Los Padres Stream Keepers - Stream and Fishery Restoration & Protection in the Los Padres National Forest & So. Calif.

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©Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

Woodland Creek Falls

1. Walk the lower portion of Seymour Creek Drainage between Lockwood & entry road.

2. Walk the section of Seymour between the Seymour Road crossing, downstream to private property boundaries and between McGill & crossing. Contact landowners, take photos & field notes, do population counts.

3. Walk San Guilllermo Creek from Pine Springs Campground past old Warner Ranch to Lockwood- check the springs at Pine Springs. 5/10/08- Report of low waterflow and small fish.

Chris McKibbin notes: Evaluating clay, boulders at Seymour crossing and testing rocks in streambed above crossing, below TXI. Chris will be dealing with Tom Kuekes about further blocking of vehicle access downstream of Lockwood crossing. Chris will discuss TXI ops and stream thru their facility with F & G environmental scientist and enforcement.

Misc.:
Several huge springs found below Overlook trail and the meadow at Chula Vista parking lot on Mt. Pinos @ Seymour headwaters. These springs are the lead source of water for Seymour Creek and feed the two canyons below them. Spring at end of JPF Road feeds small tributary to Seymour also. Web map link:

Tom Kuekes is dealing with re-engineering the new Seymour crossing east of Lockwood Valley Rd. to provide for fish passage.

Many small trout sighted at confluence of Lockwood & Seymour on several occasions, and upstream in lower Seymour. 1,200+ fish per mile were surveyed in Lockwood Creek in Nov. 2007 by Fish & Game, the second confirmation of that population in the last 5 years.

Seymour running well at its crossing of Seymour Sage Flat Rd.- about 1,000 gpm, but goes underground one mile below that. Will run stream survey in that location and review impact of diversions, ponds, alterations, etc., report to Fish & Game. Discuss installation of flow meter w/contact.

Kuekes indicated to Fish & Game that they will be closing the Cottonwood Campground access because of OHV abuses.

Do a volunteer overnight trip to Fishbowls Campground. Report 5/10/08 of several large fish at this location in previous months..

Review headwaters of West Frazier Creek below spring on south loop of summit road.

GET THE KIDS INVOLVED & DESIGN REG’S FOR THEM. KIDS ARE NOT FISHING ANYMORE! Sponsor local kids outdoor activities.

Review Cuddy Creek Project grant status and program w/volunteers. $1.2 million funded from TEA federal funds; construction contracts to be awarded 1/09.

Trout in the Classroom/ fish-rearing opportunity in Frazier Park park- discuss w/Kern Parks and Chris/Fish & Game.

Restoration of pools in stream and of lower pond in Frazier Park park. Discuss w/Kern Parks, who has advised previously that they were open to such projects, and to independent maintenance of the upper pond, reeds removal, springs, etc. Restoration of upper lake in same park. Main spring at current pond needs cleaning and deepening.

Trout from previous stockings reported as seen in pools over the winter at LOW Mobilehome Park. Verify permit for new crossing east of there.

Working with Los Padres ForestWatch & David Dominguez of the Coastal Chumash tribe re steelhead & restoration project possibility for the Santa Maria River, Twitchell Reservoir, Sisquoc and Cuyama Rivers. No current projects of any note on these rivers located. Historical records reflect prior steelhead travel in these rivers and related tributaries. http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/hcd/soCalHistoric.htm

Saltwater in 3 unusable wells at the Tiff Ranch, saltwater in permeable layer at old Cuddy ranch area.

F & G stocking rainbows regularly at the pond in the park in Frazier Park. In the Stocking Report, the location is called Cuddy Creek Pond.

Cuddy & Grapevine Canyons Watershed Observations
©Copyright May 1, 2008 Lloyd G. Wiens All Rights Reserved

The following are seasonal stats and my most current field snow and water observations thus far, substantiated by extensive time spent in our local watersheds over the last 30 days.

We received 137 inches of cumulative snowfall this season during 30 days of snow on Mt. Pinos, or an average of 4.57 inches per snow day, the most cumulative snow since the 2004-05 winter. Average snow elevation level was 4,725 ft. This compares to av. elevation levels of 4,100 ft. in 2006/07 with 79 inches of snow on 18 days and an av. 5,300 ft. in 2005/06, 112 inches on 31 days. In '04-'05, we had 180 inches of snow on 22 days, with several big storms. There is still some snow remaining in some of the darker canyons on Mt. Pinos. More detailed, seasonal and individual storm data is available at http://www.shopoutdoors.com/members/snowfall.html Let me know if you need a username and password to get into that page.

1. Stream runoff is pitiful this spring, especially considering the amount of snowfall we had. Many of our backcountry feeder tributaries, natural springs or ponds are either dried up or going underground halfway down the watershed. Those include the following, as well as numerous others:

The blueline creek and natural springs east of the Kern Fire Stn. in Frazier Park

The north fork of Dark Canyon Creek and West Frazier Creek are still running fairly well. Lockwood Creek has excellent flow, and we have observed a good number of small trout from this season's spawn. Grapevine Creek is running very well at Ft. Tejon and east of Grapevine. Tejon Ranch monitors the water table and water quality west of Tejon Lake, but data from those observations is not made available to the public; comparison to prior years is unavailable. Water is running well from irrigation piping sourcing water from the artesian well at that location; Cuddy Creek is dry east and west of I-5.

The natural spring feeding the trout pond in Frazier Park's park is running well, appearing to be at about normal flow.

This pond is already virtually dry, the earliest I have seen it dry up after a good snowfall year, and its shoreline is reflecting more salinity than in prior years. That does not bode well for the Cuddy Valley water table, which has obviously been seriously impacted by numerous new wells in both Cuddy and Vision Valleys, and the issues involving the Pinon Pines wells. Calculate 400+ gallons water usage per day as the initial drawdown impact to the confined water table there for each of the new homes in that reach.

This stream didn't run one day in Cuddy Valley or thru Lake of the Woods by Lockwood Valley Rd. this season, to my recollection. That has never occurred before in my 30 years here when we had the amount of snowfall we had this year.

4. Seismic effects:
We have had several 1 to 4 point earthquakes in our region over the last year and a half. As a result of that, its my opinion that, similar to the 1952 Tehachapi 7.5 White Wolf earthquake that buried many local streams here, there has been a reshifting of local water tables, changes in underground fissures in the confined water table area and underlying granite, and significant sedimentary/water channel changes in the upper or unconfined water table and alluvials. Interestingly, several of our streams seem to be burying themselves at almost identical elevation levels. Many previously-existant natural springs in our region have been covered up by seismic ground movement, based on direct observations.

Water tables are down 100 feet at the top of Cuddy Valley, 65 ft.+ by Flying J. Without a doubt drawdown at the bottom of the "bathtub" is causing drawdown at higher elevations on area peaks, including Frazier Mtn., Mt. Pinos and Tecuya Ridge. Locations that have previously had standing water or springwater activity in the higher backcountry in similar snowfall years now do not currently reflect such resources.

6. Slow, more extensive percolation, with extended freeze times occurred this spring and we had no quick-warmup or rainy days early in the spring which would have created earlier and more productive stream runoff.......... but less percolation into the water tables.

Warmer temps in general, as the result of global warming and regional warming to the west of us, have on occasion equaled higher snow elevation levels during storms and higher snowpack water content, resulting in quicker percolation into the water table or faster runoff in larger storms. I.E., wet snow disappears and melts quicker. Air pollution to the west and north of us is also impacting molecular bonding effects in the snowflake-creation process, resulting in more wet or corn-type snow = quicker percolation or runoff.

Points to ponder. If you have any observations, additions or corrections that you would like to report, please email them to me. Thanks. Lloyd Wiens

---- Original Message -----

From: Internet Outdoors Unl.

To: CMCKIBBIN@dfg.ca.gov

Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 11:51 AM

Subject: Santa Paula Creek

Los Padres StreamKeepersä
Projects, Field Notes & Info

Chris- I know you don't need anything else to do right now, but I wanted to report something I ran across yesterday. While traveling on Hwy 150 to Fillmore out of Ojai, just after passing south of Thomas Aquinas School, I noticed a very serious sewage smell coming from the Santa Paula Creek area. In looking at the aerial photo at http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=11&X=770&Y=9528&W=3&qs=%7cSanta+Paula%7cCA%7c , the smell may be coming from what may be a circular sewage facility for the school. Thought you should know.

Water was still running well in the canyon, and underneath Hwy. 126 to the south.

Thanks for your help. Lloyd Wiens

From:	Chris McKibbin <cmckibbin@dfg.ca.gov>
To:	"Internet Outdoors Unl." <shopoutd@qnet.com>
Subject:	Re: Santa Paula Creek

Lloyd,
I am familiar with the section of Santa Paula Creek you are referring
to. From past experience, walking this section of the creek, the smell
is almost overpowering. Santa Paula, Hopper, Sespe and Pole creeks,
tributaries to the Santa Clara all have naturally occurring sulfur
seeps, which feed a particular bacteria that make that rotting egg or
sewage type of smell. The bacteria are visible in several areas below
the school, as well as further up in the Santa Paula watershed. I have
made a visit to Thomas Aquinas in the past, and their pond does not
appear to be an issue. I had the same suspicion after my first trip
through that area. Maybe we are talking about separate issues?? The
white or yellow bacteria are visible, but the odor is VERY strong if you
were to get down into the creek.
-Chris

Santa Paula Cr.

SH-W

New fish ladder operating (4/00) over Santa Paula Water Works Diversion Dam (Harvey Dam - built 1923 (23 ft.), ~3.8 mi. (6.4 km) upstream from Santa Clara R.

Second barrier exists below Hwy 150 bridge downstream of Sisar Cr. (concrete step pools wiers)

Natural barrier (12-30ft) - series of waterfalls in Big Cone Camp area.

Parmenter & McEwan 1999
Edmondson 1999
Shott 1999
Titus et al. 2000
Harper 1988
Moore 1980b
Cardenas, pers. comm

First major tributary available above the Vern Freeman Diversion. Adult steelhead still occur but in low numbers. Water cool and turbid at mouth in 6/92, warmer in mid-section, and then good habitat (clear, cool) with abundant spawning areas above dam about 5 miles further.

Heavily fished in certain reaches on USFS lands. East Fork's habitat limiting factor is turbidity due to extensive mass wasting from unstable canyon walls.

Harvey Dam was first built prior to 1910 (~6 ft.), fish ladder built circa 1939 and effective until the 1969-70 floods created 25' barrier. About 10-11 mi. good habitat above dam.

1987,1988,
1992

Thanks again! Lloyd

Folloing info sent to Fish & Game
----- Forwarded message -----
    Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 06:53:02 -0700
   Subject: Re: Santa Paula Creek
      To: "Internet Outdoors Unl." <shopoutd@qnet.com>

The "Sewer smell" is from a natural deposit of sulfur. the name of the
mountain is "Sulfur Mountain". There are several natural sulfur springs
and lots of oil in the area. Did you notice the oil? How about the big
divot in the stream where the storms washed out part of the revetment
just below the bridge. That's a problem. There is a new waterfall that
is man made and obstructs the movement up stream for the Trout.
E. Arnold
Santa Paula native

Subject:

Preservation Proposed for Rivers in Eastern Sierra and Southern California

Thanks to the support of Friends of the River members, and the years of dogged work by a strong coalition of conservation groups, a bipartisan bill has been introduced by Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) into the Senate and House of Representatives. The "Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act" seeks to protect more than 52 miles of Wild & Scenic rivers and nearly 476,000 acres of Wilderness, including some of the most spectacular scenery in the West.

Please click the links below to read the entire press release that outlines the bill. We'll need your help in the near future as the bill progresses to make sure it gets the support it needs. But today is a day to celebrate another great step forward for California rivers and wilderness!

http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/PageServer?pagename=EasternSierrahome

http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/R?i=h_qpZGKrV4zxKmzme58t2Q..

----- Original Message -----

From: Internet Outdoors Unl.

To: CMCKIBBIN@dfg.ca.gov

Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 4:34 PM

Subject: Reyes Creek & Upper Cuyama River

Chris-

I have been receiving some information about possible trout-jeopardizing activities around Reyes Creek, area tributaries and their confluence with the Cuyama Rive and other fishery feedback, for some time now that I thought LPSK should pass on to you.

Reports that I have received in the last year have involved several issues:

-The presence of brown trout in upper Reyes Creek, including larger fish at the Upper Beartrap camps. Apparently some of those were stocked by Fish & Game around 20+ years ago. As you know, rainbows from the Fillmore hatchery are stocked regularly at Camp Schiedeck/Reyes Campground also.

- The existence of diversions and ponds on or adjacent to Reyes Creek just downstream from Camp Schiedeck.

-The influence of the sand and gravel operations at the confluence of these waterways on additional sedimentation in those streams, impacts to now-native trout ,and trout being existent in the ponds related to those operations. The latest unsubstantiated rumor that I heard this week was that the operator is charging people to fish in those ponds.

- Additional pond structures exist adjacent to Lockwood Valley Rd., on the south side of that road, just east of Hwy 33 and across the road from this sandpit operation. Are they utilized and are there trout in them?

- The existence of golden trout in the area has previously been documented. Is there a management plan for that species?

- Historical info, shown online at http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/hcd/soCalHistoric.htm documents that steelhead previously existed in the area, and probably spawned there in high water years prior to the construction of Twitchell reservoir. Without a doubt and frequently confirmed, Coastal Rainbows exist in precisely similar habitat in the region and probably at the present time in these waterways. See also http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/hcd/soCalDistrib.htm .

-Sandpit damage from an additional sand and gravel operation is impacting the Cuyama River watershed north of Ventucopa.

We believe that several actions should occur in this area:

- The historical spawning area is located in one of the few remaining natural wild regions in southwestern California. As such that area needs not only special protection and oversight, but also complete restoration of historical natural flows and habitat and the elimination of any possible non-permitted diversions in the region in all tributaries related to this bluelined watershed. Human influences need to be eradicated.

- A survey of the area's fishery, habitat and trout populations, conducted by all oversight agencies. Confirmation as to whether steelhead and Coastal Rainbows are present in these tributaries or the numerous feeders to them or not.

- If fish do exist in the sandpit, their source needs to be documented. If native, they need to be returned to their natural habitat. If they entered that facility unnaturally, their course or method of entry needs to be evaluated, eliminated and natural travel routes restored. Permits need to be reviewed.

- Any sedimentation or other impacts caused by the sandpit operations need to be terminated and monitored on a regular basis in the future. Clean Water Certifications need to be obtained or verified also for all applicable operations.

- The natural spawning routes of steelhead and other trout now obstructed by Twitchell Reservoir or any other diversions need to be restored and not interrupted for high-flow seasons. If necessary, fish ladders need to be constructed.

- Evaluate sandpit influences to the Cuyama River north of Ventucopa. Both this pit and the other one mentioned above have applied for major expansions of their operations. EIRs need to address native fishery and watershed issues, impacts to blueline streams.

Links for reviewing topo maps and aerial photos of the area:

Ventucopa area: http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=11&X=342&Y=4821&W=3&qs=%7cVentucopa%7cCA%7c

Cuyama/Reyes area: http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=11&X=360&Y=4800&W=3&qs=%7cVentucopa%7cCA%7c

Truck traffic issues and other sandpits proposed in the region are currently being dealt with by Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties or in conjunction with EIR processes for proposed projects. See the Los Padres ForestWatch website www.lpfw.org for more info on that. Those applications or projects need to accommodate and not harm the natural habitat of trout in the area and the watershed. Mitigations need to be included to assure that.

For other local observations on this, I would suggest calling David Dominguez of the Chumash Tribe. I will forward you his phone #. Thanks for the help again. If we can lend support with our volunteers on any of this, please let us know. Lloyd Wiens

Santa Paula Cr.	SH-W RT	Upper historic limit of spawning not mentioned, though 11 miles of habitat listed (Moore). Harvey Dam was built prior to 1910 (~6 ft.), fish ladder built circa 1939 and effective until the 1969-70 floods created 25' barrier. Historically a major spawning tributary for Santa Clara River steelhead. Juvenile steelhead and rainbow trout noted in a CDFG mid-1930's survey. Reach above Santa Paula Diversion was managed as a catchable rainbow trout fishery with stocking back to 1930. Steelhead juveniles were stocked intermittently from 1930-1943.	Evans 1951 Moore 1980b
Sisar (Canyon) Cr.	SH-W	No mention of natural run of steelhead using stream historically. Steelhead juveniles planted in 1938. Suitable spawning habitat and young-of-the-year steelhead noted in 1947 CDFG survey.	Titus et al.1994