North Coast

Strategic stream gauging network design for sustainable water management

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 3rd, 2024

Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compo

Stream gauging stations that monitor the flow of water in rivers and streams provide critical information to water managers, but biases and gaps in gauge placement, compounded by gauge deactivations, limit our ability to track river flows and address global water challenges. Here we introduce an approach for identifying gauging sites to efficiently fill gaps in monitoring coverage within river networks while also addressing water management priorities, including reservoir operations, biodiversity conservation and hydroclimatic monitoring. Applying this approach to gauges in California, United States, we found substantial gaps in the stream monitoring network. Hypothetically reconfiguring gauges to locations that maximize coverage and representation of management objectives highlights the current network’s biases. Through the strategic reactivation and placement of additional gauges, we demonstrate how stream gauging networks can be designed to support sustainable water management.

Strontium isotopes reveal ephemeral streams used for spawning and rearing by an imperiled potamodromous cyprinid Clear Lake hitch Lavinia exilicauda chi

Marine and Freshwater Research (CSIRO Publishing) | April 18th, 2019

Identification of habitats responsible for the successful production and recruitment of rare migratory species is a challenge in conservation biology. Here, a tool was d

Identification of habitats responsible for the successful production and recruitment of rare migratory species is a challenge in conservation biology. Here, a tool was developed to assess life stage linkages for the threatened potamodromous cyprinid Clear Lake hitch Lavinia exilicauda chi. Clear Lake hitch undertake migrations from Clear Lake (Lake County, CA, USA) into ephemeral tributary streams for spawning. An aqueous isoscape of strontium isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr) was constructed for Clear Lake and its watershed to trace natal origins and migration histories of adult recruits. Aqueous 87Sr/86Sr differentiated Clear Lake from 8 of 10 key tributaries and clustered into 5 strontium isotope groups (SIGs) with 100% classification success. Otolith 87Sr/86Sr showed all five groups contributed variably to the population. The age at which juveniles migrated from natal streams to Clear Lake ranged from 11 to 152 days (means.d.,4334 days) and was positively associated with the permanency of natal habitat. This information can be used by resource managers to develop conservation actions for Clear Lake hitch. This study demonstrates the utility of strontium isotopes in otoliths as a tool to identify important freshwater habitats occupied over the lifespan of an individual that would otherwise be challenging or impossible to trace with other methods.

Summary & Evaluation of California Coastal Chinook Salmon and Northern California Steelhead 2016

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | April 11th, 2016

Many West Coast salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus sp.) stocks have declined substantially from their historic numbers and now are at a fraction of their historical abund

Many West Coast salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus sp.) stocks have declined substantially from their historic numbers and now are at a fraction of their historical abundance. There are several factors that contribute to these declines, including: overfishing, loss of freshwater and estuarine habitat, hydropower development, poor ocean conditions, and hatchery practices.  These factors, among others, led to the National Marine Fisheries Service‘s (NMFS) listing of 28 salmon and steelhead stocks in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA, under section 4(c)(2), directs the Secretary of Commerce to review the listing classification of threatened and endangered species at least once every five years. After completing this review, the Secretary must determine if any species should be: (1) removed from the list; (2) have its status changed from threatened to endangered; or (3) have its status changed from endangered to threatened. NMFS completed a 5-year status review in 2011 and concluded the status for threatened California Coastal (CC) Chinook salmon and Northern California (NC) steelhead should remain as threatened (NMFS 2011a, NMFS 2011b). This document summarizes NMFS’s current 5-year review for the threatened CC Chinook salmon and NC steelhead.

Summary & Evaluation of Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon 2016

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | May 25th, 2016

Many West Coast salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus spp.) stocks have declined substantially from their historic numbers and now are at a fraction of their historical abun

Many West Coast salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus spp.) stocks have declined substantially from their historic numbers and now are at a fraction of their historical abundance. There are several factors that contribute to these declines, including overfishing, loss of freshwater and estuarine habitat, hydropower development, poor ocean conditions, and hatchery practices. These factors collectively led the National Marine Fisheries Service to list 28 salmon and steelhead stocks in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA, under section 4(c)(2), directs the Secretary of Commerce to review the listing classification of threatened and endangered species at least once every five years. After completing this review, the Secretary must determine if any species should be: (1) removed from the list; (2) have its status changed from threatened to endangered; or (3) have its status changed from endangered to threatened. Such reviews for the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast (SONCC) coho salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) occurred in 2005 (Good et al. 2005) and 2011 (NMFS 2011). This document describes the results of the 2015 review of ESA-listed SONCC coho salmon.

Summary and Evaluation of Central Valley Spring-run Chinook Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit 2016

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) | April 13th, 2016

The ESA, under Section 4(c)(2), directs the Secretary of Commerce to review the listing classification of threatened and endangered species at least once every five years

The ESA, under Section 4(c)(2), directs the Secretary of Commerce to review the listing classification of threatened and endangered species at least once every five years. After completing this review, the Secretary must determine if any species should be: (1) removed from the list; (2) have its status changed from threatened to endangered; or (3) have its status changed from endangered to threatened. The most recent status reviews for West Coast salmon and steelhead occurred in 2010, and prior to that in 2005 and 2006. This document summarizes NMFS’s 5-year review of the ESA-listed Central Valley (CV) spring-run Chinook salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU).

Sustainable Landscapes in California: A Guidebook for Commercial and Industrial Site Managers

Pacific Institute | August 20th, 2020

Sustainable landscaping offers a solution in balance with the local climate and ecology, and actively contributes to community and watershed health by providing economic,

Sustainable landscaping offers a solution in balance with the local climate and ecology, and actively contributes to community and watershed health by providing economic, social, and environmental benefits. This guidebook provides simple steps to consider, select, and install sustainable landscaping. Aimed specifically at businesses and communities in California, the guidebook includes information on turf replacement, installation of bioswales and rain gardens, permeable pavement, green roofs, and rain tanks and cisterns. Self-assessments guide the user through the selection and installation process.

Systematic Screening of Dams for Environmental Flow Assessment and Implementation

Oxford University Press (OUP) | November 30th, 2014

Taming wildfires in the context of climate change: The case of the United States

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) | January 22nd, 2024

Shifts in climate cycles (e.g., Pacific Decadal Oscillation, El Niño-Southern Oscillation), combined with ongoing changes in drought, temperature and snowmelt, together,

Shifts in climate cycles (e.g., Pacific Decadal Oscillation, El Niño-Southern Oscillation), combined with ongoing changes in drought, temperature and snowmelt, together, have contributed to the overall warmer, drier conditions that fuel extreme wildfires (Environmental Protection Agency, 2022[4]; Kitzberger et al., 2007[10]; Westerling, 2016[11]). The period with the largest increase in area burned coincides with many of the warmest years on record nationwide (Environmental Protection Agency, 2022[4]). Such changes are especially visible in the western United States, where the peak extent of area burned now occurs about one month earlier than just two decades ago. Other factors including longer dry seasons and drier soils and vegetation are increasingly creating the conditions for catastrophic wildfires (Environmental Protection Agency, 2022[4]; US Global Change Research Program, 2018[9]). Wildfires are also further spreading into areas historically unaccustomed to fire, including high elevation areas in the west of the country (Figure 1.2) (OECD, 2023[2]; Alizadeh et al., 2021[12]), which may be less prepared for wildfires and potentially harmed by its impacts.

Targeting Public Trust Suits

Social Science Research Network (SSRN) | February 22nd, 2021

The California public trust doctrine empowers private individuals and interest groups to protect the public trust and to enforce state laws that protect the public trust.

The California public trust doctrine empowers private individuals and interest groups to protect the public trust and to enforce state laws that protect the public trust. California has long led the development of the doctrine in the United States, becoming the first state to allow citizen suits to protect the public trust in 1971. A number of other states have followed California’s lead, resulting in a significant expansion in environmental standing. This broadened standing seems to be settled law. In contrast, two California Court of Appeal decisions create some uncertainty about appropriate defendants in public trust lawsuits. These decisions counsel some caution as private parties pick their targets for public trust litigation.

The 1976–1977 California drought: A review

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | May 1st, 1978

This is the fifth and final Department of Water Resources' report on the 1976-1977 California drought, the worst in the state's history, which saw 1076, the fourth driest

This is the fifth and final Department of Water Resources' report on the 1976-1977 California drought, the worst in the state's history, which saw 1076, the fourth driest year of record, give way to 1977, the driest ever. These reports provide the most comprehensive documentation of a drought in history.