Category Archives: Wildlife

Fire, Fish, safety, Water, Wildlife

Lightning strikes cause fires, concern for Cal Fire

A wave of lightning strikes swept across parts of Northern California Thursday, touching off flames and causing concern more fires could erupt as temperatures warm next week.

“We’ve had over 500 lightning strikes in Northern California in the last six hours,” Cal Fire spokesman Brice Bennett said early Thursday evening, as dispatchers monitored lightning strikes at the Amador-El Dorado Unit’s joint operations center in Camino.

“Butte’s had a couple strikes and the fire has actually grown to over 20 acres,” Bennett added.

The biggest concern is that strike-caused fires would keep burning, even as rain continues to fall.

“So, we’re seeing lightning-sparked fires, with rain, grow. And that’s a cause of concern for us,” Bennett said. “Some of the units in Northern California have activated their lightning plan due to the number of strikes and the fires they are finding from these strikes.”

Up the South Fork of the American River to the east, camper Rebekah Huitema recalled the arrival of thunder and lightning there.

“I screamed like a little girl,” Huitema said. “It was right here. You could almost feel the pulse from it.”

More at: News10.net >>>

Fish, History, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Scientists find a way to reduce mercury in wetlands

Scientists have found new ways to reduce mercury in wetlands, providing hope that Sacramento-area waterways can be decontaminated of the potentially toxic element that dates back to Gold Rush-era mining activities.

The new research, published recently in Environmental Science and Technology, found that dosing wetlands with two chemicals, iron or aluminum salts, was successful in removing mercury from wetlands.

Researchers spent two years on the project and built nine wetlands on public land in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta at Twitchell Island. They applied water with aluminum salts to three wetlands, water with iron to another three and regular water to the last set of three, according to Tamara Kraus, a research soil scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey and a co-author of the study.

To determine the effects, researchers introduced mosquitofish. They found mercury levels in the mosquitofish decreased by 62 percent in wetlands dosed with aluminum salts and by 76 percent in wetlands where iron was used.

The mercury lingering in area rivers, creeks and wetlands dates back to the 19th century, when miners used the element to help extract gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Controlling mercury levels in area rivers, creeks and wetlands is a key health issue because many people continue to eat fish they catch from mercury-contaminated waters, despite advisories.

“The mercury levels are of concern to us because people are still fishing regularly out of the Delta,” said Sonney Chong, chairman of Capital, an umbrella organization representing the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

A 2013 assessment by the California Department of Public Health found that Hmong, Laotian and Cambodian residents are avid fishermen in the Delta, but that some have low awareness of the mercury issue.

“They’re feeding their family. It’s an outright source of food, so they’ve ignored the advisories,” Chong said.

Ingestion of mercury can lead to problems that include mental impairment and other developmental abnormalities, especially in fetuses and young children.

Mercury bioaccumulates in fish tissue and is passed up the food chain in greater quantities as larger fish eat small fish.

In 2011, a survey of 16 species of sport fish from 63 locations done by the State Water Resources Control Board found that fish caught in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed had higher concentrations of mercury than anywhere else in the state. The highest contamination was in fish high up the food chain – smallmouth and largemouth bass, striped bass and the Sacramento pikeminnow.

Contaminated river sites included the American River at Discovery Park and the south fork of the American River at Coloma. Fish tested from the San Joaquin River pier at Point Antioch and at Louis Park in Stockton also showed high mercury levels.

More at: SacBee.com >>>
Bike Trail, Fire, Rafting, safety, Water, Wildlife

Illegal camping sparks concerns about fires along American River Parkway

Pressure is mounting for Sacramento County to do more about illegal camping and potential fire danger along the American River Parkway.

“Move the homeless population out of the 12th Street corridor,” said Mike Rushford of the American River Parkway Preservation Society.

Rushford was inspecting the charred-out remains of a fire in Sacramento’s urban forest, the American River Parkway.

Illegal homeless campsites “threaten this big open preserve here,” Rushford said.

“A month from now, this would just burn all the way to the Woodlake area,” Rushford said. “This year, because it’s the fourth year of a very bad drought, could be the year that we get that catastrophic fire that we all fear so much.”

Preservationists like Rushford are increasingly concerned about illegal campsites and the growing risk of fires caused by transients.

Last year a KCRA 3 investigation revealed the Sacramento Fire Department fought 85 fires over a four-mile stretch along the American River between Discovery Park and Cal Expo.

On Tuesday along the American River Parkway, KCRA 3 discovered a wide array of tents, camping gear and even barbecue grills in open display.

Sacramento County park rangers on patrol told one illegal camper to move out. “I just got here,” said the homeless man.

Park rangers last year discovered more than 1,100 illegal campsites and issued 756 citations.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fire, safety, Wildlife

Intentional fires will be set near Cal Expo burn area

A series of wildland fires will return to the same area of the American River Parkway where a massive blaze burned last year on July 4.

The fires will be intentionally set in the area near Cal Expo as part of a multi-agency fire training session.

Fire officials are getting the word out about the potential for smoky conditions to avoid a flood of calls that would likely be made to 911 operators.

If the conditions are not too windy, the first training fire is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning, a Sacramento City Fire Department spokesman said.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Boating, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Water release from Folsom Lake designed to help Delta

The Bureau of Reclamation increased water flows from Folsom Dam early Wednesday morning.

The wind, tides and lack of water in the Delta have become a concern for the Bureau.

“All of those things have come to a head right now and there are salinity issues in the Delta that need to be managed by increasing the releases out of Folsom,” said Erin Curtis, the spokesperson for the Bureau’s Mid-Pacific Region. “The important place to make the releases right now is Folsom.”

The Bureau increased the flow from 1,250 cubic feet per second (CFS) to 1,500 CFS.

By releasing more water from Folsom Lake into the river system, the river has a better ability to keep the salinity out of the Delta.

But the increased flows mean Folsom Lake is dropping fast.

More at KCRA.com >>>

Bike Trail, Fire, safety, Wildlife

County prepares American River Parkway for busy fire season

Sacramento County is preparing the American River Parkway for what could be a busy fire season.

Park staff are mapping, painting and testing all the fire hydrants in the parkway. Fire breaks are being cleared and the trees trimmed to improve access for fire vehicles.

The staff is also mapping and painting all the gates to their parks.

It’s all an effort to help manage the fire risk.

“The quicker we can access it the quicker we can get water on the fire or start putting a line around the fire, to control it earlier,” said Michelle Eidam, a captain with Sac Metro Fire.

“If a fire is growing quickly and it’s moving fast, it’s putting the people and homes around here in huge danger,” Eidam said. “Every second really counts to get to the fire get contained and get in check before it does reach homes or businesses.”

More at KCRA.com >>>

Bike Trail, History, Wildlife

See A Feathery Dozen Near The American River

With its bike trails, horse trails and footpaths through unspoiled forests and parkland and along stretches of both rocky and sandy riverbanks, the American River Parkway is an inspired choice to walk, run, fish and ride your bike for miles and miles in natural surroundings.

But it’s also a great place to simply slow down and look around, taking stock of the natural world in many ways.

Wildlife to see includes graceful deer, cunning coyotes, industrious beavers, pesky ground squirrels and, yes, cold-blooded rattlesnakes that slither through rocks and grasses – and occasionally across the bike trail – in search of a pint-sized, warm-blooded meal.

Every so often, a mountain lion creates a stir by wandering onto the property and, more often than not, just as quickly disappearing into more remote areas.

In many ways, however, it is the vibrant, eclectic bird life that defines the parkway with music and color. Some birds forage. Some hunt. Some are hunted. They come in small, medium, large and extra large. They are cute and scary. They whistle. They sing. They honk. They squawk.

What follows is a list of 12 birds to go see and appreciate. Argue if you will about which birds we didn’t include. There is no better time to get out there and see the birds. The weather is not yet hot. The days are long. And many of the birds are mating and nesting.

Just last weekend we spotted the first mother goose of the season leading her family of fuzzy little goslings across the bike trail. In the days ahead, you’re apt to witness the same thing with wild turkeys and, in a much different and speedier way, California quail.

More at SacBee.com >>>
News from Other Watersheds, safety, Wildlife

New Study Identifies Roadkill Hotspots In Sacramento Region

A detailed inventory of animals killed on area roads has identified 22 areas in the Sacramento region where drivers are most likely to encounter wildlife crossing a roadway.

The release of the report on roadkill hotspots is considered a crucial tool to help drivers avoid possible fatal accidents and is being seen as a guide for scientists and agencies who seek to protect endangered species and other wildlife that cross roads and freeways.

The report, authored by Fraser Shilling of the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, culled volunteer observer reports of such incidents from 2009-2014 to establish where collisions between cars and animals were occurring.

The region’s hotspots include several points along Interstate 80 and and I-5. One is a stretch of I-80 over the Yolo Bypass where bird strikes are common.

Another is a stretch of I-80 where the freeway and Highway 49 converge in Auburn near the American River, “where there is no opportunity to go under the highway,” said Shilling, “so wildlife will go over it.”

Between April 1, 2010, and March 30, 2013, there were 365 crashes involving wildlife, livestock and other animals in the state Department of Transportation’s District 3, said Caltrans spokesman Mark Dinger. The district includes Sacramento and 11 Northern California counties, covering I-80 from Davis to the California/Nevada state line and I-5 from north of Stockton to north of Orland.

Statewide, Caltrans inventoried 3,126 reported collisions involving animals, Dinger said.

One human fatality in Sacramento County has been attributed to a wildlife collision since 2006.

Shilling said the roadkill report was compiled with the help of 1,100 volunteer observers throughout the state, including himself. The survey is the most extensive database documenting animal and vehicle collisions in California.

“Last year it seems like there has been an increase in rate of deer getting hit,” said Shilling. He said observation of deer hit by autos more than doubled last year.

He speculates that the drought may have something to do with it.

“They’re moving around more,” said Shilling. “They get moisture from vegetation, and they were probably having a hard time getting enough to eat.”

Despite the increase in deer mortality, roadkill observations overall have gone down slightly this year, said Shilling.

He believes the decline is not reflective of animals avoiding roadways. Instead he believes that roadways are decreasing wildlife populations, resulting in fewer roadkill observations.

The roadway hotspot with the most animal deaths is State Route 70 near Portola Valley. That stretch of road had 343 animals from 25 species killed in the roadway.

Shilling said that the numbers are deceptive, as the large majority of encounters between cars and animals go unreported.

The actual mortality on freeways and highways and streets is “much, much higher than this report represents,” said Doug Long, one the most prolific observers contributing to the database, with more than 3,000 roadkill observations logged since the effort began six years ago. Long is professor of ecology and biology at St. Mary’s College.

During a drive from Riverside to Oakland, Long used a special application on his phone to log 80 different species of roadkill he encountered on the drive. These include a wide variety of species – from snakes to birds, he said.

“You have to remember that the data points in the report have been collected by people (who) represent a very small fraction of all the people in California,” said Long.

Long said it is likely that 99 percent of encounters between wildlife and vehicles are never recorded.

More at SacBee.com >>>
Bike Trail, Boating, Events, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

American River Parkway Spring Clean Up Is Set For This Saturday

There’s still time to volunteer to work at The Annual American River Parkway Spring Clean Up.

For the 9th year in a row, a spring clean-up of the 23-mile American River Parkway will happen this Saturday, April 11.

“With the water levels so low we have access to so much of the riverbed where so much trash is and if we can help remove that when it does rain and we get a normal precipitation the waterways will not be dirty.”-Dianna Poggetto with the American River Parkway Foundation says.

Poggetto says it goes from 9 to Noon and they’ll provide food and water:

More at KFBK.com >>>

Bike Trail, Boating, Fire, Fish, Rafting, safety, Salmon, Water, Wildlife

Governor Issues Mandatory Water Cuts As California Snowpack Hits Record Low

Standing in a dry brown meadow that typically would be buried in snow this time of year, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday ordered the first mandatory water cutbacks in California history, a directive that will affect cities and towns statewide.

With new measurements showing the state’s mountain snowpack at a record low, officials said California’s drought is entering uncharted territory and certain to extend into a fourth straight year. As a result, Brown issued sweeping new directives to reduce water consumption by state residents, including a mandatory 25 percent cut in urban water use.

On Wednesday, Brown attended a routine snow survey at 6,800 feet in the Sierra Nevada, near Echo Summit on Highway 50 along the road to Lake Tahoe. The April 1 survey is an annual ritual, marking the end of the winter season, in which automated sensors and technicians in the field strive to measure how much water the state’s farms and cities will receive from snowmelt.

The measurements showed the snowpack at just 5 percent of average for April 1, well below the previous record low of 25 percent, which was reached last year and in 1977.

California’s mountain snowpack is crucial to determining summer supplies, normally accounting for at least 30 percent of total fresh water available statewide. The poor snowpack means California reservoirs likely already have reached peak storage and will receive little additional runoff from snowmelt, an unusual situation.

“We’re standing on dry grass, and we should be standing in five feet of snow,” Brown said. “We’re in an historic drought, and that demands unprecedented action.”

Brown’s executive order directs California’s more than 3,000 urban water providers to collectively cut their water use by 25 percent compared with 2013. The State Water Resources Control Board is expected to impose the new restrictions by mid-May, setting a different target for each agency depending on how much water its customers use per capita and conservation progress since last year.

More at SacBee.com >>>