The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

WTF is going on?? Bjorn, you will need to get a bigger drum. Letter is below:

McCloud RiverKeepers
protecting aquatic habitat, fisheries and fishers

To: All Fishers September 24, 2009

Re: Protecting Native & Wild Trout Waters and Your Fishing Season

The McCloud River is one of the few remaining unique, historical, near-perfect aquatic habitats and fisheries in the world. And regardless of its notoriety and importance, its habitat is being threatened. Just as many other rivers have been harmed and fishing season lost to whitewater kayaking enthusiasts supported by the US Forest Service and State Water Resources Control Board in hydropower relicensings. What can you do to help prevent continued harm to fisheries and the give-away of your licensed fishing rights?

The McCloud RiverKeepers (MRK) is a non-profit, stewardship group of fishers, guides, fishing clubs, organizations and businesses whose purpose is to protect the aquatic habitat of the McCloud River’s historical, world-renowned, world-class fishery, and, fishers rights to a State licensed fishing season.

After learning that increased, excessive whitewater flows and a powerhouse were being proposed for the McCloud. MRK formed and became a registered Relicensing Participant in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) relicensing of PG&E’s hydroelectric facilities on the McCloud and Pit Rivers - FERC Project 2106 in June 2008. Our singular mission began to prevent relicensing results as those on the American, Mokelumne, Stanislaus, Yuba, Feather, NF Feather, Pit 1, and most recently the Pit - Project 233 (powerhouses 3, 4 & 5). Beginning in 2011, Project 233’s new 50 year FERC license will increase base flows from 150cfs to 400cfs throughout the fishing season and includes 9 weekend of whitewater events with flows of 1,500cfs which will affect fishing for longer, unknown periods of time. What’s known is that the Pit’s relicensing study, test kayaking flows in August 2002 caused the elimination of this aquatic habitat’s two largest macroinvertebrates - the isonychia (slate drake) and dicosmoecus (October caddis).

Visit our website www.mccloudriverkeepers.org for more detailed information on the history of whitewater flows, FERC relicensings and MRK positions. We need your support of MRK in this relicensing because our native and wild trout fisheries continue to be harmed and destroyed, and, our licensed fishing season continues to be lost; taken away …..
….. by US Forest Service and State Water Resource Control Board’s discretionary policy of mandating
un-natural, excessive, damaging whitewater flows in FERC relicensings
.…. because fishers have not represented themselves and participated in FERC relicensings

Current relicensing positions are that PG&E prefers to maintain the existing 50 year license stream flows. The US Forest Service and State Water Board are proposing un-natural, excessive whitewater flows and for PG&E to build kayaking put-ins and take-outs below McCloud Reservoir Dam and at AhDiNa; and providing a kayaking campground on USFS land below The Nature Conservancy’s property. If required to increase existing flows, PG&E will build a hydroelectric facility below McCloud Dam to generate power from reservoir water no longer tunneled to the existing three powerhouses on the Pit; causing unnecessary costs to ratepayers.

Our goal is to protect this near-perfect aquatic habitat and fishery and prevent un-natural, regulated flows solely for the benefit of a conflicting recreational activity on this relatively small stream. Flows known to damage fisheries, and, that dramatically effect and reduce our State licensed fishing season. We believe the fishing community needs to voice its opinion to the US Forest Service and State Water Board in objection to their discretionary policy of creating whitewater amusement parks in State designated and protected Wild Trout Waters.

Whitewater kayaking is an often dangerous recreational activity; three deaths on the North Fork Feather since 2001 and two helicopter evacuations of professional kayakers participating in the Whitewater relicensing study test flows on the Pit. Whitewater kayaking is a faddish pursuit whose participation has dropped over 50% in the last 7 years to 0.4% of the US population compared to 21.7% by freshwater fishers. Despite the dramatic expansion of kayaking opportunities in CA to the 348 locations listed on American Whitewater’s website. More opportunities than there are native and wild trout streams for a fraction of users.

We the fishing community need to become more knowledgeable, acknowledge losses and continued threats, and become involved. This whitewater flows relicensing problem has existed for many years, grown in magnitude, and needs to be confronted. Within the next 10 years there will be over 50 more FERC hydroelectric relicensings in CA.
The culmination of this relicensing process is near. Relicensing meetings are scheduled for October 21, and tentatively for the 22nd and November 4-5. MRK offers you the opportunity to help protect one of the premier, world-class trout streams in America for a small effort on your part. Please take a moment to respond This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and simply let us know if we may include you, your organization, and/or your company as a supporter of MRK. We will participate for you. However, we need and appreciate your support, numbers matter. We also welcome anyone who wishes to more actively participate with us.

You can attend the most important relicensing meeting on dam releases, stream flows, gauging and ramping rates on October 21, and tentatively the 22nd, from 10am-3pm, at Oxford Suites Hotel, 1967 Hilltop Drive in Redding. Check website Info section for updates/changes. You are also invited to attend MRK’s meeting with PG&E from 6-8pm on October 20th at Oxford Suites. PG&E will be explaining their stream flow studies, related issues and answering questions.

Sincerely,

Dennis Amato, Director
McCloud RiverKeepers
(707) 525-9310
PS: Also attached to this email is MRK’s letter to the Department of Fish & Game requesting that the McCloud River be recognized as, and given the designation of, "Heritage Trout Water". If you agree, please send a brief statement supporting our letter to Donald Koch, Director of DFG at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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McCloud RiverKeepers

September 17, 2009

Donald Koch, Director
Department of Fish and Game via email
1416 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Re: McCloud River

Heritage Trout Water Status

Mr. Koch,

The McCloud RiverKeepers (MRK) is a non-profit, stewardship group of individuals, organizations, fishing clubs and recreational companies. Our purpose is the protection and enhancement of the aquatic habitat of the McCloud River and its historic, unique, world renowned, world-class fishery.

Our organization’s hundreds of years of collective knowledge and appreciation of this river’s historic and continued significance and world-class status cause us to formally request that the McCloud River above and below McCloud Reservoir be given the recognition it is due as "Heritage Trout Water" by the Fish and Game Commission.

We believe Heritage designation is more than deserved; it is long over-do. The McCloud’s current world-class status is in part based upon its being the world’s most influential natural fish hatchery; which resulted in the transplanting of its native trout and salmon throughout the United States, many European countries, Japan, Chile, Argentina and New Zealand. Prior to Shasta and McCloud dams it contained seven species of salmonoids – six being native. Of which the Redband rainbow, Dolly Varden and Bull trout being specie-specific only to the McCloud; plus wild Brown trout introduced in the late 1800’s.

It is our understanding that the DNA studies on McCloud Redbands in Goose and Warner Creeks and other tributaries are still in process. We additionally request that the results of this study be extended to include the McCloud below McCloud Reservoir Diversion Dam. Because of our first-hand knowledge of the vertebrates in both the upper and lower reaches of the river, it is our common belief that Redbands exist throughout this river system. The existence of the McCloud Rainbow as a separate species could then also be scientifically confirmed and classified.

Please let us know your thoughts and reactions to our requests. We would also appreciate knowing how we can get more detailed information and be kept up-to-date on the status of the Redband DNA study?

Sincerely,

Dennis Amato
Director, McCloud RiverKeepers
(707) 525-9310

Cc: Gary Stacey, Regional Manager
Neil Manji, Fisheries Branch Chief

Hey Gitt, Just saw this... first I've heard of this group. That things were going to change has been known for a long time, but it is the specifics that aren't mentioned that leave questions. They say excessive flows... well... what's that? Is any deviation excessive or do they have a threshold that they find excessive? I won't have the time to look at their full site until later tonight. From the studies I've seen the fishing turns to crap at 450 cfs and the boating isn't good until 750 or 800... so, there isn't much middle ground.

There are also some thinly veiled attacks against Curtis Knight and the CA director of TU, calling them boaters and implying that they don't give a damn about the fish, which, let's face it, is just crap.

I can't wait to hear from all the folks that don't like me... this topic usually brings them out of the woodwork.

I'd add that the group speaks in conspiratorial terms about the California Hydro Power Reform Coalition, which is just loony.

Bjorn wrote:
Hey Gitt, Just saw this... first I've heard of this group. That things were going to change has been known for a long time, but it is the specifics that aren't mentioned that leave questions. They say excessive flows... well... what's that? Is any deviation excessive or do they have a threshold that they find excessive? I won't have the time to look at their full site until later tonight. From the studies I've seen the fishing turns to crap at 450 cfs and the boating isn't good until 750 or 800... so, there isn't much middle ground.

There are also some thinly veiled attacks against Curtis Knight and the CA director of TU, calling them boaters and implying that they don't give a damn about the fish, which, let's face it, is just crap.

I can't wait to hear from all the folks that don't like me... this topic usually brings them out of the woodwork.


There isn't much middle ground and the white water river rapers aren't going to back down until they get their way. We will see wwf on the Mccloud and there is nothing any of us can do to stop it. American whitewater is way more organized and has money to burn.

I talked at length last night to a friend of mine who was involved in the recreation studies, who guides most days of the year and who understands the system.

He thinks this group is a bunch of wack'o's. There are no day-in-day-out guides on that list of supporters (at least none he recognized, or that I recognized). I'd be shocked if The Fly Shop really wanted to support these guys.

What my friend thought was going to be likely was that the flows would be gauged at the dam, as opposed to Hawkins Creek. Currently, the river is gauged at Hawkins and that allows PG&E to release very little water above that when Hawkins is flowing heavy... as little as 30-40 cfs. They will likely have to release a base of 150 or so, from the dam, and Hawkins will provide all the seasonal variability. That would mean higher flows as runoff dictates.

This was my friends speculation and until I actually see the numbers, the hard info, I won't know any more.

The stuff about the powerhouse that they talk about, I talked about that months and months ago, so, that's not news. A powerhouse isn't, on its own, an issue.

Can't wait to hear all the positive and supportive comments.

Bjorn wrote:
I'd add that the group speaks in conspiratorial terms about the California Hydro Power Reform Coalition, which is just loony.

Bjorn put down the coolaid you have been fed by F.O.R. The CHRC was of no help to the fisherman on THe NFFR in fact they sold us out. Also dont even try to paint these guys as a bunch of loons I know several of them and they are stand up individuals.

I'm drinking coffee, not coolaid.

To say the CHRC is some sort of money bags that owns CT, FOR, TU or any other organization is just ignorant. Really, it shows a total lack of understanding of the nonprofit sector or nonprofit finances.

You may feel the CHRC didn't help on the NFF. I can't speak to that and I'm not going to address what happened there.

I can simply say that the idea, as this new org in McCloud is saying, of the CHRC controlling anything because of some financial tie is just pure fiction. Really, it's just total make-believe. Might as well start talking about fairies and wish to Santa Clause for better fisheries.

I'm trying to get the hard numbers on flows. That will tell the whole story and is what matters.

Bjorn wrote:
I'm drinking coffee, not coolaid.

To say the CHRC is some sort of money bags that owns CT, FOR, TU or any other organization is just ignorant. Really, it shows a total lack of understanding of the nonprofit sector or nonprofit finances.

You may feel the CHRC didn't help on the NFF. I can't speak to that and I'm not going to address what happened there.

I can simply say that the idea, as this new org in McCloud is saying, of the CHRC controlling anything because of some financial tie is just pure fiction. Really, it's just total make-believe. Might as well start talking about fairies and wish to Santa Clause for better fisheries.

I'm trying to get the hard numbers on flows. That will tell the whole story and is what matters.


Ok so put down the Latte, cough over the keys to your Prius and turn in your man card. You were shoveled a bunch of crap at FOR
we all know AW runs the CHRC they have precedent and the forest service on their side. The forest service and Parks people are Kayakers. Troutnut has proof he has pics of a forest service truck with a kayak in the back of it.

There is no point in having this conversation with you, clearly.