In early July of this year, California Trout began work on a major project to restore fish passage to Woodman Creek, a major tributary of the Eel River, one of California’s most significant salmon and steelhead strongholds.
Blocked by over a mile of rusted steel rail, salmon have not found their way into this watershed for over a century.
We are proud to announce that the project has been completed with 14 miles of prime spawning and rearing habitat reconnected. Woodman Creek flows once again. Adult salmon and steelhead should have no trouble swimming up this channel and high into the Woodman Creek watershed.
Over the course of 20 weeks, our contractors and field crews have worked tirelessly, excavating the old railroad embankment to create a new channel pathway of over 200 ft.
The channel below the railroad bridge is now plugged. This will prevent the stream from flowing under the railroad, instead being routed down the restored (historic) Woodman Creek channel.
This winter, flows will connect salmon and steelhead to 14 miles of spawning and rearing habitat.
A portion of the railroad grade will be left to prepare for a future “Great Redwood Trail” along the mainstem Eel River.
While flows are currently at a minimal trickle as seen in the video, this fall and winter will be a time to sit back and wait for the fish to rediscover Woodman Creek. With many miles of healthy and abundant habitat in the Eel River and Woodman Creek, it’s only a matter of time before adult runs are re-established in Woodman.
Stay tuned for updates as we continue to monitor this restored fish habitat!
Thank you to our wonderful CalTrout members, staff, and directors for your continued support of the work we do.
Special thanks to our project partners: Mike Love and Associates, Pacific Watershed Associates, Pacific Earthscape, North Coast Rail Authority, Coastal Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife – Fisheries Restoration Grant Program, Ross Taylor and Associates, David Anderson, Ron Christensen, Mickey Bailey. Restoring Woodman Creek was made possible by you!
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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.
7 Comments
This is a wonderful project! Are there others like it planned for the rest of the Eel watershed?
Thanks for your interest Stuart. Woodman Creek was the largest and highest priority project to restore access to good quality habitat in the upper Eel River watershed. EXCEPT, there’s PG&E’s Potter Valley Project. We’re hopeful that we can make progress there over the next few years.
Stay Tuned!
Sounds to me like unless we can buy it the potter valley project isnt going away in my lifetime
That is a thing of beauty and hope! Thank you Cal Trout for working to restore salmonids to the Eel River watershed! Nice work!
Thank you call trout absolutely my favorite River to fish in the state thanks so much for your hard work and effort I look forward to seeing results in the coming years hats off to you
Are there efforts to stop water from being pumped out of Woodman Creek?
Bet thos bears will leave your tents alone in the future when the salmon and steelhead return. What a win!