There are some significant and exciting changes underway in the science and related thinking surrounding California water and the challenges facing fish in California’s Central Valley. At the leading edge of this work is Cal Trout, a conservation group dedicated to fish and people. Cal Trout is exploring creative ways to reconnect our rivers with the rich landscape in the Sacramento Valley by developing out-of-stream strategies where water is spread out and slowed down over the floodplains to provide nourishment and habitat for salmon and other fish.
A new 12-minute short film portrays this new and innovative new thinking around how we can all work together to improve fish habitat. Check out: No Going Back.
Through this work, Cal Trout is addressing California’s defining environmental challenge: How do we reconcile ecosystem function with human needs in the face of a changing climate? The Nigiri Project in the Sacramento Valley (on property managed by NCWA Board Member John Brennan, who is also featured in the film) shows that California’s floodplains can work for both fish AND farms. This is how we achieve fish abundance on a managed landscape. These are management solutions for fish, water, and people.
For more information on the Sacramento Valley Salmon Recovery Program, below.
