Fish we found were from this area, had been gasping for air the previous day, deceased, then floated down into the sawgrass. 99% of the willow tree shade was removed along the creek bed causing water to heat up in the summer sun and fish die off due to anoxia (oxygen deprivation).

Cattails and saw grass - which is aptly named - by the Highway 101 bridge. Dead fish floating down the creek got snagged here where we could finally take a few out of the creek for identification, and to prove that there had been live fish in the creek.

Algae on surface beginning to form upstream as now-unshaded creek heats up after all the trees shading the creek were cut. This was not there before - the creek water was clear and cool - but the algae had covered the entire creek and made the water murky within a month.

The "Mystery Fish sighted in Rohnert Park" was either a year old coho salmon or steelhead. I called them "Zebra Fish" because I had never seen anything like them in fresh water, and we did not dare take any out because of the Endangered Species Act. We reported the sightings to Fish and Game and the whole neighborhood guarded the fish waiting for someone to come, but they never came - until after all the fish were dead. We do not know if the steelhead/coho were deliberately killed as a matter of policy (wipe out all those pesky fish!) or bureaucrats were too busy to care. This looks just like the curious sprat who paused at my feet for a moment after I ran out of film.
RIP - We'll find out who killed you!

Ballona Creek Channel in Los Angeles from http://www.esm.ucsb.edu/research/2001Group_Projects/stormwater/Public/default.html.
The Channel Engineers Dream - Standard flood control practice in the past has been to force creeks into concrete channels whose precise water transfer rate can be calculated with a slide rule. For decades, Rohnert Park creeks have been clear cut, poisoned, and dredged every five years or so, and are expected to eventually look like this. Between 1996, when the Endangered Species Act was passed and applied to endangered steelhead and coho salmon that historically spawned and lived here, and 2003, the creeks were undisturbed and life returned.
Even in Los Angeles, simple computer models and more enlightened practices have demonstrated better methods for flood control, and these expensive concrete death zones are being replaced with more natural engineered channels. (Hint. Hint.)

Ludwigia growth east of Commerce Blvd bridge on August 3, after shade removal caused the creek temperature to rise. This invasive species now clogs the Laguna. You can see the underwater stems aggressively shooting upstream (to the right) and sending up new leaves. This patch had grown by 3-5 feet by mid-September, when it was examined by biologist James B. Morehead.

Composite of Pictures of Bear Park and the Doggy Play Park by Highway 101 in July 2003

Composites of pictures after the July 21 2003 clearcut by SCWA jail crews.

COUNTY TO DROP CHARGES AGAINST WATER AGENCY
STEVE HART Press Democrat September 16, 2004
Sonoma County prosecutors agreed Wednesday to drop criminal charges if the Sonoma County Water Agency ensures that future flood control projects don't harm wildlife habitat.
Under the agreement, the water agency also must repair damage caused last year to creeks in Rohnert Park and Petaluma.
Superior Court Commissioner Dennis Beaman approved the agreement.
The misdemeanor charges will be dismissed if the water agency meets the conditions within the next three years. If the agency doesn't fulfill the terms, prosecutors could pursue the case in court.
``Government agencies are required to follow environmental protection laws just like private citizens,'' District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua said.
Mike Thompson, chief deputy engineer for the water agency, said the restoration projects already are under way. He said the agency also is working closely with cities, schools and environmental groups to help plan stream projects.
``This is a direction we've been wanting to move in for a number of years,'' he said.
The district attorney filed misdemeanor charges against the water agency earlier this year after receiving complaints about damage to two creeks.
As part of a flood control project last September, agency crews removed extensive vegetation along a 900-foot section of Copeland Creek in Rohnert Park and a 700-foot section of Adobe Creek near Petaluma.
Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Holtzman said the stream work damaged natural habitat and violated the state's Water Code.
Holtzman confirmed that the water agency already had taken some steps to repair the damage.
The six-page agreement requires the water agency to plant native trees along Copeland Creek and restore vegetation on nearby farmland. The agency also must adopt watershed plans before any future work on either Copeland or Adobe creeks.
The water agency also must conduct environmental monitoring of creek projects and adopt a training program for employees who do stream maintenance.
In addition, the agency must help establish a watershed education program and work with high schools in Petaluma and Rohnert Park on stream restoration.
You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 568-5312 or shart@pressdemocrat.com.