Bearing a striking resemblance to their freshwater cousins, the Rainbow Trout, with hues of green, silver, and pink, a steelhead is a remarkable fish. Steelhead are anadromous, meaning they are born in freshwater, spend part of their adult lives in the ocean, and return to the rivers and streams where they were born to lay their eggs. Because of this interconnection between fresh and saltwater habitats, these fish are also an indicator of the overall health of a watershed.

The Santa Ynez River was historically the most productive steelhead river south of San Francisco. Tens of thousands of Southern California Steelhead would make the 65 mile trip up the Santa Ynez River from Surf Beach, to their spawning grounds above Red Rock. As Santa Barbara County grew larger and needed a reliable water source, Gibraltar (1920), Juncal (1930), and Bradbury Dam (1953) were built. The construction of Bradbury Dam blocked 2/3 of Southern Steelhead’s spawning habitat on The Santa Ynez River and has decimated their population.

There are now fewer than 500 Southern California Steelhead left in all of the watersheds of Southern California.

The “Bygone” Series was created to raise awareness about the Southern California Steelhead. This species is teetering on the brink of extinction and we need to save their habitats before they are gone forever.

Because these fish are inextricably linked to the health of our ecosystems, if they go extinct it means that our watersheds are dying. Southern California Steelhead have a distinct population segment that extends from Santa Maria to Tijijuana and these fish need healthy watersheds across Southern California in order to survive. This species survival is linked to the health of all of our watersheds in Southern California, whether you live in Downtown Los Angeles or San Diego.

You can help Save the Southern California Steelhead by:

• Signing the petition requesting migratory access for steelhead over Bradbury Dam and sufficient flow in the Santa Ynez River.

• Donating to California Trout, The Environmental Defense Center or the Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

• Writing to the CDFW Fisheries Service to tell them you want to see them listed under the California Endangered Species Act

• We donate a portion of the proceeds from each piece of art that we sell to the organizations that are fighting to save the Southern California Steelhead

These paintings have raised $16,000 dollars to support California Trout and the work they are doing to restore watersheds across the state.

The “Bygone” series is a representation of the abundance of the species in an era gone by and a call to action to save this species before they go extinct. These paintings are large scale and done in an abstract squeegee method. This method allows for the paint to be applied with an idea of what you want the painting to look like, while actually having little control over the ultimate outcome of the paint spreading across the wooden panel. The squeegee method of painting pulls paint across a wood panel, allowing each color to interact with each other, creating a confluence of colors that create a backdrop for a steelhead to be applied. This type of painting is akin to human interaction with an ecosystem in that we can attempt to control where we would like to see certain things occuring, but it is ultimately up to the natural processes of nature to determine the ultimate outcome. After applying the first course of paint to our wood panels, we then let the painting dry and come back the next day to identify where we see fish living in the painting we created. This is done by hanging the painting on the wall and stepping back 6 or 7 feet. My father and I then discuss with each other where we see the fish in the painting and come to an agreement on what size, shape and action that fish is making. Some of the paintings hold the idea of a steelhead jumping out of the water, while others might just be a fish head holding space on the panel. What each painting from the “Bygone” series has in common is that it is a representation of a species that you can make out, but without effort it may be difficult to see. This is our intention because this imperiled species is somewhat of a ghost and without the work of the observer, actively searching for the fish, it may disappear. This is the messaging behind our work and is a powerful conversation starter for people that are unaware of the importance of the species and how close they are from disappearing forever.

Bradbury Dam and Lake Cachuma at sunrise. Video: Eric Foote