Education Page 1  2   SACRAMENTO SPRING-RUN CHINOOK RECOVERY WORKGROUP      Historically, Sacramento spring-run chinook salmon were as abundant as fall-run chinook in California. Water project development and land use practices reduced naturally spawning spring-run chinook to mere remnant populations in Mill, Deer, and Butte Creeks. For example, Mill Creek runs decreased from 2,000 returning salmon in the 1940’s to 200 in the early 1990’s. With spring-run chinook spawning numbers declining to the extent that people were talking about listing them under ESA, and following some dramatic effects on landowners and water districts from the listing of winter-run chinook, landowners in the Mill, Deer, and Butte Creek watersheds were eager to take action to protect themselves from the effects of ESA by protecting and restoring the salmon that spawn in their backyards. The Stamp Committee and Nat Bingham helped landowners form Spring-Run Chinook Recovery Workgroups beginning in 1992 to focus efforts to protect and increase spring-run chinook. One such effort to maintain these fragile populations culminated in cooperative water exchanges with the Los Molinos Mutual Water Company. This initiative resulted in improved returns to Mill Creek. The success of this project and others started with agreement by stakeholder groups to meet and discuss environmental, social, economic, and other effects of projects on surrounding areas. Approximately 300 individuals participate regularly in the Workgroups. Field trips are conducted to educate participants about relevant habitat issues that involve Mill, Deer, Butte, and Battle Creeks. Significant restoration efforts resulting from this program include:   Issuance of an action plan from the Governor's Water Policy Advisory Committee in Restoring Central Valley Streams; Funding for a Fish and Game warden to patrol the Deer and Mill Creek watersheds to provide extra protection for spring-run adults during the summer, when they live in deep, cool, isolated upstreampools, and are thus particularly vulnerable to poaching; Formation of watershed conservancy groups for Deer and Mill Creeks; Development of memoranda of understanding between conservancy groups, government agencies, and other nonprofit environmental groups that resulted in fence construction in upper watershed meadows to lessen effects of livestock use on salmon habitat; Facilitation of negotiations between irrigators and government agencies to exchange instream water flows for ground water to allow more water to remain in the streams for salmon during critical migration periods; Cooperation with the Bay-Delta Oversight Council and the Bay Institute Ricelands Fall Flooding Fishery Assessment Advisory Committee to ensure that water diversion, water quality, and fish screens were addressed in their future directives; Development of educational materials for farm extension advisors, schools and public exhibits. Additional conservancy groups have been formed to address watershed issues along Battle Creek, Big Chico Creek, Cottonwood Creek and Cow Creek. The Workgroup has a long track record of success. It is now generally recognized as a valuable clearinghouse and coordinating entity by the government agencies that are responsible for the recovery of spring-run Chinook salmon. While spring-run chinook have been listed under the state and federal ESAs, the Workgroup’s program has been accepted by the agencies as part of the recovery plans required for listed species under ESA. Page 1  2