Calif: Does water district’s dam blocking salmon violate state law?
Does water district’s dam blocking salmon violate state law?
Gary Flanagan is a retired sheriff’s deputy, so he knows all too well what’s supposed to happen when someone breaks the law.
This spring, state fisheries officials sent a letter to the Nevada Irrigation District alleging it was in violation of two sections of the state’s Fish and Game Code over a small dam near Lincoln that blocks fall-run Chinook salmon as they migrate up Auburn Ravine Creek.
After years of trying to pressure the irrigation district to build a fish passageway at Hemphill Dam so the Chinook could pass upstream to spawn, Flanagan and other salmon advocates saw the letter as confirmation of what they long suspected: The Department of Fish and Wildlife was taking it easy on the water district – to the salmon’s peril.
At a public meeting in August, the Placer County fish and game commissioner let his frustrations be known as he confronted a state wildlife official.
“Where is the teeth other than saying, ‘Pretty please’ … year after year after year after year?” Flanagan said. “You’ve got a Fish and Game Code violation that’s either a criminal violation or a civil violation. When do you take enforcement action … for not showing good faith?”
Read more here:
http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/the-public-eye/article35835900.html#storylink=cpy
