CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix G. Identification of Target Species and Focused Conservation Plans

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

 The purpose of the Conservation Strategy of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) is to provide direction for the California Department of Water Resources’

 The purpose of the Conservation Strategy of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) is to provide direction for the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR’s) environmental stewardship activities related to integrated flood management in the Central Valley, and to provide a framework and support for programmatic permitting of flood management activities.  One goal of the Conservation Strategy is to contribute to the recovery and stability of native species populations and overall biotic community diversity. A set of potential target species was identified to support measurable objectives for this goal. For those target species with the greatest need for recovery of their populations, focused conservation planning was conducted. This appendix documents the process used for selecting the target species of the Conservation Strategy, including 17 target species for which focused conservation planning was conducted. The results of this focused planning are also provided in this appendix, in the form of focused conservation plans. This document is scheduled to be updated every 5 years.   Because the conservation needs of species change, in the future, additional species may become suitable targets for the Conservation Strategy. Therefore, during preparation of the 5-year updates to the CVFPP, the preliminary list of species in this appendix will be reevaluated using the same criteria described below. Species meeting these criteria will be added, and focused conservation plans will be developed for them and included in subsequent updates of the Conservation Strategy. During the public comment period, new information regarding the status of the delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and its habitat use in the Systemwide Planning Area (SPA) was made available, and a recovery plan for the species is expected to be released in 2016; therefore, this species will be considered for inclusion in the 2022 CVFPP and Conservation Strategy. Other species that were considered during the initial screening could be reconsidered, and targeted conservation plans may be developed. These species include the western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata), tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor), western red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii), and western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea). 

CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix H. Central Valley Chinook Salmon Rearing Habitat Required to Satisfy the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program Doubling Goal

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

NewFields and Cramer Fish Sciences, in collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources FloodSAFE Environmental Stewardship and Statewide Resources

NewFields and Cramer Fish Sciences, in collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources FloodSAFE Environmental Stewardship and Statewide Resources Office Conservation Strategy team, applied best available tools and data to estimate the area of suitable juvenile salmonid rearing habitat required in each of the Conservation Planning Areas (CPAs) to achieve the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program (AFRP) “doubling goal” for Chinook salmon populations. The AFRP goal was used to align the Conservation Strategy objectives with existing,longstanding efforts by partner resource management agencies. Historical and existing suitable rearing habitat area for juvenile salmonids was estimated with the Estimated Annual Habitat approach that uses measured hydrology and modeled hydraulic relationships between river flow and inundation area to calculate areas of inundation with timing, duration, and frequency suitable for juvenile California Chinook salmon rearing. The rearing habitat required to support the doubling goal populations was estimated using the Emigrating Salmonid Habitat Estimation model. The details of the approach and the full range of calculated results are presented in the following sections and appendices.

CVFPP Conservation Strategy Appendix J. Existing Conservation Objectives from Other Plans

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 14th, 2016

The Conservation Strategy, in conjunction with the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), geographically overlaps with multiple regional and collaborative conserva

The Conservation Strategy, in conjunction with the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP), geographically overlaps with multiple regional and collaborative conservation plans that have been implemented or are planned for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. Regional planning efforts such as the Conservation Strategy are most effective when coordinated with similar programs and plans, in terms of both cost efficiency and ecological benefit. For example, knowledge gained through implementation of existing plans has refined the Conservation Strategy’s objectives and approaches. Additionally, during strategy implementation, collaboration with other planning efforts will provide greater opportunities for effective, integrated, landscape-level conservation. This could support achievement of individual plans’ important ecological objectives, such as improving habitat connectivity and increasing the size of habitat preserves. In other words, the collaborative approach will allow the Conservation Strategy to contribute to the shared objectives of the other plans while meeting its own objectives.  The purpose of this appendix is to describe completed and ongoing planning efforts that have regional, geographically based, or quantifiable conservation measures that may be relevant to the Conservation Strategy. All of the plans and programs described overlap at least partially with the Systemwide Planning Area (SPA). The list presented herein is not comprehensive, but provides examples of efforts that were considered in developing the Conservation Strategy. In this appendix, completed planning efforts are summarized first, followed by those that are in progress. Potential relationships between these plans or programs and the Conservation Strategy are summarized in Table 1-1. Some programs, such as efforts to identify total maximum daily loads or implement Integrated Regional Water Management Plans, may support conservation work, but their objectives are dissimilar to those of the Conservation Strategy (i.e., focused on meeting water quality standards), so were not included.  This appendix is not intended to present an analysis of each plan in detail. Rather, the intent is to identify areas of potential overlap between relevant plans and the Conservation Strategy. As the Conservation Strategy is implemented, potentially synergistic areas and areas of possible conflict between the Conservation Strategy and individual plans can continue to be identified.  This appendix supports and recognizes considerations that will be essential as the Conservation Strategy is implemented. Specifically, this appendix:  • efficiently uses current information to inform the Conservation Strategy regarding potential conservation goals; recognizes that multiple conservation plans and collaborative planning efforts have been completed, are in development, or are being implemented: in whole or in part, the plans address many of the targeted species and habitats that occur in the SPA, and the plans help identify conservation needs and priorities in the flood risk management system; highlights potential conservation partnerships for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in implementing the Conservation Strategy, by: describing opportunities to share costs on conservation projects and describing opportunities for DWR to simultaneously meet its own conservation goals and contribute to plans or programs through specific projects; and identifies completed conservation planning efforts, from which “lessons learned” can be applied to Conservation Strategy implementation

CVPIA 10 Years of Progress

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | June 27th, 2015

In 1992, Congress passed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (Act, or CVPIA), which amended previous authorizations of the California Central Valley Project (CVP)

In 1992, Congress passed the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (Act, or CVPIA), which amended previous authorizations of the California Central Valley Project (CVP) to include fish and wildlife protection, restoration, enhancement, and mitigation as project purposes having equal priority with power generation, and irrigation and domestic water uses. Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), to operate the CVP consistent with the purposes of the Act, to meet the Federal trust responsibilities to protect the fishery resources of affected Federally recognized Indian tribes, and to achieve a reasonable balance among competing demands for use of CVP water. For the past 10 years, Reclamation and the Service, working together to implement the CVPIA, have embarked on one of the Nation’s largest fish and wildlife restoration efforts. Reclamation and the Service have developed programs to improve environmental conditions and modify operations, management, and physical facilities, and thus, the associated environmental conditions of the CVP to comply with the purposes and goals of the Act. All of the Act’s restoration measures are planned and implemented by Reclamation and the Service and coordinated with the State of California, CALFED, and other partners. In the following pages, you will find a summary of the protection, restoration, enhancement, and mitigation measures that have been implemented as of the end of fiscal year 2002, demonstrating the contributions Reclamation and the Service have made to the Central Valley. As you read the summary, it should become clear that progress is being made in unprecedented programs, and advancements have been made in resolving complicated watershed issues throughout the Central Valley. Yet much work lies ahead.

Daily stream samples reveal highly complex pesticide occurrence and potential toxicity to aquatic life

Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier) | May 1st, 2020

Transient, acutely toxic concentrations of pesticides in streams can go undetected by fixed-interval sampling programs. Here we compare temporal patterns in occurrence of

Transient, acutely toxic concentrations of pesticides in streams can go undetected by fixed-interval sampling programs. Here we compare temporal patterns in occurrence of current-use pesticides in daily composite samples to those in weekly composite and weekly discrete samples of surface water from 14 small stream sites. Samples were collected over 10–14 weeks at 7 stream sites in each of the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Samples were analyzed for over 200 pesticides and degradates by direct aqueous injection liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Nearly 2 and 3 times as many unique pesticides were detected in daily samples as in weekly composite and weekly discrete samples, respectively. Based on exceedances of acute-invertebrate benchmarks (AIB) and(or) a Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) >1, potential acute-invertebrate toxicity was predicted at 11 of 14 sites from the results for daily composite samples, but was predicted for only 3 sites from weekly composites and for no sites from weekly discrete samples. Insecticides were responsible for most of the potential invertebrate toxicity, occurred transiently, and frequently were missed by the weekly discrete and composite samples. The number of days with benthic-invertebrate PTI ≥0.1 in daily composite samples was inversely related to Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) richness at the sites. The results of the study indicate that short-term, potentially toxic peaks in pesticides frequently are missed by weekly discrete sampling, and that such peaks may contribute to degradation of invertebrate community condition in small streams. Weekly composite samples underestimated maximum concentrations and potential acute-invertebrate toxicity, but to a lesser degree than weekly discrete samples, and provided a reasonable approximation of the 90th percentile total concentrations of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, suggesting that weekly composite sampling may be a compromise between assessment needs and cost.

Dam effects on bedload transport on the upper Santa Ana River, California, and implications for native fish habitat

River Research and Applications (Wiley) | May 23rd, 2019

Dams disrupt the flow of water and sediment and thus have the potential to affect the downstream geomorphic characteristics of a river. Though there are some well‐known

Dams disrupt the flow of water and sediment and thus have the potential to affect the downstream geomorphic characteristics of a river. Though there are some well‐known and common geomorphic responses to dams, such as bed armouring, the response downstream from any particular dam is dependent on local conditions. Herein, we investigate the response of the upper Santa Ana River in southern California, USA, to the construction of a large dam at the transition from mountains to valley, using calculations of bedload transport capacity on the mainstem below the dam and for major tributaries. Approximate sediment budgets were constructed for downstream reaches to estimate deposition and erosion rates for sand, gravel, and cobble particle sizes. Our results indicate that the classical response of bed armouring and erosion is likely limited to a short reach immediately below the dam. Farther downstream, though transport capacity is reduced by flow regulation by the dam, the channel reaches are likely to remain depositional but with reduced deposition rates. Persistent deposition, as opposed to erosion, is the result of the replenishment of flow and sediment supply by large downstream tributaries. In addition, the calculations indicate that the composition of the bed is unlikely to change substantially in downstream reaches. A Monte Carlo approach was employed to estimate the uncertainty in the sediment budget predictions. The impacts of the dam on the geomorphic character of the river downstream could have implications for native fish that rely on coarse substrate that supports their food base.

DDT Residues in Pacific Sea Birds: a Persistent Insecticide in Marine Food Chains

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | November 1st, 1967

THE accumulation and biological concentration of DDT and its metabolites*within food chains of terrestrial, freshwater and estuarine ecosystems have been well doc

THE accumulation and biological concentration of DDT and its metabolites*within food chains of terrestrial, freshwater and estuarine ecosystems have been well documented. Significant residue concentrations have occasionally been reported in marine organisms, but these have usually been attributed to local sources of contamination4. The present study, which is based on analyses of collections of birds, fish and invertebrates from Pacific Ocean localities, indicates that DDT is also a component of marine ecosystems and that pelagic species may accumulate high concentrations of DDT residues. The results of the work with fish will be published elsewhere.

Dealing with the Delta: Envisioning Futures, Finding Solutions (Research Brief)

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | February 15th, 2007

This research brief summarizes a report by Jay Lund, Ellen Hanak, William Fleenor, Richard Howitt, Jeffrey Mount, and Peter Moyle, Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento�

This research brief summarizes a report by Jay Lund, Ellen Hanak, William Fleenor, Richard Howitt, Jeffrey Mount, and Peter Moyle, Envisioning Futures for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.

Death Valley

Scientific American | August 22nd, 1903

Judging from the many high sensation stories and frequent references to Death Valley, there is evidently a popular interest in that dreaded locality, which is in part e

Judging from the many high sensation stories and frequent references to Death Valley, there is evidently a popular interest in that dreaded locality, which is in part explicable by the name it bears. The stories published are, as a rule, of little value, and give no idea of the climate, topography, fauna, and flora of a more absolute and arid desert than the Sahara. Our great deserts of the southwest have been but little written about by geographers and travelers, and it is only recently that accurate official reports upon them have been made. Capt. Clarence E . Dutton, in his report on the Grand Canon, gave a description of the deserts of northern Arizona. Captain Gaillard, of the Mexican Boundary Commission, has given us, in a popular magazine, probably the best article that has as yet been written on an American desert. He was well qualified to write, because he traversed the entire region from the Rio Grande to the Pacific, erecting monument s to mark the boundary between Mexico and the United States. Mr. W.J. McGee, Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology, who recently made the journey through Southern Arizona and Mexico, to study the Seri Indians, who live on the Isle of Tiburon in the Gulf of California, has given us a fine description of the desert in his report and in separate articles in the Journal of Geography. A valuable article on the American Desert, by Robert T. Hill, has just appeared.

Decision on Petition for Rulemaking to Set Permanent Minimum Flows on the Shasta River

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | February 16th, 2024