California environmental groups are urging a federal court to intervene amid a “dramatic increase” in the deaths of threatened steelhead trout at pumps operated by state and federal water managers.
Since Dec. 1, more than 4,000 wild and hatchery-raised steelhead have been killed at pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, according to public data for the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. The agencies are now at about 90% of their combined seasonal take limit, which refers to the amount of wild steelhead permitted to be killed between January and March under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Read the whole story from the Los Angeles Time >>HERE.
That’s right, get ready to arrive early on weekends to avoid the summer crowds . Work crews with lots of heavy equipment will be on the scene Monday through Friday, which means access is nil. If you’re biking, e-biking, skateboarding, be careful! Don’t wear your headphones going around curves. Do bring your rod! (Credit: Jim Burns)
The Forest Service has released its draft Piru Creek Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) and is inviting public comments by March 31, 2024. This plan will be the legal framework for management of Piru Creek for decades and must, by law, protect the creek’s free-flowing character and “outstandingly remarkable” values.
BACKGROUND:
Located in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, Piru Creek originates in the Sespe Wilderness on the Los Padres National Forest. The creek is a rare free-flowing waterway draining the dry mountains of southern California. The creek provides unique recreation opportunities and supports several threatened and endangered wildlife species.
For years, CalWild and many other organizations and activists have pressed the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to expand protection of Piru Creek by recognizing its many natural and cultural values as outstandingly remarkable. Unfortunately, the Forest Service has a long history of opposition to protecting the creek downstream of Pyramid Dam.
In response to continued advocacy by CalWild and others, the USFS has now determined in the draft Plan and its accompanying resources report that the creek possesses the following outstandingly remarkable values: scenery, fish, and geology.
Still, the USFS refuses to identify an outstandingly remarkable recreation value for Piru Creek, even though the stream offers a rare opportunity in southern California for class III-V whitewater kayaking and catch and release trout fishing. In addition, Frenchman’s Flat on the recreation segment of the creek is a popular low-cost swimming destination for local communities, many of which are communities of color.
For a more extensive version of this alert, click here.
TAKE ACTION!
Either submit the form letter below to comment on the draft Plan by the March 31 deadline, or write your own letter using the example for talking points. Be sure to include any personal experience you may have enjoyed recreating in Piru Creek.
To submit an electronic comment by the March 31 deadline, go to: https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=58710. Fill in the required contact information and cut and paste your comments in the Letter Text box provided. You can also mail a hard copy of your comments by March 31.
If you have any questions about this alert, feel free to contact Steve Evans, CalWild Rivers Director, email:sevans@calwild.org, phone: (916) 708-3155.
SAMPLE LETTER
Supervisor Roman Torres
Angeles National Forest
701 North Santa Anita Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91006
Attn: Piru Creek CRMP
Dear Supervisor Torres:
Thank you for determining in the Piru Creek Comprehensive River Management Plan that the designated segment of Piru Creek possesses outstanding scenery, fish, and geology values. However, I urge you to include the creek’s rare and unique recreational opportunities as a specific outstandingly remarkable value protected in the Plan.
Piru Creek between Pyramid Dam and Piru Reservoir provides a rare opportunity for class III-IV whitewater kayaking in a truly wild setting, all just an hour drive from Los Angeles.
In addition, the trackless Wild segment of Piru Creek offers a rare but easily accessible canyoneering experience, while Frenchman’s Flat upstream is a popular family recreation destination for local communities of color to seek respite from the summer heat. A short segment of the creek is also one of only two catch and release trout streams in southern California and is popular with anglers.
I urge you to recognize Piru Creek’s outstanding recreational value. I support the proposed and potential future management actions in the draft CRMP and urge the U.S. Forest Service to complete its visitor use capacity analysis as soon as possible.
Returning to the moving waters where my father first introduced me to the art of fly fishing three decades ago feels like a journey through time, each ripple on the surface a memory stirred.
What once was a simple father-son outing has now transformed into a pilgrimage of sorts, as I witness the fruits of nature’s labor. In the tranquil stream where my father patiently taught me to cast my line without snatching a tree limb above me, wild trout still spawn.
Not fires, pollution, and other of nature’s wrath can stop these fish. Even though graffiti and trash may still paint the picture, the trout are doing their part. It’s time that we do ours.
lariverflyfishing 