Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California and the Gold Ridge and Sotoyome Resource Conservation Districts have teamed up with a number of local government agencies, nonprofit groups, agribusinesses and landowners to improve fish habitat in five northern California watersheds. The goal is to increase salmonid populations while also sustaining productive agricultural operations.  California is one of three western states included in this program.

James Gore, NRCS Assistant Chief from Washington, D.C., attended a special event in Camp Meeker to provide information on the programs during a walking tour of the Dutch Bill Creek restoration project that has been in process since 2009. This work included removing an old fish barrier dam, constructing a new pedestrian bridge, installing rock wiers for fish migration, and other stream and habitat restoration efforts.

Funding for these projects is available to landowners in watersheds along the Russian, Lower Eel, Big River, Navarro& Garcia rivers, Gualala and Salmon rivers. These funds will be used for barrier removal, streambank stabalization and restoration, and off-stream ponds to store water for irrigation and frost protection. Landowners are not required to participate, but are encouraged to become involved on a voluntary basis. Gains in fish habitiat because of private landowner participation is evident in the current Dry Creek Habtat Restoration Project and the Biological Opinion Project progress.

Applications will be accepted at the Petaluma NRCS office until mid-March. Funding will be made available to landowners through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program – a federal cost-share program, through the Farm Bill, to help landowners implement on-farm conservation practices.

For additional information, eligible producers in these counties are encouraged to contact their local NRCS Service Center. Service center locations and more information on the programs can be found at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov. NRCS office located at 1301 Redwood Way, Suite 170, Petaluma, CA 94954.

In late 2012, a diverse set of more than two dozen government agencies, nonprofit groups and other stakeholders assembled to expand restoration efforts of salmonid habitat and historic salmon runs throughout Northern California. The Russian River Compact Executive Committee will explore a number of steps that local groups and landowners can take to improve salmonid populations to benefit both the species and local agricultural production.

The story of the Dutch Bill Creek Restoration Project is available with a slide show, video documentary, and project documents the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Site website. As part of the Dutch Bill Creek Restoration Project, a new footbridge was installed across the creek. Watch the YouTube slideshow. You can stay tuned to updates at the Camp Meeker Community web site: www.campmeeker.org

Additional information about the program, progress, and people involved can be found at the OAEC Water Institue web site: www.oaecwater.com The WATER Institute has been involved with many projects in the Dutch Bill Creek watershed such as landowner outreach and education workshops, first flush water quality monitoring, coho recovery efforts, watershed road signage installation, watershed divide display construction & installation, active membership in the Dutch Bill Creek Watershed Group and numerous watershed friendly land management projects on our own 80 acres property in the headwaters of the Dutch Bill Watershed.

Also, be sure to check out the Dutch Bill Creek Watershed Council’s website at www.dutchbillcreekwatershed.org – and the Russian River Coho Water Resources Partnership.

Volunteers, schools and more throught the adjining communities have been taking part in this ongoing restoration for the past several years. Students at Guerneville School took part by raising hatchlings then rleasing them into the creek as part of the fish restoration project. As of January 2012, endangered coho salmon, which had taken a fifty-year hiatus from spawning in Dutch Bill Creek, were spotted in the creek, and a snorkel survey of the creek in August if that year recorded a small school of wild coho on film, and the observers on the Russian River have counted at least 87 adult coho returning to that river and its tributaries (including Dutch Bill).

In December 2012, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) announced that the Russian River watershed was selected as California’s Habitat Focus Area within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) Habitat Blueprint.  NOAA’s habitat conservation experts felt that the Russian River offered the greatest opportunities for NOAA-wide collaboration on habitat conservation among the 17 candidate areas identified by the staff this fall.

This designation recognizes the Russian River watershed as one of the most promising regions in the nation for improvements in fish habitat. Efforts by volunteers at river clean-up days, adopting fish-friendly farming practices or creating habitat on private property is part of what made this region attractive to for funding and support.

The Russian River drains 1,485 square miles, including much of Sonoma and Mendocino counties and is home to three fish on the endangered and threatened species lists: coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and steelhead trout.

The habitat enhancement work includes supplementing cold water releases by providing the shady, complex habitat critical for young coho and steelhead, along with other habitat restoration and enhancement projects are being done throughout the Russian River watershed. These efforts are accompanied by extensive monitoring in order to measure success and to continually improve projects and programs.by Vesta Copestakes

Langley – Although February 2013 will mark the first time that the Bass Master Classic tournament has visited Grand Lake, that does not mean participating fishermen will be unfamiliar with the popular fishing waters. Dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

Grand Lake is always among the most popular angler destinations in Oklahoma and the surrounding region. Its 46,500 acres of water offer plenty of locations and plenty of room for landing the big one or just passing the time and wetting a hook.

Volunteers gather for instructions from the GRDA Ecosystems Management Department during a “Rush For Brush” event held in the Spring of 2012. Local anglers – both casual and professional – have seen the benefits of this GRDA program and other fisheries enhancement efforts on Grand and Hudson lakes.

Still, in recent years, the Grand River Dam Authority Ecosystems Management Department has been very active in lake-enhancement programs designed to both protect and preserve the waters of Oklahoma’s third-largest reservoir. The department was established in 2004 and has stayed busy with efforts like aquatic plant transplant programs, new oversight efforts for fishing tournaments and the very popular “Rush For Brush” artificial fish habitat effort. In late November the department also announced the first annual “Crappie Christmas” program to collect used live Christmas trees after the holidays for use at fish habitats.

“Our ‘Rush For Brush’ program is one of the most popular things we do,” said GRDA Fisheries Coordinator Brent Davis. “We seem to get more and more volunteer interest every year and it’s been very successful.”

GRDA’s efforts at fisheries enhancement have not been lost fishing enthusiasts – even those who do it professionally. Edwin Evers (Talala, Oklahoma), who will compete in the upcoming Bassmaster Classic knows the waters of Grand Lake well and also knows what it’s like to help with the GRDA’s artificial fish habitat efforts.

“The coolest thing they do to manage these lakes is they have this Rush For Brush,” said Evers. “This where volunteers come out and build habitats with materials supplied by GRDA, then fishermen can put them where they want to in the water. It’s just another thing GRDA does to make our lakes so great.”

All that habitat does make a difference in angler success. Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) releases an Oklahoma Bass Tournaments Annual Report. In the most recent report, with numbers from 2010, Grand Lake ranks third to continue “its annual showing at or near the top of our list,” states the ODWC report. In past years, GRDA’s Lake Hudson has also been a frequent visitor to the top 10 list. In other words, a standard answer to the age-old question “where are they biting?” can almost always be “Grand and Hudson.”

Meanwhile, GRDA’s efforts to help manage catches at all those tournaments are also good for the lakes, said Evers.

“The other thing I think makes a big difference in why Grand Lake is so good is how GRDA manages the summer months,” said Evers. “During those times when fish are caught deep and water temperatures are really high, they limit the amount of fish that can come in during a tournament. They go from a five fish limit to a four fish limit in June and July. Then, they take it to a three fish limit in August when it’s the absolute hottest. When you do that, there is a lot less stress on the fish.”

All those efforts help GRDA to meet not only its ecosystems management mission but they also aid the economic development mission. A good tournament reputation helps bring in more tournaments, which bring in more dollars to the lake area. Of course, the upcoming Bassmaster Classic has the reputation as the biggest and most prestigious of all.

Davis, who works closely with tournament officials on GRDA lakes, said larger, more prestigious tournaments like the Classic equal even more money spent per angler, per day.

“I am going to say $300 to $400 per day,” he said, pointing out that those numbers are just for the anglers themselves, and do not include the dollars spent by the fans who attend the events.

All those people will get to experience one of the best lakes to be found, said Evers.

“When I think of Grand, what pops in my mind is one of the premier lakes in the country,” he said. “It’s as good as it possibly gets.”

With a continued focus on good management practices, and ongoing programs that involve lake-area stakeholders, GRDA is working to keep it that way.
Headquartered in Vinita, GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes.

Directly or indirectly, GRDA’s low-cost, reliable; electricity serves nearly 500,000 homes in Oklahoma and stretches into 75 of 77 counties in the state. At no cost to Oklahoma taxpayers, GRDA also manages 70,000 surface acres of lakes in the state, including Grand Lake, Lake Hudson and the W.R. Holway Reservoir. Today, GRDA’s 500 employees continue to produce the same “power for progress” that has benefited the state for 75-plus years.

National Fish Habitat Action Plan, Second Edition

The revised Action Plan is built on the success and experience of our Partners.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) August 29, 2012

The National Fish Habitat Board today released the second edition of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (Action Plan), setting forth a mission-critical approach to conserving the nation’s aquatic resources for the future. The original National Fish Habitat Action Plan, created in 2006, carried a great vision forward to protect, restore and enhance aquatic habitats through partnerships. While the original Plan met its objectives set forth in 2010, the mission and goals of the plan remain the same and are the foundation of the second edition of the Plan for 2012 and beyond.

The second edition of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan is built on the foundation of advancing the conservation practices of the individual National Fish Habitat Partnerships, the working units of the National Fish Habitat Partnership. The five new objectives in the Plan include:

• • Achieve measurable habitat conservation results through strategic actions of Fish Habitat Partnerships that improve ecological condition, restore natural processes, or prevent the decline of intact and healthy systems leading to better fish habitat conditions and increased fishing opportunities.

• • Establish a consensus set of national conservation strategies as a framework to guide future actions and investment by the Fish Habitat Partnerships by 2013.

• • Broaden the community of support for fish habitat conservation by increasing fishing opportunities, fostering the participation of local communities – especially young people – in conservation activities, and raising public awareness of the role healthy fish habitats play in the quality of life and economic well-being of local communities.

• • Fill gaps in the National Fish Habitat Assessment and its associated database to empower strategic conservation action supported by broadly available scientific information, and integrate socio-economic data in the analysis to improve people’s lives in a manner consistent with fish habitat conservation goals.

• Communicate the conservation outcomes produced collectively by Fish Habitat Partnerships as well as new opportunities and voluntary approaches for conserving fish habitat to the public and conservation partners.

The second edition of the Action Plan details how the new objectives will be implemented. The Plan also highlights conservation “Partnership in Action” stories from Fish Habitat Partnerships to provide insight into their work on the ground. Other sections explain the functions of the National Fish Habitat Board and Partnerships and the critical role of science and data and effective communications to guide activities. Interesting facts and figures related to the National Fish Habitat Partnership, recreational and commercial fishing fill out the rest of the Plan. See the dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

“The revised Action Plan is built on the success and experiences of our Partners,” said Kelly Hepler, Chairman of the National Fish Habitat Board and Assistant Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “Creating and maintaining these Partnerships is the foundation of the Action Plan and will be the primary focus as we address conservation needs for our nation’s waterways now and into the future.”

The National Fish Habitat Board, Fish Habitat Partnerships, federal and state natural resource agencies, conservation organizations and the National Fish Habitat Partner Coalition participated in the selection process of the revised Plan objectives. The release of the revised Action Plan coincides with the launch of the updated National Fish Habitat Partnership website at http://www.fishhabitat.org.

To view and download a PDF of the revised Action Plan, visit http://www.fishhabitat.org/images/nfhp_ap_final.pdf.

About the National Fish Habitat Partnership
The National Fish Habitat Partnership (http://www.fishhabitat.org) works to conserve fish habitat nationwide—leveraging federal, state and private funding sources to achieve the greatest impact on fish populations through priority conservation projects. The national partnership implements the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and supports 18 regional grassroots partner organizations.

For a long time, this half-mile stretch of river in Keene Valley was growing broader and shallower, filling with sediment and gravel as its banks eroded and fell in, eating the land of Rivermede Farm at a rate of several feet a year and losing habitat for fish, amphibians and reptiles.

Beginning in July, 2012, large trees were dug out of the ground nearby and imbedded in the riverbank, root wads facing into the stream as fish habitat, the trunks buried side by side to stabilize the bank.

Photo/Martha Allen/Lake Placid News

Carl Schwartz, of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, leads a tour of the recently completed Rivermede riverbank stabilization and restoration project on the east branch of the Ausable River in Keene Valley Thursday, Aug. 16.

“Fish, llittle minnows and bigger fish, appeared immediately, as soon as the habitat was restored,” said Corrie Miller, director of the Ausable River Association.

At the toe of the bank, underwater, where they will not decay, logs are buried, covered with a layer of woody debris and fill, live cuttings, and then a sod mat of jute or similar material, for the cuttings to grow through. This constitutes a bench, which deflects water currents, preventing scouring of the bank.

As plant life grows, it will stabilize the bank further. Every boulder, natural as it looks, was scientifically placed to maneuver the current just so, preventing scouring of the bank and moving the water, and sediment, in a way that benefits the river and its environs.

Riverbank stabilization experts used to think it was all about water dynamics.

“Now we know it’s also about sediment being moved and deposited,” Miller said.

Flood plain room is allowed for seasonal overflow of water and sediment; floods cannot be prevented, nor can they be contained or controlled with straight channeling.

“We want to make it look as if we were never here,” Schwartz said.

Miller said that willow shoots were planted to stabilize the bank, and started sprouting leaves right away. Willows root easily and quickly along a riverbank. More plantings will be made next spring, she said.

According to Braico and Schwartz, this design has a better chance of holding than older, less natural methods. Everyone concerned seemed to be crossing fingers that another major weather event will not take place before this restoration settles in and takes hold.

Thursday, Aug. 16, two days after completion, tours were held at the site to explain what had been done to restore natural riparian (riverbank) equilibrium. About 80 people attended the tours.

Rob Hastings, Rivermede farmer, who has contributed time and money to the effort over the years, was present. He expressed his happiness that the project is done and that the river looks so beautiful, as well as his hope that it will hold.

Instruction was given by John Braico of Trout Unlimited and Carl Schwartz of F&W. Corrie Miller, Director of the Ausable River Association, Tonnie Sauca, standing in for David Reckahn of Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Martha Naley, of F&W, were also helpful in explaining the project and the science behind it to participants.

The Keene Town Board, represented by Councilman Paul Martin, presented Braico with a plaque in recognition of his years of service and extensive volunteer work on this project.

Former Keene Supervisor Tom Both, who presided over the early planning days of the “Rivermede Project,” praised Braico at the August town board meeting, stating that Braico has “devoted thousands of hours to this project over 15 years.”

In 1998, Trout Unlimited began initial studies of the problem.

The Army Corps of Engineers became involved with the project in 2005, then finally withdrew in 2012 because the town could not come up with sufficient funding for the Army Corps plan. That same month, Trout Unlimited approached U.s. Fish & Wildlife Service, asking to partner with them to do a different version of the stalled 15-year project within a modest budget.

Between July 14 and August 14, 2012, inside 23 work days, under the direction of US Fish & Wildlife Service and Trout Unlimited, Ward logging LLC, under Michael Ward, harvested and staged whole trees, logs and boulders from the Rivermede area and performed active construction. Seeding and mulching was done by TU, F&W and Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District.

There is no riprap at this site. All materials are from the neighborhood, following a healthy, natural river model. According to Trout Unlimited information, extreme floods are increasing in frequency, and methods including dredging, straightening, laterally confining, vertically entrenching and overwidening stream beds are unstable and can cause destruction to roads, bridges and buildings in major floods.

As an example, containment of the Ausable’s East Branch at its present width of 176′ would entail dredging to 19.4,’ according to TU statistics.

With unpredictable weather patterns that have been bringing frequent “100-year storms,” probably everyone in town is, like Rob Hastings of Rivermede, thankful and at the same time hoping it will work.

Funding for the project was provided primarily by The Adirondack Chapter of trout Unlimited, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Essex County. Additional financial support was provided by Trout Unlimited of Tri Lakes, Lake Champlain and New York City, as well as Rivermede Farm, the town of Keene and the Ausable River Association.MARTHA ALLEN , Lake Placid News

See the dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com