Water would have been diverted from English Ridge north to Dos Rios and through a 40-mile (64 km) tunnel to the offstream Glenn-Colusa reservoir in the Sacramento Valley, from which the water would travel by canal to the Sacramento River. Just food for thought. to its customers in Garberville and according to the GSD GM Ralph Emerson, they have no clue where its all leaking or going. Several thousand people were left homeless by the floods and over 4,000 head of livestock died. The state has a massive commercial fishing fleet, of five main commercial fishing stagies for any fishing category: The purse seine fleet alone scoops up tons of millions of Salmon just as a quota; then the trawling group comes in for another scoop on the fish for another quote; then the most effective encroachment on the dying species is gil net drift fishing, but yet Tribal inherent rights and culture to be fishing, is making the salmon disappear. [64]:315, Over the next several years, Reagan continued lobbying for increased protection of the Eel River system. The river can be closed to fishing in some years after October 1 if flows are insufficient for migrating salmon and steelhead. Introduced pikeminnow, in conjunction with the diminished flows due to the Potter Valley Project water diversion, have taken a significant toll on the native fish population below Van Arsdale Dam. Certainly not peabrain snowflake Conservatives who only believe FAKE news because they are so f-cking brain dead!! Minor communities include Laytonville, Branscomb, Cummings, Leggett, Piercey, Benbow, Phillipsville, Myers Flat, Shively, and Pepperwood. The South Fork Eel River … Third- these DORKS !!!! We can handle the truth, about time don’t you think. [10] Nevertheless, logging, grazing, road-building and other human activities continue to significantly affect the watershed's ecology. "A RIVER'S LAST CHANCE" Great Documentary Movie about The EEL RIVER of Humboldt County, California. American negotiator Colonel Reddick McKee's treaty would have given the Indians a large reservation around the mouth of the Eel, but the treaties were never ratified. The river basin was originally populated by Native Americans, who were eventually driven out by white settlers. The Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks follow the Eel River from Outlet Creek, about 7 miles (11 km) above Dos Rios, to Fortuna. [33] Water would be diverted through a 40-mile (64 km) tunnel to the Sacramento Valley, where it would join the water flowing down the Sacramento River to the California Aqueduct pumps in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. [53], The Eel River estuary is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. The discharge is highly variable; average flows in January and February are over 100 times greater than in August and September. Below the dam the river flows west, re-entering Mendocino County. Lake Pillsbury would disappear. water diversions on the South Fork Eel River in Garberville, the two largest water users or highest demand from diversion, i.e. Eel River monthly mean discharge at Scotia (cfs)[7]. Eel River Recovery salmon 10 29 2012Need new shirts ? Shad fishing during the late spring and early summer offers the angler an exciting change of pace. My fellow duck hunters validated my statements!!!!! The main stem traverses four counties, excepting Glenn. However, both the Mississippi and Colorado have lesser sediment yields relative to their drainage areas. [41] The dam blocked access to steelhead trout spawning grounds in the upper Eel River, causing the summer and winter runs to interbreed. About 155 miles (249 km) of the main stem are designated, from the mouth to a point just below Cape Horn Dam. In contrast, during the dry months of July through September, the river achieves nearly zero flow. Eel River - Fortuna, CA. [60] In December 2013, due to record low levels of water in the Eel River and the associated dammed lakes, levels of fish and lampreys in the rivers were at lowest recorded levels, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company sought to have FERC change their operating license to permit even lower releases of water to Eel until the drought eases. Major species include Pacific lamprey, Entosphenus tridentatus, formerly I think this issue contributes more to the problem than anything else and nothing is being done, much less said, to reign it in. The Middle Eel has a good run from the confluence with the Black Butte River to Coal Miners Falls, which is portaged by all but experts. The Van Duzen River also has some class II–III runs beginning below Goat Rock. You still have to control the sea lions!!!! Is it possible the food chain for the salmon is declining? [34]:194 Governor Ronald Reagan formally refused to authorize the project. https://usa.oceana.org/responsible-fishing/modern-day-pacific-sardine-collapse-how-prevent-future-crisis As I was flying I looked down upon all the grids of farmland in the Central Valley, to my surprise, I could not see the very obvious grids of farmland, all I saw were vast lakes and flooded ground. The Eel River basin has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years; some of the oldest concrete evidence of human habitation is at a petroglyph site near the upper Eel River discovered in 1913, which may be as old as 2500 years. [52] About 1,100 acres (450 ha) of the estuary are protected as the Eel River Estuary Preserve. The flow from all the rivers that feed the Delta are mismanaged as it is . you mean after all the black market grows we’re abated there’s still a water and fish problem? By some estimates, it is the most important producer of coho salmon in the state. [14] The younger mountains in the north may be uplifting at a rate ten times faster than the headwater regions further south and east, which consist of much older rock. When the first European explorers arrived, the area was home to several tribes of the Eel River Athapaskangroup, with at least four groups identified by dialects: Nongatl and Sink… Dams chewing up hundreds of thousands of juvenile Salmon every season. To flood farmland in the Central Valley? Yes. [4] The Eel's maximum recorded flow of 936,000 cu ft/s (26,500 m3/s) on December 23, 1964 was the largest peak discharge of any California river in recorded history, and one of the largest peaks recorded in the world relative to the size of its drainage basin. The river's relatively large estuary and delta, which includes the Salt River tributary and related creeks, is located just one low ridge south from Humboldt Bay and 12 miles (19 km) south of Eureka, the main city for the entire region. In early 1972, California state senator Peter H. Behr introduced a measure to create a state wild and scenic rivers system, which would protect many undeveloped North Coast rivers, including the Eel, from future damming. The human population of the watershed is about 32,000 – less than 10 people per square mile (26/km2). [38], Aquatic mammals include beaver, muskrat, raccoon, river otter and mink. [31] The last crossing before the Pacific Ocean is at Cock Robin Island Road a few miles to the west of Fernbridge. Average flow of the Eel River varies widely due to its location, which places it more or less directly in the path of Pineapple Express-type winter storms. While improved from the low point of 3,500 at the beginning of the decade, the runs have yet to again reach the high mark of over 30,000. The river flows generally northward through the Coast Ranges west of the Sacramento Valley, emptying into the Pacific Ocean about 10 miles (16 km) downstream from Fortuna and just south of Humboldt Bay. Lordy he’s an idiot. The King or Chinook arrive in August. [15]:586 Beavers are confirmed in Outlet Creek (tributary to main stem Eel north of Willits), but may occur in other areas as well. They estimated that 4,110 Chinook salmon migrated past that point between November and early January 2020, versus 3,844 the year prior. David Sopjes mastered drone photography of the lower Eel River over the last two years, and got precise salmon counts from his photos in 2019 using DotDotGoose software that was developed for estimating water fowl numbers from photos. The site of the project is the Eel River Estuary Preserve, formerly known as Connick Ranch. NO WASTE AT ALL LIBERALS. Agriculture sucking massive amounts of freshwater to feed crops or livestock, causing low and warm waterways to the Salmon. In the hurry to be "first" in Humboldt Bay, they dragged a longboat through the sloughs on the north side of the Eel River mouth to the waters of the Bay where they were met by members of the Laura Virginia party. Besides salmon and steelhead, a little known Shad run during the warmer months is available. Eel River fall Chinook salmon historically began mass migrations from the estuary into the lower river in late summer, but now they enter months later as a result of what the ERRP calls degraded habitats. An alternate proposal would have sent the water south from Dos Rios, through English Ridge and then a tunnel to Clear Lake, from which the water would flow down Cache Creek to the Sacramento River. For more information, see. However, Behr had been forced to compromise in order to get his bill approved from the state: as signed, it would only place a 12-year moratorium on planning for dams in the Eel River system. After this confluence the Eel flows briefly through southwestern Trinity County, past Island Mountain, before entering Humboldt County near Alderpoint. Questions, comments and photos can be emailed to kenny@fishingthenorthcoast.com. First order- take sea lions off the Federal (boo hoo) protectionist list and hire Alaskan eskimos to remove 90% of the local sea lion population. The plummeting population of Eel River salmonids (coho and Chinook salmon, and steelhead trout) over the last several decades paints a grim picture. With the key predators controlled, 3 years later the population will increase and you’ll be out of harms way. Wilson calculated that Dos Rios would have reduced the 35-foot (11 m) flood crest of the 1964 flood at Fort Seward by less than a foot (0.3 m). You are dead on about the sea lion population! News, nature, and community throughout the Emerald Triangle, Chinook salmon school holding in shallow water in the lower Eel River. In 2019 the Two-Basin Solution Partnership filed a Notice of Intent to … However, the settlers also faced conflict as they pushed deeper into Native American lands. Commercial fishing on the Eel River was banned in 1926 after decades of overfishing. Apparently, if farmers in the Central Valley don’t use their water quota for the year, they won’t get as much the following year, so to account for that, they open the valves on their reservoirs and flood the farmland in order to receive their full quota once again next year. [23], The first westerner to enter the Eel River was Sebastián Vizcaíno, sailing on behalf of Philip III of Spain, seeking a mythical northwest passage described in secret papers as being at the latitude of Cape Mendocino. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Wow. Before this there were way more fish, even with bad logging practices. [32], In the 1950s, interest grew in damming the Eel River system to provide water for Central and Southern California. As Marc Reisner describes in Cadillac Desert (1986), "the feuding agencies were about to lock horns and starve over the first two dams on their priority list". Since 2015, Eric Stockwell has conducted stand-up paddleboard surveys of the lower Eel from late August until rain boosts flow in October or November and the fish begin their migration to the headwaters to spawn. After it re-opened, the numbers of returning Salmon … Logging companies also took hundreds of millions of board feet of timber from the basin, which were floated down the Eel River to the estuary. The watershed is bordered on the north by the basin of the Mad River, on the east by that of the Sacramento River, on the west by that of the Mattole River, and on the south by those of the Russian River and Ten Mile River. By way of comparison, on October 27 in 2012, an ERRP dive team counted 5,036 salmon in this part of the river. [4] Flooding events have a large effect on the average amount of transported sediment: high water in the years 1969, 1983 and 1998 caused an annual sediment load 27 times greater than that of normal years. This proposal would re-open the main stem of the Eel River to spawning runs of salmon and steelhead by removing Scott Dam, while maintaining electric generation and water deliveries to Mendocino and Sonoma counties. A 30-mile (48 km)-long lake formed behind the barrier. I’m sure there’s plenty of poor starving people that would love to eat them . for their … [14], About 22,000 years ago, a massive landslide off Nefus Peak dammed the Eel River near Alderpoint to a height of 460 feet (140 m). Learn how your comment data is processed. The Eel's major tributaries – the North Fork, Middle Fork, South Fork and Van Duzen Rivers, drain 286 square miles (740 km2), 753 square miles (1,950 km2), 689 square miles (1,780 km2), and 420 square miles (1,100 km2), respectively. [65]:175, The four forks of the Eel and their tributaries provide many opportunities for whitewater kayaking and rafting on their upper sections. Some fish spawned below Dyerville in the main Eel River starting in late November, but at very low densities and they likely numbered just a few hundred. Eel River - Fortuna, CA. Most of these areas were appropriated for agriculture and grazing land. A popular run is from Dos Rios to Alderpoint with Class II–III rapids, taking three to four days to run, depending on how many side tributaries are explored. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has operated a Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) device on the main Eel above Dyerville for the last two years. These dams would have been far bigger than those of the Potter Valley Project, and would create some of the largest reservoirs in California. At the small Cape Horn Dam about 15 miles (24 km) east of Willits, water is diverted from the Eel River basin through a 1-mile (1.6 km) tunnel to the Russian River, in a scheme known as the Potter Valley Project. Humboldt Redwoods State Park leads paddle trips along that stretch of the river. Before industrial development in the 1800s, many native tribes relied on the river's abundant runs of salmon and steelhead. The Eel River watershed is located entirely in the California Coast Ranges. © Kym Kemp. It surprised me because I knew we hadn’t had any rain, so how could there be floods? This fall, at the end of October, I was flying back to Humboldt from Southern California. The river cuts in a northwesterly direction across Humboldt County, past a number of small mountain communities including Fort Seward. Who needs stinkin’ facts? The Eel River basin has also been a significant source of timber since the days of early settlement and continues to support a major logging sector. At Fortuna, the river turns west across the coastal plain and enters the Pacific via a large estuary in central Humboldt County, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Eureka.[11]. Although the damming would have relieved pressure on California's overburdened water systems, it stirred up decades of controversy, as some of the proposals made little economic sense and would have been detrimental to an ailing salmon run. You’re the idiots who have caused this problem-its on YOUR liberal backs for the continual loss of fish populations. The region remained little traveled until 1850, when Josiah Gregg and his exploring party arrived in search of land for settlement. They used to exist on the east coast down to Chesapeake bay and south of San Francisco on the west coast. ITS A MARKETABLE PRODUCT. "[24]:170–171, The Eel River was named in 1850 during the California Gold Rush by an exploring party led by Josiah Gregg. [51] About 1,550 acres (630 ha) consist of undeveloped wetlands while 5,500 acres (2,200 ha) have been converted to agriculture. Hey, all the wells your politicians allow aren’t much better. Squawfish and pot growers. After the state legislature approved both bills, the final decision fell to Reagan, who signed the Behr bill, again in favor of the conservationists. Although the portion south of Willits was reopened in 2006, the section between Willits and Samoa, which includes the entire Eel River portion of the tracks, is unlikely to ever be returned to service. [7] The river also carries the highest suspended sediment load of any river of its size in the United States, in part due to the frequent landslides in the region. [35] The Eel River drainage area was directly in the storm's path. Our main objective is decommissioning and removing the two dams in the Eel River headwaters. Huge corporations dumping poisons into the waterways choking off salmon @ all stages of their life. The delta would be salt water !! ERRP will be pursuing forest health grant funds to thin forests in order to help restore stream flow. When I first started fishing the Eel River in 2000, it was a sad story. has occurred here currently. Thus, there is an unusually high genetic similarity between summer-run and winter-run steelhead in the Eel River system, in contrast to other rivers in the Western United States. When they are gone, they are gone forever…, Say it like it is , Chinook salmon are are going extinct due to the 3 nuclear meltdowns on the edge of the Pacific. [59], The federal United Western Investigation study in 1951 proposed multiple large dams on the wild North Coast rivers of California, including the Eel River. [69][70] There is wilderness camping above Lake Pillsbury on both branches, the Rice Fork and Eel River, (also known as South Eel because it is south of the lake), which have plenty of swimming holes and camp sites. From Alderpoint to Eel Rock is a class I–II float during June, with many beaches suitable for camping. This program is designed to describe the regional status of SONCC coho salmon in coastal watersheds, including the SF Eel River (Adams et al. We are managing sea lions under a couple dams in the northwest now. After damaging floods in 1955, these dams also received support for potential flood-control benefits. Ask people that don’t fish regularly if they ever seen a river reverse direction in flow when the tide changes. In 1911 noted American engineer John B. Leonard designed Fernbridge, a 1,320 feet (400 m) all concrete arched bridge at the site of an earlier ferry crossing. The Middle Fork is also Wild and Scenic from its confluence with the Eel to the boundary of the Yolla Bolly–Middle Eel Wilderness. For the past two seasons in the Eel River, Fish and Wildlife along with Trout Unlimited, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have switched over to a sonar system — Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) to tally up the … [14], Anadromous fish populations have continued to decline since the 1960s; in 2010, only 3,500 salmon and steelhead returned to the river to spawn. The only thing that’s changed the game. Lampetra tridentata, Sacramento sucker, threespine stickleback, Pacific staghorn sculpin, Coastrange sculpin and prickly sculpin. Flows were too late to expand distribution into upper Tenmile Creek, which has some of the most productive spawning areas in the Eel River watershed, We need to control watershed erosion through road improvement and decommissioning, to heal riparian zones and to restore watershed hydrology to limit damaging flood peaks and improve base-flows. This allowed access to prime spawning beds upstream as far as the Eel River Guard Station, and in tributaries Williams Creek and the Black Butte River. Donation amount $ 0.00 $5 $25 $50 $100 … And our cattle ranches are slipping into history. The party split in two and the survivors returned to San Francisco from where ships left to settle Humboldt Bay in early 1850, bringing lumber and supplies from San Francisco. [61]:272 Major dams proposed in the watershed included ones at English Ridge, Bell Springs and Sequoia (Alderpoint) on the main stem, and the infamous Dos Rios on the Middle Fork. That problem is in your own backyard. Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead trout spawning ground surveys have been completed since 2010 in SF Eel River streams, as part of the CMP program. 2011). The trend is going down like a lightning bolt, and it’s one of the saddest things about this part of the country, Remember when the tangerine guy said that that were just diverting the water into the ocean and sees no reason to let it go to waste. The lower Eel River at Scotia measured 65 cfs on October 20. Below the South Fork the Eel flows through a wider agricultural valley, past Scotia and Rio Dell, before receiving the Van Duzen River from the east. [50], The Eel River forms a 7-mile (11 km) long estuary west of Fortuna, which has been identified as one of the most important and sensitive estuaries on the West Coast. Salmon fishing should be extremely limited or banned. In the Eel River basin, redwoods can be found further inland than other parts of the northern California coast because of the wide lower valley of the river, which acts like a funnel conducting moist air eastwards from the coast. Salmon canneries flourished on the lower Eel between the 1870s and the 1920s, and declined thereafter because of decreasing runs caused by overfishing and other manmade environmental changes. CDFW and Cal Trout found that the main pulse of Chinook salmon occurred in association with the rain just after Thanksgiving, but there was no late pulse of new fish as additional rains came. The Eel River offers year-round fishing opportunities, with fall and winter salmon and steelhead runs being the best known. The deepest flood waters were nearly 70 feet (21 m) above the normal river level. The South Fork Eel River joins from the west, near Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the town of Weott. The Eel River has received both state (1972) and federal (1981) wild and scenic river designation, which protects the river … They crossed the Eel River on their way south where they traded a broken frying pan to the local fishermen in exchange for a large number of Pacific lamprey, which they mistook for eels. [66]:135–137, There are also many miles of river suitable for flatwater boating in the downstream sections of both the mainstem Eel and the South Fork. Redwood Salmon Stickers $3.00 ... and communities. Meanwhile we have an international air travel system that thinks it’s okay to burn huge quantities of fuel flying all over the globe with empty planes, because the airlines don’t want to lose their space. Times are changing in the world of salmon assessment on the Eel River as technology provides more accurate counts than people can, with sonar in the river and drones in the sky. The Eel River originates on the southern flank of 6,740-foot (2,050 m) Bald Mountain, in the Upper Lake Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest in Mendocino County. [39] That beaver were once native to the Eel River watershed is supported by the name of a tributary of the Middle Fork Eel River, Beaver Creek. I couldn’t find any new articles but here’s an old one. Dam releases are now timed to mimic natural flows in the Eel River system. Reality tells me you PUKES will scream and yell and waggle around in your salmon Cal Trout operated a similar unit on the lower South Fork Eel River and found only about 2,000 Chinook in 2019–2020, versus 3,800 last year. They are taking over the rivers and Delta. [6] The river and its tributaries support at least 15 species of native freshwater fish. The river provides groundwater recharge, recreation, and industrial, agricultural and municipal water supply.[6]. Its a big What IF?? In the Mediterranean climate of its basin, almost all precipitation falls in the winter and wet season flows can be enormous, while the summer and early autumn provide only minimal precipitation, if any, allowing the sometimes mighty river to slow to a trickle. We need to control watershed erosion through road improvement and decommissioning, to heal riparian zones and to restore watershed hydrology to limit damaging flood peaks and improve base-flows. Logging practices for decades filled in the river bed with silt,seen the photos myself of the 2 and 3 mast ships coming up the river to Redway. Chinook start coming into the river … Tired for all these politicians However, redwood groves are still most common in the drainage area of the South Fork Eel River, which lies closest to the Pacific. What the hell ever happened to common sense ??? The railroad has been out of service since 1998 due to concerns of flooding damage.