Lower Mammoth Creek Restoration Project

Decades of channel straightening, historic grazing, road and trail encroachment, and unmanaged recreation have taken a heavy toll on Lower Mammoth Creek. The stream has cut itself three to four feet into the ground in places, severing its connection to the meadows and groundwater it once nourished and replacing complex, fish-friendly habitat with a simplified, disconnected channel.

CalTrout's restoration plan addresses this at watershed scale: reconnecting roughly 64 acres of wet meadow and 22 acres of riparian corridor back to natural hydrology, installing large wood and boulders to rebuild the cold pools and side channels trout need, and removing degraded vegetation that has become a wildfire liability along the corridor. The project is currently in planning and design, with groundbreaking targeted for spring 2028.

Beyond the ecological work, the project is designed with the Mammoth Lakes community directly in mind, building interpretive signage, community science opportunities, and sustainable trail and angling access so the restored creek functions as a living outdoor classroom, while also improving the watershed's ability to retain water and withstand drought and wildfire.