19May2013

Natural Resources and Science

Natural Resources and Science

News articles ranging from water and energy issues, and restoration projects to science and technology are found here.

Friday, December 02, 2011

Local Wine Tasting audio and photos posted

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Local wine tasting events took place this year on both Friday and Saturday, November 25 and 26, 2011, from 1 to 5 p.m. The tasings were open to the public and were held at Briceland Vineyards and the Whitethorn Winery. These tastings traditionally take place during the Spring and Fall seasons on Memorial Day and Thanksgiving weekends. The owner/winemakers from Elk Prairie Vineyard, were also pouring their wines at the Whitethorn Winery location. The Whitethorn Winery tasting this year was dedicated to the Mattole Coho and a portion of the proceeds from the the Whitethorn and Elk Prairie tastings will be donated to the Mattole Coho Recovery Project (Baker Creek Pilot Project-see below for more information).

Contact information for the Wineries are listed below:
 

  • Briceland Vineyards- Founders Maggie Carey and Joe Collins; www.bricelandvineyards.com/5959 Briceland Road, Redway, CA  95560; Telephone: 707-923-2429 ; Apprentice winemaker is Andrew Morris
  • Elk Prairie Vineyard - Owners/Winemakers, Alan and Sandra Estrada; elkprairievineyard.com/ 11544 Dyerville Loop Road, Myers Flat, CA 95554; Telephone: 707-943-3498; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Whitethorn Winery- Owner/Winemaker, Tasha McKee; 545 Shelter Cove Rd., Whitethorn, CA 95589;  Telephone: 707 986-1642


    Community Journalist, Bob Froehlich, attended both tastings on Friday and the story aired on KMUD News on Mon., Nov. 28 - that segment can be heard or downloaded using the audio player below:


    Workshop on Mattole Headwaters Habitat Recovery for Coho - Baker Creek Pilot Project (Joint project between BLM Arcata Field Office and Sanctuary Forest)- Presented byTasha McKee On Friday Nov. 18 at the Beginnings in Briceland when the Mattole Restoration Council (MRC) held its Annual Meeting of the Membership.


    Bonus Feature: Raw Audio of Interview done by Bob Froehlich at the Whitethorn Winery Friday Nov. 25, 2011 with Michael Pollock: - Northwest Fisheries Science Center/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-consultant on Baker Creek Pilot Project.

Photo/Left, taken Early on Friday at the Briceland Wine Tasting - Joe Collins Pouring - and Photo/Right shows the H'ordeuvres Table at Briceland Winery, hosted by Rae and Jim Shiraishi

    

Photo/Left Shows Dennis Huber (foreground) assisting in the Wine Auction at Whitethorn Winery and Photo/Right shows a display at the Whitethorn Wine Tasting, giving information about the Baker Creek Pilot Project

    

 

On Friday Nov. 18 at the Beginnings in Briceland the Mattole Restoration Council (MRC) held its Annual Meeting of the Membership. The event started at 10 a.m. and began with introductions, a series of workshops and a roundtable conversation covering a number of issues of concern in the Mattole Watershed. 
 
The MRC website describes the events following the workshops and roundtable conversation as follows:
Following the roundtable conversation will be the Mattole Restoration Council’s annual meeting of the membership. Members will receive updates on the organizations accomplishments, finances, and all candidates for seats on the Board of Directors are invited to make a statement regarding their interest in the organization. Working together all day is sure to work up quite an appetite so, starting at 6 PM we will be serving a lasagna dinner. This will be available for $15, or $10 for kids. A bake sale will provide a wide choice of desserts, with local beer and wine rounding out the delicious dining. Be sure to come prepared to bid on silent auction items donated by our generous supporters in the community. The nightcap celebration will be dancing and socializing with the tantalizing jazzy sound of the Latin Peppers. These skilled local musicians are sure to provide a vibrant sound track for a great time. Come and give thanks for a healthy watershed, dance, celebrate, and chart the future of our community based restoration effort!
 
The audio from the workshop series was recorded by KMUD Community Journalist, Eileen Russell, and was re-edited into five presentations as indicated below. Use the players below to hear or download the audio.
 
Presentation 1: Sudden Oak Death: Introduction by Hezekiah Allen, Executive Director of MRC; Presenters:Yana Valachovic, Forest Advisor for the UC Cooperative Extension and Seth Zuckerman, MRC Forest Futures Program Coordinator
 
Presentation 2: Implications of Climate Change on Habitat Restoration: Presenters: Seth Zuckerman; Tasha McKee, Co-Executive Director/Stewardship at Sanctuary Forest and Hezekiah Allen
 
Presentation 3: Mattole Salmon Group (MSG) Instream Restoration Projects: Presenters: Keytra Meyer, Executive Director, MSG; Drew Barber, Project Coordinator, MSG; Nathan Queener, Monitoring Coordinator, MSG
 
Presentation 4: Mattole Headwaters Habitat Recovery for Coho - Baker Creek Pilot Project (Joint project between BLM Arcata Field Office and Sanctuary Forest): Presenter: Tasha McKee
 
Presentation 5: Forest and Land Conservation: Presenters: Noah Levy, Sanctuary Forest Co-Executive Director/Lands; Ali Freedlund, MRC Forest Practices Review Program Coordinator; Seth Zuckerman, MRC Forest Futures Program Coordinator
 
Photo below by Kimi Feuer, MRC, IT Director:
 

 

According to a BLM News Release, dated 9/28/11:
Outdoor enthusiasts can celebrate National Public Lands Day by helping with trail building projects in the King Range National Conservation Area, Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers will be treated to a barbecue lunch complete with vegetarian options as part of the event sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management and the Lost Cost Interpretive Association. To sign up, call the BLM King Range Project Office, (707) 986-5400.
 
Teams of volunteers will help build a new section of the Hidden Valley Interpretive Trail in the southern end of the conservation area, and work with members of the Bigfoot Mountain Biking Club build new connector trails to the Paradise Royale Mountain Biking Trail. Volunteers should meet at 10 a.m. at the BLM King Range Project Office, 768 Shelter Cove Rd. in Whitethorn.  The BLM will provide tools and gloves.  Volunteers must bring their own water and snacks for the day. Free camping will be available on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15.  Participants will also receive free one-day passes, valid for a year, at various public land recreation facilities across the nation. National Public Lands Day T-shirts also will be provided.
 
The projects are part of ongoing efforts to improve recreational opportunities in the King Range, which has 80 miles of hiking trails and 14 miles of mountain biking trails.  Once completed, the 2.5 mile Hidden Valley Interpretive Trail will enable hikers to experience the “gentler” side of the King Range, to learn about natural resources of the NCA and to experience grand ocean views. National Public Lands Day is the largest single day volunteer effort for public lands in the United States.  This year more than 180,000 volunteers are expected to complete projects are more than 2,000 sites.  While the official observance was Sept. 24, various local events were scheduled before and after the official observance to accommodate localized schedules for volunteers.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Calif. legislation sets crab trap limits

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According to information received by KMUD News:
Governor Jerry Brown today signed major fisheries legislation by State Senator Noreen Evans (D- Santa Rosa) that will help ensure the economic and environmental sustainability of California’s Dungeness crab fishery. “It has been a long road getting here, but with the cooperation and close involvement of our fishermen they now have the rules they wanted  to protect the future of both our fishermen and the Dungeness crab fishery,” said Senator Evans.\

The bill, SB 369, sets crab trap limits, which will prevent large boats from out of state from swooping down early in the season and crowding out state’s fishermen.  The bill puts California on an even competitive playing field with Oregon and Washington, which already have crab trap limits. The new crab trap restrictions, which are supported by the west coast’s largest fishing and marketing association, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations as well as the Environmental Defense Fund, will over time reduce derelict gear in the water, preventing entanglements of marine mammals, and will make crab fishing less dangerous.  “Today’s signing was the culmination of a long process involving over several years hundreds of crab fishermen and processors, the Department of Fish and Game, and fishing and environmental groups, and a bipartisan legislature, “ said Senator Evans.  “I think this bill shows that disparate groups can work together to create mutually beneficial policy.”
 
SB 369 follows the recommendations of the former Dungeness Crab Task Force which met in 2010 and proposed legislation to restrict the numbers of crab traps in the water.  Under SB 369, fishermen are assigned crab trap limits based on their documented history of Dungeness crab landings.  Crab fishermen purchase crab trap permits and pay tag fees which pay for the trap tags and the administration and enforcement of the program.  Only fishermen who are eligible to own California crab vessel permits can purchase the crab trap permits.
The bill also:
  • Extends the current crab trap vessel permit program, which was due to expire in January 2012 to January 2020.  Without this extension, the Dungeness crab industry would be largely unregulated and wide open to anyone wanting to take crab for commercial purposes.
  • Reestablishes the Dungeness Crab Task Force to review current programs and issues in the industry and make recommendations to the Legislature and the Fish and Game Commission.

According to California Department of Fish and Game News Release, dated July 6, 2011:
The 2011 fishing regulations for salmon fishing on the American, Feather, Sacramento, Klamath and Trinity rivers are effective Saturday, July 16. The Fish and Game Commission adopts yearly regulations to help ensure the success of the fish and give the state’s fishing public an opportunity to enjoy this valuable resource.

The following is a summary of seasons, daily bag and possession limits on salmon:

American River:
Daily bag and possession limit of two Chinook salmon for all open areas.

  • From Nimbus Dam to Hazel Ave. bridge piers, open July 16 through Dec. 31.
  • From Hazel Ave. bridge piers to United States Geological Survey (USGS) gauging station cable 300 yards downstream of Nimbus Hatchery fish rack, open July 16 through Sept. 14, only barbless hooks may be used.
  • From USGS gauging station cable 300 yards downstream of Nimbus Hatchery fish rack to Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) power line crossing at the southwest boundary of Ancil Hoffman Park, open July 16 through Oct. 31, only barbless hooks may be used.
  • From SMUD power line crossing at the southwest boundary of Ancil Hoffman Park to Jibboom Street bridge, open July 16 through Dec. 31.
  • From Jibboom Street bridge to mouth, open July 16 through Dec. 11.
  • All other dates are closed to salmon fishing.
     

Feather River:
 Daily bag and possession limit of two Chinook salmon for all open areas.

  • From 1,000 feet below the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet to the mouth, open July 16 through Dec. 11.
  • All other areas and dates are closed to salmon fishing.
     

Sacramento River:
Daily bag and possession limit of two Chinook salmon for all open areas.

  •  From Deschutes Road bridge to 500 feet upstream of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, open Aug. 1 through Dec. 18.
  • From 150 feet below the Lower Red Bluff (Sycamore) Boat Ramp to Highway 113 bridge near Knights Landing, open July 16 through Dec. 18.
  • From the Highway 113 bridge near Knights Landing to Carquinez Bridge (includes Suisun Bay, Grizzly Bay and all tributary sloughs), open July 16 through Dec. 11.
  • All other areas and dates are closed to salmon fishing.


Klamath River:
Open to salmon fishing Jan. 1 through Aug. 14. Daily bag and possession limit of two Chinook salmon.

  • The take of salmon is prohibited on the Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam downstream to Weitchpec.
  • Open to salmon fishing from Aug. 15 through Dec. 31. Daily bag limit of three Chinook salmon of which no more than two may be over 22 inches.
  • Possession limit of nine Chinook salmon of which no more than six may be over 22 inches. The 2011 quota is 5,293 fall-run Chinook salmon over 22 inches total length.
  • A department weekly status report is available at: 1-800-564-6479. See 2011-2012 Supplement for fall-run Chinook area sub-quotas and area boundaries.


Trinity River:
Open to salmon fishing Jan. 1 through Aug 31. Daily bag and possession limit of two Chinook salmon.

  • The take of salmon is prohibited from the confluence of the South Fork Trinity River downstream to the confluence with the Klamath River from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31.
  • Open to salmon fishing from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. Daily bag limit of three Chinook salmon of which no more than two may be over 22 inches.
  • Possession limit is nine Chinook salmon of which no more than six may be over 22 inches. 2011 quota is 2,607 fall-run Chinook salmon over 22 inches total length.
  • A department weekly status report is available at: 1-800-564-6479. See 2011-2012 Supplement for fall-run Chinook area sub-quotas and area boundaries.


Mokelumne River, San Joaquin River and their Delta sloughs are closed to salmon fishing. 

Anglers must have report cards in their possession when fishing for salmon in the Trinity and Klamath rivers. All other regulations for bag and possession limits for trout, salmon and other species, as well as general information about restrictions on fishing methods and gear on the above rivers, are available on the DFG website at: www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations.

 

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