Featured Scientist

Don Baldwin surveys rainbow trout at the headwaters of a small coastal stream in San Luis Obispo County. These wild trout serve as a seed population for coastal steelhead as some of their progeny may migrate out to the ocean.


Don conducts a snorkel survey on San Luis Obispo Creek.


Before he began monitoring steelhead in San Luis Obispo County, Don worked as a steelhead biologist in the Central Valley.


Don takes a summer hike to the summit of Mount Lassen to ski off the top.


A passionate backcountry skier, Don tours the Sierra through Yosemite National Park.

Don successfully completed CDFW’s Heritage Trout Challenge by catching six different native California trout in their historic range.

Don Baldwin is an environmental scientist with CDFWs Central Region based in San Luis Obispo. A 12-year CDFW employee, Don oversees the California Coastal Monitoring Program in the area and is tasked with surveying and assessing South Central California Coast steelhead, a threatened species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Steelhead are the anadromous population of rainbow trout that spend time in both the ocean and freshwater.

Born and raised in Sacramento, Don developed a love of trout and steelhead while growing up fishing the American River and small trout streams in the Sierra. His passion for steelhead in particular has influenced his education and career choices ever since. He holds a wildlife management degree from Humboldt State University – a school he chose in no small part due to its proximity to so many great north coast steelhead rivers.

When you think about some of the hallowed steelhead regions and waters of California, San Luis Obispo is not exactly top of the list. Can you explain the work you are doing there?

We are trying to get a grasp of what the wild steelhead population is in San Luis Obispo County. Since 2017, I have been implementing the California Coastal Monitoring Program there, which is part of our statewide responsibilities to monitor and recover these listed coastal salmon and steelhead populations under state and federal endangered species laws.
There are a lot of small, coastal streams in the county – approximately 25 plus their tributaries – and a lot of those are spring-fed with good, cold water with lots of wild rainbow trout in them. But not much research has been done so nobody really knows the population status of steelhead in the county.
Right now, I am looking for adult steelhead in the two priority coastal streams there – San Luis Obispo Creek and Santa Rosa Creek, the latter of which is in Cambria. We do that two ways: surveying for redds (fish nests) and using DIDSON sonar cameras to count the adults migrating upstream to spawn. We then build a mathematical relationship to estimate the number of adult steelhead for each redd we see. I am still in the preliminary stages of this monitoring program and have a way to go until we finalize our entire sample frame.

Are you finding many fish?

We did some redd surveys last year and we did find some redds, but never saw any adults while conducting spawner surveys. We’re still processing all the DIDSON data and have seen a few adult steelhead. I’m extremely optimistic we will see more. The last few years have been tough on steelhead in central and Southern California because of the drought, but they are a very resilient species. They have gone through this before. They’ve been around for thousands of years. They may have experienced droughts that have lasted 10, 20 years, but they keep coming back. So it’s exciting to be part of this project and monitoring these fish, yet it is challenging because they are so elusive and difficult to monitor. Hopefully, with these good rain events we are having this year, producing good flows, we will start seeing more fish.
What’s really special about this species is that there is this residence component of rainbow trout up in the headwaters of these streams that serves as a sort of seed bank for the anadromous component. They’ll just hang out and keep reproducing over the years and once the time is right, some of the juveniles may go out to the ocean.

Steelhead fishing opened on many coastal streams in December and January. Where would you direct steelhead anglers in San Luis Obispo County?

Go to the Eel River (in Humboldt County) (laughs). The streams in San Luis Obispo County are very small, some only a couple of miles long. Those that are open to fishing are open only in very small stretches on select days. You really need to read and understand the local fishing regulations. Many streams run through private property with no public access. There are just not a whole lot of fishing opportunities nor are there many fish.
To really immerse yourself in steelhead fishing and culture, go to the Eel River or Smith River (Del Norte County) and hire a guide with a drift boat. That’s how you have a chance to hook into a large chrome bright steelhead.

Can you explain the fascination with steelhead to somebody who’s never fished for them?

As a rainbow trout that goes to the ocean, they just get so much bigger, more powerful and strong. They are very elusive. You rarely see them. They return to freshwater, spawn, and then they are gone. Fishing for steelhead is like chasing ghosts, you always want to see what’s around the next corner.
They’re an absolutely beautiful fish. They fight hard and they’re exciting to catch. The appeal is the chase. When I first started steelhead fishing, I would go out for days and months and never catch anything. But I kept going back. I always heard it takes 300 hours of fishing before you start hooking them. And that’s pretty much it.

Anything surprising ever show up in these streams you are monitoring?

In San Luis Obispo County, we only have one species of salmonid: steelhead. We don’t have Chinook or coho salmon down there. The cool thing is that we have Pacific lamprey. Recently, that’s been the southernmost extent of their range. However, for about 10 years, we didn’t see any lamprey in San Luis Obispo Creek. They were nonexistent.
Down by the estuary there’s a saltwater intrusion weir with a fish ladder that wasn’t functioning well. A couple of years ago a “lamp ramp” was installed on the weir – which is a lamprey passage ramp made from a piece of curved sheet metal. Lamprey can’t scale a 90-degree angle as they use their mouths to suction-cup their way upstream over wetted obstacles. Ever since the lamp ramp was installed, we’re seeing adult lamprey, lamprey redds and a lot offspring once again in San Luis Obispo Creek.

Are lamprey a type of eel?

No. They look like an eel but don’t have paired fins or jaws like an eel. They are a completely different species. We don’t have freshwater eels on the West Coast. They have those on the East Coast. Adult lamprey have a round, sucker-like mouth and are parasitic when in the marine environment. They attach and feed on marine fish, including salmon and steelhead in the ocean.
Lamprey are a remarkably interesting species. They are an anadromous species like steelhead and salmon. They come into freshwater and hunker down in the gravel for a year without feeding. They absorb all their nutrients into developing their gonads and then come out a year later, dig a redd, spawn and die. They produce thousands of young that will live in the gravel for up to six, seven years. And they’re filter feeders, so they are aerating the stream bed and cleaning the water. Once they get to the size of about a pencil, they will migrate out to the ocean, grow up, and return one to three years later to spawn.

If you had free reign and unlimited funding, what scientific project would you most like to do?

I would be doing exactly what I’m doing right now and just really build a huge monitoring program. It really takes an army to do it well. You really must have multiple crews to go out and collect field data. You need a crew processing sonar data. You need a lot of equipment and sampling gear, especially when we start monitoring juvenile steelhead in the future. It takes a lot of people, equipment and money. Right now, it’s just me and a couple Watershed Stewards Program (WSP) members a day or two a week trying to do everything. So I would love to have free reign and staff and money to really monitor steelhead throughout San Luis Obispo County so we could really understand and tell their story and put this program on the map.

Tell us something about yourself many people would be surprised to learn.

I’m a ski bum. My true passion is backcountry skiing in the high Sierra and southern Cascade mountains. I started skiing when I was 5 and spent a lot of time in the mountains growing up. I don’t ski as much as I’d like to these days, but I still get out there a few times a year.

CDFW Photos. Top Photo: An avid fly fisherman, Don shows off a coastal cutthroat trout he caught in northern California before releasing it.

Scott Harris participates on fish survey on the Middle Fork Eel River. CDFW Photo by Amanda Ekstrand.

Scott L. Harris is an environmental scientist with CDFW’s Northern Region, based in Mendocino County. Scott is responsible for monitoring and managing salmonid populations in the Eel River and Mendocino coast watersheds as part of the North Central District Salmon and Steelhead Management Project, a multi-faceted effort funded through the Sport Fish Restoration Act (SFRA). His fieldwork includes counting adult salmon and steelhead through spawning ground surveys and ladder counts at the Van Arsdale Fisheries Station (VAFS), counting juvenile salmonids migrating to the ocean and determining resident trout distribution in the Mendocino National Forest. Much of his time is spent at the VAFS fish ladder studying the biological effects of water releases from the Potter Valley Project (PVP). He also consults on fish passage issues, evaluating man-made structures (fish ladders, etc.) at road crossings to determine whether they are damaged, blocked or in need of cleaning, and whether the design is adequate to meet the need.

What or who inspired you to become a scientist?

The “what” is water. I am fascinated with water, salt or fresh. I grew up in Southern California and spent most of my time at the beach. When I was about 10, I was instantly hooked on the ocean when I first put a mask on and saw what was taking place under the waves. At about the same age, I found a local stream and was mesmerized by the number of animals that lived in and around that stream. Then came my love affair with PBS, NOVA, Wild Kingdom, the local library, etc. I’m guessing a lot of folks went through a similar progression.

The “who” probably started with Carl Sagan, Marlin Perkins (and, of course, Jim Fowler, Perkins’ assistant), my friend’s mom (a science teacher) and my dad (an engineer). Today I am surrounded by many colleagues who feed my interest in science and I would bet these folks are inspirational for many others, young and old.

My fascination with water continues today with my job. However, my work with the department requires the understanding of the physical aspects of water, not just the biological aspects. In stream restoration, it is necessary that one understands hydrology and fluvial (movement of sediment in water) processes.

What is a typical day like for you at work?

If there was a typical day, I would probably quit! There are days when I am greeted at my door by hunters that need a bear or deer validated. When a hunter takes a deer or bear, the animal must be reviewed and then some paperwork is completed indicating that the take was legal. In addition, a tooth must be extracted from bears. The tooth is used to determine age and this information is used as a tool in management of our black bear populations. Sometimes I’m asked to pull a bear tooth in the Safeway parking lot or at the gas station. This is not exactly fisheries but I absolutely believe I am part of a team. Typically, if I receive a call before 9 a.m., I know my day will change and that someone needs help. Many days include a wild card. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I am one of the lucky ones. During the year, I spend 90 percent of my time in the field. So, 90 percent of the year, I leave my office excited and with a smile on my face, ready to learn something new or hopefully teach someone something new.

What is your favorite species to interact with or study?

For those who know me, they know how important herps and birds are to me. I bring that knowledge to many of my colleagues. However, there are two species that I have a special fondness for: The Middle Fork Eel River summer Steelhead and the Pacific Lamprey.

We conduct an annual free dive/snorkel survey on the Middle Fork Eel River that was named the “Death March” 30 or more years ago. This 26-mile, five-day survey is conducted in the Middle Eel/Yolla Bolly Wilderness located in Trinity and Mendocino counties with the intent to enumerate adult summer Steelhead. Dozens of department employees have been on the Death March over the years and I guarantee that they have yet to forget it. This annual survey began in 1966.

In 2009, I took over the activities at the Van Arsdale Fisheries Station located in the upper Eel River. Through our activities there, Pacific Lamprey became a target species for study. I have been collaborating with two people, Damon Goodman with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Stewart Reid with Western Fishes, both of whom are known for their background and expertise on Pacific Lamprey. We have all learned some amazing things about Pacific Lamprey. There has already been one “white” paper written from this work and I believe there are at least another two in the making.

What aspect of working on monitoring salmonid populations is the most challenging?

The projects that are most challenging are typically those with numerous stakeholders or interested parties. I have been involved with the Willits Bypass for decades and this project has seen multiple agencies and interested parties over time. Keep in mind, the Willits Bypass was started in 1955, so the number of interested parties could be considered myriad. Another project with a high number of interested parties is the PVP. With the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing effort underway for the PVP, things are getting interesting.

What is the most rewarding project that you have worked on for CDFW?

There are a few projects that come to mind, but the one that I will tell you about is more about how I have volunteered my time as a mentor. About 10 years ago, a neighbor introduced me to her son, Bryan. Bryan needed a science fair project. Before we decided on a project, I thought it would be good to involve Bryan in some of the fieldwork we conduct. So, he ended up getting a taste of salmon spawning ground surveys, juvenile outmigrant trapping, backpack electrofishing – he even participated in the infamous Death March.

The project we decided on was, to say the least, controversial. The title of the project was “Why is there no water in Alder Creek.” And yes, this project had everything to do with the effect of pot growing on aquatic resources. We conducted the fieldwork on weekends due to Bryan’s school schedule and we worked on maps and tables in the evenings. This project led to numerous field visits with department enforcement and Bureau of Land Management enforcement. Things got a little hairy in the field. It also led to a few threats over the phone. The bottom line is, Bryan’s project won first place at the state level and he even got to have lunch with retired Governor Deukmejian. I remain in touch with Bryan to this day, I suppose, as a father figure.

What is the most challenging aspect of your career as an environmental scientist?

For myself, and probably for most of us in the department who conduct monitoring, research and habitat restoration, it is resources. Not having resources (money) to implement more of what we are already doing is maddening. The challenge is to be OK with so little help.

If you had free reign and unlimited funding, what scientific project would you most like to do?

In, at least, our state’s three largest rivers (Sacramento, Klamath and Eel) I would like to see aquatic habitat (rivers, estuaries, lagoons, vernal pools, etc.) restoration of every conceivable type take place, and as quickly as possible. With the implementation of the restoration would come monitoring the effectiveness of the implementation by evaluating the response by plants, animals and the physical environment.

Any advice for people considering careers in science or natural resources?

Certainly, education plays a key role when it comes to our natural resources and science. Education also includes get involved in internships and/or volunteering. I have mentored 15 AmeriCorps members, two of whom went on to get doctorate degrees in fisheries ecology.

Top photo: Scott Harris hoists a bucket during a fish rescue on Feliz Creek. CDFW photo by Derek Acomb

Morgan Knechtle is an environmental scientist with CDFW’s Northern Region in Yreka. He works on the Klamath River Project, which has a primary focus of estimating the return of adult salmon and steelhead to the Klamath and Trinity rivers. He is responsible for multiple field projects that manage salmonids in the Klamath River Basin, such as operating adult salmonid counting stations and coordinating adult spawning ground surveys on the Shasta River, Scott River and Bogus Creek, three highly productive salmonid tributaries to the Klamath River in Siskiyou County. Knechtle also assists with adult recovery efforts, which involve collecting biological information from returning adult salmon at Iron Gate Hatchery, and serves as one of CDFW’s technical representatives for the Klamath Dam Decommissioning Project, which involves the proposed elimination of four hydroelectric dams in northern California and Southern Oregon.

Knechtle earned a Bachelor of Science degree in freshwater fisheries from Humboldt State University and got his first job with CDFW as a scientific aide in the Russian River watershed. He was hired permanently in 2000 and spent four years working on salmonid life cycle monitoring stations on the Mendocino coast. Since 2004, he has worked with salmonids in the Klamath Basin, both on the Trinity River and in the tributaries to the Klamath River in Siskiyou County.

Who or what inspired you to become a scientist?

My love for rivers inspired me to become a scientist. During college at Humboldt State University, I was spending all of my free time fishing for salmon and steelhead and came to the realization that I could study these animals and make a living working with them.

The ability to be an advocate for fishery resources brought me to CDFW. CDFW is one of the only places a scientist can work with fisheries and truly be an objective voice for the resource. Many other organizations do not have this luxury.

What is a typical day like for you at work?

It depends on the time of year. During the fall and winter when adult salmonids are returning to the Klamath River, my world is extremely busy running and participating in multiple field projects monitoring the return of these amazing species. During the spring and summer, I spend much more time in the office crunching numbers and writing reports.

My Chinook salmon work focuses on providing information that can help accurately forecast abundance. This enables us to provide fishing opportunities while maintaining enough fish in the river for future generations. My coho salmon monitoring work focuses on providing accurate abundance information to track the status and trends of this endangered species over time.

As a technical expert on the Klamath Dam Decommissioning Project, in cooperation with other technical experts from other state and federal agencies, I help minimize effects to aquatic species inhabiting the Klamath River during the decommissioning phase of the project. Additionally, I participate in post-dam removal planning projects, including creating plans on how to implement the Iron Gate Hatchery post dam removal and coordinate with Oregon scientists on the reintroduction of salmon above Iron Gate Dam, with a goal of ensuring the recovery of salmonids and aquatic species above the project area.

What is the most rewarding project that you have worked on for CDFW?

Although the project is not yet complete, the Klamath Dam Decommissioning Project has the potential to be the most rewarding project I have worked on. It stands to be the largest river restoration project to ever be completed in North America, and given that status, as one can imagine, the project has a lot of moving parts. The potential benefits to salmonids in the Klamath and the improvements to the health of the river itself could be enormous. The long-term predicted improvements to water quality, habitat availability, natural flow dynamics and restoration of natural processes to the Klamath River will improve conditions, for not only anadromous salmon and steelhead but also the rest of the plant and animal community that depend on the river for part or all of their life history.

What is the most challenging aspect of your career as an environmental scientist?

It is extremely challenging when social and political concerns get mixed in with natural resource management. Working with coho salmon in the Klamath Basin has been very challenging due to its listed status and the fact that their abundance is extremely low.

If you had free reign and unlimited funding, what scientific project would you most like to do?

With unlimited funding, I would like to track and monitor the recovery of spring Chinook in the upper Klamath River post dam removal. They are nearly extinct and they are thought to once have been the most abundant species in the Klamath River Basin.

What aspect of working on the Klamath River is particularly challenging or rewarding?

Multiple stakeholders -- which include Native American tribes, federal and state trustee agencies, and freshwater and ocean anglers -- in the Klamath Basin make some aspects of salmon management challenging. However, when progress is made to restore the river, it is also extremely rewarding because you know that groups with very different perspectives have come together, negotiated agreement and reached consensus on difficult issues.

What is your favorite species to interact with or study?

Steelhead trout are my favorite species to work with. Steelhead are the most elusive of the Klamath salmonids and their complex life history make them a very difficult species to study. They are also my favorite fish to catch.

Any advice for people considering careers in science or natural resources?

The most obvious is for folks to stay in school and graduate from college. In addition, volunteering and interning in their field of interest early in their education is a benefit to get a taste of what the career might really be like.

CDFW photos of Morgan Knechtle working along the Shasta River.