PROTECTION HAS ITS PRICE ENDANGERED TOADS COULD DRY UP SOME PIRU CREEK FISHING.Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News A plan state water officials say will help save 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. of toad in Piru Creek Piru Creek is a large stream in northern Los Angeles County and western Ventura County, California. It is a tributary of the Santa Clara River, the largest stream system in Southern California that is still relatively natural. has upset local anglers, who say it will kill the wild trout population in the stream. The state plan calls for allowing the creek - one of the few year-round coldwater fisheries in 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, with a self-sustaining population of wild trout - to dry up in summer to protect endangered arroyo toads. To anglers like Joe Richey of Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , who has fished Piru Creek for years, that would be a tragedy. If the creek dries up, he said, the insects will die, eliminating a major food supply for the fish when the water returns. ``It's an incredible one-of-a-kind natural resource for Southern California and this proposal will just decimate dec·i·mate tr.v. dec·i·mat·ed, dec·i·mat·ing, dec·i·mates 1. To destroy or kill a large part of (a group). 2. Usage Problem a. it,'' Richey said. State water officials say they have no choice because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is in charge of protecting the endangered toads, has demanded that the water flows out of Pyramid Dam Pyramid Dam with Pyramid Lake is a part of the California Aqueduct, as is its neighboring Castaic Lake and dam which lies seven miles (10 km) south. Located in northern Los Angeles County, California USA north of Castaic and south of Gorman it is the smaller - relatively be allowed to dry up in summer. A federal official, however, says that's not true. Don Reck, deputy field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, denies his agency has required an end to the minimum summer flows that sustain the wild trout. ``We have not demanded that occur,'' said Reck. ``We do want to coordinate with the state and through that process reach a proper balance between salmonids (trout) and the well being of the toads. That's a normal process.'' Reck said that it was unscheduled DWR DWR Design Within Reach DWR Department of Water Resources DWR Direct Web Remoting (Easy Ajax for Java) DWR Durable Water Repellency DWR Delayed Word Recall (medical testing) DWR Driving While Revoked water releases from Pyramid Dam in the past that hurt the toad population and caught his agency's attention, not the minimum summer flows that the DWR is trying to eliminate. The state's plan, contained in a draft environmental impact report by the California Department of Water Resources History 1850-1875 California recognizes many types of water rights. These rights have developed with the State over time. Prior to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, California was part of Mexico. (DWR), calls for managing stream flows to mimic Mother Nature, which means the creek will run dry in drought years. ``The proposed project would result in direct, adverse impacts to anglers,'' admits the report. Stocking additional hatchery hatchery a commercial establishment dedicated to the hatching of bird eggs to provide day old chicks and poults to the poultry industry. hatchery liquid the contents of unfertilized eggs. Used in petfood manufacture. fish, 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. the report, would make up for the loss of wild fish. Anglers and the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council) DFG Department of Fish and Game DFG District Factor Group DFG Data Flow Graph DFG Difference Frequency Generation DFG Diode Function Generator DFG Dog Faced Gremlin ) say there's a big difference between wild trout and planted fish. The water agency's stated reason for reducing summer water flows is to help the endangered southwestern arroyo toad from predation predation Form of food getting in which one animal, the predator, eats an animal of another species, the prey, immediately after killing it or, in some cases, while it is still alive. Most predators are generalists; they eat a variety of prey species. by other invasive species such as bullfrogs, which benefit from the summer stream flows. But some question whether that is simply an excuse to turn off the water to save money. The plan has drawn the ire of fly anglers and CalTrout because Piru Creek is one of the few places to fly fish for wild trout in Southern California. Part of the stream is managed as special catch-and-release water by the DFG. Piru Creek is located along the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties adjacent to Interstate 5 north of Santa Clarita. The middle portion of the creek below Pyramid Dam flows into Piru Lake reservoir. When Pyramid Dam was built, the DWR promised to maintain a coldwater fishery below the dam in its license agreement. That requires maintaining minimum stream flows in the dry summer months. But it appears the water agency has been looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a way to break that promise for nearly a decade. According to a 1996 interoffice in·ter·of·fice adj. Transmitted or taking place between offices, especially those of a single organization: an interoffice memo; interoffice conferences. memo between employees of the United Water Conservation District, which manages Lake Piru, the DWR had been considering abolishing the middle Piru Creek fishery, which was costing the DWR $1 million a year. In a handwritten hand·write tr.v. hand·wrote , hand·writ·ten , hand·writ·ing, hand·writes To write by hand. [Back-formation from handwritten.] Adj. 1. note on the memo, James Kentosh, manager of operations for the water district, wrote, ``We managed to (anger) DWR and now they're trying to take it out on the poor trout.'' This year's intense winter storms mean that middle Piru Creek will likely continue to flow this summer. But the creek could dry up in future years if the proposed flow plan is implemented. Dwayne Maxwell, a fishery biologist with the Department of Fish and Game, said the action to save toads is behind the plan, but economic costs to the DWR also play a role and that the state water agency has wanted to cut off the summer flows for many years. ``It saves them water,'' said Maxwell. ``If it saves them water then it saves them money.'' Maxwell said the DFG is caught in a difficult situation and is unhappy about the prospect of losing another wild-trout fishery in Southern California. ``The problem is that there aren't very many coldwater fisheries in Southern California so trying to establish one out of thin air is not very realistic,'' said Maxwell. ``Increasing hatchery production is not an alternative. It doesn't do anything to mitigate for the loss of the wild trout population.'' Maxwell added the plan to save the toads hasn't received a lot of critical review by other scientists. A potential complication is that another federal agency is considering the possibility of declaring middle Piru Creek ``critical habitat'' for another federally listed endangered species - the steelhead trout. The National Marine Fisheries Service The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine is responsible for the plan to save the sea-going steelhead trout which rely on freshwater streams to reproduce. Piru Creek and its tributaries above Santa Felicia Dam may be essential to the conservation of the steelhead according to a report published by the fisheries service in the Federal Register. Jim Edmondson of CalTrout said the DWR failed to consider the steelhead in its environmental report and the plan may also violate state laws by eliminating the coldwater fish habitat. Although the period for commenting on the state plan ended Jan. 7, changing the flows will require a change in the dams' federal license and that will create another opportunity for anglers and other interested parties to comment on the proposal. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Piru Creek could be dry this summer if a plan to save an endangered toad proposed by state water officials goes into effect. (2) Arroyo toads are an endangered species and their survival could affect anglers who like to fish for wild trout in the summer months at Piru Creek. (3) An angler enjoys fishing at Piru Creek. State officials are proposing a plan to force the stream to be dry in the summer. Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News |
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