Don’t look at me. I didn’t say it. This news was was making wonderful splashes yesterday, and ran on Bloomberg and even Yahoo News. It’s the final quote that should make us happiest, I’m so glad it survived the many reprints!

Climate Swings Help Endangered Salmon Return to California Creeks for the First Time in Years

Endangered Coho salmon are returning to Marin County, California, creeks this winter where they’ve long been absent, thanks to intense rains that scientists say will become more frequent as the state swings between climate-driven drought and deluge.

It’s a rare bit of good news for a species whose population has plummeted in recent decades due to development and pollution.

But an atmospheric river that inundated the Bay Area in October followed by heavy rains in December filled creeks in the largely rural county, allowing salmon to navigate culverts and other obstacles to reach creeks that had previously been impassable. First-time sightings of Chinook salmon in creeks have also been reported.

“Salmon have been able to adjust and adapt to a changing climate for hundreds of thousands of years, modern climate change should be no different, although how we manage natural resources in a changing climate will make a difference,” Preston Brown, director of conservation for the nonprofit Salmon Protection And Watershed Network, said in an email.For instance, he said, it will be important to manage cities and forests to absorb more water during deluges and prevent excess depletion in dry times. “When we have ample rainfall, the fish respond well,” he said. “Even if rainfall is intense [it] can provide benefit to salmonids, especially if our natural resources and forests are better managed to handle heavy rains.”

Okay so a whole bunch of salmon have benefited from our recent rains and are making lots and lots of little baby salmon. I guess that’s nice, But what does that have to do with us?