Frequently Asked Questions:
Trinity River Fisheries
Restoration Program
Q: We’ve seen a large increase in the number of returning fish in 2000 and 2001. Do we really need the higher flows and mechanical restoration?
A: Chinook salmon have a three-to-five year life span and return to rivers to spawn in their final year. Because of this, the chinook population in any year reflects the river conditions three-to-five years earlier (as well as ocean conditions). 1997 and 1998 were wet years, contributing to great conditions for egg and juvenile salmon survival. That is why we are having a great year in 2001. Juvenile fish returning to the ocean this year will likely be much lower, reflecting the drought conditions in 2001. The old flow schedule was equivalent to an extended 38-year drought and was largely responsible for the drastic drop in fish populations. The restoration program is needed to increase those numbers and provide a long-term, more stable environment for fish.
Q: Is my land targeted for restoration? What if I don’t want restoration on my land?
A: No landowner will be forced to allow restoration on his/her land. The more sites that are restored, however, the higher the likelihood of increased salmon and steelhead numbers on the Trinity River. The US Bureau of Reclamation will soon be contacting landowners whose property contains a potential restoration project, for permission to restore the river on their property.
Q: Why don’t you dredge the sediment-filled pools as long as you’re working on the river? Can’t dredging substitute for water in maintaining the deep pools?
A: The use of dredging instead of water to maintain a healthy river system is untested. Dredging would also require a perpetual expenditure of funds. The scientific study on which the ROD is based indicated that higher flows are indispensable in maintaining a healthy river. Dredging, like many other management options, may be investigated in the future in the Adaptive Management program.
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Fire Safe Issues - Be Prepared!!
Weather, topography and fuel are the three components that affect the likelihood of a fire starting, the speed and direction at which the wildfire will travel, the intensity at which a wildfire burns, and the ability to control and extinguish a wildfire. Although weather and topography can not be changed, the fuels (or vegetation) can often be modified. Many of the opportunities to reduce the threat of wildfire exist in proper management and manipulation of wildland vegetation.
With the huge risk of wildfire in Trinity County and the recent fires we have experienced, many residents are asking, "How do I change the vegetation on my property to reduce the threat of wildfire?" The objective of defensible space is to reduce the wildfire threat to a home by changing the characteristics of the adjacent vegetation. Defensible space practices include:
- Increasing the moisture content of vegetation
- Decreasing the amount of flammable vegetation
- Shortening plant height
- Altering the arrangement of plants
This is accomplished through the "Three R's of Defensible Space."
Removal - This technique involves the elimination of entire plants, particularly trees and shrubs from the site.
Reduction - The removal of plant parts, such as branches or leaves, constitute reduction.
Replacement - substituting less flammable plants for more hazardous vegetation.
Could your house survive a wildfire?
A dramatic question, but one we need to consider when living in an environment where wildfire is a common occurrence. Firescaping is a landscape design that reduces house and property vulnerability to wildfire. The goal is to develop a landscape with a design and choice of plants that offers the best fire protection and enhances the property. The ideal is to surround the house with things that are less likely to burn. It is imperative when building homes in wildfire-prone areas like Trinity County that fire safety be a major factor in landscape design. Through proper selection, placement and maintenance, we can diminish the possibility of ignition, lower fire intensity, and reduce how quickly a fire spreads, increasing a home's survivability.
One of the outcomes of the Trinity County Fire Safe Council's strategic fire planning process has been to identify those areas in the county that are at extreme risk of fire. The following areas have been identified. They are at risk due to lack of defensible space treatments around properties, lack of safe escape routes, narrow roads, fuel build up along roads and other hazardous conditions. If you live in one of these areas it would be a good idea to look into ways to make your home and community more fire safe. Contact your local fire department, CDF office, or the Trinity County RCD for ways to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire for your home and in your neighborhood.
DOWN RIVER AREA
MID TRINITY AREA
- Bear Creek (Weaverville)
- East Branch (Weaverville)
- Timber Ridge (Weaverville)
- Red Hill Road (Junction City)
- Ohio Hill (Lewiston)
NORTH LAKE AREA
- Lake Forest / Long Canyon (Covington Mill)
- Coffee Creek / Coffee Creek Road
- Trinity Center
SOUTH FORK AREA
- Hyampom Fire / North Side (Hayfork)
- Post Mountain Subdivision
- Camp Trinity (Hyampom)
SOUTH COUNTY AREA
- Blue Rock Road (Kettenpom)
- Ruth Lake Corridor to Wild Mad Rd
- McCee Subdivision (Red Mountain)
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