Ryan Williams is really catching some great steelhead trout and rainbow trout on the Lower Feather and Lower Sacramento Rivers, be sure to call us this winter for fly fishing trips around the best areas the North State has to offer. Remember the Upper Sac, Lower Sac, Klamath, Trinity and Pit Rivers are open year around and we float & fish them! So don’t get cabin fever this winter or in very early spring, get on the horn and give us a call –

California Trout Hotline – 530-859-8087   www.jacktrout.com

Costa Rica Fly Fishing – Floats are only $395 USD for two anglers in our professionally outfitted raft

Rio Tempisque and Rio Tenorio  – All gear, flies and streamside lunch included.

McCloud Rainbows in Costa Rica – I bet you didn’t know? Check it out, this is an inexpensive trip. 

We also catch all kinds of exotic fish on flies like Machacas and Guapote’s (Handsome Fish in Spanish.) Check out our site to gain more insight in fly fishing Costa Rica as we service all regions of the country.

https://www.jacktrout.com/index.php/destinations/costa-rica.html

Wow, this place looks just like home and you can go for a jungle river catching machacas one day and the next day you’re up in the hills catching rainbows.

Peter Gorinsky was a fly fisherman who came down with his wife and his pet pig and built a home in Costa Rica, he later contacted the San Jose Fly Casters and with their help air freighted down McCloud River Ranbows to this region of Costa Rica in 1954 at 7,200 feet above sea level and it worked out.

I know recently the DFW and USFS have been trying to restore the Red Band Trout in the Upper McCloud River in Northern California, possible they could have the Costa Rican Government send back Red Bands that are pure native strain to restock the upper river? All of this is fascinating because this experiment seems to be working and proves once again that the McCloud River Rainbow Trout is the most prolific serial traveler ever in the history of the world, why this trout has more passport stamps than Mark Twain.

Look familar? This river looks a lot like the McCloud River in far Northern California, what a bunch of lucky trout and a very smart man that Peter Gorinsky to get them down and up that high! Those McCloud River Rainbows sure are trusty travelers!

Wow just like the McCloud Falls! That must of been like going on vacation to a warm oasis, if makes them happy I’m all for it. So we have trips for one or two anglers, check out our site for more info.

Great fresh fruit and local gems also accompany our travels. Hope to outfit your trip to Costa Rica or give me a call with any questions. jt

https://www.jacktrout.com/index.php/destinations/costa-rica.html

Twice we have had clients get off the cruise ship in Belize City and land a Grand Slam, that is a bone fish, tarpon and permit in one trip! But they did it in about 5 hours on the ocean on a trip where they paid $475 USD for two anglers with all the gear included and lunch. Now that’s a great affordable fly fishing trip abroad.

https://www.jacktrout.com/index.php/destinations/belize.html

Do I have some really talented fly fishing guides for you in Belize, Central America. $475 USD for two anglers with all the ocean saltwater gear, flies & lunch.

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STEELHEAD & TROUT

Typical fly box for my area.

Stones are great for steelhead fishing, especially on the Klamath river.

You can always count on a great lunch when you go out with me.

Let me know if you prefer salmon or tri-tip for your lunch.

Since 1994 The World’s Foremost Outfitter for Affordable One Day Fly Fishing Adventures

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32755-d1641287-Reviews-Jack_Trout_Fly_Fishing-Mount_Shasta_California.html

COME TO MT. SHASTA, McCLOUD, DUNSMUIR & WEED FOR THANKSGIVING, WE HAVE FISHING!

The steelhead season on the Klamath river has been awesome! A good year for bigger steelhead and lots of them.

This will continue into late February and we also guide on the Trinity and Lower Sac in between.

Fall on the Upper Sac couldn’t of been better, lots of great trout on nymphs and dries and as usual, no one around..

We love floating the Upper Sac and catching these huge trout, lets us float you this fall or spring.

Always Getting Better Like Nature – 

The only thing in life that’s perfect is nature, everything else is naturally imperfect. This is a special time of year when nature puts on her best dress to share with all of us her continued growth and prosperity. I highly suggest walks along the river so you can reflect on your year and your growth, every week she wears new colors in your honor meant to impress, she’s a big show off in the fall. Nature can do this for you, a river heals all wounds, tensions and despair as you never step in the same piece of water twice, such is life. Embrace nature, embrace the RIVER, it’s sounds alone soothing to the soul. The river paints a trail that parallels ones life, young and small when born, we grow with the help of others who add their influences and we gain steam and confidence. Cascading down the many cliffs of our lives, we learn from our great falls a spectacle to others. Proud we are in our middle age, we long for the end but help many along the way just because. Finally we make our goals in life and the many canyons we have carved that will last forever never forgetting who’s currents helped lead us on this path in life, we will always remember that in the end, the secret of life is how we affected others in a positive way. You were always getting better in life because of it. –

Always getting better with nature by your side.

Many Rivers & Oceans, Jack Trout

Hwy 89 – The Fishing Crossroad of California

Here’s some little diddy’s I wrote, I hope you liked them. jt

Bob Mayes ladies and gentlemen, Mill Valley California, known for landing very large trout with me. 🙂

I think my boat attracts steelhead, everyone is looking for the neon lights and the babes, my boat is the poster child for trout porn.  lol – Did I ever tell you the bottom of my boat is solid kevlar? Yea and it’s a good thing with all those bowling ball rocks in the Klamath that we slide over like a bowling lane and then a strike and the client has on another trout! This is one great – safe – boat out on the rivers of Northern California and the trout think it’s sexy.

MLB retired Brady Clark played for the Mets, Brewers and Dodgers as a few of the teams he played for in the MLB. (Batting coach) Lifetime Avg. 277 and had a 3 RBI night against Hall of Famer Randy Johnson of the NY Yankees in 2003 in a key game win that made national headlines.

The Klamath Red Hot – A great fly for steelhead trout I’ve used for years as I invented it. jt

Ewen Chow ladies and gentlemen, our loyal client who comes to fish with us every year from Taiwan. We had some great trips this past week! 🙂

Now until Feb the steelhead will be running in all North State rivers and Oregon, we can help you as all of our trips include all the steelhead gear, rods, reels, boots, flies, great lunch. Most trips are $475 USD for two anglers.

Keep your eyes on the prize, game face – game face!!  lol 🙂

Some of you out there remember Charlie Price from Dunsmuir, Ca. He referred me two really nice guys this past week that have a lot in common being that both run into each other at the dinner table when they hear the word Jeff. In the drift boat it looks like this  Jeff Jack ffeJ. < Client is turned backwards casting.

Still trying to do the best fly fishing stream side lunches in the industry, let us know if there’s something you’d like us to make?

On a cold day the clients sure appreciate it. Jeff Shapiro & Jeff Felix of the American Team, JS comes out and stays the winter in California and waits for Minnesota to thaw out and the Vikes to win a Super Bowl. Both guys were happy as we landed 7 steelhead adults that day on the Upper Klamath River.

Reviewed yesterday –
Steelhead Trout & History Lessons
A friend and I spent several hours on the Klamath River with Jack Trout and his border collie, Beef, floating down the river while getting nibbles and bites just about every cast and hooking into some 5/6 pound natives. Catch and release. Of course. And sprinkled in with the great fishing Jack provided some fascinating history narratives ranging in a wide variety of subjects. And, to top it all off, Jack put together a wok inspired lunch which included shrimp and steak and veggies. I don’t think anyone could ask for a little bit more.  Jeff Felix

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32755-d1641287-Reviews-Jack_Trout_Fly_Fishing-Mount_Shasta_California.html

Beef Dog is just happy to be out, he gets cabin fever pretty easy in the fall and winter and always barks once at 5 am to make sure I didn’t over sleep, now’s that man’s best friend alright.

How the winter West was won

If you haven’t read this piece I wrote on Snowshoe Thompson the Father of Skiing in America & the U.S. Mail, you might like it?  JT

Last winter our client had us book him three trips in 3 states on 3 different pieces of water and he caught huge trout on both his fly rod and spey rods alike. Pyramid Lake 13 lber. With his Jerry Garcia Reel!!

Chetco River 12lb. Steelhead on his two handed spey.

https://www.jacktrout.com/index.php/destinations/chetco.html

Rogue River 19lb Steelhead on Spey Rod. 🙂 All trips organized by  Jack Trout Fly Fishing. Surprising enough, by the end of his trip that other logo just faded right off his hat..

https://www.jacktrout.com/index.php/destinations/rogue-river.html

Duck Duck Goose – 2019  Mountain Messenger News by: Jack Trout

This is the time of year when you walk outside and you look up because you hear something off into the distance, it’s a honking sound but you’re deep in the canyon at dawn looking up at the sky and you can’t quite make it out. Yea, you can see it now, it’s a flock of geese with an arrow pointing South and you think to yourself, “last chance to get out of here sucker, pee brains – hardly.” There’s a leader of the geese, I wonder if they have an election? Makes you wonder if there’s geese corruption involved? I always ponder the thoughts of geese tagging their political rivals campaign signs at low flying elevations. Do geese look different to each other because I don’t how the voters would know whose who? Do geese fly upside down over their constituents, I’m guessing they wouldn’t want to soil the home team. Now do different geese in different states have electoral colleges, I’m sure it’s out on some golf course. Does the head Gaucho Goose give a State of the Union Address, I’m pretty sure that would be out on the West Wing. When they finally arrive Mexico, does anyone speak Spanish in the flock? Who’s the leader in Mexico, I wonder if they hold elections again for the flight back, I mean who died and left you king! If I was a goose, I think I would try for endorsements and wear someone’s logo for the journey, it might pay eventually and they could fly the friendly skies in 1st class. I wonder to a flock of geese if that would be considered cheating?

Quack!  JT

So on November 15th, 2019 I had a group of 4 very nice nurses from SF that wanted to do dry fly fishing on the Upper Sac & McCloud rivers.

The fishing was great on the surface and everyone had lots of action that day.

Seemed like all spots were producing that day and it was a little over cast but unseasonable warm. Mark Twain said; Climate is what we expect, weather is what you get! 🙂 lol, I say Mark Twain was hundred years ahead of his time then and 200 hundred years ahead of his time today. jt

On the last day of the season PG&E lowered the flows to do some log extracting on the lake and right at the tube the trout were rising profusely to caddis and mayflies, Kelsey caught a nice trout on her first cast and landed this trout, it was like magic as a rainbow appeared marking the end of another great season on the McCloud river in 2019.

McCLOUD RIVER IS NOW CLOSED UNTIL LAST SATURDAY OF APRIL 2020.

Thank you readers of the Siskiyou News, Mt Shasta Herald, Dunsmuir News, Weed & McCloud for voting us Best Outdoor Guide Service! That’s a real honor as they ran author & guide Joaquin Miller out of here and there’s still a warrant out for his arrest in Siskiyou County (1881ish) for stealing a bob tailed horse (among other things) and heading for the Klondike in Alaska. (Bob tailed horses were called “siskiyous” by the 1st Nation Wintu Indians, thus how our counties namesake was coined.)

Day Trips in Chile or Argentina With All Gear Included. (Click On Banner for Info)

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We Now Sell Trips In Puerto Rico For Huge Tarpon and really great prices!! Since the hurricane tarpon migrations have been solid in and around San Juan and you can help the economy too, the locals deserve it.

https://www.jacktrout.com/index.php/destinations/puerto-rico.html

STOP THE RAISING OF SHASTA DAM BY THE WESTLANDS WATER DISTRICT THEY WILL FLOOD THE McCLOUD RIVER ON CERTAIN YEARS.

Tom Birmingham – The Darth Vadar of Rivers in California, demoted by Westlands Water District after SEC violations and fine, Westlands was also found guilty by the SEC of stealing from its own investors. Can Westlands Water District really be trusted as the one who handles the Shasta Dam expansion if ever granted and would it be safe?

Here’s the scoop –  jt

THEN In 2013 –

Westlands Water District will pay big fine to settle SEC civil charges

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article237165159.html

Big California water agency steps back from Shasta expansion. Environmentalists still worry

BY RYAN SABALOW AND

DALE KASLER

NOVEMBER 08, 2019 12:11 PM, UPDATED NOVEMBER 08, 2019 05:36 PM

• • https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article237165159.html#storylink=cpy

The nation’s largest water agency signed an agreement that legally bars it from participating in a controversial plan to raise Shasta Dam, a move applauded by environmental groups that fiercely opposed the proposal out of fears enlarging the state’s biggest reservoir would swamp a stretch of a protected Northern California river and flood sites sacred to a Native American tribe.

Late Thursday, Westlands Water District signed a legal settlement with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra that prohibits the water district from working in a formal way on planning to raise Shasta Dam near Redding.

Westlands’ participation is considered crucial to the project’s coming to fruition.

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One dead and one injured following suspected DUI crash in Elk Grove, authorities say

However, Westlands general manager Tom Birmingham said the settlement doesn’t completely end Westlands’ potential involvement in the project. He said Westlands is still allowed to launch a study “in the abstract” of whether raising the dam would harm the McCloud River, as environmentalists and state officials argue.

“We have not formally backed away from the project,” he said.

If Westlands’ study shows the project wouldn’t hurt the river, Birmingham said Westlands would then have to decide whether to jump back into the formal planning process. He acknowledged that if Westlands decides to resume planning, it will get sued again.

Raising Shasta Dam has been on the books, and highly controversial, for years. California officials say it would violate the state’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and the Obama administration tabled the project over funding questions. But President Donald Trump’s administration has tried to move the project forward.

Shasta Dam holds back the state’s largest reservoir. The water stored inside its 400 miles of shoreline supplies farms and cities across the Central Valley. Raising the dam 18 feet, as federal officials have proposed, would expand Shasta Lake’s storage capacity by 14 percent, or 634,000 acre-feet — providing the potential for increased water deliveries to downstream agencies such as Westlands.

Under current federal law, the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Shasta, can’t raise the dam unless local water agencies contribute half the money – and so far Westlands is the only agency that has publicly said it wanted to contribute to the $1.3 billion project.

Westlands, which serves farmers across more than a half-million acres of land in Fresno and Kings counties, had been pushing for the project for years, even spending $35 million in 2007 to buy a seven-mile stretch of land along the McCloud River in an effort to derail any local opposition. The settlement filed Thursday specifically prohibits Westlands from buying any more real estate to make the project a reality.

Earlier this summer a judge in Shasta County Superior Court issued an injunction temporarily halting Westlands from helping plan the project. After the California Supreme Court refused to hear Westlands’ appeal in late September, Westlands signaled it was bailing out on the project, announcing it was halting participation in environmental reviews.

Environmentalists said they hoped Westlands’ departure would end the dam project once and for all, but weren’t sure.

“Time will tell. Some of these really bad water projects … seem to be like zombies,” said John McManus of the Golden State Salmon Association. “We kill them but sometime later they seem to pop back to life.” He said the project would hurt salmon runs on the Sacramento River by allowing the reservoir to hold back more water needed to prop up struggling fish populations.

Ron Stork of Friends of the River gave the dam-raising project a “50-50” chance of being dead for good.

“If Westlands chooses to drop the project, then any other water district in California could pick it up,” Stork said. “But they’d face the same or similar legal thicket that Westlands did.” He said it’s also possible the federal government could say, “We don’t need your stinkin’ permits’ from the state of California and just try to go it alone.”

The project is still being pursued by the Trump administration.

“Reclamation continues to explore options with several non-Federal cost-share partners to implement the project,” U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Jeffrey Hawk said Friday in an emailed statement that didn’t specify which agencies are in talks.

Westlands officials have long argued the project would cause minimal environmental harm.

A 2015 feasibility study by the U.S. Interior Department said the inundation would run 3,500 feet upriver, only about two-thirds of a mile of the lower McCloud River where it flows into Shasta Lake. The stretch of the McCloud in question also already lies between two dams, Shasta and McCloud.

The latter holds back a small reservoir 17 miles upstream from the Westlands property.

Westlands officials do acknowledge raising the dam would flood sites sacred to the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, but they contend it would only happen in the rare winters and springs when the lake is full.

Attorney General Becerra Secures Settlement Against Westlands Water District for Unlawful Participation in Shasta Dam Project

From the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra:

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced a proposed settlement against Westlands Water District (Westlands) resolving allegations that Westlands violated California law by illegally participating in a project to raise the height of the Shasta Dam. The proposed settlement would bar Westlands from any attempt to move forward with the project that would pose significant adverse effects on the free-flowing condition of the McCloud River and on its wild trout fishery. The river and fishery retain special statutory protections under the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The Act prohibits any agency of the State of California, such as Westlands, from assisting or cooperating with actions to raise the Shasta Dam. The settlement, filed in the Shasta County Superior Court, resolves Attorney General Becerra’s lawsuit filed on May 13, 2019, alleging that Westlands’ participation in the project was in violation of the Act. In addition to the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Becerra, a coalition represented by Earthjustice filed a separate suit, which is also resolved as part of the settlement today. The coalition includes Friends of the River, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Natural Resources Defense Council, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, and Golden State Salmon Association.

“This unlawful project would have hurt the McCloud River, and the communities and species that depend on it,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Westlands’ attempt to engage in this process violated the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. In spite of this, the District attempted to force its way forward. We applaud the court for blocking this project and are thankful that this matter has come to a close. You might have friends in Washington D.C., but that doesn’t place you above the law.”

“Westlands illegally tried to get around California law, and the courts said no,” said John McManus of the Golden State Salmon Association. “This agreement is a win for all salmon fishermen because the Sacramento River is the biggest salmon producer in the state and would be badly damaged by the raising of the dam. It’s also a win for all Californians who care about clean water and fish.”

The settlement resolves allegations that Westlands unlawfully assumed lead agency status for the $1.3 billion project and allocated over $1 million for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as part of its planning to become a 50 percent cost-sharing partner with the federal government. Under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Westlands is prohibited from planning, funding, or assisting with any project that could adversely affect the McCloud River’s flow or its fishery. Federal studies of the proposal concluded that raising the dam would increase the already-flooded portion of the lower McCloud River by 39 percent.

As a result of the lawsuits, on July 29, 2019, the court granted a preliminary injunction that halted Westlands’ continued participation in the project and led to Westlands withdrawing its CEQA notice.
Today’s settlement would bar the district from undertaking any action that would constitute planning or construction to raise the Shasta Dam including:

• Initiating preparation of an environmental impact report or other environmental review document as part of the CEQA process;
• Entering into any agreement to fund, directly or indirectly, activities intended to raise the dam;
• Entering into any agreement that would assist any agency of the federal, state, or local government in planning or construction to raise the dam; or
• Acquiring any property to facilitate the raising of the dam.

A copy of the settlement can be found here.

Fishing and Conservation Groups Hold Up Illegal Plan to Raise Shasta Dam

Fishing and Conservation Groups Hold Up Illegal Plan to Raise Shasta Dam This week, a coalition of fishing and conservation groups represented by Earthjustice signed a stipulation with …

FISHING AND CONSERVATION GROUPS HOLD UP ILLEGAL PLAN TO RAISE SHASTA DAM

New agreement limits water district’s support for the project

NOVEMBER 8, 2019

Fresno, California —This week, a coalition of fishing and conservation groups represented by Earthjustice signed a stipulation with Westlands Water District that stymies the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s plan to raise Shasta Dam, a destructive project that would harm the protected McCloud River, take water from imperiled ecosystems and fish, and flood sacred sites of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. In the signed stipulation, Westlands, the largest agricultural water district in the country, and a major beneficiary of federal dams, agreed not to take unlawful actions in support of Reclamation’s ill-conceived project.“This is an important step in our fight to stop the Trump administration from running roughshod over California’s environment,” said Ron Stork of Friends of the River, a California river protection organization that opposes the dam raise.

The agreement is the result of three complementary lawsuits filed earlier this year after Westlands initiated a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process, signaling that it planned to enter into an agreement to help fund the destructive dam raise. Represented by Earthjustice, Friends of the River, Golden State Salmon Association, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the Institute for Fisheries Resources, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit in May 2019 alleging that Westlands was violating the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. That law that protects the free-flowing McCloud River, which is home to a world-class trout fishery and sacred tribal sites still in use today. The State of California filed a similar case on the same day, and North Coast Rivers Alliance (NCRA) and San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association filed an additional lawsuit in July.

After the California Supreme Court affirmed a preliminary injunction preventing Westlands from taking any action that constitutes planning related to the Shasta Dam raise, Westlands halted its CEQA process.

The State of California and NCRA also signed stipulations with Westlands this week. In each of the stipulations, Westlands has agreed not to resume the CEQA process, enter into any agreement to fund the dam raise or to assist with the planning or construction of the dam raise, or acquire additional real property to facilitate the dam raise, to the extent doing so would violate the law.

“Westlands illegally tried to get around California law, and the courts said no,” said John McManus of the Golden State Salmon Association. “This agreement is a win for all salmon fishermen because the Sacramento River is the biggest salmon producer in the state and would be badly damaged by the raising of the dam. It’s also a win for all Californians who care about clean water and fish.”

“We entered into this agreement because it throws a wrench in Reclamation’s plan to raise Shasta Dam, which is a salmon killing project that threatens millions of fish and thousands of jobs by trapping the Sacramento River behind an even bigger concrete curtain,” said Noah Oppenheim of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations.

Anna Stimmel, an Earthjustice attorney representing the coalition stated, “Going forward, Earthjustice will remain vigilant with our clients and partners to ensure that Westlands and the Trump administration don’t violate the law and put the interests of corporate agriculture over the interests of the environment, fishermen, and tribes.”

According to a timeline posted on Reclamation’s website, before the three lawsuits were filed, Reclamation had planned to secure a cost-share partner by August 2019 and make a decision about the project by September 2019 so that is could award construction contracts by the end of 2019. Reclamation has missed these deadlines, and it is unclear whether it will move forward with the project. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior is a former Westlands lobbyist, and the Trump administration has been keen to revive the project after it was shelved under Obama. If Reclamation does proceed, the State of California and fishing and conservation groups will be watching, and they are ready for the fight.

The Interior Secretary Wants to Enlarge a Dam. An Old Lobbying Client Wo… David Bernhardt is backing a plan to raise the height of the Shasta Dam in California even though his department…

“This unlawful project would have hurt the McCloud River, and the communities and species that depend on it,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Westlands’ attempt to engage in this process violated the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. In spite of this, the District attempted to force its way forward. We applaud the court for blocking this project and are thankful that this matter has come to a close. You might have friends in Washington, D.C., but that doesn’t place you above the law.”

“This stipulation helps ensure this harmful project — which does not meaningfully contribute to water security for all Californians — is never built.” said Drevet Hunt of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “But the fight is not over,” Hunt continued, “it’s time for California to invest in alternatives, like urban and agricultural efficiency, stormwater capture, and water recycling projects that reduce our unsustainable reliance on the Sacramento River and help to restore California’s valuable salmon fisheries.”

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Daniel Bacher via velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us	Sun, Nov 10, 10:38 PM (9 hours ago)
to Env-trinity

http://www.elkgrovenews.net/2019/11/groups-slam-trump-administrations.html

https://www.dailykos.com/story/2019/11/8/1898102/-Groups-condemn-Trump-administration-s-sweetheart-water-deal-with-Westlands-Water-District

Groups slam Trump administration’s sweetheart water deal with Westlands Water District

By Dan Bacher

Conservation, environmental justice and public interest groups today responded with outrage to an Associated Press report that Secretary David Bernhardt’s Interior Department is poised to award one of the first contracts for federal water “in perpetuity” to the powerful Westlands Water District – Bernhardt’s former lobby client and largest agricultural water district in the U.S.

A draft Bureau of Reclamation contract dated October 22 reveals that Interior plans to deliver Westlands up to 1.15 million acre-feet of water a year, more than double the water supply used by the City of Los Angeles in 2018, according to Roll Call. The contract is subject to a 60-day public comment period that will close over Christmas.

“Other water districts have asked the department for similar deals but the bureau has so far only completed Westlands’ contract,” according to Roll Call: www.rollcall.com/…

Interior spokesperson Carol Danko claimed that Bernhardt played no role in the decision to grant the contract to the controversial water agency, his former lobby client, but public trust advocates disagree. The Western Values Project today slammed Bernhardt for his “clear conflicts of interest” in the water deal.

“Despite Bernhardt’s clear conflicts of interest and his involvement in decisions that are currently under investigation for ethics violations, he can’t stop carrying water for his powerful former client,” said Jayson O’Neill, Deputy Director of Western Values Project. “The flood gates of corruption flow through Bernhardt, who has manipulated scientific studies, prioritized resources, and tasked staff all to benefit a former client at the expense of the public. Bernhardt’s level of corruption may only be eclipsed by that of his boss, but that should not prevent Congress from initiating an investigation immediately.”

Salmon advocates also expressed their opposition to the water deal between Westlands and Interior, since guaranteeing more Northern California water will only further imperil struggling runs of salmon and steelhead on the Sacramento, Joaquin, Trinity and Klamath rivers.

“Save California Salmon is strongly opposed to this sweetheart contract,” said Regina Chichizola, Save California Salmon’s co-director, in a statement. “Westlands Water District not only diverts California’s coldest salmon rivers to the desert hundreds of miles away, they use it to water crops on California’s poisoned lands.”

“Climate change impacts to our rivers and possible impacts to Tribal water rights makes locking in these diversions unacceptable. Much of Westlands’ crops are exported, but their diversions and pollution are largely responsible for killing off Northern California’s salmon, and their discharges are polluting our drinking water. We should be retiring some of Westlands lands and protecting our rivers, not promising an endless contract to Westlands because they are Bernhardt’s buddies,” stated Chichizola.

In response to the report, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, urged Governor Newsom “to condemn the conflict of interest between Secretary Bernhardt and Westlands Water District reported today by Ellen Knickmeyer of the Associated Press.”

“This corrupt water giveaway from Bernhardt, Westlands’ former lobbyist, is undermining the voluntary agreement process being led by the Newsom administration. We can never achieve what is best for Delta flows with non-stop water giveaways to the Westlands Water District through a perpetual water contract and behind the scenes wheeling and dealing. It’s time for Governor Newsom to step-up and do what is best for the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary. The voluntary agreement process must be transparent, not only within state processes, but at the federal level. And it must include impacted parties from the Delta,” she stated.

In her article Knickmeyer said, “The Interior Department is proposing to award one of the first contracts for federal water in perpetuity to a powerful rural California water district that had long employed Secretary David Bernhardt as a lobbyist….Bernhardt served as a lobbyist for Westlands until 2016, the year before he joined Interior, initially as deputy secretary.”

“The Interior Department needs to look out for the public interest, and not just serve the financial interests of their former lobbying clients,” Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat from California,” told Knickmeyer.

Bernhardt’s plan to award the sweetheart deal to Westlands has been proposed at a critical time for Delta smelt, Sacramento River winter Chinook salmon, steelhead and other fish populations that depend on a healthy Bay-Delta Estuary to survive and thrive. The Delta smelt is moving closer and extinction, due to a combination of massive water exports to San Joaquin Valley agribusiness operations and toxic water releases into the San Joaquin River and San Francisco Bay-Delta.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife found, for the first time ever, ZERO Delta smelt in their Fall Midwater Trawl Survey throughout the Delta in the fall of 2018. Again, in September and October of 2019, the CDFW has caught zero Delta smelt in the annual trawl.

The smelt, an indicator species that shows the health of the estuary, was once the most numerous fish in the entire Delta, numbering in the millions. Now they are in peril of becoming extinct in the wild, due to the failure by the state and federal governments to take action.

The full implications of Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of Senate Bill 1, a bill designed to protect endangered fish from attacks on federal laws by Trump administration, could not be clearer: Newsom has left the path open for the Trump administration to eviscerate protections for Delta smelt, salmon, steelhead and other fish species under federal law.

Newsom’s veto of SB 1 appears to be in response to the big donations he has received from Big Ag. The total contributions from agriculture in Newsom’s 2018 campaign for Governor were $637,398, including $116,800 from Beverly Hills agribusiness tycoons Stewart and Lynda Resnick, owners of the Wonderful Company and the largest orchard fruit growers in the world.

Agribusiness tycoons are among the most strident supporters of the voluntary agreements and the Delta Tunnel — and are among the strongest proponents of attacks on the Endangered Species Act, a landmark federal environmental law that SB 1 would have protected.

For more information, read my Sacramento News and Review article: www.newsreview.com/. 

In other Westlands Water District news, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced a proposed settlement against Westlands resolving allegations that Westlands violated California law by illegally participating in a project to raise the height of the Shasta Dam: www.dailykos.com/…

“This unlawful project would have hurt the McCloud River, and the communities and species that depend on it,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Westlands’ attempt to engage in this process violated the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. In spite of this, the District attempted to force its way forward. We applaud the court for blocking this project and are thankful that this matter has come to a close. You might have friends in Washington D.C., but that doesn’t place you above the law.”

Attorney General Becerra Secures Settlement Against Westlands Water District for Unlawful Participation in Shasta Dam Project

1. Press Release
2. Attorney General Becerra Secures Settlement Against Westland…

Friday, November 8, 2019

Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced a proposed settlement against Westlands Water District (Westlands) resolving allegations that Westlands violated California law by illegally participating in a project to raise the height of the Shasta Dam. The proposed settlement would bar Westlands from any attempt to move forward with the project that would pose significant adverse effects on the free-flowing condition of the McCloud River and on its wild trout fishery. The river and fishery retain special statutory protections under the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The Act prohibits any agency of the State of California, such as Westlands, from assisting or cooperating with actions to raise the Shasta Dam. The settlement, filed in the Shasta County Superior Court, resolves Attorney General Becerra’s lawsuit filed on May 13, 2019, alleging that Westlands’ participation in the project was in violation of the Act. In addition to the lawsuit filed by Attorney General Becerra, a coalition represented by Earthjustice filed a separate suit, which is also resolved as part of the settlement today. The coalition includes Friends of the River, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Natural Resources Defense Council, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, and Golden State Salmon Association.

“This unlawful project would have hurt the McCloud River, and the communities and species that depend on it,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Westlands’ attempt to engage in this process violated the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. In spite of this, the District attempted to force its way forward. We applaud the court for blocking this project and are thankful that this matter has come to a close. You might have friends in Washington D.C., but that doesn’t place you above the law.”

“Westlands illegally tried to get around California law, and the courts said no,” said John McManus of the Golden State Salmon Association. “This agreement is a win for all salmon fishermen because the Sacramento River is the biggest salmon producer in the state and would be badly damaged by the raising of the dam. It’s also a win for all Californians who care about clean water and fish.”

The settlement resolves allegations that Westlands unlawfully assumed lead agency status for the $1.3 billion project and allocated over $1 million for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as part of its planning to become a 50 percent cost-sharing partner with the federal government. Under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Westlands is prohibited from planning, funding, or assisting with any project that could adversely affect the McCloud River’s flow or its fishery. Federal studies of the proposal concluded that raising the dam would increase the already-flooded portion of the lower McCloud River by 39 percent.

As a result of the lawsuits, on July 29, 2019, the court granted a preliminary injunction that halted Westlands’ continued participation in the project and led to Westlands withdrawing its CEQA notice.

Today’s settlement would bar the district from undertaking any action that would constitute planning or construction to raise the Shasta Dam including:

• Initiating preparation of an environmental impact report or other environmental review document as part of the CEQA process;
• Entering into any agreement to fund, directly or indirectly, activities intended to raise the dam;
• Entering into any agreement that would assist any agency of the federal, state, or local government in planning or construction to raise the dam; or
• Acquiring any property to facilitate the raising of the dam.

A copy of the settlement can be found here.