Californians are blessed with a dazzling array of freshwater species. I should know: I discovered much of this diversity while exploring the state’s mountains, rivers, lakes, valleys, bays and coastline.
When I was a child, I spent so much time in the water that my family joked that I must be considered half a frog.
I turned my passion for the natural world into a career: as a trained biologist, I spent decades working for the California Department of Water Resources. As a senior scientist, I have grown to better understand the many challenges facing our waterways and the species that call them home. Working to improve conditions for these species has been the privilege of my life.
At the same time, I have witnessed a surprising and heartbreaking decline in native freshwater species. In my 30 years of working in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, I have watched with dismay as an entire community of fish disappeared, resulting in the listing of six different fish (including chinook salmon winter) under state and federal endangered species laws. .
We now live in a world in which a few extreme events – a few heat waves or a major wildfire – could wipe out some of California’s native freshwater species from the face of the planet. And climate change, which is evolving more quickly than expected, is making it even more difficult to save these species.
Many conservationists, agency staffers and others have worked for decades to improve conditions for California’s native species. But our efforts were not enough. The window to save these species is closing faster than we would like to admit. Despite many worthy programs and well-intentioned efforts, California lacks a true statewide strategy for conserving native freshwater species in the face of climate change.
That inspired a new report from the Public Policy Institute of California, detailing what’s needed to meet the present moment. In the report, we explain why business as usual – or even better – is unlikely to avoid the worst impacts of climate change on our freshwater species.
California needs a new approach. We have to take risks.
Much of what we currently do to improve aquatic habitat is essential to helping species adapt to changing conditions. To succeed, we must also significantly diversify our actions with bold new approaches.
It’s time to build a stock portfolio to save those cash.
This approach should go well beyond simple habitat restoration. Focusing solely on habitat has failed to help California’s unique freshwater species, and threats are increasing with climate change. We must use existing and emerging technologies to support and supplement populations, reestablish connections to historic habitats, and even relocate species when necessary. And we must act to improve genetic diversity, an underappreciated but necessary ingredient to respond to climate change.
We must also have the courage to recognize that some species may disappear from their historic ranges, despite our best efforts. This is why there should be immediate investment in a historic conservation program including tissue archives, genetic libraries and seed banks of native species to facilitate future reintroductions.
Finally, climate-smart conservation planning must be integrated with the many ongoing efforts to protect native freshwater species. Every action must not only help restore and protect biodiversity today, but also think about the future.
I have spent my entire life appreciating, studying, and trying to conserve California’s remarkable freshwater species. I have seen first-hand how quickly conditions are changing and how we are struggling to respond.
It will require bold new approaches to conservation and the courage to take risks to save this vital resource – not just for biologists like me, but for all Californians and for generations to come.
Ted Sommer is a member of the Public Policy Institute of California-CalTrout Ecosystem at the PPIC Water Policy Center. He was previously a senior scientist at the California Department of Water Resources. He wrote this column for CalMatters.
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