River Habitat Officials Explain Plans to Local Sportsmen
Chico Enterprise Record- 5/8/02
By Heather Hacking, staff writer

Hunters and fishermen are confused about where they can take part in their sports along the Sacramento River. It's unclear what is public land, which land they can access and which land they must avoid.

The Butte County Fish and Game Commission Tuesday night heard wildlife managers and representatives of the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum report on land being converted to habitat and the role of the conservation area in determining the river's future.

Fish and Game Commissioner Steve Carson said there are too many agencies involved along the river, which makes it really difficult to figure out what's going on.

Groups with a role along the waterway include CalFed, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Department of Water Resources, The Nature Conservancy, state Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Pesticide Regulation.

Burt Bundy, manager of the SRCA, said that's why the forum can help. The SRCA is a place where representatives from all these different groups can hammer out differences and keep one another up-to-date.

Carson said people are concerned that when land is shifted to federal hands, there has to be a management plan in place before the public can have access.

Kevin Foerster, manager of the Sacramento River Wildlife Refuge complex, operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, confirmed this and acknowledged "blue goose" signs have been posted on land the complex has recently added to the refuge.

But the department is rapidly working on a management plan and should have a draft ready by August for the public to critique, Foerster said.

Foerster said the local agency has never given a ticket for using refuge land. He said Fish and Wildlife is more concerned about people who would tear up habitat with ATVs than someone having a picnic.

The refuge has 452 areas with a total acreage of 11,000. The plan is to acquire 7,000 more acres from Redding to Colusa.

The first priority for the land is for wildlife, but the department is looking at what public access is compatible, such as hunting, fishing, photography and education, Foerster said.

John Merz of the Sacramento Preservation Trust said this is a great time for anyone interested in the river to step in and give input that will help manage these wildlife areas for the next 15 years.

Foerster said there will be areas that will be wildlife sanctuaries, but the majority of the land will allow public access.

He said he hopes there isn't a lot of controversy when the draft plan comes out, because that will slow down the process.

Concerns were also raised about the SRCA. One man said he heard there are plans for the SRCA to convert a lot of land to habitat.

Bundy said there is a misconception among some. The truth is that the SRCA plans call for 50,000 acres of habitat within the inner river meander zone from Keswick (near Redding) to Verona, a 222-mile stretch.

The SRCA is a forum for the various interests. It has no plans to buy land itself, he said. Rather, the forum works with groups and landowners who are working on the riverside habitat.

Paul Hoffman, a biologist for the state Department of Fish and Game, said his agency owns 3,600 acres of land in 13 chunks. These lands are open to the public, with the majority only accessible by boat. Most of these properties were purchased for non-game species habitat. Hunting is allowed on them and you don't need a permit, but you have to hunt in season, he said.

Hoffman said it's difficult to know which lands are state-owned and people have to do the homework to find out exactly where they are. He said the best map is located at the county recorder's office.

Paul Ward, fish biologist for Fish and Game, gave a wrap-up of fish improvements. One problem for fish populations are water diversions where fish get trapped in irrigation canals. He said there are 360 unscreened conversions. The plan is to screen most of them, starting with the biggest ones first.

Over recent years, $150 million to $200 million has been spent on screens, including the $70 million Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District screens and the $11 million screens at Princeton-Codora-Glenn Irrigation District. So far the trend appears to be fish populations are improving.

He said the SRCA will be key in how these programs continue.

"How can we make this fit so we can manage for fish, flooding and water supply? The answer lies in the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum," Ward said.

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