South Fork Scott River, Floodplain & Instream Restoration

The Scott River is a key Klamath tributary and serves as a prime nursery for juvenile salmon. Due to historic mining and timber operations that deteriorated the south fork of the river, CalTrout restored the area with the installation of large-wood habitat features and the removal of approximately 1,900 cubic yards of leftover mining materials.

In 2022, we completed Phase III of the restoration project to restore floodplain connectivity, increase the types of different habitat and cover available for fishes in-stream, and plant native vegetation along the stream corridor. To date, we have completed 0.5 miles of restoration on the South Fork Scott on private land. Project monitoring snorkel surveys in 2022 confirmed immediate utilization of the new habitat by juvenile coho salmon. These critical habitat enhancements have greatly improved rearing conditions for juvenile coho salmon as well as spawning habitat for adult coho in the South Fork Scott River. Additional restoration continued in 2023.