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Posted by: thepinetree on 03/30/2015 06:55 AM Updated by: thepinetree on 03/30/2015 11:40 AM
Expires: 01/01/2020 12:00 AM
:



Hundreds Attend Water Crisis Forum In Copperopolis

Copperopolis, CA...Hundreds of public and private sector leaders and citizens met together Saturday, March 28, 2015, in Copperopolis for The Water Crisis Forum. The forum brought together the key leaders working on the impact of the drought and Federal and State policies which are requiring the draining of millions of gallons of water from California reservoirs to allegedly enhance salmon in the lower rivers. The leaders including United States Congressman Tom McClintock, California State Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, Tuolumne County Supervisor Karl Rodefer and Jeff Shields, Manager South San Joaquin Irrigation District. Congressman McClintock serves as the Chairman of the Federal Lands Subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee, and is a member of the Natural Resources Committee and of the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans....






The leaders agreed that the "fish flows" should be stopped while the state is in the midst of a drought. The experts noted that without the water releases for fish over the past four years, New Melones Dam could have 1 million acre feet in it by the end of summer. Instead it could be as low as 118,000 acre feet. To put this in context that is enough water to take care of the city of Sacramento for two years.

The Draining of Lake Tulloch Still Possible 2015 Without Agreement

They also also concurred it critically important that the California State Water Board approved a petition from Oakdale and South San Joaquin Irrigation Districts to reduce and change some of the "fish flows" between now and September in order to avoid draining Lake Tulloch. If the petition from the districts with support from Bureau of Reclamation is not granted, New Melones would be brought down to a point that it would only have 2% of the capacity level of the reservoir. (Click here for information on Water Board Action and how to make your voice known)

Lake Tulloch Chair Jack Cox noted "If anyone living at Lake Tulloch believes that the lake is still not threaten with being drained this summer, they better wake up. We must continue to contact elected officials and the Water Board urging them to take short term and long term action"

Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio, presented an excellent scientific overview of the biology of using pulse flows from the bottom of dams to grow more salmon. Demko, an internationally recognized expert and an expert on the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers, make these key points:

  • Most of the fish effected by the flows aren't native but hatchery fish.
  • The environmental goal is create 20,000 more salmon in the Stanislaus but the habitat can only support 5,000
  • The flows don't work on the rivers because the habitat does not support fish laying more eggs.
  • Only about 3% of the Delta has any habitat anymore with the rest being rock levys.
  • Other programs such as dredging areas down stream and replacing habitat can enhance salmon polulations.
  • Predator fish such as Bass, planted by state and federal agencies years ago, are responsible now for each baby salmon before they ever grow to be adults.
Watch for a full report on the forum with video and text shortly.


Source = Lake Tulloch Alliance


Comments - Make a comment
The comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for its content. We value free speech but remember this is a public forum and we hope that people would use common sense and decency. If you see an offensive comment please email us at news@thepinetree.net
Dredging
Posted on: 2015-03-30 08:07:45   By: Anonymous
 
Its appalling yet laughable that we are presently under a Moratorium to not dredge,because they(the enviro whacko's)claimed that dredging was harmful to Salmon?The numerous past studies have shown just the opposite as well....yet...here we are still out of the water.Yet another RENOWNED expert who is telling you the FACTS!

[Reply ]

No Subject
Posted on: 2015-03-30 08:54:46   By: Anonymous
 
Who is the idiot with the hat? Must have never learned any manners.

[Reply ]

    Re:
    Posted on: 2015-03-30 09:03:46   By: Anonymous
     
    California State Assemblyman Frank Bigelow

    Fence Sitter

    [Reply ]

      Re:
      Posted on: 2015-03-30 16:48:58   By: Anonymous
       
      He leans toward the corporate side of the fence not the public side.

      [Reply ]

No Subject
Posted on: 2015-03-30 08:58:50   By: Anonymous
 
Who assembled the bullet points at the bottom, a 2nd grader?

[Reply ]

    Re: Who was not on the panel
    Posted on: 2015-03-30 09:02:54   By: Anonymous
     
    Interesting that a Tuolumne county supervisor was sitting up there, yet our most active Calaveras supervisor on water issues was not. Cliff Edson was at the meeting as was CCWD, yet they were not included on the panel. I guess our local elected officials aren't that important to the success of this effort even though both the Board of Supervisors and CCWD voted unanimously to support the reductions in water flows in droughts.

    [Reply ]

      Re: Was Gary Kuntz on the panel?
      Posted on: 2015-03-30 10:17:39   By: Anonymous
       


      [Reply ]

      Re: Who was not on the panel
      Posted on: 2015-03-31 23:40:57   By: Anonymous
       
      Please explain: "Our most active Calaveras Supervisor on water issues." You relate it to Cliff Edson. Please explain what water issues is he so active on?
      How many times has the Mokelumne River issue been to the BOS? How many times has he changed his mind-for it-then against it?

      [Reply ]

    Re: Bullet Points
    Posted on: 2015-03-30 15:45:44   By: Anonymous
     
    FYI --I wrote the bullet points from memory after Moderating the day. We have no big budget to try to help this community and the Mother Lode suvrive this near disaster. I happy to take criticism but not by some one who sitting back simply typping on his computer. all of here are working with our friends here and in the valley to see that we have water for a future. Get a life!

    [Reply ]

Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
Posted on: 2015-03-30 09:02:50   By: Anonymous
 
Mr Douglas appears to be a Conservative, espousing the Conservative view with his fellow Republicans in the panel.

There are "Renown biologists" , like "expert witnesses" who can be hired by an attorney to give friendly testimony in any trial.

I would have to view more than one testimony on water releases to give Mr Douglas's testimony credence.

[Reply ]

    Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
    Posted on: 2015-03-30 09:50:22   By: Anonymous
     
    I agree. I would like it to be true that Demko is right, but it is a mistake to take one expert's advice on anything. Even the climate change deniers can still find an "expert" or two to support their view. The difference is that climate change is national news and many scientists are working to understand it. We know the overwhelming majority of those experts say it is man-made and serious.

    Even is Demko is a paid shill rather than a disinterested expert, it still seems obvious to me that people have to come before fish. Whether agriculture should come before fish is a tougher question especially when agriculture is not really trying to use their water efficiently yet. I drove up Hwy 4 from Stockton last week and the orchards were being watered with sprinklers in the middle of the day, surely the least efficient way possible to get water to the tree roots.

    [Reply ]

      Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
      Posted on: 2015-03-30 10:24:51   By: Anonymous
       
      People should come before fish. People should come before trees. People should come before the environment. People should come before Earth! Get the picture?

      [Reply ]

        Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
        Posted on: 2015-03-30 12:54:40   By: Anonymous
         
        "People should come before Earth"???????

        Because you figure we can live somewhere else?

        What you are really saying is Profits should come before People. That is the reason the Koch brothers and other business leaders have to deny climate change. And if you support the Republicans that big business has bought, then you are saying that too.

        And you should be ashamed of yourself. Certainly your grandchildren will be ashamed of you once they see the consequences of your climate change denial on their lives.

        [Reply ]

          Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
          Posted on: 2015-03-30 13:14:59   By: Anonymous
           
          You may have mistaken that post as being serious instead of facetious or sarcastic. No one could seriously argue "people before earth".

          [Reply ]

            Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
            Posted on: 2015-03-30 13:35:55   By: Anonymous
             
            Thank god for smart people. That is right. You can't just say screw the fish, people first. 'People first' is why we have climate change.

            So do you want to scream about Co2, and say people first? That would make you a hypocrite.

            I say save the damn fish. DRAIN THE LAKE if you have to!!

            [Reply ]

              Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
              Posted on: 2015-03-31 08:05:13   By: Anonymous
               
              OK, I missed the sarcasm. Acknowledged.

              But the simplistic idea of putting fish first and draining the lake is a mistake. If next year is a drought year too, there won't be a lake to drain and even Melones might be essentially empty. By building the dams and allowing many populations of people to become dependent on control of the water flow, we have an inescapable responsibility to manage the rivers. It would be irresponsible to just say we're not going to do that anymore and pretend the clock can be rolled back to the 19th century.

              Perhaps "drain the lake" was also sarcasm, but this is a real problem that needs a real, non-ideological solution. Admittedly those solutions are probably not going to come from a pinetree.net message thread.

              [Reply ]

              Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
              Posted on: 2015-03-31 14:13:35   By: Anonymous
               
              so let me ask what if the dam wasnt there?The river would be dry like it has several times in the previous hundreds of years before the dam,and the salmon didnt run that year.Where will you get your drinking/ag water when there is no more retained?

              [Reply ]

                Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
                Posted on: 2015-03-31 20:09:28   By: Anonymous
                 
                Well, before people and agriculture took much of the water it all flowed to the bay and was probably just fine for the fish even in dry years. And there were fewer runs of super dry years before climate change.

                But it is certainly true that we can't go back to no people and no agriculture. That doesn't mean there aren't real choices to be made. Conservation should be one of them - and I mean by big agriculture, not the small amount I use in my garden. It is nuts that I have to let my lawn die but the orchards near Stockton are watered in mid-day with sprinklers.

                [Reply ]

                  Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
                  Posted on: 2015-04-01 08:18:19   By: Anonymous
                   
                  If one reads back into just the 1850's many(the majority) of the streams were dry in the summer,and I recall the Stanislaus being mighty low just in the last 40 years.

                  I can not argue any of the facts you point out in your last paragraph though.We better figure something out though because the big glass of water has too many straws drawing from it

                  [Reply ]

              Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
              Posted on: 2015-04-01 05:53:00   By: Anonymous
               
              I mounted a big ol trout last week, man she was hot....

              [Reply ]

          Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
          Posted on: 2015-03-30 22:59:04   By: Anonymous
           
          JUST STHU . When you cite "KOCH" you just exposed your BIAS

          [Reply ]

        Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
        Posted on: 2015-04-01 05:51:33   By: Anonymous
         
        " People should come before Earth! " I need to get that as a bumper sticker. Or maybe " People should come before God!
        Rock on man

        [Reply ]

      Re: Douglas Demko, President and CEO, Fishbio
      Posted on: 2015-04-06 15:03:08   By: Anonymous
       
      It may be that you saw a farmer irrigating in the middle of the day because that is the only time he could get the water. Irrigation Districts have hundreds of customers and run water 24 hours a day. Farmers have to take it when it is available...unless they are pumping. Are you a farmer? I take offense to some of these comments saying that farmers are not yet using efficient methods. That is just not true, they have huge incentive to do so, as they know the value of water to their crops. If we have no AG, then we have no FOOD, and thus no PEOPLE. Let's see how you feel when the prices for food go thru the roof.

      [Reply ]

INJUNCTION TO STOP
Posted on: 2015-03-30 10:15:49   By: Anonymous
 
WRITING THE LEGISLATURE IS A WASTE OF TIME. MR. COX NEEDS TO FORM A COMMITTEEE TO FILE AN INJUNCTION IN FEDERAL COURT TO STOP THE TAKING OF WATER FOR FISH NOW!!!!

[Reply ]

    Re: INJUNCTION TO STOP
    Posted on: 2015-03-30 10:26:00   By: Anonymous
     
    Dont yell man.

    [Reply ]

      Merchants of Doubt and Misinformation
      Posted on: 2015-03-30 11:03:33   By: Anonymous
       
      Recalling the Drs, and tobacco co executives that testified they didn't believe smoking causes lung cancer.

      Science uses peer review, and replication of conclusions . Other scientists must be able to replicate the data independently for a theory to be a established fact.

      Mr Demko must show other studies to achieve credibility.

      Out now, the documentary movie "Merchants of Doubt".

      This documentary studies the use of so-called experts who are shills for corporations.
      The corporations exposed are tobacco, climate change denial. The "experts" were paid by the tobacco cos , the carbon fuel cos.

      See how the public's opinion is manipulated by these merchants of doubt, despite near unanimous agreement by the scientific community.

      [Reply ]

        Re: Merchants of Doubt and Misinformation
        Posted on: 2015-03-30 12:00:56   By: Anonymous
         
        Climate change is far from unanimous.

        Bees are dying... Climate change.
        Seals are dying... Climate change.
        Drought... Climate change.
        Blizzard... Climate change.

        See a pattern? It's a pattern of B.S.

        .

        [Reply ]

          Re: Merchants of Doubt and Misinformation
          Posted on: 2015-03-30 13:24:49   By: Anonymous
           
          Summer hot, winter cold. Climate change.

          [Reply ]

            Re: Merchants of Doubt and Misinformation
            Posted on: 2015-03-30 17:46:55   By: Anonymous
             
            No, genius, summer -winter are seasons, not climate.

            [Reply ]

              Re: Merchants of Doubt and Misinformation
              Posted on: 2015-03-30 20:03:59   By: Anonymous
               
              The climate changes with the seasons. Happens every year. Has for years.

              [Reply ]

                Re: Merchants of Doubt and Misinformation
                Posted on: 2015-03-30 20:45:22   By: Anonymous
                 
                No, it goes: weather for short term, seasons are calendar periods established by man to apply to the designate periods of the earths relationship to the sun, and climate being the average of all weather factors over a long period, up to 30 years according to some scientists.

                It is so certain that there is climate change that not even the American Petroleum Institute denies it anymore.



                [Reply ]

          Re: Merchants of Doubt and Misinformation
          Posted on: 2015-03-31 23:49:17   By: Anonymous
           
          You forgot: People are dying!
          What a distraction to hide the fact that the state doesn't want private ownership of water. It wants revenue.

          [Reply ]

    Re: INJUNCTION TO STOP
    Posted on: 2015-03-30 11:55:24   By: Anonymous
     
    For Real Protections
    Jefferson Mining District Coordination Officers are effectively exposing the Federal and State Government intentions to harm producers and is creating a record of governmental abuses, such as the Sage Grouse science fraud, in preparation to enjoining these unlawful agendas should any plans contrary to the laws of the United States or inconsistent with any lawful requirements be promulgated. Don't rely on others to protect your property. Step up and take responsibility.
    Jefferson Mining District can help.

    [Reply ]

No Subject
Posted on: 2015-03-30 14:00:43   By: Anonymous
 

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[Reply ]

No Subject
Posted on: 2015-03-30 16:57:00   By: Anonymous
 
Why is it so hard to believe that a river that is dammed can only support a few fish. Hatchery fish are not as important as wild breeders. If the river needs cleaning, then let the dredges do what they do best, clean and loosen the gravels as well as deepen and enlarge the pools.
Restore the river for the sake of the fish, not to destroy the fish. Restore dredging now.

[Reply ]

    Re:
    Posted on: 2015-03-30 19:56:08   By: Anonymous
     
    screw copper....its a hole...........a hot hole.........only nice in spring....all those upitty ups are mad cuz' they won't have a lake at their deck this summer. They could care less about anything else....now's the time they get theirs............its called reality people....move back to Modesto or Merced....

    [Reply ]

No Subject
Posted on: 2015-03-30 20:24:54   By: Anonymous
 
Why just "stop" fish flows, how about just reducing them. Surely this is not only one thing or the other. Are there no alternatives?

[Reply ]

Admit You Are Wrong.
Posted on: 2015-03-31 03:26:59   By: Anonymous
 
Dear "advisers" & "other elect officials" Note your own words, the salmon you are now trying to save are being threatened by your very action prior (introducing a predator to solve some previous perceived issue) and acting like no one will notice the incompetence. Listen, NATURE DOESN'T NEED OUR "HELP". You want to help the fish population? Lift the absolutely ridiculous suction dredging moratorium so the spawn will have safe havens to hide in, and all the aquatic life will enjoy the nutrients stirred up that aren't being turned up as they normally would during flood stages (you are in a drought). Water turbidity killing aquatic life is a joke, if that's the case any waterway that floods for any reason should be devoid of all aquatic life, no? Try some common sense, I hear it works as a pretty good guideline.

[Reply ]

ZJZeQeljCyslDla
Posted on: 2015-06-03 19:22:05   By: Anonymous
 
upyIId There is apparently a bundle to realize about this. I consider you made certain good points in features also.

[Reply ]


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