Extinction is Forever!

Southern California steelhead once thrived in the watersheds of San Diego and southern Riverside counties. Until the 1950’s our local streams and rivers supported runs of tens of thousands of these magnificent fish each year. Today, we find the remaining Southern Steelhead stocks are on the verge of extinction. Alarmingly, the most recent surveys of the headwaters of our local watersheds have located only two small remaining populations. Only two! Incredibly, we find ourselves only two wildfires away, for example, from the total extinction, the genetics most likely lost forever, of our Southern California Steelhead. It is clearly imperative for us to take action, today.

In 2005, the United States National Marine Fisheries Service extended protection under the Endangetred Species Act to certain hatchery fish programs which “preserve the genetic legacy of the listed species and are managed as Refugia populations”.

In 2012, USNMFS created the Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan: “The goal of this Recovery Plan is to prevent the extinction of Southern California Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the wild and to ensure the long-term persistence of viable, self-sustaining, populations of steelhead across southern California”.

Also as an important part of their plan, the USNMF suggested Conservation Hatcheries as one potential recovery strategy.

Over the years, many hard working and dedicated national, federal and state agencies, NGOs and private citizens have been hard at work implementing this plan. Through their dedication and perserverance, many of the goals put forth have been or are near achievement. Lack of funding and resources however has forced them to focus on the larger, more time consuming and costly initiatives. Unfortunately the critical implementation of these natural conservation hatcheries/refugia have not been addressed, frustratingly not one has been created to date.

The Southern California Conservancy has been created as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation, in order to address and correct this reality as soon as possible.

Our plan is to purchase suitable properties, located within our local watersheds, in which to create refugia for our steelhead to reside within completely natural conservation hatcheries at each location. We have located three suitable sites, each currently available for purchase. All that is required now is to raise the funds for purchase and infrastucture required. The great news is that the first site required is available for only approximately $350,000. FYI the other two sites are in the same price range as well.

Another wonderful benefit of creating these refugia for our steelhead is that they will also be perfect habitats for other threatened watershed species as well. The last few years our work has also been focused upon our Southwestern Pond Turtle, California Red Legged Frog, and Arroyo Toad among others. All of these species will be right at home at our refugia as well. Thereby leveraging our resources of capital, labor and time to the benefit of multiple specis at the same location - we are champing at the bit to begin the work asap!

We need your help in order to begin. Participating in our endeavor financially, you can assist us in the purchase our first property. There may be meaningful tax benefits available to you via our IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Please contact us at your earliest convenience if you might like to learn more. We stand ready to provide you with all of the details, will happily answer any and all questions you might have to the best of our abilities.

Thank you for listening, and please feel free to forward this message to any of your friends that might be interested in learning more as well.

In gratitude and sincerely,

Marty Reed