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Alameda Creek Alliance Update March 24: BART Weir Fish Ladder Progress Report
The Alameda County Water District and the Alameda County Flood Control District gave an update to the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Workgroup on March 12 on the fish ladder project at the BART weir and middle rubber dam, and the lower rubber dam decommissioning in lower Alameda Creek.
Here is an aerial photo of the fishway, looking down on the BART Weir:
Here is an aerial photo of the fishway, looking down on the BART Weir:
ALAMEDA CREEK UPDATES
BART Weir Fish Ladder Progress
The Alameda County Water District and the Alameda County Flood Control District gave an update to the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Workgroup on March 12 on the fish ladder project at the BART weir and middle rubber dam, and the lower rubber dam decommissioning in lower Alameda Creek.
The agencies introduced the stellar design and consulting team working on the fish ladder design, provided a schedule and cost estimates, and discussed funding sources, the environmental review process, and design criteria. The agencies evaluated the design concepts and the challenges of fish ladder design to accommodate the operations of the middle rubber dam and fish migration under the widest and most relevant range of flows for fish to bypass the BART weir. The construction of a modified vertical slot fish ladder at this site is still targeted for 2010.
Powerpoints of these presentations are posted on the CEMAR Alameda Creek web site at http://www.cemar.org/alamedacreek/alamedacreekindex.html.
Here is the ambitious schedule:
Preliminary Design - August 2009
Complete CEQA Environmental Review – June 2009
Complete Federal Biological Assessment – July 2009
Permit Applications – September 2009
Complete Final Design – January 2010
Construction – Summer/Fall 2010
.........................................................................................
Creek Alliance Joins Potential Lawsuit Over Staples Ranch Development
The Alameda Creek Alliance this week joined the Center for Biological Diversity and Safe Streets Pleasanton in sending the city of Pleasanton a letter of intent to bring suit under the California Environmental Quality Act for the city’s failure to properly assess and mitigate the environmental impacts of the proposed Staples Ranch development and Stoneridge Drive extension, adjacent to Arroyo Mocho. The letter informed the city that the environmental impact report certified by the Pleasanton City Council on February 24, 2009 did not adequately assess the environmental impacts of the project. The groups are concerned about potential impacts to habitat for sensitive species at the site — species such as the California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, western pond turtle, and San Joaquin spearscale, and steelhead trout. Read the press release: http://www.alamedacreek.org/Press_Releases/Staples%20Ranch%203-23-09.pdf
.........................................................................................
REGIONAL RESTORATION CAMPAIGNS
Historic Opportunity to Restore Coastal Wetlands at Sharp Park in Pacifica
San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi recently proposed legislation that would have San Francisco transfer Sharp Park -- owned and operated by the city but located in Pacifica -- to the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area or jointly manage the park with the Service. It would also require the city's Recreation and Parks Department to develop a plan, schedule, and budget for restoring habitat for two endangered species on the site, the San Francisco garter snake -- one of the most beautiful and rarest serpents in North America -- as well as the threatened California red-legged frog.
This is a breakthrough in efforts to transform publicly owned land at Sharp Park from an exclusive, underused, and budget-breaking golf course into a community-centered model for endangered species recovery, natural flood control, outdoor recreation, and sustainable land use.
Sharp Park is one of the great restoration opportunities on the central coast, but San Francisco has been illegally killing and harming endangered species during operations of the Sharp Park golf course. This new legislation could move from preventing harm to actual recovery.
Send a message to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Recreation and Parks Department thanking them for taking the first step and asking them to follow through by passing the new legislation. Transferring Sharp Park to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a logical step toward long-term, sustainable conservation of this coastal ecosystem.
TAKE ACTION - Go to this link to send a prepared letter or your own message to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors asking them to transfer Sharp Park to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26907.
Beyond Searsville Dam
Beyond Searsville Dam is our sister organization across the Bay working to restore San Francisquito Creek through Palo Alto. Beyond Searsville Dam is a non-profit alliance advocating for investigating the restoration of threatened steelhead trout and a free flowing San Francisquito Creek through the removal of Searsville Dam in a safe manner that is consistent with protecting creekside communities and watershed resources. Find out how you can get involved at http://www.stoeckerecological.com/pr_beyond_searsville_dam.html
.........................................................................................
STATEWIDE SALMON AND RIVER NEWS
Central Valley Salmon Run Reaches a Record Low
IndyMedia – February 18, 2009 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/02/18/18571843.php
Schwarzenegger Signs Budget Slashing Environmental and Health Protections
IndyMedia – February 20, 2009 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/02/20/18572338.php
California Budget Crisis Over: Good News and Bad News
A message from the Center for Biological Diversity - February 2009 http://www.alamedacreek.org/Media_Articles/CBD%20budget%20crisis%20over.pdf
Ban on Commercial Fishing of Chinook Extended
San Francisco Chronicle – March 13, 2009 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/13/BALM16E7TB.DTL&hw=Ban+on+commercial+fishing+of+chinook+extended&sn=001&sc=1000
.........................................................................................
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 26 - Tracing Anza'a Trail - Hayward
The Heart of the Bay History Program presents Tracing Anza'a Trail on Thursday, March 26, at 6 pm at the HAHS Downtown Museum, 22701 Main Street in Hayward. From 1775 to 1776, Juan Bautista de Anza led an expedition of colonists to settle Spanish California, eventually founding the city of San Francisco. The Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail, managed by the National Park Service, covers over 1,200 miles. Join anthropologist and award-winning photographer Nina Egert for a journey along the path Anza took while exploring Spanish California. Learn about California geography and how that shaped the settlement of California, from California Indians to Spanish colonists. Tickets are $5, students and seniors $3, and free for Historical Society members. For more information, go to http://www.haywardareahistory.org/ or contact the Hayward Area Historical Society's Education Department at (510) 581-0223.
April 3 – Alameda Creek Panel at AFS Meeting - Santa Rosa
The National Marine Fisheries Service and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission are co-chairing a session on Alameda Creek restoration at the upcoming California Nevada Chapter American Fisheries Society annual meeting, to be held April 1-3, at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa. The half-day Alameda Creek session will take place Friday morning April 3, from 8 am to noon. You can find information regarding registration, accommodations, and scheduled activities at http://www.afs-calneva.org/search.htm.
April 21-22- Rivers of a Lost Coast – Berkeley
Rivers of a Lost Coast, a feature length documentary film about the rise and fall of Northern California's wild salmon and steelhead rivers through the stories of the legends who fished them, is coming to Berkeley April 21st and 22nd at 7pm at the Rialto Elmwood Theater. See http://www.riversofalostcoast.com/ for more information.
May 15 – June 7 – Paddle to the Sea - From the Tuolumne to the Pacific Ocean
The Tuolumne River Trust invites you to join them for Paddle to the Sea!
Paddle to the Sea is a festival celebrating the Tuolumne River as it courses from the Sierra Nevada to the San Francisco Bay, and also a three-week journey in which paddlers will relay a water-torch from the headwaters of the Tuolumne all the way to San Francisco Bay. This paddle-a-thon will be a chance for people in the Bay Area to get more connected to this river that supplies so many of us with tap water, and it will raise money and awareness on behalf of the Tuolumne. We are actively looking for paddlers to help us make it happen! There are many ways you can paddle from whitewater rafting and kayaking, to canoeing and sea kayaking. Some legs are challenging, others require no previous experience. If you are interested in participating, you can get more information and register at: http://tuolumneriver.dojiggy.com.
Events along the way will involve hundreds more:
Sierra Nevada—we will send the kayakers off in-style and offer a campout between the first and second legs of the whitewater sections on the Tuolumne.
Central Valley—we will welcome paddlers on the banks of the Tuolumne at the Tuolumne River Regional Park in Modesto.
Bay Area—we will celebrate the completion of our journey at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.
For more information, visit http://www.tuolumne.org/content/article.php/paddle2009
.........................................................................................
The Alameda Creek Alliance is a non-profit community watershed protection group. Please support our efforts by becoming a member.
************************************
Jeff Miller
Director
Alameda Creek Alliance
P.O. Box 2626
Niles, CA 94536-0626
(510) 499-9185
Fax (415) 436-9683
Web site http://www.alamedacreek.org
Protecting and restoring the natural ecosystems of the Alameda Creek watershed
BART Weir Fish Ladder Progress
The Alameda County Water District and the Alameda County Flood Control District gave an update to the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Workgroup on March 12 on the fish ladder project at the BART weir and middle rubber dam, and the lower rubber dam decommissioning in lower Alameda Creek.
The agencies introduced the stellar design and consulting team working on the fish ladder design, provided a schedule and cost estimates, and discussed funding sources, the environmental review process, and design criteria. The agencies evaluated the design concepts and the challenges of fish ladder design to accommodate the operations of the middle rubber dam and fish migration under the widest and most relevant range of flows for fish to bypass the BART weir. The construction of a modified vertical slot fish ladder at this site is still targeted for 2010.
Powerpoints of these presentations are posted on the CEMAR Alameda Creek web site at http://www.cemar.org/alamedacreek/alamedacreekindex.html.
Here is the ambitious schedule:
Preliminary Design - August 2009
Complete CEQA Environmental Review – June 2009
Complete Federal Biological Assessment – July 2009
Permit Applications – September 2009
Complete Final Design – January 2010
Construction – Summer/Fall 2010
.........................................................................................
Creek Alliance Joins Potential Lawsuit Over Staples Ranch Development
The Alameda Creek Alliance this week joined the Center for Biological Diversity and Safe Streets Pleasanton in sending the city of Pleasanton a letter of intent to bring suit under the California Environmental Quality Act for the city’s failure to properly assess and mitigate the environmental impacts of the proposed Staples Ranch development and Stoneridge Drive extension, adjacent to Arroyo Mocho. The letter informed the city that the environmental impact report certified by the Pleasanton City Council on February 24, 2009 did not adequately assess the environmental impacts of the project. The groups are concerned about potential impacts to habitat for sensitive species at the site — species such as the California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, western pond turtle, and San Joaquin spearscale, and steelhead trout. Read the press release: http://www.alamedacreek.org/Press_Releases/Staples%20Ranch%203-23-09.pdf
.........................................................................................
REGIONAL RESTORATION CAMPAIGNS
Historic Opportunity to Restore Coastal Wetlands at Sharp Park in Pacifica
San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi recently proposed legislation that would have San Francisco transfer Sharp Park -- owned and operated by the city but located in Pacifica -- to the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area or jointly manage the park with the Service. It would also require the city's Recreation and Parks Department to develop a plan, schedule, and budget for restoring habitat for two endangered species on the site, the San Francisco garter snake -- one of the most beautiful and rarest serpents in North America -- as well as the threatened California red-legged frog.
This is a breakthrough in efforts to transform publicly owned land at Sharp Park from an exclusive, underused, and budget-breaking golf course into a community-centered model for endangered species recovery, natural flood control, outdoor recreation, and sustainable land use.
Sharp Park is one of the great restoration opportunities on the central coast, but San Francisco has been illegally killing and harming endangered species during operations of the Sharp Park golf course. This new legislation could move from preventing harm to actual recovery.
Send a message to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Recreation and Parks Department thanking them for taking the first step and asking them to follow through by passing the new legislation. Transferring Sharp Park to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a logical step toward long-term, sustainable conservation of this coastal ecosystem.
TAKE ACTION - Go to this link to send a prepared letter or your own message to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors asking them to transfer Sharp Park to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26907.
Beyond Searsville Dam
Beyond Searsville Dam is our sister organization across the Bay working to restore San Francisquito Creek through Palo Alto. Beyond Searsville Dam is a non-profit alliance advocating for investigating the restoration of threatened steelhead trout and a free flowing San Francisquito Creek through the removal of Searsville Dam in a safe manner that is consistent with protecting creekside communities and watershed resources. Find out how you can get involved at http://www.stoeckerecological.com/pr_beyond_searsville_dam.html
.........................................................................................
STATEWIDE SALMON AND RIVER NEWS
Central Valley Salmon Run Reaches a Record Low
IndyMedia – February 18, 2009 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/02/18/18571843.php
Schwarzenegger Signs Budget Slashing Environmental and Health Protections
IndyMedia – February 20, 2009 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/02/20/18572338.php
California Budget Crisis Over: Good News and Bad News
A message from the Center for Biological Diversity - February 2009 http://www.alamedacreek.org/Media_Articles/CBD%20budget%20crisis%20over.pdf
Ban on Commercial Fishing of Chinook Extended
San Francisco Chronicle – March 13, 2009 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/13/BALM16E7TB.DTL&hw=Ban+on+commercial+fishing+of+chinook+extended&sn=001&sc=1000
.........................................................................................
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 26 - Tracing Anza'a Trail - Hayward
The Heart of the Bay History Program presents Tracing Anza'a Trail on Thursday, March 26, at 6 pm at the HAHS Downtown Museum, 22701 Main Street in Hayward. From 1775 to 1776, Juan Bautista de Anza led an expedition of colonists to settle Spanish California, eventually founding the city of San Francisco. The Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail, managed by the National Park Service, covers over 1,200 miles. Join anthropologist and award-winning photographer Nina Egert for a journey along the path Anza took while exploring Spanish California. Learn about California geography and how that shaped the settlement of California, from California Indians to Spanish colonists. Tickets are $5, students and seniors $3, and free for Historical Society members. For more information, go to http://www.haywardareahistory.org/ or contact the Hayward Area Historical Society's Education Department at (510) 581-0223.
April 3 – Alameda Creek Panel at AFS Meeting - Santa Rosa
The National Marine Fisheries Service and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission are co-chairing a session on Alameda Creek restoration at the upcoming California Nevada Chapter American Fisheries Society annual meeting, to be held April 1-3, at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa. The half-day Alameda Creek session will take place Friday morning April 3, from 8 am to noon. You can find information regarding registration, accommodations, and scheduled activities at http://www.afs-calneva.org/search.htm.
April 21-22- Rivers of a Lost Coast – Berkeley
Rivers of a Lost Coast, a feature length documentary film about the rise and fall of Northern California's wild salmon and steelhead rivers through the stories of the legends who fished them, is coming to Berkeley April 21st and 22nd at 7pm at the Rialto Elmwood Theater. See http://www.riversofalostcoast.com/ for more information.
May 15 – June 7 – Paddle to the Sea - From the Tuolumne to the Pacific Ocean
The Tuolumne River Trust invites you to join them for Paddle to the Sea!
Paddle to the Sea is a festival celebrating the Tuolumne River as it courses from the Sierra Nevada to the San Francisco Bay, and also a three-week journey in which paddlers will relay a water-torch from the headwaters of the Tuolumne all the way to San Francisco Bay. This paddle-a-thon will be a chance for people in the Bay Area to get more connected to this river that supplies so many of us with tap water, and it will raise money and awareness on behalf of the Tuolumne. We are actively looking for paddlers to help us make it happen! There are many ways you can paddle from whitewater rafting and kayaking, to canoeing and sea kayaking. Some legs are challenging, others require no previous experience. If you are interested in participating, you can get more information and register at: http://tuolumneriver.dojiggy.com.
Events along the way will involve hundreds more:
Sierra Nevada—we will send the kayakers off in-style and offer a campout between the first and second legs of the whitewater sections on the Tuolumne.
Central Valley—we will welcome paddlers on the banks of the Tuolumne at the Tuolumne River Regional Park in Modesto.
Bay Area—we will celebrate the completion of our journey at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.
For more information, visit http://www.tuolumne.org/content/article.php/paddle2009
.........................................................................................
The Alameda Creek Alliance is a non-profit community watershed protection group. Please support our efforts by becoming a member.
************************************
Jeff Miller
Director
Alameda Creek Alliance
P.O. Box 2626
Niles, CA 94536-0626
(510) 499-9185
Fax (415) 436-9683
Web site http://www.alamedacreek.org
Protecting and restoring the natural ecosystems of the Alameda Creek watershed
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