Save the American River Association, Inc. (SARA)

When you shop at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op this month, your cashier will award a nickel to Save the American River Association when you fill your own containers with goodies from the Produce and Bulk departments! Thanks for helping to make EVERY day Earth Day!

Big Trucks for Baby Fish: A new project to enhance crucial habitat for native salmon and steelhead trout is scheduled to begin in late August at Ancil Hoffman Park, near Effie Yeaw Nature Center, in Carmichael. The Ancil Hoffman Habitat Restoration Project will recreate spawning and rearing areas by constructing new gravel beds in the river and carving a new alcove to protect juvenile fish. Project teams will add large woody material and plant riparian trees and bushes in the... alcove, creating places for young fish to feed, grow, and hide from predators. The project is expected to begin in late August and finish by late October, before anadromous Chinook salmon return in high numbers from the Pacific Ocean to the Lower American River. Crews may be on-site Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (noise starting at 7 a.m.) with in-river work occurring only on weekdays (and not on Labor Day).

Valuable advice on caring for trees in the heat from our friends at Sacramento Tree Foundation ... "We depend on trees to make our hot climate livable, provide shade and energy savings, clean our air, improve our health, and provide wildlife habitat. They’re too valuable to lose, and they take too long to replace."

The Eaglets at Lake Natoma fledged from the nest on June 17th. Being that they are now four months old and are taking off and landing pretty well, they are now called Juveniles. Because they are expending a lot more energy flying, they are forever hungry. Mama and Papa are still in the area and are bringing food back to the nest for the Juveniles. Soon they will learn how to hold a prey item (usually fish) on a branch and eat at the same time. Most of the time, the item fal...ls to the ground. Eventually, they will get the hang of it. So, sometime this month, the Juveniles will leave the area and not return. That will be the signal for Mama and Papa to also leave the area only to return in September or October to begin work on the nest in preparation for next year’s nesting season. Thank you to SARA Board Member Kathy Kayner for her amazing photos, for her tireless dedication and stewardship, and for documenting another successful nesting season!

Just a few weeks into fire season, park rangers say close to 60 fires have started in the parkway this year. That’s more than half the number of fires that started in the parkway all of last year, a season that already saw an alarming rise in the number of parkway fires. Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article252170733.html https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article252170733.html

Water tests have been conducted every Saturday at Tiscornia Beach at the mouth of the American River since July 2020 by three retired university professors. Once out of the rainy season, the tests have consistently found E.coli bacteria levels that exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for safe swimming. E.coli represents risk of disease because it comes from feces which can carry any number of diseases from infected people, including Shigella dysentery and... Salmonella, said Robert Metcalf, professor emeritus, Biological Sciences, Sacramento State University. EPA recommendations for swimming water set 320/100 milliliters (3.2 per one mlabout 1/5 teaspoon) as the maximum acceptable level of contamination. Our tests show that that level is regularly exceeded at Tiscornia Beach. Testing done by the state Regional Water Quality Board confirms our findings. Save the American River Association has been urging local officials to close Tiscornia Beach or at least post easily seen and read signs on the beach warning beach users, says Alan Wade, professor emeritus, Social Work, Sacramento State University. But those requests have been ignored. The sign that has been posted at Tiscornia warns people not to drink the river water. But the sign is faded and the print is small. The sign is easy to overlook when entering the area, Wade said, and it totally misses the mark of conveying accurate information. Learn more about SARA's actions and the testing taking place: https://www.sarariverwatch.org/e_coli_in_american_river https://fox40.com//high-levels-of-e-coli-found-at-tiscorn/ #americanriver #tiscorniabeach

An update from our friends at Sutter's Landing.

Emergency Declaration Underscores Region's Drought Concerns, Actions to Protect the Lower American River While the Sacramento region is in a strong position to meet the water supply needs of people, the Drought Emergency Proclamation released today underscores how dry conditions are looking increasingly dire for the environment of the Lower American River." The following statement was released today by Jessica Law, Executive Director of the Water Forum, and Jim Peifer, Execu...tive Director of the Regional Water Authority, in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Proclamation of a Drought State of Emergency, expanding the emergency to 41 counties, including those in the Sacramento region: https://www.waterforum.org/resources/lar-blog/ Photo by Jim Cunningham

In keeping with the spirit of Mother’s Day, these are pictures of Mama Bald Eagle in her nest near Lake Natoma on Sunday. She had just brought in a fish and fed her Eaglets when Turkey Vultures decided to fly too close to the nest. Here's her reaction (she threw her head back and screamed). Yesterday (5/9/21), 259 guests came by the nest tree between 8:45 am to 3:30 pm. Many Veterans came out as well as many mamas who had never seen a wild Bald Eagle before. SARA Board member... Kathy Kayner, who volunteers at the nest, shares "It was an absolute honor and privilege to be out there to talk about our beautiful national birds!!! This all could not be possible with the help and support of the Friends of Lakes Folsom and Natoma (FOLFAN) docents." Photos were taken by Kathy from the designated viewing area approximately 400’ west of the nest tree. Thank you to Kathy for inspiring all of us to grow in our knowledge of and respect for these fascinating and majestic birds who grace our American River Parkway community with their presence. See more

Who's in for Big Day of Giving? Visit https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/savetheamericanriver today to help us meet our goal of raising $7,500 in 24 hours. Your contributions help us: * Preserve, protect, interpret, and improve the natural, archaeological, historical, and recreational resources of the Parkway, its migratory and resident wildlife, and diverse natural vegetation. * Mitigate adverse effects of activities and facilities adjacent to the Parkway.... * Increase water flow and temperature controls in the Lower American where drought conditions have caused fish kills and the evacuation of newborn salmon and trout from the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. * Provide public safety, appropriate access, and facilities so that present and future generations can enjoy the amenities and resources of the Parkway. Together, we can keep our American River and Parkway resilient and thriving. Photo by Kathy Kayner #bigdog2021 #americanriverparkway

We hope you'll join us in giving back to the River and Parkway on Thursday, May 6, 2021 by making a donation to Save the American River Association during the Sacramento region's Big Day of Giving. Please help us reach our $7,500 goal! You can schedule a donation in advance or visit bigdayofgiving.org/savetheamericanriver on May 6th. Your donations will help us:... * Preserve, protect, interpret, and improve the natural, archaeological, historical, and recreational resources of the Parkway, its migratory and resident wildlife, and diverse natural vegetation. * Mitigate adverse effects of activities and facilities adjacent to the Parkway. * Increase water flow and temperature controls in the Lower American where drought conditions have caused fish kills and the evacuation of newborn salmon and trout from the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. * Provide public safety, appropriate access, and facilities so that present and future generations can enjoy the amenities and resources of the Parkway. Together, we can keep our American River and Parkway resilient and thriving. Photo by Jim Cunningham - William Pond at sunset #bigdog2021 #americanriverparkway

You are invited to a community event to help save 20 acres of public access and connectivity to the American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova. Join us on May 1st to walk the public easements along the American River Parkway. WHEN: May 1, 2021 at 9 a.m. WHERE: The corner of Stirling Park Dr. & Rod Beaudry Dr. in Rancho Cordova (nearest address: 2609 Topaz Hills Ct., Sacramento, CA 95827) RSVP: Send an e-mail to [email protected] if you intend to walk.

On Saturday, in celebration of Earth Day, SARA and Friends of Sutter's Landing teamed up with March for Science Sacramento and joined together with approximately 360 volunteers to clean up more than 10 miles of river levees and Morrison Creek. Thank you to March for Science and the City of Sacramento for helping put it together, to Sacramento Creeks Council for lending the supplies, and to Elk Grove Anti-Trash for help with training. Photos by Kathy Kayner

On Earth Day, and every day, we are grateful for the power of healthy rivers and the benefits that protecting and preserving our waterways have on our environment and communities. Thank you to our friends at River Partners for this great visual!

Interested in volunteering for some shifts at the bald eagles nest (at Lake Natoma) this spring? Can I ask any of you who are interested to please send me an em...ail? The role of our volunteer docents is to help educate the public and protect our resident bald eagles at Lake Natoma. We have no minimum number of volunteer hours or shifts required. Most shifts are on weekends. Some shifts will be on weekdays when/if we have school field trips to host. Please let me know if you can help - even if you have limited availability. Thanks! -Jim Cassio FOLFAN President [email protected] | (707) 975-5376

Thank you to Sacramento News and Review for this article highlighting concerns about development of the Kassis property along the American River. Save the American River Association has condemned TruMark’s proposal as an unimaginative attempt to profit off land that’s irreplaceable for future generations. The association is circulating a petition to the city of Rancho Cordova, requesting the lower basin be spared for good and that the upper plateau not be developed under TruMark’s current plans.

Thank you to the American River Bike Patrol for providing such an important service to our beautiful parkway. More than 70 bike patrollers work as trail ambassadors, providing trail directional advice, equipment assistance, safety insights and bike safety programs, assistance with events, first-aid and CPR services and serve as eyes and ears of the Park Rangers and other stakeholders. Learn more at: https://www.americanriverbikepatrol.org/

Thank you, Regional Parks Rangers!

Fascinating research on the network that connects trees not only to each other, but to all of a forest’s life. https://getpocket.com//never-underestimate-the-intelligenc

We need your voice for the trees in Rancho Cordova. The City of Rancho Cordova is administering an Urban Forest Master Plan and will hold two community meetings to generate public input and feedback. Both meetings are online. Sacramento Tree Foundation staff will facilitate the meeting, but City staff will be present to answer questions. Anyone can register at https://ranchocordovatrees.com/ The first meeting is this Thursday, Dec. 10th at 3 pm and the next meeting is Monday..., Dec. 14th at 7 pm. Please feel free to share this information and consider attending this meeting regarding the future of trees in Rancho Cordova. It may be a great opportunity to express your concerns about preserving the Urban Forest on the Kassis property. The Kassis property in Rancho Cordova is one of the last sizable areas of open space along the American River Parkway. The property has approximately 335 trees, the majority consisting of walnut and pecan trees that are part of an historic orchard critical to the Parkway's wildlife. The City of Rancho Cordova is poised to let Trumark, an out-of-town developer, wipe out this refuge for wildlife to build 24 million dollar homes with river views. The proposed project would remove ALL the trees (except a few directly on the river bank) of which 150 are protected trees subject to tree mitigation fees. How You Can Help 1) Attend one of the meetings. Ask questions and express concerns with destroying hundreds of trees on the Kassis Property lower basin floodplain. 2) Email Rancho Cordova city representatives and tell them Please don’t destroy the trees in the Kassis Property lower basin floodplain of the American River. Please include your personal reasons as well. 3) Share this message. Encourage others to sign the petition to preserve the Kassis Property lower basin floodplain of the American River. https://www.sarariverwatch.org/kassis_property_petition

Caltrans has a proposed project to replace the bridge deck over the American River. In order to keep 3 lanes of traffic open during the multi-year project, the bridge will need to be permanently widened. Caltrans has 3 build alternatives including one which would provide minimum increased width and would allow for new bike/ped access. The other alternatives would include further permanent widening and would ultimately allow for more vehicle traffic over time. Comments on the ...draft environmental document have been extended until Dec. 18th. The proposed project would close a section of the Parkway during construction with a detour via CalExpo. Mitigation could occur in the Parkway and Bushy Lake. Any project alternative that allows increased vehicle traffic will contribute to more VMT and GHG emission. A short video of the proposed project and details on how to comment can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSsAJIfJ-Bo

Join the Lower American River Conservancy Program Advisory Committee and Wildlife Conservation Board staff on Friday, December 11, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. for a second tour of the lower American River Parkway. The goals of this tour are to explore current conditions of the Parkway and introduce potential and current community investment sites. Members of the public are invited to participate. The tour will be held as a virtual meeting and presented using Microsoft Teams. For information on how to join the tour, visit: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx Photo by David Dawson

Don't miss Effie Yeaw Nature Center's Holiday Sale on Saturday, December 5th from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.! You'll find unique gifts, gifts that give back, and enjoy some holiday cheer. The Nature Center triples their normal inventory and invites local artisans for this annual event, so that you can browse a variety of books, kids toys and science kits, winter apparel, ceramics, garden art and more. Learn more: https://www.sacnaturecenter.net/events/holiday-sale/

Thank you to our friends at Sacramento Splash for this wonderful overview of the Chinook Salmon life cycle. November is a great time to take a walk along the Lower American River to observe salmon navigating their way upstream.