DEDICATEDTO RESTORING

A GREATRIVER

Board 01 DIrect8'I
GarySeput
Thou.I Weselob
Byron Le}tdecker

FRIENDS OF TRINITY RIVER NEWSLETTER

OURANNUAL- ONCEA YEAR ONLY - RENEWAL REOUEST

Unlike manynon-profit organizationsthat bombardus with creativerequestsfor

contributions,FrieDdsof TriDity River makesa requestfor financial supportbut oncea
year. That time is upon us. We havemadesignificantstridesin working toward
restorationof Trlalty River. We could not havebeenaseffectiveaswe havebeen
without your financial help. Your supportis invaluablefor successfulrestorationof
Trinity River, andthat objectiveclearly is achievable.

We're not engagedin trying to reachan objectiverequiringdecadesof effort. With your

assistance,we canhelp restoreTrinity River within the next few years. Trinity is the
oneriver in the state,if not the United States,that hasa genuineopportunityfor major
restorationof its fishery andwildlife resources.

We're not a largeorganization,andwe rely completelyupon your continuedsupportto

continueour work throughthis singleannualrequest.We haveno paid staff, andour
overheadis at a minimum. We askfor your financialhelp for this yearnow.

If you have contributed In the last few months,pleasedisregard this request.

Otberwise, pleasetake the time now to sendus your cbec~ All contributions are
fully tax deductible. A return envelopeis enclosedwith this Newsletter.

TRINITY RIVER RESTORATION PROGRAM

Trinltv Adaotive ManuemeDt Workia2 GrOUDStatus iT AMWG)

The stakeholder'sgroupwithin the Trinity River RestoratioDProgram, T AMWG, on

which we serve,still doesnot haveits membersappointedor reappointedby the laterlor
Secretaryalmostsix monthsfollowing expirationof its original charter.
The simplefact is that the stakeholdersgroup,TAMWG, currently is non-functional.
We haveprovidedandprovide valuablerecommendations, supportand input to the
TriDIty MaDacementCo.ncD (TMC) andwork closelywith all other Program
elements.We havebeenan effectiveandsignificantcontributorto the Program. This
timely failure to act is a very undesirablecircumstancefor the Program, for us, for other
stakeholderandpublic interests,and for achievementof Program purposes.

A coupleof us havemadesignificantefforts to encourageactionon appointmentsat the

nationallevel. T AMWG contributessignificantlyto the Prognm, andthis bureaucratic
foul-up- unintentionalor not - is a hindranceto an effectiveProgram and is not
acceptable.A changein responsibilitiesfor this processhasbeenmade. Hopefully,
appointmentswill be madewithin the next coupleof weeks.

J41oodDlaia
Work to AccommodateROD's Hiner River flows

Infonnationon requiredfloodplain work andtheir coststo accommodate higher flows as

providedin the December2000Reeord of DeclsioD(ROD) hasyet to be developed.
Presumably.an inventoryof neededfloodplainactionsanddeterminationof costsfor this
work is in process.At the sametime, the Program budgetfor this year,and asprojected
for the next two years,clearly provideinsufficient fundingto allow fully for waterreturns
to the river prescribedin the ROD. Substantialfloodplainwork to accommodatehigher
flows hasbeendeferredto 2006in orderto pay for morefish monitoring andother
studies.

A decisionon water-typeyearwill be madeby the endof March. If this yearis

detennined
to bea '~et" year.flowsof 8.500 cubicfeetpersecond(cfs)couldbe
released. However.it appearsto us that becauseof unresolvedfloodplain problems.that
maynot be possible. Somepropertiescould be flood damagedby an 8.500cfs release
from Trinity Dam. andsomeroadrealignmentwork will not be completed. Floodplain
adjustmentsclearly demanda high priority for ftmding. They arenot ~eiving it.

If this yearis detenninedto be a "nonnal" water-typeyear.then flows of 6.000wi" be

releasedin early spring.asbasbeenthe casethe pastfew years. The ROD alsoprovides
for waterreturnsto the river of 11.000 cfs in an "extremelywet'. water-typeyear.
Absentnecessaryadjustmentsin the floodplainit is obviousthat 11, 000 cfs cannotbe
released.

Thethreenewbridges- Poker Bar t Salt Flat andBiggen - will beopenfor trafficby

early April. Roadwork associatedwith the BucktaU Bridge alreadyis completed.Road
improvementsto allow for higher flows arebeing constructedin Poker Bar, but will not
be completeduntil at least2006.

We continueto pressaggressivelyfor detemrinationof all neededfloodplain adjustments,

anddIe funding andimplementationof requiredwork to allow for flows of up to 11,000
cfs asestablishedin the ROD.
The Restoration Program's budgetwascut by abouta million dollarsthis year from
what hadbeenplannodjusta few weeksago. In our view, this basresultedin allocation
of Prognm fundsin a mannerthat exacerbatesthe problemof ignoring the highest
priority Program actions.

Principalchangesin the budgetasa resultof reducedfunding areas follows: FWldsfor

floodplainadjustmentsto accommodate higher flows werereduced. Fundswere
increasedfor channelmanipulationprojectsthat areto be self-sustainingwith higher
flows that can't be implementedfully without floodplain changes.FWldsfor designand
planningfor futurecham1elmanipulationprojectswereincreased.Fundingfor Program
Administrationwas increased.Fundingfor watershedrehabilitationprojectsthat have
beengrosslyunder-fundedfor yean werereducedby more than 50 percent. Fundsfor an
hourly temperaturemodel- very important- weredeleted. This infonnation would
providethe recordto requireBOR to maintainnon-lethalwatertemperaturesfor fish in
the river.

Trinltv Mana2ementCouncil

Trinity ManagementCouncil (TMC) is the ultimatepolicy andmanagementdecision

makingentity within the Program. It reportsto the Interior Secretary. It is comprised
of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest
Service,National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish &Wildlife
Service,California Department of Fish and Game andTrinity County.

ApparentandincreasingdivisivenessamongTMC members,combinedwith a
supern1ajority
vote requirementandthe dominanceof federalagenciesis fracturingthe
TMC andmakingit lesslikely to makesoundandtimely decisions. The recentbudget
cut responses,
with its misplacedpriorities, is an exampleof how the Program is making
poor decisions.This alsois a key reasonwhy FOTR must continueto play its vital role
in the Program.

Pf02ram Evaluation Review and ReDort

FOTR is represented by boardmember,NorthcoastManagerofCalifomia Trout, IDC.

andT AMWG alternatememberTom Weseloll on a very small groupthat meets
regularlywith the Program's executivedirector,DouglasScllleuSDer,to review andto
help implementProgram changesreflectedin the Program EvaluatloD Review Report
finalizedlast year. Weseloll andLeydecker servedon the sub-committeethat developed
the Report. Detailsof this effort andproductwereoutlined in FOTR's November
Newsletter.

Changecomesslowly, but someprogressin attemptingto makethe Program more

effectivein xhieving its objectivesis underway.
 ALLOCATION OF DEVELOPED WATER RESOURCES

Commentson Environmental Documentation for Lone-Term Water Contracts

SinceearlyDecember,FOTR hascommentedextensivelyon grosslyinadequate

environmentaldocumentationby the Bureau of ReclamatioD(BOR) for Ceatral Valley
Project (CVP) Loul- Tenn Contract ReDewalsto deliver waterto CVP irrigatorsand
otherbeneficiariessouthof the Su FranciscoBay Delta, including Westluds Water
District (WWD). We commentedon four separatedocuments.From our perspective,
thesecommentswere akin to the developmentof four master'sor doctoraltheses.

Oneor moreof our submittedsetsof commentswerejoined by other conservation

organizationsthat includedNortbern California Council/Federation of Fly Fisben,
Trout Unlimited of California, Butte Environmental Council, California Trout, Inc.,
Public Trust Alliance, Sierra Club, Friends of the River, Winnemem Wintu Tribe,
California Sportfisbing Protection Alliance, Pacific Coast Federation of Fisbermen's
Associations,California SaveOur StreamsCouncil, Nortbcoast Environmental
Center and California Water Impact Network.

In addition,both the Natural ResoarcesDerea5eCODDCD and EDvjroameDtalDefense

includedour commentsby referenceasa part of their individual commentson certainof
the environmentaldocuments.

We undertookthis effort, amongotherreasons,becausethe Bureau hascontractedto

deliver far morewaterthan exists(paper water) in the CVP. Underproposedcontracts,
the BOR intendsto deliver eveDmore water southof the So Francisco Bay Delta that
doesn'texist. Its intentionsincludepumpingup to onemillion acrefeet of morewater
southof the Delta to the Western SaDJoaquin Valley andelsewhere.

Suchaction,if allowedto proceed,will increasesubstantiallyour state'swater shortages

andfurtherdistort rational useof developedwaterresources- waterresourcesfrom
Northern CaUfornta. That reality potentiallycould affect the Trinity adverselysinceits
divertedwaterprincipally goesto (WWD) in the Western San Joaquin Valley.

On February15, EartbJustice aDdNRDC filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in

San Franciscoto stopthe BOR from proceedingwith its plannedschemesto sendmore
TriDity water south- somehatchedin secretmeetings.Also joining the suit asplaintiffs
wereCalifornia Trout, IDe.,The Bay Institute, Bay Keeper and Friends of the River.
Anyoneconcernedaboutsustainingany semblanceof fisheriesin CaUfornia applauds
this action. Anyone concernedaboutsustainingrivers andthe wildlife they supportin
Northern CaUCorniaapplaudsthis action.

The BOR proceedsasthoughno law appliesto its actions,and if you don't like it, "sue
us,we havethe federaltreasurybehindus." NRDC was succ~fu1, after aboutten
years,in its litigation on renewalcontractsbetweenthe BOR andthe Friant Water
Usen Aathority. The very existenceof Saa JoaqaiDRiver was at stakein this action.

Unhappily,it appearsthat litigation is the only avenueavailableto stop BOR from

enteringinto waterdelivery contractsthat are irrationalto everyinterestin California
(thepublic interest,for starters)other thana handfulof heavily taxpayersubsidizedmajor
landownercorporateor corporateequivalentbeneficiaries.

RENEWAL AND NEW MEMBERS, AND SPECIAL RECOGNITION

While FOTR only askso.ce . year for memberrenewals,sinceour November

Newsletter,severalpeoplehaverenewedtheir membershipor joined FOTR. Several
otherpersonshaveprovidedsupportfor our Trinity effort in otherways. We particularly
want to thankandto expressour app~iation to Mr. Leland Jordan who providedpro-
bonolegal servicesto establishFOTR asa non-profit corporationand to obtaintax
exemptstatusfrom the federalandstategovernments.He also financially contributed
significantlyto FOTR. We also expressour thanksto Mr. Jeff Bright, of Jeff Brigbt
Deslp - graphicandwebsitedesignservices- who updatesour websitefor us when
we're ableto provide informationto him to do so.

If you have renewedyour membenhip sinceour November Newsletter and your

name(s)has beenomitted below, pleaselet us know - we want to recognizeyour
support.
Our very geuuiue appreciation to the following peopleandorganizations:
Anonymous,Robert Bellucci, Atsuko and Keitb Bennett. Marc Boler. Todd Boler.
Boler & Associates,Alan Brayton, Calvin ChiD andJoel Cohen.

Norman Christenson, M.D., contributedindividually andin Memory of Alan

Goodman,M.D. Dr. Christenson alsosolicitedandobtainedcontributionsin Dr.
Goodman's Memory from Sarah Christenson,Tracy Duke, Gabriel Garci~ M.D.,
Mike Knzinski/Eureka Fly Shop, Michael Morrison, Thomas, Rydz, M.D., Jeff
Walker and Frank R. Wheeler, M.D.

Elise and Gary Dickenson alsocontributedindividually, and on behalf of Scotto Bie,

Norm Dickenson,Ron Dickenson,Steveand Blake Dickenson,Paul Murphey, and
John Rumisel.

Also contributing: JamesDowling, M.D., Paula Downing, Stuart Feldman, Peter

Giampaoli, Goat Hill Printing Co., Lynn Halpern, Kennetb Haupt, David Hickson,
Nadine and Mitcb Hitcbcock, Jack C. Doey, M.D., Edward Hooper, Hiram Jang,
Ricbard Jobnson, Leland Jordan, Raymond Kocb, M.D., Eric Malmquist, Francis
Matbews Family, Jobn Mertes, Palo Alto FlyflSbers,Marian Perry, Rudy Ramp and
Vicky Turner, Alexandra and Javan Reid, Phil Ryan, Carmen and Dennis Scott,
Wendi and JamesShively, M.D., Mary andJamesSimons, Igor Skaredoff,
Tbendara Foundation, Joe Tupin, JosepbWalsh, M.D., G. B. Jerry Waybright, and
DouglasWitmore.
Frteodl of TriDity RIver
P.O.BoI1317
Mill Valley, CA 94942-1327

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Friends of Trinity RIver

PO Box 2327
Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327