Fall River Restoration

Protecting California’s Largest Spring-Creek Wild Trout Fishery

California's Fall River

At over one million acre feet per year (890 million gallons a day), the Fall River generates more cold, clean, nutrient-rich, spring water than any river in California. This water fuels one of the state’s largest hydroelectric projects (Pit River Hydro System), recharges (with steady year-round flows) the state’s largest reservoir (Shasta Lake), and irrigates tens of thousands of acres of agricultural lands in the Sacramento Valley (Central Valley Project). Additionally, the Fall River supports the state’s largest blue ribbon spring-creek wild trout fishery. Existing threats to the fishery include invasive aquatic plants (Eurasian watermilfoil), degraded streambanks caused by unrestricted cattle grazing, and over-sedimentation of the streambed and channel.

Conservation Goals

  • Protect over 1 million acre feet of cold, clean, nutrient rich spring water for California’s largest blue ribbon spring-creek wild trout fishery.
  • Restore over 30 miles of spring creek habitat conditions and riparian corridor for wild trout.
  • Restore wild trout populations to more than 5,000 fish per mile throughout the Fall River’s designated Wild Trout Area.

Recent Accomplishments

  • Helped established the Fall River Conservancy (FRC) as a strong regional organization dedicated to the protection of Fall River wild trout populations and the restoration of spring-creek habitat conditions.
  • Partnered with FRC, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and UC Davis to design and coordinate the Fall River’s first Passive Integrated Transceiver (PIT) Wild Trout Monitoring Program.
  • Tagged 500 Fall River wild trout with PIT tags to monitor population trends and life history patterns and identify key habitat areas for protection.
  • Partnered with the FRC to launch our 2014 Streambank Restoration Project on the CalTrout property at Island Bridge.
  • Funded key research by Chico State, USDA, and UC Davis aimed at restoring native aquatic vegetation and finding solutions to the invasive Eurasian watermilfoil outbreak.
  • Clipped 500 fin samples for genetic analysis of wild and native Fall River trout.
  • Began analyzing genetic samples at UC Davis to identify possible distinct native sub-species and other unique genetic traits.
  • Began collecting and evaluating data on the migration and unique life histories of Fall River wild trout.
CalTrout’s Andrew Braugh at a Water Talk

CalTrout’s Andrew Braugh at a Water Talk

What We Will Accomplish in 2014-15

  • Tag an additional 500-1000 fish in 2014.
  • Assess Wild Trout Monitoring data to prioritize key habitat and spawning areas for restoration, track migration patterns, establish accurate baseline population estimates , and inform future Fall River wild trout management strategies.
  • Collaborate with private land owners to install additional arrays at LavaCreek, Spring Creek, and the lower main-stem Fall River.
  • Collaborate with UC Davis to process genetics data and identify possible distinct wild and native sub-species of Fall River wild trout.

Related Projects: Hat Creek Restoration

Click to see other Mount Shasta Region projects

 


 


 

 

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