Featured Research

Partnership Between Winnemem Wintu Tribe and State and Federal Agencies Revitalizes Salmon Spawning Hopes in the McCloud River

The Winnemem Wintu tribe’s connection to the winter-run chinook salmon (known as Nur by the tribe) runs deep. The Nur are a part of the creation stories told for generations.

“When we first bubbled out of our sacred spring on Mt. Shasta at the time of creation, we were helpless and unable to speak. It was salmon, the Nur, who took pity on us humans and gave us their voice. In return, we promised to always speak for them.” – Winnemem Wintu Spiritual and Cultural Belief.

California Rice and Wildlife Report Released

From ducks and cranes to giant garter snakes and salmon, flooded rice fields in California’s Central Valley offer important — often vital — habitat to many wildlife species. Yet uncertainties around crop markets, water and climate can prompt some growers to fallow rice fields or change their management practices.

Will today’s rice acreage under current practices be enough to meet key species’ needs? If not, how much rice is needed? Where should it be planted? And what management practices offer the greatest benefit for species of concern?

Will Dam Removal Save Salmon on the Klamath River?

“No one has done the strontium otolith work with any dam removal project anywhere. We’re chasing diversity. This project is the first to look at this question of life history diversity related to dam removal. It will tell us where the fish go, the habitats that they use, and when they leave.” – Robert Lusardi, aquatic ecologist, Center for Watershed Sciences, UC Davis 

Karrigan Börk awarded ASU Law's Morrison Prize for water rights research

Karrigan Börk, Associate Director at the Center for Watershed Sciences and acting professor of law at UC Davis' School of Law, has been awarded the Morrison Prize for his 2023 legal paper on water extraction rights. The $10,000 Morrison Prize is a distinguished honor; it is awarded annually to the author of the most influential academic legal article on environmental sustainability pu

Study Uncovers Synchrony’s Role in the Beach Food Web

New research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has uncovered how kelp forests shape beach food webs and ecosystem dynamics. The study was recently published by Jonathan Walter (CWS Senior Researcher, lead author), Kyle A. Emery, Jenifer E. Dugan, David M. Hubbard, Tom W. Bell, Lawrence W. Sheppard, Vadim A. Karatayev, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Daniel C. Reuman, and Max C. N. Castorani.

CWS Seminar Series Fall 2023 Schedule

Fall 2023 Who – Anyone is welcome to attend.
What – CWS Fall 2023 Seminar Series
When – Mondays, 3:30-4:30 pm & social afterward
Where – Center for Watershed Sciences Conference Room, UC Davis, CA

 

Date Topic + Speaker(s)

10/02/2023

Happy New Water Year! 

1) Welcome