Trinity River Restoration Program - The River Riffle June Newsletter

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Abel, Kiana

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Jun 12, 2024, 12:44:04 PMJun 12
to in...@trrp.net, Abel, Kiana
Header photo: Juvenile salmonids feeding in the drift at Oregon Gulch in March. [Aaron Martin, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department].
River Riffle Newsletter – June
Contents
  • Current Conditions:  Flow, Temperature, Fish Health & Monitoring
  • Reading, Listening & Watching
  • Trinity Management Council: June Quarterly Meeting Recap
  • Program Update: 2024 Science Symposium
  • Trinity River Plant Spotlight: Common Woolly Sunflower
  • Upcoming Meetings and Events

Current Conditions
Flow
ROD flows continue to be released from Lewiston Dam and will slowly decline daily at about 50 cubic feet per second through the remainder of June.
Current river flow gauges can be found on our homepage, click here and scroll to the middle of the page.
Temperature
Upper and lower river temperatures have continued to trend lower than 2023. In the mid to lower river temperatures remain “optimal” (50F-65F) for adult spring salmonids holding in the river. Keep tabs on Trinity River temperatures by following the links below.
map
Fish Health
Members of the Klamath Fish Health Assessment Team (KFHAT) have been holding bi-weekly meetings and making determinations about Klamath Basin Fish Health. The KFHAT is a technical workgroup that formed in 2003 with the purpose of providing early warning and a coordinated response effort to avoid, or at least address, a non-hazardous materials related fish kill event in the anadromous portion of the Klamath River basin.
Determinations thus far for the Trinity River Basin remain "green". The lower Klamath has been determined as "yellow" due to concerns for debris and sediment.
Photo: The KFHAT map presents the readiness level for the Klamath Basin below Iron Gate Dam in a visual format. Click here to read the bi-weekly report.
Monitoring
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife plan to install the Junction City Weir in early July. In addition to regular monitoring and due to last year's sediment plumes from the North Fork Trinity River fire scar, CDFW has planned to implement scheduled visits for Fish Health Laboratory staff to monitor fish for any gill related issues during the summer season.
Reading, Listening, Watching

Of California’s many tough water challenges, few are more intractable than regulating how much water must be kept in rivers and streams to protect the environment.
Attempts to require enough water at the right time and temperature to sustain fish and other aquatic life run smack against a water rights system developed more than 150 years ago for farmers, miners, industries and cities – but not wildlife. Continue reading ...
In an innovative approach to addressing uranium mining's impact in the Grand Canyon region, the U.S. Geological Survey has released a visually stunning fact sheet that combines the power of art and science. [http://In an innovative approach to addressing uranium mining's impact in the Grand Canyon region, the U.S. Geological Survey has released a visually stunning fact sheet that combines the power of art and science.]Continue reading ...
Salmon and the Subsurface |California Water Blog
By David Dralle, Gabe Rossi, Phil Georgakakos, Jesse Hahm, Daniella Rempe, Monica Blanchard, Mary Power, Bill Dietrich, and Stephanie Carlson
You’ve probably noticed that some streams flow year-round while others are seasonally dry, despite receiving similar amounts of rainfall. Through a recent NSF-funded effort (“Eel River Critical Zone Observatory”), we learned several things about how landscapes filter climate to produce such diverse flow behavior–and the implications for how salmon live their lives. Continue reading ...
Book Review: Seek Higher Ground |California Water Blog
Seek Higher Ground: The Natural Solution to Our Urgent Flooding Crisis, by Tim Palmer. University of California Press 2024.                                            
Flooding is a natural phenomenon that we humans keep assuming can be controlled with enough effort and engineering.  But this simply is not possible, as floods across the globe repeatedly demonstrate. People continue to be surprised when landscapes become waterscapes. Continue reading ...
Trinity Management Council
TMC Partnership Ring
The June Quarterly meeting of the Trinity Management Council was held in Weitchpec, Ca. located near the confluence of the Trinity River and the Klamath River. The meeting was hosted by the Yurok Tribe and took place Wednesday, June 5 and Thursday, June 6. During the first day members received presentations from the acting Trinity River Restoration Program Executive Director, James Lee regarding program updates. Topics in the Executive Directors Report covered major activities since the March TMC meeting as well as organizational updates, budget updates, Implementation Branch updates, Public Outreach updates and Science Branch updates. The ED Report can be downloaded by clicking here. 
Additionally, the council received updates from various membership staff .... Continue Reading

Program Update: 2024 Science Symposium
The final day of the Trinity River Restoration Program 2024 Science Symposium focused on the physical environment that underpins the complex riparian and aquatic river ecosystem. The below link is a video of the introduction to the day's event lead by emcee and Executive Director for the Trinity River Restoration Program, Michael Dixon, Ph.D.
If you would like to watch any of the 8 presentations or read presenter biographies from the 3rd day of the symposium, please click here.

Trinity River Watershed: Plant Spotlight

Photo of a patch of Common Woolly Sunflower taken near Burnt Ranch, generously provided by Veronica Yates.

Common Woolly Sunflower
Eriophyllum lanatum var. grandiflorum
The Woolly Sunflower is a common attraction along the Trinity River corridor and watershed. In our area, viewers can see it in a few different varieties split between high and low country. The low country version is found in large colonies exposed to dry and hot conditions. Viewers commonly see it along roadsides defying logic by clinging to rocky cliffs showing off their sweet yellow pedals and silvery leaves and stems.
Eriophyllum lanatum is a perennial herb native to western North America. It has long, thin stems with small pinnately lobed, green leaves and small, yellow flowers. When you get up close and personal you notice a few unique characteristics. Prior to the bloom, the tip of the flowers bud turns a sweet reddish purple and the silvery color of the stem and underside of the leaves is actually a layer of tiny hairs. These hairs serve a specific purpose for the plant and act to conserve water by reflecting heat and reducing air movement across the leaves surface [1].
Upcoming Meetings and Events
For a full list of events, click to view the TRRP Calendar.
Open House Art - Vote for the best Chinook Salmon!
Submit your vote by July 1, 2024
Back in February at our Open House, we were gifted all of the Fish of the Trinity River art created by Junction City Elementary Students.
Together with the Trinity County RCD, we've decided to turn these mini-masterpieces into swag to give away at events - but we need your help to choose the best Chinook salmon submission. Place your vote by following the link to our Facebook page and "like" or comment with your vote on 1 of the 8 Chinook salmon photos in the post. Please vote by July 1, 2024. Happy choosing and thank you!
July 24, 6pm - Science on the River
Lewiston Hotel Dance Hall 
Lower Clear Creek Restoration - A Review of Habitat Restoration Efforts Occurring Over the Past 30 Years 
Join us July 24 at 6 PM at the Lewiston Hotel for Science on the River, featuring Derek Rupert. Derek, a Fish Biologist with the Bureau of Reclamation - Northern California Area Office, will lead us through the history and future of stream restoration on Lower Clear Creek, a tributary to the Sacramento River.  He'll explore the watershed characteristics, environmental conditions, water management strategies, and fish population details of Clear Creek downstream of Whiskeytown Dam.  This will be an opportunity for those who would like to learn about an important local watershed. 
TMC Partnership Ring
September 18 & 19, All Day - Quarterly TMC Meeting
In Person: Arcata, Ca.
Meeting ID: 284 547 567 847
Passcode: dAMEfr
Contact Us

Call: 530-623-1800 

Kiana Abel
1313 S. Main St., Weaverville, CA 96093-1300 | 530-623-1800 (desk) | 530-739-9761 (cell) | ja...@usbr.gov
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