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Fish of the Napa River Basin
How many Fish Species are there in the Napa River?
The Napa River basin is home to 27 species of fish, including several rare and threatened species such as steelhead and salmon. Like nearly all of California, Napa has seen the introduction of many exotic fish species into streams and lakes throughout the county. A total of 13 exotic and 14 native fish species comprise the current fish community in the Napa River basin. This high diversity of native species is unique among other nearby watersheds and counties.
Napa River Native Fish Species
Steelhead/rainbow trout Chinook salmon Sacramento sucker Prickly sculpin Riffle sculpin Pacific staghorn sculpin Pacific lamprey Threespine stickleback Hardhead Sacramento pikeminnow California roach Tule perch Sacramento splittail White sturgeon
What is a Salmonid?
Fishes that belong to the trout and salmon family (Salmonidae) are referred to as salmonids. The Napa River and it’s tributaries historically supported large runs of steelhead, chinook salmon, and coho salmon. Both chinook salmon and steelhead populations have declined sharply in the past several decades, and coho salmon have been extirpated since the 1960’s. Steelhead were listed as a threatened species in Napa in 1998 under the Endangered Species Act. The RCD, along with several other groups, is identifying key factors impacting salmonid populations in Napa. The goal of these efforts is to improve and restore fish populations to self-sustaining levels through habitat improvement, land stewardship, and education.
What is the Steelhead Lifecycle
Steelhead are anadromous rainbow trout that migrate to the ocean as adults and return to spawning streams to reproduce. Genetically, they are the same species with only their life history pattern distinguishing one from the other. Steelhead grow much larger in the ocean than resident stream rainbow trout , so they are able to produce far more eggs than their smaller counterparts. Interestingly, both sea-run and resident rainbow trout can come from the same parents, regardless of their life-history.
Adult spawning migrations typically occur during winter (December through March) in streams throughout the Napa River basin with access to the sea. Adult steelhead move into the Napa River after the first few rains in winter and swim to the same streams they were born in. After selecting a suitable location, they dig redds (spawning nests) in the stream gravel and deposit thousands of eggs. Unlike most salmon, steelhead are capable of making several spawning migrations during their lifetimes if conditions are favorable.
As steelhead eggs are incubating in the gravel they are very sensitive to fine sediment, which can clog the spaces between the gravel and reduce the amount of water flowing over the eggs. A constant flow of freshwater is vital to bring oxygen to the developing embryos and carry away waste. The eggs develop in the gravel for one to two months and hatch in early spring. After hatching, the tiny fish remain buried in the gravel with their egg yolks still attached for a week or two. At this stage they are called alevins. After emerging from the gravel, the young fry soon move to the calm stream margins to begin feeding and growing.
Young steelhead spend one to three years in the stream before smolting (migrating out to sea). During their stay in freshwater, young steelhead feed mostly on aquatic insects and require clean cool water and good quality habitat to survive. During Napa’s hot dry summer, young steelhead are typically found in deeper, well-shaded pools where they can hide from predators and move into fast-moving riffles to actively feed.
Summertime is a difficult period for juvenile steelhead living in seasonal and intermittent streams common in this part of California. Water temperatures rise quickly from June through September as winter and spring flows subside. Cold-water fish, such as steelhead, can not tolerate water temperatures much above 70° Fahrenheit. Warmer water also holds less dissolved oxygen and can make it difficult for young steelhead to breathe and remain active.
What can Fish tell you about Watershed Health
Fish are excellent indicators of the condition of aquatic and riparian ecosystems, especially those species with narrow tolerances for disturbance and habitat alteration. Salmonids are very sensitive to environmental change, and their diminishing population reflects how aquatic systems have been altered over the past century. Trout and salmon are considered indicator species because they require clean water, adequate flow, abundant food, and a well-functioning riparian zone to thrive. If any of these requirements is absent or limited, their populations will decline.
Typically in streams with heavy impacts, exotic and tolerant fish species such as carp and suckers will become more abundant. In more pristine streams, a diverse community of native fish species, including trout, indicates a healthier and more balanced ecosystem.
NRCS and Earth Team Volunteers Bring Relief to Flood Victims
The rains came hard and floodwaters rose quickly this past December in Napa County. During the week of December 9, a pacific storm barreled through north coastal California, catching many residents of Napa County off guard. Before sandbags and preparation measures could be put in place, waters rose quickly, devastating numerous streamside properties along the Napa River and many of its tributary streams in the middle of the night on December 13.
Properties on Napa Creek, in the city of Napa were particularly hard hit. The NRCS and Napa County Flood Control District received a number of calls from panicked landowners asking for advice and assistance. One of those properties, owned by Dorothy and Larry Hansen received flood damage and serious streambank damage when the nearby Seminary Street bridge was dammed and over-topped by a mountain of flood debris, log jams, and fast moving creek waters.
The Hansen’s called the City of Napa, who quickly referred them to NRCS for a site assessment. Local NRCS staff was already gearing up to deliver the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program to 2 landowners whose homes and buildings were threatened by continuing storms. Phill Blake, District Conservationist in Napa paid a visit to the Hansen’s, noting their damages as well as offering recommendations for methods to stabilize the badly eroded streambank, which had edged uncomfortably close to their home. Damage to the property was serious, but the home itself was not in immanent danger from further storms and therefore, not eligible for EWP assistance. Dorothy and Larry Hansen have lived along Napa Creek for more than 40 years, but had never seen the floodwaters rise so quickly and wreak such damage. Since the night of the flood, they also hadn’t been sleeping too well when it rained.
Blake referred the Hansen’s to some local stream restoration contractors and offered to work on further recommendations. After leaving the Hansen’s with his business card, Phill headed back to the office with an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. The Hansens’ didn’t have the resources to pay for an expensive stream restoration project but also didn’t complain about their plight. As with many of the older folks in our society, they also didn’t expect the government to necessarily come to their aid.
With the notion that someone needed to go the extra distance for the Hansen’s, a few phone calls were made to some trusty Earth Team volunteers and potential materials donors. Within a week, NRCS staff devised a “bio-engineered” restoration plan for the creek bank, gathered materials from Beringer Vineyards, and assembled a volunteer “Stream Team” to put it all into place on the ground.
After a few weather delays, the Stream Team showed up at the Hansen’s doorstep in the early morning hours of March 5th. The volunteers went to work unloading 5 truckloads of willow posts, branches, rocks, and other hardware. After assembling the materials, 3 work teams were formed to cut and drive willow posts, weave willow branch materials, and assemble the structures. Like a well-oiled machine, the volunteers ran chain saws, slung rocks, and swung sledgehammers like there was no tomorrow. As the sun began to set, the muscle-sore, but energized crew stepped back to admire their work and proclaim the project complete. Larry and Dorothy Hansen stood in their backyard, looking over the more than 100 feet of protected bank, amazed and very touched by the results. As the day came to a close the Napa Valley Register dropped by to take pictures and write a news story on the effort. After having been encouraged to write a human-interest story, the Register also decided to write a “how-to” front page article to educate flood victims on the use of bio-engineering stream repair techniques.
“We’ve always appreciated the hard work of our Earth Team volunteers, but this project went beyond all expectations,” noted Blake, who also expressed pride in the great skill and effort that went into the project. He also stated that one of the contractors contacted by the Hansen’s had bid $12,000 to perform the work. It was a good feeling for all to know that their skills helped meet a need and also provided a valuable conservation demonstration site for the community.
NRCS Reports Strong Farm Interest in Conservation Programs
Farm and Ranch operators in Napa County have demonstrated a long-term interest in conserving natural resources on their lands, and this year was no exception. Phill Blake, District Conservationist in the Napa NRCS office reports that about $400,000 in requests for USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program, (EQIP) funds were received this spring. This popular cost share program provides a 50% cost share rate toward the installation and management of a number of conservation measures on farms and ranches.
The strongest interest for program monies continues to be for riparian, (creek and riverbank) restoration projects, including erosion control, Pierce’s Disease management, and installation of riparian buffers. This year’s program signups indicate that both farm and ranch applicants are restoring their streamsides at a record pace. Blake estimates that this year alone, Napa County agricultural operators, in partnership with the NRCS, will spend more than $1.2 million dollars. Blake noted, “The real good news is it looks like we will be able to competitively fund virtually all of the applications received. ”The new 2002 federal farm bill is pouring record amounts of funding into the EQIP program. If funds are awarded as anticipated, Napa County will receive nearly a four-fold increase in federal funds over most previous EQIP funding years, since the program’s inception in 1997.
In addition to riparian restoration projects, EQIP this year will also be funding grazing management projects, vineyard cover crops, and other erosion control projects in Napa County. For more details on the local program, visit the NRCS EQIP website at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov and click on the “EQIP 2003 Application and Information” link, or call the NRCS/RCD office at 252-4189. Applications are taken year round for the program.
Napa County Ranch Water Quality Workshops Held
State and local water quality issues pertaining to agriculture have been on the radar screen for a number of years now. Napa County wine growers know all too well the rigors of mandates handed down for compliance with “non-point source pollution” control laws. Aiming to equip livestock operators with the knowledge and tools to prevent water quality problems from being a ranching issue, the UC Cooperative Extension Service and NRCS teamed up last fall to offer a water quality planning short course. Beginning last November, the first of 4 class and field sessions were held in Napa for 21 Napa and Solano county ranch owners and operators.
With instruction by Mel George, UC Davis Rangeland Specialist, Morgan Doran, UC Cooperative Extension Livestock Advisor, and NRCS District Conservationist Phill Blake, ranchers were provided with materials and hands-on instruction to develop their own custom-tailored water quality plans. The training culminated with a recent Saturday field day at the Lynch Canyon Ranch, where students performed watershed evaluations and honed techniques for conducting water quality monitoring on their own ranches.
Earth Day 2003
On April 19, 2003, the Connolly Ranch on Brown’s Valley Rd. was the site for another wonderful Earth Day celebration. During the four-hour event that was free and open to the public, over one thousand people came to the Ranch to enjoy the festivities. Children made recycled artwork, played eco-games, and got to pet some of the barn animals while their parents learned how to conserve energy, browse eco-friendly products, and got to see how a car can run on vegetable oil. Throughout the day, there was music, storytelling, and an expert woodcarver that people could watch. Several City and County agencies collaborated with many local non-profits to provide another wonderful learning experience for the residents of Napa. Special thanks to the Napa County Land Trust and the Connolly Ranch Council for all their hard work and dedication. If you missed this great event, don’t worry there will be another chance to participate in the activities next year….
Congressman Thompson Goes To Bat for CA NRCS
Many of you who benefit from the services and programs of the NRCS in Napa County are probably not aware that the US Department of Agriculture has been paring down NRCS assistance in California since about 1980. Over that period of time, staff have been reduced by over half, while in other parts of the country, much smaller states with significantly less agriculture have sustained or even gained NRCS staffing. When our board of directors learned last December that the Napa NRCS office might be coming up for closure, along with about 22 other NRCS offices, the RCD formed a local work-group to convey to our elected representatives the importance of maintaining an NRCS presence in Napa County.
Our RCD directors and coalition partners were very heartened to find a very supportive reception from Rep. Mike Thompson’s staff, both here in Napa and in his Washington D.C. office. Mr. Thompson went to work not only on our behalf, but also on behalf of landowners and farmers around California, pulling together a coalition of 22 CA congressional representatives, (both Democratic and Republican) to send a letter to USDA Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman. The letter provides some very compelling facts about the critical nature of NRCS services and programs in the state and requests not only that no further offices be closed, but that further fund’s be applied to augment assistance to California’s landowners and agricultural producers.
To our knowledge, this is the first time California’s congressional representatives have come together in this way to support conservation programs in the state. Many thanks to Ed Matovcik and Jonathan Birdsong for their responsive efforts, and of course to their boss, Rep. Thompson, who once again has proven his support for natural resource conservation, and his ability to work with congressional representatives, regardless of political party, to get things done.
Salvador Creek Cleanup
On Saturday, May 3, 2003 the Salvador Creek Stewardship group organized a creek cleanup of Salvador Creek. This was the first outdoor activity that the stewardship group held. Prior to the event, stewardship members designed flyers that they posted around town and gave to their friends and neighbors. Announcements were made in the Napa Register and on KVON radio. Volunteers arrived early Saturday morning, just as the rains ended. Among the usual trash and recyclables found, there were shopping carts, garbage cans, and one volunteer found a scared little kitten that she brought to the humane society. At the end of the day, volunteers collected enough trash to fill a dump truck that the City provided. The first annual Salvador Creek Cleanup event was a success and we are already planning next year’s event. Many thanks to the volunteers, the City of Napa, and Napa County Public Works for helping with the clean-up event.
Napa’s River School Stencils Storm Drains
On Saturday, May 3, 2003 the Salvador Creek Stewardship group organized a creek cleanup of Salvador Creek. This was the first outdoor activity that the stewardship group held. Prior to the event, stewardship members designed flyers that they posted around town and gave to their friends and neighbors. Announcements were made in the Napa Register and on KVON radio. Volunteers arrived early Saturday morning, just as the rains ended. Among the usual trash and recyclables found, there were shopping carts, garbage cans, and one volunteer found a scared little kitten that she brought to the humane society. At the end of the day, volunteers collected enough trash to fill a dump truck that the City provided. The first annual Salvador Creek Cleanup event was a success and we are already planning next year’s event. Many thanks to the volunteers, the City of Napa, and Napa County Public Works for helping with the clean-up event.
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