DAILY DIGEST: Private woodlands lost to California wildfire — and may not be replaced; Department of Interior: Set social media profanity filter on strong; Plastic may be in water after Camp Fire; Big numbers of fall chinook salmon return to Mokelumne River; and more …

In California water news today, Private woodlands lost to California wildfire — and may not be replaced; Department of Interior: Set social media profanity filter on strong — shutdown plan; Rare lily habitat to be preserved in forestry land sold to state; Plastic may be in water after Camp Fire; Novato wetlands project cleared for $5.7M infusion; Big numbers of fall chinook salmon return to Mokelumne River; Scripps scientists study tide pools, sea cliffs, with ocean protection grants; and more …

In the news today …

Private woodlands lost to California wildfire — and may not be replaced: “Tens of thousands of acres of private woodlands in California are being gobbled up by wildfires as the state gets warmer, winters get shorter and fuel gets drier — and these dense stands of burned trees, crucial in the fight against global warming, are often lost forever.  The fires, larger and more damaging each year, pose a major threat to the state’s 33 million acres of forested land, 40 percent of which is on private property. But they are especially problematic for the individuals and families who own a cumulative 9 million acres of heavily wooded property in the state. … ”  Read more from the SF Chronicle here:  Private woodlands lost to California wildfire — and may not be replaced

Department of Interior: Set social media profanity filter on strong — shutdown plan: “With its onetime leader now effectively out the door, the Interior Department is quietly turning to a 2017 set of contingency plans to navigate the next government shutdown.  What this means for specific bureaus, offices and individuals remains somewhat opaque, even to those within the department of about 70,000 employees.  Unlike the Energy Department and other agencies, Interior has not yet received its fiscal 2019 funding. And unlike EPA, Interior has no apparent intention of staying completely open with the use of carry-over funds.  A number of Interior elements, though, will keep operating.  “Please do not turn off comments on any social media platforms,” Interior’s guidance states. “If a platform has a profanity filter, please make sure it is set to strong.” … ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Department of Interior: Set social media profanity filter on strong — shutdown plan

In regional news and commentary today …

Rare lily habitat to be preserved in forestry land sold to state: “The recent sale of 132 acres of wetland and Sitka spruce forest to the State of California by Hambro Group means the land will now be preserved and a rare species of lily will be allowed to thrive. Gordon Leppig, senior environmental scientist supervisor at the Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the land will be incorporated into the Crescent City Wildlife area and managed for CDFW purposes. He called the area, “an odd and unusual fen habitat,” which currently has a number of rare plants, including the largest population of federally-listed Western Lily …. ”  Read more from the Del Norte Triplicate here:  Rare lily habitat to be preserved in forestry land sold to state

Salt River restoration project celebrates success:  “The Salt River Restoration Project celebrated the re-connection of Francis Creek with the Salt River Saturday. It’s a community effort in Ferndale that has been reducing flood risk and reconnecting aquatic habitats.  Francis Creek accounts for about 25% of the Salt River watershed, and is a very important tributary. In reconnecting the two aquatic systems, sediment has been removed from Port Kenyon and Francis Creek. ... ”  Read more from KIEM here:  Salt River restoration project celebrates success

Plastic may be in water after Camp Fire:  “A trio of tiny salamander species could mean big trouble for federal officials spearheading a controversial $1.4 billion project to raise the Shasta Dam in Northern California.  Two environmental organizations — the Center for Biological Diversity and the Environmental Protection Information Center — filed a federal lawsuit last month asking a judge to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the Shasta salamanders should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.  The Center for Biological Diversity asked the wildlife service in 2012 to declare the amphibians either endangered or threatened, but the agency never made a decision, said Jenny Loda, an attorney for the environmental group. … ”  Read more from KRCR here:  Plastic may be in water after Camp Fire

Santa Rosa: Owners give up developmental rights to protect critical watershed land in Mark West:  “Ambling through a forest on his rural Mark West area property, Ray Krauss bent over to pinch a fir tree sprout and pull it from the rain-damp ground. If the tiny green seedling grew much larger, Krauss would have to nip it with pruning shears, and were it to become a substantial tree he would fell it with a chainsaw.  But the 76-year-old retiree, who wears a bright red bicycle cap to keep his bald head warm, is considered a patron saint — not a plunderer — of the 63 acres of critical watershed land he has stewarded for nearly half a century. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here:  Owners give up developmental rights to protect critical watershed land in Mark West

Novato wetlands project cleared for $5.7M infusion: A habitat restoration project seeking to restore nearly 1,600 acres of wetlands near Bel Marin Keys in Novato advanced this month with the approval of a $5.7 million state and federal agreement.  Under the agreement, the California Coastal Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are slated to bring dredge materials to three Bay Area restoration projects, including to what will be the largest portion of the nearly 20-year-old Hamilton wetlands restoration project.  Authorized by Congress in 1999, the state and federal project has restored close to 1,000 acres of ecologically valuable tidal marshlands at the Hamilton Air Base as of 2014. … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here:  Novato wetlands project cleared for $5.7M infusion

Big numbers of fall chinook salmon return to Mokelumne River:  “The Mokelumne River Hatchery in Clements is hosting the return of big numbers of fall-run Chinook salmon from the ocean this autumn. The run is behind the numbers seen last year at this time, but this run is still going to be one of the top three recorded on the river.  The count over Woodbridge Dam on the Mokelumne to date is 16,300 salmon, including 5,654 jacks, according to William Smith, hatchery manager. The final numbers of salmon going over the dam won’t be available until January 2019. ... ”  Read more from Dan Bacher at the Daily Kos here:  Big numbers of fall chinook salmon return to Mokelumne River

Stockton: Registration open for H2O Hackathon:  “Water issues are important in California, and those who can develop an app to help solve these problems can walk away with some serious cash.  Registration for the fourth annual H2O Hackathon is now open to all San Joaquin County high school and college students for the daylong competition on March 16.  The unique event allows the tech-savvy and problem solvers to help find solutions to the state’s ongoing water issues. This year’s competition will ask teams to develop an innovative app related to California dams. … ”  Read more from the Stockton Record here:  Stockton: Registration open for H2O Hackathon

Scripps scientists study tide pools, sea cliffs, with ocean protection grants: “Four researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography earned state grants to study how climate change is shifting conditions on the Pacific Coast, from crumbling cliffs to vibrant tide pools.  Together they were awarded $1 million from the California Ocean Protection Council to create maps, models and other data sources that will help chart the changes to California’s coastline, and guide strategies to deal with them. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here:  Scripps scientists study tide pools, sea cliffs, with ocean protection grants

Along the Colorado River …

Regulators Doing ‘Basin Sweep’ Of Pinal Active Management Area: “Groundwater regulators are in the middle of what’s called a “basin sweep” of the Pinal Active Management Area (AMA). The data will contribute to modeling of the groundwater levels in that part of the state.  It’s just one data point in monitoring the aquifer, according the the Arizona Department of Water Resources.  “We can’t just cut away and look under the ground and see where the water table is,” said Jeff Inwood, chief hydrologist at the Arizona Department of Water Resources. “We have points that we can get data about and we can try to infer spatially based on those data points.” ... ”  Read more from KJZZ here: Regulators Doing ‘Basin Sweep’ Of Pinal Active Management Area

Precipitation watch …

From NWS Sacramento: “The central valley will remain dry through the rest of 2018 as high pressure sets in over the western U.S. A weak system is forecast to pass to the north for a threat of showers north of Redding on Sunday.”

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

California Water Plan Update 2018: Managing water resources for sustainability

NEWS WORTH NOTING: San Joaquin County & City of Stockton Oppose Twin Tunnels Negotiations

BLOG ROUND-UP: San Joaquin flow objectives; Delta tunnels documents; Water rights are property rights; Fall pulsed flow protections; Urban ecology; and more …

Today’s announcements …

 

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About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.

 

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