AB 2889 I have submitted a letter to the Natural Resources Committee (attached) and added sections from the Forest Practice Act (the proposed leg. language makes the review team (interagency review process noted in the Act and the Forest Practice Rules)) process + plus public comment and Calfire review impossible). After re-reading #5 in the […]
Read MoreCategory: Watershed Related Concerns
Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE), Mapping Tool by CDF&W
Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) What is ACE? ACE is a CDFW effort to analyze large amounts of map-based data in a targeted, strategic way, and expressed visually, so decisions can be informed around important goals like conservation of biodiversity, habitat connectivity, and climate change resiliency. The ACE maps provide a coarse level view of information […]
Read MoreAll of state’s salt marshes are at risk of vanishing. Natural Protectors are threatened along coast. Blame rising seas and humans, study says. Hundreds of species would be threatened; floods would worsen.
By Rosanna Xia On one side, there’s the rising ocean. On the other, rising buildings. Squeezed between the two are California’s salt marshes, a unique ecosystem filled with pickleweed and cordgrass, shorebirds and many endangered species. Coastal wetlands such as Bolinas Lagoon in Marin County, the marshes along Morro Bay and the ecological preserve in Newport […]
Read MoreSanctuary Forests Recent Land & Water Stewardship Guides
Hi Watershed Workers, I just wanted to bring to your attention these two newish Land and Water Stewardship Guides published by Sanctuary Forest & written by Kyle Keegan with wonderful graphics rendered by his brother Evan Walbridge. http://www.sanctuaryforest.org/got-stewardship-guides/ <http://www.sanctuaryforest.org/got-stewardship-guides/> Land Stewardship Guide: Reducing Runoff and Increasing Infiltration in the Mediterranean Climate of Northen California http://www.sanctuaryforest.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Land-Stewardship-Guide-Booklet-Form.pdf […]
Read MorePIELC 2018 Climate Case, CRW v. Sonoma County
PIELC-2018-Bernhaut(et-al)-Final
Read MoreQuestions for Water Fix Hearing, February 13th
To All, During the Water Fix hearing on February 8, 2018, the hearing officers directed the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) (collectively petitioners) to respond to the Natural Resources Defense Council, et al.’s February 7, 2018 Renewed Motion for Stay of Part 2 of the hearing as […]
Read MoreThis is a tale of two watersheds: One that invests and protects its watersheds and one that sacrifices its watersheds to one crop producing non-foods.
Napa Valley tree-removal ballot proposal brings wine business, environmentalist clash CYNTHIA SWEENEY NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL | January 29, 2018, 9:29AM As new vineyards spread from the crowded Napa Valley floor to the hillsides, environmentalists have succeeded in getting enough votes to qualify for the June 5 ballot that aims to protect the county’s watershed and oak […]
Read MoreTalk on Geology and Water
To All, Dr. Jane Nielson will be discussing geology and how it relates to water that will have relevance to the statewide groundwater planning. Join us for repeat of Jane Nielson’s December 11 presentation to the Sebastopol City Council’s Water subcommittee about the problems posed by the City’s 2007 Water Supply Assessment (WSA). That report […]
Read MoreRiver Rally Hosted by River Network
To All, April 29 – May 2, 2018 | Olympic Valley, California River Rally, hosted annually by River Network, is a national conference for river and water champions. Unique in its focus on providing practical education, inspiring courage, and celebrating achievements, River Rally brings together hundreds of people from across the United States and the […]
Read MoreEPA Tools and Resources: EnviroAtlas
To All, What is EnviroAtlas? EnviroAtlas is a web-based decision support tool that combines maps, analysis tools, downloadable data and informational resources that states, tribes, communities and individuals can use to help inform policy and planning decisions that impact the places where people live, learn, work and play. EnviroAtlas contains two primary tools: An Interactive […]
Read MoreDeciphering dueling analyses of clean water regulations
To All, This is a short policy forum piece from Science worth reading to see the arguments fabricated by the Trump administration to overturn the 2015 Waters of the United States rule. This is the rule that addresses the reach of the Clean Water Act. How far does it extend into wetlands, if at all. […]
Read MoreDefend the Clean Water Rule
On June 27, 2017, the Trump administration officially proposed to dismantle the Clean Water Rule. This would remove protections of the Clean Water Act for half our nation’s streams, which help provide drinking water to 1 in 3 Americans. The proposal is now officially published in the federal register. Comments must be received on or […]
Read MoreHealth of California’s Streams, Rivers, and Lakes
To All, Are our streams and rivers healthy? Below is a link to a government site that gives general and specific information on this subject with links to specific databases on California’s streams. http://www.mywaterquality.ca.gov/eco_health/streams/index.html Larry
Read MoreSave the date: Citizen lawsuit webinar on 6/27!
WHO: Speakers will include Heather Govern from the National Environmental Law Center and Whitey Markle from the Suwannee/St. Johns Sierra Club Group. WHAT: An educational webinar on how to use the Clean Water Act to file and win a citizen lawsuit! WHEN: Tentative date is Tuesday, 6/27. Time will be confirmed at a later date. […]
Read MoreJoin “Enhancing Groundwater Recharge with Stormwater” May 30th
To All, Join the California Water Boards for an engaging conversation on “Enhancing Groundwater Recharge with Stormwater” with Andrew T. Fisher, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, UC Santa Cruz. This event will be held on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 from 130pm to 230pm at 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 (Klamath Room) and via […]
Read MoreRussian River Estuary/Low Flow Meeting, May 15, Monte Rio
Hi River Lovers! There is a very important meeting this Monday night (May 15th) on the Estuary Project at the Monte Rio Community Center from 6 pm to 7:30. Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) will give updates on their studies. Supervisor Hopkins will also be there and the meeting will include time for public comment. […]
Read MoreActivist Corner awarded for being in the top 75 Activist’s Blogs
To All, Our CRW website’s blogging spot called Activist Corner received an award for being in the top 75 Activist’s blogs in the world (the internet world). They sent us a logo to feature on our site if we prefer. It looks like this: You can click on the link below to view the whole […]
Read MoreLogging for Water
Will Parrish, 2016 The day after an unseasonal June rain swelled the streams of the northern Sierra Nevada, Marily Woodhouse steered her 2003 Dodge Dakota through 65 miles of winding mountain roads near Mount Lassen. Woodhouse first traversed the area on horseback shortly after moving here 25 years ago. Back then, the land was lush with life, and its towering conifer forests […]
Read MoreClean Water Act Protections
The Waters of the United States rule affects every tributary of every stream related to an external drainage system, including wetlands, in the whole US. I don’t see how EPA can roll it back — at least not without submitting the proposal to review it to public comment! The rule was created by EPA AND the Army […]
Read MoreCalifornia should take lead on wetlands protections
From SF Chonicle March 12, 2017 Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Botanist, Rhiannon Korhummel, (left) and Biologist Stephanie Freed, with WRA Environmental Consultants assess the quality of the wetlands habitat neat the Sears Point Restoration site on the edge of San Pablo Bay in Novato, California on Tues. April 19, 2016. When the president made […]
Read MoreWaters of the US Rule in Jeopardy
Trump to sign WOTUS order on Tuesday By Annie Snider and Jenny Hopkinson, POLITICO Pro 02/27/2017 05:54 PM EDT President Trump will sign an executive order tomorrow afternoon beginning the process of unwinding the Obama administration’s controversial Waters of the U.S. rule, according to an agricultural industry source. Trump vowed during the campaign to eliminate “some of our […]
Read MoreYour Input for the California Water Plan
To All, This is a message from DPR on getting public input to help shape the California Water Plan. Larry Do you have opinions about sustainable water management in California? Here is your opportunity to have your say and help shape the state’s overall water planning document. From the Department of Water Resources: The Department […]
Read MoreClean River Alliance’s New Year’s Message
January 1, 2017 Dear friends, Now that we are in a new year and we ready ourselves for the work of 2017 it only makes sense to peek back into the past twelve months and add up our totally grass-roots, all-volunteer accomplishments. This year, over 550 volunteers have removed 155,510 pounds of garbage from the […]
Read MoreRiver Watch’s 20th Year Celebration
On October 22, California River Watch celebrated its 20th year in being a citizen activist environmental organization to protect the waters of U.S. in Northern California and now all of California. At the celebration, an award was given to Alan Levine who has been actively protecting forests and watersheds locally, regionally and statewide. Alan Levine […]
Read MoreSymposium: Restoring fluvial process and ecology below dams, Dec. 3, 9-1 pm
You are invited to the 12th Annual Berkeley River Restoration Symposium Saturday 03 December 9a-1p, Rm 112 Wurster Hall. This year’s symposium features a keynote talk by Scott McBain on ‘Restoring fluvial process and ecology below dams: lessons over two decades’, along with presentations of original graduate student research on a variety of topics, and […]
Read MoreRe: Russian River Biological Opinion and RR Low Flow DEIR
All— The Biological Opinion was based on NMFS views (ratified by Cal Fish & Wildlife) of how to substitute fish-rearing habitat to compensate for all the human-imposed changes to the Russian River, (apparently, in my view) without having to face off with any landowners in the tributaries OR along the main stem (except for the […]
Read MoreRe: More on Russian River Fish Flow Project and Biologic Opinion
To be added to my previous musings on this subject Another aspect of this issue – that I had been recently pondering – related to the ISRP findings. They ISRP noted that,in part due to incision (the hungry water thing) in the mainstem RR – that many of the tribs are disconected from the mainstem […]
Read MoreRe: Russian River Fish Flow Project and Biologic Opinion
Given this issues raised in the short discussion (below) there are policy implications that may (or should ) be applied to Russian River proposed low flow management (and the Biologic Opinion) First: The Biologic Opinion and proposed low flow scenario were not privy to the findings of the ISRP. They findings should be amended into […]
Read MoreBackground on Russian River Fish Flow Project Proposed
To All, Here is some background on the Russian River Fish Flow Project that includes the Biological Opinion on the lower Russian River that focused on the estuary near the mouth for salmonid development. Need for the Proposed Project Coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead were once abundant in the Russian River watershed. Today, coho […]
Read MoreDiscussion on Biological Opinion/Low Flow Study on Russian River
Hi All— The Biological Opinion was based on NMFS views (ratified by Cal Fish & Wildlife) of how to substitute fish-rearing habitat to compensate for all the human-imposed changes to the Russian River, (apparently, in my view) without having to face off with any landowners in the tributaries OR along the main stem (except for […]
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