G2. Local Greens

by Eel River Recovery Project, Dec. 13, 2025

Chinook salmon were thought to have gone extinct in the Garcia River after the 1950s but they are showing up again as the river goes into its second decade of recovery. It has been protected by the Garcia River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) constraints under the Clean Water Act that has fostered its recovery. The Conservation Fund acquisition in the watershed and protection and restoration of their lands has played a significant part in the recovery. Thanks to local steward Craig Bell and all-star volunteer Will Lennox for going underwater and capturing the magic. GO WILD!

Creative Commons License: Public Domain Dedication

Leading scientist urges NC Gov. Josh Stein to treat climate change as emergency, “use all the levers” to get Duke Energy off fossil fuels

Today NC WARN released an 18-minute documentary that goes right at one of the world’s worst climate polluters and features a globally prominent scientist insisting that Duke Energy’s massive expansion of fossil fuels and suppression of climate solutions absolutely must be stopped.

Dr. Drew Shindell of Duke University insists in the film, “It is really an emergency that we change course as quickly as possible, which is what you do in an emergency … you do whatever it takes. We really need to use all the levers we can to push Duke Energy away from this fossil fuel path.”

This statement amplifies the April letter to Stein, which Shindell co-authored and which was signed by 60 scientists, that presses the governor to use his authority to stop the climate-wrecking actions of Duke Energy leaders.

NC WARN commissioned the documentary that was produced by award-winning Vittles Films of Durham. After a few preview screenings, it’s being released today and widely circulated through on-line streaming and other sources including the Carrboro Film Fest on Sunday, January 25th. 

Tragically, global emissions of carbon dioxide and methane continue to rise, and the rich countries and corporations that drove the planet into the climate crisis keep failing their duty to humanity. That’s despite the key takeaway from last month’s COP summit in Brazil: global emissions must be cut in half by 2035 to avoid irreversible climate chaos.

Failure at the national level amplifies the need for state governors to directly challenge and curb the reckless actions of top polluters such as Duke Energy. The corporate giant projects a whopping expansion of 12,000 MW of gas-fired generation and 16,000 MW of experimental nuclear reactors – gambling billions of public dollars. Both numbers appear to dwarf similar proposed expansions by other US utilities. 

NC Senator Graig Meyer confirms in the film that the state can indeed change the behavior of a corporate monopoly with the appropriate political will. We appreciate him, Shindell and experts from Appalachian Voices and the Energy Policy Institute for speaking out in the documentary. 

NC WARN has increasingly criticized Gov. Stein for allowing Duke and others to continue deceiving the public by acting like our state is reducing climate-wrecking emissions. We urgently need him to tell the truth – that Duke Energy is a key driver of the global climate crisis – and use his powerful voice and office to stop Duke Energy from blocking our state’s shift to climate solutions that also protect our power bills. Key examples include local solar paired with batteries and energy-saving programs.

NC WARN urges all news outlets to help cut through the years of deception. We all must heed the climate scientists’ warnings and reject Duke Energy’s bogus pledge to become carbon “neutral” in 2050 – far too late to matter. Communities across this state are being devastated – and the crisis is accelerating. Only by being honest about our plight can this state change the giant climate polluter, which will have positive impacts around the world.

Our hard-hitting video ads and grassroots work are continuing to inspire thousands of North Carolinians to press Stein to do what Dr. Shindell calls for: push Duke Energy to change course. Some 250 businesses and nonprofits have also joined the call.  

The Governor made a couple of small steps by criticizing Duke Energy’s latest plans to expand fossil fuels, suppress solar and wind power and raise rates. But he must do a whole lot more – and soon.  

The climate situation is desperate – but not yet hopeless! This is why we’ll keep building statewide pressure for the Governor to use his powerful voice and authority and to inspire other leaders to do the same. 

###

Now in its 37th year, NC WARN is building people power in the climate and energy justice movement to persuade or require Charlotte-based Duke Energy – one of the world’s largest climate polluters – to make a quick transition to renewable, affordable power generation and energy efficiency in order to avert climate tipping points and ongoing rate hikes. 

The post Short Documentary Blasts Duke Energy for Deception and Key Role in Accelerating Climate Crisis — NC WARN News Release appeared first on NC WARN.

Partners seeking to produce oil in the protected Lincolnshire Wolds have abandoned their challenge to the refusal of planning permission, a formal statement announced this morning.

The area around the Biscathorpe site in the protected Lincolnshire Wolds

Union Jack Oil, a partner in the Biscathorpe scheme near Louth, told shareholders it had “made the decision to withdraw” from the planning appeal, due to be heard in April 2026.

It said continued investment in the development could no longer be justified.

Union Jack said plans for a new sidetrack well and long-term oil production at the Biscathorpe site would now be shelved.

The statement also said the site operator, Egdon Resources, intended to give up the licence, PEDL253, “in due course”.

At the time of writing, Egdon, owned by the US-based Heyco group, has not commented publicly on the decision.

Opponents of the Biscathorpe plans said they were “relieved and delighted” that drilling would now not go ahead. But they said they were disappointed that evidence they had assembled to put to next year’s inquiry would now not be heard in public.

This is the second time Egdon Resources has pulled out of a planning appeal for an oil site. In June 2023, the company withdrew its challenge to refusal of permission at North Kelsey, also in Lincolnshire, days before the start of a hearing.

Appeal withdrawn 15 Dec 2025Download 10+ year planning battle

Today’s announcement ends a planning dispute lasting more than a decade in the Wolds former area of outstanding natural beauty, now known as a national landscape.

Lincolnshire County Council refused planning permission for the Biscathorpe development in 2021, on the opening day of the Glasgow international climate summit.

Egdon appealed and overturned the decision in 2023. But a year later, the High Court ruled that the planning inspectorate must redetermine the appeal.

The decision followed a landmark judgement at the Supreme Court in the Sarah Finch case. This said decisionmakers must take into account carbon emissions from the burning of oil, as well as from the production process.

The companies’ decision to withdraw from the appeal comes a week after the closing date for submissions of evidence to the Biscathorpe inquiry.

Amanda Suddaby, of SOS Biscathorpe, which has been campaigning against Egdon’s plans, said:

“It has come as a surprise to learn today that Egdon have chosen to withdraw from the Appeal.

“After more than a decade of campaigning, we are of course relieved and delighted that drilling at Biscathorpe will not now go ahead and the licence will be relinquished. This outcome is a testament to the dedication, persistence and hard work of everyone who has contributed over the years – all of whom we want to thank.

“It is striking that Egdon and their partners have withdrawn just one week after receiving our Statement of Case and supporting evidence. While they claim that their decision is unrelated to the evidence, the timing strongly suggests otherwise.

“We are disappointed that the substantial body of evidence we had assembled, and the wider arguments concerning fossil fuel extraction in the context of the climate crisis, will not now be examined in full and in public at the Inquiry.

“We are confident that, had they been tested, the outcome would have been the same for Biscathorpe.  Egdon’s decision to withdraw appears to be an attempt to avoid that scrutiny.

“Our evidence clearly demonstrates that new oil extraction is indefensible in a climate emergency — a conclusion Egdon and their partners now seem to share.

“We will, of course, continue our efforts until the site is fully restored and will be looking to Lincs County Council to ensure that it happens as soon as possible.”

Union Jack Oil, which has the largest stake in the Biscathorpe licence (45%) said:

“Having considered the commercial aspects, prevailing tax regime and the continued lack of clear case law in respect of oil and gas projects in the UK post-Finch, the PEDL253 joint venture partnership has concluded that it could no longer justify its continued investment in the Biscathorpe project, and that it should therefore withdraw its appeal.

“This collective decision was augmented by a strengthened legislative duty applying to National Landscapes (formerly AONBs) introduced in late 2024.”

David Bramhill, executive chairman of Union Jack Oil, added:

“With a backdrop of a changing macro-economic environment, along with the continued regulatory uncertainty in relation to how downstream emissions will be considered, we have concluded that this is the correct decision for the Company’s wider objectives, which includes the future development of Wressle and the planned drilling programme in Oklahoma.”

Opponents of oil and gas operations in East Yorkshire suggested Mr Bramhill’s comments may cast doubt over further development at West Newton, where Union Jack Oil is also a partner.

by Katy Spence In an ongoing battle to defend Montana waters against Canadian coal mining pollution, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) denied a petition from Lincoln County Commissioners in September that would have doubled the amount of allowable selenium pollution in Lake Koocanusa. While the work is far from over, this is an …

The post DEQ denies petition to increase pollution in Lake Koocanusa appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Laura Collins Across Montana, the quiet spread of exempt wells is creating a big problem for our rivers, streams, and drinking water. Under current law, these small wells, originally intended for single homes or limited agricultural use, can be drilled without a water right permit. But developers have long used them to provide water …

The post Montana’s Exempt Well Loophole: A Constitutional Crisis for Our Water appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Ben Catton NorthWestern Energy wants to provide electricity to energy-guzzling data centers while it evades its legal obligations to existing customers. The law is clear: a public utility in Montana can only provide electricity to a new energy intensive customer – including data centers – if it can demonstrate to the Public Service Commission …

The post MEIC to PSC: Protect Montanans from Data Center Threats appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Ben Catton Buttians are worried about data center development. On October 16, more than 70 people filled the Copper Lounge at Montana Tech in Butte to learn about the potential impacts of Big Tech’s plans for data center development in Silver Bow County.  The event, Beyond the Boom: Protecting Butte from New and Old …

The post Buttians Question the Impacts of Big Tech’s Data Centers appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Katy Spence By now, it seems impossible to avoid “smart” features in internet-powered devices. Often powered by artificial intelligence (AI), many of these features seek to make our lives easier. But more advanced AI takes a toll on our water resources, our energy bills, our rights, and even our brains.  Known as “generative AI” …

The post Artificial Intelligence Threatens Water, Climate, Jobs, and Utility Bills appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Anne Hedges  In September, NorthWestern Energy made an extraordinary request of the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC). It requested permission to engage in a complicated scheme that would essentially result in its existing customers having to pay another $18 million for the costs of operation and maintenance for an additional share of the Colstrip …

The post NorthWestern’s Complex Scheme to Avoid Scrutiny of New Colstrip Shares appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Anne Hedges and Shannon James NorthWestern Energy is once again putting corporate profits ahead of Montana customers. Years ago, NorthWestern cut a deal with Puget Sound Energy to acquire Puget’s share of the Colstrip plant when Puget is no longer allowed to sell coal-based electricity to its customers in Washington State. NorthWestern’s existing customers …

The post NorthWestern Bypasses PSC in Creation of New Subsidiary appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Anne Hedges Earlier this year, the Montana Supreme Court directed the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to comply with Montana’s constitution and analyze the impacts of the greenhouse gas emissions from NorthWestern Energy’s Laurel Generating Station (sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone County Generating Station) As predicted, DEQ’s attempt was lackluster. On September 29, …

The post MEIC Challenges DEQ’s Rubber Stamp of Laurel Gas Plant appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Shannon James The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently released its draft greenhouse gas (GHG) guidance, as directed by SB 221 (Sen. Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale) in the 2025 legislative session. The document is meant to help state agencies assess new projects under the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). While the draft represents a …

The post DEQ Seeks Input on Half-Baked GHG Guidance Document appeared first on Montana Environmental Information Center - MEIC.

by Sarah Stierch, The Mendocino Voice, December 11, 2025

[excerpt:]

MENDOCINO CO., 12/11/25 – Juvenile coho salmon have been documented in a tributary of the Russian River in Mendocino County for the first time since 1991, state officials announced Thursday.

A juvenile coho salmon found in Ackerman Creek near Ukiah, Calif. on Friday, June 20, 2025. Pinoleville Pomo Nation Water Resource Specialist and Yurok tribal member Dakota Perez Gonzalez located multiple juveniles in an isolated pool that was drying in the creek. The tribe worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to rescue the fish. The discovery marked the first time coho salmon had been documented in the upper Russian River basin in more than 30 years. (Dakota Perez Gonzalez/Pinoleville Pomo Nation via Bay City News)

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pinoleville Pomo Nation Water Resource Specialist and Yurok tribal member Dakota Perez Gonzalez discovered several young coho salmon in Ackerman Creek north of Ukiah in June.

After the juvenile salmon were discovered in an isolated pool that was drying, the tribe and CDFW partnered on a rescue effort, Perez Gonzalez said. The fish were transported to Warm Springs Fish Hatchery in Geyserville, where they are being raised in CDFW’s broodstock program.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Senior Environmental Scientist Derek Acomb and Pinoleville Pomo Nation Water Resource Specialist and Yurok tribal member Dakota Perez Gonzalez use nets to trap juvenile coho salmon in Ackerman Creek near Ukiah, Calif., on Friday, June 20, 2025. Perez Gonzalez had located multiple juveniles in an isolated pool that was drying. The discovery marked the first time coho salmon had been documented in the upper Russian River basin in more than 30 years. The rescued fish were transported to the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery in Geyserville, where they will be raised and eventually re-released into the Russian River watershed. (Dakota Perez Gonzalez/Pinoleville Pomo Nation via Bay City News)

“Once the salmon reach adulthood, their eggs will be artificially spawned at the hatchery to mimic the natural spawning process,” Perez Gonzalez said. “The eggs will hatch and grow to become smolts, and at that stage the hatchery will release them into the Russian River watershed. This is of key importance because it will increase the biodiversity of coho salmon genetics in the Russian River watershed.”

. . .

To read the entire article, visit The Mendocino Voice:
Juvenile coho salmon found in Mendocino County creek after 30-year absence

Add your name to protect sacred site Pe’Sla:  PROTECT SACRED SITE PE’SLA – DENY DRILLING PERMIT TO PETE LIEN & SONS THE PROBLEM: SACRED INDIGENOUS LAND AND RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK. In the sacred He Sápa, known in English as the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Lakota sacred site known as Pe’ Sla (“pay-SHLAH”) … Continue reading Sign the Petition! Help Protect Pe’Sla from Graphite Drilling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 12, 2025

Contact:
Ashley Castaneda, ashley@restorethedelta.org

Tribes and environmental advocates contest “voluntary agreements” and warn of ecological risks

Sacramento, Calif. — The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) today released the updated San Francisco Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (“Bay-Delta Plan”), a critical rulemaking for ensuring water quality, river flows, and ecosystem protections for the state’s largest and most endangered estuary and watershed. The 3,322 pages of draft regulatory text and updated environmental analysis across 13 different documents were released one week before the holidays, an inequitable approach that effectively reduces time for advocates with limited resources and capacity to review the draft plan compared with well-resourced water districts.

Advocates warn that the updated draft plan:

• Would likely result in a net increase in water diversions and worse environmental conditions than we see today;
• Includes weak, nonbinding language on habitat restoration and monitoring;
• Could set a dangerous precedent enabling major water-infrastructure projects (such as the Sites Reservoir or the Delta Conveyance Tunnel) to circumvent regulatory flow standards;
• Advances eight years of “voluntary agreements” to determine river and estuary flows and water operations that will not protect the ecosystem 
• Relies on pledges from the federal government despite new Trump rules to maximize water exports.

A key component of the plan are the State’s proposed voluntary agreements (VAs), privately negotiated deals in which powerful water districts offer limited or illusory flow commitments and funding in exchange for exemptions from stronger regulatory requirements. Tribal groups, environmental justice organizations, fishing advocates, and conservation groups say the Governor’s VA is not scientifically sound and lacks adequate, enforceable protections, especially in light of new Trump orders for Delta pumping.

The Board’s advancement of the VA framework has reignited longstanding tensions over California’s management of the Bay-Delta ecosystem. With commercial salmon fishing closed for the third consecutive year due to near-collapse of spawning populations, advocates argue the estuary cannot withstand further reductions in river flows or delays in implementing stronger protections.

State and federal fish and wildlife agencies have repeatedly warned that existing flow standards are failing to support native species, including Chinook Salmon, Longfin Smelt, and White Sturgeon. Opponents argue the revised Bay-Delta plan would exacerbate declines by increasing net water diversions while offering only vague assurances regarding habitat restoration and monitoring and would also exacerbate toxic algal bloom problems in the watershed.

Tribal and environmental justice advocates further describe the VA framework as inequitable, noting that allowing large water diverters to opt out of regulation through private agreements threatens Tribal communities, Delta residents, and the ecological health of San Francisco Bay, the Delta, and their watershed. 

STATEMENTS FROM BAY-DELTA TRIBES AND ADVOCATES:

Vice Chair Malissa Tayaba, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians:

“The Board is supposed to be a science-based agency committed to racial equity and tribal reparations. If that were true however, the Board would reject the Voluntary Agreements, which are not based on the best available science and would harm tribes and environmental justice communities. We need regulation and funding to protect the rivers and the Delta and to ensure that tribal beneficial uses of water are established quickly and given full legal force.”

Gary Mulcahy, Government Liaison with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe:

“It is clear that the SWRCB is continuing its inclusion of the Voluntary Agreements proposals despite the fact that there is a Title VI Civil Rights complaint filed against them, in part, for doing just that. The VAs have been in process now for over 9 years, and have failed to include EJ Communities, Disadvantaged Communities, and California Tribes in their planning and implementation processes. A clear violation of the civil rights of those groups who will be significantly affected by their actions. The Water Board is now saying, you need to talk to the Tribes, but that is the old term of a day late and a dollar short – 10 years after the VAs began planning.”

Vance Staplin, Executive Director, Golden State Salmon Association:

“The federal government is pumping more water to their rich farmer friends and now the state is proposing a plan that allows the feds to continue sucking the rivers and Delta dry at the expense of salmon, communities, and the fishing industry. The feds are running roughshod over the water rules at the expense of the billion dollar salmon industry and the state is about to give them a pass to let them continue doing that.”

Gary Bobker, Program Director, Friends of the River:

“Two decades after acknowledging that native fish and wildlife populations, the food web, water quality, and commercial fisheries were declining dramatically and at risk of collapsing in the Bay-Delta estuary, the State Water Board is releasing a draft plan that essentially gives up the fight and hands the keys to the water districts whose excessive diversions have been driving the ecosystem collapse in the first place. But it’s still possible for the Board members to change course and require the flows needed to save the estuary – if they are willing to step up and accept the responsibility they are charged with under state and federal law.”

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director, Restore the Delta

“We are disappointed that the concerns and needs of Tribes and Delta communities continue to be ignored by the Board in Bay-Delta Planning. With the ongoing collapse of Federal water standards, protecting communities and Tribes from disparate impacts should be the top priority of the Board — and that includes salmon protection.”

Eric Buescher, Managing Attorney, San Francisco Baykeeper:

“The most recent draft Bay-Delta plan continues the Board’s decades long and continuing failure to ensure that the state’s foundational flow and water quality requirements for the Bay-Delta are sufficient to protect fisheries, endangered species, communities, and the Bay’s ecosystem. The Board’s draft today is inconsistent with years of its own statements and analysis, and its hollow attempt to justify its failure to do its job is shameful.” 

Chris Shutes, Executive Director, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance: 

“It took Water Board documents 15 years to dilute large flow increases to almost none at all. Less water means less fish. Most fishing outside of reservoirs will move out of state, except for boutique fisheries available to the wealthy few.”

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An official report by UK Oil & Gas plc reveals why it gave up a licence to develop hydrocarbons in parts of Surrey and West Sussex.

PEDL234. Source: UK Onshore Geophysical Library

The relinquishment report for licence PEDL234 was published earlier this week by the industry regulator.

The reports are formal documents in which oil and gas companies are required to explain the reasons why they surrendered a licence and set out what work has been carried out.

But one local opposition group has commented that what was not said in the PEDL234 report was “probably more significant” than what was included.

PEDL234 had been held by a UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) subsidiary since 2017 and was relinquished in June 2025.

The licence area had a drilled oil site, at Broadford Bridge, near Billingshurst, in West Sussex. Oil flow rates were considered “uneconomic” and the site was suspended. It is now the subject of planning enforcement action.

PEDL234 also contained the proposed gas site at Loxley, near Dunsfold in Surrey, which had planning and environmental consents. But UKOG had failed to find a farm-in partner to do the work.

UKOG said in the relinquishment report the decision to surrender PEDL234 was made because of “financing and regulatory issues”.

The company said there was “remaining potential” in the licence. But it said:

“the fiscal and permitting landscape brings significant risk to the project.”

“This, together with unsuccessful marketing of a Loxley farmout, are ultimately why UKOG has decided to relinquish the licence.”

The PEDL234 relinquishment report included gas estimates in the Upper Portland Sandstone based on analysis from three abandoned wells: Godley Bridge-1 and 2z and Alfold-1.

The report also detailed risks for the Loxley-1 well:

• commercial flow rates would depend on the height of the gas column and reservoir properties
• no other infrastructure nearby to treat fluids so facilities would have to be built on the site, with a 6.6km pipeline to join the asset to the gas pipeline system.

UKOG had agreed a work programme with the regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority, to drill an appraisal well at Loxley by 30 June 2025. The work was not carried out. If the appraisal well had been successful, a second production well would be drilled by the end of 2029, the company agreed.

The campaign group, Protect Dunsfold, which opposed the Loxley site, told Drill or Drop:

“In our view, what is not said in the Report is probably more significant than what is said.”

The group gave several examples:

“There is no mention of the commercial risk introduced by uncertainties in the mapping of the Loxley Portlandian structure due to an absence of seismic data covering the eastern flank of the structure as mapped by UKOG and the risk of near-surface velocity anomalies impacting the seismic data quality and the depth conversion

“There is no reference to the fact that it is already known that the gas discovered at Loxley is sour, with an elevated H2S (hydrogen sulphide) content.

“There is no mention that the inferred gas accumulation in the Loxley structure is dependent on the petrophysical re-interpretation of the well logs from the Alfold-1 well, which was deemed not to have encountered hydrocarbons when it was abandoned by Conoco in the 1980s.”

UKOG PEDL234 relinquishment reportDownload

Work to plug and abandon wells at a dormant oil site in West Sussex is due to begin this month, DrillOrDrop has learned.

Campaign notice March 2024. Photo: DrillOrDrop

The Broadford Bridge site, near Billingshurst, should be cleared by February 2026 under planning enforcement action. The well pad has been suspended since 2018. It never produced oil commercially.

The operator, a subsidiary of UK Oil & Gas plc (UKOG) failed to meet its own restoration deadline more than a year ago. The site has had no planning permission since March 2024.

West Sussex County Council told us today:

“UKOG have indicated that their intention is to begin plugging and abandonment of the well site this month. West Sussex County Council is awaiting details of timescales and the works to be undertaken.”

A spokesperson said the council was “not aware that any physical works have taken place” so far.

Officials took enforcement action against the operator, UKOG (234) Ltd, and the landowner in early January 2025. This required the site to be cleared by early February 2026.

Asked what action West Sussex would take if the deadline was missed, the spokesperson said:

“West Sussex County Council will continue to engage with the operator to seek updates on progress.

“Should the operator fail to accord, in full, with the Breach of Condition Notices, consideration will be given for next steps taking account of any progress that has been made by the operator by the 7 February 2026 deadline.”

by Amie Windsor, The Press Democrat, December 8, 2025

[excerpt:]

The excitement started with a flash of silver followed by a hefty dose of disbelief.

A team of conservationists and biologists from The Wildlands Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages the 5,600-acre Jenner Headlands Preserve on the Sonoma Coast, couldn’t believe what they were seeing: the telltale color and shape of juvenile coho salmon, darting back and forth in the clear current of the East Branch Russian Gulch.

Coho salmon found at Jenner Headlands Preserve  |  photo by Corby Hines

It had been decades since the endangered fish had made its way to that arm of the watershed.

And yet there they were, as Ryan Berger, Corby Hines and Luke Farmer of The Wildlands Conservancy looked on.

Coho salmon once thrived in the coastal watersheds of Sonoma County and the broader North Coast, where winter rain, summer fog and the protective canopy of towering redwood forest sustained young fish and spawning adults over millennia.

Decades of logging, including industrial-scale operations that picked up after World War II, decimated much of the forestland, unleashing enormous amounts of sediment into the stream channels, burying the gravel beds that salmon and steelhead trout needed for spawning.

Development, gravel mining and other human activities eliminated flood plains, channelized flows, and limited the woody debris and shade that keeps the water cool enough for young fish to survive.

By 1965, the last year Russian Gulch was surveyed for coho salmon, water temperatures were past the 70-degree threshold for salmon survivability. Coho, the rarer of two native salmon species, were gone and steelhead, an ocean-going rainbow trout, were a rarity.

That changed with the confirmation that came after the flash of silver this summer.

Hines and California Fish and Wildlife biologist Mary Olswang returned days later and documented the presence of coho during a snorkel survey.

The biologists didn’t find just one fish, but 239 young coho and 336 young steelhead or fry, the term for fish that are less than a year old.

Coho had been sighted in the main stem and West Branch Russian Gulch in 2005, but hadn’t been seen in the East Branch since 1965, Hines said.

. . .

To read the entire article, visit The Press Democrat:
Coho salmon found in Sonoma Coast creek for first time in 60 years

In the latest edition of The Energy Activist, we cover:

• Our 2025 fall conference awardees
• A member spotlight on Klamath & Lake Community Action Services
• Reflections from our work on Governor Ferguson’s Data Center Workgroup
• Updates on our litigation with the Bonneville Power Administration
• A sneak peek of our Montana transmission study

and more! Read it here: https://conta.cc/3X4XOKC

The post November 2025 Newsletter first appeared on NW Energy Coalition.