The War of Extermination

"A war of Extermination will continue to be waged between the two races until the Indian race becomes extinct."
 - California Governor Peter H. Burnett, January 1851

In 1856 the state of California paid 25 cents for each indian scalp. In 1860 the bounty was increased to $5.

From: California Genocide
Picture From: govmint

Carmel River going dry near Carmel on March 4, 2014

"The current dry spell may remind some locals of the Drought of 1976–77, when USGS records show that this section of the Carmel River was dry from May 13, 1976, through December 17, 1977."

Carmel River near Carmel  on March 4, 2014. The site was on the verge of going dry again. USGS photograph by David W. Affield.
From: http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2014/10/fieldwork3.html
 

The floods came and wiped it out and it was a total loss

In 1773 Father Serra writes to Antonio Maria de Bucareli y Ursua:

“ In the midst of all their troubles the Fathers sowed during the first year a piece of ground in wheat; it sprouted and grew very well. But, unfortunately for want of property knowledge of the territory, they had sown it in low land and then the floods came and wiped it out and it was a total loss."

From Carmel Valley History

Coastal California Steelhead are federally listed as Threatened

"Most coastal California Steelhead (such as those in the Carmel and Big Sur Rivers) are federally listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Stocks situated in rivers farther south are listed as endangered."
From: Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Cal Am won’t meet the current deadline for cutting Carmel River water use

"Cal Am won’t meet the current Dec. 16, 2016, deadline for cutting Carmel River water use by about two-thirds to legal limits, so local officials have submitted a series of proposals aimed at relaxing the deadline.
The most recent proposals promise to cut back Carmel River water use by 1,000 acre-feet per year. The proposal calls for Cal Am’s desalinization plant to be operational by the end of 2020."

From: Monterey Herald 
Photo from: https://pantilat.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/carmel-river-gorge/

Fred W. Nason, Esselen elder

Carmel Valley rancher Fredrick W. Nason Jr., an Esselen descendent and patriarch, died at age 90 on Jan. 29, 2015.
Fred  lived in deep Carmel Valley, down winding Tassajara Road at the entrance to the Los Padres National Forest. His family describes him as a cowboy and rancher with celebrated horsemanship skills.

Photo by:  Helene Constant, 1998
From: http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/blogs/news_blog/community-to-celebrate-the-life-of-fred-w-nason-esselen/article_168c44f0-bed8-11e4-b4c1-3f732a44b57c.html