A Good Sign for Salmon in the San Joaquin

Good news for salmon in the San Joaquin River, historically home to one of the state's biggest runs. The Chronicle reported today that a series of water releases from Friant Dam outside Fresno into a long-dry section of the San Joaquin began last week and will continue throughout the year. It's part of an initial series of tests designed to return native chinook to the river by 2012. The thing that strikes me is the lengths we -- that is, environmentalists, farmers, fisherman, and public agencies in cohort -- are finally willing to go to save this important species. But with the state's salmon population in such dire straits, will the efforts be too little too late?