Our Work

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW’s) Heritage and Wild Trout Program (the Program) manages designated waters for wild trout species. The term “wild trout” means a fish born and reared in a specific location without human intervention. The term “heritage trout” refers to trout that have lived in a specific location since prehistoric…

In the context of fisheries management, a Remote Site Incubator (RSI) is a device that incubates salmonid eggs in a streamside setting before releasing the incubated fry into nearby habitat. The Russian River Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program in California is one program that uses RSIs. This program involves spawning adult broodstock at Warm Springs…

If you live, work, or engage in recreation in Richmond, you’ve probably gotten close to the West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill in north Richmond. The Parr Boulevard-based garbage dump opened in 1953. The dump is now closed, but it remains a problem. For close to two decades, the facility owned by a subsidiary of Phoenix-based…

I sometimes tell fishing clubs when I talk to them that CSPA works in long and difficult regulatory processes so the clubs don’t have to. There is so much regulatory and legal work to do to save and restore California’s fish and the communities that depend on them. On many levels, the effort in California’s…

On March 24, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a proclamation to end the 2021 Drought Emergency. Gov. Newsom’s action came approximately two weeks after nonprofits CSPA and AquAlliance filed a lawsuit regarding the matter on March 10, 2026 in Alameda County Superior Court. The proclamation can be found in a list of terminations of states of emergency.   The end to the drought emergency is welcome because the emergency had weakened environmental…

The California State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) is advancing a process to establish permanent streamflow requirements for the Shasta and Scott rivers. The Water Board’s current work will narrow the range of flows and focus deeper investigations in a forthcoming scientific basis report and economic analysis. This report will inform the Water Board’s selection of permanent minimum baseflows. Interim…

It’s the time of year when I start to think about spring-run Chinook salmon. As the warm temperatures of spring begin to melt the snowpack, cold and clear water flows from the southern Cascades and Lassen foothills. This seasonal change initiates the return of adult Central Valley spring-run Chinook to hold and then spawn in their natal streams.  Located in Tehama County, California, Deer and Mill Creeks are significant tributaries…

On March 20, 2026, the Administrative Hearings Office (AHO) for the State Water Resources Control Board (Board) issued a Draft Decision regarding water rights for the proposed Sites Reservoir.  The Draft Decision followed over a year of evidentiary hearings that ended with reply briefs in June 2025.  The Draft Decision is accompanied by a Draft Water Rights Permit.  The Draft Decision proposes granting the…

A 2/12/26 letter from four San Joaquin Valley congressmen pleaded with Governor Newsom to waive a Delta outflow requirement in 2026.  The requirement is the “Port Chicago standard” in Water Rights Decision 1641 (D-1641), in effect since 2000.  Additional letters from the “Coalition for a Sustainable Delta” and from Westlands Water District made similar requests.…

This winter, Friends of the Eel River, a Eureka nonprofit, is launching the Eel River Native Plant Network. The goal of the Network is to increase regional capacity to produce native plant products. The initial focus will be to assist PG&E in its effort to replant native wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees in the project…

Many fly fishing clubs play important roles in advocacy and conservation. Clubs connect hundreds of people beyond their own members with local streams and lakes. The clubs assist local and visiting fishermen by providing up-to-date reporting on fisheries and river conditions. Anglers often have a deep understanding of the quality of a fishery. Stepping into…

The free-flowing Klamath River, where the J.C. Boyle dam once stood. Image: Angelina Cook The federal government is formalizing a process to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the upper Klamath River basin. The process seeks to prioritize irrigation deliveries in the upper Klamath basin over the protection of threatened and endangered species. In…

In 2025, The Wildlands Conservancy marked its first year of seeing coho salmon in a Sonoma coast stream called Russian Gulch. With luck and hard work, this event should herald a return of coho salmon in the Russian Gulch Watershed. The change was brought about by more than a decade of effort by Conservancy staff.…

The 43rd annual Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) conference will take place in Redding from April 28 to May 1, 2026. The conference is a great opportunity to learn about native species of anadromous fish and hands-on and regulatory efforts to increase their populations. CSPA will make several presentations at this year’s conference.  The Salmonid Restoration…

It’s the time of year when I constantly daydream about swinging up a beautiful Winter steelhead. I’ve been obsessed with these incredible creatures ever since I landed my first one under Wohler Bridge on the Russian River 15 years ago. It was an exhilarating and unforgettable experience. The acrobatics, runs, and aerial maneuvers that occur…