Since my progress
report on March 21 to April 17, 2007:
Objective 1:
Coordinating Collaboration:
Participated
in the “Watershed Day in the Capitol” on 03.21.07
at the Cal EPA Building in Sacramento and heard presentations
on the “Status of Watershed Coordination in California”
in the morning followed by informational visits to selected elected
officials offices at the Capitol in the afternoon.
Participated
in the Central Region Association of Resource Conservation
Districts meeting on 03.23.07 in Auburn, CA hosted by
Rich Gresham (Placer County RCD, Manager) and moderated by Chris
Paull (Placer County RCD Board, President) with presentations by
Jim Branham (Sierra Nevada Conservancy), Robert Weygandt
(Placer County Supervisor) and Gail Chun (California Department of
Conservation, Watershed Coordinator Grant Manager).
Coordinated
a meeting of the Upper American River Foundation (UARF)
http://groups.msn.com/uarfon 03.24.07 at the Baker’s Square Restaurant in
Auburn followed by a tour/monitoring of the Ralston/Rubicon
River part of the watershed for an article by Dan Bacher, Fish
Sniffer Magazine http://www.fishsniffer.com/maps/rubicon.html
Met
with Frank Wallace (Sacramento Weed Warriors) on 3.27.07
at Modoc Hall, Sac State Campus, and interviewed 2 candidates
for project leader for an Arundo removal project at N.F./M.F.
American River Confluence and other locations in the American River
Watershed and adjacent watersheds.
Participated
in Foothills Water Network meeting on 3.28.07 at the
Sierra Nevada Conservancy office in Auburn, CA to coordinate
efforts of recreational interests for the PCWA Middle Fork
American River FERC Relicensing project.
Participated in the
CABY Planning meeting on 04.04.07and helped review new project ideas
and status of proposal opportunities from the CALFED Ch. 8 and
Watershed Program grants.
Participated
in a PCWA Aquatics TWG meeting on 04.04.07 at the Canyon
View Community Center in Auburn, CA. to review project plans for
about 10 studies in and near the Middle Fork American River. We
realized that most of the trout spawning probably occurs above
French Meadows on the M.F. American River and above Hell Hole
Reservoir, and above Innerbay Reservoir and Ralston Afterbay
reservoirs on the M.F. American R. and the Rubicon R. respectively.
We began to realize that most spawning in the Middle Fork American
River below Oxbow Powerhouse probably occurs in the tributaries
upstream of the area influenced by the peaking flows because
spawning gravels wetted during high flows dry out later in the day
when the flows are reduced and the spawning gravels in the Base Flow
parts of the river are probably scoured away by the higher flows
later in the day.
Objective 2:
Implementing Education and Outreach
Toured the
Middle Fork American River Watershed on 04.02.07 with
Claudia Smith, Placer County Resource Conservation
District, Board Member, introducing her to many of the issues
and important resource conservation possibilities in the watershed
that the RCD might be interested in participating with.
Co-presented
a talk at the Granite Bay Flycasters Meeting at Folsom Lake
on 04.19.07 with Bill Carnazzo on opportunities for
volunteers (like their members) to help with in various parts of the
Middle Fork American River Watershed.
Participated
in the American River Watershed Conference Planning
http://www.csus.edu/CREST/American_River_Watershed_Conference.htmlon 04.12&13.07 at Sacramento State
University led by Ron Coleman, rcoleman@csus.edu
Biology Professor. I presented a display containing ARWG and UARF
project progress and plans and copies of recent articles (to which I
contributed) that have been published this month in the Fish Sniffer
and California Fly Fisher magazines, and I assisted with the
Watershed Assessment and Adaptive Management Workshop while
concurrent sessions were held on other related land use,
precipitation, and fisheries issues.
Objective 3:
Fostering Opportunities for Collaboration among Stakeholders:
Toured Aerojet site on
03.29.07 along the Lower American River with Charlie Meraz (Aerojet
and North Area Sportsmen’s Association) and learned about why
their ground water treatment has had its difficulties. We also
learned more about the large volumes of water that are pumped
(exceeding local purveyor’s pumping) and treated daily and
then returned to the Lower American River (via Buffalo Creek) to
waters that probably have much higher contaminant loads. It seems
that Aerojet needs to do more education outreach to show all that
they are doing and the progress that they are making.
Attended a
meeting of the Trout Unlimited Sac/Sierra Chapter in
Sacramento on 04.05.07 and shared information on
current activities that their members could help with as part of
Earth Day and Creek Week activities locally and in the Upper
American River Watershed.
Participated
in a meeting of the Water Forum Environmental Caucus on
04.10.07 in Sacramento where we discussed opportunities
for improving flows in the Lower American River.
Attended
PARC (Protecting American River Canyons) meeting on 04.09.07
in Auburn, CAlearning of a new video planned by the
Canyon Keepers group and the finding of rare forms of life
common only to the cavern at the Mountain Cave Quarry on the M.F.
American River upstream of Highway 49 between Auburn and Cool. Don’t
forget the Clean Up on Apr. 21 at the Confluence.
Objective 4: Informing
and Educating Landowners on Water Quality Issues:
Monitored
the health of the watershed on 03.28.07 with Dan Bacher,
Fish Sniffer Magazine for his article on the Ralston Afterbay
and Rubicon River.