Wiyot Tribe Natural Resources Department Wiyot Tribe’s Natural Resources Department (NRD) FY14 Newsletter Articles Natural Resources Department Welcomes New Intern! By Nicole Woodrow, Natural Resources Intern Heh-let, en-chish mah! (Greetings, I hope you are well!) My name is Nicole Woodrow, and I am an intern in the Natural Resources Department assisting in the development of the Tribe’s community garden, and other various projects. I am currently an undergraduate student at HSU majoring in Environmental Science, Ecological Restoration option. I am also a member of the Wuksachi Indian Tribe and a descendant with Western Mono and Yokut ancestral roots from what is now known as the Sequoia and Kings National Parks in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. I plan to use my academic and cultural teachings to assist Tribal communities in developing restoration projects for traditional plants, and to increase food sovereignty for healthier and more self-reliant Tribal communities. I am excited and grateful to be able to collaborate with the Wiyot community, and look forward to a flourishing garden. Hoot-theh-wed mah (Thank you)! California Drought By Stephen Kullmann, Natural Resources Director Surely you have noticed the lack of rain this winter. Overall, California has experienced its driest year on record, and 85% of the state has been categorized as in severe drought. Most of the state's reservoirs are well below capacity, according to the CA Department of Water Resources, including Lake Shasta at 37% and Folsom Lake at 19%. The Humboldt County Municipal Water District reports Ruth Lake at 55%. Perhaps even more concerning is the lack of snowpack in the mountains, which is what maintains our rivers through the usually dry summers. According to the National Resources Conservation Service, snowpack in the Sierras is at about 30% of average for this time of year. Rainfall in Eureka since July 1 has been 5.85 inches, only 29% of the normal 19.97. According to the National Weather Service, the reason for the lack of rain this winter is a "ridiculously resilient ridge" of high pressure causing winds in the east. The zone of high pressure off the West Coast is nearly 4 miles high and 2,000 miles long, blocking Pacific winter storms from coming ashore. This is a similar type of system that caused the areas previous worst drought in 1976-77. While this is being billed as the driest year on record, tree ring analysis going back much Natural Resources Department Newsletter Articles Page 1 farther in time show some truly frightening "mega-droughts", including one that started in the year 850 and lasted 240 years! Locally, our municipal water supplies are not in danger. Here on Table Bluff, we are blessed to have two new, high output deep wells that could supply well over our current needs. The rest of the Humboldt Bay area relies on water from the Mad River and Ruth Lake, which while low, are in no danger of running dry this year. For the rivers and our fish, however, the danger is immediate and real. Fisheries experts from the Wiyot Tribe's Natural Resources Department have observed salmon spawning in the lower reaches of the Eel and Mattole Rivers because low flows have blocked them from migrating to preferred spawning areas upstream. As flows continue to drop, water quality and dissolved oxygen levels are impaired, threatening the survival of this year's run. Some biologists have even hypothesized that Mad River steelhead might return to the ocean without spawning as they have been observed to do in drier, southern California rivers, although there is no record of that ever happening here. Another great concern is the impact of illegal diversions along the tributaries of the Eel River. It is difficult to even estimate how much water is removed from important fish spawning and rearing habitat annually by marijuana grows, but everyone acknowledges the impact can be huge. A simple glance at Google Earth shows thousands of acres cleared for marijuana cultivation, and it has been rare when we have surveyed an Eel River tributary and not found multiple pumps and diversion sites. While water removed from the mainstem may have a relatively minor impact on overall flows, a single pump can severely impact a tributary, destroying multiple generations of juvenile fish. More responsible growers use our typically wet months to fill retention ponds and water tanks to sustain them over the summer, but if the rains do not come soon, there is no telling what may happen this year. Area beekeepers are also concerned about the effects of drought on already declining bee populations, which are essential for pollination for many of our native plants and crops. Governor Jerry Brown recently declared a statewide drought emergency. While this may be necessary to mandate conservation measures and allow for federal relief funds, there is also concern that the "state of emergency" could allow for less environmental oversight for large agricultural-industrial water users to take more water from other parts of the state. The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife has also instituted a number of low flow fishing closures on local rivers, including the following: 1. The main stem Eel River from the paved junction of Fulmor Road with the Eel River to the South Fork Eel River. 2. The South Fork of the Eel River downstream from Rattlesnake Creek and the Middle Fork Eel River downstream from the Bar Creek. Natural Resources Department Newsletter Articles Page 2 3. The main stem Van Duzen River from its junction with the Eel River to the end of Golden Gate Drive near Bridgeville. 4. The main stem Mad River from the Hammond Trail Railroad Trestle to Cowan Creek. 5. The main stem of the Mattole River from the mouth to Honeydew Creek. 6. The main stem of Redwood Creek from the mouth to its confluence with Bond Creek. 7. The main stem Smith River from the mouth of Rowdy Creek to the mouth of Patrick Creek (tributary of the Middle Fork Smith River); the South Fork Smith River from the mouth upstream approximately 1,000 feet to the County Road (George Tyron) bridge and Craig’s Creek to its confluence with Jones Creek; and the North Fork Smith River from the mouth to its confluence with Stony Creek. While as stated above, our municipal water supplies appear to be in no present danger, it is never too early to begin water conservation measures. There are many simple things we can all do to conserve water. Some ways to start are: 1. Check and repair leaky faucets, pipes, and toilets. 2. Install water saving faucet aerators and low flow devices shower heads and toilets. 3. Take shorter showers. 4. Don't leave the water running when you brush your teeth or shave. 5. Wait until you have a full load for the dishwasher or washing machine, and/or look for low water use appliances. 6. Let your lawn go brown, or plant drought-resistant plants. 7. Use a broom, not a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. And finally, if you are a part of our local agricultural community, please consider the impact to our rivers and fish when planning your crops. There are many resources available for best management practices for marijuana cultivation from local supply shops and the Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research at http://www.humboldt.edu/hiimr/index.html. Natural Resources Department Newsletter Articles Page 3 First Flush: Monitoring Your Waters By Tim Nelson, Natural Resources Specialist This past fall following the first major rains (~1”), the Natural Resource Department continued monitoring the Tribe’s water resources by sampling for biological and chemical constituents at the Reservation wetlands. During the spring/summer months, the amount of pollution generated will most often collect on our streets and roadways. It isn’t until a heavy rain storm transports this pollution off our streets, down roads and/or storm drains, and eventually into one of our waterways nearby. In the near Eureka area, it isn’t hard to imagine how easy it would be for non- point source pollutants such as motor oil or gasoline/diesel oil to eventually end up in Humboldt Bay. At times, U.S. Highway 101 is a mere ten feet from north Humboldt Bay! You may initially believe that the proximity of a waterway to a transportation route would contain higher amounts NPS pollution but you may be shocked to learn that a large amount of NPS pollution comes from far away sources. Surface water runoff can happen in both the rural and urban environments but the latter is much more affected than the other. In urban environments such as the largest, New York City and Los Angeles, a city block composed of impervious surfaces (i.e. concrete, asphalt) can generate up to 9 times more runoff than a woodland area of equal size. Impervious surfaces do not allow for water to infiltrate through the ground where biological buffers (i.e. plants, microbes, bacteria) can “treat” potential pollutants. The pollution issue in the urban setting is a real concern as there is only a 15% infiltration rate and a 55% runoff rate. On the other hand, in the rural setting, there is a 50% infiltration rate and only a 10% runoff rate. This runoff from urban areas collects pollutants along the way and is quickly channeled into storm drains where it is deposited directly into the nearest waterway (creeks, rivers, and/or ocean). Like a garden hose, this increased volume and constricted, pressurized flow of water then destroys the downstream habitat as water is heavily deposited from the storm pipe rather than infiltrating through the soil or gently spreading along the landscape.