Rivers of a Lost Coast

• Posted on 02/12 at 02:40 PM

First Light

During an eerie foggy morning along the southern Oregon coast, Joe Sugura slid his small 6 foot pram into the chilly waters of the Chetco River. The fishing had been memorable during the previous few days and he carried his Nikon camera on board to capture some of the action. As the morning light begin to creep over the coastal mountains Bill Schaadt hooked into a large King Salmon. Joe grabbed his camera and took a classic photo that has come to exemplify Schaadt to many of his closest friends. The photo titled “first light” is the background image for the Rivers of a Lost Coast website.

In the short clip below, Joe explains why he thinks the photo has become so special to so many people.

Posted by Justin on 02/12 at 02:40 PM in Bill Schaadt • (16) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 02/10 at 11:20 AM

The Wild Steelhead Coalition and a Seattle, WA showing

After being on the phone all morning with Prof. Jack Berryman, we’re happy to announce the Wild Steelhead Coalition and Skinny Fist Productions are teaming up for a wonderful event and showing in Seattle, WA.

On the evening of May 9th Palmer Taylor and Justin Coupe will be joining Tom Skerritt and members of the Wild Steelhead Coalition for a pre-screening reception in the beautiful Walker-Ames Room at the University of Washington. Following the reception will be a screening of Rivers of a Lost Coast in the Kane Hall Auditorium.

The Rivers of a Lost Coast Production Team is very excited about working with the Wild Steelhead Coalition, a great steward of steelhead conservation in the Pacific Northwest.

More information on ticketing to follow.

Wild Steelhead Coalition Website

Posted by Justin on 02/10 at 11:20 AM in Film News • (9) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 02/09 at 09:02 AM

Low water pits one endangered fish against another

Although a fresh foot of snow fell on the Sierras last night, this year’s totals will fall well short of filling state reservoirs later this spring. Looking at our third year of below average rainfall, state and federal water managers asked last Thursday to bypass scheduled river flow increases in the Sacramento and San Joaquin systems to keep more water behind the reservoirs. The water managers are claiming the conserved water will be needed later in the year when Fall Run Chinook return to the two systems.

This move pits the endangered Delta Smelt against the Fall Run Sacramento Chinook Salmon (A species of special concern). Increased water flows in February help benefit the Delta Smelt spawning cycle, while larger water reserves in the Fall will help promote Chinook Salmon spawning.

The move is an example of how serious the dire water situation is in California. In an article by Samantha Young of the Associated Press, Dante Nomellini Sr., a delta water rights attorney, said state and federal water agencies have only themselves to blame for years of mismanagement of California’s water supplies.

“The predicament we’re in is because they drew down the reservoirs and exported more water than they should have,” Nomellini said.

The state plans to file a formal petition today for an emergency hearing before the water resources board.

Posted by Justin on 02/09 at 09:02 AM in Conservation • (1) Comments • Permalink

• Posted on 02/06 at 08:39 AM

New lawsuit brings up age old problem

A recent lawsuit filed by Oakland-based Earthjustice, along with the Sierra Club, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and other conversation groups, contends that California water quality officials are not doing doing enough to clean up and restore California’s North Coast rivers. The lawsuit which deals specifically with 15 North Coast rivers is targeted to help improve water conditions for endangered North Coast salmonids.

Quoting the Santa Rosa Press Democrat article by Robert Digitale, “Catherine Kuhlman, executive officer of the North Coast Water Board in Santa Rosa, said she was dismayed that the lawsuit seems to focus on completing paperwork rather than on the actual results her staff has accomplished to reduce sediment and other pollutants from the region’s rivers. Kuhlmans also said her current staff of about 78 is nearly half the size it was in 2000.”

An attorney representing Earthjustice responded to Kuhlman’s claims by stating “A lack of funding isn’t a good excuse for not complying with the law.”

On a day where state legislators will once again meet at the capital to help resolve the long over-due budget, and on a day where many state workers are experiencing their first of many furloughs, it is a tough sell to convince the public that more money should be spent on salmon and river restoration.

This lawsuit, not untypical of many environmental based lawsuits filed in California, hearkens back to a long-standing hiccup in the state’s fish protection and restoration politics. Unlike many species, where life-cycles are short and population improvements can be seen in a relatively short period of time (a decade or so), salmon and steelhead’s 3-5 year life cycle’s often require multiple decades for watershed improvements to result in increased salmonid populations.

Although the state often passes aggressive regulation to help restore threatened and endangered salmonids, the organizations charged with enacting the new laws and programs are often dealt a severe funding blow somewhere down the road. It is a reality of California’s budgetary processes and a reality that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere for awhile.

As is the case with the Earthjustice filing, the lawsuits are often aimed at keeping the state agencies accountable to pre-existing laws. As is the case, with the North Coast Water Board in Santa Rosa, state agencies are often asked to perform long-term comprehensive restoration programs with erratic staffs and budgets. As is the case with the state legislators, long-term restoration programs are often an expendable line of the budget.

Santa Rosa Press Democrat Article

Posted by Justin on 02/06 at 08:39 AM in Conservation • (0) Comments • Permalink