May 1, 2015
CapitalPress.com
9
California
Effort to restore San Joaquin 1,500 curtailment notices likely
River endures during drought only the beginning, officials say
Subscribe to our weekly California email
newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) —
A multi-billion dollar proj-
ect to bring salmon back to
a dried-up section of Califor-
nia’s second-longest river is
moving forward despite the
state’s historic drought and
complaints from some farm-
ers who reluctantly agreed to
give up some of their water
allotments to support the ef-
fort.
Federal biologists say the
San Joaquin River Restoration
Program is yielding valuable
information about spawning
conditions in a part of the riv-
er where salmon hadn’t been
seen for almost 60 years and
that suspending the project
now would mean sacrificing
hundreds of young fish, The
Fresno Bee reported Sunday.
“We learned a lot last year
about this river in a drought,”
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
fish biologist Don Portz told
the newspaper. “We know a
lot more about where the fish
are in the river and what they
need to survive in this river.”
The 6-year-old project
resulted from a legal settle-
ment between the Natural
Resources Defense Council,
an environmental group, and
the Bureau of Reclamation.
The environmental group
sued the bureau in 1988 over
claims that the government
violated state wildlife laws
when it erected Friant Dam
near Fresno in the late 1940s
and diverted water that had
allowed salmon to run on the
San Joaquin.
Now that California is in
the grips of a record drought,
some farmers think the proj-
ect needs to be re-evaluated
in the context of other prior-
ities, according to The Bee.
Kole Upton, a member of the
Chowchilla Water District
board who grows wheat, cot-
ton, almonds and other crops,
said reviving the 60 miles of
river that have gone dry will
deplete about 300,000 acres
of farmland.
“If society values a few
salmon over that much agri-
culture, I guess that’s what we
have to live with,” he says.
“But it will be a huge cost
to the Valley, not to mention
billions of dollars to complete
this project. Is that reason-
able?”
The drought has kept the
bureau from releasing water
specifically for the river res-
toration for more than a year.
So far, the fledgling salmon
populations have survived
on water directed to farmers,
including a larger than usual
release last year from a reser-
voir north of Fresno that was
tapped to supply growers who
were unable to get their usu-
al allocations from the Sac-
ramento-San Joaquin River
Delta, the Bee said.
“A few people might have
thought it was for fish,” Portz
said. “It wasn’t.”
To revive the salmon,
he and his colleagues trap
young fish on the river and
truck them upstream so they
can make their way to the
Delta and eventually the Pa-
cific Ocean. Last year, they
captured trapped 2,393 fish,
but this year the number has
dropped to 561. Portz thinks
the salmon have succumbed
to the appetites of river bass
and warmer water.
The cost of the project is
expected to include the con-
struction of bypass channels
that would allow the salmon
to travel to the Pacific Ocean
and back to the river for
spawning.
“The goal is to work to-
gether to restore a swimmable
and fishable river that flows
past farms and communities,”
Natural Resources Defense
Council senior scientist Mon-
ty Schmitt said.
FFA students ponder paths
at conference career fair
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
FRESNO, Calif. — Drew
Backe had a familiar feeling
when he and another FFA
member tried their hand with
a crosscut saw at a career fair
here.
Backe, a high school junior
from Falbrook, Calif., is look-
ing into the forestry program
at California Polytechnic Uni-
versity-San Luis Obispo.
But he isn’t sure what he
wants to do for a career, so the
60 booths at the career fair he
attended April 20 helped give
him some ideas.
“There’s a lot of stuff to
look through, a lot of oppor-
tunities,” he said.
Backe was one of about
5,000 attendees of the 47th
annual California FFA Lead-
ership Conference, held April
18-21 in Fresno. Many of the
students browsed through
the university and company
booths during the career fair.
California community col-
leges and university ag pro-
grams were joined by such
out-of-state entries as Iowa
State University and Utah
State University as well as
companies such as Nutrena
CropScience and Brandt Ag-
ricultural Products.
While some career fairs
focus on connecting students
with jobs after college, this
one was geared to simply mo-
tivating high school students
to think about their futures,
said Kelsey Dugan, a Califor-
nia State University-Fresno
student who organized the ca-
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
FFA member Jennifer Fisk
(left) of Auburn, Calif., talks
with Jessica Patrick, a student
at Shasta College in Redding
Calif., during a career fair April
20 at the state FFA convention
in Fresno.
reer show.
“This is a great network-
ing opportunity,” Dugan said.
“It’s to get to know people
and communicate with each
other, to meet people in the
industry, and from there they
can successfully integrate into
the university or to working.”
The Fresno-based Brandt
has recruited several stu-
dent interns over the years,
but company representatives
mainly wanted to encourage
youngsters to consider careers
in agriculture, they said.
“My children are very in-
volved in FFA, and I was in
FFA in high school,” sales co-
ordinator Tracy Starich said.
“It’s a great organization. We
want to be here to support the
kids who want to stay in agri-
culture.”
Most college and univer-
sity booths featured students,
many of whom had been in
FFA in high school. Shelby
Fields, an Iowa State animal
science major from Newman,
Calif., said she wanted young-
sters to be aware of opportuni-
ties in the Midwest.
“I came to this all four
years in high school and I was
highly involved in FFA, was a
sectional officer,” Fields said.
“I think it’s really beneficial.
It opens eyes to all the uni-
versities and their agricultural
programs. It opens the doors
for networking.”
FFA member Jennifer Fisk
of Auburn, Calif., has already
chosen a university. She’s a
freshman at University of Ne-
vada-Reno, but returned to the
career fair this year to keep
networking with people.
“Each of the colleges offer
their own particular niche,”
she said, adding the career
fair gives members a chance
“to speak with them directly.”
High school junior Tyler
Pruett of Stockton, Calif.,
said he discovered an inter-
est in being a mechanic while
helping his dad restore a 1969
Camaro. He was practicing
with a drill at a station hosted
by the technical program at
Reedley College in Reedley,
Calif.
“Working on mechanical
stuff helps me express myself
in a way,” Pruett said. “This
is my third year here, and all
the mechanical stuff is what
catches my attention.”
Helping the students find
their niche is what the career
fair is about.
“I think it gets them think-
ing earlier about their career
and what they want to do,”
said Sarah Tweeten, an agri-
culture communications stu-
dent at Iowa State.
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
SACRAMENTO — The
stop-diversion orders that
went out to more than 1,500
California water right hold-
ers last week were likely only
the beginning in a spring and
summer of curtailments, state
officials say.
Curtailment notices were
sent to about 1,474 individ-
uals and entities using about
2,981 water rights in the San
Joaquin River watershed and
another 137 people and enti-
ties using 162 water rights on
the Scott River in Siskiyou
County.
The people sent curtail-
ment notices on April 23
represent a fraction of the
38,000 landowners, water
districts and other entities
who were warned this year
by the state Water Resources
Control Board that their wa-
ter rights could be restricted
amid a fourth straight year of
drought.
It is now likely that future
shutoff orders could include
some water users with pre-
1914 rights — those rights
with highest priority estab-
lished before the state began
issuing permits.
“More curtailments are
coming,” said George Ko-
styrko, a water board spokes-
man. “It is likely that some se-
niors on some watersheds will
be affected at some point by
summer. We just don’t know
(how many) quite yet.”
The stop-diversion notices
portend a repeat of last year,
when curtailments impacted
more than 5,000 water rights,
according to the board. While
the curtailments predominant-
ly affect agriculture, they also
apply to water rights held by
municipalities and other wa-
ter users, officials have ex-
plained.
If dry conditions continue
through the spring, curtail-
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
A full canal takes water to customers of the Anderson Cottonwood
Irrigation District south of Redding, Calif., which is among settle-
ment contractors expecting as much as 75 percent of their normal
allocation this year. Stop-diversion orders were issued to some
1,500 junior right holders last week.
ments are likely in certain
watersheds on all post-1914
water rights. If there still isn’t
enough water to go around,
officials would begin curtail-
ing senior rights by working
‘backward by date,” water
board spokesman Tim Moran
said recently.
The San Joaquin River wa-
tershed covers almost 16,000
square miles and includes the
Stanislaus, the Tuolumne, and
the Merced rivers, and other
tributaries.
Curtailments are based
on the most recent reservoir
storage levels and inflow pro-
jections as well as forecasts
for future precipitation, the
board explained in a news
release. Water right hold-
ers under a curtailment can
still access water previously
stored for them in reservoirs,
use groundwater or purchase
water.
Violations of curtailment
orders can bring fines of up to
$1,000 per day and $2,500 per
acre-feet of water as well as
prosecution, the state warns.
In other water develop-
ments:
• The water board’s top
water rights official approved
requests from the state and
federal water projects to al-
low more efficient transfers of
water south of the Sacramen-
to-San Joaquin River Delta,
the agency announced in a
news release.
The approval, similar
to those granted in previ-
ous years, involves 20 water
rights requesting to transfer
up to 335,560 acre-feet of wa-
ter through multiple exchang-
es in an effort to send water
where it’s needed most. All
the transfers would be south
of the Delta. Last year’s trans-
fer request was for 277,863
acre-feet.
• The U.S. Drought Mon-
itor map was changed last
week to show the Northern Si-
erra to be at the worst level of
drought because of the nearly
non-existent snowpack. The
severity of drought in a given
area can affect levels of aid
provided to ranchers.
Awards, scholarships given at California FFA conference
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
FRESNO, Calif. — A bevy
of proficiency awards and schol-
arships were given out during
the 87th annual California FFA
Leadership Conference, held
April 18-21 at the convention
center complex downtown.
Here are the state proficiency
award winners:
Agricultural Communications: Amber Bjerra, San
Luis Obispo
Agricultural Education: Cassidy Lane, Lone Pine
Agricultural Mechanics Design/Fabrication: Michael
Dorado, Madera
Agricultural Mechanics Energy Systems: Brett
Umstead, King City
Agricultural Mechanics Repair/Maintenance Entre-
preneurship: Andrew Holemo, Fallbrook
Agricultural Mechanics Repair/Maintenance Place-
ment: Tyler Meador, Morro Bay
Agricultural Processing: Isaac Varela, Fallbrook
Agricultural Sales Entrepreneurship: Blake Jackson,
El Capitan
Agricultural Sales Placement: Tyler Butler, Las
Plumas
Agricultural Services: Jeffery Gaylord, Hughson
Agriscience Research–Animal Systems: Wade
Sousa, Tulare
Agriscience Research–Integrated System: Sadie
Whempner, Elk Grove
Agriscience Research–Plant Systems: Bailee
Rusconi, King City
Beef Production Entrepreneurship: Jessica Judge,
San Luis Obispo
Beef Production Placement: Robert Daley, Las
Plumas
Dairy Production Entrepreneurship: Carly Olufs,
Petaluma
Dairy Production Placement: Daniel Moules, Tokay
Diversified Agricultural Production: Kennady Wagner,
El Capitan
Diversified Crop Production Entrepreneurship: Saul
Armenta, King City
Diversified Crop Production Placement: Taylor
Coffman, Laton
Diversified Horticulture: Quinn Shippey, Madera
Diversified Livestock: Robert Mattes, Minarets
Emerging Agricultural Technology: Garrett Maciel,
King City
Environmental Science/Nat Resources: Paul
Barcellos, Tulare
Equine Science Entrepreneurship: Kai Brown,
Nipomo
Equine Science Placement: Tanner Lopez, Minarets
Fiber/Oil Crops: Miguel Lua, San Luis Obispo
Forage Production: Virat Kang, Madera
Forest Management/Products: Jacob Eyraud, Poway
Goat Production: Nicole Hobby, Hughson
Grain Production Entrepreneurship: Kent Norman, Ripon
Home and/or Community Development: Emily Ann
Martinez, Galt
Landscape Management: Sebastian Aguirre, Merrill
West
Nursery Operation: Maribeth Villanueva, Minarets
Outdoor Recreation: Kiana Almaguer, King City
Pomology Production: Veronica Viramontes, Lodi
Poultry Production: Marc Abdallah, Gustine
Sheep Production: Bridgette Eldridge, Winters
Small Animal Production and Care: Kelley Mellott,
Lemoore
Specialty Animal Production: Victor Johnson,
Lemoore
Specialty Crop Production: Bryce Umbarger, King
City
Swine Production Entrepreneurship: Vanessa Soto,
Templeton
Swine Production Placement: Amber Thompsen,
Heritage
Turf Grass Management: Michelle Utterback,
Pleasant Grove
Vegetable Production: Mitchell Gander, East
Nicolaus
Veterinary Medicine: Madalyn Vieira, Tulare
Viticulture Production: Logan Engelman, Fres-
no-Central
Wildlife Management: Logan Douglas, Oakdale
Here are the 2015 scholarship finalists:
Actagro Scholarship: Kaitlin Cagle, Elk Grove-Pleas-
ant Grove; Kayleen Kemp, Fortuna
Almond Board Scholarship: Alonso Garcia Razo,
Hollister; Kelley Rene Mellott, Lemoore; Emilio Smith,
Las Plumas; Hannah Van Dyk, Tulare
Jerry L. Biggs Memorial Scholarship: Jenae Hansen,
Madera
Betty Bushong Memorial Scholarship: Robert Daley,
Las Plumas; Dustin Suttles, Lakeside-El Capitan
Jerry T. Davis Honorary Scholarship: Kelcie Jones,
Bakersfield-Frontier
Friends of the FFA Scholarship: Regina Gutierrez,
East Nicolaus
Paul Freitas Memorial Scholarship: Karlee Dombush,
Lincoln
Hartford Insurance Scholarship: Hunter Allen, Las
Plumas; Katherine White, Hollister
Mabel W. Jacks Memorial Scholarship: Abigail
Brown, Red Bluff; Emma Pierson, Santa Rosa;
Andrew Sousa, Tulare
Byron J. McMahon Memorial Scholarship: Kaylee
Santos, Tulare
Dorothy McMillan Memorial Scholarship: Matthew
Turcotte, East Nicolaus
Dean McNeilly Scholarship: Jenna Baxter, Half
Moon Bay
Jaimie Lynne Petty Memorial Scholarship: Josh
Mendez, Santa Maria; Natalie Starich, Hanford;
Ashley Utz, Half Moon Bay
The Willey Family Scholarship: Henry Jake Bones,
Fortuna; Cole Lauchland, Lodi
Zenith Insurance Co. Scholarship: Sarah Dreyer,
Exeter; Kylee Hagan, Rio Vista; Mallory Harrison,
Bakersfield-Frontier; Virat Kang, Madera-South
ROP-16-4-1/#14