Tonight on The Real Issue, we will first talk about an emergency effort to prevent the very extinction of the California salmon, not sometime in the future, but this year, as a result of the drought and mismanagement by the US Bureau of Reclamation.
Then, during the second half of the program, we will check in the Greater Chico Homeless Taskforce Angela McLaughlin about the lack of any real discussions at the Chico City Council meeting last night about extending the shelter crisis declaration, as well as a letter sent to the City Council threatening a new lawsuit respect to homelessness.
In a press release sent jointly by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), the California Water Impact Network (CWIN), and Save California Salmon (SCS), the three environmental protection organizations write:
“The Sacramento River’s iconic salmon runs are in imminent danger of extinction due to drought and irrational water policy. To avert a catastrophe, fisheries advocates have submitted an emergency water management plan to the State Water Resources Control Board.
Drafted by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), the California Water Impact Network (CWIN), and Save California Salmon (SCS), the plan will significantly reduce salmon-killing high temperature water releases from Shasta and Trinity reservoirs. It will also protect carryover storage in the event of another dry year.” End quote.
To talk about the severity of the problem and the plan to address this crisis, Tom Stokely of Save the Salmon is on the phone.
Tom Stokely served for 23 years as a Principal Planner with the Natural Resources Division of Trinity County, where he focused on Trinity River and Central Valley Project salmon and steelhead restoration. He was appointed by the Interior Secretary to represent Pacific Coast Federation of Fisheries Associations on a federal advisory committee for the Trinity River Restoration Program and served as vice-chairman and chairman until the Trump Administration dismantled the committee.
