Center for Watershed Sciences Content

California Rice and Conservation

Andy Fell — April 07, 2025 - 4:12pm

In 1991, the state of California largely banned burning of rice straw after harvest, and farmers turned instead to winter flooding of fields to break down straw. As a result, wildlife has flourished in rice fields which reproduce, to some extent, the wetland habitat that once covered most of California's Central Valley. Rice fields now support some 200 species including fish, birds and reptiles.

Restored Stream Supports New Wild Salmon Run

Katherine E Kerlin — March 20, 2025 - 9:00am

A 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study confirms Putah Creek origin salmon for first time, marking a win for creek restoration and wild salmon, and providing hope for other degraded streams around the globe.

Functional Flows and Native Fish

Andy Fell — February 25, 2025 - 3:44pm

There are many demands on California water, and one of them is how much water to leave in streams to protect native fish and ecosystems. A recent approach to this question is to look at "functional flows:" not so much the total amount of water, but when it is flowing and what it is doing.

(W)ringing in the New California Water Year

Andy Fell — October 01, 2024 - 2:19pm

Oct. 1 marks the start of a new water year in California, as we head into the cooler, rainier months. In a new blog post, Jay Lund and Alvar Escriva-Bou at the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering reflect on the year just ending and what might be ahead for WY2025.

California Native Fish in Decline

Andy Fell — September 03, 2024 - 12:02pm

From mighty sturgeon to tiny smelt, California's native fish are in trouble, under pressure from a variety of causes including drought, habitat loss and diversion of water for human uses, and climate change. A new blog post from Professor Andrew Rypel and Distinguished Professor emeritus Peter Moyle at the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Center for Watershed Sciences highlights some examples.

The Salmon Diaries: Life Before and After Klamath Dam Removal

Katherine E Kerlin — July 15, 2024 - 9:00am

From the Klamath River to the lab, to the ear bones of fish, 51�ԹϺ�� Davis scientists are helping to answer a big dam question: How will salmon use the river following the world's largest dam removal project?

U.S. Reservoirs Hold Billions of Pounds of Fish

Katherine E Kerlin — April 29, 2024 - 8:57am

U.S. reservoirs hold more than 7 billion pounds of fish, a 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study estimates. Properly managed, these existing reservoir ecosystems could help food security and conservation.

Karrigan’ Börk’s Award-Winning Water Rights Solution

Malia N Reiss — March 26, 2024 - 9:17pm

51�ԹϺ�� Davis Law Professor Karrigan Börk's paper proposing a water rights solution won the Morrison Prize, which recognizes the most impactful sustainability-related legal paper in North America.

The Choreography Connecting Kelp Forests to the Beach

Katherine E Kerlin — January 03, 2024 - 12:50pm

A 51�ԹϺ�� Davis study uncovers a symphony of synchrony between kelp forests and the beach food web.

Removing Dams from the Klamath River is a Step Toward Justice for Native Americans

Katherine E Kerlin — July 13, 2023 - 1:20pm

The Klamath River runs over 250 miles (400 kilometers) from southern Oregon to the Pacific Ocean in Northern California. It flows through the steep, rugged Klamath Mountains, past slopes of redwood, fir, tanoak and madrone, and along pebbled beaches where willows shade the river’s edge. Closer to its mouth at Requa, the trees rising above the river are often blanketed in fog.