The GBF Conservation Committee has invited Mark Rockwell, Conservation VP for the Northern California Council, Federation of Fly Fishers ( NCCFFF), to speak at our April General Meeting on Thursday, 4/14. Mark is a member of the Gold Country Fly Fishers, Nevada City, and also is a licensed fishing guide who guides on the Fall River.

Mark will discuss the work of the NCCFFF Conservation Network in the areas of water resource management and fisheries protection. The NCCFFF Conservation Network, composed of fly fishing clubs in Northern California and Northern Nevada with a combined membership of over 2,000, has been working in cooperation with other environmental and water shed protection groups in many areas of interest to GBF members. Under Mark’s leadership, NCCFFF has been involved in fighting for protection of wild steelhead and coho salmon, taking legal action to prevent re-occurring spring run salmon kills on Butte Creek, working jointly with CalTrout on a campaign to force the Union Pacific Railroad to prevent further derailments on the Upper Sacramento River, participating as a stakeholder group in the Pit River and Klamath FERC hydropower relicensing process, working with the Sacramento Water Forum to support a new flow standard for the Lower American River and working with member clubs and DFG on the New Zealand Mud Snail contamination problem.

Mark will also provide his perspective on current plans by the Bureau of Reclamation to renew long term water supply contracts for Central Valley Improvement Project (CVIP) contractors. This is a large and complex issue that in the opinion of NCCFFF and other conservation and tax payer organizations, has the potential for severe consequences. The unrealistic promises represented by these long term contracts will lead to environmental impacts on Northern California Rivers and the Bay Delta and lead to increased tax payer subsidization of water costs. For more information on this issue, see the Planning and Conservation League web site, www.pcl.org , click on “A Water Management Strategy for California” Another resource for California Water Issues  is the non-partisan budget watchdog organization, Tax Payers for Common Sense, www.taxpayer.net. 

Mike Laing

VP, Conservation Committee