UC Davis experts: Watershed management

The following UC Davis faculty members are available to speak on topics related to the watershed management. If you need information on a topic not listed, please contact Sylvia Wright, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-7704, swright@ucdavis.edu, or Julia Ann Easley, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu.

Watershed management and fish

Peter Moyle, an authority on Pacific Coast native fishes, was one of a dozen scientists who authored the October 2003 National Research Council report on the Klamath Basin's endangered and threatened fish. Moyle, a UC Davis professor of wildlife, fish and conservation biology, calls for a broader watershed approach, saying, "The main solutions lie in the tributaries." Moyle has been studying the ecology and conservation of freshwater and estuarine fishes in California for 30 years. He has documented the declining status of many native species in California as well as the invasions of alien species. Moyle was on the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project science team (1994-1996), developing strategies for the conservation of fish, amphibians, and watersheds in the mountain range. He is currently a member of the Independent Science Board for the California Bay-Delta Authority Ecosystem Restoration Program, which advises state and federal agencies on restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed, one of the largest aquatic restoration projects ever attempted. Contact: Peter Moyle, Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, (530) 752-6355 , pbmoyle@ucdavis.edu.

River management and restoration

Jeffrey Mount, an authority on river management and restoration, also helped write the October 2003 National Research Council report on the Klamath Basin's endangered and threatened fish. Mount, a UC Davis professor of geology, says, "What matters to the survival of these fish is not just 'more water,' but where the water is, when it's there, what its quality is, and what the habitats are like. " Mount directs the Center for Integrated Watershed Science and Management and is the Roy J. Shlemon Chair in Applied Geosciences. Mount's focus has been on three areas: the Great Basin, the Sierra Nevada foothills and the Flinders Range in South Australia. He researches floodplains, floodplain restoration methods and development of ecosystem models for environmental monitoring. Contact; Jeffrey Mount, Geology, (530) 752-7092, mount@geology.ucdavis.edu.

Legal issues in watershed management

UC Davis law professor Holly Doremus, an environmental law expert, says science alone cannot determine how limited water resources should be allocated among competing demands. She says it is urgent that the lessons of the Klamath Basin be learned and applied elsewhere. "Other small basins
in the West, particularly those with little storage capacity, may be poised for very similar water crises. " Doremus says the Klamath conflict represents a clash of cultures requiring value choices. Calling the Endangered Species Act a "weak catalyst" toward sustainability, Doremus says the Klamath experience confirms the act's limited ability to change long-established water allocation patterns. While the legal tools to address the Klamath Basin's water woes exist, they are fragmented and scattered under the authority of a variety of federal and state agencies. Doremus calls for a comprehensive approach, combining large-scale ecosystem management efforts with local processes that tailor the concepts to specific areas. Contact: Holly Doremus, School of Law, (530) 752-2879, hddoremus@ucdavis.edu.

• Sylvia Wright, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-7704, swright@ucdavis.edu,
• Julia Ann Easley, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu

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