Fisheries News

Enhancing the river together

A New Decade For Fisheries Program

Extension Signed During 10-Year Anniversary Ceremony
A model consensus-based Kings River environmental program has entered into its second decade with the enthusiastic support of its partnering agencies and members of the public. This past summers agreement, signed June 26 with the Kings River and its shery as a beautiful backdrop, extends the Kings River Fisheries Management Programs nancial commitments another 10 years. The remaining components of the existing agreement remain unchanged. Signatures by representatives of the Kings River Conservation District (KRCD), Kings River Water Association (KRWA), and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) were a highlight of a ceremony, held in Fresno Countys Avocado Lake State Park, that commemorated the programs 10th anniversary. Signing the agreement were KRWA Chairman Norman Waldner, KRCD President Mark McKean and CDFG Regional Manager Jeff Single. The programs renewal represents a partnership built on trust and a common theme of protecting the river and preserving its benecial uses, said David Orth, KRCD General Manager and a member of the Executive Policy Committee. It took time to build positive relationships and overcome differences that once existed between anglers and the water community.
Fisheries News

With the Kings River flowing as a backdrop, the Kings River Fisheries Management Programs extension agreement is signed on June 26, 2009, by (from left) California Department of Fish and Game Regional Manager Jeff Single, Kings River Water Association Chairman Norman Waldner and Kings River Conservation District President Mark McKean.

Orth said that the programs agreement, rooted in compromise, provided the framework needed to create a partnership that has strengthened over the programs rst 10 years. Cooperation and consensus have been demonstrated to be a successful model for resource management, he said. The programs Executive Policy Committee, Technical Steering Committee and Public Advisory Group have worked together in setting objectives, gathering data, gaining knowledge, and getting things done. There was no hesitation among the partnering agencies in renewing the agreement for another decade. Kings River Watermaster Steve Haugen, the programs Executive
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Ofcer, pointed out that the 28 KRWA member units voluntarily contributed water and 12 percent of their total storage capacity to create a Pine Flat Reservoir temperature control pool of 100,000 acre-feet and doubled minimum ows released into the river from the dam. And KRWA has worked hard with all of our partners and supporters to provide low-ow temperature management that has helped trout through late-season hot weather events in more than a few of these past 10 years, Haugen said. KRWA and KRCD have annually contributed a total of $100,000
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About the Program

Since it was enacted on May 28, 1999, the unique Kings River Fisheries Management Program (Program) has resulted in many varied activities aimed at improving habitat in the river as well as in Pine Flat Reservoir. The program came about in the wake of a 1991 public trust complaint that was led by a number of shing and environmental organizations and sought to impose a reservoir minimum pool and much-increased minimum shery releases. After lengthy and complex negotiations, a number of agreements were enacted in 1999 to establish the Program and adjust Kings River operations accordingly. Keys to the rivers commitment to the Program included:

Fisheries Program Renewed, continued

million in all over the programs rst 10 years and will continue that level of support under the new agreement. The CDFG, which relies on the state budget, has contributed a total of $700,000 during the past decade and plans to continue its nancial support of program projects and activities in the future as state funding is available. Any day that we Californians contribute to improving shery resources is a good day, said Single, a member of the programs Executive Policy Committee. And thanks to the Kings River Fisheries Management Program, the care and concern for this beautiful and important river has never been greater. Single said that it is exciting to be part of an established program with such innovative and exible strategies that have brought together Kings River water users and their organizations, anglers, state agencies, and others who care about the river. How wonderful to be surrounded by people from such varied perspectives who recognized that collaboration rather than conict would benet everyone. The programs master of ceremonies, KRCD-KRWA Public Information Consultant J. Randall McFarland, noted the ceremonys euphoric mood was considerably different than when the original agreement was signed on May 28, 1999. We all knew then it was a historic achievement but I recall there being an air of uncertainty in that room, over what this program was going to mean and what it would do, and among the parties and the angling public themselves. That soon changed because all concerned worked with great determination and a tremendous amount of effort to make the program succeed. And we have seen, with great satisfaction, what collaboration, consensus, and cooperation can do. Doing the complex scientic planning and analysis that is behind every decision, project and activity undertaken by our programs Executive Policy Committee is a talented and committed Technical Steering Committee made up of

Enhanced Flows
KRWA members provide enhanced minimum ows of at least 100 cubic feet per second (c.f.s.), twice that required under the previous agreement in most years as well as more limited ows into the Lower Kings River. In above average years, minimum ows increase to 250 c.f.s. Parties agreed to avoid unacceptable impacts to benecial water uses or users.

Stream Temperatures
KRWA and KRCD agreed to use good faith efforts to maintain water temperatures suitable for trout between Pine Flat Dam and Fresno Weir, nine miles downstream. This has been done successfully with the cooperation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, often under drought and high air temperature conditions, with strategies devised to preserve cold water in the reservoir for release when needed most to protect the downstream trout shery.
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With ows low, a few of the thousands of boulders placed within the channel by the Kings River Fisheries Management Program can be seen. The boulders provide shelter for trout when the river is running higher, enhancing the shery habitat.

Fisheries News

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Hank Urbach, who chairs the Public Advisory Group, in his remarks expressed appreciation felt by anglers for the efforts put forth by the programs partners. The program has also benetted greatly from ever-growing technical expertise among the staffs of KRCD, CDFG and KRWA. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Pine Flat

Dam, has also helped the program with many reservoir projects and temperature management operations. And we have had the assistance and courtesy of so many property owners along the river who have been so kind, for so long, in granting the access we need for studies, monitoring and channel improvements, Haugen said.

Hank Urbach, who chairs the Kings River Fisheries Management Programs Public Advisory Group, speaks during Junes anniversary and agreement renewal ceremony.

staff representatives from each partnering agency, Haugen said. And right there actively helping us are the most eager and dedicated anglers youll nd anywhere in California, he added. They include not just the hardworking and imaginative members of the programs Public Advisory Group but many others who eagerly volunteer to help advance the program, and the shery, in so many encouraging ways.

Mechanical activities on the Kings River channel have been frequently seen during habitat improvement work undertaken over the past several years as equipment is used to spread tons of spawning gravel, rip the channel bed, and place boulders.

About the Program, continued

Temperature Control Pool
KRWA member units modied operations to maintain Pine Flat Reservoir storage of not less than 100,000 acre-feet, subject to conditions beyond reasonable control of the KRWA and its members. This has helped maintain a pool of colder water. KRWA member units voluntarily made available some 12 percent of their storage rights. Over the past decade, the program has also established an extensive planning, data collection, monitoring and scientic analysis process. That has led to numerous habitat improvements, including placement of boulders, spawning gravel and shoreline coves and jetties, and other channel improvements.
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Broadened scientic study lies ahead, as does stepped-up monitoring and data collection, the goal of which is to build Kings River habitat understanding while rening Program management objectives. A few of the possible projects under consideration include a water pump-back facility to move water from the river at Fresno Weir to the Gould Canal, headworks of which are more than a mile up the river, in order to increase river ows for a longer distance; a second larger recirculation, also to increase river ows for a longer distance downstream; and a variety of further channel habitat improvements, including placement of woody debris. The program is examining how to gain better shing conditions and improved public understanding.

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ng o improvi en the Kings River watershed and shery habitat whi le maintaining its benecial uses, that a healthy river is essential to the regions well recognizing being and future quality of life.
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Fish Tracking Data Being Counted By The Millions

The Kings River Fishery Management Program (Program) has generated more than 10 million data points collected over a 3-year span as part of a radio telemetry-based Kings River tracking program. Louie Long, Kings River Conservation District biologist, is reviewing the extensive data collected for the Program and is certain that it will yield a wealth of knowledge about how trout use the river downstream from Pine Flat Dam. Findings are still some time from being nalized and reported. Were getting it all mapped out, said Long, a member of the Programs Technical Steering Committee (TSC). Then we have to ask, What does it all mean? The full project is a huge data set, said Kings River Water Association Resource Analyst Clifton Lollar, another TSC member. Its almost overwhelming. The unusual project was initiated as part of the Programs monitoring studies aimed at learning more about trout behavior so the programs funding could be directed to the potentially most productive projects.
Fisheries News

KRCD seasonal aide downloading one of the stationary receivers. This data is then read to determine which direction a sh was traveling when it passed the receiver.

The Kings River is allocated 18,000 pounds or 36,000 sh for planting by the California Department of Fish and Game each year. It is estimated that 50 percent of the sh planted by CDFG are returned to anglers, Long said. What happens to the rest is a question we hope this data will help answer. Preliminary analysis has already revealed new information. The TSC has already learned that a previous perceptionwith little refuge from high velocity, trout would eventuFall 2009

ally be forced downstreamis incorrect. Preliminary ndings also indicate some sh swim great distances in both directions. More will be learned as the data is analyzed. State-of-the-art radio transmitters, surgically implanted in the sh, were used to track the habits and movement of rainbow trout in the Kings River below Pine Flat Dam. Receiversboth manual and stationarycould pick up signals up to a half mile from the sh.