Ride for the River

10/29/2011

Steelhead Trout are within the grouping Salmonids (this also includes salmon). Sooo....DON'T FORGET TO RUN FOR SALOMONIDS ON NOV 6th. Patagonia rocks and money goes to protecting Steelhead, Salmon and other threatened California fisheries.
http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=15737

Runners, walkers and families are invited to join Patagonia, Great Pacific Iron Works, Real Cheap Sports and a long list of co-sponsors for a 5K run benefiting Los Padres ForestWatch. This morning of fun will include great prizes, post-race entertainment, environmental exhibits and refreshments for ...

10/28/2011

10/27/2011

Protect biking in our cities. Make biking safer. Sign the pledge with me.

10/26/2011

Just rode past a beautiful stretch of Sonoma Coastline...where I was impressed by the pristine Russian River. Is there hope for the North California Steelhead.

National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration says:

The Russian River supports the largest spawning population of Central California Coast Steelhead, but its population is believed to have declined seven-fold since the mid-1960s

Threats and Impacts:
Agricultural operations
Artificial barriers:
Canal and pipeline crossings
Conditions severing surface/subsurface hydrologic connection of stream channel and wetlands
Dams
Erosion-control structures
Flood-control structures
Pits from gravel mining
Road crossings (e.g., bridges, culverts, and low-water fords)
Forestry operations
Gravel extraction
Illegal harvest
Streambed alteration
Substandard fish screens on diversions
Suction dredging
Unscreened water diversions
Urbanization
Water demand exceeding availability
Water pollution

http://www.swr.noaa.gov/recovery/Steelhead_NCS.htm

10/24/2011

While fishing with my dad in the Sacramento Delta, I came across numerous farms left fallow. The article below explains why your tax dollars go to keep food from growing.

10/24/2011

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/science/earth/24water.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=california%20water&st=cse

With water increasingly scarce in the West, a new program is allowing some farmers to sell their allotment of it for whatever price they can find, but it comes with a hitch.

10/24/2011

http://www.forbes.com/sites/petergleick/2011/09/07/is-the-u-s-reaching-peak-water/

As a result, there are growing efforts in the business and investment communities to understand how risks of water shortages might affect corporate strategy and decisions, and conversely, how to maintain a strong economy in the face of growing freshwater limits. [For example, the UN CEO Water Mandate, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the Alliance for Water Stewardship, theWorld Economic Forum, DEG-WWF Water Risk Filter, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), among others, all have water and business-related efforts underway.]

Adequate, high-quality freshwater is fundamental for health, growing food, natural ecosystems, and a productive U.S. economy including the production of energy and all vital goods and services. But as populations and economies grow, new constraints on water resources are appearing, raising questions...

10/15/2011

10/15/2011

CEMAR: "There is enough water for people and the environment."

By pulling water during the winter to store in special ponds and tanks areas can ensure high water flows during the summer months. The months when we, and our friend the Steelhead and other Salmanoids, need water the most.

An interview with Gordon S. Becker, M.S., Senior Fisheries Scientist opened by eyes to some cutting edge restoration techniques.

See for yourself at http://www.cemar.org/hydrology.html. (If you are a Californian you should read this!)

This is cutting edge stuff in the conservation and ecological restoration world.

10/11/2011

10/11/2011

http://www.pacrimfilmfestival.org/closing

Filmmaker Brian Lilla and International Rivers spokesperson Berklee Lowry-Evans will conduct a Q & A session after the film.

10/08/2011