What’s Happening, And Why It Matters Right Now
The State Water Board is updating the plan that is supposed to protect Sacramento Valley salmon rivers and the Bay-Delta. But rather than adopting stronger rules to protect salmon, the State Board is close to finalizing plans to divert even more water from Central Valley salmon rivers, especially the Sacramento, which is where most of our salmon come from. That’s very bad for salmon, but there’s something you can do about it, and we need your help.
The future of California salmon fishing is on the line before the State Board.
This Plan Would Drain Salmon Rivers, But There’s a Narrow Window to Stop It
One Public Hearing Could Make the Difference
If a bunch of fishermen show up and provide public comment, it could make a big difference. The Board members are under tremendous pressure from water users and Governor Newsom. We need to counter that pressure – and urge the board to adopt stronger protections, not weaker ones.
You Can Comment From Home, Right From Your Phone
You can do this public comment stuff from home on your phone on the day of the meeting, which will be January 29. (Date to be confirmed.)
If you’re game, read on.
How the Public Comment Process Works
The Water Board requires you to sign up to comment by Tuesday, January 27. You can do so here. They’ll email you a password and a link to call in. They put you on hold, where you can listen to the meeting and other comments until it’s your turn, then they call on you.
What to Say (It Can Be as Short as 30 Seconds)
The public comment part of the meeting generally comes towards the end of the day, but the timing can shift. They call out three or four names at a time to line up to speak. We can send you a text when it’s your turn to dial in, and the comment is about to come up. Comments can be a max of three minutes or as short as just saying who you are and that you’re against the Bay Delta plan being discussed due to the harm it will do to salmon. Done.
Your Story Matters, Even If It’s Simple
When you comment, identify yourself, your connection to salmon fishing, and your concern about California’s rivers that will be drained under this plan because of the harm it will do to salmon. Be personal.
You might have a story about how long you’ve been fishing or how many generations in your family have fished salmon, etc. You might have a story to share about how important sharing a salmon dinner is or how important sharing your catch with neighbors and family has always been in our communities. Talk about the impact of the salmon fishing shutdown.
If you fish on party or charter boats, and maybe you’ve gotten to know the captains and crew, perhaps you’ve got a story about how you’re supporting their business that is feeding families.
No Fishing Story? That’s Okay
If you don’t have any of those stories, no problem. If the Water Board hears that you care about salmon and you’re worried about the negative effects of their plan to take more salmon water, that would be a big help. Tell the Board to reject the Voluntary Agreements scam and adopt common-sense, stronger protections to ensure sufficient cold water and river flows to restore Sacramento Basin salmon runs.
We’ll Help You Time It
Again, if you’re ready to help out, you can sign up to be heard during the public comment session at this link. We will be there monitoring and can text you when your name is called. Then you call the number they provided, and you’re in line to speak.
Sign Up to Be Heard on January 29
To text you, we need to know you’re signed up and how to reach you. If you want to go this route, let us know by clicking this link.
Thanks for your help on this. The more people who show up and say something, the better.
Want a Clear Breakdown of What’s Really in This Plan?
The State Water Board is the only agency with the authority to require what the Central Valley fall run needs to survive – cold water during the spawning season and adequate river flows when baby salmon outmigrate to the ocean.
Ashley Overhouse from Defenders of Wildlife walks through what the State Water Board is proposing, how the so-called “Voluntary Agreements” would weaken protections for salmon, and why this plan would make it even harder for Sacramento River salmon to survive.
If you want a deeper, plain-English explanation of what’s at stake, and why public pressure right now matters, this short talk is worth watching:
Watch: Ashley Overhouse (Defenders of Wildlife) explains the Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements
(You don’t need to watch the whole thing to help on January 29, but this gives important context for why speaking up now matters.)