El Dorado County voters especially those who enjoy fishing should not be fooled by the November ballot initiative known as Measure W. Any angler worth his tackle box knows that simply floating a boat on the water doesn't harm fish. The county's so-called "Rivers and Streams Preservation Act" is unalterably flawed because it will not and cannot preserve or enhance fishing on the South Fork of the American River below Chili Bar Dam. If it could, we might consider it.
In fact, the county has just released an environmental impact report for its River Management Plan where it notes that "the fisheries of California's foothill streams and rivers are primarily determined by flow quantity and frequency, plus temperature." Thus, unless sun weary rafting enthusiasts can dramatically increase water temperatures when they cool off in the river, it's hard to understand how an arbitrary reduction in rafting trips will in any way contribute to a better fishery.
For those of us who truly care about healthy fisheries, targeting commercial boating on the river in order to improve or preserve the river's fish is a recipe for failure. The most important reason why fishing is so terrible on the South Fork stems primarily from how the river has been harnessed and operated for hydropower production over the years. The river's flows, frequencies and temperatures have long been at the mercy of upstream dams and power facilities, not the people who enjoy downstream flows in an inflatable boat.
If county residents really want to improve the South Fork of the American River for both recreation and wildlife, they should resist the lure of an artificially sweet sounding ballot initiative like Measure W.
Among other things, stream preservation and protection requires good science, hard work, and honesty. It's readily apparently that Measure W lacks even the most basic elements for improving American River fisheries.
Sincerely,
Jim Crenshaw
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
Jim Edmondson
California Trout
