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Tuolumne River Trust Winter 2021

Educate Advocate Restore

Table of Contents

Letter from Leadership

TRT Water Policy Update

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PAGES 6-7

Paddle with the Salmon

Anadromous Habitat Project Kick-Off

PAGES 8-9

PAGES 10-11

It’s All Connected:

Double Your Impact!

Healthy Communities and the Environment

PAGES 12-13

PAGES 14-15

Partnerships Make Our Work Possible

New to Team Tuolumne!

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PAGES 20-24

Letter from Leadership This year marks the Tuolumne River Trust’s 40th Anniversary. It is amazing to look back at forty years of accomplishments. From winning permanent protection for the Tuolumne River under the Wild & Scenic Campaign in 1984 (our inaugural campaign) to more recent victories, including blocking San Francisco’s attempt to divert even more water from an already over-tapped river, to working with local communities to increase river stewardship, to protecting the 2,000-acre Dos Rios Ranch, to restoring thousands of acres of the watershed’s forested lands, we’ve accomplished quite a lot. To learn more about these accomplishments, use your phone to scan the QR code at the bottom of this page, where you’ll be directed to a digital version of our 40th anniversary publication. At its core, the Tuolumne River Trust’s story is a story that includes all of you. You have been the foundation and the force that has been a voice for the river by testifying, writing letters, and encouraging others to join. You have worked the phones, addressed envelopes, and met with your legislators and representatives. And you have donated your money to help acquire important riverfront land, teach kids about the river, plant trees, and create a vision for a healthy watershed that leads us through the uncertain future. There are undoubtedly many small personal stories entwined in these accomplishments, people who risked professional banishment from their colleagues, or who steadfastly told the truth about environmentally damaging proposals. I wish we had the ability to gather all of those stories and elevate them. While it is important to take time to celebrate and reflect, it is equally important to keep a steady eye on the present and future. We have a robust program that builds new community connections to ensure healthy parks and recreational opportunities, ensures the river is managed in a way that supports healthy fish and wildlife populations, and restores the harm to the river and watershed wrought by over 150 years of intensive resource extraction and development. As we look ahead to the next forty years, we must ensure TRT is in the best position possible to meet the challenges we face to safeguard a healthy river for children, our grandchildren, and us. Climate change is increasingly driving towards more extreme natural events like drought and wildfire. Meanwhile, population growth is adding greater and greater pressure on all of our natural resources, including the Tuolumne’s watershed. The good news is that we have a clear vision and a strong plan to get us there. But to do so, we must add key staff and give them the right tools to do their job most effectively. To support this vision, we ask you to consider championing TRT and our work in your networks, inviting others to get involved, and investing in this worthy effort. Flip to page 13 to learn how you can give today. Many thanks for your support!

Photo By Don Briggs

TRT Water Policy Update By Peter Drekmeier

State Delivers Blow to Voluntary Agreements In the three years since the State Water Board adopted Phase 1 of the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan – establishing a 40% unimpaired flow requirement for the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced Rivers – little progress has been made on its implementation. Instead, the Governor embraced an alternative package of Voluntary Agreements (VAs) that promised to miraculously produce more fish with less water. No one can accuse the Governor and his team of not making a good-faith effort to give the VAs a fair hearing, but the time finally came when they had to acknowledge the obvious – VA discussions had run their course. In October, the Secretaries of CalEPA and the Natural Resources Agency wrote to the water diverters stating: “However, at this point it is clear that despite considerable efforts, proposed voluntary actions by water agencies on the San Joaquin River tributaries have fallen short of needed flow and habitat improvements, and viable proposals are not being offered at this time. Accordingly...we will ask the State Water Board to resume all activities necessary to implement the flow objectives established by the 2018 Bay-Delta Plan for the Lower San Joaquin River and its three major tributaries, the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced rivers.”

Not a Good Year for Tuolumne Salmon Historically, more than 100,000 salmon returned from the ocean to spawn in the Tuolumne River. Last year, barely 1,000 made the journey. And as of the writing of this article, the fall salmon run was just 40% of what it was at the same time last year. Meanwhile, unimpaired flow in the lower Tuolumne averaged just 14% over the past two years (as compared to the 40% adopted by the Water Board). And while the salmon suffer, the SFPUC is sitting on 4.5 years-worth of water in storage.

Groundwater is Gaining Respect Since the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was adopted in 2014, Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA) were established in Stanislaus County to develop Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP), which are due to the State at the end of January 2022. We’ve been impressed by the effort that has gone into these plans, and appreciate efforts to better understand the Modesto and Turlock Sub-basins, which are hydrologically connected to the Tuolumne River. TRT’s primary role in the SGMA process has been to encourage the GSAs to think big when it comes to improving water use efficiency and recharging groundwater in wet years. We’ve encouraged them to collaborate with the SFPUC, which could provide funding for infrastructure improvements in exchange for water insurance during extreme droughts. Potential water savings are much greater in agricultural areas, and cost much less than in the Bay Area. A partnership would be a triple win – for the Irrigation Districts, for the SFPUC, and for the Tuolumne River.

SFPUC Workshops Continue to Shed Light We were pleased that the SFPUC hosted three more workshops over the summer and fall. The July workshop focused on demand projections, and the Commissioners appeared to agree with our position that population growth projections were highly inflated. The September workshop focused on alternative water supplies, and we fleshed out our proposal for greater collaboration with the Irrigation Districts to save water. The most recent workshop took place in October, and addressed the SFPUC’s new Long-Term [Climate Change] Vulnerability Assessment. From the information provided, we were able to extrapolate that the chances of the SFPUC’s extremely conservative Design Drought occurring were 1-in-42,000. We also strengthened our case that the SFPUC’s water rights will improve as a result of earlier runoff due to climate change. The big step will occur when the Commissioners turn the knowledge gained through the workshops into better policy. If we’re successful, they will reduce the length of the Design Drought, embrace realistic demand projections, and commit to developing alternative water supplies, such as recycled water. This will enable the SFPUC to meet the requirements of the Bay Delta Plan without worrying about running out of water.

Paddle With the Salmon This year’s Paddle with the Salmon tours were a success! Our nearly sold out tours gave our community a chance to connect with the Tuolumne River in both new and familiar ways. As one paddler put it: “Paddle with the Salmon has become an annual event for me where I can slow down, float backwards in a canoe, meet new like-minded people and see old friends again.” - Martin Gothberg, TRT supporter Attendees paddled 3 miles down a section of the lower river that winds through beautiful remote locations, past cliffs and wild willow and cottonwood forests. Wildlife, including river otters, beavers, bald and golden eagles, and osprey are commonly seen on this reach. Every fall, for thousands of years, Chinook salmon return to the Tuolumne River to spawn. Even though less than 300 salmon have returned to the river so far this year, we were still able to spot groups of them along our journey. Low flows, a warming climate, invasive species, and outdated water management threaten this keystone species, which is why we are working hard to advocate for healthier conditions for the incredible salmon. To support our work to protect this vital ecosystem and keystone species, please visit www.tuolumne.org/donate and make a gift today.

Anadromous Habitat Project Kick-Off by Sara Sacks Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout are anadromous species, meaning they are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to grow, and return to freshwater to spawn. Anadromous species act as keystone species in the watershed because they bring valuable minerals and nutrients from the ocean to our rivers that would be lacking otherwise. These fish are vital not only to our ecosystem, but to the rich economies of this region. To support a healthy environment, thriving communities, and a strong economy, we have secured funding for 2 major salmonid habitat restoration projects on the lower Tuolumne River. These projects are poised to restore habitat for the Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead/rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). One project is located 2 miles downstream of the La Grange dam, and will create spawning and rearing habitat for anadromous salmonids. The second restoration project will take place near Carpenter Road in Modesto, which will also create salmonid rearing habitat through the creation of a side channel along the river. Both of these projects aim to enhance the overall stability of the channel and health of the aquatic ecosystem by reconnecting the river to its floodplain. These projects will also reduce invasive predator habitat and increase native, riparian vegetation along the river. Predators, such as bass, threaten the Tuolumne because they prey on baby salmon, leading to fewer young salmon being able to make it out of the river and into the ocean. Due to the ecological changes caused by lower flows on the river, suitable bass habitat increases, and suitable salmonid habitat decreases, making this one of the major reasons for a decline in salmon populations.

The lower Tuolumne at one time had suffered from historic dredge mining, gravel harvesting, and an altered hydrograph from the La Grange and Don Pedro dams. Since the Tuolumne River has the largest natural breeding salmon population in the San Joaquin Valley, these projects are of utmost importance to the preservation of these keystone species. Historically, 100,000 or more salmon would return to the Tuolumne. This year, less than 300 have returned (at the time of print). Both of these ambitious projects have a target construction date of summer 2023. These long-term restoration projects are critical to restoring the riparian corridor and helping our communities thrive. They also take time and investment. If you are interested in supporting our work, please visit page 13 to make your contribution today!

The Threatened Tuolumne Stanislaus National Forest

Pacific Ocean

the bay delta

San Francisco

sonora

Climate change is causing catastrophes for the river. To make matters worse, only 20% of the river’s natural flow makes its way through the Central Valley to the Bay in any given year. Our beloved Sierra Nevada forests are burning. There is no time to lose. Will you step up and be a part of the solution?

Yosemite National Park

Modesto

Sequoia National Park Restoration

River Flows THE PROBLEM:

Lesstothan 200 salmon returned the river sowarming farhave this year. Low flows, a climate, invasive species, and outdated water threaten this keystone management species. An unhealthy river is safe for fishing, swimming, and not play.

Death valley National Park

A step we can take:

the problem:

Advocate for higher flows in the river to sobenefit people and regain wildlife. helps the river Doing health,thefloodplains can thrive, nextleaders generation of and experience environmental will the joy of being outside.

Forests are burning atclogs unprecedented rates. Charred debris the soil river, fish passage. Burned blocking clouds what was oncefor cleartrout water, environment anda deadly insects.which Forests affect streams lead to rivers.

A step we can take:

Wetocanus use the best 'technology' to fight climate changebut-available trees! Forests sequester carbon, they can't do this critical job if they are burning in megafires. restoring forests and meadows helps give the river a fighting chance.

Solutions are possibilities. And there are endless possibilities for turning catastrophe into resilience. When you donate, you get to take one step forward to give the river and watershed a fighting chance against climate change. When you give today,Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $75,000 until december 31! Los Angeles

$100

gives thecanoeing, joy of fishing, biking, hiking to fourorchildren

$500

$2,500

supports action strongfor grassroots flows at higher publicriver hearings

replants an acre of burned-over forest

$5,000 Sanrestores Diegoan acre

of a riverside or meadow forest

Will you be a part of the solution? www.tuolumne.org/donate 12

Ways to Give

CLICK

MAIL

CALL

l t

Donate Online Scan the QR code at the top of the page to donate securely online.

Give us a Call (415) 822-7252

Send in a Check Please mail your check to P.O. Box 3727 Sonora, CA 95370

REDISTRIBUTE

IRA Rollovers Make a “tax-free” gift! Transfer a contribution to TRT directly from your IRA.

BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR

Monthly Donor Join our exclusive Wild & Scenic Guardians circle and support the Photo by Don Briggs Tuolumne year-round!

Donor-Advised Fund Designate a gift through your donor-advised fund.

Stock Direct your broker to transfer shares to our brokerage account. Email lauren@tuolumne.org for information.

LEAVE YOUR LEGACY

The Tuolumne Cascade Fund Consider a gift to the Hap C. Dunning Founders’ Circle of the Photo by Don Briggs Tuolumne Cascade Fund

The Tuolumne Legacy Circle Include TRT in your estate planning.

TRT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our tax ID number is 94-2834151.

It’s All Connected: Healthy Communities and the Environment By Edgar Garibay T h i s y e a r , o ur C ent r a l V a l l ey t ea m emb a rked o n a p ro gra m w ith All C h ild ren T h rive, a n i ni ti ati ve o f P ubl i c H ea l t h A dv o ca t es . I t fo cu s es o n eq u ity a n d co mmu n ity- d riven ch a n ge to e nsur e a ll c hi l dr en pr o s per , pr ev ent i ng a d vers e ch ild h o o d exp erien ces a n d fo s terin g res ilienc e and co m m uni t y hea l i ng . W e kn o w th a t h ea lth y co mmu n ities h elp crea te h ea lth y en viro n men ts , a n d vice vers a .

Through this initiative, we are engaging youth and protecting green spaces. We have already begun work in the Airport Neighborhood and will eventually scale to other riverside communities in the region. We are continuing our work to improve safe access to the Tuolumne River Regional Park by creating systemic change and working together with community members, partners, and local officials from Airport Neighborhood.

Having equitable access to the outdoors offers members of our communities the chance to combat social isolation, maintain physical and emotional health, establish healthy habits, and participate in stewardship activities that protect and restore the environment. There is much evidence that demonstrates the relationship between urban green spaces/parks and public health. With the help of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities, we are developing a community data dashboard that will help residents address their needs and make future improvements in their communities. This includes gathering information that informs advocacy for access to parks and nature.

In order to drive this project forward, we worked alongside community leaders, youth, local representatives, and partner organizations to create a collaborative map that describes the communities’ vision for their park spaces, the gap that prevents us from getting to that vision, and what strategies we need to implement to get to the desired future of the communities’ parks.

We are actively hosting community meetings and trainings to work together to drive this project forward. We are excited to continue this work alongside the community and are grateful for the continued support we have received over the years from our funders, partner organizations, local agencies, donors, community leaders, and youth.

Two of our goals are to develop a local policy that will help protect our community parks and develop a Youth Commission that engages youth in this project, which is very important so that they are involved in the decision-making process. We have taken an intentional and holistic approach to youth programming in which youth from riverside communities can learn through real-world problem-solving. We do this by giving youth who participate in our programs the opportunity to contribute back to their communities.

Partnerships Make Our Work Possible By Julia Stephens Through grant funds, your support, and TRT’s partnership with AmeriCorps NCCC and SNAP, we are making a difference for the Wild and Scenic T and surrounding landscapes!

For many years, the Trust has partnered with AmeriCorps to gain help in implementing important forest health projects, especially in the footprint of the Rim Fire. Through the work done by young adults serving in AmeriCorps, TRT has planted tens of thousands of tree seedlings, completed hundreds of acres of meadow restoration work, and repaired miles of degraded trail systems. This partnership increases our capacity to restore more of the watershed than we could on our own.

Now, Shawn and our restoration manager, Julia Stephens, are working with a crew of 11 AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members who are currently repairing these trails over seven weeks, through the end of December! The crew members come from all over the country and work together as a team (go Gold 5!) for an 11-month term. They bring with them a dedicated work ethic, a range of experience, and an enthusiasm for community service; we are providing them with the tools and training they need to be successful! TRT is grateful also to our partners at Camp Tuolumne Trails who are graciously housing the team at their facilities for the duration of their “spike” with TRT, and to the Backcountry Horsemen of California crosscut saw trainer, Dave Moser, for volunteering his time to train the crew how to buck up trees across these trails safely.

This year, TRT received funding from the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance and the National Forest Foundation to repair trails and dispersed camping areas connected to the Wild and Scenic section of the Tuolumne River. This stretch of “the T” burned in the 2013 Rim Fire, and many of the trails in this area are blocked repeatedly by down trees and overgrown with regenerating brush. Dispersed camping areas along the river that are accessed by paddlers have been altered dramatically by sediment deposits washed down from eroding mountainsides post-fire. Needless to say, recreation opportunities diminish when fire decimates the landscape.

TRT is also thrilled to continue our partnership with the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership program, by hosting two full-term SNAPs, Hailey Gleason and Emma Burt, who have just joined our Headwaters team as Forest Health Field Specialists through September 2022. They will be assisting our staff with a wide range of projects we are managing on public lands, and will be taking the lead on restoring the dispersed riverside camping restoration work funded through the grant received by NFF. We are eager to see the great work these two accomplish during their term with TRT!

TRT works to responsibly improve access to the outdoors to encourage connection with nature. We believe a personal connection to recreation and the outdoors has the ability to improve public support of stewardship of the land, and so we are excited to pursue improving these areas through the funding we have received. Thanks to these grants, our volunteer coordinator, Shawn Matthews, has been leading volunteers, camps, and school groups to help repair trails for the past several months.

NCCC and the SNAP member orientation (for the Sierra-wide program) got together for a day to work with TRT to repair trails on Stanislaus National Forest land in the first week of November.

TRT’s executive director, Patrick Koepele crawling through the trees covering the Tuolumne River Canyon Trail before project work begun. The NCCC crew will be focusing on clearing downed trees along this trail and cutting back brush so hikers can once again meander the river’s path safely.

Welcome New Sierra Nevada Americorps Partnership Cohort Emma Burt After spending her childhood basking in the Southern California sun, Emma took a meandering path throughout her college career, which eventually led her to finish a degree in botany at Oregon State University. With most of her practical plant experience rooted in agriculture, Emma is excited to approach land use from a different lens and is eager to learn how forest health affects the health of the river and wider watershed. She is specifically interested in how we pursue creative solutions for land and water management that underscore the interdependence and continuity of plants, humans, animals, and all other organisms in our state’s increasingly dry and fragile ecosystems. In addition to an interest in land use, Emma is also passionate about place-based primary education and hopes to eventually integrate her experiences into teaching in some capacity. She is very excited to be exploring more of her home state and is looking forward to contributing to the TRT team!

Hailey Gleason Hailey grew up exploring the Sierra Nevada, and has since devoted part of her education and career to pursuing efforts that restore and conserve the lands she loves for both herself and future generations to enjoy. She recently graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Environmental Science and Management focusing on ecology, biodiversity, and conservation within aquatic ecosystems. Her recent research studied chinook salmon survivorship and coral reef demographics. In her free time, Hailey enjoys hiking, reading, and SCUBA diving. As a Sierra Nevada Restoration Specialist with the Tuolumne River Trust, Hailey is excited to continue work with a new team dedicated to watershed restoration and resiliency.

New to Team Tuolumne!

Ben Campbell Forest Health Project Manager

Pamela J. Cotton Finance Director

Shawn Matthews Volunteer Coordinator

Ben Campbell works with the TRT’s Headwaters Program Director to secure funding, manage grants, supervise contractors and implement forest health projects (pre-commercial thinning, reforestation, fuel reduction, etc.) Ben finds joy in the outdoors via rock climbing, mountain biking, backpacking, and film photography. His professional interests and background are in GIS, responsible outdoor recreation, and fire prevention/forest health.

Pamela has a varied financial management background. Working in the Construction field, Manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations including All Saints Episcopal Church, Riverside, CA., The Friends of The Mission Inn, Riverside, CA. Pamela completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting & Finance from the University of California at Long Beach.

Shawn over sees TRT volunteers as they maintain 30 non-motorized and 10 miles of motorized recreational trails in the Groveland Ranger District. Shawn is an environmental sciences student and restoration technician from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has a deep love for all things wild and natural and loves to watch things grow.

As we continue to grow, we are delighted to introduce the newest members of our team.

Sara Sacks Habitat Restoration Specialist

Alex Sheldon Fundraising/Sales Coordinator

Julia Stephens Restoration Manager

Sara works on several habitat restoration projects on the Lower Tuolumne River for TRT. Sara grew up in Baja California, where she developed a love and appreciation for nature and biodiversity through the various ecosystems surrounding her. She began her career by studying freshwater fisheries at Humboldt State University, while simultaneously working in outdoor education. In her free time, Sara enjoys traveling, snorkeling, and enjoying the outdoors.

Alex comes to TRT and the nonprofit sector after pivoting from a career of 10+ years working in client-focused roles for dynamic and fast-growing startups in the San Francisco Bay Area. At TRT, Alex works to support and drive success for the Fundraising and Development team.

For the past 15 years Julia has worked in resource management, environmental advocacy, and onthe-ground restoration efforts for both government agencies and nonprofits, gaining an intimate knowledge of the local geography and ecology of the upper Tuolumne watershed. She is so excited at the opportunity to join the team at the Trust, to help facilitate their restoration project work and more.

Welcome New Board Members! Jose Borroel Jose Borroel is a California native with years of experience in community development and capacity building as he is the President of a small grass-root nonprofit. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors and sharing his expertise with anyone eager to learn different recreational activities. Having lived next to the Toulomni river, he has seen the importance of stewardship. He is currently part of a California State-funded research grant program that looks at ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy sustainability in disadvantaged communities by creating the blueprints for energy innovators and making products affordable for everyone from the start.

Homero Mejia Homero grew up close to the Tuolumne River and still resides within a stone’s throw. He has extensive experience in outreach and engagement including advocacy through his involvement and leadership on various boards including Habitat for Humanity, United Way of Stanislaus County, King Kennedy Neighborhood Collaborative, and the Modesto City Schools Board (Area 6). His goal is to make an impact on the riverside communities that rely on the River through stewardship and teaching kids, including his own, to grow up loving and protecting the river for future generations.

Marek Robinson After graduating with a degree in psychology, Marek continued working as a whitewater rafting guide and instructor on some of the most challenging whitewater commercially run in the Americas. He spent several years following the sun and split his time between seasons in North and South America. He worked for ECHO from 1989 through 1994, including guiding in California, Oregon and Idaho, and leading the company’s operations in California and Oregon. As area operations manager, he was directly responsible for annual expense budget, scheduling, field logistics, government relations, hiring and training of new employees. Eventually, he settled in the guide community of Coloma. After hanging up his life jacket in 1995, he started his career in sales and over the course of the next 20+ years he led and coached high-talent sales people across the globe and had revenue responsibility in excess of $500M.

Remember to double your impact by donating today! Your gift will be matched, up to $75,000, through Dec 31. There is no time to lose! Scan the QR code to make your contribution today!

Tuolumne River Trust P.O. Box 3727 Sonora, CA 95370-3727 415-882-7252 www.tuolumne.org