The Little Shasta river restoration -video.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IZf4M0lHIE

[JasonB]

Yet another cool video Bill! This one might be my favorite, as it really highlights what is possible when you get reasonable and intelligent people to work on an issue together. Interesting strategy to reduce liabilities imposed by the ESA...I wish they had given a bit more specific details about that. Could be a great idea as far as offering meaningful incentives to ranchers, on the other hand I can see some obvious potential pitfalls to such a move. Depending on the details, I’m inclined to believe this might be one of the best ways to actually get stuff done. I’ll have to dig a little on that later...

[Bob Smith]

Maybe Andy can add some more details but I believe that the Hart's were granted "safe harbor" which means that a private landowner is protected from being prosecuted for "take" (in this case, take of coho) in exchange for implementing fish improvement measures. In the Hart's case, they reconfigured their diversion dam to be more fish friendly and dedicated a portion of their Little Shasta River water right back into the stream channel where it might benefit fish. The Hart's are forward thinking and well on their way to being weaned off Little Shasta River water (through improving ranch infrastructure).

The Little Shasta itself has a long way to go before it contributes to anadromous fish recovery. The lower 8 miles or so are essentially dry during the summer months due to upstream diversions. A few steelhead do make their way up to spawn in the upper section when it's connected during the winter. Fall chinook have spawned in the lower section a few times over the past 25 years when wet fall weather led to a premature halt to summer diversions.

[Andy]

Bob is correct about the Hart's negotiating a safe harbor agreement for their portion of the Little Shasta. Also correct that there is a diversion below the Hart property that dewaters the Little Shasta for much of the year, even all year in low snow winters. I think the same diversion also does not have a modern fish ladder (that was proposed but never funded I believe) such that passage is a miracle when it does happen. Its a shame because the upper section of the Shasta is essentially a spring creek with a cool native trout population. The adjudication of water rights for the Little Shasta far exceeds its flow in all but the best water years so absent a change in the adjudication connection to the main stem Shasta is not in the cards. The Little Shasta has huge anadromous potential with a year round connection to the main.

Safe Harbor agreements currently are proposed for the main Shasta as well. They are disappointing at best; too little too late to be meaningful.

Andy

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Before we dammed up California's river 95% I wonder how far up did the Steelhead and salmon go on all our rivers?

Did we have summer steelhead way up on our rivers in the deep canyons like the Feather and Yuba rivers?

Think of our rivers without dams with trout, steelhead and salmon then we added lots of other fish like smallmouth bass, shad and stripers?

[avidangler]

Think of California before the gold rush. I wish I could be transported back in time. With modern day fishing equipment!!

[BumpBailey]

Think of California before the gold rush. I wish I could be transported back in time. With modern day fishing equipment!!

Hey Avid,

There is a book you should check out. Up and Down California 1860-1864 by William Brewer. He comes out to California from the east coast to "chart" and discover what California has to offer the nation. He and his crew hike up and down the state for roughly 4 years. The book is essentially all of the letters he wrote to his brother chronicling all of his experiences. It will seem very familiar as you will know of many of the places they speak of. I can't drive by San Luis Reservoir now without thinking of Brewer and his crew. It paints a pretty vivid picture of what our state was like back the. I thought it a great read!

J.K.

[Bob Smith]

What J.K. said! I too have read UP and Down California and it's an outstanding read! Brewer and his group spend quite a bit of time up around Mt. Shasta and the Klamath River. One thing that comes to mind from the book is how altered California was by the 1860's.