Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3717 Aug 3-17, 2018 | Page 7

Aug 3 - 17, 2018 VOL.37 • ISS. 17 Hey Dan! — Letters To The Editor What’s on your mind? Do you have something you’d like to share with us and our readers? A picture... a story... a question to ask, or an answer to another? COVER STORY 7 Established 1982 Let’s hear your compliments, or your gripes! Whatever it is, send it to: HEY, DAN!, c/o Fish Sniffer Publications, The Fish Sniffer - P.O. Box 776, Colfax, CA 95713, or you can now e-mail it at danielbacher@ fishsniffer.com. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of pictures or text. Thanks! Environmental Coalition Sends Clear Message to Secretary Zinke and Representative Denham: Hands off State Water Rights and Delta Flows! Hey Dan! MODESTO, CA - Today, an environmental coalition comprised of Restore the Delta, Sierra Club, Friends of the River, and Save California Salmon held a press conference outside of Representative Jeff Denham’s (R-Turlock) Modesto office in response to U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s visit to Denham’s district to discuss Valley water rights and California water infrastructure projects. The coalition critcized Denham for introducing yet another provision to the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 6147)—a bill that has received scrutiny from Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Kamala Harris, and California Secretary for Natural Resources, John Laird due to riders respectively written by Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Corona) and Congressman David Valadao (R-Hanford) that seek to bypass state and federal law by banning judicial review on the Delta tunnels project, the State Water Project, and the Central Valley Project. Representative Denham’s recent addition to the Interior spending bill aims to curtail ample flows through San Joaquin Rivers and its tributaries to the San Francisco Bay-Delta in favor of big corporate al- mond growers, despite the State Water Board’s recent recommendation for increased San Joaquin River flow as part of the Bay-Delta Plan. Executive Director of Restore the Delta, Barbara Barrigan-Parrila said, “Representative Denham says that he is against the Delta tunnels, however his recent provision to the Interior spending bill that attempts to increase water diversions for the east side of his district—there- by worsening water quality for Delta farmers and residents living at the west end (Tracy and Manteca)— suggests that he does not genuinely care about the Delta’s people or ecosystem. He is favoring one part of his district over the other. “We have legitimate reason to believe that these three riders individually introduced by Congressmen Calvert, Valadao, and Denham are tied together as a deliberate attempt to circumvent state water rights law and protections for the Bay-Delta estuary, clearing a path for the twin tunnels to be built and the eventual privatization of water. Congressman Denham is in a perfect position to bring people to the table to solve the challenges of the overallocation of water for the San Joaquin River system, but instead is enlisting the Trump Administration to help gut water quality and quantity protections for the San Francisco Bay-Delta.” Here is Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla’s complete statement at the press conference: Welcome to Our Press Conference - I am Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla with Restore the Delta. I want to thank each and everyone of you for joining us this morning. Speaking with me today, we have: Co-Chair of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club, Sonia Diermayer , Tribal Water Organizer with Save California Salmon, Morning Star Gali; Policy Analyst & CA Water expert, Ron Stork with Friends of the River; and San Joaquin County environmental justice advocate Kimberly Warmsley. Jeff Denham says he is against the Delta tunnels, but his rider that ended up in the Interior spending bill yesterday attempts to increase water diversions for the eastside of his district—thereby worsening water quality for Delta farmers and residents living at the west end of his district in Tracy and Manteca. Clearly, he does not genuinely care about the Delta’s people or ecosystem. He is favoring one part of his district over the other. He is favoring big ag mega donors, over middle-class residents, Delta family farmers and the environmental justice communities found in the urban Delta. He’s now calling on the Trump Administration to help him in his cause to starve the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary of the freshwater flows it needs to be saved and restored for future generations His rider, along with Calvert’s and Valadao’s riders that made it into the House Interior Appropriations bill are now all tied together in an attempt to circumvent water rights laws and protections for the SF Bay-Delta estuary. These three California Republican Congres- sional Representatives are attempting to clear the path for the Construction of Governor Jerry Brown’s tunnels (that’s a weird alliance huh, but it’s true – we have the receipts), These three congressional reps are trying to circumvent state water rights that will lead to the privatization of water because Delta tunnel propo- nents are now looking at a public private partnership to pay for the project. Private investors w ill end up controlling water deliveries throughout the state if the tunnels are built. The State Water Resources Control Board made a mistake in 2009 because upstream San Joaquin River and tributary water users were not brought to the table to share water. And that’s who Jeff Denham and Ryan Zinke are protecting. The sacrifice being made to put some water back into the system, even though it’s not enough -- is only on the backs of middle class farmers on the lower tributaries. And because they are under- stably upset, Jeff Denham created legislation to harm water rusers in the Delta instead. He is punishing the Delta to please his big ag donors, instead of bringing all waterall water users to the table for a better solu- tion. He is a divider, not a uniter. Science tells us that fisheries and the Delta need 50-60% freshwater flows from the San Joaquin Rivers and its tributaries to stop extinction of our fisher- ies. South Delta farmers and water users need these freshwater flows so that water quality is maintained for crops, Delta environmental justice communities, and all beneficial uses of water under the law. We have had poor leadership from the Brown Administration on these water issues -- all exacerbated by Brown’s push for the Delta tunnels. The State Water Board is attempting to solve the problem of San Joaquin River flows like King Solomon splitting the baby between water users near Modesto and the Delta. But now, we have Congressman Denham, like his California Congressional colleagues Calvert and Valadao, making the entire situation worse. And to add insult to injury he is brining the anti-clean water Trump Administra- tion here into the District in an attempt to force the rider into law. Ryan Zinke needs to go home – and Jeff Denham should keep his hands off Delta flows. Try working on a positive solution instead of robbing everyday Americans for your rich donors. ~ Nora Kovaleski, Restore the Delta Hey Nora! Thanks for inviting me to the news confer- ence in Modesto. It was an excellent press conference with some top-notch speakers. We need to stop the three dangerous riders to the Interior spending bill in the Senate, now that the legislation has passed through the House of Representatives. ~ Dan The KFBK OUTDOOR SHOW 3507 1 Rated with your Outdoor Radio Show host for 26 years! # Bob Simms Fishing • Hunting • Destinations Conservation • History Dedicated to the Northern California Outdoorsman CALIFORNIA-NEVADA EDITION “The No.1 Newspaper Dedicated Entirely To Northern California Sportsmen!” Published By NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ANGLER PUBLICATIONS, INC. The Fish Sniffer P.O. Box 776, Colfax, CA 95713 Toll-Free (833)-347-4661 www.fishsniffer.com CAL KELLOGG’S E-MAIL: [email protected] EDITORIAL E-MAIL: [email protected] Pro halibut angler Greg Brown gives Sandra Parker a helping hand showing off the big beautiful halibut she landed while drifting live anchovies out in front of San Francisco’s famous Marina Dis- trict. Sandra signed up for the most re- cent Cal Kellogg School of Fishing event aboard Berkeley’s Happy Hooker hoping to catch her first ever California halibut. Not only did she hook and land sever- al halibut on the day, but she also took home the big fish jackpot and a beautiful baitcasting rod courtesy of the folks at Okuma. Sandra is a halibut veteran now! Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. THE FISH SNIFFER (833)-347-4661 FishSniffer.com FISH SNIFFER Goes DIGITAL!!! The Fish Sniffer Digital subscription now available to the Fish Sniffer. Download the app from iTunes or Google Play. 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