Humans must look to fix a problem they single-handedly began
by Katherine Podoll
The Salmon population is devastatingly low in Northern California, and it is only getting worse. Over the past decades, a steady decline in these species has led to an in depth investigation of what, exactly, has caused this decline. Salmon are what is known as a keystone species for all other organisms living near or around a creek, meaning that they proved important resources for the surrounding species. Salmon, whose lifecycle brings them from a creek out to the ocean and back to the same creek to spawn and die, carry important nutrients inland which can be spread through the ecosystem by species such as insects and trees, known as vectors. Preston Brown is a biologist who works for SPAWN, an organization based in West Marin whose focus is on preserving and restoring salmon habitat through the restoration of the local Lagunitas Creek as well as reigning in the support of those along other endangered areas throughout Northern California. Brown said that one of the most intriguing things about salmon to him was how “they recycle huge amounts of marine fertilizer into the streams and the forest.” In fact, “some scientists a long time ago figured out that redwood trees that grow next to salmon creeks grew bigger and taller than trees that grew away from salmon creeks." Now what, people have been asking, is the most prominent reason for the Coho Salmon's decline, if they are such a critical species? This blame, like so many others, must be placed solely on ourselves, human beings.
With the increase of man-made infrastructure in recent years, people have looked to turn to anything available to get their resources from. In the mid to late 1900s, dams became a popular form of infrastructure to control water in given areas and also create energy from this water. However, this practice has revealed more problems than solutions. Brown explained how “developing this one resource, water, came at the expense of all the other resources: salmon and wildlife, and the processes in which these forests grow and floodplains are developed and nutrients are deposited, because dams interrupt a lot of natural processes.”
In addition to providing issues on its own, dams exacerbate all other problems in an ecosystem as well. The drought which has plagued California the past four years has, according to Brown, simply been the piece which pushed the salmon over the edge. He describes how over the tens of thousands of years of their existence, the Coho Salmon have experienced other serious droughts and environmental changes, but “because they’re in such low numbers, because they are usually bumping up against the needs of humans, they’re getting even less water in the drought.” The drought is the “nail in the coffin,” Brown says, grimly adding, “and the coffin was built by us.”
Therefore, as the primary cause of such catastrophic ecological problems, it is up to us to fix them, as well. Brown and SPAWN work around the clock in the Lagunitas Watershed to restore destroyed habitat along the creek in order to create a more inviting and safe place for returning salmon. In addition, people in watersheds around Northern California, the United States, and even the world, are working to reduce infrastructure near waterways. “The era of big dams is over,” remarks Brown. He explains how in some places, people are taking dams down due to their environmental harm and cost of upkeeping. In addition, bills are being created to protect these areas, and most simply need a stamp of approval before they are put into action. People are making a difference on a personal level, too, by spreading awareness about salmon issues and working to restore their local watershed. No matter what else is going on in our lives, no matter what other issues present themselves as urgent at a particular moment, it is always essential to remember: it is our fault salmon are in the endangered position they are today, and therefore it is our duty to do everything in our power to fix it.
To learn more about SPAWN or how you can help out, visit their website: https://seaturtles.org/programs/salmon/
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