A great day was had recently by friends of CalTrout visiting fish passage projects in San Diego and Orange County; these projects are destined to remove migration barriers for endangered Southern steelhead.
This 2021 Gala trip included a guided tour by CalTrout’s Director Sandra Jacobson and Sr. Project Manager Russell Marlow on the Santa Margarita River and Trabuco Creek. The tour group included Sora, Matt, Tina, James, Emily and Todd who learned about steelhead recovery in Southern California, local river ecology, and solutions for reconnecting habitat in an urban environment.
Folks enjoyed a cool hike on a 90 degree day in November, seeing the fish passage sites, and it was all followed by dinner at the classic El Adobe de Capistrano to cap the day off.
Learn more about CalTrout’s work in Southern California. And see pics below of the tour!
Cover photo by Sandra Jacobson.
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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.
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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.
4 Comments
Just curious if there were any efforts to include local Indigenous people of the area in this restoration process.
Charley, thank you for opening this conversation. The Santa Margarita River fish passage project near Fallbrook is a bridge replacement. We are working with the Pechanga Nation on a video that describes tribal connections to the river and wildlife, cultural history, Creation Account, and signs that allow Preserve visitors to learn Native American language and culturally important aspects along the trail. The I-5 Metrolink fish passage project in San Juan Capistrano is a hydraulic fishway solution at existing infrastructure for which design is progressing at both sites. The City of San Juan Capistrano has collaborated with the Acjachemen to build a Native American Putuidem Village replica and cultural center at the upper fish passage site. CalTrout is currently preparing a proposal to support a storytelling collaboration that presents an Indigenous understanding of the local environment. Construction of the Putuidem Village is underway, and additional cultural surveys and restoration input are anticipated for the fish passage project as design progresses. See https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/entertainment/story/2021-07-01/putuidem
Where is this hike? Can you send me a drop pin?
Hi James, here is info on the hiking area: the Wildlands Conservancy Santa Margarita Trail Preserve , https://wildlandsconservancy.org/preserves/santamargaritarivertrail