WHEREAS, California salmon and steelhead are an indicator of a quality living experience in this state. They provide evidence of our water quality and watershed well-being. They provide a substantial benefit to local economies, which rely on tourism and outdoor recreation. Salmon and steelhead are a sign of our natural heritage, dating back millions of years; and

WHEREAS, Salmon and steelhead were once so numerous they turned the rivers into rainbows of color, one could almost cross streams upon their backs, and they turned quiet evenings into sounds of storms with their splashing as they came home to spawn. They are the exquisite joining of our seas and rivers. Witnessing their journey has captivated the spirits of many. Salmon and steelhead are one of our best national treasures; and

WHEREAS, Native Americans depended upon salmon and steelhead for sustenance and these fish became the foundation for tribal culture, ritual, communion, and trade. Respect for this natural gift was accompanied with tribal ceremonies, restrictions on take, and cultural conservation; and

WHEREAS, Salmon and steelhead are treasures we could lose. Due to multiple causes, including many overlays of human impacts, salmon and steelhead populations have plummeted, creating extinction and severe losses over much of the species’ historic range. The journey of an anadromous fish depends on sufficient stream flow, clean water, predator prey balance, riparian buffers for shade, and good inland conditions to rebound from warm oceans. We must strongly examine our choices and behaviors. Pollution, overfishing, degradation of riparian habitat, and interbreeding threaten the wild salmon and steelhead populations. Everyone’s actions have results, and perhaps no species is more affected by the cumulative impacts of man than the salmon and steelhead; and

WHEREAS, The diminished species has now precipitated grave concern and multiple agency involvement resulting in the listings of species as endangered or threatened. Since the first salmon hatchery in California shipped fertilized salmon eggs to the East Coast to bolster Atlantic salmon already in decline, we became aware of the threat to salmon and steelhead on the West Coast. In 1988, the Department of Fish and Game wrote the Salmon, Steelhead Trout, and Anadromous Fisheries Program Act. The National Marine Fisheries Service listed as threatened the Sacramento Winter-run Chinook Salmon in 1989. Many additional listings have been made since. These include listing Southern Steelhead as endangered in 1997 and Coastal Chinook as threatened in 1999. The Environmental Protection Agency, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Resources Agency, National Marine Fisheries Service, United States Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of Fish and Game, California Coastal Commission, State Water Resources Control Board, California Conservation Corps, individual counties, and others have been involved in the recovery of salmon and steelhead. These entities, along with some elected representatives, have responded to the early concerns raised by advocacy groups such as CalTrout, Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Association, Sierra Club, Planning and Conservation League, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the River, For the Sake of Salmon, California Sportsfish Alliance, Salmonid Restoration Foundation, State Coastal Conservancy, Native Fish Society, several salmon and steelhead recovery coalitions, local watershed alliances and watershed institutes, concerned landowners, and many others. Coalitions and alliances are forming with many stakeholders affecting the conditions of salmon and steelhead populations. We are all allies of clean water. We all have common ground for conservation. We all hold one piece of the success of healthy water, healthy salmon, and healthy communities. We all need to know where we live and take action in the form of restoration, reconciliation, and healing; and

WHEREAS, A just and sustainable society will not necessarily take from our future generations, nor arbitrarily drive to extinction, the national treasure of salmon and steelhead. We should honor and support all the work being done for nature and children, paying respect and attention to that part in each of our hearts and minds, which can hear the call to action to restore clean water and salmon and steelhead to our state. We will pay special tribute to the men and women promoting environmental service learning as they promote a greater sense of purpose and effectively carry on to the next generations the tradition of serving the land. Wild salmon and steelhead recovery is about much more than fish; it is about respect for the natural world that sustains us. If we fail to do what is necessary for salmon and steelhead, we will fail at something much larger than saving fish; we will fail at saving the very quality of life we all want for our children; now, therefore, be it