Forum-Funded Restoration Projects

Since 2012, The Forum has helped support projects across California, from research, assessment, implementation and monitoring of fish passage improvement and habitat enhancement, collectively representing a significant investment in the recovery of anadromous fish populations statewide.

From 2012-2025, the California Fish Passage Forum has supported 53 projects across California, collectively representing a significant investment in the recovery of anadromous fish populations statewide. These projects include 36 projects removing one or more fish passage barriers, six habitat enhancement projects, four research and two monitoring projects, and two fish passage assessment projects. These have lead to 70+ barrier removals, opening 300 miles of habitat, and engaging 2,249 partner organizations.

Zoom in on the map below to populate project names.

Orange-lined points are active projects, black-lined points are projects which are complete.

Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project

This large-scale cooperative project addressed sediment aggradation, fish passage, flooding, and drainage throughout the Salt River, a tidally influenced tributary to the Eel River Estuary near Ferndale in Humboldt County. Work included river channel restoration, estuary restoration at Riverside Ranch through…
Pinole Creek Fish Passage Improvement Project

This project improved fish passage through the nearly 400-foot Caltrans I-80 double-bay box culvert on Pinole Creek in the City of Pinole, Contra Costa County. Construction added concrete notch baffles, training walls, a terminal rock pool, and a rocked downstream chute,…
Kelly Gulch Fish Passage Project

This project replaced an undersized culvert on Forest Service Road 40N39 on Kelly Gulch, a tributary to the North Fork Salmon River within the Klamath National Forest in Siskiyou County, with a bottomless arch culvert allowing natural passage of aquatic organisms,…
Dinner Creek Fish Passage Barrier Removal Project

This project removed three undersized culverts on Dinner Creek at Briceland Thorne Road in Humboldt County — including a complete barrier to all life stages — and supplemented emergency replacement work with habitat improvements including river-run gravels, roughened channel work, and…
Carpinteria Creek Fish Passage Project

This project removed the last major migration barrier in the Carpinteria Creek watershed — an undersized bridge and 100 feet of concrete-lined channel with drop structures — replacing it with a clear-span bridge and a restored natural stream channel incorporating rock…
Branciforte Creek Dam Removal

This project removed the 8-foot Cahill Dam, built in 1931, from Branciforte Creek — the last tributary of the San Lorenzo River before it reaches the Pacific Ocean in Santa Cruz County. The dam had blocked migration and buried natural spawning…
Grape Creek Streamflow Restoration — Water and Wine Program

This project addressed critically low dry-season flows in Grape Creek, a tributary to Dry Creek in the Russian River watershed of Sonoma County, by working with vineyard landowners to install off-stream ponds fed by groundwater and winter rainfall. This eliminated in-stream…
Conner Creek Migration Barrier Removal Project

This project addresses two fish passage barriers on Conner Creek, a tributary to the Trinity River below Lewiston Dam. The Trinity River is a major tributary to the Klamath River. The project sites — Conner Creek Road (Crossing #1) and Red…