Osa Meadow Research and Restoration

As part of Sierra Meadows Partnership’s goal to restore 30,000 acres by 2030, CalTrout undertook a restoration project at Osa Meadow in the Kern River Ranger District within Sequoia National Forest. The historic Kern River Rainbow trout habitat had been in degraded condition for decades. CalTrout restored stream and meadow habitat and reconnected the incised stream channel to the historical floodplain. The goal was to create greater ecological resilience to combat climate change and other stressors and promote recovery of rainbow trout populations. Immediate results were observed, the most notable being much improved connectivity between groundwater and surface water. CalTrout will continue to study the outcomes of restoration including monitoring the cause-and-effect of meadow restoration on physical habitat, trout abundance, water quality, and the ability of meadows to sequester greenhouse gases.