Lawrence Creek Off Channel Habitat Connectivity (Project Phase 3)

Project Lead: Trout Unlimited

Location of Project: 40.5988, -123.9785

Description of Project:

This project will occur within Lawrence Creek, a high priority, core recovery salmon and steelhead stream in Humboldt County, and while it will benefit multiple species, this effort addresses high priority Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho salmon recovery actions. By creating off-channel ponds and enhancing and restoring hydrologic connectivity to existing side channel habitat features adjacent to Lawrence Creek, the project will enhance 0.09 stream miles, and restore 1.1 acres of off-channel habitat in the Lawrence Creek watershed, considered high priority, core recovery habitat for Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, and steelhead. The project will provide important winter refugia habitat for juvenile salmonids by restoring access to side channel habitat that is hydrologically disconnected from Lawrence Creek most of the year, and enhancing the newly reconnected habitat with the excavation of an off-channel alcove enhanced with large wood structures. The project will provide ESA species access to historic floodplain habitats by enhancing hydrologic connectivity to a side channel feature and creating a new connected alcove-pond feature that will provide shelter during intense storm events.

This is the third off-channel habitat restoration project in the Lawrence Creek Subbasin since 2015 (Phase III), continuing a series of successful collaborative efforts by Forum signatories Trout Unlimited and the NOAA Restoration Center, working with the Humboldt Redwood Company and Pacific Watershed Associates.

​Project partners include Humboldt Redwood Company, NOAA Restoration Center, and Pacific Watershed Associates.