In July 1998, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt took a sledgehammer to McPherrin Dam about 25 miles south of Chico that kept salmon from spawning. Two dams along Butte Creek, which flows into the Sacramento River near Colusa, were removed and 20 miles of the river restored to create an unimpeded flow for the first time since the 1920s. While dam removal provokes heated debate in the Northwest, restoration projects in California are focusing on planting trees along rivers, removing debris from streams or building fish ladders. Each project can be expensive. We've seen too much of that already.
Environmentalists caution that planning the projects is more important than getting the money.
What we need to do is reform the practices that are happening in the upstream habitat. The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, which represents commercial fishing operations, is pushing for permanent fixes, including reforms in the timber industry. The lack of reliability of native fisheries has led customers to import farm-raised salmon from other countries. State Sen. Welsey Chesbro, D-Arcata, drafted a bill pending in the Assembly that would set up three regional advisory councils of property owners, environmentalists and fishing industry members to recommend which projects should be funded. A point of contention is how much power the stakeholder groups should wield with the state Resources Agency in distributing the money, Chesbro said.