BRIDGE OUT OF TROUBLED WATERS FISH LADDER AIMS TO RESTORE TROUT POPULATION.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer VENTURA - The opening of a fish ladder on the Ventura River The Ventura River is a river in Ventura County, California. The river forms at the confluence of Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija Creek, 15 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean. for the endangered Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, steelhead trout could help restore the fish to some spots, including the Santa Clara River Santa Clara River may refer to:
The $9 million ladder that opened last week makes Ventura County a focal point focal point n. See focus. for removing barriers to the steelheads, and it could help allow the fish population to grow and spread through the region, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. environmentalists and government officials who supported the project. ``The completion of this facility is one giant step,'' said Jim Edmondson, Southern California manager for the California Trout California Trout is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) conservation group dedicated to “protecting and restoring wild trout and steelhead waters throughout California”. organization, which works to protect and restore wild trout and steelhead and their waters throughout California. ``Now, we can take a deep breath and start working on some of the other areas like Malibu, the Santa Clara River and Santa Ynez.'' The fish passageway will allow the steelhead to get around the massive concrete Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
``This is exactly the kind of thing the steelhead need to get more numerous. It also demonstrates a commitment by local water agencies, state and federal agencies and community members to not debate problems but actually fix them,'' Edmondson said. Eric Miner, president of the Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by Fly Fishers, said he caught steelhead at the mouth of Malibu Creek years ago before it became illegal, and he would love to see their habitat restored. ``If there was a way to put in a fish ladder or make some kind of a change where the fish could re-enter re·en·ter also re-en·ter v. re·en·tered, re·en·ter·ing, re·en·ters v.tr. 1. To enter or come in to again. 2. To record again on a list or ledger. v.intr. the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. for spawning it would be great,'' he said. ``They are unbelievable. It's really exciting to have something that powerful at the end of your line.'' David Pritchett, program director for the Southern California Steelhead Coalition, said the new Casitas Municipal Water District fish ladder is a good example of what can be done, but more work is necessary, including installation of more weirs - small blockages - to create shallow pools for the fish to use making their way upstream Way Upstream is a play by Alan Ayckbourn. It was first performed in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, in the Round at the Stephen Joseph Theatre on 2 October 1981. CAST
``The steelhead are out there trying to swim up to the upper watersheds. They just can't get there,'' he said. ``I would like to see thousands of fish swimming again in the Ventura River within 20 years.'' Craig Fusaro, a member of the board of governors for the central coast region of California Trout, said efforts to restore the Southern California steelhead are focusing on three large river systems, including the Santa Ynez in Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Clara and Ventura rivers in Ventura County. ``They will be critical to the recovery of steelhead. If we can't get one of these rivers working well we have little hope of restoring the smaller creeks. This is not a sprint we're involved in here. This is a marathon process. It's not going to happen tomorrow. We're looking at decades here at least.'' Edmondson said that he hoped someday to see steelhead swimming past his home in Westlake Village, but he acknowledged there are a number of dams and other barriers between the ocean and Triunfo Creek, which feeds from Westlake down into Malibu. The Casitas Municipal Water District began the process of planning for the fish ladder on the Ventura River in 1996, the year before the Southern California steelhead was listed as an endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. . When California Trout officials felt there was not adequate progress, the group threatened to sue under the Endangered Species Act The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted to protect animal and plant species from extinction by preserving the ecosystems in which they survive and by providing programs for their conservation. and helped work out an agreement with the water agency. Edmondson and others said they believe building a core population in the Ventura River will be possible with the fish ladder and the planned destruction of Matilija Dam, which will allow the steelhead to get up into the mountains above Ojai. A large population of fish on the Ventura River will help restore steelhead in other watersheds in Southern California, partly because the fish also live in the ocean and are known to stray from one river to another. ``The Ventura River is ground zero for establishing a core population of steelhead,'' Edmondson said. Destruction of Matilija Dam will make it easier to go ahead with other projects such as removal of the Rindge Dam on Malibu Creek. The removal of the Rindge Dam is controversial particularly because of concerns of Malibu residents below, who fear the dam's removal could damage their property. Edmondson called the Rindge Dam a public nuisance public nuisance n. a nuisance which affects numerous members of the public or the public at large, as distinguished from a nuisance which only does harm to a neighbor or a few private individuals. , but acknowledged further study is needed on the potential impact of tearing it down. He said steelhead naturally want to get up streams into the mountain areas and don't like to use lower portions of streams closer to the ocean. ``They want to get up into the mountains. The single best thing we can do to restore populations is to remove barriers. It can be road crossings. Any man-made barrier the fish can't get past.'' In the Santa Clara River, the steelhead have been hurt by diversion of water for agricultural use, so changes would have to be made to allow more water for steelhead runs at times of peak flows during winter rains. ``In the past, steelhead were going up Santa Clara into Sespe Creek into the Condor Wilderness and Piru Creek up to Frazier Park,'' Edmondson said. It is hard to estimate, but experts say there were apparently thousands of steelhead in Southern California and there now appear to be only about 200 to 500. Edmondson said environmental restrictions already placed on land in the Malibu Creek area might help the steelhead there. Of the 109 square miles of the Malibu Creek Watershed in the Santa Monica Mountains, much of it is protected by state and federal agencies, conservation groups and open space restrictions on private property, he said. ``It's the most protected watershed south of Big Sur.'' Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) John Johnson, general manager of the Casitas Municipal Water District, looks at the new passageway that allows steelhead to get around the Robles Diversion Structure. (2 -- 3) James Word, president of the Casitas Municipal Water District, above, speaks Thursday at the grand opening of the fish passageway opened on the Ventura River, below, intended to restore endangered trout to areas. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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