Mt. Shasta/Klamath Region
Evans Spring is a cold-water spring in the Little Shasta River watershed. It historically contributed enough flow to the river to facilitate access for salmonids to critical cold-water habitat. Currently, Evans Spring is diverted in its entirety at its source for agricultural use, resulting in a lack of flow and elevated temperatures that are exacerbated by drought. CalTrout is working with farmers to add instream flow as a beneficial use of their allocated water, including the reconnection of Evans Spring to the Little Shasta River. This project funds a study necessary to quantify the local and regional habitat benefit of this additional water - to inform design and provide instream protections post implementation.
Central Valley Region
Battle Creek is a major tributary to the Sacramento River. CalTrout, River Partners, and Ducks Unlimited received funding to redesign and implement a project to enhance waterfowl habitat while delivering floodplain-derived food resources to juvenile salmonids in lower Battle Creek. The project will enhance and re-operate 3.5 acres of wetland adjacent to lower Battle Creek to deliver floodplain-derived food web resources to juvenile fish constrained to the stream channel. This will support establishment of a second winter-run Chinook salmon population bolstering abundance of all four runs of Sacramento Valley Chinook salmon.
Mt. Lassen Region
Big Chico Creek flows through the town of Chico on its way to its confluence with the Sacramento River. This project will assess fish passage improvement options and feasibility on two barriers on Big Chico Creek — One Mile and Five Mile dams. Other threats to listed species such as connectivity, stranding, and habitat suitability will also be assessed. The result will be a Fish Passage Conditions Report and a watershed planning document which identifies threats and action items. The Mechoopda Indian Tribe will be involved in all aspects of the project to create tribal fisheries program capacity and professional development opportunities.
North Coast Region
Bull Creek is a tributary to the South Fork Eel River, located in Humboldt Redwood State Park, and is the only publicly-owned watershed in the South Fork Eel basin. This project will restore and enhance important riparian, instream, floodplain and side-channel habitat in Bull Creek, which supports coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead, and Pacific Lamprey. The project will excavate coarse sediment from the Hamilton floodplain that is a relic of the devastating 1964 flood and that has prevented recovery of native fish and riparian habitat in the channel and floodplain. Our project will revegetate the floodplain with native plants, and install four engineered wood jams in the mainstem of the creek adjacent to the floodplain. The construction phase of the project will kick off this month, and we are excited to get to work.
Learn more about CDFW’s Drought, Climate and Nature-Based Solutions Initiative
Cover Photo: Bull Creek by Mike Wier
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Thank you for your interest in the Eel River Forum! We looking forward to sharing meeting updates and other info from the Eel River watershed with you as they develop.
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Thank you for your interest in Big Chico Creek and the Iron Canyon Fish Passage Project! We looking forward to sharing project updates, news, and stories with you from the Big Chico Creek watershed as they develop.
Thank you for your interest in Big Chico Creek and the Iron Canyon Fish Passage Project! One of our staff members will do their best to get back to you as soon as possible. However, please note that due to limited capacity we may not be able to respond to all questions or fulfill all requests.
Let us know if you are interested in volunteering and we will get in contact with you as soon as we can.
Thank you for your interest in the Elk River! One of our North Coast Region staff members will do their best to get back to you as soon as possible. However, please note that due to limited capacity we may not be able to respond to all questions or fulfill all requests.
Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.