The Yurok Tribe, the largest Indian Tribe in California, is urging Yurok Citizens and Allies to voice their support for a plan to manage the Trinity River, the largest tributary of the Klamath River, in a “more holistic manner.”
In a statement issued yesterday, the Tribe said it “fully supports the Trinity River Winter Flow Variability Action.”
“If approved, the Action will allow water managers to shift some of the water normally released from Lewiston Dam in late spring to the winter and early spring,” the Tribe stated. “Releasing more water in winter and early spring, when juvenile salmon are rearing in the upper Trinity, better mimics the river’s natural flow regime.”
“With higher flows during these critical time periods, the Klamath's largest tributary will more closely resemble the river that salmon, steelhead and other fish species evolved in over the course of millennia. In terms of improving salmon production and the overall health of the ecosystem, the Winter Flow Variability Action represents one of the best opportunities to facilitate positive change,” the Tribe wrote.
“The current flow management plan creates artificial river conditions that diminish juvenile salmon’s ability to recognize natural cues to migrate to the ocean. By the time the fish out-migrate, the Klamath is too warm and water quality is extremely poor. In addition to fish, this strategic approach to water management will benefit many other aquatic and terrestrial creatures, such as turtles and amphibians, whose lifecycles also revolve around the conditions in the river. The fall and summer flows would not change under the proposed plan,” the Tribe continued.
The Yurok Fisheries Department contributed to and thoroughly analyzed the proposal to manage the Trinity “in a more holistic manner,” the Tribe noted. The Trinity River Restoration Program, comprised of tribal, state and federal agencies, proposed the new flow schedule and the US Bureau of Reclamation will determine if it is implemented.
The Tribe urged people to voice their support for the Trinity River Winter Flow Variability Action by sending a letter to the US Bureau of Reclamation before 5pm on October 21, 2021.
Comments can be emailed to fgutermuth@usbr.gov or mailed to Winter Flow Variability Project, C/O Bureau of Reclamation, Trinity River Restoration Program, P.O. Box 1300, Weaverville, CA 96093. For additional information, please visit: https://www.trrp.net/resto.../flows/winter-flow-variability/
Sample Letter of Support
To whom it may concern,
Please immediately approve the proposed Trinity River Winter Flow Variability Action. The new water management plan will result in a flow regime that better imitates a free-flowing river and provides the conditions salmon and steelhead need to flourish. Currently, the Trinity River wild salmon and steelhead populations are a small fraction of their former size.
We need to do everything possible to transform the river back into a more natural state and restore these critically important fish runs. Elevating the winter and early spring flows will greatly improve conditions for salmon as well as every other species that evolved in the Trinity River watershed. Please do not hesitate to approve this proposal to make the river more suitable for native fish and wildlife.