Estuary News, March 2023

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | March 15th, 2023

In this special Almanac of Restoration, Estuary News celebrates restoration in all its forms and samples projects of every kind. We start high up in the watersheds with r

In this special Almanac of Restoration, Estuary News celebrates restoration in all its forms and samples projects of every kind. We start high up in the watersheds with rivers, lakes and creeks, move into the Delta, and then explore San Francisco Bay. We look for results: did the birds and fish come back? And we delve deep into some of the latest iterations of restoration: centering equity in access to open space; combining flood control with habitat creation in multi-benefit projects; responding to sea level rise with nature-based solutions.

Evidence of Landlocked Chinook Salmon Populations in California

North American Journal of Fisheries Management (Taylor & Francis) | November 10th, 2015

Natural reproduction of adfluvial Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha has been documented in their native and introduced range but not in California, the southern end

Natural reproduction of adfluvial Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha has been documented in their native and introduced range but not in California, the southern end of their native range. A combination of anecdotal evidence and survey data suggests that successful spawning by Chinook Salmon reared in California reservoirs could be common. The planted juveniles are often from different basins and are genetically distinguishable from local salmon populations below reservoirs. Consequently, the possibility of behavioral and genetic interactions may lead to complications of restoration efforts via trap and haul programs. The full extent of this phenomenon needs to be documented before trap and haul programs are initiated to reintroduce salmon above reservoirs.

Examining the causes and consequences of hybridization during Chinook salmon reintroductions: using the San Joaquin River as a restoration case study of management options

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | June 15th, 2014

Successful salmonid restoration efforts depend upon an understanding of the evolutionary processes that historically shaped population diversity, as well as the realities

Successful salmonid restoration efforts depend upon an understanding of the evolutionary processes that historically shaped population diversity, as well as the realities of currently available, altered river systems. Habitat alterations over the past century have dramatically changed the ecological forces that shaped salmonid speciation and evolution, bringing formerly separate and distinct populations into contact and in some cases leading to hybridization. Hybridization can threaten the genetic diversity within salmonid species and may affect the outcomes of restoration efforts. Here we use the San Joaquin River Restoration as a case study to discuss some of the genetic challenges of Chinook salmon restoration in a newly reopened habitat. We discuss a range of genetic management strategies—from passive reintroduction to tightly managed, active reintroduction—and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.

Final Report on the recovery of the Upper Sacramento River - subsequent to the 1991 Cantara spill

Cantara Trustee Council | June 18th, 2007

The Cantara Trustee Council (CTC), and the Cantara Program, operated for a period of 12 years, from 1995-2007. During that time, the CTC funded numerous projects which in

The Cantara Trustee Council (CTC), and the Cantara Program, operated for a period of 12 years, from 1995-2007. During that time, the CTC funded numerous projects which included restoration activities, land acquisition and protection, research, and public education. The purpose of this document is to leave a summary record of events that occurred due to the 1991 Cantara spill. It is our intent to provide a condensed presentation of the spill event, the legal processes following the spill, including the formation of the CTC, the formation of the Cantara Program, and the development of guiding plans and documents used by the CTC in the disbursement of settlement funds.

Forest Management (Resource Management Strategy)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 29th, 2016

Forest lands in California, the majority of which are in the middle to high elevation foothills and mountains, produce a diverse array of resources such as water, timber,

Forest lands in California, the majority of which are in the middle to high elevation foothills and mountains, produce a diverse array of resources such as water, timber, native vegetation, fish, wildlife, and livestock, and outdoor recreation. However, the water produced by these forests has economic value that equals or exceeds that of any other forest resource (Krieger 2001; California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 2003). Most of California’s major rivers and a substantial portion of its runoff originate in these forests; therefore, most of California’s major water development projects are tied strongly to forested watersheds. Forest management activities can affect water quantity and quality. This strategy focuses on forest management activities, on both public and privately-owned forest lands, whose goals specifically include improvement of the availability and quality of water for downstream users.

Framework to Coordinate Water Quality Improvement and Wildlife Habitat Conservation to Protect California Streams, Wetlands and Riparian Areas

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | February 1st, 2016

The emergence of comparable landscape approaches to wildlife conservation and water quality improvement through federal and California state regulatory and management pr

The emergence of comparable landscape approaches to wildlife conservation and water quality improvement through federal and California state regulatory and management programs provides an opportunity for their coordination to better protect California’s aquatic resources, especially streams, wetlands, and riparian areas. Such coordination is patently desirable. A framework has been developed to help coordinate restoration and compensatory mitigation across policies governing wildlife conservation and water quality in the landscape context. The framework is based on the Wetland and Riparian Area Monitoring Plan (WRAMP) of the California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup (CWMW) of the Water Quality Monitoring Council. The framework presented here is a version of the standard WRAMP framework. It only differs from the standard framework to better accommodate wildlife conservation planning, assessment and reporting. To distinguish this version from the standard version, it is termed theWRAMP for wildlife (WRAMPw).

Franks Tract Futures

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | April 26th, 2022

From past patterns to future potential: using historical ecology to inform river restoration on an intermittent California river

Landscape Ecology (Springer) | August 30th, 2015

Although human actions have greatly impacted the river’s extent, baseflow hydrology, and riparian habitats, many ecological attributes persist in more limited form, in

Although human actions have greatly impacted the river’s extent, baseflow hydrology, and riparian habitats, many ecological attributes persist in more limited form, in large part facilitated by these fundamental hydrogeological controls. By drawing on a heretofore untapped dataset of spatially explicit and long-term environmental data, these findings improve our understanding of the river’s historical and current conditions and allow the derivation of reach-differentiated restoration and management opportunities that take advantage of local potential.

Fundamentals of estimating the net benefits of ecosystem preservation: The case of the Salton Sea

Hydrobiologia (Springer) | July 15th, 2008

This article, both theoretical and methodological in nature, argues the potential merits of using a net benefits’ framework as a tool to aid policy-makers in their eff

This article, both theoretical and methodological in nature, argues the potential merits of using a net benefits’ framework as a tool to aid policy-makers in their efforts to compare Salton Sea restoration alternatives and inform the public as to the potential magnitude and distribution of trade-offs associated with each alternative. A net benefits approach can provide a more accurate comparison and evaluation of the potential net returns from public spending on Salton Sea restoration than what wouldbe provided under the suggested criteria of current legislative mandates. Furthermore, a net benefits framework provides a more lucid and systematic accounting framework by which to enumerate the full array of benefits and costs of each alternative for policy analysis. Finally, net benefits’ analysis serves to add transparency to the decision-making process sothat the public gains an understanding of how its scarce resources, including both financial and natural capital, are being appropriated. Additionally, we illustrate and emphasize the importance of estimating the non-market values associated with many of the ecosystem services provided by the Salton Sea and describe the major techniques that do so.

Hazard’s Toll: The Costs of Inaction at the Salton Sea

Pacific Institute | September 3rd, 2014

The declining Salton Sea will impose massive public health and environmental costs on local residents and Californians generally, as described in the Pacific Institute re

The declining Salton Sea will impose massive public health and environmental costs on local residents and Californians generally, as described in the Pacific Institute report Hazard’s Toll. The continued failure to protect and preserve the Salton Sea, worsening air quality and the loss of valuable ecological habitat – combined with diminished recreational revenue and property devaluation – could cost as much as $70 billion over the next 30 years. The high costs of California’s 2007 plan for the Salton Sea have inhibited deliberation and deterred any meaningful investment in revitalizing the Salton Sea. Many decision-makers assume that delaying action at the Salton Sea will result in business as usual, with no additional costs. Hazard’s Toll makes clear that this is not the case. Because the Salton Sea has changed over the past decade and will soon enter a period of very rapid decline, the costs of inaction are escalating rapidly. Even at the low end of the costs estimated in Hazard’s Toll, the long-term social and economic costs of a deteriorating Salton Sea could approach $29 billion, well in excess of the project cost of the state’s plan. The consequences of continued inaction at the Salton Sea will be felt most directly by the 650,000 people who live in harm’s way of the Salton Sea’s dust, as well as by the birds and other life that depend on the lake. Hazard’s Toll estimates the costs of these consequences, for the first time. These considerable costs demonstrate the urgent need for action at the Salton Sea. The report also highlights a large number of important data gaps that should be addressed in the near future. Despite many decades of study and the impending decline of the Salton Sea, we still lack information on many factors affecting life and the economy in the region. These factors, combined with general uncertainty about population growth rates, climate change, and changing hydrologic conditions, suggest that the above estimates indicate a general magnitude of potential future costs, rather than precise projections.