Point of No Return

With the Green Rush and the drought colliding this summer, is it too late to save Humboldt’s watersheds?  Growers used an illegally dug spring to irrigate their crops at the scene of this marijuana growing operation uncovered by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office last summer. It’s July 2 and about 18 officials are sitting in … Read more

Mendocino Co. Supervisors OK Letter in Support of PV Diversion – FOER Responds

Read article on Ukiah Daily Journal website Read David Keller’s comment By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN Ukiah Daily Journal Updated:   05/07/2014 08:35:04 AM PDT The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved sending a letter to the federal agency that denied a request last month to briefly funnel more water through the Potter Valley Project to assist the … Read more

The Potter Valley Project Variance Dance: Drought and the Russian River Diversion

By: Scott Greacen April 18, 2014 New Rules for Drying Times? Serial Variance Requests Reveal Vulnerability of Eel River Fisheries to Demands from Russian River Irrigators The Eel River’s surviving salmonids—­chinook, coho, and steelhead—are struggling to come back from near-extinction. Good returns from 2010 to 13, particularly for chinook, felt like recovery might be getting … Read more

Sciences and Spirit can Save Rivers and Fish, Speakers Declare at FOER Symposium

Sustaining our ecosystem is like paddling a canoe, Strange, a former river guide, pointed out. “You have to know what happened upstream and where the rapids are, and you have to paddle together, stay balanced, and respect the river.” “Nothing is more scary and sensitive to landowners than questions about their water use,” said Stolzman. … Read more

Reduced Flows Approved for Eel and Russian Rivers

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, owners of the Pottery Valley Project have requested and been granted permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reduce flows to the main stem Eel River at Cape Horn Dam, from Lake Pillsbury at Scott Dam, and into the East Branch of the Russian River. This is a … Read more