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In the News Climate Change and the Environment


The anticipated impacts of climate change are likely to send the numbers of native fi sh plummeting to almost extinct levels, researchers at the University of Califor- nia, Davis have concluded. The study, Climate Change Vulnerability of Native and Alien Freshwater Fishes of California: A Systematic Assessment Approach was published in May in the peer-reviewed scientifi c journal PLOS ONE. It said “most native fi shes will suffer population declines and become more restricted in their distributions,” with fi shes requiring cold water “particularly likely to go extinct.” Meanwhile, researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey say a four-foot rise in the sea level by 2100 will dramatically alter more than 4,000 acres of tidal marsh in the Bay Area, transforming key habitat into tidal mud fl ats. “Future inhabitants of the Bay Area shoreline will see a very different set of wetlands and wildlife, according to our model,” said Karen Thorne, author of the study, Final Report for Sea-level Rise Response Modeling for San Francisco Bay Estuary Tidal Marshes. “Losing marshes means losing the wild birds and animal species that depend on them, and we also lose the natural infrastructure that marshes serve as buffers against extreme tides and fl oods.”


According to the UC Davis report, the top 20 vulnerable native species


identifi ed include Delta smelt, Central Valley late-fall run Chinook salmon, upper Klamath-Trinity River spring Chinook salmon, Clear Lake hitch, Kern River rainbow trout, Central Coast coho salmon and Southern Oregon-Northern California Coast coho salmon.


Non-native species such as carp, largemouth bass and green sunfi sh “will thrive,” with some species increasing in abundance and range, the study says. Our method has high utility for predicting vulnerability to climate change of diverse fi sh species. It should be useful for setting conservation priorities in many different regions. Gov. Jerry Brown, an advocate of climate change adaptability, used the opportunity of talking about the state’s earlier than usual fi re season to raise awareness of what the future holds.


“Our climate is changing, the weather is becoming more intense,” Brown said May 6 at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s aviation management unit in Sacramento. “The big issue (is) how do we adapt, because it doesn’t look like the people who are in charge are going to do what it takes to really slow down this climate change, so we are going to have to adapt. And adapting is going to be very, very expensive.” ❖


– Gary Pitzer


Whe e We Are


June 12-14 Water Education Foundation Bay-Delta Tour


Renée Cashmere, tour coordinator Sacramento, CA


June 13-14


Delta & Floodplain Ecology Institute San Joaquin County Offi ce of Education Brian Brown, California Project WET Coordinator Stockton, CA


June 16-22 Forestry Institute for Teachers Northern California Society of American Foresters


Brian Brown, California Project WET Coordinator Meadow Valley, CA


June 23-29 Forestry Institute for Teachers Northern California Society of American Foresters


Brian Brown, California Project WET Coordinator Sonora, CA


July 7-13


Forestry Institute for Teachers Northern California Society of American Foresters


Brian Brown, California Project WET Coordinator


Shingletown, CA July 16


The Council of Water Utilities, San Diego County


Rita Schmidt Sudman, speaker Poway, CA


Watch the KVIE video “Debating the Delta” with Rita Schmidt Sudman


Read our 2012 Annual Report, www.watereducation.org


May/June 2013 3


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