California Trout
Encyclopedia
California Trout is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) conservation group dedicated to “protecting and restoring wild trout
and steelhead waters throughout California
”.
They are the only organization focused exclusively on protecting and restoring wild trout, salmon, steelhead and their waters throughout California.
They currently focus their efforts around three conservation initiatives:
Initially organized in the mid-1960s as a local unit of Trout Unlimited
, the founders formed CalTrout during Christmas
week of 1970 and filed papers of incorporation the following January. Among its founding officers and board members were a doctor, an insurance broker, a public relations executive, a tackle shop owner and a real estate agent.
Today the organization boasts over 7000 dues-paying members, five regional offices and a full-time presence in Sacramento
. Its headquarters is in San Francisco.
Organizational highlights include:
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
and steelhead waters throughout California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
”.
They are the only organization focused exclusively on protecting and restoring wild trout, salmon, steelhead and their waters throughout California.
They currently focus their efforts around three conservation initiatives:
- Restoring Steelhead & Salmon
- Saving Imperiled Native Trout
- Protecting California’s Blue Ribbon Waters
Initially organized in the mid-1960s as a local unit of Trout Unlimited
Trout Unlimited
Trout Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of freshwater streams, rivers, and associated upland habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species, and people. Often contracted as "TU," the organization began in 1959 in Michigan...
, the founders formed CalTrout during Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
week of 1970 and filed papers of incorporation the following January. Among its founding officers and board members were a doctor, an insurance broker, a public relations executive, a tackle shop owner and a real estate agent.
Today the organization boasts over 7000 dues-paying members, five regional offices and a full-time presence in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
. Its headquarters is in San Francisco.
Organizational highlights include:
- 1971: Was the first non-governmental organization (NGO) in the USA to successfully intervene in a federal re-licensing of a hydropower project (PG&E's Potter Valley Project on the Eel River).
- 1971: Proposed and won Fish and Game Commission approval of a statewide Wild Trout Program to balance natural systems against hatchery supported systems.
- 1972: Led the charge for the creation of the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (signed by Governor Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
). - 1977: Purchased and still maintains the only free public fishing access to Fall River (Shasta County), one of the nation's largest spring-fed rivers. Also sponsored first of two national Catch-and-Release symposia leading to the establishment of C&R as a modern angling ethic.
- 1979: Sponsored the Trout and Steelhead Conservation and Management Act. Signed by Governor Jerry BrownJerry BrownEdmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
, the law made wild trout management codified state policy. - 1989-90: Co-founded the Smith River Alliance, then lobbied and won congressional approval of the Smith River National Recreation Area (NRA)to protect and manage the entire watershed. Signed by President George H.W. Bush.
- 1990-91: Won two lawsuits to return water to four tributaries of Mono LakeMono LakeMono Lake is a large, shallow saline lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean...
. This water had been diverted to Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for decades, depleting several blue-ribbon trout fisheries and dropping water levels for Mono LakeMono LakeMono Lake is a large, shallow saline lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean...
. In legal circles these precedent-setting rulings are known as CalTrout I and CalTrout II, requiring adequate water for fish below dams. - 2001: Helped craft the Heritage Trout Program within the California Department of Fish and GameCalifornia Department of Fish and GameThe California Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of California, falling under its parent California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Game manages and protects the state's diverse fish, wildlife, plant resources, and native habitats...
. The program protects California's eleven native trout species.