Another View: Salmon migration blocked by Hemphill Dam

Many individuals and agencies have worked diligently to get salmon 22 miles up Auburn Ravine to the current blockage at Hemphill Dam a few miles east of Lincoln. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Special Agent Don Tanner brought seven dams below Hemphill into compliance with regulations so that all seasonal diversions are removed by Oct. 15 and stay down until April 15. Rancher Albert Scheiber installed fish screens over his water outtake. South Sutter Water District, Family Water Alliance and others worked to install fish screens on Pleasant Grove Canal, which is said to trap and kill up to 90 percent of young salmon as they try to reach the Pacific Ocean. And under their former management, Nevada Irrigation District (NID), with grants from CalFed, Placer County, Dry Creek Conservancy, Granite Bay Flycasters and the Bella Vista Foundation implemented the fish ladder at the Lincoln Gauging Station. Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead (SARSAS), Auburn Ravine Preservation Committee, Dry Creek Conservancy, Placer Legacy, Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, the California State Water board and many others have worked to get salmon as far upstream as they are today. But dozens of salmon (2 to 3 feet long) are currently trapped below Hemphill Dam. Some did get over the dam in the last high-water year, but so far this year, none have made it. Much talk and planning have taken place but action is needed to get salmon over Hemphill Dam. Salmon entered Auburn Ravine on Oct. 15, but NID management did not apply to California Fish and Wildlife (CFW) for a permit to modify the dam until Nov. 2. This was too late because salmon were already at Hemphill Dam — construction would have negatively impacted them. We met with NID leadership at the dam in October 2013 to plan fish passage (see photo) but, to date, they have not completed the implementation. The city of Auburn recently authorized a Resolution of Support for getting salmon to Ashford Park and Auburn School Park Preserve. This will bring real economic benefits to Auburn as people visit to see wild king salmon complete their 200-mile annual migration. The Taylor Creek Visitor Center at Lake Tahoe draws 10,000 people each week to see their small non-native Kokanee salmon during spawning season. Salmon are already in two parks in Lincoln. To highlight this, Stantec installed educational panels at McBean Park. Wildlife Heritage Foundation hosted the fifth annual Salmon Celebration at McBean Park in October. And Lincoln residents regularly stroll the paths of Auburn Ravine Park where salmon are often seen below and above the Lincoln Gauging Station! Plans are underway to clean up the old dumpsite in Lincoln. When that is completed, beautiful frontage along Auburn Ravine could be opened up and viewing stands could be installed for visitors to view wild 30-pound native salmon as they surge upstream. California Fish and Wildlife’s Mike Healey recently completed a study, which showed that Auburn Ravine is also home to winter and spring run salmon. His findings lift the bar on protection needed for our salmon because winter run salmon were listed as an endangered species in 1994 and spring run Chinook salmon were listed as a threatened species in 1999 by National Marine Fisheries Service. SARSAS board member Robert Hane is coordinating restoration of North Ravine, a major tributary of Auburn Ravine. That project will allow salmon to spawn there when they are finally able to get to the Auburn area. Damion Ciotti of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Amanda Vasquez of the Sierra Native Alliance and their Native Youth Conservation Corps, and Carrie Monroe of the California Conservation Corps have all been instrumental in that program. SARSAS program director Steve Hubbard envisioned a Citizen Science Program to gather data on Auburn Ravine. He and coordinator Jim Haufler are implementing the program with Peter Moyle, the salmon scholar from University of California at Davis, as their adviser. Up to 20 volunteers weekly record vital data on salmon migration and habitat, and record their data at the iNaturalist.org website, a place where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers and learn about the natural world. Many positive actions are happening as a result of salmon returning and spawning in Auburn Ravine but salmon must be allowed to continue upstream past Hemphill Dam. Returning salmon to the entire length of Auburn Ravine will provide countless benefits, many unforeseen at this time. Because of all the benefits to salmon, and residents in the Auburn-Lincoln area, we are looking forward to a renewed commitment by NID to resolve their issues so salmon can be returned to the entire 33-mile length of Auburn Ravine.