Arroyo Seco Water Lecture To Address Native Trout Challenges

The Arroyo Seco Foundation will hold a public lecture on Saturday, November 15, focused on the streamflow conditions in the upper Arroyo Seco and the effects of current conditions on native trout.

The event aims to inform residents about the impact of human-made streamflow barriers—especially the Brown Mountain Dam and other barriers in the Arroyo Seco—on local aquatic life, with a particular emphasis on native steelhead and rainbow trout populations.

Matt Drenner, senior fisheries biologist of Stillwater Sciences, is set to lead the presentation, entitled “Barrier Removals and Flows to Support Native Steelhead Trout in the Upper Arroyo Seco.” Drenner has conducted extensive research on environmental conditions and habitats in the area.

According to event materials, the forum will help the public understand “the impact of human-made streamflow barriers in the region, and their impact on aquatic life.”

The free lecture will take place indoors at the Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery in Pasadena, beginning at 11 a.m.

Organizers highlight that space is limited and light refreshments will be available to attendees.

The event is part of the foundation’s ongoing mission to educate the public on regional water issues and promote collaboration with scientists for sustainable management of the Arroyo Seco watershed.

The Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery—operated by the Arroyo Seco Foundation and located at 4550 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena, in the northwest corner of Pasadena’s Hahamongna Watershed Park within the Arroyo Seco watershed—will serve as the venue.

The nursery is a frequent collaborator on research, operating within the Arroyo Seco watershed in the northwest corner of Hahamongna Watershed Park.

The foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Pasadena for more than a century, has a longstanding partnership with Stillwater Sciences on water and habitat issues.

The Brown Mountain Dam is identified as the largest human-made barrier to streamflow in the region and will be a central focus of the discussion.

In addition, event materials note: “A member of the Arroyo Seco Foundation uses a submersible GoPro camera to document aquatic life, including Rainbow Trout, in the upper Arroyo Seco earlier this year.”

Further information about the event, the foundation, and the nursery is available online at www.arroyosecofoundation.org and on their LinkedIn and Instagram pages.

The Hahamongna Nursery is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for those interested in learning more about ongoing conservation efforts in the watershed.