An Uncertain Future
Despite the success and cost effectiveness of the barrier removal programs, their future is uncertain during the current severe recession. Many barrier-removal projects are funded by voter-approved State bonds, which were frozen in December 2008 (see Coast & Ocean, Winter 2008-2009 ). Although many bond-funded projects that were under way before the freeze can now be restarted, there is no guarantee they will get all the funds needed to finish construction. No bond funds will be available for new projects for at least another year.

Despite an unpromising future, many people who have been working on these projects are trying to forge ahead because they care deeply about salmon. The 5C program on the North Coast, once under the aegis of Trinity County, has shifted to nonprofit status to allow it to compete more effectively for grants. Central Coast and Bay Area counties are also searching for new funding sources. “The 5C success is as much about the huge dedication of my two coworkers as anything else--the quiet, heroic work of the people who care enough to make it happen,” said Mark Lancaster. “I admire them every day.” At one point Lancaster stopped cashing his paychecks to make sure the organization would have cash on hand.

Times are even worse for the salmon than for their helpers, and global warming is likely to bring only more bad news. Lancaster, however, chooses to focus on the progress that has been made. “The good news is that we’ve opened up habitat, including some places where fish had never been recorded,” he said. With all the challenges that salmon have to overcome, “it’s important to open as much habitat as possible, to allow them to move as much as possible.”