Natural Resource Concerns

Water Quality 

• Water temperature exceeds state standards in a number of stream reaches
• Sediment from human activities (roads, irrigation, under-sized culverts, off-road vehicles) has degraded aquatic habitat

• Bacteria source reduction, management and control

Stream flow and hydrology

• Inadequate summer/fall flows in several tributaries
• Loss of floodplains
• Altered upland hydrologic regime

Fish populations and habitat

• Native fish populations have declined compared to historic conditions, prompting ESA listings
• Aquatic habitat (pool area, pool frequency, and gravel availability) is below desirable levels, and large, woody debris channel complexity is reduced compared to historic conditions.
• Fish migration barriers (culverts, dams, diversions) and inadequate fish screens negatively impact fish populations

Riparian conditions

• Inadequate healthy riparian vegetation to protect waterways and moderate solar radiation
• Inadequate large, woody debris recruitment potential to sustain aquatic life
• Reduced habitat and increased flood damage from streams that have been channelized and cut off from historic flood plains

Upland conditions and Other Natural Resource Concerns

• Invasive species including juniper out-competing native and cultivated plants
• Percentage of forest canopy and rangeland cover is low compared to historical levels exacerbating flooding and impacting streams, groundwater recharge, wildlife, and other resources
• Diseased, overstocked forests as a result of suppression of natural wildfire regimes and/or lack of forest management
• Soil erosion and other pollution
• Reduced quality of native and managed plant communities

Operational Resource Concerns

• Adequate staffing to meet natural resource concerns and office functions while not limiting productivity
• Data gaps – fish passage barriers, updated watershed assessment, acquire geo-data
• Incomplete Soil Survey

Fiscal Resource Concerns

• Conservation investments are not a priority for landowners with other, more pressing financial needs
• Some resource concerns (i.e. noxious weeds or upland habitat) have reduced funding due to fisheries-focused watershed restoration priorities
• Reliance on “soft” sources of state funding makes long-term budgeting and planning difficult and leaves the District vulnerable to state budget shortfalls