<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
h2
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 2 Char";
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:18.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:windowtext;
font-weight:bold;}
span.Heading2Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 2 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 2";
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
font-weight:bold;}
span.pipe1
{mso-style-name:pipe1;}
p.date1, li.date1, div.date1
{mso-style-name:date1;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";}
span.z-TopofFormChar
{mso-style-name:"z-Top of Form Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"z-Top of Form";
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
display:none;}
span.georgia3
{mso-style-name:georgia3;}
span.isdefault2
{mso-style-name:isdefault2;}
span.verdana3
{mso-style-name:verdana3;}
span.times3
{mso-style-name:times3;}
span.arial3
{mso-style-name:arial3;}
span.z-BottomofFormChar
{mso-style-name:"z-Bottom of Form Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"z-Bottom of Form";
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
display:none;}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:1374191593;
mso-list-template-ids:678091232;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:\F0B7;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Editorial<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Where
are the salmon solutions?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=date1><span style='font-size:8.0pt'>Monday, March 16, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.5pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>First it was a one-year ban, and now it's
likely to be a second year with virtually no salmon fishing in California's
ocean waters. This losing streak may continue if a predicted bare minimum of
returning fish don't swim up the Sacramento River this fall. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>The affected interest groups - commercial
fishermen, sports and environmental groups, plus government agencies - are
showing remarkable patience and discipline in going along with a costly,
job-killing timeout. It's a united front built on the hope that once-plentiful
stocks will return.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>But other than keeping fish hooks out of the
water, where are the solutions to this crisis? This week there may be answers
when a federal study is released on the decline.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>So far, the explanations have ranged across a
spread of human intrusions: pesticide runoff, water diversions and bankside
development. There's another culprit that's drawn special attention: changing
ocean currents that have carried off the food that sustain young fish to
maturity. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>But nature's hand gives Sacramento an easy
pass. For years the state Fish and Game Department has been starved of wardens,
who monitor illegal water diversions and poaching. By one count there are 200
to cover the entire state, a figure so small it invites law-breaking.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>Also, the department staff oversees building
plans and timber cuts in river corridors. With fewer hands, this work can't be
done carefully. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>Salmon may live a hazardous life at sea where
forage is scarce, but none of the young fish will ever get there if
salmon-rearing conditions in the Sacramento and scores of other rivers and
creeks aren't protected. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>This neglect has lasted for years, and it
didn't begin with this year's monumental budget battle. But it can't be allowed
to continue for the health of either the salmon or the California Department of
Fish and Game. A stable funding source must be found. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>A state Assembly hearing last week in
Sacramento heard these arguments from legal and environmental voices. There are
plenty of laws, policy studies and scientific advice on easing the salmon
crisis, these experts said. What's needed is resolve and money, much of it
directed to the state's wildlife agencies, to produce results. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style='line-height:21.0pt'><b>Unless this commitment is found, an iconic
fish - and the human industry built around it - could slowly die out.
California can't allow its native salmon to be a memory.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker, JcT</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends
of Trinity River</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>PO Box 2327</span></i><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Mill Valley, CA
94942-2327</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810
land</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810
cell</span></i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"><span style='color:blue'>bwl3@comcast.net</span></a></span></i></b><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><span style='color:blue'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>(secondary)</span></i><b><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="http://fotr.org/"><span style='color:blue'>http://www.fotr.org</span></a>
</span></i></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>