer steelhead urgent today is the peril they face. If current trends continue, these … Read more
Recent scientific discoveries have validated the ancient knowledge that summer-run steelhead and spring chinook salmon are truly distinct from their winter- and fall-run cousins. The Karuk Tribe has filed a petition to list Klamath spring chinook, while FOER has petitioned to list Northern California summer steelhead, as distinct under the federal Endangered Species Act. FOER … Read more
An incredibly important paper by Friends of the Eel River’s long-time colleague Samantha Kannry and others has just been released. On the ecology and distribution of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in California’s Eel River is now available. Sam’s research has been critical to understanding where summer steelhead populations exist in the Eel River, and informing our … Read more
Maya Roe’s writing has appeared in the Pamlico Writers Group Anthology, Coffin Bell Journal, and other smaller publications. She is currently a student at College of the Atlantic where she studies human ecology with a focus on science communication. This piece is part of a collection of articles Maya is writing about salmon conservation for … Read more
Hi Friends, We are so thankful for all the generous support from our end of year fundraising campaign. Support from our community is crucial to continuing our important work protecting the Eel River and its fisheries. Our board and staff started off the new year with an exciting strategic planning session down in Willits along … Read more
The Eel River is on the brink of disaster, its ocean-going fish species threatened with extinction, its nurturing estuary diked, drained and diminishing. At the same time, this massive watershed in California’s northwest corner offers the state’s best hope of ensuring a future abundance of wild anadromous fish. This paradox of the Eel, California’s third … Read more
Two federal agencies are the target of a second lawsuit alleging they violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing up to 90 percent of juvenile Klamath River coho salmon to become infected by an intestinal parasite in 2014 and 2015. “Rather than taking action to improve river conditions to recover endangered coho salmon, NOAA Fisheries … Read more
A long-anticipated federal recovery plan for coho salmon in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon[1] was released in its final form this September. The plan says the continuing decline of the South Fork Eel River’s population of coho must be reversed, and the watershed’s runs recovered, to meet the Endangered Species Act’s goal of protecting the … Read more
Do you remember the snail darter? It’s a small member of the perch family whose status as endangered help to halt dam construction on Little Tennessee River in the 1970s. Despite being halted by the US Supreme Court, construction of the Tellico Dam was completed thanks to a sneaky move by congressional supporters. Often our … Read more