If you’ve been lucky enough to spend time on the Trinity River lately, you will notice a plethora of brassy-green colored dragon flies hovering above the river fervently darting to and fro. The species you are most likely viewing is the common green darner Anax junius. Common is in its name, and that is certainly the case, for this species of dragonfly is the most common and abundant throughout North America. The remainder of its common name, Darner, is given due to its resemblance to a darning needle a blunt-tipped larger needle used for repairing holes or tears in coarse knitted cloth.
Dragonflies need water to reproduce. In the summer or early fall, common green darners seek riparian areas with slow water so they can mate and lay eggs in water-bound plant material. The female and male mate in an expertly posed “mating wheel” position – where the two are connected at their reproductive centers, the head of the female with the base of the male’s abdomen. The female’s abdomen is wrapped under the male so they can fly through the air, sometimes for several minutes. The female then unwraps her abdomen and lays eggs into the water while still attached to the male.
A female common green darner (left) in tandem position with male (right) deposits eggs. Ken Slade, Source: nps.org
Eggs hatch into macroinvertebrates (tiny aquatic larvae) after about a week incubation period and then go through upwards of a dozen nymphic molts eating aquatic insects, small fish and even tadpoles as they grow. At the end of the transformational nymph stage, Anax junius, emerges from the water to undergo metamorphosis into a dragonfly from a crack in the exoskeleton.
Common green darner aquatic nymph. Douglas Mills. Originally posted by the National Park Service.
Once the wings are developed enough to fly the darner becomes a ravenous forager eating mosquitos, midges, flies, wasps, moths and other flying insects. This dragonfly species has two different population types, resident and migratory. Residents remain in the general area from which they emerge. For residents in the north, the adults mate and lay eggs in late July to August. The resulting offspring hatch and develop to immature dragonflies and then overwinter when temperatures drop.
Adults that migrate tend to arrive in the northern regions in the spring before any of the residents emerge. Migratory adults mate and lay eggs in June. The migratory dragonfly’s development stage is less than that of the resident variety (3-5 months versus the 11 months of the resident) and they do not overwinter as residents do.
Common green darner’s in September on the Trinity River. James Lee, Trinity River Restoration Program
Current conversations, media and our own experiences point to fire seasons that are far from ordinary. However, from dendrochronology (the study of tree rings) and other data sources, analysis find that prior to Euro-colonization, multiple millions of acres burned in on average in California. California’s ‘worst’ year in recent history saw about 4.5 million acres burned… which when comparing to historic averages would be within the ‘normal’ range (prior to Euro-colonization). In fact, tree ring scars show that many areas burned as frequently as every 5-10 years! Within the past century, our society along with forest managers have promoted and practiced a prohibition on abundant low-intensity fire, allowing unburned materials to build up in forests and woodlands that along with population increase has set the stage for the complicated relationship now experienced with wildfire.
Smokey evening on Weaver Bally, August, 2018. Numerous trees in the photo were killed by the Helena Fire in 2017. Photo by E. Peterson.
Most of us who have lived any length of time in the rural west are stressed about wildfire through the summer and well into the fall. We endure smoke, dramatic headlines, helicopters flying over, evacuations, and too many of us witness damage to places we hold dear, including our own properties. Forests that have not yet been touched by fire are heavily loaded with dead wood, leaves, and duff ready to become an inferno at any moment. Where fires have burned there is often a heavy load of grasses, frequently mixed with the woody remnants of trees from the last fire. Everywhere we go, organizations involved with fire share dramatic photos of conflagrations consuming tall trees. And then we see flashfloods over fresh burns like with the McKinney Fire dumping sediments into rivers so thickly that it kills fish. It seems we are smothered in news of devastation from wildfire!
But let’s step back for a little perspective. Wildfire is nothing new to the west. Even before the first people set foot on these lands, our forests burned frequently from lightning strikes. These forests evolved with wildfires. As tribes developed, their people lived with wildfires, found prosperity from them, and learned to manage the land by intentionally setting fires.
20th century fire suppression has led to a build-up of dense forests, dead wood, leaves, and duff that fuel wildfires to be more destructive. Yet even with that build up, wildfires are often not all bad. Did you know that 66% of the 224,688 acre 2021 Monument Fire burned at low-intensity or lighter? Yes, the 34% of moderate- to high-intensity burn is visually striking as we drive highway 299, but that 66% of low-intensity improved the health and the resiliency of the forest. This mix of severities is typical for fires in our region. Even before fire suppression led to fuel loading, some amount of high-intensity burn was natural.
Photo: Debris flow piled against a bridge on Little Humbug Creek, a tributary to the Klamath River, during the 2022 McKinney Fire. Photo by E. Peterson.
This maintained relatively open forests and woodlands, and kept mountain meadows functioning as wetlands to feed headwater streams. Natural wildfires tend to become more intense as they go upslope. Look to the Trinity Alps where most mountain tops remain open and rocky. Many peaks have sufficient soil among the rocks to support trees, and some scattered trees growing near the top of Thompson Peak demonstrate that the Trinities have no true elevational tree line. But trees do grow slowly on those peaks and high intensity fires have historically happened often enough to keep those peaks mostly bare.
Carl Skinner presents 2023 Healthy Fire, Healthy Fish: Lessons From Fire History
From dendrochronology (the study of tree rings) and other data sources, most analysis suggest that prior to Euro-colonization, multiple millions of acres burned in on average in California. Our ‘worst’ year in recent history saw about 4.5 million acres burned… which would be within the ‘normal’ range prior to Euro-colonization. Tree ring scars show that many areas burned as frequently as every 5-10 years! But we stopped that abundant low-intensity fire, allowing unburned materials to build up in forests and woodlands, setting the stage for the conflagrations we now see.
Frequent low intensity fires keep those fuels cleared out forests and woodlands. It also helped keep them from getting too dense, promoting the growth of large older deep-rooted trees while minimizing the number of young upstarts that dry out the surface soils. By keeping pines and firs out of oak woodlands, these fires promoted habitat for deer and other wildlife. For these reasons, tribes managed the lands in California with fire.
Smoke has a surprising value too! Although unpleasant to our lungs, smoke cuts the intensity of sunlight hitting the ground. Not only does it cool air temperatures during summer afternoons, it also cools the water in our streams and rivers. Local research in the Klamath/Trinity River system found that smoke can cool our rivers by 2.4°C (4.3°F). That difference can be critical for Spring-Run Chinook hanging out in deep pools in the middle of summer! There is a lot of data to suggest that these rivers once had more Spring-Run Chinook than Fall-Run. It would be interesting to know how much the millions of acres burning each year contributed to the abundance of Springers back then!
Photo: Smoke on the Trinity River near Junction City, August 2021. Photo by E. Peterson.
So one of the big questions of our time is… how do we get back to healthy systems that function well (and safely) with fire?
References and Further Reading
Asarian, E. 2024. Water temperatures in the Klamath-Trinity Basin: flow, other key drivers, and climate change implications. Presentation on 2024-05-01, Science Symposium of the Trinity River Restoration Program. Riverbend Sciences, Arcata, California. Available: https://www.trrp.net/library/document?id=2647.
Scott L. Stephens, Robert E. Martin, Nicholas E. Clinton, Prehistoric fire area and emissions from California’s forests, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands. Forest Ecology and Management. Volume 251, Issue 3. 2007. Science Direct.com
Gruell, George E. Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests: A Photographic Interpretation of Ecological Change Since 1849. Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2001
Common names: Grey pine (most common), ghost pine, foothill pine, Sabine pine, bull pine or grey leaf pine.
Adapted to the long, hot, dry summers of our Mediterranean climate, the grey pine is endemic to California and prolificates within the ring of foothills that surround California’s Central Valley. It fairs well in rocky well-drained soils yet also grows in heavy, poorly drained clay soils. The species commonly occurs with Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) which creates a unique partnership that is described as “Oak/Foothill Pine vegetation” and is indicative of the grey pine which provides a sparse overstory above the canopy of an oak woodland. The partnership in itself is the preferred habitat to black-tailed deer, California quail, as well as mourning dove and describes a characteristic within the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, of which Trinity County is part [1].
Photo published on The Gymnosperm Database. A tree at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, California [C.J. Earle, 2004.04.13].
The grey pine is easily identifiable with pale grey-green needles that are sparse and a bit droopy. When looking from afar a grey pine is easily spotted by his smoky, wistful coloration. The structure of P. sabiniana tends to be a bit scrappy with its center trunk splitting sometimes several times, often bending every which way, versus holding a typical stature. Also easily identifiable are the seed cones which are among the largest produced by any pine species, when fresh weighing on average between 1-1.5 pounds. One particular source noted that, “The large, heavy cones resemble footballs covered with wooden spikes. It is best to avoid the pine groves on windy days.” [2] The cones tend to be full of sticky sap and are also home to a plethora of nutritious seeds enjoyed by many animal species, such as Steller’s jay, the scrub jay, grey squirrels and humans. The seeds have an impressive percentage of calories in the form of protein, fat and carbohydrates and provide several essential minerals to those who forage it [3].
This species is the principal host for the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium occidentale a perennial parasitic herb that is native to California [2]. Dwarf mistletoe is considered a disease that the tree can succumb to typically causing reduced tree vigor or death. If you have grey pines near your structures and the parasite is left uncontrolled, infection can increase sixty-fold within a window of 10 years [3].
John Muir, describes this tree in the first chapter of My First Summer in the Sierra: “June 4. … This day has been as hot and dusty as the first, leading over gently sloping brown hills, with mostly the same vegetation, excepting the strange-looking Sabine pine (Pinus sabiniana), which here forms small groves or is scattered among the blue oaks. The trunk divides at a height of fifteen or twenty feet into two or more stems, outleaning or nearly upright, with many straggling branches and long gray needles, casting but little shade. In general appearance this tree looks more like a palm than a pine. The cones are about six or seven inches long, about five in diameter, very heavy, and last long after they fall, so that the ground beneath the trees is covered with them. They make fine resiny, light-giving camp-fires, next to ears of Indian corn the most beautiful fuel I’ve ever seen.”[2]
Photo published on The Gymnosperm Database. Small stand in the southern Santa Lucia Range, California [C.J. Earle, 2007.03.01].
The ethnobotanical uses of the grey pine are impressive with uses ranging from cultural to functional to nutritional. Although there are documented uses for all parts of the tree from sap to needle, primarily the seed gets the most attention. Seeds are noted to be gathered fresh, as well as roasted, boiled or pounded for porridge [5]. The hull of the seed is also used as a bead to decorate traditional dresses used for ceremony. Follow this link to read the lengthy, impressive list of all documented uses.
Photo published on The Gymnosperm Database. Ripe cone in situ; Bodfish area, California [C.J. Earle, 2014.01.17].
Aerial image of the project pre-rehabilitation. [Elliot Sarnacki]
The Upper Conner Creek Rehabilitation Project is set to mobilize Phase 1 construction early next week. The site is located approximately one river mile downstream from the Dutch Creek Bridge in Junction City. After mobilization, phase 1 rehab will focus primarily on the upstream portion of the area and consists of lowering the riparian floodplain, adding riffle enhancements, placing large wood to slow water and create habitat and planting of riparian vegetation. Crews began mobilizing equipment and staging areas Monday.
The largest feature of this portion is the R1 floodplain. This 5.7 acre broadly lowered surface and pilot channel on river left targets inundation at levels from 500 to 3,500 cfs. Given that this reach of the Trinity’s average winter flow is 771 cfs, this feature should remain wetted for much of the fall winter and spring, providing low velocity salmonid refugia and opportunity for riparian recruitment.
A detailed design of the Phase 1 rehabilitation at Upper Conner Creek provided by the Hoopa Valley Tribe and McBain and Associates.
Supporting this floodplain/pilot channel feature, phase 1 will also see the construction of a riffle (IC-1 ) and the structured log jam (SLJ-1). The riffle (IC-1) is a 160ft long riffle that will raise the water surface elevation to encourage flows onto the new floodplain feature and has the added benefit of providing habitat for benthic macroinvertebrates, which are an important food source for salmonids. In between the main stem Trinity and the new pilot channel is a placed log jam (SLJ-1) which primary purpose is to provide temporary protection to the pilot channel, until riparian vegetation has an opportunity to establish. It is expected that this feature will eventually succumb to the forces of the river, but will provide low velocity salmonid refugia along the channel margins until then. Once revegetation commences this fall, the construction area will receive a compliment of cottonwoods, mixed willows, and a variety of sedges and rushes. The revegetation effort improves the aquatic habitat, helps prevent less desirable plants from taking hold, and generally speeds the healing of the river.
Revegetation design map of the Phase 1 construction area provided by the Hoopa Valley Tribe and McBain and Associates.
Junction City residents should expect to see increased traffic and activity along Red Hill Rd in the vicinity of the Smith Pit. Hours of operation on site are from 7am to 7pm, Monday thru Friday (with an allowance for Saturday if deemed necessary). Civil construction and revegetation of phase 1 should be completed by years end.
If you’d like to read more about the Upper Conner Creek Rehabilitation Project, please click here.
Large wood placement at Indian Creek a tributary to the Trinity River. [Kiana Abel, TRRP]
The Program has completed the final environmental assessment for the Sediment and Wood Augmentation Along the Trinity River Restoration Reach. It can be located by following this link: U.S. bureau of Reclamation Trinity River… 2024. – at the TRRP DataPort. The project is needed to enhance existing salmonid habitat and provide spawning and rearing habitat in the Trinity River below Lewiston Dam. This will be done by adding suitable-sized sediment and wood through manual augmentation.
Sediment management at the SVEN Olbretson rehabilitation site in the winter of 2024.
The project allows for wood and sediment placement to occur at four new augmentation sites (Dark Gulch, Trinity House Gulch, Steel Bridge, and Vitzthum Gulch) along with the five existing sites (Trinity River Hatchery, Weir Hole/Sven Olbertson, Cableway, Sawmill, and Lowden Ranch). Augmentation below the ordinary high-water mark but above the wetted channel may take place all year. High flow sediment augmentation (also known as injection) will generally take place between April and May when and where it is safe to do so without disrupting juvenile coho salmon. Sediment and wood may be placed directly into the river during the in-channel work period of July 15 to September 15 (or later in coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and with best management practices (BMPs) in place).
Each year, at each site, we are allowed to augment up to 8,000 cubic yards of sediment varying in diameter from 0.04 inches to 14 inches. We may also augment up to 700 pieces of wood varying in size from slash to whole trees at a single site per year. Generally, we will augment about 500 to 2,000 cubic yards of 0.375 inch to 5 inch in diameter sediment at a single site per year. The Physical Work Group creates an Augmentation Plan every year, recommending sites for augmentation and quantities of sediment and wood. It is unlikely the Program will augment at more than a few sites per year.
John Hayes, Ph.D., Freshwater Fisheries Scientist – Cawthron Institute, New Zealand
John Hayes is a freshwater fisheries scientist from Nelson, New Zealand, recently retired from the Cawthron Institute, where he retains an emeritus position. John has special expertise in recreational trout and salmon fisheries, instream habitat modelling and salmonid foraging and bioenergetics modelling. He has led and supervised research and consulting projects on freshwater fisheries, habitat assessment, limiting factors, environmental flow regimes and effects of hydro-power and irrigation schemes.
Over the last two decades of his career John led a series of research projects with New Zealand and USA scientists developing process-based models integrating river hydraulics, invertebrate drift transport and the bioenergetics of drift feeding to predict effects of flow, water temperature and clarity on stream salmonid growth and carrying capacity. Much of his research has been aimed at understanding how rivers work in relation to sustaining fish populations and fisheries to inform environmental effects assessment. He has undertaken fisheries related environmental consulting widely in New Zealand and contributed to a project in Oregon. His salmonid bioenergetics models have been applied in New Zealand, Australia, and the USA – including the North Umpqua and Colorado rivers, and Columbia River tributaries.
John’s interests in fish ecology arose from a life-long passion for fishing. Over his career he has enjoyed communicating freshwater ecology and fisheries science in popular press. He has been a regular writer for Fish & Game New Zealand magazine, also published in Flylife Magazine (Australia), and co-authored the book ‘The Artful Science of Trout Fishing’.
2024 Science Symposium Presentation
Day two of the Trinity River Restoration Program Science Symposium covered Habitat, Flow and Temperature. Listen in as John Hayes, Ph.D., Freshwater Fisheries Scientist – Cawthron Institute, New Zealand presents, “How flow affects aquatic invertebrate habitat and drift, and salmonid net energy intake and instantaneous carrying capacity.”
Eli Asarian, Aquatic Ecologist/Hydrologist, Riverbend Sciences
Eli Asarian is an aquatic ecologist/hydrologist and founder of the Eureka-based consulting firm Riverbend Sciences. He has worked in California and Oregon watersheds for over 20 years. He specializes in statistical analysis of large, complex datasets and has authored or co-authored over 25 technical analyses on flow, water temperature, water quality, and algae.
Since 2015, he has completed seven water temperature studies in the Klamath-Trinity river basin, including “Wildfire smoke cools summer river and stream water temperatures” and the TRRP-funded “Synthesizing 87 years of scientific inquiry into Trinity River water temperatures.” He has assisted with development and implementation of salmon and steelhead recovery plans throughout California, and serves as president of the Salmonid Restoration Federation. Additional info HERE.
2024 Science Symposium Presentation
Day two of the Trinity River Restoration Program Science Symposium covered Habitat, Flow and Temperature. Listen in as Eli Asarian, Aquatic Ecologist/Hydrologist, Riverbend Sciences presents, “Water temperatures in the Klamath-Trinity Basin: flow, other key drivers, and climate change implications.”
Seth Naman, Fisheries Biologist, NOAA Fisheries – National Marine Fisheries Service
Seth earned a Bachelor of Science from Oregon State University and a Masters of Science in Fisheries Biology from Humboldt State University. After positions with Idaho Fish and Game, the National Park Service, and the Yurok Tribe, he began working for the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2008. Seth participates in several of the TRRP’s work groups, the Trinity River Hatchery Technical team, and he’s an alternate on the TMC. He is a longtime resident of Humboldt County and enjoys fishing, hunting, kayaking, and rafting.
2024 Science Symposium Presentation
Day 2 of the Trinity River Restoration Program Science Symposium covered Habitat, Flow and Temperature. Listen in as Seth Naman, Fisheries Biologist, NOAA Fisheries – National Marine Fisheries Service presents, “A method to implement natural flow regimes for regulated rivers.”
Derek Rupert, Fish Biologist – Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office
Derek Rupert is a fish biologist with the Bureau of Reclamation – Northern California Area Office, a position he has held since 2017. He previously worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Trinity River salmon population monitoring program and with the National Park Service in Yellowstone performing cutthroat trout restoration. He has Master of Science degree in biology from Western Kentucky University and a Bachelor of Science degree in fisheries biology from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.
2024 Science Symposium Presentation
Day 2 of the Trinity River Restoration Program Science Symposium covered Habitat, Flow and Temperature. Listen in as Derek Rupert, Fish Biologist for the Bureau of Reclamation, Northern California Area Office presents, “Seasonally Oscillating Hydrographs.“
Don Ashton, Senior Aquatic Herpetologist/Ecologist – McBain Associates/Applied River Sciences
Don Ashton is a professional herpetologist and aquatic ecologist. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biodiversity and Master of Arts in Biology from Humboldt State University. For three decades, his research in the government and private sectors has focused on river restoration to support ecosystem function and inform land use and resource management decisions with a focus on Northwestern Pond Turtle and Foothill Yellow-legged Frog conservation.
2024 Science Symposium Presentation
Frogs and Turtles informing flow management and river restoration.
Day 2 of the Trinity River Restoration Program Science Symposium covered Habitat, Flow and Temperature. Listen in as Don Ashton, Senior Aquatic Herpetologist/Ecologist – McBain Associates/Applied River Sciences presents , “Frogs and Turtles informing flow management and river restoration.“
