A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
December 6, 2007
3. Watersheds
QUAGGA MUSSELS:
Musseling out hitchhikers - Lake County Record Bee
MT. SHASTA WATERSHED:
FLOOD CONTROL:
Trickery may not be damming; City buys flow-control device to reduce beaver activity in creek -
AMERICAN RIVER PROPERTY ACQUIRED:
North Fork American River property acquired from timber firm - YubaNet.com
QUAGGA MUSSELS:
Musseling out hitchhikers
By Elizabeth Wilson, staff writer
LAKE COUNTY -- At the Lakeport city council meeting Tuesday, Lakeport citizen Suzanne Lyons asked whether the city plans to work with other cities or communities around the lake on the issue of quagga mussels. In short, the response from the council was "yes, we have brochures in the lobby."
But the city of
The larvae and mussels can attach to watercraft and "hitchhike" their way to new waters.
In addition to creating flyers and brochures, the two incorporated cities in the county will have representatives on the brand-new Clear Lake Foundation, which aims to provide funding to battle the quagga and educate the public about the mussel. The first meeting is Friday at 3 p.m. in Lakeport's City Hall chambers.
After numerous workshops, meetings and discussions about the quagga mussel in the Board of Supervisor's chambers and city hall, arguably the best idea to fight the mussel is that of a K-9 unit that will be trained to sniff out the mussel and its larvae, Rutton said.
The idea of training dogs originated with Lynette Shimek, fish and game warden, and state-wide K-9 unit coordinator. K-9's are trained to detect many odors, such as abalone, gun powder and deer. The main biologist who will be documenting the research on quagga-sniffing dogs is Mary Cablk, who has conducted research on the success of K-9's sniffing out desert tortoises, according to Shimek.
Shimek's idea of training K-9's to detect the mussel has spread to other states, including
In terms of the absence of signage that was
In addition, county entities are keeping in contact daily with the state, whom Ruttan says is "on top of things" due to the presence there of the mussel in numerous lakes, reservoirs and the
Meanwhile, 11 quagga-traps placed around the lake have shown no signs of the mussel, and Shimek is getting ready to help train 18 dogs to detect the mussels during two training sessions next spring. The dogs will help in the effort to contain and eradicate the mussels in the
After the dogs finish training in April and are put to use in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, wardens and scientists will focus on depth detection. "If the mussels are in an intake pipe, we'll want to know how far down the dogs will be able to detect them. My belief is that the dogs will be able to smell them to a depth of at least 15 feet," Shimek said.
Another use of the dogs will be to further educate public on the mussels. "One of our highest priorities is education. We'll take them to schools, sportsman's expositions, any venue to get people to listen to the threat our wildlife and habitat faces," Shimek said. #
http://www.record-bee.com/local/ci_7646618
MT. SHASTA WATERSHED:
By Paul Boerger, staff writer
Ecologist and researcher Renee Henery of UC Davis presented an overview of the
Henery's “mantra,” which he frequently repeated during the Nov. 28 talk at the Flying Lotus in Mount Shasta, was that to fully comprehend the headwaters complex relationship to the area and the use of the water elsewhere - such as the flows that go to more southern parts of California - researchers need to look at the broad interrelationships of the rivers, 14,162 foot Mt. Shasta and its glaciers, and habitats.
“This is a very special place with a wealth of natural resources,” Henery said. “These are natural resources essential to the State of
The presentation, entitled The Geo-Hydro-Ecology of the Mt. Shasta Headwaters Region, provided an overview of the McCloud, Shasta and
“All three rivers used to have migrating fish, now they are only on the
He said impacts from fish hatcheries in the 1800s that took salmon eggs from spawning grounds and shipped them all over the world resulted in a “zero” run one year on the
As an example of how interrelated environments can be with each other, Henery said there is evidence that when fish come from the ocean, spawn and then die in inland rivers, their bodies leave behind important nutrients that are used by inland plants and animals.
He said dams, sedimentation from land use including grazing in riparian areas, water diversion and temperature are “key drivers of change” for the system. He also noted the potential of climate change impacts for all three systems including loss of snowpack and glacial ice.
“But we need a better understanding,” Henery said. “The effect of the
Henery said the watershed is a “key water faucet for the state,” but would not speculate on how much water goes downstream to southern
In a separate interview, however, River Exchange executive director Sandra Spelliscy provided some perspective on the issue.
She said, “The Sacramento River contributes over 17 million acre-feet of water each year to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta, approximately 62 percent of total inflows. The Bay Delta provides water to over two thirds of the state's population. The water coming out of Shasta Dam represents about a quarter of the overall flows that feed into the
Henery said there has been “huge progress” in habitat protection on the
“The research has been on specific issues, not the long term perspective. Its really only in its infancy,” Henery said in conclusion. “We need to feel our connection to the bigger system. Treat it like it's a part of you. A part of your wellbeing and livelihood.” #
http://www.mtshastanews.com/articles/2007/12/05/news/area_news/02headwaters.txt
FLOOD CONTROL:
Trickery may not be damming; City buys flow-control device to reduce beaver activity in creek
Inside Bay Area – 12/6/07
By Lisa P. White, staff writer
A beaver expert hired by the city of
If the water doesn't rise, the beavers won't build.
The Beavers in Alhambra Creek Subcommittee decided Tuesday to pay Skip Lisle, a beaver expert from
"The basic goal is to move enough of the water, enough of the year to arrest the vertical growth of the dam," Lisle told the committee.
The device, also called a pond-leveling system, is a 10- to 12-inch diameter pipe with a steel wire mesh filter on one end. Lisle would anchor the 40-foot pipe upstream and thread the open end through the dam.
The device will cost the city between $5,000 and $10,000, but it is unclear when Lisle will be able to fit
Determining how many feet to lower the dam initially is tricky, Lisle said. If the water level drops too low, the beavers may abandon the dam and build another elsewhere in the creek. And they can do so quickly because Alhambra Creek has such a narrow channel, he added.
Councilman Mark Ross said lowering the dam will reduce the flood risk and make it less likely the city will have to remove the dam entirely.
"The lower the profile of the dam we can coerce the beavers into accepting, the better it is for everyone on both sides," said Ross, the subcommittee chairman.
But one subcommittee member questioned the rationale for putting in the flow-control device.
"We've expended millions of dollars and we had 50 years of floods before we had a meaningful flood control project," said attorney Albert Turnbaugh, who owns property on
Lisle said beavers are very territorial, so it is unlikely another beaver family will move into the creek.
But he said the city probably will have to deal with more beavers in the future because of the large population in the
Ross said the city paid Lisle's hotel and airfare, which he estimated totaled less than $2,000.
A local company is preparing a range of options for monthly tests of the water quality above and below the dam. But Ross said the subcommittee may opt for minimal testing, in part, because any pollutants in the creek could come from sources other than the beavers, including people, dogs or other animals.
Ross said he is seeking a wildlife biologist to join the subcommittee who can address beavers' tendency to burrow into creek banks, their reproductive cycle and other issues.
Last week, the subcommittee implemented a plan to deal with the potential for flooding as the winter rainy season gets under way. When the water rises within two feet of the
Last weekend, workers trimmed about eight inches from the dam and put in a hook and cable so they can rip out the entire dam if there is an imminent threat of flooding. #
AMERICAN RIVER PROPERTY ACQUIRED:
YubaNet.com – 12/5/07
By
Placer Land Trust (PLT) and the American River Conservancy (ARC) announced the purchase and protection of two parcels totaling 94 acres of land within the
The parcels of land, which lay southeast of the Gold Run area on Interstate 80, were purchased from the Siller Brothers Timber Company for $100,000. All the funding was provided by matching grants from private sources, including the United Auburn Indian Community in Rocklin.
"The
"We're excited to work with willing landowners, private foundations and public agencies to preserve some of these special river-front lands for future generations."
The National Wild & Scenic Rivers Act was enacted in 1968 and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson to preserve designated rivers by protecting the free flowing character and the outstanding scenic, recreation, fishery and wildlife values. The California Wild & Scenic Rivers Act was passed four years later in 1972. The
"This acquisition brings one of the most spectacular river canyons in the western
Ownership to the recently acquired 94 acres will be held by ARC until title can be transferred to the
The Giant Gap project is a joint project of ARC and PLT to acquire and protect private inholdings within the
www.arconservancy.org and www.placerlandtrust.org. #
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_72066.shtml
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