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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Well, it isn’t just the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">American</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType> and salmon, it’s also
steelhead and you can include the <st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento River</st1:place>
as well, to say nothing of the fate of the Delta. <st1:place w:st="on">Northern
California</st1:place> fisheries never have been so threatened. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>DELTA FISHERIES</span></font></b></strong><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Rewrite softens report on risks to fish</span></font></b></strong><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><strong><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Sacramento</span></font></b></strong></st1:place></st1:City><strong><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Bee -
10/2/04</span></font></b></strong><font size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>By Stuart Leavenworth, staff writer</span></font></b></strong><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Officials
at a federal fisheries agency ordered their biologists to revise a report on
salmon and other endangered fish so that more water can be shipped to <st1:place
w:st="on">Southern California</st1:place> from the Delta, according to
interviews and internal agency documents obtained by The Bee. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Biologists
with NOAA Fisheries, an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, concluded in August that a plan to pump more water through the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta could jeopardize endangered salmon and other fish.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>NOAA
administrators in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Long Beach</st1:place></st1:City>,
however, overruled the biologists and supervised a rewriting of their analysis.
That, in turn, removed the last major obstacle to a plan that could send more
water south, affecting how much is reserved in Northern California, including
for salmon in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">American</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>NOAA
officials say the revisions were justified. Agency biologists made some errors
and "unsubstantiated conclusions" in their original draft, said James
Lecky, an agency administrator in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Long
Beach</st1:place></st1:City> who ordered the revisions. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Some
agency employees, however, say some of the changes had no basis in science and
substantially weaken protections for endangered winter-run salmon, steelhead
trout and other fish. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>"I
haven't seen anything this bad at NOAA since working here," said one
agency biologist who asked that his name not be used. "The <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:place></st1:City> office (of
NOAA Fisheries) is totally demoralized." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>At issue
is a state-federal plan for operating the massive network of reservoirs,
aqueducts and pumping plants that move water around <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
and state Department of Water Resources are planning major changes for those
facilities, partly to free up water that can be shipped through the Delta. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service gave its blessing to the plan in August, but NOAA
Fisheries has sought extensions in releasing its own analysis. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Documents
obtained by The Bee explain why. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>In
August, NOAA biologists issued a draft stating that the plan "is likely to
jeopardize the continued existence of Sacramento winter-run Chinook salmon and
Central Valley Steelhead," as well as spring-run salmon. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
document outlined several measures the Bureau of Reclamation could adopt to
reduce impacts on fish, but the document was never signed. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Instead,
Lecky delivered the draft to his counterparts in the Bureau of Reclamation, who
offered suggestions on revisions, he said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Lecky
said such document sharing is commonplace as federal agencies undergo what is
known as a consultation under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA officials wanted
to ensure they had appropriately interpreted the bureau's plans, he said, and
receive feedback on their own analysis. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>A copy of
NOAA's latest draft, however, shows that administrators have altered the report
in ways that go beyond mere word changes. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
updated version, 289 pages and dated Sept. 27, no longer concludes that
winter-run salmon or other fish could face extinction by the extra water
diversions by state and federal facilities. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
report concludes that the new operations would likely reduce the juvenile
population of winter-run salmon by 5 percent to 22 percent, but says that
agencies can help minimize those losses by monitoring and adapting. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
latest version also softens the wording for how the Bureau of Reclamation can
avoid future impacts on fish. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>In the
original report, NOAA biologists called on the Bureau of Reclamation to reserve
450,000 to 600,000 acre-feet of water in Folsom Lake by September to provide
adequate supplies for returning salmon and steelhead. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
latest version changes the wording from "shall maintain" to
"shall target" the extra water. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>In
addition, the latest draft no longer calls for a minimum flow standard for the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, as the original did. The state
Water Resources Control Board called for an <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
flow standard in 1988, but federal officials haven't yet agreed to one. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>A former
state official who now works for a leading environmental group reviewed the two
versions and said he was stunned by the revisions. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>"The
September draft guts the minimal protections that were in the earlier
version," said Jonas Minton, a former deputy secretary for the Department
of Water Resources. "The new version includes commitments to talk instead
of commitments to protect fish." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Minton,
who now works for the Planning and Conservation League, agreed that supervisors
often make routine changes to a scientific document. "It's an entirely
different thing to change science for political purposes," he said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>In an
interview, NOAA's Lecky disputed that political appointees had pressed for
changes. Everything has been handled within NOAA's Southwest Regional Office in
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Long Beach</st1:place></st1:City>, he
said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Lecky
declined to comment further on the revisions, saying The Bee had obtained a
"predecisional document" that was subject to further review. Sources
say a final version could be released next week. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Formerly
known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA Fisheries enforces the
Endangered Species Act for fish that spend part of their lives in the ocean,
such as salmon. In recent years, NOAA has become embroiled in several
controversies over water allocations and fish. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>In 2002,
NOAA biologist Michael Kelly warned that the Reclamation Bureau's water plans
in <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State> could lead to fish kills downstream
on the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>. Later that year, warm
water and disease killed about 77,000 returning salmon, according to a report
by the California Department of Fish and Game. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Kelly
later resigned from NOAA after another disagreement with Lecky. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>In recent
months, the Bureau of Reclamation has been pushing to sign long-term contracts
with irrigation districts and finalize plans for shipping more water through
the Delta. Some of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>'s
most powerful groups - including the Chamber of Commerce, Westlands Water
District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California - are
lobbying for extra water. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Environmentalists
suspect this pressure prompted some of NOAA's recent actions, although they
acknowledge they can't prove it. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Bureau of
Reclamation officials say the public will have full opportunity to comment on
any changes in water operations. The Bureau and the Department of Water
Resources have scheduled an informational meeting in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:City></st1:place> on Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon at
the Best Western Expo Inn, <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">1413
Howe Ave.</st1:address></st1:Street># <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/10948842p-11866210c.html"
title="http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/10948842p-11866210c.html"><font
size=4 title="http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/10948842p-11866210c.html"><span
style='font-size:13.5pt'>http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/10948842p-11866210c.html</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><em><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Consultant, California Trout, Inc.</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'> 2327</span></font></i></em></st1:address><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">94942-2327</st1:PostalCode></span></font></i></em></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 ph</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810 ce</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</font></i></em></a><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"> (secondary)</font></i></em><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="http://www.fotr.org">http://www.fotr.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
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