Conservation

A year's worth of excellent and revealing monthly editorials by Ron Forbes, Delta Fly Fishers Conservation Chair. The title of the article and a portion of the lead in paragraph have been copied to this page. The entire monthly article can be found by clicking on (continued) at the end of the lead in. Earlier monthly articles may be found in the club's monthly newsletter.

March 2013 - “Brazilian Waterweed, the plant that ate the Delta” and other NIS
Every month there is a problem in deciding about what issue in conservation is most is pressing and one that will be interesting and affects our clubs fishing experience. This month it was easy. The third week in February, I was watching a local newscast and saw a story about biology research students from the University of Nevada (UN) working with our Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) collecting non-native invasive species (NIS) at Lake Tahoe. They had located a group of 15 goldfish in a shallow area near shore. The fish were probably getting ready to spawn. (continued)

February 2013 - “Young Frankenfish,” a 2013 remake of the classic, “Young Frankenstein,” but this time it’s for real!
Last November's election had many interesting and complex issues decided by California voters. One that was particularly interesting was Proposition 37. Had it passed, California would have required that all genetically engineered (GE) food products would require mandatory labeling and prohibit labeling those foods as organic. Initially, polls showed Prop 37 passing. However, by November 3, the food and chemical industry and spent over $45.6 million on its "No on 37" campaign. The "Yes on 37" group had $8.7 million for its campaign and they lost. This was California's attempt to have its citizens know what they are eating. With the loss of Prop 37, you will not have any idea if you are eating GE or naturally produced foods. Up until now, only plants have been available as a GE food. That will probably change on the last week of February. (Continued)

January 2013 - Battle Creek... Where the salmon come from
My first attempt at steelhead fishing was with my father on Battle Creek 34 years ago. We took the Jelly's Ferry exit off I-5 past Red Bluff and drove about 14 miles to the old federal Coleman Fish Hatchery. After walking downstream about a quarter of a mile, we tied on Silver Hiltons, the hot fly that year, and waded into the creek past our waists and began casting. After quarter-casting for half an hour with no results, I was hit in my tush by something powerful. Two other fly fishers swear I came out of the water three feet straight up. As my father and the two convulsed in laughter, I looked around to see what had "attacked" me. It was a 20-25 lb. Chinook heading upstream to spawn. After my heart stopped pounding, I looked around to see between 12-15 other Chinook moving up stream. After getting bumped four or five more times, I learned to ignore the irritation. (Continued)

December 2012 - Finally, a river runs through it!
The San Joaquin River Restoration Project
For the last three years I have been Delta Fly Fisher's representative at the San Joaquin River Restoration Project (SJRRP) meetings held at U.C. Stanislaus in Turlock or at various federal facilities in Sacramento. The two committees I have served on are the Water Management and Fisheries Management Technical Committees. These committees are comprised of two groups. The first group is the technical staff and second are those who have a vested interest in the project such as those interested in the fisheries or those with interest in the water issues such as irrigation districts. When I began attending these meetings, I had no idea of the complexities involved in the restoration of the fall and spring run of chinook salmon, nor of the complexity involved in restoring a river that has been seriously neglected for over 60 years. (Continued)

November 2012 - Salmon make the vines grow!
We are getting to that time of year when the Chinook salmon and steelhead make their annual migration up the Mokelumne River. For the past few years I have made bi-weekly calls to the Mokelumne Fish Hatchery to find out how many fish have passed the fish counter at the Woodbridge Irrigation District and how many fish have been harvested for their eggs. On the first day of the new year, the Mokelumne opens again to fishing and the Delta Fly Fishers host our annual party open to all to celebrate a new year of fishing on the river and a look forward to a wet winter and a great coming trout season in the Sierras. At the end of the salmon- steelhead run, we look at this as the end of one cycle and the start of another. However, it is, in reality, the continuing of the gift the salmon give us. (Continued)

October 2012 - From non-issue to major issue in one day
Two months ago I got a telephone call from my son as he was driving home from work. Mark lives in Los Angeles and the freeway had turned into a parking lot. To pass the time, he turned on the radio to listen to a popular talk show who's host was interviewing an official from LA's Metropolitan Water District. The topic was why LA and the other cities in the southland need to support the building of the peripheral canal/tunnels. As the conversation went on, the host inquired how much this project would cost, and how much more water LA would be getting from the project. The district official didn't answer the question and evaded a direct answer. When the show's host pinned him down he finally admitted the southland will not be getting an increase in the amount of water it receives. After the interview was over the phone board lit up. People were furious that it will cost them $17 billion (not including debt service) for no gain in the amount of water received. What really enraged them was that the south San Joaquin Valley corporate agribusiness giants would be getting 75% of the water but will only pay for 25% of the project. (Continued)

September 2012 - Another Damn Dam
The 24-foot-high Daguerre Point Dam, owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was built on the Yuba River in 1906 to prevent hydraulic mining debris from washing into the Feather and Sacramento Rivers. The dam was equipped with two fish ladders in 1937 that Chinook salmon and steelhead have difficulty, under certain flow conditions, locating and navigating.
This last April I wrote an article on some of the issues the Yuba River was having. One of the problems was that the National Marine Fisheries Service ordered the Army Corp. of Engineers to help transport fish around both Daguerre Point and Englebright dams since the Corp. built the dams and effectively stopped fish passage. The Corp. has refused, saying its not in their mandate to do so. (Continued)

August 2012 - The gauntlet has been thrown ......
Wednesday, the 25th of this month, Gov. Jerry Brown and Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the Interior, made their anticipated announcement of their plans to proceed with the building of a peripheral canal. Although the announcement was expected, its time and location had been kept secret. Late Tuesday evening we found out that location of the press conference was to be held in the state's Resource Building. Although the Resource Building has an auditorium the will hold about 250 people, the announcement was held on the 11th floor in a room just large enough to hold Brown, Salazar, their staffs, and selected members of the press. As with previous major announcements of this proposed project only the select few were in attendance. (Continued

July 2012 -Shoveling Smoke
Sometime in the last two weeks of July, it is expected that Governor Jerry Brown and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will announce the proposed building of water conveyance tunnels (peripheral canal) around the east side of the Delta. It is expected that the system will have three intakes on the Sacramento River and take 9,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) from the river with a maximum capability of taking 15,000 cfs. Its difficult for most of us to visualize just how much water that is. To put it in perspective, the Sacramento River was flowing at approximately 8,000 cfs when our club fished for shad on the river early this June. (Continued)

June 2012 - A Different Delta And A Reality Check
During our monthly Board of Directors (BOD) meeting in April, the directors had a discussion of the Delta Fly Fishers concerns about our fisheries, conservation, and environmental issues. Our club has a long, positive history in these areas. Presently we are looking for projects in which our club can become involved. (Continued)

May 2012 - The problem is worse than we thought. (Ag chemistry)
Last year I wrote an article for Delta Fly Fishers newsletter regarding the request of farmers, farm coalitions, and farm bureaus to be granted yet another waiver of compliance with California's Clean Water Act. Unlike industry, business, and urban users, California farmers have enjoyed total exemption of compliance for the 7 million acres they farm for 30 years. The waiver was granted by the State Regional Water Quality Control Board (SRWQCB). (Continued)

April 2012 - The leftover dams on the Yuba, the continuing saga of HR 1837, the BDCP's fifth revision, update on suction dredging
Given our club's up coming trip to the Lower Yuba River, I thought this would be a good place to start this months conservation newsletter. In early March, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released their biological opinion that both Daguerre Point and Englebright Dam both pose a threat to the survival of salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon on the Lower Yuba River. Its has ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that (Continued)

March 2012 - A Major Victory for the Stripers, Nunes is at it Again and Revised Regs for Suction Dredging
On February 2nd Jerry Neuburger and I went to Sacramento to attend the California Fish and Game Commissioner's meeting regarding the Department of Fish and Game's (DFG) proposed regulation changes that would have eradicated the striped bass population in the Delta. We were representing the Delta Fly Fishers. As you will remember, the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta had sued DFG to increase the number of Stripers that could be caught and eliminate the existing size limit. (Continued)

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