Environmental groups sue Trump administration for weakening Endangered Species Act [San Francisco Chronicle]
Several big-name environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday challenging the Trump administration’s recent rollback of the Endangered Species Act. The groups, which include the Sierra Club, the National Parks Conservation Association and five others, allege that the administration’s move is at odds with the 45-year-old conservation law and threatens the survival of untold numbers of plants and animals….California Attorney General Xavier Becerra also has threatened to sue over the Trump administration’s changes to the Endangered Species Act, though his office is yet to follow through.
Pacific fishermen report best king salmon season in years [Associated Press]
…She and other California fishermen are reporting one of the best salmon fishing seasons in years, thanks to heavy rain and snow that ended the state’s historic drought. It’s a sharp reversal for chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, an iconic species that helps sustain many Pacific Coast fishing communities. Commercial salmon catches have surpassed official preseason forecasts by about 50%, said Kandice Morgenstern, a marine scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife….This year’s adult salmon are the first class to benefit from record rainfall that filled California rivers and streams in early 2017, making it easier for juvenile chinook to migrate to the Pacific Ocean, where they grow into full-size fish.
https://www.apnews.com/c643b3ae28dc49e28e84f3b93e6f10d2
Local farmers on high alert as China boycotts U.S. agricultural goods [New Times San Luis Obispo]
It’s been more than a year since the Trump administration launched its first round of tariffs on Chinese imports to the U.S., making trade a hot topic for all Americans. But tariffs and trade are issues that weigh even more heavily on the minds of local farmers and ranchers, who fear that their businesses will eventually be leveraged during negotiations. “If you ask any farmer, trade is a big deal,” said Brent Burchett, executive director of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau.
Cannabis going on the ballot in California’s wine-growing Valley [Bloomberg Government]
The combination of climate, water and soil that makes Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon so popular may also be right for growing cannabis on a large scale, if voters allow commercial marijuana growing. Backers of an initiative to permit pot growing gathered sufficient signatures to place on the March 2020 ballot an initiative that would force the county to permit commercial growing….On the other side of the debate is the Napa County Farm Bureau, which opposes the ballot initiative.
https://about.bgov.com/news/cannabis-going-on-the-ballot-in-californias-wine-growing-valley/
Opinion: California’s wild horses are under attack. Will we protect them from slaughter? [Sacramento Bee]
Many Western states, including California, are debating how to manage America’s wild horse and burro populations. On one side, you have powerful livestock interests that have long sought to get wild horses and burros off of public lands….On the other side, are those of us who see these magnificent animals for what they are: cherished icons of the American West that have the right to be free and treated humanely. While much of the debate across the West involves the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), here in California, the threat of wild horse slaughter is coming from the U.S. Forest Service.
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article232967462.html
Opinion: With a little help from the Legislature, family forest landowners can help reduce wildfire [CALmatters]
…In California and Oregon, private and family landowners own more land at the highest risk of wildfire than the federal government….These family forest owners have a deep love for their forests and a strong sense of duty to responsibly steward the land—which is becoming increasingly difficult as the planet warms….But the new reality is clear: families cannot take the action required to reduce wildfire risk without assistance….Forest landowners would be open to selling timber to offset the costs of forest management, but market forces make that difficult today.
