With California commemorating “Invasive Species Action Week”, now is a good time to think about actions that we can all take to help save and recover salmon in California. Although there are many factors that affect salmon survival, biologists seem to agree that a large and increasing percentage of young salmon are dying as a result of predation by non-native, invasive, fish.

With respect to our ongoing efforts to help recover salmon in the Sacramento Valley, there is a lot to learn from the work over the past several decades to improve bird habitat and food sources along the Pacific Flyway. The major breakthrough on the Pacific Flyway came when farmers, hunters and naturalists all started asking the same question: why were all the birds congregating on the rice fields rather than the purely managed wetlands next door?

  The snowpack in Northern California this year was good. This, coupled with rain at lower elevations, led to Northern California reservoirs filling this year for the first time in five years and water spilling from certain reservoirs. As a result, Lake Shasta is now at 107% of historical average, Lake Oroville is 112% and … Continue reading “Let the Water Spread Throughout the Central Valley”

This Saturday, May 21st is World Fish Migration Day for 2016. On this day, over 1,000 organizations located throughout the world host local events “to create awareness on the importance of open rivers and migratory fish.” This day provides a great opportunity for us to reflect on the important role migratory corridors, for fish as well as birds, play in the culture of the Sacramento Valley.