A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
June 30, 2008
3. Watersheds –
Editorial
Little fish, big bad idea: Smelt hatcheries would just be a waste
The Sacramento
Don't spoil salvia: Cut back on food and water to get the most out of native sage
PCL Insider: Assembly Committee Passes Bad Delta Smelt Bill
IndyBay.org- 6/28/08
Salmon increase tenfold in Columbia River run
The Sacramento
King salmon runs only half of anticipated
The Fresno
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Editorial
Little fish, big bad idea: Smelt hatcheries would just be a waste
The Sacramento
Even during a drought, goofy ideas flow through the Legislature like sludge in a sewer. The latest one? Sen. Dean Florez's plan to build factories for the Delta smelt.
The smelt, as you might recall, is a finger-length fish that lives in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It's threatened with extinction. Invasive species and lost habitat have hurt these little fish. So have the Delta's water pumping plants, which kill smelt directly, and alter the estuary's natural flows.
Last year, a federal judge cut back the pumping because of evidence the smelt were on the brink of oblivion. Ever since, cities and
Some of this energy has been fruitful. Stakeholders have put extra effort into ideas to restore the Delta and reexamine its plumbing. But some of that energy has been misplaced. Exhibit A: the smelt factory idea.
Florez, who represents the farm region of
This idea is nutty. Even if these hatcheries helped water users dodge a bullet in court, they'd do nothing for other troubled Delta species – including longfin smelt and shad.
It also probably would do little to help the Delta smelt. "Trying to keep Delta smelt going by raising them in hatcheries and releasing them is like trying to raise sheep in a drought-seared pasture surrounded by a forest full of wolves," wrote Peter Moyle, one of the state's leading fish biologists, in an analysis of the bill.
Despite such warnings, the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee approved Florez's legislation Tuesday and now Senate Bill 994 is headed to the appropriations committee. It shouldn't go further than that. During a budget meltdown, lawmakers shouldn't be wasting their time and our money on smelt factories.
Fishy business, indeed.#
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/1048656.html
Don't spoil salvia: Cut back on food and water to get the most out of native sage
By Karen Dardick
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“Know what you're dealing with if you want to be successful growing native salvias,” said David Fross, owner of Native Sons Nursery.
This sage advice comes from a renowned native plant horticulturist who collects, propagates and sells plants through his wholesale nursery, located in Arroyo Grande. His specialty is water-thrifty plants for Mediterranean-style climates like that of
Given Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's declaration of drought conditions earlier this month, gardeners here and throughout the state are increasingly in the hunt for water-wise plants. Native
The key to growing them is knowing how to care for them in gardens, a far different environment from their native habitats. Most gardeners spoil them with kindness, with too much water, too often. This defeats the point of their water thriftiness and also ruins their looks.
“Salvias native to
There are 19 salvia species native to
Some
Salvia leucophylla, purple sage, grows in the wild from
Salvia sonomensis, called creeping sage or
Salvia spathacea, hummingbird sage or crimson sage, can be found throughout
In good form other than culinary sage, these and most others sages are grown for their aesthetic appeal. But their value predates their landscape use by many centuries.
Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian and author of “Natural History,” was the first known person to identify them by the Latin word salvia, a derivative of the Latin verb salvara, which means to heal or save. The related noun, salvus, means uninjured or whole. In his famous encyclopedia, Pliny included sages for their agricultural and medical attributes.
In the Middle Ages, sages were used widely for healing and to create charms and spells. Salvia officinalis, known as common sage, was a mainstay of herbalists for culinary use and treating fevers, palsy and nervous disorders.
Gardeners who like them for their virtues of colorful flower spikes, compact growth habit, aromatic and attractive leaves, can include them in their plant palette, but must also take proper care. This translates to less is more.
“Less water and no fertilizer is what gardeners in
Some gardeners have avoided sages because they have a reputation for growing tall, woody and rangy. Species are more inclined to do so than hybrids, developed or selected by plants people with an eye for their garden worthiness “The interest in creating new Salvia cultivars of natives is to improve their form and habit,” said Foss.
“There are compact varieties suited to today's smaller gardens. There are also hybrids with improved flower colors – darker blue or deep red.”
'Hobbit ToToes' and 'Bee's Bliss,' both Savlia sonomensis hybrids that can be used as ground covers, and 'Kawatre,' also a ground cover but a Salvia spathacea hybrid, are among his recommendations for San Diego gardens.
Foss noted that 'Hobbit Toes' is particularly sensitive to watering during summer.
Butterfly magnet
Bert Wilson, owner of Las Pilitas Nursery in
“Hummingbirds, butterflies and native bees need them,” he said. “They prefer native sages to hybrids, probably because of their nectar. But native sages must be grown where they will not get any water. For highly refined, non-native environments (gardens), then I recommend hybrids of the native sages.”
Top on his list is 'Pozo Blue,' a cross between Salvia clevelandii and Salvia leucophylla. “It's almost always got a butterfly on it, hummingbirds love it, and so do native bees. After flowering ends, if seeds are scattered in a protected area, quail will come,” he said.
To include native sages in landscapes, he recommends starting with seeds and scattering them in an area that will not receive any water at all. Where this isn't possible, he suggests planting native selections or hybrids in hot, dry places like against a wall or in strong sunlight, then bordering them with Mediterranean-climate plants like lavender or rosemary.
In this era of water-wise gardening,
Shade helps
If anyone might be called “the Salvia lady,” it's Betsy Clebsch. She tends her large garden, Jardin de Viento, in the
Her interest in learning about them culminated in her book, “A Book of Salvias,” first published in 1997 by Timber Press and considered a horticultural classic. A revised edition, “The New Book of Salvias,” appeared in 2003 and a paperback version, “The New Book of Salvias – Sages for Every Garden,” was published recently.
Clebsch has traveled extensively to view sages in the wild and collected seeds and plants to test in her own garden. Her book contains detailed information about 150 salvia species and cultivars that she feels are garden worthy.
She cautions gardeners to understand sages' needs. While most thrive in hot sun, there are some native cultivars that do better with a little shade, especially in hot regions. 'Powerline Pink' and 'Shirley's Creeper' are among them.
Although these plants are easy to grow, they do need fast draining soil. If planted in clay, water accumulates around their roots and causes rotting. Clebsch corrected the poor drainage of her soil by digging in small, rough-edged rocks obtained from a neighboring quarry. For gardeners without such a resource, she recommends lava rocks.
She also suggests mulching over the root zone with chipped bark which breaks down as it ages and improves soil quality. No other feeding is necessary, she emphasizes.
“Salvias are not hungry plants, they don't need fertilizer,” she said.
Neither should they need protection from insect damage, as long as they have good air circulation. However, if sages are forced into summer bloom by water and fertilizer, the tender growth may be targeted by aphids or whitefly.
Sages are also recommended for landscapes where deer are a problem. Although the animals might nibble flowers, they avoid the aromatic foliage.
In addition, they're also good candidates under oak trees where watering should be avoided to safeguard the trees. Hummingbird sage or pitcher sage (Salvia spathacea) is especially useful since this native grows under oak tree drip lines in its native locations.
Form can be maintained by pruning after flowering cycle ends, although some gardeners enjoy the look of the dried flower stems.
“Don't be afraid to experiment,” Clebsch said during a telephone interview. “Salvias appeal to me because they perform well in our gardens. I have a 23-year-old plant still in excellent shape. It all depends on how you place them and how you grow them.”
She added that it's the gardener's eye that makes the difference.
“It's important to observe them,” she said. “Watch and observe the plant's habit and act accordingly.”#
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20080629-9999-1hs29sages.html
PCL Insider: Assembly Committee Passes Bad Delta Smelt Bill
IndyBay.org- 6/28/08
By Dan Bacher
Ths Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife this morning passed SB 994 (Florez, Ashburn, Steinberg). This bill guts protections for delta smelt, a species now on the edge of extinction because of massive increases in water exports from the California Delta for corporate agribusiness. Here are the details from the PCL Insider:
PCL Insider: News from the Capitol
Bad news for the delta - Assembly committee passes SB 994, GUTTING PROTECTIONS FOR DELTA SMELT
Despite strong opposition from the environmental community and concern from fish biologists, SB 994 (Florez, Ashburn, Steinberg) received enough votes to pass out of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife this morning and is now headed to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.
SB 994 attempts to sidestep environmental protections for the threatened Delta Smelt, which have been in severe decline for the past eight years. If passed, the bill would create a loophole allowing water diverters to comply with endangered species protection laws without providing habitat restoration, water quality improvements, and necessary freshwater flows within the ailing Delta as required by those same laws. Instead, SB 994 would tie the hands of the Department of Fish and Game by requiring the department to issue necessary environmental permits as long as water diverters simply pay into a fund for a massive Delta Smelt hatchery.
The committee analysis includes a stinging criticism of the bill's approach by fish biologist Dr. Peter Moyle, the foremost expert on Delta Smelt. "Trying to keep Delta Smelt going by raising them in hatcheries and releasing them is like trying to raise sheep in a drought-seared pasture surrounded by a forest full of hungry wolves," explains Moyle.
When pressed this morning in committee about the lack of evidence that a Delta Smelt hatchery would actually help restore the species, Senator Florez responded that the bill's intent was simply to establish an "interim" and "experimental" hatchery. Yet the bill has no sunset clause or time limitation, and it allows diverters to base compliance with environmental laws on the experimental hatchery.
PCL and a coalition of environmental organizations, including all of the environmental organizations involved in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), an effort to provide long-term endangered species permits for water diversion, registered opposition for SB 994. One primary concern of the coalition, in addition to the blatant attempt to undermine environmental protections, is that SB 994 would compromise the good-faith efforts of the BDCP and the Governor's ongoing Delta Vision process.
Barbara Byrne of the Planning and Conservation League said, "The fact that water diverters and some legislators are supporting SB 994 against the advice of Delta Smelt experts brings into question their commitment to restoration of the Delta ecosystem. This divisive measure does not bode well for the future success of collaborative processes and legislation on water and the Delta."
PCL will continue to fight for protection of the Delta and against this measure as it moves on to the Appropriations Committee.
For more information, contact PCL's Water Policy Analyst Barb Byrne. #
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/06/24/18510784.php
Salmon increase tenfold in Columbia River run
The Sacramento
By Roger Phillips - McClatchy Newspapers
Kris Holland /
The run stands in stark contrast to
The
This year's return is good news for a fish that has struggled to survive for decades. Sockeye were the first
Officials expected a larger-than-average sockeye run due in part to improved river migration and ocean conditions and more young fish migrating from Idaho, but they could not explain the surprise abundance.
"It's a mystery. This is nothing like what was predicted," said Brian Gorman, spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service.
The sockeye count at Bonneville Dam east of
The largest recorded dam count of
The preseason prediction by state and federal biologists was 700 sockeye returning to the
To reach their traditional spawning waters,
While the sockeye run appears prodigious, other salmon species have suffered. Biologists expected a large run of spring chinook salmon this year, which came back in smaller-than-anticipated numbers.
But Alaskan officials are predicting this year's harvest of all salmon species will be above the state's 10-year average.
The sockeye component of
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1047275.html
King salmon runs only half of anticipated
The Fresno
By Craig Medred
Even before this fishing season began,
Cold waters in the Alaska Current sweeping the
Unexpected, though, was that fewer of the fish would come back at all. Some biologists are wondering now whether a northern ocean chilled by La Nina -- El Nino's frigid alter ego -- might have done more than just delay returns.
Some places, the result has been a disaster.
Commercial fisheries on the
The spawning goal is 100,000 of the big fish upriver. Projections based on early sonar counts at Pilot Point on the lower river indicate the entire king run might number only 100,000, possibly less. It's normally at least twice as large.#
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/42660.html
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