As a person owning Santa Barbara property with a creek, it has been interesting to witness the extent to which the state and environmental groups go to encourage steelhead in this area. Most of the creeks in SB are dry much of the year. At other times, during major rain events (aka flooding), it is astounding that anything could survive the terrifying torrent of huge water flow pushing trees and boulders down the canyons. Also driven out to sea are the boulders placed in the creek by planners to create “ resting pools”. Another casualty of the flooding are the native plants so carefully laid out, planted and watered by trucks driving in to encourage them. Observing the massive expenditure of tax dollars to pursue the seemingly noble goal of restoring fish habitat can make one’s head spin. The regulatory burden on property owners with the creek running through their property is sobering . The fine for the unintentional or intentional “ taking “ of a steelhead , whether a 1 in or a 1 ft fish was $25,000, last time I checked. Andy has it right to describe the realities of promoting fish habitat in arid Southern California.
Speaking of water, the water hardness here in Dalton, GA is about 40 ppm. In SB, I would measure 400 ppm. Did you know Ventura has the highest at 666 ppm in the entire country? My wife still buys bottled water for making her tea, she can't change her habit. If SB has all this money to burn, then why not reduce the water hardness? I remember carefully walking down steps to the water softener with 40-pound bags of salt. Oh, and we had a neighbor stealing water from us over decades of time, too!
Thanks Andy. Hopefully the "new" feds will see the harm in trying to save a fish that, like dinosaurs, may no longer exist. My recommendation is to contact whoever will be in charge under President Trump.
So, see if I understand this; state housing mandates requiring thousands of units while at the same time waste massive amounts of water for a make believe fish that no longer exists? Yes, this is left wing madness that originates in Sacramento. This is why voters have left the Democratic Party due to being out of touch with reality. The leftist environmentalists are at war with water management, dams, reservoirs and agriculture in general…what a surprise!
Anytime when investigating illogical events, we need to know who specifically is recommending them. I'm assuming "the ridiculous" is derived from some "ecological scientists" and there has to be a twisted path of a money trail for the real reason. Someone's out to make a buck with these stupid concepts. What is described is so ridiculous there has to be a money trail behind it. Taking water away from farmland so farmers can't grow plants and the farmland going to Bill Gates for ten cents on the dollar, for example. Stupid stuff done creates a money exchange somewhere. Such as Gates giving Newsom his share. It's all about money changing hands. Hopefully Trump will line these guys up and have them shot.
Paper trail?? Looking at the September 2024 Twitchell Dam Project Report from the Santa Maria water conservation district, I see that a ton of money, about 30 million dollars, went to local contractors. I don't see Bill Gates here, at least in the official copy.
Of course, I'm speculative in my own presentation. I'll guarantee you it's all about money to be shared between politicians, the experts at skimming the bucks. If farmland ends up being sold, no doubt the billionaires will get the land for a fraction of what it was once worth. With regards to the Horne document, I don't believe anything attempting to appear "official." We have all gone through the stacks of lies presented before us, so much that we can't believe a thing we read anymore.
From reading on it I did this morning it has worked with Steelhead in areas where they can flourish - creeks and rivers with abundant water that feed into big lakes and oceans. That's not Santa Maria. I link to an article about angling in NY State in my comment.
In 2015 then-congressman Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) produced a documentary DEAD HARVEST that explained the causation and effects of the Central Valley water crisis.
The film follows up a report Nunes wrote about the Central Valley and water use.
The tragic decades of diversion of water that should be flowing into the Central Valley aquifer, sending it out to sea for the sake of the non-existant Delta Smelt. The destruction of some of the most productive farmland in the nation is clearly exposed for what it is, a massive land grab. When productive orchards are uprooted because the water table is so low that deeper and deeper wells must be dug, causing small landowners to default and sell out, the land returns to desert and can be bought at pennies on the dollar. We have it happening right now in the Cuyama Valley where the massive carrot farmers are impacting all the rest of the ranchers and farmers as the water table drops and they wait in line to drill deeper wells.
And a final indignity, Lake Cachuma is insufficiently dredged. We depend on it as our water source, but I posit that without removing the rich silt accumulated in the bottom (that could enrich croplands) the water it contains is a far smaller amount than calculated.
The truth about California is that it is a mismanaged environment, world-renowned for beauty and potential productivity. But the priorities are wrong. The most water intensive crop grown? Almonds. And the vast majority of them are shipped to China.
I love the comment, "there's no fish in the dry riverbed." Unless the fish are flopping around in the dry riverbed, there should be no fish in the dry riverbed. I think this fish tale is about draining water intentionally out of the farmlands. That's an engineer's perspective of connecting the dots. Look no further. Fish were used as the reason to drain the water out of farmlands.
Thanks for reminding me I need to cancel my yearly subscription to Current, after already self-canceling every Sunday so I didn't have to subject myself to the drivel Caldwell passes off. Steelhead are the apex sportfishing fish to those who are in the know and share the passion. Fools like this (evidently mandatory in the Current Sundays) are really not worth teaching those who will never see or learn. Adios.
Knowing some anglers I can understand your passion and anger, David. Where Steelhead flourish is a sign of a healthy eco system. In my comment above I linked to an article about Steelhead in Chautauqua NY where they are flourishing. The creeks in Santa Maria seem to have been mishandled for some time. At this point it seems it would be impossible to create the kind of eco system that Chautauqua now has and the proposed attempts would not bring back the Steelhead population and would ruin farming.
Thank you, Andy. I don't understand what the goal of this proposal is. Yes, Steelhead are an angler's dream … in places where there's abundant natural water in rivers connected to large lakes or oceans. Not Santa Maria.
Here's a recent article about Steelhead fishing in https://tinyurl.com/yc2kejyx in Chautauqua County, NY. Note that they refer to where the man in the photo is fishing as a “creek.” It is a raging waterway for trout spawning by comparison to the Santa Maria River. The Steelhead are also maintained by NYSDEC, which is an impressive organization of nature scientists.
I can see wanting to spend money on Steelhead sustainability in Chautauqua. I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to encourage spawning in the Santa Maria River. Why not lure the poor Steelhead to Death Valley? Is the goal to develop an angler's paradise that will pull tourists in?
Sometimes I find out that “environmental” proposals like this were drawn up by consultants in some other part of the country. Is that the case here?
At any rate, I think this is Steelhead abuse. They are a beautiful, tasty fish who deserve better if they're going to end up on a plate.
Thank you Andy...just another ill-thought out waste of resources. I'm convinced these (various) departments (including and especially the SB County planning) think up these crazy ideas to generate income to pay their salaries. What always seems to baffle me is the complete lack of consideration over the consequences of these looney ventures. Let's pray that sanity returns to the EPA and other departments that lost their way. Blessings
looked at the report cited in the comment below--the consulting company made $6 million writing 6 reports. Most of what was spent was FEMA money. For the rest, I don't see any benefits to the taxpayers.
As a person owning Santa Barbara property with a creek, it has been interesting to witness the extent to which the state and environmental groups go to encourage steelhead in this area. Most of the creeks in SB are dry much of the year. At other times, during major rain events (aka flooding), it is astounding that anything could survive the terrifying torrent of huge water flow pushing trees and boulders down the canyons. Also driven out to sea are the boulders placed in the creek by planners to create “ resting pools”. Another casualty of the flooding are the native plants so carefully laid out, planted and watered by trucks driving in to encourage them. Observing the massive expenditure of tax dollars to pursue the seemingly noble goal of restoring fish habitat can make one’s head spin. The regulatory burden on property owners with the creek running through their property is sobering . The fine for the unintentional or intentional “ taking “ of a steelhead , whether a 1 in or a 1 ft fish was $25,000, last time I checked. Andy has it right to describe the realities of promoting fish habitat in arid Southern California.
Speaking of water, the water hardness here in Dalton, GA is about 40 ppm. In SB, I would measure 400 ppm. Did you know Ventura has the highest at 666 ppm in the entire country? My wife still buys bottled water for making her tea, she can't change her habit. If SB has all this money to burn, then why not reduce the water hardness? I remember carefully walking down steps to the water softener with 40-pound bags of salt. Oh, and we had a neighbor stealing water from us over decades of time, too!
Thanks Andy. Hopefully the "new" feds will see the harm in trying to save a fish that, like dinosaurs, may no longer exist. My recommendation is to contact whoever will be in charge under President Trump.
Good Lord, I didn't know how corrupt Santa Barbara County and City were until I got a subscription to this newsletter.
I bet there are many sbarbarians who don't have a clue.
We have to get a government that runs on honesty and hard work and get rid of all the DEI perversions. (I'm sure I'll get some heat for that ;)
So, see if I understand this; state housing mandates requiring thousands of units while at the same time waste massive amounts of water for a make believe fish that no longer exists? Yes, this is left wing madness that originates in Sacramento. This is why voters have left the Democratic Party due to being out of touch with reality. The leftist environmentalists are at war with water management, dams, reservoirs and agriculture in general…what a surprise!
Actually the Left is at war with people
Scarcity and inconvenience is what planners are doing to society
Anytime when investigating illogical events, we need to know who specifically is recommending them. I'm assuming "the ridiculous" is derived from some "ecological scientists" and there has to be a twisted path of a money trail for the real reason. Someone's out to make a buck with these stupid concepts. What is described is so ridiculous there has to be a money trail behind it. Taking water away from farmland so farmers can't grow plants and the farmland going to Bill Gates for ten cents on the dollar, for example. Stupid stuff done creates a money exchange somewhere. Such as Gates giving Newsom his share. It's all about money changing hands. Hopefully Trump will line these guys up and have them shot.
Paper trail?? Looking at the September 2024 Twitchell Dam Project Report from the Santa Maria water conservation district, I see that a ton of money, about 30 million dollars, went to local contractors. I don't see Bill Gates here, at least in the official copy.
https://www.smvwcd.org/files/ae402c699/Horne+Twitchell+Dam_Project+Update_09_19_2024.pdf
Of course, I'm speculative in my own presentation. I'll guarantee you it's all about money to be shared between politicians, the experts at skimming the bucks. If farmland ends up being sold, no doubt the billionaires will get the land for a fraction of what it was once worth. With regards to the Horne document, I don't believe anything attempting to appear "official." We have all gone through the stacks of lies presented before us, so much that we can't believe a thing we read anymore.
Under what authority is this a federal issue? EPA? Dept of the interrior? Seems that this should be under state or local jurisdiction.
The fish is listed as endangered by both the state and the feds
So the goal is to make people endangered as well.
From reading on it I did this morning it has worked with Steelhead in areas where they can flourish - creeks and rivers with abundant water that feed into big lakes and oceans. That's not Santa Maria. I link to an article about angling in NY State in my comment.
Government does not work for the people.
Govt tries to make life harder, more expensive & trying to kill you.
This should be obvious after all the COVID lies.
But here once again CA decides to puss away water while water is “rare”
CA chose to not install additional reservoirs even though the projects were approved.
Just like the high speed rail.
Where is all the money that was approved for these projects?
Whose pocket did the money go into?
Oprah, Beyoncé, Pelosi, Newsom?
Seriously, why have no Republican accountants traced the money ?
In 2015 then-congressman Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) produced a documentary DEAD HARVEST that explained the causation and effects of the Central Valley water crisis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax5A3r_z4KA
The film follows up a report Nunes wrote about the Central Valley and water use.
The tragic decades of diversion of water that should be flowing into the Central Valley aquifer, sending it out to sea for the sake of the non-existant Delta Smelt. The destruction of some of the most productive farmland in the nation is clearly exposed for what it is, a massive land grab. When productive orchards are uprooted because the water table is so low that deeper and deeper wells must be dug, causing small landowners to default and sell out, the land returns to desert and can be bought at pennies on the dollar. We have it happening right now in the Cuyama Valley where the massive carrot farmers are impacting all the rest of the ranchers and farmers as the water table drops and they wait in line to drill deeper wells.
And a final indignity, Lake Cachuma is insufficiently dredged. We depend on it as our water source, but I posit that without removing the rich silt accumulated in the bottom (that could enrich croplands) the water it contains is a far smaller amount than calculated.
The truth about California is that it is a mismanaged environment, world-renowned for beauty and potential productivity. But the priorities are wrong. The most water intensive crop grown? Almonds. And the vast majority of them are shipped to China.
Thank you Andy for another informative essay.
If this is a Federal decision where does Salud stand?
Will someone get him out from under his desk and ask him?
Does he even know how to spell Steelhead? Hello Salud? Salud?!
Exceptional article Andy. Who can I write to or call to support your opinion?
salud!
I love the comment, "there's no fish in the dry riverbed." Unless the fish are flopping around in the dry riverbed, there should be no fish in the dry riverbed. I think this fish tale is about draining water intentionally out of the farmlands. That's an engineer's perspective of connecting the dots. Look no further. Fish were used as the reason to drain the water out of farmlands.
Thanks for reminding me I need to cancel my yearly subscription to Current, after already self-canceling every Sunday so I didn't have to subject myself to the drivel Caldwell passes off. Steelhead are the apex sportfishing fish to those who are in the know and share the passion. Fools like this (evidently mandatory in the Current Sundays) are really not worth teaching those who will never see or learn. Adios.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out! Maybe someday you will be able to fish in the Mojave desert too?
Knowing some anglers I can understand your passion and anger, David. Where Steelhead flourish is a sign of a healthy eco system. In my comment above I linked to an article about Steelhead in Chautauqua NY where they are flourishing. The creeks in Santa Maria seem to have been mishandled for some time. At this point it seems it would be impossible to create the kind of eco system that Chautauqua now has and the proposed attempts would not bring back the Steelhead population and would ruin farming.
Thank you, Andy. I don't understand what the goal of this proposal is. Yes, Steelhead are an angler's dream … in places where there's abundant natural water in rivers connected to large lakes or oceans. Not Santa Maria.
Here's a recent article about Steelhead fishing in https://tinyurl.com/yc2kejyx in Chautauqua County, NY. Note that they refer to where the man in the photo is fishing as a “creek.” It is a raging waterway for trout spawning by comparison to the Santa Maria River. The Steelhead are also maintained by NYSDEC, which is an impressive organization of nature scientists.
I can see wanting to spend money on Steelhead sustainability in Chautauqua. I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to encourage spawning in the Santa Maria River. Why not lure the poor Steelhead to Death Valley? Is the goal to develop an angler's paradise that will pull tourists in?
Sometimes I find out that “environmental” proposals like this were drawn up by consultants in some other part of the country. Is that the case here?
At any rate, I think this is Steelhead abuse. They are a beautiful, tasty fish who deserve better if they're going to end up on a plate.
Thank you Andy...just another ill-thought out waste of resources. I'm convinced these (various) departments (including and especially the SB County planning) think up these crazy ideas to generate income to pay their salaries. What always seems to baffle me is the complete lack of consideration over the consequences of these looney ventures. Let's pray that sanity returns to the EPA and other departments that lost their way. Blessings
Sounds and smells “fishy”
looked at the report cited in the comment below--the consulting company made $6 million writing 6 reports. Most of what was spent was FEMA money. For the rest, I don't see any benefits to the taxpayers.