Saved from devastating Santa Cruz fire, young salmon must now survive the ocean
FacebookTwitterEmail
1of7
Mark Galloway of Kingfisher Flat Hatchery stands in a covered tank surrounded by trees charred by the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire as he works to wrangle thousands of young Central California Coast coho salmon, called smolts, before they are released into Big Creek near Davenport in Santa Cruz County.Jessica Christian / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
2of7
Staff with Kingfisher Flat Hatchery and Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project work to release 6,000 young Central California Coast coho salmon, called smolts, before they are released into Big Creek near Davenport in Santa Cruz County.Jessica Christian / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Mom leans her head back against the wheelchair’s headrest to gaze up toward the tops of the redwoods. These forests are a kind of sanctuary for her, having lived amid such massive trees for more than 20 years. It’s an October afternoon in Samuel P. Taylor Park just north of San Francisco, and as I push her down the roughly paved path winding alongside Lagunitas Creek, home to spawning salmon, trees tower on either side. Ferns cover the shadowed ground, interrupted by lower sweeps of redwood sorrel that blanket the earth with their small, heart-shaped leaves. When sunlight touches the sorrel, the leaves fold downward to protect themselves, then right themselves once direct sunlight has passed. Amazingly adaptive, this species. Able to change when changing is required.
Jump to navigation
By 12/16/2020
Winter technically begins with the solstice, the shortest day of the year, on Monday, Dec. 21. It is the season of extreme tides, with 6-plus-foot tides rolling in over the New Year’s week with corresponding low tides late in the afternoons. The solstice also brings an amazing sky: the conjunction of two planets, Jupiter and Saturn, that will appear as a single brilliant star at around 7 p.m. in the western sky. The Ursid meteor shower will peak on the same evening; if you are up after midnight, look for the meteors near Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper.
Jump to navigation
By 12/09/2020
The level of sodium in Point Reyes Station’s drinking water is trending down, but the North Marin Water District is wary that unprecedented salinity intrusion could continue through the winter if rainfall is sparse. To mitigate the problem, the district is building a new well away from Tomales Bay and exploring how to provide drinking water for customers with health risks. The district tests the water weekly for sodium and chlorine, with the goal of understanding how salty the water is. Chlorine measurements helps indicate the scope of the intrusion, while sodium levels affect the taste and create a health risk for certain diets. The Nov. 17 test was good news: Samples showed 31.9 milligrams of sodium per liter, below the 50-milligram reporting threshold and far lower than the 400-milligram levels seen in August. But the past two weeks, the test showed 219 and 224 milligrams, reflecting the vagaries of a once-a-week test. “We are tr