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Spring Riverwalks

We’re nearly halfway through the year which means we’re almost halfway through 2013′s Riverwalk schedule!

These last three months have seen warming weather and more chances to get outside which is exactly what interested community members have been doing when they join FLCR one Saturday each month to learn more about the river that flows right through their city.

In March we teamed up with the San Joaquin Bicycle Coalition (www.sjbike.org) for a leisurely ride along the Calaveras River Bike Trail (yes, Stockton has a bike trail). It was a beautiful early spring morning and lots of great ideas and conversations were generated, a necessary result of teaming up with other environmentally-minded locals.

April provided another great opportunity to connect with other natural world enthusiasts. Thanks to the Waldo Holt Conservancy, professional Birder David Yee met with members of the public just east of Linden for a special bird walk along the Lower Calaveras River.

This was a special Saturday because it allowed attendees to glimpse a view of what the Calaveras River most closely resembled in its original state and also provided the chance to see some flora and fauna not widely seen within the City of Stockton.

May proved to be another, albeit warm, informative walk opportunity. Fish and Wildlife Anadramous Fish Restoration Director Donnie Ratcliffe took time out of his birthday to discuss two man-made barriers (out of over 100  obstructing fish passage below the Escalon Bellota Weird) along the Lower Calaveras.

The Calaveras River is home to populations of fall-run Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead that have a difficult, if not impossible time, making it back up the river to spawn.

Please come out to our next walk, slated for Saturday, June 15. Check back for more details!

 

 

Turning about on Smith Canal

One of the most vocal critics of the Smith Canal flood gate project says he’s now willing to support it, following yet another community meeting last night at the Amblers Club.

Bill Maxwell writes:

“Yes, I will hold my nose and vote in favor of the Smith Canal Assessment.  Even though I know this multi-million dollar boondoggle’s sole purpose is to appease FEMA and keep thousands of homeowner’s from being forced to line FEMA’s pockets with insurance money…”

Click here to read more on Alex Breitler’s Blog

 

CCC crew plants field near Modesto to help restore habitat

Eleven young people made history Thursday morning in a farm field along the lower Tuolumne River west of Modesto.

They planted the first trees in the restoration of Dos Rios Ranch, a 1,603-acre expanse that will become wildlife habitat and natural floodplain at the confluence with the San Joaquin River.

The crew from the California Conservation Corps planted oaks, willows and other fast-growing trees in soil that grew corn and wheat last year.

Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/25/2687748/ccc-crew-plants-field-near-modesto.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

Study: Green Space Means More for Satisfaction Than a Neighborhood’s Average Income

As we’ve seen again and again, people are generally happier when they have access to grass, trees, and flowers. In terms of the many other things required to have a satisfying life in urban settings, how important is living near parks and gardens?

Click here to read more at theatlantic.com

 

Wild in the city

Stockton’s stunning urban wildlife could be divided into three groups.

There are your charmers: Otters splashing in the muddy Calaveras River. A family of foxes frolicking on the banks. That dolphin that once wandered up the Deep Water Channel.

It’s spring, and life is all around us. You don’t have to go to a state park or the beach or Yosemite.

Just open your front door, and open your eyes.

Click here to read more at Recordnet.com

 

Symposium to focus on S.J.’s rivers

Alex Breitler, Record

Sometimes rivers flow strong and wide, offering a wealth of water for all who need it.

Other times they shrink well within their banks and are not as generous.

Rivers change, which is why it makes sense to gather once a year and assess the health of the four major streams crossing through San Joaquin County, according to organizers of the third State of Our Rivers symposium to be held Wednesday in downtown Stockton.

The event is open to both the general public and to the farmers, environmentalists and government officials involved in issues concerning the Mokelumne, Calaveras, Stanislaus and San Joaquin streams.

Click here to read more at Recordnet.org

 

 

San Joaquin Valley Rivers Crippled During Winter and Spring Months

This summer, the State Water Resources Control Board will establish new flow standards to protect salmon and fisheries in the Lower San Joaquin River and the three tributaries.

The Board’s draft report concludes that about 35% of the natural flow should remain in the rivers, allowing more than 65% to be diverted.

The lower San Joaquin River is one of the two main arteries that sustain the Bay Delta.  Unfortunately, farmers and cities have been allowed to divert massive amounts of water from the rivers that run through the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley, leaving only a fraction of the natural flow in these rivers in the winter and spring months.

The science is clear — reduced flows, as a result of diverting most of the water from these rivers, is the primary (but not sole) cause of the continued decline, and that more flows are needed to restore the Bay Delta and its fish, including salmon.

Diverting 65% of the flow (keeping 35% of the flows in the river) will not restore salmon.

Scientific information shows that salmon are unlikely to recover at the State Board’s draft flow goals, which are only slightly better than current flow levels.  More flows = more salmon.  If we don’t increase flows substantially, salmon are likely to continue to decline.

We Can Maintain Healthy Agricultural Economy and Healthy Rivers

The State Board found that allowing 40% of the flow down the river would result in a 1.5% reduction in agricultural revenue in the region. And this is likely a worst case scenario.  We should also look at investments in agricultural water use efficiency to generate more water for agriculture while not taking more water from the river.

Increasing Flows in the River Benefits Jobs and People Downstream.

Improving flows and restoring salmon has huge benefits for salmon fishermen, tackle shops, charter boats, fishing guides, and the thousands of jobs that depend on a healthy salmon fishery. Improved flows would improve water quality for Delta farmers and for cities and farms that get water exported from the Delta, and it is critical to restoring the health of the Delta.

Leaving only a third of the water in the lower San Joaquin is not a healthy river.   The State Board can and should do better.