(Healdsburg, CA) During the next week, construction will start on the first phase of a six-mile habitat enhancement project in the Dry Creek Valley. The purpose of the project, which is being conducted by the Sonoma County Water Agency (Water Agency) in cooperation with private landowners and by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is to provide habitat for endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead and Chinook. During the first phase of this multi-year project, an estimated 560 tons of boulders and 202 trees, root wads and logs will be used to create backwaters, side channels and shady habitat for the young fish that live in Dry Creek during the summer.

“This is a massive enhancement project that will provide big benefits for fish on the brink of extinction in our area,” said Sonoma County Supervisor and Water Agency Director Mike McGuire. “Dry Creek Valley farmers deserve tremendous thanks for their partnership and willingness to move this project forward.”

“We are excited to be starting construction on a project that should provide immediate help to the coho and steelhead raised at hatcheries at Warm Spring Dam and released into Dry Creek and its tributaries,” said Lt. Col John Baker, commander of the USACE San Francisco District. See the dozens of unique habitat models at fishiding.com

The habitat enhancement is required by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to help restore endangered and threatened fish to the watershed. The first phase of Dry Creek habitat enhancement involves two projects, as follows:

• The Water Agency Dry Creek Demonstration Project is centered on Lambert Bridge and is nearly one-mile in length. Construction in 2012 will take place at Quivira Winery and Vineyards. The Laytonville-based firm Bio-Engineering Associates is conducting the work at Quivira, which will be complete by mid-October. Work on the majority of the Dry Creek Demonstration Project will take place during 2013.

• The USACE project (known as the “Reach 15” project, for its location directly below Warm Springs Dam) is 1,400 feet long and is located on property owned by USACE. Contractor Services Group is overseeing construction which will take place through mid-October and during summer 2013.

Elements of the projects include bank stabilization to reduce erosion, boulders and anchored log jams to provide refuge and to slow the water, constructed backwaters and side channels to give the young fish places to escape summer and winter high flows, and native plants to reduce erosion and create shade.

“The habitat enhancements fit into Quivira’s holistic approach to grape growing and wine making. By improving Dry Creek, we improve the health of the land, helping both people and fish,” said Quivira Winery representative Ned Horton.

The majority of work on the Water Agency’s Dry Creek Demonstration Project will occur in 2013, and involves several landowners including Amista Vineyards, Dry Creek Vineyard, Rued Winery, Seghesio Family Vineyards and Yellow Dog Vineyards. The demonstration project also includes individual landowners Doug Lipton and Cindy Daniels, Carole and Geno Mascherini, Peter and Marian Van Alyea and Ron Wolmer.

When complete, the Dry Creek Demonstration Project and Reach 15 Project will serve as the first mile of habitat enhancement of the six miles required in NMFS’ Russian River Biological Opinion. The Biological Opinion was issued in 2008, and requires the Water Agency and the USACE to improve habitat for juvenile coho and steelhead in Dry Creek as an alternative to reducing summertime flows in the creek. (The high velocity of water flowing in Dry Creek in the summer was found by NMFS’ biologists to be detrimental to the survival of young coho and steelhead.)

“By breaking ground for this project the agency partners and landowners are reaching an important milestone on the road to conservation of our Russian River coho salmon and steelhead. This investment will not only benefit our fisheries, but is also an investment in the overall health of our watershed,” said Dick Butler, National Marine Fisheries Service.

Since nearly all of the 14-mile Dry Creek is privately owned, the required six miles of habitat enhancement is dependent on cooperative landowners. The demonstration project and the Reach 15 project will allow landowners, the Water Agency, the USACE, NMFS and California Department of Fish and Game to observe how enhancements work on a smaller scale.

“The coho broodstock program and stream enhancement projects in the Russian River watershed, including these important projects in Dry Creek, contribute greatly to coho salmon conservation. By enhancing and creating this habitat, we are improving conditions for coho and providing people more opportunities to enjoy and participate in coho habitat restoration successes,” said Scott Wilson, Acting Regional Manager, California Department of Fish and Game.

Dry Creek residents who notice any problems or who have immediate concerns regarding construction issues are urged to contact the Water Agency public information officer, Ann DuBay at (707) 524-8378, ann.dubay@scwa.ca.gov , or the USACE onsite engineer, Carlos Hernandez at (707) 431-4550 orCarlos.R.Hernandez@usace.army.mil.

Laytonville-based Bio-Engineering Associates specializes in construction of creek restoration and habitat enhancement features that also help reduce erosion. Several of the firm’s projects have been on major creeks located within vineyards.

Contractor Services Group, located in West Sacramento, is a full-service contracting company with experience in conducting large-scale restoration projects.

To learn more about NMFS’ Biological Opinion and Dry Creek requirements go to http://www.scwa.ca.gov/drycreek/. For additional details on the demonstration project, go tohttp://www.scwa.ca.gov/files/docs/projects/rrifr/DryCreek-Habitat.pdf.

Sonoma County Water Agency provides water supply, flood protection and sanitation services for portions of Sonoma and Marin counties. Visit us on the Web at www.sonomacountywater.org.

Ann DuBay

Public Information Officer
Office: (707) 524-8378
Mobile: (707) 322-8185
Email: ann.dubay@scwa.ca.gov

KEENE VALLEY – At last. The Rivermede Project – officially known as the East Branch Ausable River Restoration Project at Rivermede – is essentially done.

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

DENR Fears Man Made Structures Killing Fish Habitat

BILL HITCHCOCK AUGUST 27, 2012

US – A new report by Ecotrust has found that watershed and fish habitat restoration in Oregon has created jobs and generated $977.5 million in economic activity between 2001 and 2010.

“Restoration can drive economic development and job creation, particularly in rural communities that have suffered from persistently high unemployment rates,” said Spencer B. Beebe, president and founder of Ecotrust. “And, unlike in many other sectors of our economy, restoration jobs can’t be outsourced to far-off places.” See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

Restoration projects create jobs for construction workers, landscapers, heavy equipment operators, and technical experts such as engineers and wildlife biologists. Restoration projects also create demand for local businesses, such as plant nurseries, quarries, and others.

Restoring habitat also benefits the economy in the long term. Habitat improvements intended to bolster fish runs promise to increase sport and commercial fishing opportunities in the coming years — already big business in Oregon.

“Habitat restoration jobs pay dividends twice, first in creating good, local jobs immediately, and then, for many decades to come, through increased benefits from fisheries, tourism and resiliency for coastal communities,” said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for fisheries for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA provides technical expertise and funding to restore coastal, marine, and migratory fish habitat in Oregon and around the nation.

A recent national study published in Marine Policy analysing job creation and other economic impacts from NOAA restoration projects found that an average of 17 jobs were created for $1 million invested. That rate of job creation is significantly higher than other industries, including coal, natural gas, or road and bridge construction.

Congressman Earl Blumenhauer, who represents Oregon’s third district and recently introduced HR 6249, the “Water Protection and Reinvestment Act,” a bill that calls for investment in clean water infrastructure across the nation, commented: “For too long, we have treated our rivers and waterways like machines to the detriment of water quality and quantity. Investing in restoration not only improves habitat for fish and wildlife, it creates jobs and bring much needed revenue to local communities. Oregon has tremendous opportunities for restoration that can serve as a model for the rest of the nation.”

A recent University of Oregon report found that an average of 90 cents of every dollar spent on restoration stays in the state, and 80 cents of every dollar spent stays in the county where a project is located. For example, of the nearly $400,000 invested to restore Little Butte Creek in Southern Oregon from 2009–2011, 72 per cent was spent in Jackson County, and 97 per cent was expended in Oregon. Over half of those dollars went to salaries that directly benefit Oregonians.

Mike Herrick, Owner of Aquatic Contracting said: “Over the last 10 years, restoration projects have allowed us to provide sustainable livings for our employees. They can use their skills in construction and feel good about what they are doing. We have grown from just a couple of employees to as many as 20. Without this funding we would not be able to provide these opportunities and support the local economies where we work.”

TheFishSite News Desk 27 August 2012

Dear friends,

I was recently contacted by J Harmon, President of the Protect lake Dunlap association in New Braunfels,Texas. He explained to me their struggle with the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority over existing small diameter standing timber being hazardous to recreation use. Apparently, The GBRA has denied the cutting of these stumps to protect fish habitat and recommends marking these areas off to boat use which has the residents upset.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

The PLDA’s plan is to draw down the reservoir and shorten the existing hazards about eight feet from normal surface elevation. I’m told there are hundreds of them and already have caused many accidents and property damage. J says the average depth is about 15 feet, so when cut, they would still stick up about 6-8 feet off the bottom, root ball intact.

After cutting, they plan to set one of our PVC habitat units on the remaining stump and fasten it there for good. This would increase the square footage of surface area approximately three times. The thinking is, with our units within six feet of the surface as water fluctuates, boats, skiers and water craft will be safe, including the fish. J and the group understand the benefits of not only keeping as much existing habitat as possible but to continue to add more habitat. The cut off tops would be kept and fastened to the remaining trunk too.

They have a full understanding of the science behind periphyton, nutrient removal and fish production and feel unwavering in their decision to work with only us in their efforts.

Senator Jeff Wentworth supports PLDA. With his intervention and the phone call from Gov. Rick Perry, GBRA’s action item #8 was tabled. The PLDA has been granted 30 days, (less now) to present their case for a final decision of what will be allowed. The General Manager and staff continue to meet with representatives of Lake Dunlap, enforcement officers, and fishery experts to evaluate the current no-wake area designation and alternative options to provide water safety and assure a balance of all uses including the preservation of fishery habitat and funding mechanisms, and to continue to review and develop alternatives that address congestion and lake boating conflict uses on Lake Dunlap and to report back to the Board at its next regularly scheduled meeting in August 2012.

What I’m asking of you once again is your opinion, hopefully your support. Can you find any adverse effects of removing these hazardous stumps as long as the habitat is replaced in other ways/forms? Can you comment on the benefits of the artificial habitat we produce and results you have seen? What can we expect to see in a 300 % increase in available cover for the fishery? With our help, the PLDA intends to present their plan for approval as a landmark decision for the state of Texas. Safety for the residents and fish is the priority of both sides, in that order. All parties involved want to save and increase fish habitat. Wood is good, just not where people get hurt. Send replies to either Jarod or myself at david@fishiding.com Thanks.

Here are some links to the information as well as Jerod Harmon’s contact information:
news story:
http://www.ksat.com/news/Lake-Dunlap-res…rz/-/index.htmlhttp://www.plda.org/index.htmlhttps://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.plda.org%2Ffiles%2Fstump_removal_procedure.pdfhttp://www.gbra.org/
jrharmon123@yahoo.com
713-202-8870

Webster Lake weed kill devastates plant life.

A few weeks ago, my wife Renee’ and I took a trip to Shepherd Montana, headquarters of  Floating Island International Inc. We had been invited to stay on the ranch and to see for ourselves how Bruce Kania and his wife Anne, are growing huge fish fast with a woven matrix of inert substrates called BioHaven, or Floating Treatment Wetlands. I had been in contact with Bruce for some time, learning about how excessive nutrients brought in from runoff can be turned into fresh, tasty fish. Not only do the Kania’s grow fish, but frogs, minnows, pheasant, deer and all species of waterfowl prosper in their efforts. Even Yellowstone cutthroat trout flourish in this superior environment, along with crappie and perch and various minnows.

See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the leader in proven science based, fish protection.

The setting was breathtaking, Mule deer and whitetail browsing on the thousands of perennial plants Bruce has planted for their benefit and soil stability. Over time these plants die off and return each spring, contributing to the rich organic soils being built up. Sprawling channels and wetlands run throughout the property, slowly beginning to filter and absorb the high levels of nutrients. When the water enters the property, it is dark and cloudy like chocolate.

Ducks of all varieties, geese, snipe, vulture, pheasant and more, have taken up residency in this oasis of prime habitat, with no intention of ever leaving. With Bruce being a veteran trapper, predators are being kept in check, protecting the desired species. With the Yellowstone River along one property line, this place is an outdoorsman’s paradise.

Stewardship of our natural resources is the core of the work being undertaken at Shepherd Ranch. We were there to catch and eat a bunch of these fish, helping them ultimately remove the phosphorus and nitrogen that causes excessive weed growth and poor water quality. Bruce and I dreamed big about someday soon, this concept of abundant, mass fish harvest to clean our Nation’s waters and beyond.

The data shows that over 50% of our Nation’s waterways are considered eutrophic and in trouble, meaning highly excessive weed growth and nutrient concentrations. Dark, stained and sometimes smelly water are all results of an unbalanced system. More information about our Nation’s waters are available on the National Fish Habitat Action Plan website, a wealth of details everyone is affected by.

When we began producing artificial fish habitat products made from reclaimed PVC siding called Fishiding, the ability to grow algae immediately on the inert surface area, appealed to the fisherman. Like myself, the average fisherman understands that habitat with good algae growth seems to hold more fish. It wasn’t until reading more and talking to Bruce that I began to understand the big picture of why this holds true.

These nutrients stick to surfaces underwater and create the beginning of the food chain called periphyton. Many forms of this wonderful natural, filter and food factory are present. Algae, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, zoo plankton and other invertebrates, function as a community highly efficient in capturing and processing nutrients. When I say processing, this means turning it into food of the highest quality found on earth. The more fish graze on it, it grows faster, decreasing bio mass and the fish grow at alarming rates, making the water clearer.

Numerous types of periphtyon are present, some require light to thrive and some do best in the dark. The more surface area available, the more periphyton can grow and work its magic. Pretend the floating island is a supermarket, the more shelves available the more food can be stocked for consumption. Small fish and fry eat this “super food” until about age one, when they begin to forage on larger minnows and bugs. Periphyton is the “mother’s milk” needed to start life full of nourishment.

This process has been perfected in second and third world countries. We are lacking in knowledge here in the states, but it’s improving with over 4400 of these floating treatment wetlands installed here and worldwide.

Think about all the ponds and lakes in your area. Golfcoarse ponds, retention ponds, private and public, there are many. Some are clear and deep with a balanced mesotrophic or oligotrophic eco system. The other 50% eutrophic waters, could be teaming with fish and every citizen is asked to help keep them clean…..by catching as many fish as you can eat, and removing them! The fish also reproduce faster than normal, so there is no worry of running out. Fish Fry Lake is living, thriving proof of this for all to see. Renee’ and I caught over 500 fish in less than eight hours of fishing. If your hook was in the water, it was being attacked by one or more gorgeous perch or crappie. From 6-8” one year olds, to 12-14” plus jumbos! Remember, this is in Montana not Lake Michigan, the only other place I have ever seen perch of this size. Perch and Crappie were abundant to say the least, with a perch containing about one percent live weight of phosphorus. The name “Fish Fry Lake” more than lives up to its name. Remember, this works with no chemicals, win,win,win…….

This natural cause and effect has other uses too. Bioswales also made by FII,  are used in ditches and swales to slow down erosion as water runs through it, similar to adding hay bales in a ditch after new construction. The difference in using the inert matrix, patented by FII, is that as the bioswales slow down the water, the periphyton forms and begins to consume the over abundant nutrients, cleaning the water as it passes through slowly. Unlike the hay bales, the matrix never breaks down, which would add to the nutrient load in the waterway. Same with weeds, as they decompose, they remove oxygen from the water and add fertile organic matter that acts like fertilizer. Inert substrates like the matrix material used in the Floating islands, never breakdown and keep working year round to feed the fish and clean the water.

One of the optimal ways that FTWs can transition nutrients from water to beneficial use is to grow bacterial biofilm rather than floating algae.  Bacterial biofilms grow faster than algae when their limiting parameters are satisfied, and when they have adequate circulation and surface area for growth.  With appropriate stewardship, they also are an improved primary food source for fish (Azim 2005).

Circulation increases bacterial efficiency by bringing nutrients such as dissolved oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus to the biofilm.

A single 1000-square-foot BioHaven Floating Island can provide over 18 acres of strategic “concentrated wetland effect” surface area.

As demonstrated in field-scale case studies, waterways containing FTWs remove contaminants (pollutants) such as ammonia, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Biochemical/Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD/COD) and total suspended solids (TSS).  These studies have included municipal wastewater, storm water, lakes and agricultural runoff.  FTWs have demonstrated the ability to simultaneously remove all of these contaminants, due to their complex biofilms containing both aerobic and anoxic bacteria.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels are higher when inert substrate are used rather than organic substrates like wood, due to oxygen consumption during organic carbon uptake by biofilms.  Inert substrates like BioHaven polymer matrix, can provide a more precise ability to initiate movement of a waterway’s nutrient load up the food chain. Periphyton moves nutrients up the food chain better than does synthetic fish food.

The bottom line is this. To ultimately remove these unwanted nutrients, fish have to be harvested. Not all lakes have these issues, but in Eutrophic lakes, the fish contain these nutrients and have to be caught and eaten to keep up with the periphyton growth. A perch for example, contains about 1% live weight of phosphorus. By removing enough fish to equal one pound of this chemical which is safe for humans and needed for strong bones, about 700 pounds of aquatic vegetation never gets a chance to grow. No chemicals or weed harvesting just fishing and keeping them for the table. Would you be willing to help clean your neighborhood pond by catching and eating some fresh fish? It’s a reality and is being performed at an alarming rate at Fish Fry Lake. We flew home with only one checked bag, 50 pounds of fresh fillets.

Clean water  entering the Yellowstone River and ultimately the Mississippi, Stewardship is the lesson to be learned.