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Mike McKenzie
07-18-2005, 12:01 PM
I'm posting this in response to a request by one of the board members for some "guidance" in the continuing battle for our Bay/Delta and Tributary fisheries from the continuous attacks by those that would sacrifice the whole system for the furtherance of their own profit.. I was asked to read the "State of Stripers" thread and comment....No easy task!! I will try to be brief ( hard to do on such a subject!) and factual!
First let me say that there are more than just striped bass at stake, all anadromous that use the bay/delta system are in jeopardy if the state goes ahead with the South Delta "Improvement" Project. As most of you may have heard or know, the the delta is in more serious trouble than it has ever been, to the point that there's not just problems with fish populations but the entire pelagic food web is in a state of collapse. Despite this fact there are those in our state government that are hell bent on taking more water out of the delta. I could go on a long dissertation (rant?) about why and how we got where we are, instead, in the interest of brevity I'll give a few references for those that REALLY want to know...
1. With respect to California's Striped Bass, interesting stuff here: http://www.delta.dfg.ca.gov/stripedbass/default.asp
2. The Bureaucratic version of the South Delta Improvement Project or "SDIP" Go here:
http://www.calwater.ca.gov/DeltaImprovements/DIP/DeltaImprovementPackage.shtml
3.For a better understanding of California's Water use and Allocation policy along with a little bit about PublicTrust Doctrine and the State Constitution with respect to water go here:
http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2005/Vol_4/01-Background/V4PRD6-waterallocation.pdf
For those that want more, there are a couple of books that ought to be required reading for all California voters....
"Cadillac Desert" by Marc Reisner
" The King of California" By Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman
These books tell the tale of the rape of the environment and the taxpayer under the guise of " making the desert bloom" and other BS slogans!
I digress..back to what's going on with the current situation in the delta...
As of last week the latest surveys by DFG show a continuing decline in the Delta Smelt populations (the "Miner's Canary" of the delta) See the Sac Bee article here: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/environment/story/13236194p-14078845c.html
After reading the article one might think that this development might change the bureaucratic mind set!? Never happen.. a quote from Jerry Johns Deputy Director of DWR.." In my mind this doesn't delay anything"...
Another recent interesting turn is the fact that the Federal Department of Commerce released their audit of the NOAA/NMFS decision that increased export will not harm the delta fisheries. The audit found that NMFS violated internal rules when they revised the biological opinion produced by field work that indicated that increased exports would harm delta fisheries.. This could possibly force re-negotiation of all the recent water contracts..(We can only hope!) We do not need to make Corporate Welfare Queens any richer at the expense of the delta.
It seems that the government's position on taking more water out of the delta has received a couple of kicks in the groin! This makes action now more important than ever (Kick 'em while there down!)
What you can do now! Here's a action alert from the alliance of groups that are actively fighting the SDIP. Read it and write your letters to the Governor and also ALL of your elected representatives federal and state!!
Action Alert
Fishing Groups Align to Oppose Additional Delta Water Export
and Need Your Support!

In light of the government’s recent announcement of the on-going collapse of the Bay-Delta Estuary that once sustained multiple runs of salmon and abundant runs striped bass, American shad, sturgeon and steelhead, many sport and commercial fishing groups have aligned to oppose all additional water export out of the Delta until the estuary and its fishery resources are restored.

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Northern California Council of Fly Fishers, and the California Striped Bass Association have been joined in their opposition by California Trout, United Anglers of California, the Recreational Fishing Alliance, United Pier and Shore Anglers of California, the Anglers Committee, California Fly Fishers Unlimited, Tri-Valley Fly Fishers, Fly Fishers of Davis and by commercial fishermen through the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association. These groups are asking all anglers to engage and express opposition to any additional export of Delta water to the governor until the estuary ecosystem and fisheries are restored.

According to agency scientists, the estuary’s primary production of food is so low it is signaling the collapse of the Delta ecosystem. Populations of key plankton and tiny shrimp that fuel the foodweb and drive the system’s ecology have virtually disappeared, as have some of estuary’s important species of fish including Delta smelt, longfin smelt, shad and young-of-the-year striped bass. This collapse is the harbinger of what will happen to other fish and wildlife resources dependent on the estuary.

Most alarming is the incredible fact that as this collapse occurs and agency biologist scramble to try and figure out scientifically what is going wrong, the Department of Water Resources has announced it will move forward with their "South Delta Improvement Project" (SDIP) that would increase water exports out of the Delta up to 25%! They say the SDIP draft Environmental Impact Report will be circulated for public review by the end of this month.
The decision to move the SDIP forward in the face of a collapsing estuary can only make the estuary’s problems worse and do irreparable harm to its fishery resources. While declining productivity in the estuary in not new since declines in salmon, steelhead and striper bass have become common place, what is new is the near total collapse in ecosystem primary productivity upon which everything else depends.

The SDIP will be the straw that breaks the estuary’s back. If the foodweb is lost it will result in the estuary’s fisheries not being able to find food where and when they need it for survival. The foodweb is irreplaceable! Scientists have long maintained that water export affects the productivity of the estuary by changing the once natural flow regime and the amount of water that used to flow through the Delta into the San Francisco Bay.

Instead of the high spring runoff through the entire estuary, the water projects have greatly reduced these flows and changed the timing of when that water would normally be available to the estuary. Such dramatic changes are at the very heart of the problem.

While we understand that other factors such as toxic pesticides and unintentionally introduced"exotic" species may be involved in this collapse, this is not the time to be increasing exports! In order for the waters of the estuary to produce food, the water must stay in the system long enough to do so. When 60% of the estuary’s fresh water is exported annually, that leaves only 40% of the water to do what 100% used to do. Increasing exports beyond the current level can only make the situation worse.

If we are to completely understand and address the reasons for the collapse, increasing exports must be stopped until the solutions are found that restore the estuary and our fisheries.

Given the push to export more water by water contractors, the best way to stop the SDIP is to contact Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. We urge you to ask the Governor to stop the SDIP and any additional Delta export projects until the ecology and fisheries of the estuary are restored.
You can email the Governor by going to http://www.govmail.ca.gov where you can fill out the email form and send it to the Governor’s office. Or you can send a letter or card to him at:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

You can also call or fax his office:
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633

The message is simple, ask the Governor to stop the plans of the Department of Water Resources to implement the South Delta Improvement Project and the export of any additional water out of Delta until our estuary and its fisheries are restored.

You can mention that DWR’s recently released Bulletin 160 clearly demonstrates that the state’s water needs will be met for at least the next decade with the existing water infrastructure. There is no water crisis to justify the destruction of the Delta! It is time to raise our collective voice. The estuary is truly at stake!

If you would like to send a more detailed letter to the Governor, a sample letter follows:

Date

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I am writing to urge you to stop the efforts by your Department of Water Resources to increase the export of fresh water out of the Delta. Given the ecological value of the Delta as a public resource which meets a variety of water needs for the state, the recent collapse of its food-web is a disaster of unparalleled significance. The future of the Bay-Delta estuary and its vitally important public fishery resources is at stake.

As you may know some 60% of the fresh water that flows into the Delta is exported out of the system for agricultural (85%) and urban consumption (15%). Over the past several months agency scientists have confirmed that the estuary’s capacity to produce the food-web that sustains critical populations of fish and wildlife has collapsed!

I believe your leadership is needed to halt all efforts to increase Delta exports, including the South Delta Improvement Project, until the problems that have caused this catastrophe are determined and solutions implemented that have restored the estuary and its fishery resources.

Given the fact that DWR’s recently released Bulletin 160 clearly demonstrates that the state’s water needs will be met for at least the next decade with the existing water infrastructure, it is imperative to stop additional exports planning until the long promised restoration of the estuary and its fishery resources is accomplished!

Sincerely,

(Your name and address)


* * * * * * * * *

John Beuttler
On Behalf of the Allied Fishing Groups

To contact CSPA and the Allied Fishing Groups for further information, send your email to: CSPAORG@aol.com or call us at 510-526-4049

You can also go here and send a letter to the Goveronr

http://www.nrdc.org/action/default.asp

Scroll down to "urge Governor Schwarzenegger to protect the San Francisco Bay-Delta." and follow the link.
Thanks for reading and please get as many folks as you can to help out!!

Mike McKenzie
NCC/FFF Bay Delta Committee
stripermike@earthlink.net

k.hanley
07-18-2005, 01:29 PM
Say Hey Mike,
Thanks again for your commitment to the Delta system and the variety of fisheries in our State. I'm amazed at how you can travel within the convoluted environment of politics. I get too frustrated. I appreciate your efforts. It is all about stewardship and everyone needs to be part of the solution.
Cheers, Ken
PS: If folks are looking for a way to become involved, simply consider your "on the water" actions as a great beginning and ongoing contribution. :D

Hairstacker
07-18-2005, 01:56 PM
Mike, thank you, that was a GREAT post! Very informative and provides the details necessary for each of us to take action. 8)

Darian
07-18-2005, 11:07 PM
Mike,..... Thanks for the info. Hopefully, everyone will read/utilize it.... 8) I know that some of the members of this BB are already up to date on this subject area thru your posts on other BB's. 8) 8) I'm going to take somee time to digest your message and as much of the material as possible and then woould like to explore with everyone (including Mike M.) what we can contribute/do from our end.... 8) 8)

For those of us who would like to send a letter or E-mail to the elected officials suggested in the note, I would caution that after using E-mail and letters in projects where I was a lobbyist, I found that only one official (state or Federal) consistently sent me a thoughtful reply to an E-mail. 8) That was the late Robert Matsui. Senator Feinstein has an automated reply that says she does not accept E-mails (even tho she has an E-mail address :? :? :? )

Mike McKenzie
07-19-2005, 07:37 AM
For those of us who would like to send a letter or E-mail to the elected officials suggested in the note, I would caution that after using E-mail and letters in projects where I was a lobbyist, I found that only one official (state or Federal) consistently sent me a thoughtful reply to an E-mail. 8) That was the late Robert Matsui. Senator Feinstein has an automated reply that says she does not accept E-mails (even tho she has an E-mail address :? :? :? )

I guess I should have made it clearer that an e-mail isn't really sufficient..It takes snail mail and telephone calls (lots of 'em) to get their attention... I'm not sure but what we'll endup with, before this is over, is a lawsuit..
Everybody ought to be prepared to contribute finacially!!
Mike

SullyTM
07-19-2005, 08:47 AM
Mike, Thank you for all of the information. Working the political arena is an up-hill battle for most of us. Letters and emails are not always read and unless you have an "in" then it can be quite frustrating, but not impossible. My local paper, the Contra Costa Times has been running feature articles about the demise of the Delta Smelt and other organisms that are critical to the life of the Delta and other waterways...I have been attemping to get my local city officials to put in some time and effort in maintaining local pond that is under their jurisdiction and no action is being taken...they are more concerned with redevelopment! I applaud your concern and will do my part to initiate change and debate. Thom