Podcasts about caltrout

PG&E's announcement in 2019 that it would decommission the Potter Valley Project led to years of uncertainty. Stakeholders in the Eel River and the Russian River Basin struggled to agree on a common vision for what would happen after the dams were removed. A new memorandum of understanding, announced this week, between the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, Humboldt County,  Sonoma County, the Sonoma County Water Agency, CalTrout, Trout Unlimited, the Round Valley Indian Tribes, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife represents a big step forward.

Curtis Knight has worked for CalTrout since 2000, he is currently their Executive Director. He has been working on removal of obsolete dams along the Klamath River which will open up fish passage to over 400 miles of potential spawning and rearing habitat. In this episode you will learn about the Klamath dams and their history and why the dams need to be removed. You will hear about Mcloud river fishing and why the trout there do not eat dries. Curtis talks about water rights for major California cities, the native tribes around Mt. Shasta, and the different strains of fish that enter the river throughout the year.  From CalTrout:Project DescriptionKlamath Dam removal stands out as one of the most promising salmon recovery opportunities in the history of California Trout. Since 1917, the four Klamath Dams have blocked access to hundreds of miles of salmon and steelhead productive habitat. It has diminished the productivity of the Klamath River and its tributaries, blocked spawning grounds, and blocked off cold source water. Beyond loss of habitat, Iron Gate Dam now serves as a giant heat sink that creates water quality problems, including toxic algae blooms. The decommissioning and removal of the Klamath Dams not only makes economic sense, but would greatly benefit the Klamath-origin salmon fisheries and all other Klamath Basin public resources that have been adversely affected by these dams over the past century. CalTrout is working with more than 20 conservation partners and tribes to facilitate a FERC license transfer to KRRC followed by the removal of the four dams and restoration of the river. Support this podcast Produced by Jason Reif Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob first came across the work of Dr. Jacob Katz in the book Upstream by Langdon Cook. The chapter was titled “Make Way for the Floodplain Fatties”. Cook detailed research by CalTrout that showed salmon grew larger when feeding in flooded rice fields along the Sacramento Delta. Jacob Katz holds a PH.D. in ecology at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. He currently directs CalTrout's Central California region where his work focuses on redesigning California's antiquated water infrastructure. The Nigiri Project mission is to “Scientifically demonstrate that productivity created by shallow inundation of floodplains is foundational to supporting self-sustaining populations of fish and wildlife in the Central Valley.” Rob and Dr. Katz discuss all things salmon living in an altered environment along the California coast. They talk everything from conservation, geology, and tacos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Dave Schlom is joined by the Executive Director of California Trout, Curtis Knight, to talk about the conservation organization and its regional restoration projects across the state.

A new agreement signed by California Trout, the Farmers Ditch Company, and the Yurok Tribe with Mike Belchik of the Yurok Tribe, Gareth Plank from FDC, and Damon Goodman from CalTrout.

December 29, 2022 — The license for the Potter Valley Project is undergoing a variety of considerations. As PG&E prepares its plan for decommissioning the inter-basin hydropower project that diverts water from the Eel River into the Russian River, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, announced that it is considering reopening the license. That means that, although it granted PG&E an annual license in April, it's thinking about adding requirements for a number of wildlife protection and habitat monitoring measures that were proposed in March by the National Marine Fisheries Service, another federal regulatory agency. PG&E argues that the decommissioning process will provide plenty of opportunity to review protective measures, and that there's no evidence of harm to embattled salmon. But FERC appears to have taken notice of legal threats by environmental groups claiming the project violates the Endangered Species Act. FERC has accepted comments for and against the proposed reopening of the license, and PG&E has pledged to submit its decommissioning documents by January of 2025. By that time, the project may technically be under new ownership. This month, PG&E asked FERC to allow it to transfer a list of hydropower projects to a new Delaware-based LLC called Pacific Generation, writing that the transfers “are part of a broader corporate reorganization being undertaken to facilitate raising equity for PG&E's utility needs.” PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno noted in an email that, “Nothing will change for Potter Valley or the decommission process. Pacific Generation LLC will be a majority-owned subsidiary of PG&E, which will own other PG&E hydropower facilities as well as natural gas power plants and some solar arrays and battery storage. It was not created just for (the) Potter Valley Project.” PG&E assured FERC that it plans to “remain the majority and controlling owner of Pacific Generation;” and that its employees “will continue to operate and maintain the assets…just as they do today.” The restructuring would have to be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) , which in 2023 will also set the rates for the next four years. In September, PG&E requested that CPUC expedite the process, completing testimony, hearings, and filing of briefs by May first. Mark Toney, the Executive Director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, a ratepayer advocacy group, said TURN is “opposing the deal strenuously.” One of TURN's many worries is that if PG&E goes bankrupt again, its assets could be out of reach of settlements. TURN filed an objection to PG&E's proposal and the request for expediting the proceeding, declaring that, “this application benefits shareholders, and an expedited schedule would only serve to benefit shareholders…not avoid ratepayer harm.” TURN also asked if it was reasonable for PG&E to indemnify Pacific Generation for wildfire damages caused by PG&E's equipment, writing that “The Commission should examine whether this would result in an unreasonable transfer of risks.” Environmentalists are concerned, too. Redgie Collins is legal counsel for California Trout, one of the groups that filed a notice of intent to sue PG&E for harming endangered species. Collins is also a steering committee member of the Hydropower Reform Coalition, a statewide consortium of environmental groups dedicated to “restoring environmental and recreational values at hydropower projects presently being relicensed,” according to its website. The licenses for three of the 21 hydropower plants PG&E wants to transfer to Pacific Generation are being surrendered, while seven are up for renewal. Collins suspects that PG&E is “trying to sneak bad assets into its portfolio,” in part by overstating how viable they are. In its transfer application to FERC, PG&E wrote that Potter Valley is a 9.4-megawatt project, though it hasn't generated any power since a transformer broke down over the summer. Earlier this year, Moreno said the utility expected to recoup the unspecified costs of replacing the failed equipment within five years. But by mid-December, PG&E filed a brief update with FERC, stating that, “PG&E is currently in the process of considering long-term planning associated with Power Generation's portfolio. As a result, numerous projects are being reassessed to ensure resources are utilized prudently, including the Potter Valley transformer replacement project.” Collins also speculates that if the transfer is approved, the company could raise debt on some of its projects. The utility insists that the transfer should enable Pacific Generation to issue debt at lower rates than PG&E, but TURN worries that “the total amount of debt could very well increase as a result of this transaction.” One thing is certain: ratepayers will cover the costs of decommissioning. Mark Pocta, a program manager at the Public Advocate's Office at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), doesn't believe the transfer would make much of a difference from a regulatory perspective. PG&E would still be regulated on a cost of service basis, and he does not believe that the rates would be set any differently if the assets are held by a subsidiary. The Public Advocate's Office is an independent group within the CPUC that is charged with representing the interests of ratepayers. Its members participate in proceedings, but they do not set rates or make decisions. Pocta noted that the cost of decommissioning hydropower plants is “typically funded through rates;” but that no money has been set aside for the purpose, because when hydro projects were built, there was an assumption that they had economic value. Before the Potter Valley license expired in April of 2020, PG&E tried hard to sell it. And a regional coalition tried unsuccessfully to drum up enough money to pay for the studies that were required to take over the license. Even without the costs that could accrue if FERC orders additional environmental monitoring and mitigation measures, PG&E estimates that decommissioning the project could cost $93 million in 2020 dollars. CalTrout estimated that it could cost between $133-$155 million. Pocta said a stipulation to set aside $48 million per year for the next four years to decommission Potter Valley and Battle Creek, a hydropower project in Shasta county, will come before the CPUC at its general rate case hearings in 2023. Decommissioning hydropower projects isn't something that happens frequently, so there are no set procedures in place. But Pocta remembers when plans to decommission another set of dams first got underway: Klamath, he remembers thinking, will take longer than ten years.

Bernard Yin celebrates the struggle between diverse interests. Fly Fishing, Music, Surfing and the great outdoors. Let's start with the fishing: Bernard had a great mentor: Andre Puyans of Northern California's legendary Creative Sports Fly Shop. Decades later he worked at the Fishermens Spot in Van Nuys, CA; reuniting with one of his Creative Sports cohorts Ken Lindsay. Then, later, while taking a break from rock and roll, Bernard guided in the Yosemite and Kings Canyon region. All of this surrounding an ongoing fascination with struggling So Cal trout populations. Recently, to satisfy his need to "do good deeds for fish", Bernard has been taking drone footage of California waters to assist CalTrout's dam removal agenda. Top it off, he and his wife Rebecca were recruited as Ambassadors for CalTrout and did a social media takeover with images from So Cal's delicate wild trout waters in both times of good and bad. Got Music? Bernard's history in bands and other musical projects spans over 30 years and in his own words is "too exhausting to recount so let's focus on the present ok?". The group Bernard currently shares with his wife Rebecca, PAR AVION, was recently part of the rollout of the documentary: Birth Of Endless Summer - a documentary about the inspiration behind the original iconic Bruce Brown film and surfing pioneer Dick Metz. PAR AVION is a surf influenced band and performs mostly in Southern California but has toured also ventured to such places as Mexico, France, Italy, and Puerto Rico. During the pandemic, they shifted focus to recording for film and tv licensing although now, live gigs are increasing rapidly. They are proud of their diverse supporters and as a result have found themselves performing at everything from the Lightning in a Bottle festival to the Tiki Oasis festival to, yep, Fly Fishing events such as the California Fly Fishing Open on the Kern River. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mikey Wier has been with CalTrout since 2012. Michael is the roving media guru who traverses the state to visit Cal Trouts projects and helps tell compelling stories through video, photos and print. He's also the resident fishing specialist and comes from a background in the Fly-Fishing industry as well as conservation. Growing up in the Sierra Foothills, Mikey was always close to nature. Drawn to spend a lot of time exploring lakes and rivers, he learned to fish and tie flies at a young age. When he moved to Lake Tahoe, Mikey split his time between snowboarding in the winter and fly fishing in the summer. His expertise led him to spend 15 seasons fishing and guiding the waters of the Truckee, Carson and Walker Rivers. In 2001, he also started BURL Productions, a company specializing in adventure and outdoor films. Notable titles to his credit include FISH EYE Fly Fishing Video Magazine, Trout Bum Dairies 1, SOULFISH, SOULFISH 2 and CALI RUSH. Mikey now works for California Trout helping to protect California's trout, salmon and steelhead and the state's blue-ribbon waters. He is also an ambassador for Dragon Eyewear, Loon Outdoors, Galvan Reels and Outcast Boats. Career Highlights Founding BURL Productions Guiding at Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters Working as California Trout fishing ambassador and outreach coordinator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mikey Wier has been with CalTrout since 2012. Michael is the roving media guru who traverses the state to visit Cal Trouts projects and helps tell compelling stories through video, photos and print. He's also the resident fishing specialist and comes from a background in the Fly-Fishing industry as well as conservation. Growing up in the Sierra Foothills, Mikey was always close to nature. Drawn to spend a lot of time exploring lakes and rivers, he learned to fish and tie flies at a young age. When he moved to Lake Tahoe, Mikey split his time between snowboarding in the winter and fly fishing in the summer. His expertise led him to spend 15 seasons fishing and guiding the waters of the Truckee, Carson and Walker Rivers. In 2001, he also started BURL Productions, a company specializing in adventure and outdoor films. Notable titles to his credit include FISH EYE Fly Fishing Video Magazine, Trout Bum Dairies 1, SOULFISH, SOULFISH 2 and CALI RUSH. Mikey now works for California Trout helping to protect California's trout, salmon and steelhead and the state's blue-ribbon waters. He is also an ambassador for Dragon Eyewear, Loon Outdoors, Galvan Reels and Outcast Boats. Career Highlights Founding BURL Productions Guiding at Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters Working as California Trout fishing ambassador and outreach coordinator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bernard Yin celebrates the struggle between diverse interests. Fly Fishing, Music, Surfing and the great outdoors. Let's start with the fishing: Bernard had a great mentor: Andre Puyans of Northern California's legendary Creative Sports Fly Shop. Decades later he worked at the Fishermens Spot in Van Nuys, CA; reuniting with one of his Creative Sports cohorts Ken Lindsay. Then, later, while taking a break from rock and roll, Bernard guided in the Yosemite and Kings Canyon region. All of this surrounding an ongoing fascination with struggling So Cal trout populations. Recently, to satisfy his need to "do good deeds for fish", Bernard has been taking drone footage of California waters to assist CalTrout's dam removal agenda. Top it off, he and his wife Rebecca were recruited as Ambassadors for CalTrout and did a social media takeover with images from So Cal's delicate wild trout waters in both times of good and bad. Got Music? Bernard's history in bands and other musical projects spans over 30 years and in his own words is "too exhausting to recount so let's focus on the present ok?". The group Bernard currently shares with his wife Rebecca, PAR AVION, was recently part of the rollout of the documentary: Birth Of Endless Summer - a documentary about the inspiration behind the original iconic Bruce Brown film and surfing pioneer Dick Metz. PAR AVION is a surf influenced band and performs mostly in Southern California but has toured also ventured to such places as Mexico, France, Italy, and Puerto Rico. During the pandemic, they shifted focus to recording for film and tv licensing although now, live gigs are increasing rapidly. They are proud of their diverse supporters and as a result have found themselves performing at everything from the Lightning in a Bottle festival to the Tiki Oasis festival to, yep, Fly Fishing events such as the California Fly Fishing Open on the Kern River. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mikey Wier has been with CalTrout since 2012. Michael is the roving media guru who traverses the state to visit Cal Trouts projects and helps tell compelling stories through video, photos and print. He's also the resident fishing specialist and comes from a background in the Fly-Fishing industry as well as conservation. Growing up in the Sierra Foothills, Mikey was always close to nature. Drawn to spend a lot of time exploring lakes and rivers, he learned to fish and tie flies at a young age. When he moved to Lake Tahoe, Mikey split his time between snowboarding in the winter and fly fishing in the summer. His expertise led him to spend 15 seasons fishing and guiding the waters of the Truckee, Carson and Walker Rivers. In 2001, he also started BURL Productions, a company specializing in adventure and outdoor films. Notable titles to his credit include FISH EYE Fly Fishing Video Magazine, Trout Bum Dairies 1, SOULFISH, SOULFISH 2 and CALI RUSH. Mikey now works for California Trout helping to protect California's trout, salmon and steelhead and the state's blue-ribbon waters. He is also an ambassador for Dragon Eyewear, Loon Outdoors, Galvan Reels and Outcast Boats. Career Highlights Founding BURL Productions Guiding at Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters Working as California Trout fishing ambassador and outreach coordinator --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/guy-jeans/support

Mikey Wier has been with CalTrout since 2012. Michael is the roving media guru who traverses the state to visit Cal Trouts projects and helps tell compelling stories through video, photos and print. He's also the resident fishing specialist and comes from a background in the Fly-Fishing industry as well as conservation. Growing up in the Sierra Foothills, Mikey was always close to nature. Drawn to spend a lot of time exploring lakes and rivers, he learned to fish and tie flies at a young age. When he moved to Lake Tahoe, Mikey split his time between snowboarding in the winter and fly fishing in the summer. His expertise led him to spend 15 seasons fishing and guiding the waters of the Truckee, Carson and Walker Rivers. In 2001, he also started BURL Productions, a company specializing in adventure and outdoor films. Notable titles to his credit include FISH EYE Fly Fishing Video Magazine, Trout Bum Dairies 1, SOULFISH, SOULFISH 2 and CALI RUSH. Mikey now works for California Trout helping to protect California's trout, salmon and steelhead and the state's blue-ribbon waters. He is also an ambassador for Dragon Eyewear, Loon Outdoors, Galvan Reels and Outcast Boats. Career Highlights Founding BURL Productions Guiding at Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters Working as California Trout fishing ambassador and outreach coordinator --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/guy-jeans/support

Bernard Yin celebrates the struggle between diverse interests. Fly Fishing, Music, Surfing and the great outdoors. Let's start with the fishing: Bernard had a great mentor: Andre Puyans of Northern California's legendary Creative Sports Fly Shop. Decades later he worked at the Fishermens Spot in Van Nuys, CA; reuniting with one of his Creative Sports cohorts Ken Lindsay. Then, later, while taking a break from rock and roll, Bernard guided in the Yosemite and Kings Canyon region. All of this surrounding an ongoing fascination with struggling So Cal trout populations. Recently, to satisfy his need to "do good deeds for fish", Bernard has been taking drone footage of California waters to assist CalTrout's dam removal agenda. Top it off, he and his wife Rebecca were recruited as Ambassadors for CalTrout and did a social media takeover with images from So Cal's delicate wild trout waters in both times of good and bad. Got Music? Bernard's history in bands and other musical projects spans over 30 years and in his own words is "too exhausting to recount so let's focus on the present ok?". The group Bernard currently shares with his wife Rebecca, PAR AVION, was recently part of the rollout of the documentary: Birth Of Endless Summer - a documentary about the inspiration behind the original iconic Bruce Brown film and surfing pioneer Dick Metz. PAR AVION is a surf influenced band and performs mostly in Southern California but has toured also ventured to such places as Mexico, France, Italy, and Puerto Rico. During the pandemic, they shifted focus to recording for film and tv licensing although now, live gigs are increasing rapidly. They are proud of their diverse supporters and as a result have found themselves performing at everything from the Lightning in a Bottle festival to the Tiki Oasis festival to, yep, Fly Fishing events such as the California Fly Fishing Open on the Kern River. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/guy-jeans/support

Bernard Yin celebrates the struggle between diverse interests. Fly Fishing, Music, Surfing and the great outdoors. Let's start with the fishing: Bernard had a great mentor: Andre Puyans of Northern California's legendary Creative Sports Fly Shop. Decades later he worked at the Fishermens Spot in Van Nuys, CA; reuniting with one of his Creative Sports cohorts Ken Lindsay. Then, later, while taking a break from rock and roll, Bernard guided in the Yosemite and Kings Canyon region. All of this surrounding an ongoing fascination with struggling So Cal trout populations. Recently, to satisfy his need to "do good deeds for fish", Bernard has been taking drone footage of California waters to assist CalTrout's dam removal agenda. Top it off, he and his wife Rebecca were recruited as Ambassadors for CalTrout and did a social media takeover with images from So Cal's delicate wild trout waters in both times of good and bad. Got Music? Bernard's history in bands and other musical projects spans over 30 years and in his own words is "too exhausting to recount so let's focus on the present ok?". The group Bernard currently shares with his wife Rebecca, PAR AVION, was recently part of the rollout of the documentary: Birth Of Endless Summer - a documentary about the inspiration behind the original iconic Bruce Brown film and surfing pioneer Dick Metz. PAR AVION is a surf influenced band and performs mostly in Southern California but has toured also ventured to such places as Mexico, France, Italy, and Puerto Rico. During the pandemic, they shifted focus to recording for film and tv licensing although now, live gigs are increasing rapidly. They are proud of their diverse supporters and as a result have found themselves performing at everything from the Lightning in a Bottle festival to the Tiki Oasis festival to, yep, Fly Fishing events such as the California Fly Fishing Open on the Kern River. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/guy-jeans/support

July 13, 2022 — There have been two developments in the ongoing saga of the Potter Valley hydropower project this week. The 20-year license has expired, but PG&E still owns and operates the project on an annual license. On Monday, PG&E submitted a rough schedule to surrender that license to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In a separate filing, PG&E argued that it should be allowed to continue operating the project under the biological protections that were attached to the license when it was issued in 2002. The 100-year-old project consists of two dams and two reservoirs that impound water on the Eel River; and a diversion tunnel that sends Eel River water into the East Fork of the Russian River, eventually making up the majority of Lake Mendocino. At its height, the project was capable of generating 9.4 megawatts of power, but it's not currently producing power due to a broken transformer. The project provides water that's key to agriculture in the Russian River and has long been a hot-button issue for environmental organizations that argue it harms endangered fish in the Eel. On Monday, PG&E submitted a four-page proposal for a two-and-a-half-year timeline to surrender the license and decommission the project. The bulk of that time will be devoted to interacting with agencies and stakeholders as PG&E drafts more detailed documents. Environmentalists are pushing for a speedy removal of both dams. But PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras said in an email, “We expect it will take many years following PG&E's submittal to FERC for a Decommissioning Order to be issued.” She added that PG&E still plans to replace the broken transformer, expecting it to amortize over a period of five years. Replacing the part could take up to two years. Water-using stakeholders include the Potter Valley Irrigation District, which has contractual rights to some of the water; and the City of Ukiah, which has pre-1914 rights to water further down the East Fork, before it flows into Lake Mendocino. The Sonoma County Water Agency claims the bulk of the water in the lake. The Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District also has water rights to the lake, and sells wholesale water in Mendocino County. All these interests are currently in suspense about whether or not PG&E will be allowed to drastically reduce the water flowing through the diversion tunnel. PG&E has stated that one of its reasons for asking FERC to allow it to cut down on the flows is to preserve a cold-water pool for young salmonids in the Eel River. But it's not just environmental advocacy organizations that are concerned about the project's impact on wildlife and the environment. Back in 2002, the National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS, wrote a Biological Opinion, laying out the measures that PG&E needed to take in order to comply with the Endangered Species Act. That opinion was incorporated into the license that was issued at that time, and which expired three months ago. In March of this year, NMFS wrote a letter to FERC, saying that the project was causing take, or killing and harming fish that are listed under the Endangered Species Act, “in a manner not anticipated in the Opinion and from activities not described in the Opinion.” The letter goes on to say that the fish passage facility at Cape Horn Dam has not undergone the proper consultations regarding endangered species, and that none of the operations at the facility are covered in the 20-year-old opinion. NMFS wants to re-open consultations about the license in order to update and strengthen the environmental protection measures. This means that the license for the project would be undergoing amendments at the same time that it is being surrendered. Within a few weeks of the NMFS letter, environmental advocates filed a notice of intent to sue PG&E under the Endangered Species Act, citing among other things that the fishway at Cape Horn Dam made the fish easy prey for river otters. In a 16-page letter to FERC, PG&E wrote that NMFS doesn't have evidence to back up its claims. PG&E also protested that NMFS failed to mention “any of the voluminous monitoring record covered by over 20 years of monitoring Project operations.” Redgie Collins is the legal and policy director for California Trout, one of the organizations arguing that PG&E is in violation of the Endangered Species Act. He believes the biological opinion expired along with the license, and that it needs to be updated. CalTrout is threatening litigation as part of a pressure campaign to speed up dam removal and install other structures that will enable a winter diversion from the Eel to the Russian. “We have plenty of information that shows that these 100-year-old plus Eel River dams kill fish,” he declared. “And becasue they kill fish, and because we believe that the Biological Opinion has ended, that PG&E is required to either re-consult, or open themselves up to litigation that we are preparing, as we speak.” Collins is inspired by plans to remove four hydropower dams from the Klamath River, which is scheduled to start next year. “It took them about 18 years to get to the point of the surrender process,” he said. “And once it kick-started there, the writing was on the wall for the eventual solution, which was worked on by a host of stakeholders, including tribal nations. Here we have a very similar path, and so we're hoping that they use the existing information that we've put forth, and the removal plan, and try to beat that 30-month window. That's our goal. It will never be quick enough for us.” The Round Valley Indian Tribes have weighed in on the NMFS request to amend the license, saying the tribes support all the protective measures proposed by the service. The tribes are one of the few entities PG&E notified of its intent to reduce flows coming through the project, much to the chagrin of the Russian River water users, who argued that PG&E should have assembled a full drought working group before asking FERC to sign off on the reduction, or variance. Collins says PG&E could have cut down the flows any time, without waiting around on FERC. “If they truly wanted to save listed species, they would have implemented the variance,” he said. “That cold pool will be functionally gone in a short period of time. We think just in a matter of weeks that cold pool will be drained based on the variance not being implemented.” With ag users writing angry letters pleading for more water and environmentalists threatening lawsuits, one thing is clear: the initial outreach to stakeholders is not going well. And the decommissioning process hasn't gotten started yet.

April 25, 2022 — PG&E is now operating the Potter Valley Project under an annual license, after a mystery applicant was turned down cold. And forest health enthusiasts gathered at a Buddhist monastery in Leggett over the weekend to strategize how to build fire resilience using grant funding and local labor. On Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted PG&E a license to operate the project until next April, writing that the Federal Power Act does require the Commission to issue an annual license to the current licensee, “under the terms and conditions of the prior license until a new license is issued, or the project is otherwise disposed of…” The brief notice concluded that “PG&E is authorized to continue operation of the Potter Valley Project, until such time as the Commission orders disposition of the project.” On Friday, the Commission informed Antonio Manfredini, who had applied for the license on behalf of a business called PVP 77, that it was rejecting his application because it was late; he had not done any of the initial consultations or studies that were required; and the “application patently fails to conform to the requirements of the Commission's regulations.” The applicant has 30 days to request a rehearing. UPDATE: Manfredini filed an appeal on Monday morning, arguing that “The License Application submitted continues the process initiated by PG&E (P-77-285) on 4/62017 and continues the process initiated by The NOI Parties (P-77-298) on 6/28/2019.” The appeal refers to PG&E and the NOI parties as “Proxy.” A coalition that included The Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, Sonoma County Water Agency, California Trout, and the County of Humboldt, notified FERC in June of 2018 that it was calling itself the Notice of Intent (NOI) Party, and that it intended to file for the license to the Potter Valley Project. Environmental groups are expecting a further order from FERC to surrender and decommission the project, though very little information is available about what that means exactly or how long it will take. Clifford Paulin, who is legal counsel for the Potter Valley Irrigation District, was not surprised that FERC granted PG&E the annual license. For him, the remaining uncertainty lies in the big-picture conditions of the drought, as well as details about the pikeminnow reduction program and how additional conditions to the license, if any, will be implemented. Paulin said that, while the irrigation district's contract with PG&E entitles it to 50 cubic feet per second, the district's directors acceded to PG&E's request to stay on a demand-based system, only asking for the amount the district can sell to its customers. This is calculated in part to protect the infrastructure at Lake Pillsbury and Scott Dam in Lake County. It also means that the only additional water going into the Russian River and Lake Mendocino from the Eel River will be the minimum instream flows required by the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect salmonids in the Russian River. Paulin thinks the wild card application may have been part of what caused the delay in FERC's announcement about the annual license, but said he didn't “see Manfredini being much of a factor' otherwise. Curtis Knight, the Executive Director of the environmental organization California Trout, described the granting of the annual license as “a big step,” which “everyone knew was coming…the only weird note was Manfredini.” CalTrout is one of the parties that was working with Russian River water users to apply for the license, but was unable to raise enough money to pay for the studies. Now it's signed on to a notice to sue PG&E under the Endangered Species Act, claiming that the fish ladder at Cape Horn Dam causes unauthorized take. Still, Knight expects that the Manfredini “distraction won't amount to much;” and is looking forward to a timeline for the surrender of the project. He hasn't given up on working with Russian River water users, but said “It may have to get a little messy first,” before FERC defines the process of decommissioning the project. In the north county, two environmental organizations gathered at the Rangjung Yeshe Gomde Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Leggett to brainstorm plans to resist the ravages of climate change and further the vitality of the Eel River through forest management. The Northern Mendocino Ecosystem Recovery Alliance has joined with the Eel River Recovery Project to push for a major shift in preparing for fire and bringing it back to the landscape. Eli Rider, of the Leggett Valley Volunteer Fire Department, and Will Emerson, of the Bell Springs Fire Department in Laytonville, are inspired by a $4.9 million grant from CalFire to carve a fuel break into Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in the Red Mountain wilderness, off of Bell Springs road. The grant is being administered by the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District. In addition to a proviso that would keep the use of heavy equipment to a minimum, Rider says one of the requirements for keeping carbon down is hiring local people. “There's a large grant in the Red Mountain area and the Usal forest to create shaded fuel breaks,” he said during a pause in Saturday's activities. “They have written into the grant a triple bottom line, which is trying to lower the carbon footprint of the project. Having a local workforce will accomplish that by not having to truck a bunch of equipment in from far away…we are in the process of a workforce development program to train and hire local workers.” Emerson hopes the project will expand from what Rider explained was the most obvious place to start. Work on phase one of the project is expected to be performed over the next three years, with planning for phase two scheduled to start next year. “We're hoping that fuel break will continue over to Bell Springs Road, and then hook in with other projects up and down Bell Springs Road, so we establish some really good fire breaks around our communities and through them, so that we could stop a larger fire that might come through,” Emerson said. Rider added that Red Mountain was a logical place to start because BLM biologists and staff from the Redwood Forest Foundation Inc. had already conducted the biological assessments and archaeological reviews that were needed before work could begin. “It was ready to be implemented,” he concluded. Pat Higgins, the Executive Director of the Eel River Recovery Project, is a fish guy who's been pushing for forest health as key to revitalizing the river for years. He sees enormous potential for the new approach — if it's done right. “It'll be a huge undertaking, to restore forest health in the traditional Indian sense of harmony on the landscape,” he predicted. “And once that happens, you have to use control burns, and you have to stay on it. We're looking, actually, not just for economic opportunity, but a change in perspective, a commitment to stewardship. And this could happen in a way that is economically viable — depending on how we organize.”

April 19, 2022 — The license for the Potter Valley Project expired on Thursday, April 14. By Friday, a coalition of environmentalists and fishermen had filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue PG&E, the project owner, under the Endangered Species Act. The main complaint is that the fish passage facility at Cape Horn Dam in Potter Valley causes unauthorized harm to endangered fish, by preventing their passage when the facility is clogged, or making them vulnerable to predators as they try to climb the ladder. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has authority over the project because its stated purpose is generating hydropower, has not yet declared if it will order PG&E to surrender and decommission the project, or if it will allow the utility to continue operating it on a year-to-year basis, as the company has said it plans to do while it recoups the cost of an expensive piece of replacement equipment. Redgie Collins, the Legal and Policy Director for CalTrout, one of the groups intending to sue PG&E, says that, with the expiration of the license, “PG&E no longer has take coverage for listed species, meaning that they can no longer harm, harass, directly kill or injure salmon (or) steelhead at their project site. The current fish passage operation is functionally broken and leads to take. It's time for PG&E to realize that this project does in fact take fish.” Last month, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) wrote a letter to FERC, saying that the Project is causing take of fish on the endangered species list, in a manner not anticipated in that agency's 2002 biological opinion. The biological opinion allowed the project to operate if it met certain conditions. Collins added that, “Along with the license, NMFS' biological protections also expire with that license, meaning that PG&E is now vulnerable to litigation we are bringing.” PG&E said in a statement that, “The potential claims described in the notice are without merit. PG&E is strongly committed to environmental responsibility, and we are operating the Potter Valley Project in full compliance with the National Marine Fisheries Services' (NMFS) Biological Opinion (BiOp) and its incidental take statement, which is incorporated into the Potter Valley license. Upon expiration of a license, the Federal Power Act requires FERC to issue an annual license, which renews automatically, with the same terms and conditions for the project, until it's relicensed, transferred or decommissioned. That means PG&E will continue to own and operate the Potter Valley Project safely under the existing license conditions until the project is transferred or FERC issues a final license surrender and decommissioning order.” The project is currently unable to produce power because of a damaged transformer, which could take two years to rebuild. Alicia Hamann, the Executive Director of Friends of the Eel River, which has been at the forefront of the fight to remove the dams, describes the Eel as “a river of opportunity,” with 280 miles of habitat for genetically diverse fish that haven't made it to the ocean since 1922, when Scott Dam was built. She's not entirely opposed to a continued diversion of water from the Eel into the Russian River. “The genetics for summer steelhead live on in rainbow trout that are trapped behind Scott Dam,” she said. “This means that there's potential for the offspring of those trout to essentially become summer steelhead once again, if they could just reach the ocean…there's still an opportunity for an ecologically appropriate diversion. By that, I mean one that operates without a dam and runs during the wet season, when the Eel has water supplies to spare. At this point, it's up to Russian River water users to decide how much they want to continue the diversion, and to come together to fund and implement a plan.” That might be easier said than done. On the day the license expired, Janet Pauli, of the Potter Valley Irrigation District, reported on the results of early surveys to the Inland Water and Power Commission. The IWPC had hired a consultant who polled Russian River water users. “It ended up being a polling base of about 23,000 people,” Paulie said. “I think they did nearly 400 polls of individuals. “The goal was to see if people had an understanding of their water supply, where it comes from, potential vulnerability with regard to the Potter Valley Project, how they felt water supply was being managed, or if they even knew. At the end of that poll, it was determined that to get a two-thirds vote for a parcel tax would be tough. Might not be successful. And would not, in all likelihood, generate the kind of funding that we believe we're going to need moving forward in this next phase of the project license.” It's impossible to be unaware of water conditions in the Eel River basin, according to Adam Canter, the Director of Natural Resources for the Wiyot Tribe at the Table Mountain Bluff Reservation in Humboldt Bay. The tribe is not party to the intent to sue PG&E, but is not taking the option of a lawsuit off the table. “We're excited that the license is expired,” Canter acknowledged; “but that doesn't necessarily mean that we can celebrate and walk away and not have to continue to put pressure on PG&E and FERC to move forward with actual decommissioning and dam removal…it's been really bad the last five or ten years, and I think it's hard to ignore, just the reduction in flows, the toxic algae blooms, the reduction in the number of fish returning to the river. It's just more visible on the Eel River basin side.” The uncertainty over what FERC will do next is not the only mystery surrounding the Potter Valley Project, which is FERC docket number 77. One day before the license expired, Antonio Manfredini, an agent for a business called PVP 77 LLC at PO Box 777 in Roseville, filed an application for the license. They missed the 2019 deadline to file a notice of intent, and Manfredini and PVP 77 don't show up on an international database of businesses. No one answered the phone number listed on the application. Photo credit: Scott Dam, Kyle Schwartz, CalTrout

February 16, 2022 — Experts on the Potter Valley Project gave Farm Bureau committee members an update Tuesday night, providing details about flows, preparations for a ballot measure to levy a special tax, and the as-yet scarce information that's available about what's next. Devon Jones, the Executive Director of the Mendocino County Farm Bureau, laid the groundwork with some background and up-to-the moment specifics about how much water is coming through the East Fork of the Russian River into Lake Mendocino. Operations at the powerhouse have been significantly reduced due to a transformer failure, which means that since July, water can only come through the project using a bypass channel. That has been around 45 cubic feet per second (cfs), with five cfs contractually obligated for Potter Valley, a 35 cfs requirement for the East Branch leading into Lake Mendocino, and a five cs buffer. Jones reported that when she checked the Calpella stream gauge right before the meeting, she observed that 60 cfs is flowing into Lake Mendocino, probably due to some natural accretion from area creeks. “But this is a substantial reduction from what we would normally see during winter months being diverted for power production coming into the East Fork of the Russian River,” she reminded Farm Bureau members. PG&E still owns and operates the hydropower plant and system of dams and reservoirs that divert water from the Eel into the Russian River. But the license expires in mid-April, and PG&E wants to get out from under the unprofitable endeavor. A regional group that was trying to raise money to study the feasibility of taking over the license announced last month that it will also not be filing an application. (The coalition consists of the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, which is a five-member joint powers authority consisting of local government and water districts; the Round Valley Indian Tribes, the County of Humboldt, Sonoma County Water Agency, and the environmental non-profit California Trout.) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is expected to lay out the parameters of what's likely to be a surrender and decommissioning process once the current license expires. But as Janet Pauli, Chair of the Inland Water and Power Commission explained, that process could take years, during which time PG&E plans to operate on a year-to-year license. The utility has stated that it expects the design and replacement of the transformer to take two years, and that it can recoup the costs after another five years. Possible supply chain disruptions add another element of uncertainty to the process. “They have to continue to run the power plant with the license that's currently in place on a year-to-year basis,” she said, clarifying that the project is likely to keep operating even if it is in the process of being surrendered. “If it's going to be surrendered, it has to be absolutely surrendered before they can give up that responsibility,” she emphasized. In another scenario entirely, there is also the possibility that PG&E could salvage the equipment or sell it to another entity that's interested in taking over the project. However, no one other than the regional consortium of local governments and CalTrout expressed an interest when PG&E announced it wanted to offload the infrastructure. While it is physically possible to increase the amount of water flowing through the project by way of a bypass channel, Pauli said the company is being scrupulous about adhering to the terms of its license. “PG&E has not agreed to increase the bypass flows,” she said. “Fisheries agencies wanted to increase the minimum flows on the Eel River to 300 cfs. In other words, no increase in diversion through the project unless they had 300 cfs coming out of Lake Pillsbury. We dropped below 300 over two weeks ago now, and it continues to diminish. PG&E is not willing to do something that's not currently allowed in their license.” Pauli added that there was public pressure, too. About thirty letters came in, half of them urging PG&E to increase the flows and the other half arguing against it. Humboldt County and CalTrout, both members of the regional consortium that was trying to take over the license, did not weigh in either way. While many parties regard the removal of Scott Dam in Lake County as a given, the Lake Pillsbury Alliance is prepared to fight for the continuing existence of the lake behind the dam, arguing that it is key to putting out fires in the region. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife funded a study of several different scenarios and methods for continuing the diversion without the dams, but those would not include diversions during the summer. Meanwhile, Pauli said efforts are underway to gauge the public's knowledge about the water they use, and how much they're willing to pay for it. A consulting company is sending out polls to property owners within the bounds of the Water and Power Commission's five member agencies, to determine the viability of putting a special tax on the ballot in November. In the meantime, each of the agencies in the Commission are asking their boards for $50,000 to secure the water supply. The County of Mendocino was first to approve its share unanimously, and at last week's Commission meeting, Pauli said the money is in the Potter Valley Irrigation District's budget. The Russian River Flood Control District approved half on a split vote. A staff report for the Ukiah City Council meeting on February 16 recommends that the Council request a written scope of work for the funds before agreeing to contribute. The Redwood Valley County Water District will discuss the matter at its meeting on Thursday February 17. District representative Bree Klotter asked Pauli to talk to her board about what the money will be used for, reminding the Commission that Redwood Valley is a cash-poor district. Pauli sympathized, saying, “That's why we're hoping this ballot measure is successful, because carrying this burden on the shoulders of these agencies is a burden, and it has been. And we've been doing this for a long time, and I think we've done an excellent job. But we do need some help from others in the community who are dependent on this water.”

February 4, 2022 — The fate of the Potter Valley Project took a few more turns this week, with a regional coalition declaring it will not file for the license application and PG&E taking steps to operate the project under an annual license until the next development. PG&E, which owns and operates the project, announced in 2019 that it would not renew the license or continue to try to sell it. A regional coalition that includes Mendocino and Humboldt counties, California Trout, Sonoma Water Agency and the Round Valley Indian Tribes was the only entity willing to take on the license, which involves multi-million dollar studies and ongoing maintenance and operation costs. In July, a transformer bank went down in the powerhouse, which severely curtailed the amount of water the project is able to divert from the Eel River into the Russian River. PG&E estimates it would cost five to ten million dollars to custom-engineer a replacement and take two years to replace. On Monday, the coalition sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, admitting that it was unable to raise enough money for the required studies and that it will not file an application by the time the current license expires in mid-April. Two days later, PG&E informed the coalition leaders that it had decided to “return the powerhouse to full operational status.” PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said that, although the exact costs are unknown, the company expects to recoup the costs of the repair within five years. Alicia Hamann, Executive Director of Friends of the Eel River, is advocating for a speedy decommissioning process. She has some idea of who will pay for the repairs. “The main transformer bank actually failed in July,” she said. “And there weren't many folks who were made aware of that right away. So when we found out, Friends of the Eel immediately sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission, notifying them that this was happening and giving them a heads up that PG&E may try to replace this infrastructure, and then may seek their approval to get recovery of those costs on the backs of ratepayers, which we think is just totally inappropriate.” Congressman Jared Huffman, who convened an ad hoc committee dedicated to making recommendations about the Potter Valley Project, doesn't think the repairs will have an effect on the timeline of what he views as the inevitable decommissioning of the project. While he said in the short term, “it's a sigh of relief for Russian River water users,” he suspects the company made “a cold-blooded business calculation” and decided to make some money generating power “during X number of years it takes to decommission.” With the coalition out of the running for taking over the license, PG&E is responsible for the facility, and Huffman doesn't think FERC will let them out of their obligations “quickly or cheaply.” Janet Pauli, chair of the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, said “even if everything had gone perfectly,” it's doubtful the license would have been completed in time. During the last application process, which lasted from 1972-2006, PG&E operated on annual licenses for eleven years. For now, though, Pauli says, “protecting the diversion has to be our main concern.” The Commission is itself a coalition consisting of the county of Mendocino, the city of Ukiah, the Potter Valley Irrigation District, the Redwood Valley County Water District, and the Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation District. It's asked each of its five members for $50,000 to pay for the legal expenses it's incurred in its efforts to satisfy the requirements to apply for the license. Now it's pursuing the water rights associated with the project. Just this week, a consultant, Brian Godbey and Associates, sent out a survey to people who are dependent on project water to find out if they'd be willing to pay for it. All of the expenses to secure the water since 2019 have been paid by the public entities in the Commission. Darren Mireau, the North Coast Director for California Trout, thinks there may be a way to continue the diversion without the project. Last year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife funded a study of three alternatives for diverting water. Mireau favors a scenario that involves removing both dams and pumping water. Operation and maintenance costs are estimated at about $200,000 a year. “Any water management, any water diversion at that location is going to have some operations and maintenance costs, that's unavoidable,” he said, shortly after the study was released. “The advantage of the full removal of Cape Horn Dam with that pumped diversion approach is you get all of the obstruction out of the river that might impair fish passage…it does shift the cost, I think, to the water users, instead of the fish side, where it appropriately needs to be. In other words, we're committed to that water supply reliability, but I think the water users have the obligation to pay for it. And if pumping is the best way to do that for fish passage and fishery recovery in the Eel River, I think that's the best approach.” Back in November, Pauli predicted the uncertainty that would set in if the coalition gave up on the application. “If we go into the surrender process, the partners that are currently working together in this licensing would no longer be negotiating with FERC. We would become interveners in the FERC process that would mainly be between PG&E and FERC to decide the future of the diversion and all of the infrastructure,” she said. As part of its license requirements, PG&E biologists have rigorously documented the Eel River basin, from the condition of the fisheries to how often a beloved pair of bald eagles uses which of its nests. Mireau thinks that scientific explorations will continue, even after PG&E departs. “CalTrout has looked at this licensing, or now termination of the license for the Potter Valley Project as a real opportunity to bring attention to the Eel River so we can justify bringing in additional funding to support scientific research and monitoring,” he noted. “Those are all ongoing, but this is a moment in time for this watershed to get some extra attention. And that's why we have, in part, put so much energy into the relicensing process.”

A generation ago, it may have seemed far-fetched that Sacramento Valley rice fields could play a vital role for millions of birds.  However, changes in rice growing methods in the early 1990s – a shift from burning fields after harvest to adding a few inches of water to break down leftover rice straw - led to just such an occurrence. Area rice fields are now home to nearly 230 wildlife species, including 7 to 10 million ducks and geese every fall and winter. The ‘surrogate wetlands' are now crucial to the massive Pacific Flyway wildlife migration. California's struggling salmon may be next to benefit from those same rice fields. This is year three of pilot salmon research by the California Rice Commission, UC Davis, California Trout and other partners. This project will test and refine rice farming practices designed to provide habitat and food for fish. If successful, baby salmon will rear in flood bypass rice fields in the winter, when no rice is grown, then head off to the ocean. Every step of the process is being monitored to understand the best practices moving forward. If all goes well, this project will move from pilot to voluntary adoption on suitable Sacramento Valley rice farms.  This work is supported by a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, major sponsors including Syngenta, State Water Contractors and a long list of contributors. Additionally, there are major modifications to existing water infrastructure planned that will allow juvenile salmon on their way to sea better access to food-rich floodplain habitats. This nutrient-rich food web develops naturally in winter flooded rice fields, due to organic matter and sunlight. Finally, the Fish Food program is working with rice farmers and wetland managers on the protected or “dry side' of levees.  While these fields and wetlands are not directly connected to the river and can not host salmon they can still support salmon populations by creating fish food. A dense invertebrate food web rapidly grows in nutrient rich, sun-soaked shallow waters of flooded rice fields. Several weeks after being inundated this veritable bug buffet can be strategically drained into the river to provide much-needed nutrition for small juvenile salmon migrating downstream to the ocean. Jacob Katz, Senior Scientist with CalTrout, is a passionate advocate for salmon. He said he is very hopeful that the collaborative work being done in the Sacramento Valley will ultimately help fish, as well as birds, people and farms. “There are two big reasons for my optimism,” Katz remarked. “The first is the science. It's really clear that, if we meet every link in the chain, every type of habitat that these critters need, including salmon, we can expect a really dramatic response – an increase in abundance. The second is collaboration. Everywhere I turn, I see farmers dedicated to more ducks, more geese, more salmon – and opening their farms to a rewilding; a way of thinking about welcoming the wild back onto the farm. We're not talking about going back. We are still going to be one of the most productive farming areas on Earth. But, in the non-growing season, floodplain farms can be managed as fantastic habitat for multiple species.” The first baby salmon will soon be added to rice fields participating this year. The ultimate goal for the project is to benefit natural-origin fish – salmon that would swim onto the fields naturally when flooding occurs. However, in the event that the bypass doesn't flood, eggs from hatchery fish raised at UC Davis will be utilized to test the practice. We will keep you posted on key developments and findings as they become available. Episode Transcript Jim Morris: Following one of the driest years in decades, we're off to a great start for rain and snow in California. Sierra snowfall in December shattered a 51 year old record and the California water year, which started October 1st, has already been more productive than the entire year prior. But water is hardly ever an easy subject in our state. Finding enough for the environment, cities and farms is frequently contentious. One creative plan involves what at first may seem like an unlikely pairing, rice fields and salmon. Jim Morris: Welcome to Ingrained: The California Rice Podcast. I'm your host Jim Morris, proud to have worked with California farmers and ranchers for the past 32 years to help tell their stories. I'm at Montna Farms, a rice farm near Yuba City, here they grow premium sushi rice. It's also a haven for wildlife and they participate in a pilot program that may help the state's salmon population, which has been struggling. Jim Morris: The salmon project involves many partners - the Rice Commission, UC Davis, landowners, water districts, and California Trout. Jacob Katz has a PhD in ecology and is senior scientist with CalTrout. Jacob, there's several things that are going on to help salmon. Can you tell us about what's happening to try to improve that population? Jacob Katz: All three of the efforts underway involve floodplains or the marshlands that run adjacent to our rivers and tributaries here in the Sacramento Valley. The first we call fish food and that's understanding that bugs, that fish eat, that make fish populations really aren't grown in the rivers themselves, but in the adjacent marshlands. And most of those marshlands are no longer attached to the river. So maybe 95 percent of the marshes that were once flooded by the Sacramento River and its tribs are now behind levies. Jacob Katz: And the fish food program works with farmers that now for the most part farm those lands to mimic those flood patterns out on their fields to spread and slow water mid-winter when they're not farming to allow bugs to grow in those fields. And then to actively drain that flood plain rich water, that natural wealth back to the river where the fish are. Jacob Katz: The second thing is actively managing fields within our bypasses, within the floodways that are the parts of the former floodplain, which are still hydrologically connected to the river. And then the third is actually changing, upgrading often obsolete infrastructure so that it allows the river and fish to connect to those flood plain bypasses more frequently and for a longer duration. Jim Morris: Let's start with the fish food. It's amazing at first glance that there's not enough food in the river, but that's certainly true. Correct? How much of a difference can the food that's being raised in rice fields be for the salmon? Jacob Katz: Well, over the last 10 years or so, we've been running around the Sacramento Valley, throwing our plankton nets, looking for bugs in every kind of aquatic habitat. And what we found is that the rivers themselves are essentially food deserts. There's very little food for small fish to eat there. Jacob Katz: Whereas the adjacent marshlands, whether that's a flooded field or a marsh habitat managed for waterfowl or a natural marsh, all of those are teaming with invertebrate life. With what I call floating filet, the exact right kind of food if you're a young salmon, trying to get strong and fit on your journey to sea. Jim Morris: When we look at the pilot program of raising salmon in rice fields, works out perfectly because there's nothing grown in the fields during the winter. How optimistic are you with what you've seen so far with that project? Jacob Katz: Well, what we see is that when fish are exposed to the kind of conditions, the physical, or I call them biophysical conditions, because the depth and duration of flooding that you would've seen before, which is to say, when you allow a fish to recognize the river system that it evolved in, that it's adapted to. When you put a salmon into a puddle, what you find is that there is ample food there and these little guys are swimming around with their eyes closed and their mouth open, getting big, getting fat. And that's really critical because it increases their chances, not just of making it out of the river system, but critically it increases their survival in the ocean so that they have a much better chance of returning as an adult. And that is one of the most important things we can do to bring back these salmon populations in the Central Valley. Jim Morris: So the fish that are grown in the rice fields, how is their survivability relating to the wild population? Jacob Katz: It looks like fish that find something to eat, and that's what the rice fields really provide is access to the kind of habitats that fish would've been rearing or feeding in previously. And when they do that, when they get food, they get strong and they have a better chance making it out of the river system. Jacob Katz: The Rice Commission and UC Davis have done some great studies showing that their survival improves on the way out to the Golden Gate, but what's even more important is that ocean survival. Is that leaving fresh water well, their survival's increased, but it's coming back that you get the really big payoff. That's what we're all after is making sure that more of those juvenile fish return as adults and a bigger fish that hits the Marine environment, that hits the salt, that's a fish that's more likely to return as an adult. Jim Morris: Looking at another big aspect of this is making sure the infrastructure is correct, not only to help cities and farms, but also make sure that fish are healthy and what can be done there? Jacob Katz: Several things can be done. One thing is to increase the habitat benefit to the fish that actually get onto our floodplain bypasses. These are the flood protection areas in the Sacramento Valley, in the Sutter and Yolo Bypasses. And the Rice Commission is piloting a study now that helps manage rice fields in those bypasses so that they better serve the salmon when the salmon get out in there. Jacob Katz: The other is increasing the frequency in which fish can actually get out of that food desert of a river and on to that food buffet that is the bypass, or is the floodplain. And that's done by putting gates or lower areas within these levees and weirs that allow the river to spill out of its heavily channelized leveed bank more often to access, to hydrologically connect from the river onto the floodplain, and allow those small fish to get out to where the food is. Jim Morris: So this new type of thinking, actually I guess it's a nod toward the old way things happened in historic California. How optimistic are you that this is going to work? Jacob Katz: I'm incredibly optimistic. When you allow a salmon to recognize the river system that it's adapted to, that it evolved in, that when we manage our rivers and our farmlands in such a way that we mimic those natural patterns. The slowing and spreading of flood water out over the shallow marshlands, that once really dominated and characterized the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. What we get is an explosion, a natural explosion of biomass, of abundance. Jacob Katz: We've seen that this works with the fantastic efforts from the rice industry and regulators and others that revolve around making farm fields better for waterfowl and for shorebirds. And now in Butte Creek, we see that when we do the same thing, when we focus on creating the kind of habitat that salmon need at each part of their life history, making sure that the small fish on their way to the ocean have something to eat, making sure that the big fish on their way back have unfettered access to their spawning streams and have adequate cold water for holding in before they spawn. Jacob Katz: If you hit every link in that chain, we see that the fish populations respond and respond dramatically. That we can get very rapid increases in population. Similar to what we've seen with ducks and geese in the Sacramento Valley. I believe that we can have the same thing for salmon, and it really takes this landscape-scale approach where we're not doing this on hundreds of acres or even thousands of acres, but tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of acres. And it takes the collaboration of farmers, and regulators, and environmentalists all working together to create an ecologically functioning valley. Jacob Katz: And when we do that, we can create a valley that once again can create salmon abundance, and in so doing can create a system where water can much more easily be moved from where it's more abundant to where it's utilized by both agriculture and our cities. Jim Morris: I'm reminded of what grower Fritz Durst has said many times focusing on the fix, not the fight, which is a great way to go if you can do it. It seems to be happening in the Sacramento Valley. So when we look ahead, Jacob, in our lifetimes do you foresee a water situation that has improved to a point that is best serving the cities, the environment and farms? Jacob Katz: Well, absolutely and that's because we need to get the most pop per drop, right? And there's two real big reasons for my optimism. The first is the science. It's really clear that if we meet every link in the chain, every type of habitat that these critters need, including salmon, we can expect a real dramatic response, an increase in abundance. Jacob Katz: And the second is collaboration. I see wherever I turn farmers dedicated to more ducks, to more geese, to more salmon and really opening their farms to a rewilding, a way of thinking about welcoming the wild back onto the farm. We're not talking about going back. We are still going to be one of the most productive agricultural regions on earth, but in the non-growing season, floodplain farms can be managed as just fantastic habitat for multiple species and can be done in such a way where they spread in slow waters so that that water sinks back into our aquifers. To the bank of our most precious resource, water. Jacob Katz: So when we have functioning river ecosystems, when we have a functioning Sacramento Valley, what we really have is a system that works for fins, for feathers, for farms and for people, and is better able to meet the challenges of a changing climate with resilience and ultimately with this recovery of natural abundance. Jim Morris: As the salmon work ramps up, we will have much more in the coming weeks. For now, I appreciate spending time with Jacob Katz on this important subject. You can find out much more at podcast.calrice.org. Please subscribe and tell your friends. Thanks for listening.

December 17, 2021 — The Potter Valley Project is in a phase of uncertainty, but a recent feasibility study could be a blueprint for a future that includes a diversion without dams. The deadline for the license application is coming up in mid-April, and PG&E, which owns the project, has made it clear that it does not intend to renew. The coalition seeking to take over the license hasn't come up with the money it needs to fund the necessary studies. And PG&E is not paying for a costly repair at the powerhouse that drastically reduces the amount of water the project is able to divert from the Eel River into the Russian River and on into Lake Mendocino. The new study, a technical memorandum funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with cannabis taxes, posits a few strategies for decommissioning the dams and building structures to continue seasonal diversions. Darren Mireau, the North Coast Director of California Trout, signaled that he favors the rapid removal option with pumping. (CalTrout is a member of the Two-Basin Partnership, the coalition of entities that has filed a notice of intent to take over the license, but Mireau is not speaking on behalf of the entire Partnership here.) He says sediment, both of the sandy and the rocky varieties, will play a large role in how any of the alternatives is carried out. Sediment buildup that reduced the capacity of the van Arsdale reservoir behind Cape Horn Dam was a large part of the reason Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury were built in 1922, 14 years after Cape Horn. “You're goint to have an impact with sediment release, and you could do that once, or you could do that four times,” he said of the rapid removal option, as opposed to the phased approach, which would take place over four years. “And each time has about the same caliber of impact. So it seems reasonable to do it all at once and get past the impact, and get the dam out.” Since the point of dam removal is to protect fish, Mireau added, “We would time it in a way that most of the fish are coming up the Eel River and heading into tributaries, so they'll be distributed out of the effect zone…like I said, this is a feasibility level study right now, so a lot more detailed study will unfold.” Some options include a partial removal of Cape Horn Dam, but Mireau was unambivalent about CalTrout's position on Scott Dam. “We will certainly want to remove — or have PG&E remove, to be honest, the entirety of Scott Dam,” he emphasized. “It needs to go. With regard to Cape Horn Dam, it's a little trickier, because it's the diversion point for water going into the Russian River, and we're committed to maintain that reliable water supply…this study is actually groundbreaking for us, because we now have three reliable infrastructures that we think would safely and reliably provide that water supply to the Russian River.” Of the three alternatives, the pumping option would be the cheapest to build, at an estimated cost of $20 million, as compared to $35-$48 million for channel-building options. But the annual projected operations and management costs for the pumping scenario range from $309,000-$359,000, including water delivery costs to Potter Valley of about $284,000 per year. Annual O&M costs for the other two options range from $50,000-$200,000. But Mireau doesn't have a problem with water users paying the price for the commodity. “Any water diversion at that location is going to have some annual operation and maintenance costs,” he said. “That's unavoidable. The advantage of the full removal of Cape Horn Dam with that pumped diversion approach is that you get all of the obstruction out of the river that might impair fish passage.That alternative for Cape Horn Dam does that the best. And it does shift the cost, I think, to the water users, instead of the fish side, where it appropriately needs to be.” Reached by phone, Congressman Jared Huffman acknowledged that PG&E ratepayers are likely to get stuck paying for any alternative that ends up being implemented at the project. But he said ratepayers are already paying for hydropower costs, and PG&E is currently operating the Potter Valley Project at a loss of about $9 million a year. What happens next depends on the federal regulators. If surrender and decommissioning is the way forward, it will depend on an order from the Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission. The Two-Basin Partnership is likely to withdraw its notice of intent to apply for the license, according to Mireau. “We're reasonably certain that will happen in ‘22, at least by the expiration date of the license itself, which is April 14, 2022,” he said. “And then FERC will turn and order PG&E into that surrender and decommission process…and then it's PG&E, the license holder's obligation to respond, start developing a plan for that decommissioning, and go forward from there.” Huffman said that, although surrender and decommissioning scenarios do differ, a dam that blocks anadromous fish passage, as Scott Dam does, would have to meet a set of regulatory standards so significant that, “When you add it all up, you see where agencies have weighed in, (and) the only way to meet standards is to remove the dams.” The last relicensing of the Potter Valley Project took 34 years. Mireau thinks time is of the essence for the fish, which are drawing nearer to extinction. Huffman hopes the condition of Lake Mendocino and the crippled transformer in the powerhouse “should create a great sense of urgency.” He also noted “a reticence to give up on the license application.” But if the partnership doesn't withdraw its notice of intent to apply, FERC is likely to wait until it misses the application deadline in April, just as the dry season is getting underway, before making the pivotal order. “One or the other will happen,” Mireau predicted. You can find more documents about the Two-Basin Partnership at twobasinsolution.org

November 4, 2021 — Time is running out for a regional entity to take over the license for the Potter Valley Project. The Two-Basin Partnership, a coalition of local government and conservation groups seeking to take over the license from PG&E, is unlikely to meet the deadline to submit its application. And funding sources for a costly study plan have not materialized. FERC (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) recently refused the Partnership's request for a little more time. On top of all that, a five or ten million dollar transformer at the powerhouse in Potter Valley is now defunct, causing further uncertainty. The inoperable transformer means that the powerhouse can no longer produce electricity, though a diversion of about 135 cubic feet per second is still possible, using a bypass structure. In a recent letter to the Farm Bureau, Congressman Jared Huffman wrote that “With FERC denying the extension and with no near-term prospects for funding the $18 million study plan, the prospects for securing a FERC license are not good.” Huffman wrote that without money for the studies, “FERC would terminate the license application process and the Potter Valley Project will default to surrender and decommissioning.” He added that in that scenario, “PG&E, rather than the Partnership, would have to pay for the necessary studies and infrastructure changes, including removing Scott Dam.” But Janet Pauli, the chair of the Inland Water and Power Commission and a director on the board of the Potter Valley Irrigation District, says the surrender process is a black box. The IWPC is itself a coalition that is part of the Two-Basin Partnership. “The licensing process is pretty cut and dried,” she said. “But with surrender, you assume that the power production part of the project would no longer exist. But as far as what remains of that existing infrastructure, at this point in time, we really don't know.” Redgie Collins is the legal and policy director for California Trout, a conservation group which is also a member of the Partnership. CalTrout has advocated for the removal of Scott Dam for years. Collins suspects that PG&E will choose not to repair the transformer. Opinions differ on whether the project would continue to come under the purview of FERC if it can't generate electricity. But Collins thinks the water diversion from the Eel to the Russian River could continue without the power.``The reality is that in all likelihood we're moving to a surrender proceeding, which means that the powerhouse is coming out anyway,” he said. “We think that the water rights that PG&E holds right now are sufficient to continue the diversion regardless of power production...and those water rights, we think, will be adequate to move that water over without power generation.” Pauli emphasized that there are still a lot of unknowns. “We don't understand how any of the diversion structures that exist or are potentially going to be changed would function if Scott Dam is removed, and then the sediments behind Scott Dam would be released into the Eel River. It's a tremendous amount of sediment that would have to make its way down the Eel River over time and certainly would impact our ability to divert water from the Eel into the Russian. And we have to look at which option is the best for fish passage, too. And I don't think that that is clear yet. But the issue of diverting water through the project is not just the amount of water. Partly it's when the water is diverted and when it's available and how much we would be allowed to divert under certain hydrologic conditions and also with regards to the life cycles of migrating fish.” Collins says that CalTrout has worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to engineer three possibilities for a diversion without the powerhouse, which he expects will be publicly available next month. Any plan will take successful negotiations at multiple levels. Rough estimates for the costs of the potential diversion structure range from $35-66 million, he said, depending at least in part on the outcome of settlement negotiations he hopes will take place between the Partnership and PG&E. Collins is optimistic that federal funding from federal infrastructure negotiations will be available to help ensure the Partnership's two goals of water supply for the Russian River end of the diversion, and fish passage and habitat restoration for the Eel. “We're hoping to tap into that growing zeitgeist, and actually fund this project through that work,” he said. But using public money does not quite fulfill Huffman's assurance that PG&E would pay for infrastructure changes. And there's no guarantee that the company wouldn't pass the costs along to ratepayers. “PG&E deserves to pay for every cent of this solution,” Collins agreed.``They've been obstinate...so they're going to have to pay for the $15-18 million that ratepayers could have avoided through an earlier payment to the Partnership. And frankly, their bad operation of this dam as well as other dams across the state has led them to a position where they're going to rely on both their rate base and public and federal funding. I'll be the first to say that PG&E is not a well-run company in this regard, and we're extremely disappointed in their lack of leadership in this.”

Host Dave Schlom talks to Curis Knight from CalTrout about that organization's 50 years of work restoring trout habitat and using science-based policy to ensure that our fisheries remain viable.

September 16, 2021 — The coalition of entities that wants to take over the license for the Potter Valley Project is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to give it until May of next year to refine its plans. The project consists of Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury in Lake County and Cape Horn Dam and van Arsdale Reservoir in Potter Valley. That's where a diversion sends water from the Eel River into the Russian River and Lake Mendocino. The project is owned by PG&E, which decided not to renew its license in January of 2019. That led the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, itself a multi-jurisdictional entity, to team up with the Sonoma County Water Agency, Round Valley Indian Tribes, and environmental advocacy group California Trout to form the two-basin partnership to take over the project. The expectation has been that Scott Dam will be removed and Lake Pillsbury drained, but that the diversion would continue, in an effort to find a compromise between providing water to fish and the people who have grown to rely on the diversion. Redgie Collins is the legal and policy director for CalTrout. He spoke on behalf of his organization a few days ago.

Dave talks to Curis Knight from CalTrout about that organization's 50 years of work restoring trout habitat and using science-based policy to ensure that our fisheries remain viable. Then he visits Chrysten Rivard, the director of Trout Unlimited in Oregon, to talk about how drought and wildfire are affecting trout in that part of the west.

California Trout, is a conservation non-profit that works to protect the state's wild rivers and fish.

In this episode, CalTrout's Reggie Collins joins hosts Chad Alderson and Nick Hanna for a special On The Water Podcast. The trio discuss: CalTrout's history of the founding CA Wild and Scenic Rivers Act Mono Lake basin settlements Wild trout waters Looking to the future about the uncertainty of Covid and what that means for anglers and conservation in general with pushing through legislation. Support the show: https://gear.barbless.co See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CalTrout's Darren Mierau and Klamath dam campaign veteran Craig Tucker join the Green Gang to talk through the nascent plan to remove Scott Dam and restore salmon and steelhead to the upper Eel River. For more about the Potter Valley Project Two-Basin Partnership's proposed solution for Scott Dam Removal, click HERE.For more info about dam removal and the Potter Valley Project:Friends of the Eel RiverAction Alert! Submit comments on the Feasibility Study Report Filing to FERCSupport the show (https://www.humboldtbaykeeper.org/get-involved/donate)

In this episode, Nick talks with Mike Wier and Patrick Samuel from California Trout as well as Sam Sedillo from Trout Unlimited about the recent changes to fishing regulations due to COVID-19. Support the show. CalTrout is hosting its annual Gala & Auction on May 1st at 7 pm and this year, you're all invited! Given the current shelter-in-place, they've shifted to a live-stream event where they'll be creating the same excitement, sense of community, and celebration with an online auction, raffle, and updates on their work across the state to ensure healthy fish thrive in healthy waters for future generations. Visit caltrout.org/troutcamp2020 to register today and for more details. Support the show: https://gear.barbless.co See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Chad and Nick discuss NOAA's San Joaquin River Restoration Program with Hillary Glenn, who works on the San Joaquin River Branch and is Outreach Coordinator for NOAA's California Central Valley Office. CalTrout is hosting its annual Gala & Auction on May 1st at 7:00 pm and this year, you're all invited! Given the current shelter-in-place, they've shifted to a live-stream event where they'll be creating the same excitement, sense of community, and celebration with an online auction, raffle, and updates on their work across the state to ensure healthy fish thrive in healthy waters for future generations.  Visit caltrout.org/troutcamp2020 to register today and for more details. Support the show: https://gear.barbless.co See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special episode of the show, we talk with CalTrout's Development and Communications Director Tracey Diaz and Cast Hope's Marketing Director (and guide) Hogan Brown. The duo talk about the impact COVID-19 has had on their non-profits and steps they are taking to mitigate.  This is a special, ongoing series dedicated to sharing the stories of the people in the fishing world who are impacted by COVID-19. Support the show. Support the show: https://gear.barbless.co See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Booger Presley (Drew Witmer, Lead Engineering Architect at Barbelss.co) joins us to talk about the technology that is powering Barbless.co's various software products: https://podcast.barbless.co https://rigs.barbless.co https://homewater.barbless.co https://gear.barbless.co  This is a technical overview of our entire infrastructure. We also talk about the business a bit, things we've learned along the way, and get into the details on pretty much all of our apps and websites.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZVdR19E5mU --- TEXT CALTROUT to 26989 to support wild fish in healthy waters. This episode is brought to you by California Trout – please show your support for the show by becoming a member of CalTrout today: http://bit.ly/SupportCalTrout-Barbless --- Monitor flows on your favorite rivers. Download now on iTunes. Android coming soon! Want More Barbless.co Podcasts?  We've got most of the West Coast covered now! Check out: https://truckee-tahoe.barbless.co/ https://socal.barbless.co/ http://theop.barbless.co/ https://podcast.barbless.co/ Love what we do? Leave a review Become a Patreon supporter Follow us on Instagram Grab a Hat Want to Advertise?  Do you like the idea of one ad buy to cover 3 locations in California and one in Washington? Yeah, us too! Learn more - send an email to fishon@barbless.co. Support the show: https://gear.barbless.co See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We chat with our good friend Maury Hatch. Maury is one of the top guides on the California Delta, with over 30 years of experience behind him. In this episode, we discuss the fishing outlook for the spring/early summer season, which to no one's surprise is looking great after this year's "false spring". We also dive deep into the history of striped bass on the CA Delta, ending with some interesting hindsight on the newly proposed regulation changes. Lastly, Maury gives us the A-Z rundown of the Costa Bass N' Fly Tournament that he's helped organize since 2016. He'll discuss the history, logistics & planning of this hugely popular bass (largemouth) event. Not to mention the SWAG bags everyone goes home with! --- TEXT CALTROUT to 26989 to support wild fish in healthy waters. This episode is brought to you by California Trout – please show your support for the show by becoming a member of CalTrout today: http://bit.ly/SupportCalTrout-Barbless --- Monitor flows on your favorite rivers. Download now on iTunes. Android coming soon! Want More Barbless.co Podcasts?  We've got most of the West Coast covered now! Check out: https://truckee-tahoe.barbless.co/ https://socal.barbless.co/ http://theop.barbless.co/ https://podcast.barbless.co/ Love what we do? Leave a review Become a Patreon supporter Follow us on Instagram Grab a Hat Want to Advertise?  Do you like the idea of one ad buy to cover 3 locations in California and one in Washington? Yeah, us too! Learn more - send an email to fishon@barbless.co. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we dive deep into the Montana fishing history of Joe Moore, co-owner of Big Sky Anglers. Joe's roots in MT and West Yellowstone start with his dad in the late 50s. His family history fishing the area is pretty incredible. We'll discuss how Joe climbed the "guide" latter to own one of the more well-known shops in the sate, how their Patagonia outfitter business got started and their new lodge the Stonefly Inn. We'll also touch on current Montana fishing regulations and comparing current catch rates and sizes to yesteryear. Not to mention the "good old days" of catching huge Yellowstone cutties! --- TEXT CALTROUT to 26989 to support wild fish in healthy waters. This episode is brought to you by California Trout – please show your support for the show by becoming a member of CalTrout today: http://bit.ly/SupportCalTrout-Barbless --- Our Water Flows App is Live! Download now on iTunes. Android coming soon! Want More Barbless.co Podcasts?  We've got most of the West Coast covered now! Check out: https://truckee-tahoe.barbless.co/ | https://socal.barbless.co/ | http://theop.barbless.co/ | https://podcast.barbless.co/ Love what we do? Leave a review Become a Patreon supporter Follow us on Instagram Grab a Hat Want to Advertise?  Do you like the idea of one ad buy to cover 3 locations in California and one in Washington? Yeah, us too! Learn more - send an email to fishon@barbless.co. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part two of our 2020 coverage of The Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show. Thanks so much to CalTrout for hosting us in their booth this year! Part 2 guests: Ben Furimsky, Artist Josh Udesen. Great to see you all at the show - see you in 2021! ---...

Part one of our 2020 coverage of The Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show. Thanks so much to CalTrout for hosting us in their booth this year! Part 1 guests: John Walton, Sarah Landström, Chris King. Great to see you all at the show - see you in 2021! ---...

Jacob Montgomery is California Trout's Central Valley Project Manager specializing in plankton population dynamics and food web production. He currently manages CalTrout's Fish Food program using Sacramento Valley rice farms as a surrogate...

Darren Mierau, CalTrout's North Coast Director, joins the Green Gang to bring us up to date on efforts to remove two dams to recover salmon and steelhead runs on California's third largest river. CalTrout is one of many groups, including Friends of the Eel River, working to restore the salmon and steelheads runs by removing two dams in the Eel River. As a member of the Eel River Forum, CalTrout is working with agency, tribal, and conservation partners regarding priority recovery actions and policy reform needed to recover salmonid populations in the Eel River basin, California's third largest watershed.For more info, visit the Potter Valley Project website at https://pottervalleyproject.org.Support the show (https://www.humboldtbaykeeper.org/get-involved/donate)

On this special episode of The Barbless Fly Fishing Podcast we come to you from Fall River Mills, Ca. on the eve of the 2019 hosted by the and .  Curtis Knight, Executive Director of California Trout joins us to discuss CalTrout's charter,...

Do you know where your water comes from? The iconic spring-fed trout waters of Mt. Shasta and High Sierra meadows are the key to California’s water future. They are a major Source of the state’s water supply, vital to its economy, its people and its fish. Yet, despite its significance, many Californians are unaware of where their water comes from and the need to protect and restore these important sources. They face a myriad of threats. From water bottling plants to hydroelectric and geothermal energy facilities in the springs to degraded meadows in the Sierra. And now – climate change. Learn more about these vital Source waters, and, how we can ensure they are productive and healthy for generations to come. Series: "Sustainable California" [Science] [Show ID: 33882]

Do you know where your water comes from? The iconic spring-fed trout waters of Mt. Shasta and High Sierra meadows are the key to California’s water future. They are a major Source of the state’s water supply, vital to its economy, its people and its fish. Yet, despite its significance, many Californians are unaware of where their water comes from and the need to protect and restore these important sources. They face a myriad of threats. From water bottling plants to hydroelectric and geothermal energy facilities in the springs to degraded meadows in the Sierra. And now – climate change. Learn more about these vital Source waters, and, how we can ensure they are productive and healthy for generations to come. Series: "Sustainable California" [Science] [Show ID: 33882]

We had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Wier recently who has been influential in the fly fishing world.  His videos have changed the way we look at the sport and now he is helping CalTrout share their vision through different media...