Lower Stotenburg Creek Fish Passage Project

Year Funded: 2022

Status: Ongoing

Stotenburg Creek Fish Passage Project will take advantage of a valuable opportunity to partner with private landowners to remove all barriers to fish passage along the downstream-most 0.5 miles of Stotenburg Creek, while also increasing habitat complexity and improving the native riparian corridor. These actions will increase the quality and quantity of accessible productive coastal rearing habitat in the Smith River Plain. The project will improve the connection between Stotenburg Creek and the mainstem Smith River through treatment of barriers and impediments to salmonid upstream and downstream passage, by upgrading and/or removing four stream crossings.

Wildcat Creek Fish Passage & Community Engagement Project (Phase 2)

Year Funded: 2022

Status: Ongoing

The primary goal of the project is to develop final design drawings for fish passage facility replacement and obtain necessary permits to then pursue funding for a “shovel ready” project. Currently, there are 65% drawings developed by the Corps of Engineers and NHC in 2014. We were awarded an Urban Streams Restoration Grant from the California Department of Water Resources. Forum funds would be used to support an ecological engineering assessment of the Corps of Engineers and NHC 2014 design drawings, and a community outreach effort to raise awareness of creek ecology and the fish passage restoration project.

Hosie Low Water Crossing

Year Funded: 2022

Status: Ongoing

The Hosie Low Water Crossing will be replaced from a road culvert to box culverts and a road crossing to allow passage of water under the crossing with lower velocities. Forum funding would apply to the construction portion of the project. Replacement of the crossing with box culverts will allow for passage of water under the crossing with lower velocities thereby lessening the barrier for the fish population at high and low flows.

Little Case Fish Passage Project

Year Proposed: 2023

Status: Ongoing

Little Case Creek is a tributary to Tenmile Creek, one of the largest tributaries to the South Fork Eel River. The South Fork Eel River is historically the largest producer of Coho salmon in the Eel River basin and is expected to play a key role in repopulating the watershed. This project aims to restore the passability of Coho Salmon and steelhead in Little Case Creek by removing two culverts acting as partial barriers to adult salmonids and complete barriers to juveniles. Implementation of the project will result in unimpeded fish passage for all life stages of Coho and steelhead.

Mid-Klamath Tributary Fish Passage Improvement Project

Year Proposed: 2023

Status: Ongoing

The objectives of this project are to maintain and improve access to existing salmonid habitat by removing or manipulating seasonal barriers that impede fish passage and to improve connectivity at coldwater refugia sites. This project is designed to ensure both juvenile and adult fish passage into high-quality thermal refugia and spawning habitat during critical periods of rearing and migration.

Native Fish Passage in San Joaquin River at Eastside Bypass Control Structure

Year Proposed: 2023

Status: Ongoing

This project will improve passage at the Eastside Bypass Control Structure, especially during drought conditions, help rebuild native fish populations in the San Joaquin River, and build on the larger ongoing investment for volitional passage for native fish in the Restoration Area. Long-term this project will improve the overall conditions for Chinook Salmon and other native fish species. Design criteria will be structured around life stages of the target anadromous species and the timing of runs for upstream movement of adult fall and spring-run Chinook Salmon and winter steelhead and the downstream movement of juvenile life stages spawned from these runs.

North Fork Ryan Creek Fish Passage Design

Year Proposed: 2023

Status: Ongoing

This fish passage project is on North Fork Ryan Creek, which is a tributary to Ryan Creek, a tributary to Outlet Creek in Mendocino County. Outlet Creek has the distinction of hosting the longest migration corridor for Coho salmon in California. The project site is marked by two culverts that have blown out. and a grade control weir that creates a 1.9-foot plunge during low flows. This project is the development of 100% design plans for a stream crossing that will pass Steelhead and Coho and all
life stages and all flows.

Designing for Sturgeon Passage in San Joaquin Eastside Bypass (Phase 1)

Year Proposed: 2023

Status: Ongoing

An understanding of when, where, and how White Sturgeon use the Restoration Area downstream of the Eastside Bypass Control Structure (EBCS) is needed to ensure that planned modifications to the structure and construction of an engineered rock ramp facilitate upstream migration and habitat utilization by White Sturgeon and other native fishes. This project will provide currently lacking information about the presence
and distribution of White Sturgeon in the Upper San Joaquin River and the potential for implemented restoration projects to create needed spawning habitat to bolster the SFE White Sturgeon population. Furthermore, it will provide information on flows and temperatures that may attract sturgeon and will more generally support migratory access of anadromous populations (including Green Sturgeon Pacific Lamprey) in the Restoration
Area.

Conner Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project

Year Proposed: 2012

Status: Complete

The project intended to restore unimpeded access to upstream spawning and rearing habitat by replacing two Trinity County-maintained stream crossings that were complete and partial passage barriers to adults and juveniles.

Grape Creek Water and Wine Project

Year Proposed: 2012

Status: Complete

Improve streamflow for steelhead trout and coho salmon in Grape Creek (and its tributary, Wine Creek).

Branciforte Creek Dam Removal

Year Proposed: 2013

Status: Complete

Dam Removal – Branciforte Creek, San Lorenzo River, near Santa Cruz, CA

Wilson Creek Barrier Removal

Year Proposed: 2013

Status: Complete

Barrier Removal – Wilson Creek, South Fork Trinity River, Trinity County, CA

Pinole Creek Fish Passage Project

Year Proposed: 2014

Status: Complete

This project restored access to the upper reaches of Pinole Creek for Central California Coast steelhead by modifying box culverts, improving access to nearly 7 miles of documented quality steelhead spawning and rearing habitat.

Sharber-Peckham Creek Fish Passage Project

Year Proposed: 2014

Status: Complete

The project replaced an undersized culvert, which created a migration barrier to four anadromous fish species on Sharber-Peckham Creek. Removal of this barrier provided access to 1.2 miles of high quality spawning, over-wintering and summer rearing habitat.

Dinner Creek Fish Migration Barrier Removal Project

Year Proposed: 2014

Status: Complete

The project will replace fish migration barrier culverts with natural bottom installations that meet NOAA fish passage design criteria. Removal of these barrier culverts will open access to more than 9,400 feet of spawning habitat in the Dinner Creek watershed.

Carpinteria Creek Fish Passage

Year Proposed: 2014

Status: Complete

This project addressed the last major barrier to steelhead migration in the Carpinteria Creek watershed, opening up 1.27 miles of habitat by removing an undersized bridge and concrete channel to meet fish passage criteria for all steelhead life stages.

Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project

Year Proposed: 2014

Status: Complete

Project monitoring helped determine the condition, effectiveness, and stability of newly created and restored habitat, and its contribution to salmon use and distribution.

Kelly Gulch Fish Passage Project

Year Proposed: 2014

Status: Complete

Klamath National Forest data show that anadromous fish distribution in Kelly Gulch extends to the culvert at FS Road 40N39 road crossing. This culvert is a known fish passage barrier. The recommended treatment is to install a bottomless arch culvert.

Memorial County Park Fish Passage Barriers Remediation Project

Year Proposed: 2015

Status: Complete

This project modified the two remaining barriers to fish passage on Pescadero Creek to improve migration conditions for all life stages of coho and steelhead. A total of 57 miles of stream opened as a result of implementing the project.

Central California Traction Company Railroad Bridge Fish Passage Improvement Project

Year Proposed: 2016

Status: Complete

This project is located within the primary migratory route for federally threatened steelhead and species of concern Fall-run Chinook. The area presented a significant barrier to fish migration for adults of both species at discharges less than 210cfs.

Manly Gulch Coho Access and Habitat Restoration Project

Year Proposed: 2016

Status: Complete

A total of 600 feet of Manly Gulch was restored and realigned to reconnect 4,000 feet of spawning and rearing habitat for salmonids.

Juvenile Fish Passage Criteria Assessment Project.

Year Proposed: 2016

Status: Complete

During the summer and fall of 2016, project leaders will document the leaping abilities of groups of 100 juvenile steelhead (70 – 120 mm FL) at the Don Clausen Fish Hatchery at Lake Sonoma. Results will be summarized in writing and presented to CFPF.

Pennington Creek Steelhead Barrier Removal

Year Proposed: 2017

Status: Complete

The Pennington Creek Steelhead Barrier Removal Project eliminates a barrier to migration and restores access to critical spawning and rearing habitat in the Chorro Creek watershed in San Luis Obispo County, CA.

Benbow Dam Removal

Year Proposed: 2017

Status: Complete

The removal of the Benbow dam on the South Fork of the Eel River will eliminate a winter velocity barrier through a narrow fish passage slot in the dam, benefitting coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead/rainbow trout, and Pacific lamprey.

Upper Green Valley Creek Fish Passage Project

Year Proposed: 2017

Status: Complete

The goal of the project is to restore fish passage and stabilize the grade through a 600-ft stream reach of upper Green Valley Creek, thereby ensuring passage for juvenile and adult coho to an additional 4,810 ft of rearing and spawning habitat.

Neefus Gulch Coho Salmon Barrier Removal Project Design at Appian Way

Year Proposed: 2018

Status: Complete

The project developed engineered designs for a wood loading project on Neefus Gulch -a salmon-bearing tributary to the North Fork Navarro River. Planned wood-loading work on NG is tied to ongoing fish passage work in watershed to address 2 full barriers.

Cooper Mill Fish Passage Improvement Project Design

Year Proposed: 2018

Status: Complete

The objective of this project is to develop 100% designs for 2 fish barrier locations on Cooper Mill Creek that will lead to improved fish passage for all salmonid life stages and provide access to high priority refugee habitat in lower Yager Creek basin.

Mid Klamath Fish Passage Improvement Project

Year Proposed: 2018

Status: Complete

This project was designed to ensure both juvenile and adult fish passage into high quality thermal refugia areas during critical periods of migration. Access to cold, clean tributaries of the mainstem Klamath, Salmon and Scott Rivers during low flow, high temperature summer and fall months is critical for both migration and rearing within the Klamath River system. 

Davy Brown and Munch Creek Fish Passage Project

Year Proposed: 2018

Status: Complete

Project supports development of engineering designs to remove 3 barriers to steelhead migration on Davy Brown & Munch Creek, and replace 2 of these barriers over Davy Brown w/ steel bridges.

Iron Horse Vineyards Dam Removal

Year Proposed: 2019

Status: Complete

This project seeks to completely remove an obsolete flashboard dam at the Iron Horse Vineyards on lower Green Valley Creek, allowing for free passage of both adult and juvenile coho and steelhead through the site, while performing additional assessment work in lower Green Valley to identify and characterize both physical and biotic barriers to fish passage. The Iron Horse dam has been identified in several historical DFW (DFG) stream surveys, and most recently championed for removal by local DFW fisheries biologists.

Lamprey Passage at Rowdy Creek

Year Proposed: 2019

Status: Complete

This project will provide passage for Pacific Lamprey over a diversion barrier through the installation of California-style lamprey passage route (tube), provide video monitoring facilities to count and observe lamprey as they move through, and provide a viewing facility and outreach display at the Rowdy Creek tribal fish hatchery’s public visitor’s station. This project will open 11.4 miles of spawning and rearing habitat for Pacific Lamprey. Pacific Lamprey are a very important subsistence fishery for the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation.

M-1 Road Fish Passage Improvement

Year Proposed: 2019

Status: Complete

Remediates a partial barrier to spawning and rearing salmonids in a NOAA Core Recovery area for CCC coho salmon. NMFS considers Big River basin a high priority, core, watershed for recovery of Coho salmon, North Coast steelhead trout, and chinook salmon.

Seiad Creek Off-Channel Connection Improvement Design

Year Proposed: 2019

Status: Complete

Project ensures connection to three (19,000 sq ft) high value off-channel spawning and rearing habitats (ponds) that increase available off-channel rearing habitat for ESA threatened Coho salmon.

Upper Noyo River – Skunk Train

Year Proposed: 2019

Status: Complete

The objective of this project is to restore access to 1.15 miles of steelhead and salmon habitat upstream of the upper Noyo River railway crossing and to reduce the risk of sediment delivery from fill failure while providing a safe railway. This will be a

Lamprey Passage Design for Priority Obstacles in Sacramento Basin  (Phase 1)

Year Proposed: 2019

Status: Complete

This project builds on recent products developed by the Forum, strategically applying them as management tools for barrier assessment and optimization of remediation strategies for Pacific Lamprey, using 3rd order and higher streams in Sacramento Basin.

Applying FISHPass in the Smith River Watershed

Year Proposed: 2020

Status: Complete

Project leverages the effort already invested by the Forum in FISHPass and applies it to a real world example to develop an optimized list of barrier removals in on of CA’s most important watersheds for conservation of wild anadromous fish (Smith River).

Montague-Grenada Weir Retrofit and Barrier Removal

Year Proposed: 2020

Status: Near Completion

Engineer a weir modification design that will allow juvenile salmonids to pass upstream to cooler refuge during low flows and when temps are sub-lethal in the mainstream Shasta River.

Santa Margarita River Fish Passage & Bridge Replacement Project

Year Proposed: 2020

Status: In Progress

This fish passage project on the Santa Margarita River in San Diego County addresses a principal threat to endangered Southern California steelhead by removing a low-flow river crossing that is a fish passage barrier, replacing it with a new bridge.

Strawberry Creek at Clam Beach Fish Passage Remediation Project

Year Proposed: 2020

Status: Complete

The goal of the project is to provide fish passage through the existing concrete channel upstream and adjacent to the Highway 101 culvert on Strawberry Creek.

West Tule Creek Diversion Fish Passage Project

Year Proposed: 2020

Status: Complete

This project will address fish passage limitations and environmental compliance standards at the Evans Range diversion located on West Tule Creek, a tributary to Hayfork Creek.

Lawrence Creek Off-Channel Habitat Connectivity Project (Phase 3)

Year Proposed: 2021

Status: Complete

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.

Mid-Klamath Creek Mouth Enhancement Project

Year Proposed: 2021

Status: Complete

This project will open seven miles of stream for Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and steelhead/rainbow trout by addressing barriers within the first 1,000 feet of up to 40 tributaries to the Klamath River.

Ross Valley Sanitary District Shady Lane Abandoned Sewer and Barrier Removal Project

Year Proposed: 2021

This project will remove the first barrier migrating steelhead encounter, and will provide passage for juvenile steelhead, as well as younger age classes between Corte Madera Creek and 8,000-lf of the Ross Creek stream channel accessible upstream.