Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) filed an appeal on May 3, 2021. For now, the court ruling stands, this is a typical LADWP tactic to drag this out in the courts and wear us out.

 

LADWP released a Bi-state Sage Grouse Adaptive Management Plan that they submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife on December 20, 2020. In it, LADWP says they will supply enough water to green up 100 meters of pasture along the sagebrush edge by Convict and McGee Creeks when there is enough water in the creeks to do so, and still meet CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife’s stream flow requirements for fish. The wetting of pasture will generate insects for the sage grouse chicks near the sagebrush so they can fatten up and dart into the sagebrush for cover.  LADWP has committed to U.S. Fish and Wildlife to always provide this minimum when possible. It could be less than what they have historically provided the ranchers in this part of Long Valley, but the court order makes the historical amount the minimum for now.  There is no contingency for when there isn’t enough water in the stream to wet the pasture nor is there any other water commitment for sage grouse in Long Valley.