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Central California

From Sierra snowpack to the Sacramento Valley to San Francisco Bay: restoring the rivers that sustain California.

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The rivers of Central California connect mountain headwaters, working landscapes, and urban communities across one of the state’s most populous regions. From Sierra streams that provide cold, clean water and support five of California’s inland trout species to the Sacramento–San Joaquin watershed hosting the most diverse array of Chinook salmon runs in the world to urban Bay Area creeks where steelhead still return, CalTrout is advancing science-based solutions to restore fish populations and build climate resilience.

15

Active projects

20+

Miles of habitat reconnected on Alameda Creek

60,000

Flood drain cycles on 25,000 acres enrolled in Fish Food Program

30+

Miles of stream recovered for Lahontan cutthroat trout by 2027

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CENTRAL CALIFORNIA PROJECTS

Explore Central California projects

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20 projects

Priority WATERSHEDS

Three featured watersheds, one regional approach.

Lower Sacramento River Watershed

California’s largest river system drains much of the northern Sierra and Sacramento Valley, supporting four unique runs of Chinook salmon, steelhead, and a vast tapestry of agricultural and community water needs.

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Photo: Emily Titus

Sierra Nevada Headwaters

The Sierra Nevada headwaters supply much of California’s freshwater and provide critical flows for salmon and habitat for inland native trout.

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An aerial view of a dam with a body of water behind it
Photo: Pusher, Inc.

San Francisquito Creek & Searsville Dam Removal

Despite intense urbanization, steelhead continue to persist in Bay Area streams, and San Francisquito Creek is one Bay Area watershed that has prime recovery opportunity for steelhead.

Learn MOre

Native Salmonids

Explore Central California’s native fish.

The salmon, steelhead, and trout of Central California connect Sierra headwaters to the Bay, and reveal the health of the rivers they depend on.

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Why this region

Where California’s water story begins.

CalTrout was founded in San Francisco over 50 years ago, and we have been restoring streams in San Francisco’s backyard ever since. The rivers of Central California are deeply interconnected. Snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada feeds streams that flow through farms, cities, and floodplains before reaching the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay. Along the way, these waterways provide drinking water, sustain local economies, support recreation, and create habitat for California’s iconic salmon and trout.

But these systems are under increasing strain. Climate change is reducing snowpack and warming streams. Dams and road crossings have fragmented migration corridors. Decades of habitat loss and altered flow regimes have pushed many wild fish populations into decline.

Yet Central California also represents one of the state’s greatest opportunities for recovery. Strategic restoration can reconnect habitat, improve drought resilience, and benefit both fish and people. By bringing together rigorous science, diverse partnerships, and on-the-ground implementation, CalTrout is helping build a future where California’s rivers continue to thrive.

Success in Central California can become a model for watersheds across the state. From inland trout to Chinook salmon to steelhead these iconic species still migrate through waterways that flow past farms, neighborhoods, and even downtown metropolises like San Jose. Their return demonstrates that healthy rivers and thriving communities aren’t competing priorities; with the right investments, California can create a future where both fish and people flourish.

Alameda Creek
Photo: Michael Wier

FEATURED project

 The Final Barrier on Alameda Creek

Reopening more than 20 miles of stream to Bay Area native fish for the first time in 70+ years.

Alameda Creek, the largest local tributary to San Francisco Bay, is once again open to wild fish. In late 2025, CalTrout and Pacific Gas & Electric completed construction on a project that removed the final unnatural barrier to fish passage on the creek’s mainstem. Within weeks, Chinook salmon were documented swimming upstream into habitat that had been inaccessible for more than 70 years.

Historically, Alameda Creek supported abundant runs of California Coast Chinook Salmon and Central California Coast Steelhead. Today, many of the Bay Area’s wild fish are in decline. By reconnecting more than 20 miles of stream — including high-quality spawning habitat in the upper watershed — the project is restoring access to critical habitat for both species.

Flowing more than 40 miles from the Diablo Range to San Francisco Bay, Alameda Creek has been heavily altered by dams, flood control infrastructure, and urban development over the past century. This milestone builds on decades of restoration led by the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Workgroup to reconnect one of the Bay Area’s most important salmon and steelhead rivers.

reopening Alameda Creek →

CALTROUT IN ACTION

Stories from the field.

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Support Caltrout

Invest in the future of California’s rivers.

From Sierra headwaters to urban creeks, Central California’s waterways connect us all. Your support helps advance the science, partnerships, and restoration needed to ensure wild fish and healthy rivers endure for generations to come

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