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Schoolchildren identify aquatic
insects collected in Little Castle Creek.

Castle Crags State Park, upper Sacramento River.

Lassen Creek Restoration Project.

Trustee Council Makes 1998 Grant Selections

Grants funded by the Council this year emphasize Restoration, Rehabilitation and Enhancement, and Public Information and Education. Seven projects were funded during this grant cycle, for a total expenditure of $444,332.

Public Information and Education

Three grants were awarded in this category. Dunsmuir Elementary School District received $55,932. The Council voted to fund the Dunsmuir Schools Watershed Education Project for a period of three years, continuing programs funded in 1996 and 1997. Providing students of the Dunsmuir Elementary School and the Dunsmuir High School with a comprehensive and cross-curricular program, this project is designed to raise awareness and promote stewardship of the upper Sacramento River. Continued funding will allow the Dunsmuir Schools to revise and expand activities and field projects for students. Additionally, proposed projects will provide many direct and indirect opportunities for public involvement.

Also in the category of public information and education, a grant was made to the California Department of Parks and Recreation for $27,595. This funding is for an Interpretive Coordinator at Castle Crags State Park. The Castle Crags Interpreter will work with schools, offices of education, and the Sacramento River Exchange to expand public education within the park. The interpreter will also conduct public programs to promote stewardship of the upper Sacramento River.

The third grant recipient in the public information and education category is Ms. Helen Chambers-Aria. The Resource Radio project, funded for a cost of $73,735, provides for the production, recording, and distribution of twelve public service announcements over the next three-year period.

Restoration, Rehabilitation and Enhancement

Four grants were awarded in this category. The Spring Creek Culvert Rehabilitation and Signal Crayfish Eradication Project, at a cost of $130,000, will rehabilitate four culverts that act as barriers to protect the world’s largest population of the endangered Shasta crayfish. In addition, a program will be instituted to eradicate the invasive Signal crayfish that have moved upstream past the culverts, threatening the continued existence of Shasta crayfish.

The Lassen Creek Restoration Project, funded for $116,570, will restore a degraded stream channel and reconnect the riparian zone with the creek. Ultimately, the project will restore water table elevations and improve fish passage and habitat for the Goose Lake redband trout and other sensitive fish species.

A grant of $7500 was awarded to the Fall River Resource Conservation District to develop GIS maps in conjunction with a major restoration and bank stabilization project on the Fall River. This grant provides partial funding for the Fall River Restoration Project.

Within the upper Sacramento River watershed, the Council granted $33,000 to Castle Crags State Park for a demonstration project to control Himalaya blackberry and scotch broom in the park. These invasive plants crowd out native vegetation. Removal of these non-natives will allow native species to recover.

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Construction of an osprey nesting platform.

Adult osprey feeds its young.

Osprey Surveys

Osprey reproductive surveys have been conducted on the upper Sacramento River since the Cantara Spill in 1991. Eighteen nests from the Sacramento arm of Shasta Lake to Box Canyon Dam are monitored each year. Surveys are conducted once a month beginning in March, when the osprey return from overwintering in Mexico and Central America, and continue through September.

The Cantara Spill occurred near the end of the 1991 breeding season when osprey chicks were dependent upon adults for food. Adult osprey within the spill zone could no longer obtain fish close to their nesting sites, as all fish within the zone were killed. Osprey were impacted due to the loss of available fish, possibly affecting the development of chicks and survival of all birds. Four osprey nests were monitored in 1991; these produced five young.

During 1994 and 1995, the Department of Fish and Game constructed eight nesting platforms along the upper Sacramento River. This was to insure that availability of suitable nesting sites was not a limiting factor in the osprey’s reproductive success. To date, four of the eight nesting platforms have been utilized. The Department is optimistic that eventually all eight platforms will be utilized.

Between 1992 and 1994, the number of osprey young continued to increase each year following the spill. The population seemed to level out in 1995 and 1996 when 17 young were produced from the 18 nests observed.

Not surprisingly, osprey productivity mirrored the recovery pattern of rainbow trout, their primary food supply.

We saw a 24% decrease in the number of young produced, from 17 in 1996 to 13 chicks in 1997. This was likely due to the major flood of January 1, 1997 on the upper Sacramento River that caused a dramatic reduction in the numbers of rainbow trout.

1998 survey results indicate an even further reduction in the number of osprey produced. Seven osprey young fledged in 1998, which is a 46% reduction from 1997. This dramatic decrease is most likely related to the El Niño winter that resulted in above average amounts of rainfall. In addition, several nests were blown down.

A highlight of the 1998 osprey surveys included observations of a bald eagle pair nesting in a previously occupied osprey nest. This nest was built on one of the platforms constructed in 1994. One bald eagle fledgling was successfully produced. This is the first time that bald eagles have been known to nest on the upper Sacramento River.

Snorkeling surveys, to evaluate the recovery of rainbow trout, were completed in September 1998. The data indicate a reduction in the number of rainbow trout as compared to 1997 survey results. It will be interesting to see whether the trend in osprey reproduction continues to reflect the recovery of their primary food supply, rainbow trout. Osprey surveys will continue for two more seasons, through the year 2000.

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Cantara Staff Perspectives: Publications of the Council

by Dana Lis, Publication/Production Coordinator

The Cantara Trustee Council releases a number of publications and announcements every year. Some of these, such as the financial statement included in the annual report, are documents required by the settlement agreement. Others such as this newsletter, are released to provide current or educational information.

Production of these documents is a many-faceted process, involving a number of staff and resources.

In the case of the annual report, we know that certain information is required to be documented. This gives us a framework on which to build the rest of the report. Text and financial information is compiled by several staff members. Layout, design, and photo selection are handled by myself. Interpreting data and construction of graphs is done by Suzanne Turek. Geographic Information System (GIS) maps are produced on-site by DFG contract staff.

Compiling and creating the information, and ultimately presenting an aesthetically pleasing product, is a time-consuming task. Many people and variables are involved, creating complexity in a seemingly simple project.

The Council releases two newsletters per year. In these, we report on recent Council activities and decisions, results of grant projects, and Council-related events. These events are often attended and photographed by staff members.

Last fall, we produced a brochure for the Council, “Your Guide to Outdoor Family Recreation on the Upper Sacramento River”. With over 10,000 copies distributed locally, this publication has been a huge success. Contained within the brochure are descriptions of 17 public access sites along the upper Sacramento River. Activities available at each site, north and south I-5 directions, and maps of each site are presented. A fold-out overview map of the river and I-5, indicating each site location, is also contained in the brochure.

Projects for the coming year are already in progress. A website will be constructed, containing all of the Council’s publications and planning documents. A current events calendar will also be posted online.

Planned for release next year are the 1998 Annual Report, and a new brochure that will most likely focus on the biology of the upper Sacramento River and its riparian zone.

If you have any suggestions for newsletter articles, or publication ideas you would like the Council to consider, please contact the Cantara Publication Production office at (530) 225-2044. We’re interested in your ideas and comments.

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Upper Sacramento River,
Pollard Flat Access

Pollard Flat Public Access Point is Improved

With the support of Cantara Trustee Council funding, the U.S. Forest Service has improved the Pollard Flat river access creating a parklike picnic area fully accessible to disabled visitors. From Eagles Roost road, just off I-5, follow the newly paved road a comfortable 0.3 miles down to the parking area. Picnic tables and a clean, wheelchair-friendly restroom are situated nicely among the shade trees above the beautiful upper Sacramento river. A Union Pacific train trestle crosses over the river in plain view, lending a rustic ambiance to this site.

By mid-November there will be a 600-foot paved wheelchair trail to a platform overlooking the river and the impressive train trestle. Tentative plans are underway to construct a river access trail from the parking area to eliminate walking on the railway.

There are six designated parking lanes and one handicap slot near the restroom.

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Cantara Wildlife Area

The Cantara Wildlife Area is located approximately 3 miles southwest of the Mt. Shasta Hatchery and beautiful Mt. Shasta City. From S. Old Stage Road, Cantara Loop Road offers an easy, partially paved drive that leads to an open dirt parking area next to the upper Sacramento River. This popular day-use area features 2 picnic tables, one at the north boundary and one at the south boundary of the parking area, situated in the cool shade of the oaks and conifers that side the river. During the spring, summer and fall, there is a handicap-accessible restroom and garbage facilities for picnickers, hikers, fishermen and swimmers.

Cantara is one of the upper Sacramento River watershed’s most unique areas for its diverse recreational opportunities. For hikers, nature observers and berry pickers, there is a small trail that follows the river downstream and through an apple orchard meadow (1/8 mile). Often, in the late evening, bears can be seen foraging through blackberry brambles and apple trees. The meadow offers some of the most dramatic blooms of Shasta Daisies in the late spring. Dogwoods and tigerlillies are also abundant around the parking area as well as along the river trail throughout the springtime.

Kayakers use the upper pool of the Cantara Recreation Area for put-ins and take-outs for the class 2-4 waters of the spring and summer flows of the upper Sacramento River. Swimmers use the same pool to cool off from the summertime heat.

Finally, perhaps the most common recreational users in the Cantara Wildlife Area are the anglers who come from all over the nation to enjoy the superb wild trout fishing here. Regulations are catch-and-release with barbless, artificial flies and lures.

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"Resource Radio"

One of the newest Cantara Program grantees is asking for your input.

The grantee is Helen Chambers-Aria, whose proposal submitted this year under the heading “Resource Radio” will result in periodic production of radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs). PSAs will be sent to varying numbers of California radio stations on topics regarding the Council, grantees, other agencies and associated groups.

Helen, a Redding resident and radio personality on local stations Q97 FM and KISS 107 FM, will be working with DFG Region 1 information officer, Paul Wertz, on the PSAs over the coming three seasons. Paul will supplement select PSAs with parallel news releases.

What Helen and Paul are looking for are general topic suggestions. Topics can be about the status of the upper river resources, public efforts that are needed in some area, public contributions already made, upcoming events, or results of work done under other grants.

"All input is welcomed and will be considered for its potential as a PSA or news release, or both,” Helen said. “We look forward to learning about the many projects out there and receiving ideas,” she said.

Get in touch with Paul and Helen at the Region 1 headquarters office by phone at 225-2362, or by writing to them at 601 Locust Street, Redding 96001.

This new effort at getting the messages of the Cantara Program onto the public airways has a lot of potential. Your involvement is welcomed.

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Kid's Fishing Day at the Mount Shasta Fish Hatchery.

L. Mitchell's fourth-grade class from Sacred Heart School in Anderson, created this striking display of salmon for the festival.

Items of Interest

• Council members and CTC staff enjoyed a field trip on the upper Sacramento River, June 24, 1998. River Dancers, a Mt. Shasta-based rafting company, conducted a guided rafting trip from Sims Campground downstream to McCardle Flat, a distance of about 13 miles. Expenses of the trip were covered by individual staff and Council members. Participants had a memorable day exploring the upper Sacramento River.

• A Kid’s Fishing Day, sponsored by the Cantara Trustee Council, was held at the Mt. Shasta Hatchery on September 26, 1998. This was the third Kid’s Fishing Day held in the upper Sacramento River canyon and was the most successful so far. A total of 584 kids and 434 adults participated throughout the day.

• The 1999 Cantara Trustee Council grant schedule has been set. Grant announcements will be released on December 7, 1998; application packages will be available on January 8, 1999. Completed applications are due at the Cantara office by 5:00 p.m., March 26, 1999. Grant selections will be made by August 1999. For further information, please call (530)225-2269.

• Fishing season on the upper Sacramento River and its tributaries will close on November 15, 1998. Fishing season will reopen on April 24, 1999.

• The Cantara Trustee Council cosponsored the Salmon Festival held on October 17, 1998. The annual event was held at several sites in Anderson: the Coleman Fish Hatchery, the Anderson River Park, and two DFG sites at Battle Creek Wildlife Area. This event was a huge success, attracting over 10,000 visitors.

• Annual electrofishing surveys are currently being conducted on the upper Sacramento River. Seven sites along the river will be sampled and the goal is to capture 100 rainbow trout from each site. Each trout is measured and weighed to evaluate its physical condition and determine population structure. Scale samples are also collected to estimate the age and growth rates of the fish.

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Cantelow's lewisia (Lewisia cantelovii), recently discovered on the upper Sacramento River.

The site of the newly discovered plant populations.

The Sacramento River reveals a
well-kept secret.

New Plant Populations Found

After seven years of intensive study, you’d think biologists would know everything there is to know about the upper Sacramento River. But the river is still revealing its secrets, as Cantara Trustee Council members learned last June.

Council members and staff discovered two new populations of Cantelow’s lewisia (Lewisia cantelovii) while on a rafting tour of the river between Sims and Mosquito Creek. This perennial member of the purslane family is listed as rare and endangered by the California Native Plant Society and is considered a sensitive plant species by the U.S. Forest Service.

Named in honor of Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, members of the genus Lewisia are fleshy-leaved plants that grow in rocky habitats. Cantelow’s lewisia typically grows on moist, shaded cliffs and rock outcrops above streamcourses in northern California.

The recently discovered Sacramento River plants are part of an isolated cluster of populations; the species’ main distribution is centered more than 90 airmiles to the south, along the Feather and Yuba River drainages. Reasons for this 90-mile gap are unclear, but may be related to the intrusion of volcanic rocks from the southern Cascades that separate the Klamath Mountains from the northern Sierra Nevada.

Apparently undamaged by the 1991 chemical spill, the populations along the upper Sacramento River appear safe for the time being. Recent proposals to raise Shasta Dam by as much as 200 feet would likely drown these plants–along with several miles of the lower river. However, the high costs of these proposals make construction unlikely. With any luck, Cantelow’s lewisia will continue to grace the river for many years to come.