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<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Trinity River</span></font></b></st1:place><b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'> projects to be aired<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3105869">http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3105869</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Wednesday, October 12, 2005</span> </span></font><b><font
size=4><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>John Driscoll <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>With one
significant river rehab project nearly complete, the Trinity River
Restoration Program is preparing to launch another suite of efforts aimed at
improving fisheries. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The four new
projects involve removing vegetation from the banks of the <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place> near Canyon Creek, knocking down the streamside berm and
lowering the flood plain. Some backwater channels and channels to accommodate
high water will also be formed in the approximately 6 miles between <st1:City
w:st="on">Junction City</st1:City> and <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Helena</st1:place></st1:City>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>”We’re
taking the handcuffs off the river,” said program senior scientist Rod
Wittler. “We’re allowing it to be a river again.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Since the
Lewiston Dam and diversion project was completed in the 1960s, the vast
majority of the upper watershed’s water has been sent to the Sacramento
River, where it’s pumped to <st1:place w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:place>
farms. A 2000 decision signed by former U.S. Interior Department Secretary
Bruce Babbitt ordered roughly half the water to flow down the river to aid
its ailing fishery. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The Hoopa Valley
Tribe successfully fought off irrigators’ legal challenges to that
decision, and work on the river began in full swing last year. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>During wet
years, the program intends to use high flows -- in combination with
mechanically prepared areas -- to reshape the river. The goal is to create
more rearing habitat, Wittler said, areas where young salmon can grow before
migrating to the Klamath River and out to sea. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>There will be
effects on species like turtles, frogs and birds that shelter or nest in the
streamside vegetation the program will remove. But the change is likely to be
temporary, Wittler said. The projects are being done in phases, and riparian
vegetation will be replanted farther from the river channel, he said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>This
year’s Hocker Flat project has gone more quickly than expected, Wittler
said, with the contractor able to use more efficient equipment than was first
believed necessary. The lessons learned from that $800,000 effort may help
drop costs for the Canyon Creek projects, which are estimated to be around
$1.3 million altogether. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Mike Orcutt,
senior biologist with the Hoopa Tribe, said he’s concerned that the
science and monitoring elements of the projects won’t be fully funded
in an era of tight budgets. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>”Our
general sense is that a lot of the construction was taking a higher priority,
and that may be all right,” Orcutt said. “But if we lose some of
the monitoring programs ... where’s the money going to come
from?” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>A notice of
preparation for a draft environmental impact report and environmental
assessment for the projects has been filed for the projects at Conner Creek,
Valdor Gulch, Elk Horn and Pear Tree. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>A scoping
meeting will be held on Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Junction City Community
Hall, <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">71 Dutch Creek Road</st1:address></st1:Street>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Comments must be
received by Nov. 7, and should be sent to Brandt Gutermuth, Trinity River
Restoration Program, <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">P.O. Box
1300</st1:Street>, <st1:City w:st="on">Weaverville</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">CA</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">96093</st1:PostalCode></st1:address>,
or e-mailed to <a href="mailto:bgutermuth@mp.usb">bgutermuth@mp.usb</a>r.gov.
For further information or to receive a copy of the NOP, contact Gutermuth at
(530) 623-1806, or Dean Prat at (707) 576-2801. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>For more
information, go to <a href="http://www.trrp.net">http://www.trrp.net</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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