Koehler Winery request for Proposals / July 2024

Description of Responsibilities - SBFF and the Koehler Winery/Zaca Creek Barrier Project

SBFF Agrees to be the local communications connection between the community, Koehler Winery, and the project, and support Cal Trout in securing project design specifications, possible construction plans and approvals, funding efforts, and project construction. Our support revolves around 1) communicating with the community in the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara area about the project, 2) informing local residents on the project, and 3) coordinating with Koehler winery and Cal Trout for review of all communications to residents in the area of the winery as well as in Santa Barbara.

Specific actions will develop as the project moves forward in the months and years ahead.

There is a requirement to participate in some meetings with contractors and others developing & implementing construction of the project so we are informed and can communicate the essence of project goals and objectives, timing, and outcomes. The SBFF conservation committee will be the primary communication entity for the club and will coordinate this effort with Cal Trout and Koehler Winery. It is our understanding that compensation for travel and time spent by the conservation committee members for meetings and time spent on the project will be provided via the final project budget.

SBFF Conservation Committee | Mark Rockwell

July 2024 Conservation Report - Koehler Winery Barrier Removal

As many of you already know, we in the Conservation Committee have been busy evaluating and digging into possible projects to help Southern Steelhead in the Santa Ynez watershed. As a committee we decided it best to do what we can to improve the survival possibilities for these fish, and in the Santa Ynez and its tributaries. Historically, the Santa Ynez was the single most productive river in Southern California for steelhead, with annual in-migrating spawning adults numbering in the tens of thousands. Today, we're down to just a few adults entering the system, mostly on wet years.

We did a region survey on May 18th, visiting: 1) the river below Bradbury Dam; 2) Zanja de Cota creek near the Chumash Casino; 3) Quota Creek, where 3 barriers were removed a few years ago; 4) and two locations on Zaca Creek, one in the town of Solvang, and the other up stream of Solvang at the Koehler Winery (https://www.koehlerwinery.com/). At the winery, there is a significant, impassable barrier where we observed several rainbow trout resting in the cool water below the barrier. This told us that the stream does have steelhead in it, but adults need to get up stream to spawn and get back to the ocean, and this barrier is impassable most of the time. The owners of the winery have spent time with Winston Hurst, our committee lead, and also met with Russell Marlow, Senior Project manager for Cal Trout. Russell joined us to look at both barriers on Zaca Creek.

Russell and I talked about what it would take to consider removing this significant barrier at the winery, and we discussed the role SBFF could play in the project. What has resulted from these visits to the Winery, as well as our discussion, was the beginning of a partnership with Cal Trout to work to see if it's possible to remove this barrier at Koehler. The owner is open to investigating how it could be done, and what the impact of the project might have on visitors coming to the winery who have to drive over the Zaca Creek bridge to enter to taste wine.

Since our visit, Russell has drawn up a Request for Proposals for the project, and will be sending this out to possible contractors for their response on the level of work needed, as well as costs and timing. This is the first step in what will likely be a multi-year project.

Also, Russell and I worked to create a working guide to what the work by SBFF would be to assist and enhance the effort. We will both need to understand the project as well as develop a media and marketing effort to explain it to the local community in the Santa Ynez valley as well as in Santa Barbara. We want to bring attention to what a responsible winery in the valley can do to help Southern Steelhead. The goal is to both survival as well as begin recovery.

This is the start of our committee actually doing work to promote recovery of Southern Steelhead in our region. All club members who have an interest in this, and might want to help should contact: Mark Rockwell, mrockewll1945@gmail.com, 530-559-5759. We can easily include you in this recovery effort. We look forward to the project, and including all club members in activities to make this project a success.

The video above is a timelapse of the removal of the 1st dam to come out, done in October, 2023.  It is Copco 2 dam, the smallest of the 4 to be removed. 

Pay attention to not only the dam deconstruction, but the work done up river to contour the river bed where the small lake behind the dam existed.  Lots of work is needed to get the river back to normal.

The latest on the Klamath is that drawdown of the 3 reservoirs has started (January 13th). 

Check back as I'll get some links and video for you that captures this process.

Dr Mark Rockwell, SBFF Conservation Chair

SBFF CONSERVATION with Mark Rockwell

• Future meetings will be the 2nd Thursday of each month at 5:30pm.

• Please confirm dates and info on the club’s calendar - click here

• Contact Mark Rockwell if you are interested in participating at: mrockwell1945@gmail.com

CONSERVATION REPORTS

• 03/23/2024: The Klamath Begins its Recovery. New sediment & gravel moves downstream to starved Habitat for fish > pdf

• 01/24/2024: pdf

• 11/15/2023: pdf

ARCHIVED REPORTS

CONSERVATION PROJECTS

The Coyote Flats
Coyote Flats is in the works as well. We could do it like last year as a part of a club outing or designate a weekend and camp out up there rather than drive in, drive out, in a day. We could do both, having some people camp out who want to fish the upper Baker Creek drainage and combine efforts on Saturday for a work session with drive-in help from the club outing. This is once again 4-wheel drive access. Del would like us to repeat our transects as well as repeat some photos of the meadows on the way in that we did not have time to do last year

The Piute Cutthroat/White Mountain Revisit
Most important of our projects is the Cottonwood/Tres Plumas drainage and the monitoring of Piute Cutthroats in the White Mountains. The North Fork of Cottonwood Creek is working very well as a safe impound for the Piute Cuts unlike efforts up in the Carson Drainage at Silver Creek which has suffered habitat damage due to the extreme winters recently. The White Mountains may well prove out to be a better place for these fish then their native home range over on the Sierras. Cabin Creek is another White Mountain drainage just to the north of Tres Plumas. Piutes were put in there as well and have not been monitored as frequently as Cottonwood. Del would like us to go visit them this summer. The problem with the White Mountains is that they are primitive and hard to get to. The Tres Plumas/Cottonwood drainage can be driven to by 4-wheel drive and is a magic place in desert mountains. There is a hardy group of us that have been going up there in the past. I would like to see more people get involved here. You don’t know what you are missing. Traditionally we schedule this trip for the end of August and that will most likely be the case this year. The Cabin Creek effort may take place the same time if we can put it together.

The Pickel Meadows Project
Frank Emerson of the Pasadena Flyfishers has planned a work day at Pickel Meadows on the West Walker River for September 12th. This is just north of Bridgeport off Highway 395, a few miles on the Sonora Pass Road. Last summer there were several work days done here (including the Santa Barbara Flyfishers) to aid in the recovery of this valuable resource from decades of poor grazing practices and the devastation of the floods of January 97′. Frank has promised a light work day with plenty of time to sneak away upstream into Poore Meadows for some fishing. Dates will be posted if event is confirmed.

The Golden Trout Wilderness
A stroll into the Golden Trout Wilderness is in order for some time in September. There are many remaining repeat photo projects that have to be done. Volcano Meadow is the most pressing. This is a multi-night backpack trip. We made the contact of some volunteer stock packers last trip. They could be talked into helping us out. It could be comfortable time at Tunnel Station if we can work out details.

Santa Ynez River Clean-up Day
In Cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, The Santa Barbara Flyfishers participate in a season-ending clean-up day and barbecue on the Santa Ynez River. Our objective is to clean-up trash along the river. Each year we concentrate on a different part of the river that has been impacted by the pressures of summer traffic. The clean-up day is a great outing that the whole family can enjoy but most important it gives the club a chance to have a real impact on our local fishing habitat. November is the usual event time. We normally meet at Paradise campground. If the club participates any calendar year, it will be posted on our club calendar.

If your interested in participating in any of these projects please contact Lew Riffle at 967-9861.

Information on Marine Protected Areas

Lead: Fischer Marcus 

This page/article is Dedicated to Marine Protected Areas in Southern California.
Various resources are made available alongside information gained through interviewing researchers in the field. I have assembled and collected material to be posted with the hopes of educating people on what MPAs are and why we are to observe them. Throughout this project, I have asked myself the question, “what would it look like to walk alongside the earth, rather than on top of it?” I hope you enjoy it.

Since the creation of California Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in 1999, The Marine Life Protection Act allowed California to designate regions of coastal areas to be protected from fishermen. At first glance, it is a frustration to fellow fisherman since one cannot fish these regions, but upon closer examination, MPAs are an important part in maintaining healthy fisheries in our backyards.

MPAs aim to help sustain, conserve, and protect marine life. Fishing can disrupt marine environments due to the overfishing of economic valued species like the California Spiny Lobster. In addition, MPAs are only created to be protected for a certain period of time with hopes of generating an improved recreational environment, and giving educational and study opportunities. The goals of MPAs can be achieved only if there is minimal human disturbance to these regions. It is our job to observe the regulations for the health of these areas.
More Information about overview of MPAs

MPAs are monitored and largely funded by the California Ocean Protection Council which is committed to making sure California “Maintains healthy, resilient, and productive ocean and coastal ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations. The OPC is committed to basing its decisions and actions on the best available science, and to promoting the use of science among all entities involved in the management of ocean resources.”  On the OPC site, they host frequency teleconferences to update and inform the public with their dealings.
More Information on the OPC

The Santa Barbara Coastal Long-Term Ecological Research (SBC LTER) is a community of researchers within UCSB that is dedicated to conduct research on MPAs in the area. Their work for the past 40 years is available to the public with the hopes of communicating the importance of their efforts. Specifically, their work looks at the data regarding the ecology of coastal ecosystems. The SBC LTER has conducted a study since 2018 that looks at factors that influence the kelp forests. Until 2024, they are committed to figuring out how to best protect these Giant Kelp forests. Their research is made available to be taught in classrooms at all levels ranging from K-8 classes to graduate level courses. They hope that the conclusions of their study is made available to students at all levels. | More Information on SBC LTER

Kelp forests are a foundational species that help provide habitats for other fish species. They are pivotal, deemed important because they protect other species, allowing biodiversity to the region. In the Goleta MPA, Giant Kelp are the dominant species which hold an abundance of fish species due to combination of cold and warm water climates. They are the focal point of many research projects, because if they are protected, so are many other fish species. | More Information on California Kelp Forests

In a study conducted by SBC LTER, they concluded that, “Analyses of our long term ecological data revealed that giant kelp and the majority of associated species did not decline in response to this extreme warming event and in fact remained within the range recorded in prior years (Reed et al. 2016). This study is an example of one of the many efforts the SBC LTER takes in order to understand the relationships between natural and human impacts on species like the Giant Kelp. | The Entire Project by the SBC LTER

A simple strategy MPAs use is creating “no take” areas which restrict any fish or organism to be taken from its habitat. Dr. Hunter S. Lenihan indicates that Lobsters benefit most from this as they are able to grow population relatively quickly. After 15 years, Lobster populations have noted to quadrupled in abundance according to Dr. Lenihan. He suggested that this is because the lobsters are mobile and can utilize the protection of the MPA. As a result, a spillover effect is observed where the lobster will move into non-protected areas, allowing them to be caught. This is an example of how MPAs can help cultivate a breeding site for species to reproduce without disturbance, which can lead to a much more sustainable fishery.

According to Dr. Kerry Nichols, climate change greatly impacts Marine protected areas. Specially, research is conducted to examine habitats that have been stressed due to climate change. One objective of MPAs is to place regulations to help reduce climate change’s effects. In a study connected by a group of scientists, including Dr. Nichols, they look at climate effects on MPAs water pH and how well species hold up in the acidification process. Specifically, they examine the complexity of a habitat’s resilience despite an influx in the acidification of the water. This study aims to understand how science and conservation can aid in the process of protection of the area from natural and human effects.  | More information on this study can be found here.

When looking to the future of Caifrnia’s MPAs, two things have been on the minds of researchers. First, management should be restricted to fewer agencies, with an emphasis on follow through to encourage more frequent assessment by a Blue Panel of scientists. The thought here is to have a formalized system that operates the MPAs. Too many agencies leads to lack of communication. Second, the other hope is to  establish a more frequent monitoring and assessments of MPAs. This is needed in order to produce effective and reliable research. With proper funding from OPC and other donors, MPAs will continue to serve as a vital resource to our local water.

Recognizing that MPAs help fisheries, we need to do our part and respect the reserves. This means following through to obeying these “no take” areas. To play an active role in the protection of MPAs, Call this number to report any poaching or illegal activity in our local MPAs. call 1-888-334-CalTIP (888-334-2258)

For MPA map https://www.sbck.org/our-work/advocacy/marine-protected-areas/