DVFF Conservation Opportunities
Here are the current opportunities for DVFF members to volunteer and participate in conservation events and programs. Where possible, the listed opportunity will contain a link to more detailed information. If you have a volunteer opportunity that you'd like the club to know about, please contact the Conservation Chair. (NOTE: Conservation is also one of the categories needed to achieve DVFF's Golden Trout Award.)
Fish Counting: The National Park Service is looking for help counting juvenile fish in Marin County's Redwood Creek. Volunteer opportunities require full-day commitments and are somewhat physical (wading, hauling nets, moving rocks, etc.). If you're interested (dates through September), please contact Michael Reichmuth and mention that you were referred to him through North Bay Trout Unlimited.
Friends of the Inyo Wilderness Stewardship Vacations: Friends of the Inyo, a group DVFF sponsors, has arranged three Wilderness Stewardship Vacations into the Eastern Sierra this summer. You walk in (mules carry the heavy stuff), help repair trails and campsites during the day, and have mornings and evenings to flick flies into nearby streams and lakes, returning by foot a few gratifying days later. Per person costs (with meals and cooking provided) are only $200-500. See FOI website for dates, locations, and details.
Golden Trout Project: The Golden Trout Project is a collaborative between CalTrout, Trout Unlimited, and the California Department of Fish & Game, all in an effort to preserve our state fish - the California Golden Trout. For the past several summers, volunteers have trekked high into the Sierra to collect genetic samples, photograph and measure fish and repair or replace cattle exclusion fencing (and maybe cast a fly or two). More information on the Golden Trout Project and how to volunteer can be found at the CalTrout Website.
If you want to sign up for or get additional information about any of these outings, call (925.820.7943), , or see Ted at the next club meeting.
Hot Issues...& What You Can Do
Suction Dredging - Good news! Governor Brown just signed Assembly Bill 120, extending the current moratorium on suction dredging for a few more years, although it can be over-ridden if DFG's research determines that such dredging is not deleterious. For the latest, see The Sierra Fund.
Fish Farming: For the low-down on ocean fish farming, see Food and Water Watch, particularly the pages Ocean Fish Farming Fact Sheet and H.R. 574: Protecting our Oceans, Coastal Communities and Consumers from Ocean Factory Fish Farming.
Clean Farms-Clean Water Campaign: A call to action has been issued from California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) regarding renewal of a special arrangement that agricultural interests have had with the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board (CVWQCB). According to CSPA, "Runoff from irrigated agriculture is identified as the largest source of pollution to Central Valley waterways and the Delta. This pollution is documented to be one of the principle causes of the collapse of Central Valley fisheries. Inexplicably, irrigated agriculture remains exempt from requirements to monitor discharges and identify measures implemented to reduce or eliminate pollution that have long been applicable to every other segment of society, from municipalities to industry to mom-and-pop businesses." The DVFF has signed-on to a letter to the CVWQCB from CSPA and other groups (click here to see final letter), but you can help, too, by any of the actions suggested below by CSPA:
- Circulate this information to other interested individuals and organizations.
- Submit comments to the Regional Board urging them to reject the proposed Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program Framework.
Comments on the recommended ILRP Framework can be sent electronically to Adam Laputz or mailed to the Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Region, 11020 Sun Center Drive, #200, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670; ATTN: Adam Laputz. Phone: (916) 464-4848; Fax: (916) 464-4645.
Pebble Mine at Bristol Bay, Alaska:
A huge open pit mine for copper, gold, and molybdenum is being proposed for an area at the headwaters of streams flowing into Bristol Bay, Alaska. Due to the nature of such mining, it would bring huge risks to this fragile environment and its flourishing fisheries. From Alaska's Trout Unlimited:
The sulfide nature of the ore body means that it will generate acid mine drainage which will seep into the surface and groundwater and kill fish. Pebble will generate billions of tons of toxic tailings. The toxic wastewater will have to be contained and treated into perpetuity. Mining companies are notorious for going bankrupt after extracting the targeted minerals from the earth, leaving taxpayers to pay for expensive cleanup, containment, treatment, and the loss of habitat. None of these risks are acceptable in Bristol Bay.
Commercial fishing, sport fishing, Native American, and environmental groups are allies in opposition to this mine. The proposed mine is currently in regulatory review by various state and federal agencies.
For more information, go to:
For advocacy and additional reading, see:
Conservation News, Information & Group Efforts
- Blue Ocean Institute: Online Seafood Guide (Sustainable fish), FishPhone app
- Delta Stewardship Council
- California Fisheries Network
- Striped Bass: Delta Villains?
- Walnut Creek Restoration Master Plan
- CSPA News
- 1% For The Planet: For a list of companies that donate 1% of their profits towards conservation causes, see the 1% For The Planet website and their great video.
Local Restoration Efforts
The Delta: Water, Fish & Farms, Oh My
- Big Player in Water Plan Pulls Out
- Ex-Bush Official: Obama Got It Right on Calif Fish
- Bay Area Coalition Calls Delta Plan a Water Grab
Genetically Modified Salmon
- This Genetically Altered Salmon Is No Fish Story
- GM food battle moves to fish as super-salmon nears US approval
Fish & Game Warden Stamp
In California, 385 Game Wardens patrol and protect 159,000 square miles of California's natural habitat.
The 2010 California Game Warden Stamp can now be purchased for $5 at DFG regional and licensing offices or by sending in this form (PDF). The inaugural stamp is a decal which can be proudly displayed to show your support for the work wardens do. All proceeds will be deposited into a special account and used to provide important tools for the 385 fish and game wardens statewide. Read more...
Organizations Making a Difference
Besides DVFF, there are lots of great organizations working hard to keep our streams clean, the fish happy, and development in riparian corridors in check. They educate, inform, twist arms of regulators, and roll rocks in streams. When gentle persuasion isn't working, some of these groups aren't afraid to sue the offenders. These organizations are local, regional, and national in scope, but all have one thing in common - they could use our help. One easy way to do so is by becoming a member. This list will grow over time; if you have another group you'd like DVFF members to know about, please let the Conservation Chair know.
- Alameda Creek Alliance
"Protecting and restoring the natural ecosystems of the Alameda Creek watershed" — This volunteer-based community watershed group works to restore native steelhead and salmon to Alameda Creek. - California Sportfishing Protection Alliance"
"Conserving California's fisheries" — Perhaps the go-to organization for information on all issues involving our fisheries. - California Trout
"Working to protect wild trout and steelhead waters throughout California" - Delta Science Center
"...a resource for the San Francisco Bay Delta and Watershed." — Providing solid data to improve decision-making in the Delta. - Fall River Conservancy
"...committed to preserving the lands, waters, and cultural heritage of Northern California's Fall River Valley." — Working hard to save an iconic river. - Federation of Fly Fishers
"Conserving. Restoring. Educating. Through Fly Fishing" — The networking glue that holds clubs together throughout the United States. Our local chapter is the Northern California Council. - Friends of the Creeks
A volunteer group whose focus is Walnut Creek and its tributaries. - Friends of the Inyo
"Exploration, preservation, stewardship" — Based in Lee Vining, Calif., this group keeps tabs on all aspects of the giant Inyo National Forest. Recently, they fought for (and won) preserving the Owens River headwaters as wilderness. - Friends of the River
"protects and restores California rivers by influencing public policy and inspiring citizen action" — Yes, their focus is on rafting, but with few exceptions, they come down on the same side of issues as we do. - The Nature Conservancy
"Protecting nature. Preserving life." — A national organization that purchases and protects important environments. Key projects in CA include the McCloud River Preserve, and the headwaters of Shasta Creek. - Putah Creek Trout
"Mission...to foster stewardship and improve the wild trout fishery in Putah Creek." — Supports our best, closest trout stream. - SPAWNERS
San Pablo Watershed Neighbors Education and Restoration Society, with a mission to protect the San Pablo Creek Watershed and inspire community appreciation and stewardship through advocacy, education, and habitat restoration. - Trout Unlimited (California)
"Protect, reconnect, restore, and sustain California's salmonoid fisheries, watersheds, their diversity, and their populations." — A national organization with seven active chapters in California. - United Anglers of Casa Grande
"...a Non-Profit Organization whose purpose is to promote environmental awareness through education and hands-on experience and to save a species from extinction." — An amazing success story at a high school in Petaluma. - Western Rivers Conservancy
"Sometime to save a river, you have to buy it." — Portland, Ore.-based organization protecting outstanding river ecosystems in the western United States, with projects in California. (On their website, don't miss the very cool trailer for the DVD, "Skagit Master").