Page 6 - Annual Report 2016

Headwaters
SUCCESS AND OPPORTUNITY
Volcanic Aquifers
The spring-fed rivers of the greater Mt. Shasta area—places like the McCloud, Fall River, and
Hat Creek—are the home of the state’s best wild trout sheries. The base spring ows also supply over two million acre-feet a year to Shasta Reservoir’s capacity of four million acre-feet of storage. This year, we published a white paper, “California’s Cascade Aquifers: Resilient and Unrecognized Source Waters,” and provided policy recommendations for protecting and assessing the current health of source waters originating from Mt. Shasta, Medicine Lake, and Mt. Lassen. Understanding and protecting these springs and legacy waters means a healthy water supply for the state, and we will continue to work with scientists furthering our understanding of this critical resource.
SUCCESS
Hat Creek
In 2016 CalTrout worked to revitalize the place where it all started for us: Hat Creek, one of the state’s largest source water spring creeks. CalTrout, Lomakatsi, PG&E and the Pit River Tribe completed Phase 1 of the Hat Creek Restoration Project, revitalizing 6.3 acres of the Wild Trout Area by planting over 8,000 native trees, building new trails and reestablishing a foot bridge at Carbon Flats. The project also enhanced 1.5 miles of in-steam habitat for native trout and other listed species, treated 6.3 acres of noxious weeds, and protected the cultural resources of the Illmawi Band of the Pit River Tribe.
Sierra Meadows
Sierra Nevada headwaters provide roughly 60% of California’s domestic water supplies, are home to the majority of California’s inland native trout species and are critical to supporting local and downstream economic livelihoods. However, Sierra Nevada headwater areas are also some of the most degraded. CalTrout is working with a diverse coalition to implement large scale meadow restoration throughout the Sierra and developing the science to quantify water retention and carbon and greenhouse gas sequestration in these restored systems.
Osa Meadow
CalTrout has completed the restoration of Osa Meadow in the Sequoia National Forest with funding and support from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), CDFW, and the Kern Community Foundation. Osa Meadow is a focal area of CalTrout’s meadows work to develop the science
to quantify greenhouse gas and carbon sequestration. Osa Meadow is also important habitat for Kern River rainbow trout, and the restored meadow will retain more water, replenishing summertime stream ows. The restoration of Osa Meadow is an important step toward our goal of restoring 30,000 acres by 2030.
UNDERSTAND
AND RESTORE
With California experiencing its fth year of drought, source water areas are the life blood of the state—in particular the Sierras and the volcanic spring aquifers of the Mt. Shasta area. Unfortunately, scientists know very little about the region’s aquifers, and there are no comprehensive regulations protecting them from various development threats. CalTrout
is working with scientists to understand these complex natural systems, and restoring and protecting these cold water sources critical for sh and people.
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