Dan Bacher's blog

The killing of millions of Sacramento splittail, a native minnow species, and thousands of threatened Central Valley spring-run chinook salmon at the state and federal water project pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta over the past week highlights the folly of H.R. 1837, the resolution by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) to guarantee water supplies to corporate agribusiness on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.

The San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act “would undo years of efforts to balance Delta restoration with water supply reliability and to restore the San Joaquin River,” according to a news release from Restore the Delta.

“H.R. 1837 is an end run around California’s water rights laws,” said Delta pear farmer Brett Baker. “It puts junior rights holders ahead of Delta agriculture, Indian tribes, and fish. Forget public trust protections.”

Recovery of the West Coast’s recreational and commercial fishing industries is threatened by operation of federal and state water projects, which create conditions hostile to Central Valley Chinook salmon and other species.

During the 8-day period from May 16 though May 23, the federal pumps killed 4,241,089 Sacramento splittail and the state facilities took 157,349 fish. That’s a total of 4,400,073 splittail.

State and feds do nothing to stop massive fish kill

By Dan Bacher

In spite of outrage by fishermen, Tribal members and grassroots environmentalists, state and federal officials continue to do nothing to stop the unprecedented massacre of Sacramento splittail and threatened Chinooks in the California Delta pumps.

The state and federal water project pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta continue to kill 400,000 to 600,000 imperiled Sacramento splittail and up to 700 threatened spring-run Chinook salmon each day. These fish are being destroyed to divert Delta water to subsidized corporate agribusiness on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and southern California water agencies.

During the 8-day period from May 16 though May 23, the federal pumps killed 4,241,089 Sacramento splittail and the state facilities took 157,349 fish. That’s a total of 4,400,073 splittail.

A native minnow species found only in the Delta and Central Valley, the Bush administration stripped “threatened” status from the fish under the Endangered Species Act in 2003 under pressure from a political appointee. In October 2010, the Obama administration denied a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to again protect the fish, in spite of the species declining to barely detectable levels during the Department of Fish and Game's fall surveys in recent years.

Winnemem Wintu will dance for the salmon and estuary on June 5

By Dan Bacher

The state and federal water project pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River continue to kill hundreds of thousands of imperiled Sacramento splittail and hundreds of threatened spring run chinook salmon every day.

Natural Resources Secretary John Laird and the Department of Fish and Game have failed to take action to stop the unprecedented carnage caused by the export of Delta water to corporate agribusiness on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and southern California water agencies. Meanwhile, the state and federal governments continue to go forward with the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build a peripheral canal/tunnel.

The federal Central Valley Project pumps killed 470,532 Sacramento splittail, a native minnow species found only in the Delta and Central Valley. The State Water Project facilities killed 34,456 splittail on Thursday, May 19, according to data available from the DFG website. (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/data/salvage/)

Delta pumps killed over 1.9 million native fish in 3 days

by Dan Bacher

The carnage of imperiled native fish continues to accelerate in the state and federal water project pumps on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

These massive pumps deliver subsidized water to corporate agribusiness on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and southern California water agencies.

On May 18, the federal Central Valley project pumps took 792,730 Sacramento splittail, an imperiled native minnow found only in the Central Valley and Delta. The State Water Project took 20,268 splittail the same day. (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/data/salvage/)

In just three days – from May 16 through May 18 – the federal pumping facilities killed 1,864,659 fish. The federal pumps took 546,668 splittail on May 16 and 525,261 splittail on May 17.

During the same three-day period, the State Water Project pumps took 36,011 splittail, with 10,028 entrained on May 16 and 5,355 on May 17.

The combined total for the federal and state pumps for the three day period is 1,900,670 splittail!

from Bruce Tokars of Salmon Water Now (www.salmonwaternow.org):

Once again we have taken a look at the current state of affairs concerning salmon and shake our head in disbelief. If you have been following the news then you already know about the two main subjects of our new video, a lawsuit filed to stop the salmon season and the continuing saga of the BDCP. Here is the information brief about the video. Please share and embed if you agree with us that this really is a strange season.

Watch it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1B6I43vMag&hd=1 or Watch it on Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/23662404

A Strange Season (14:46)

We seem to be in the middle of a very a strange season.

There has been a glimmer of hope that the numbers of wild salmon are finally showing signs that they are starting to rebound. Enough so that the Federal agencies who determine if there are enough fish in the system to allow a full fishing season told both recreational and commercial salmon fishermen to go fishing. Finally some good news! But wait, there’s suddenly more to this story.

A group of Central Valley irrigators, who supply water to agriculture and industrial customers, has filed suit in Federal court to reverse the government’s go fishing decision. They seek to ban anyone from catching salmon this year.

Death in the Delta: The Slaughter Continues

by Dan Bacher

For the second day in a row, the state and federal water project pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta have taken over 500,000 Sacramento splittail, a native minnow species found only in the Central Valley and Delta.

The Bureau of Reclamation "salvage" report on May 17 recorded 525,260 splittail entrained in the federal Central Valley Project pumps and 5,355 in the State Water Project pumps (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/data/salvage/).

On the same day, the agency counted 424 spring run chinook salmon in the federal pumps and 140 in the state facilities.

On May 16, the "salvage" report counted 546,668 Sacramento splittail taken at the CVP pumps and 10,028 splittail at the State Water Project pumps The agency reported 256 chinook salmon at the federal pumps and 546 salmon at the state pumps in the South Delta the same day.

Over 1 million imperiled Sacramento splittail have been taken over the past two days and over 11,000 threatened Sacramento River spring-run chinook have perished in the "death pumps" of the California Delta since the beginning of the year. The pumps divert water from the Delta, the largest and most significant estuary on the West Coast of the Americas, to irrigate drainage-impaired land operated by agribusiness corporations on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and to supply Southern California water agencies.

On May 12, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to open leasing for offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters off the California coast in 2012, according to John and Barbara Stephens-Lewallen, North Coast environmental leaders and sustainable seaweed harvesters.

HR 1231, which was approved by a 243-179 vote, requires the Interior Secretary to "make available for leasing any Outer Continental Shelf planning areas that: are estimated to contain more than 2,500,000,000 barrels of oil; or are estimated to contain more than 7,500,000,000,000 cubic feet of natural gas."

This provision, if passed by the Senate and approved by the President, would require lease sales in planning areas off the California Coast, including the Point Arena Basin planning area off the Mendocino Coast in Northern California.

"We’re asking everyone to join us in vocal opposition to this new effort to open leasing for offshore oil and gas drilling off the California coast next year," said John and Barbara Stephens-Lewallen of Mendocino Sea Vegetable Company. "As edible seaweed harvesters, it is our duty to defend the rich, clean ocean waters of Northern California as a source of health-giving food for present and future generations.

Our beautiful State Parks, enjoyed by millions of people every year, are in their greatest crisis in California history.

On May 13, the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) released a list of 70 state parks that will be permanently closed to the public as a direct result of the $22 million budget cut enacted by Governor Jerry Brown and the Legislature earlier this year.

"Although closure lists have been released in the past in response to previous budget cut proposals, this is the first time in the 100-year history of California’s state park system that state park closures will be implemented," according to Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation.

Goldstein said permanent park closures will begin this September. Among the many state parks that will be off-limits to the public with will be Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Henry W. Coe State Park, Pio Pico State Historic Park, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, Benicia State Park, Colusa State Park and many more. The full list is devastatingly long and includes 40% of all state historic parks in CA.

"This unprecedented plan will close the doors to 25% of California’s state park system and will impact all regions of our state. As you know, park closures will have very real impacts on the people of California, the resources our parks protect and our economy," said Goldstein.

Delta pumps kill huge numbers of salmon, splittail

by Dan Bacher

Hundreds of thousands of imperiled Sacramento splittail, a native minnow species, and thousands of threatened spring-run chinook salmon have died recently at the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) water pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, according to figures released by the Bureau of Reclamation.

On May 16, the "salvage" report from the Department of Fish and Game website reported 546,668 Sacramento splittail taken at the CVP pumps and 10,028 splittail at the State Water Project pumps (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/data/salvage/).

On the same day, the Department reported 256 chinook salmon at the federal pumps and 546 salmon at the state pumps in the South Delta.

The alarming news comes amidst debate over federal legislation, sponsored by Congressional supporters of subsidized agribusiness corporations in the San Joaquin Valley, that would exempt export pumping to agribusiness and southern California water agencies from Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for salmon and other fish.

by Dan Bacher

Budget sub-committees in both houses of the California legislature this week approved identical budget cuts that could effectively end what Indian Tribes, environmentalists and recreational fishermen describe as the "environmentally destructive" practice of suction dredge mining once and for all.

"The effort would save California tax payers nearly $2 million a year and aid the recovery of imperiled fisheries throughout the state," according to a news release from the Karuk Tribe.

“California is in the midst of an historic financial crisis," said Leaf Hillman, Director of the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources. "Taxpayers can no longer afford to subsidize this environmentally destructive hobby."

Hillman said the move by the budget committees still has to be approved as part of the overall state budget, but reversing the proposal would require lawmakers to fight for budget increases to fund a dredge mining permit and enforcement program while they are at the same time faced with deep cuts to education, healthcare for the elderly, and law enforcement.

Delta advocates say conveyance schemes endanger the estuary

by Dan Bacher

A Brown administration official said a proposal to build a pair of huge tunnels is no longer the top option in a state plan to facilitate the export of water from the California Delta to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness and southern California water agencies

Jerry Meral, Deputy Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency, announced during a Assembly Committee Hearing on May 10 that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), a controversial program based on the co-equal goals of "water supply reliability" and "ecosystem restoration," will consider multiple alternatives for Delta "conveyance." These alternatives will include a plan for a smaller conveyance facility with 3,000 cfs capacity proposed by the Planning and Conservation League.

The tunnel proposal was the option favored by the Schwarzenegger administration through the BDCP to build new "conveyance" - a peripheral canal - around or through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The previous administration proposed the study of two tunnels capable of diverting 15,000 cfs in the latest incarnation of the peripheral canal, a project that California voters overwhelmingly rejected in the election of 1982.

http://www.noyonews.net

The MLPAI: So “Transparent” – They Don’t Exist!

Posted on May 12, 2011 by David Gurney

We have filed a lawsuit against the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) “Initiative” for violations of the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act during two-day public meetings in April 2010. The response of the private/public “Initiative?”

“The MLPA Initiative is not an organization, agency, or association of any kind which may be sued in a court of law.”

This despite the MLPAI website, listing staff and officers as follows:

Satie Airame, Science and Planning Advisor
Evan W. Fox, Principal Planner
Melissa Miller-Henson, Program Manager
Kelly Sayce, Outreach and Education Coordinator
Ken Wiseman, Executive Director

The MLPA Initiative’s Program Manager Melissa Miller-Henson refused to be legally served with our complaint, and has officially filed a “Motion to Quash” our lawsuit, on the grounds the so-called Initiative is: “not a formal organization or a State agency, it is not incorporated, it has no officers, and it has no members or associates.”

Group Says Southern California's Coastal Waters Are Still Open

by Dan Bacher

Recreational fishing groups and the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) disagree over when controversial new regulations to create "marine protected areas" on the South Coast, adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission in December as part of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, will go into effect.

The DFG has issued conflicting information on when the reserves will go into effect, creating great confusion among anglers. The Department's Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations booklet, posted March 1, 2011, erroneously states on page 59, "New Southern California marine protected areas will go into effect this spring."

At the same time, the Department's website, http://www.dfg.ca.gov, currently states that the south coast MPA regulations "are anticipated to go into effect in mid 2011" (not spring 2011) "after appropriate filings with the Office of Administrative Law and the Secretary of State."

To make things even more confusing, California Department of Fish and Game personnel stated during the May 4-5, 2011 California Fish and Game Commission meeting that regulations will go into effect in fall 2011 at the earliest.