Annual Request for Proposals for restoration funding is opening June 15th

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Logo of the California Fish Passage Forum

The Forum is a collaborative partnership formed to protect and revitalize anadromous fish populations in California by promoting collaboration among public and private sectors for fish passage improvement projects and programs.

The M-G weir repair project on the Shasta River, Siskiyou County, CA

Forum Funded Restoration Projects

Home » Funded 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. Explore projects by year funded, county, major river system, or by the lead partner.

Project Stats

70+ Barrier removals

Culvert replacements, dam removals,  technical fishway installations, and channel augmentations.

69 habitat enhancements 

Improvements to floodplain and channel complexity,  large woody debris installation, and native plantings. 

295 miles conserved

Riparian acres improved, reconnected, or conserved.

3,026 people engaged

Program mangers, funders, engineers, scientists, restoration practitioners, and community members engaged.

2,249 organizations engaged

Funding agencies, permitting agencies, restoration conservation districts, and nonprofits engaged.

Big River Calaveras River California State Parks Conner Creek Contra Costa County Contra Costa RCD Del Norte County Eel River Eel River Watershed Improvement Group Five Counties Salmonid Conservation Program Gold Ridge RCD Humboldt County Humboldt County Department of Public Works Humboldt County RCD Jenny Creek Klamath River Mendocino County Merced County Mid Klamath Watershed Council Mormon Slough NOAA Fisheries Outlet Creek Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission Pescadero Creek Russian River San Joaquin County San Joaquin River San Mateo RCD Santa Barbara County Siskiyou County Smith River Sonoma County South Coast Habitat Restoration Stockton East Water District Stotenburg Creek The Watershed Project Trinity County Trinity River Trout Unlimited USDA Forest Service US Fish and Wildlife Service Van Duzen River Weaver Creek Wildcat Creek Yager Creek

  • Montague-Grenada Weir Retrofit & Barrier Removal

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    This project modified the Montague-Grenada Weir — a concrete flow measurement structure on the mainstem Shasta River in Siskiyou County that functioned as a near year-round fish passage barrier — by raising the low-flow sill to eliminate the hydraulic drop while preserving the structure’s water measurement function. The modification improves passage for all life stages of Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey at river mile 14.6 on one of California’s historically most productive salmon rivers, a tributary to the Klamath River. Location: Mainstem Shasta River at river mile 14.6, approximately one mile south of the town of Montague,…

  • Application of FISHPass in the Smith River

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    This project applied the FISHPass barrier prioritization tool to the Smith River watershed in Del Norte County, California — the largest undammed river in the state — to develop an optimized list of fish passage barrier removals for the benefit of Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, and Pacific lamprey. Field verification of 82 sites updated the California Passage Assessment Database and demonstrated the importance of accurate input data for barrier prioritization modeling. Note: FISHPass has since been phased out in favor of the National Barrier Prioritization Tool developed by the NFHP National Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative. Project Name:…

  • Upper Noyo River Fish Passage Improvement and Sediment Reduction Project

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    This project replaced a failing, undersized 9-foot culvert on the Mendocino Railway (Skunk Train) line with a 50-foot span corrugated steel arch structure to restore fish passage and eliminate a total barrier to migrating salmonids on the upper Noyo River in Mendocino County, California. In addition to opening 0.5 miles of steelhead and Coho salmon rearing habitat, the project prevented an estimated 8,400 cubic yards of sediment from being released into the Noyo River headwaters, protecting aquatic resources along approximately 3 miles of downstream habitat. Location: Upper Noyo River watershed, Mendocino County, California. The Noyo River flows westward through Mendocino…

  • Seiad Creek Off-Channel Connection / Fish Passage Enhancement Project

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    This project restored connectivity between Seiad Creek and three previously constructed off-channel ponds — Alexander, Stender, and Durazo — in Siskiyou County, California, a tributary system of the Klamath River. By removing sediment blockages and installing wood and rock structures to redirect flow, the project improved access to 19,000 square feet of critical off-channel rearing habitat for ESA-threatened Klamath River Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, and steelhead, where off-channel winter habitat is a documented limiting factor in salmonid recovery. Location: Seiad Creek, a tributary to the Klamath River, in the Seiad Valley area of Siskiyou County, California. Three off-channel pond sites:…

  • M1-Road Fish Passage Improvement Project

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    This project replaced an undersized, deteriorating corrugated metal culvert on the M-1 Road with a full-sized 96-inch diameter culvert to restore fish passage on No-Name Gulch, a tributary to Big River in Mendocino County, California. The old culvert was a partial barrier to migrating salmonids on a stream identified by NOAA as historically productive habitat. The replacement opens 0.21 miles of spawning and rearing habitat in a high-priority recovery watershed for Central California Coast Coho salmon, North Coast steelhead, and Chinook salmon. Project Name: M1-Road Fish Passage Improvement Project Location: No-Name Gulch (also known as Chapman Gulch), a small tributary…

  • Lamprey Passage Design for Priority Obstacles in the Sacramento Basin

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    This basin-wide research, prioritization, and design project improved tools and data for Pacific lamprey recovery across the Sacramento River system. Work included extending the state’s Pacific lamprey distribution GIS layer to include third-order streams in the Sacramento Basin, refining a standardized field barrier assessment form, using FishPass software to prioritize barriers, and developing passage modification designs for three high-priority sites. The Sacramento Basin has been severely impacted by impassable dams limiting lamprey to roughly half their historical range, and this project advances the integration of lamprey needs into California’s broader fish passage planning framework. Location: Sacramento River Basin, California. The…