JOURNAL Canoes. Photo by Sebastian Santa. New Partnership for the Kern River Summer 2009 • Vol. 5, Issue 2 orking with the nonprofit organization,W the Kern River Corridor Endowment, River Partners is preparing a conceptual Osprey. Photo by Robert Blanchard. restoration plan for riparian habitats along the Kern River at the Panorama Vista Preserve in Bakersfield. It is the largest private-lands In This Issue project for River Panorama Vista Preserve, Kern River, Bakersfield, CA. Photo by Julie Rentner, Partners in its 11- Restoration Ecologist. year history. “What is Additional Refuge really unique about this restoration initiative is that it was spear headed by a group of Land Open private individuals who really care about the Kern River,” says Julie Renter, Restoration to the Public 3 Ecologist. “They make up the Kern River Corridor Endowment and worked to buy and protect the land.” Endangered Rivers River Partners staff has started assessing the 936-acre site, which has supported a and Solutions 4 variety of human uses, from agriculture to oil drilling. By considering the local ecology and historical land uses, this pre-restoration plan will make habitat recommendations for Thank You 11th restoring significant swaths of native vegetation within this privately-owned reserve. Anniversary “If this preserve could be restored, it would be a significant stepping stone in the Kern River Corridor for wildlife,” says Tom Griggs, Senior Restoration Ecologist. “It Dinner Sponsors 7 will be large enough acreage to support migration, especially for songbirds.” River Partners thanks the Kern River Corridor Endowment for inviting us to Paddle Season participate in their restoration efforts and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife (Kern Opens! Join Us National Wildlife Refuge) for partially funding the pre-restoration plan. On the River 8 River Partner JOURNAL • Page Message from the Board Chair 580 Vallombrosa Ave. Chico, CA 9596 Modesto, CA 95354 By Irv Schiffman Ph: 530.894.5401 Ph: 09.5.700 Fx: 530.894.970 Fx: 09.5.737 [email protected] • www.riverpartners.org Levee Setbacks and The Journal is published quarterly by River Meandering Rivers Partners, a 50(c)(3) not-for-profit public benefit corporation. Our mission is to create wildlife habitat for the benefit of people and the environment. or a variety of reasons River Partners is supportive of moving levees back from the river and we are involved in a number of levee setback projects. OneF of the reasons that we support levee setbacks is that it allows the river to Board of Directors follow its natural course of meandering across the floodplain. In all but the steepest mountain cascades, rivers will meander. In lower Kathy Barrett, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Butte Co. gradient valleys, such as the Sacramento and San Joaquin for much of their John Carlon, Sierra Cascade Blueberry Farm Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company length, a river’s physical imperative to meander is the greatest. Allen Hackett, Hackett Farming When rivers are denied Mark Kimmelshue, Legacy Associates the space to meander due Tom Lando, Lando & Associates to levees, rock revetments, Suellen Rowlison, R.N. Irving Schiffman, CSUC, Political Science or other impediments, many Monroe Sprague, M.D. beneficial river services are diminished. In their natural state, rivers are dynamic Staff ecosystems, supplying the floodplain with soil and Chico Staff: nutrients for its diverse John Carlon, President Tad Alexander, Chief Operations Officer riparian habitats and in Julie Pokrandt, Development Director turn providing organic Mona Cross, Executive Assistant materials to aquatic species. The meandering Sacramento River. Photo by Marli Miller, Deborah McLaughlin, Controller The meandering river and its University of Oregon. Jessica Bourne, Chief Financial Officer Dr. Tom Griggs, Senior Restoration Ecologist floodplain temporarily store Helen Swagerty, Senior Restoration Biologist excess floodwater and recharge ground water and reduce stream velocities. Michael Rogner, Restoration Biologist Meander bends often form oxbow lakes that eventually fill with soil and Meghan Gilbart,Restoration Fellow vegetation and serve as traces of the river’s previous courses. These oxbows Jessica Gibbs, Restoration Resource Specialist Ruben Reynoso, Jr., Restoration Field Manager and the meandering river give definition to the land, providing a characteristic Joe Green, Manager of Operations and Logistics “riverscape.” Daniel Zepeda, Assistant Field Manager Beyond the ecological and aesthetic benefits, setback levees make sense economically as well. Allowing a river to meander avoids the expenses involved Field Technicians: in maintaining the levees and rock revetments designed to hold a river in place. Eligio Hernandez Gerardo Sandoval Further, when denied the space to meander, floodwaters are often “funneled” Francisco Jauregui down stream, leading to increased flood damage, greater downstream shoreline Jared Hicks erosion and channel incision. Luis Velasquez Once a levee is setback, the river may begin to meander and this poses a Jose Granados Daniel Gonzales challenge to implementing riparian restoration on the floodplain. River Partners works with engineers to plan the restoration design. For example, Eric Larsen of Modesto Staff: UC Davis has constructed model scenarios that simulate the future migration of Julie Rentner, Restoration Ecologist the river given different restraint conditions. The application of such models is Chris Stevenson, Restoration Biologist an integral part of the scientific approach that River Partners takes to restoring Stephen Sheppard, Restoration Field Manager Salvador Barragan, Field Foreman native vegetation on dynamic riparian floodplains. Abelino Valdovinos-Rubio, Field Technician Feliciano Degante, Field Technician Newsletter design & layout: Tempra Board JOURNAL printed on recycled paper. Page 2 • River Partners JOURNAL Page • River Partner JOURNAL Project Updates Wilson Landing Unit, DFG, Additional Refuge Land Sac. River Wildlife Area Open to the Public iver Partners finished planting this 338 acre restoration site located in Glenn County, between SacramentoR River miles 203 and 205. The Unit is part of the Department of Fish and Game managed Sacramento River Wildlife Area and is in the first year of project implementation. Eagle Scout candidate, Brett Brown, organized the Durham Cub and Boy Scouts in planting more than 500 trees at this site. Colusa State Recreation Area 08-13, Sac. River n May 2009 River Partners began restoring 138 acres at the Colusa State Recreation Area in Glenn County.I In cooperation with California State Parks, this work is funded by the Department of Water River Partners restoration at the Drumheller Slough Unit of the Sacramento River National Resources, with the goal of instituting advanced Wildlife Refuge. Photo by River Partners staff. mitigation for future flood control projects associated n March 28th, the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge with the Tisdale Bypass. opened to the public the Drumheller Slough and La Barranca OUnits, two sites restored by River Partners. According to the press Chico Fest 2009 release issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, “The public may enjoy any of the ‘big six’ public uses including hunting, fishing, n April 26, 2009, River Partners ran the beer wildlife observation, photography, interpretation, and environmental Oconcession at Chico Fest, a sustainability and education.” More information and maps can be founds at www.fws. live music exposition held at the Sierra Nevada gov/sacramentovalleyrefuges. Brewing Company’s hops field. Thanks to help of 19 volunteers who staffed the booth, and the generous invitation from the Brewery, the event brought in San Joaquin Valley Projects more than $6,000 to support River Partners’ outreach programs and new project development. n April, River Partners teamed Iwith Tuolumne River Trust 11th Anniversary Dinner to participate in two Earth Day n April 3, 2009, festivals sponsored by Modesto more than 200 Junior College and City of Osupporters and members Modesto. The San Joaquin staff attended River Partners’ has begun ground preparation Annual Dinner & Silent for an additional 5000 ft of Auction at the Sierra vegetated levees on a contract Nevada Big Room. See with the California Department page 6 where we thank of Water Resources at the San the many sponsors and Joaquin River National Wildlife silent auction donors who Refuge. The San Joaquin staff contributed to the event’s also has begun to plant three success. additional riparian brush rabbit Ilona Toko, Fred Marken, Marilyn refugia and a vegetated brush Everett, and Lewis Everett at the rabbit corridor. River Partners Anniversay Dinner. Photo by River Partners staff. River Partners JOURNAL • Page 3 Aerial photo of the O’Connor Lakes Unit Feather River State by the Feather River. Photo by Tom Griggs, Wildlife Area – Endangered PhD., Senior Restoration Ecologist. O’Connor Lakes Unit its strides in endangered species recovery, most Rivers n 2005, River Partners instituted a notable the return of cutting-edge restoration project that the Aleutian Cackling Ihad significant floodplain management Sustainable Solutions Exist for the Goose. It is also benefits on 228 acres of flood-prone home to the largest land -- the O’Connor Lakes Unit of Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers habitat restoration the Feather River Wildlife Area in initiative in California, Sutter County. capable of providing River Partners designed the temporary storage